NBA Rumors: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and More Opening Week News
LeBron and crew stumbled out of the gate in Game 1.
They seemed to right the ship last night by beating the Philadelphia 76ers.
Kobe and the Lakers looked like the defending champs.
Don't think, however, that the two on are a collision course for the NBA Finals in June.
A handful of players and teams have looked sharp during the first 48 hours on the NBA season, so it's still fairly wide open these days.
Check out some rumors and opinions on what we've seen and what we might see.
LeBron James: Shooting Slump?
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LeBron James went to Miami to win the championship he couldn't win alone in Cleveland.
You wouldn't think that the "best player in the world" would need to team up with a future Hall of Famer like Dwayne Wade and a dominant power forward like Chris Bosh in order to win a title.
But maybe he does need them, after all.
In the last five games that James has played (his final three with Cleveland, two with Miami), James has taken 86 shots. He's made just 34.
That's a .395 field-goal percentage, far below his career average.
If the elbow was the issue back in May against Boston, what's the problem now?
Kobe Bryant: Fatigue Not a Factor
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It's somewhat hard to believe that Kobe Bryant just began his 14th season in the NBA.
He's only 32 years old, but has endured plenty of injuries during that time. You might say he is "an old 32."
Nevertheless, don't expect Kobe to spend more time on the bench than he has in recent seasons. The knee injury that bothered him at the end of last season doesn't seem to be a factor anymore.
According to the LA Times' Mike Bresnahan, Kobe "feels fine" after playing 37 minutes against the Houston Rockets on opening night.
Orlando Magic: Next Up for the Heat
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Every game that the Miami Heat play this season will be under the microscope.
That's what you get when you stock the team with three superstars and a bunch of fill-ins.
But after having Thursday off, the Heat will have a huge contest on Friday night, one potentially more important than their season-opener against the Celtics.
Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic come to American Airlines Arena on Friday.
The game is huge because Orlando figures to be the only team capable of getting in the Heat's way for the Southeast Division title.
But the game could also further reveal the biggest flaw in the Miami's roster. As the premier scoring big man in the league, Orlando center Dwight Howard could have an enormous day on both ends of the floor against a Miami team that is not that strong up front.
Against the Celtics, Chris Bosh only managed eight points while Shaquille O'Neal scored nine points in 18 minutes against the Heat.
Furthermore, the Heat will be playing their third game in four days.
Monta Ellis: A Threat to Win the Scoring Title
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Last year, it was Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant who burst through to steal the scoring title from regulars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.
This year, maybe it will be Golden State Warriors shooting guard Monta Ellis...he's got a huge lead right now. Ellis scored 46 points in Wednesday's 132-128 victory over the Rockets.
Even more impressive than his opening day point total was his accuracy from the field. Ellis hit 18-of-24 shots against the Rockets.
That type of precision should help him improve upon last year's tremendous season. In 2009-10, the fifth-year man averaged 25.5 points per game, sixth best in the NBA.
Chicago Bulls: Off to a Slow Start
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Lost in all the press about the Miami Heat and their less-than-stellar debut was the debut of another Eastern Conference contender that was very busy this offseason.
Since their 4-1 loss in the opening round of last year's playoffs, the Chicago Bulls have replaced their head coach and two starters.
Tom Thibodeau replaced Vinny Del Negro, while Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer took over at power forward and shooting guard.
Those moves didn't lead Chicago to an opening-night victory, however. On the road against the Thunder, Chicago outshot and outrebounded Oklahoma City, but still came up short in a 106-95 loss.
A lack of inside presence on the offensive end may have been the factor: The Bulls only attempted 22 free throws, 25 fewer than the Thunder.
Amare Stoudemire: Great Start for Newest Knick
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With or without Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks are expecting to be much improved this season, following their 29-53 season a year ago.
And the 2010-2011 NBA season got off to a promising start for the Knicks and their $99.7-million free agent, power forward Amar'e Stoudemire.
In his debut, Stoudemire scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots as the Knicks went to Toronto and defeated the Raptors 98-93.
Stoudemire and the Knicks play the Celtics on Friday night, but then host the Portland Trailblazers Saturday night, when Stoudemire will make his Madison Square Garden debut as a Knick.
Evan Turner: Impressive Debut for Philadelphia's First-Round Pick
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Playing against the most high-profiled frontcourt in the NBA, second-overall draft pick Evan Turner stood tall.
The former Kentucky Wildcat scored 16 points and tossed in four assists in the 76ers' 97-87 home loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
He also punctuated a Philadelphia fastbreak in the fourth quarter with a thundering slam dunk.
Unfortunately for the 76ers, the game wasn't nearly as close as the final score suggested. Philly scored just 13 points in the third quarter, and entered the final period behind by 26 points.
Josh Childress: Injury Limits Free Agent's Time
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Despite ditching the NBA for two seasons in Europe, Josh Childress landed a big free-agent contract this summer, signing with the Phoenix Suns for $6.5 million.
But he fractured his finger two weeks ago in a preseason game against Golden State.
He was able to play in the Suns' opener on Wednesday night's 14-point loss at Portland. But he only took four shots in 17 minutes of time.
The Suns could have certainly used a healthy Childress. Phoenix was outscored 31-11 in the fourth quarter and attempted 19 fewer shots than the Blazers.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Contraction Not for Us
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NBA Commissioner David Stern made headlines prior to the start of the 2010-2011 season when he announced that the league would not rule out contraction as a way to limit some of the financial problems facing the sport today.
On his blog yesterday Minnesota Star-Tribune reporter Jerry Zgoda asked Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor about the contraction issue.
Taylor responded, "Oh, I can say that Minnesota is not one of the teams that would be contracted, nor do we expect that in the future."
Stern never mentioned any team by name. But smaller-market franchises like Minnesota, Milwaukee and Cleveland are going to be considered ahead of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston.
And the Miami Heat probably aren't a smart contraction choice, either.
Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert: Indiana Pacers' High-Scoring Duo?
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Against the San Antonio Spurs, one of the top defensive teams in the NBA, the unheralded Indiana Pacers put up a great fight on the road at the AT&T Center.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Pacers trailed Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and the Spurs by just three points, largely because of the efforts of two underrated players.
Small forward Danny Granger—who finished eighth in the NBA last season with 24.1 points per game—scored 26 on 10-of-19 shooting in the road opener against the Spurs. But Granger wasn't even the team's top scorer.
Third-year center Roy Hibbert scored 28 points and added nine boards and three blocks against the likes of Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess and DeJuan Blair.
At 7'2", Hibbert certainly had a height advantage. But he was also very good around the basket, hitting 10-of-17 shots, and he made all eight of his free-throw attempts.
In what should be a fairly wide open Central Division, Larry Bird's team might have the talent to compete.
