11 Questions For The NBA In 2011

As we enter 2011 there appears to be more questions surrounding the NBA then there are answers. There are many teams that seem to be teetering. Are the Celtics on their very last legs? Will the Lakers run continue? And what does the future hold for Greg Oden? Nothing is certain, and things can change in an instant, but here are 11 questions to be answered by the NBA in 2011. 

11.Larry Brown

Question:

Will Larry Brown Be Coaching by January 1, 2012?

Best Guess:

Of course. He’s Larry Brown. At this rate he could never coach again and be paid through 2080. But Larry likes coaching and he’s a good coach. It’s hard to pick his next spot, but there will be teams looking after the season ends. He’s a big name and will assuage season ticket holders of a team that’s teetering between mediocrity and playoffs to keep their season tickets.

He’ll be back. 

10.Joe Dumars

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AUBURN HILLS, MI - NOVEMBER 04: Allen Iverson #1 of the Detroit Pistons is introduced at press conference by President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars after being traded from the Denver Nuggets on November 4, 2008 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Aub

Question:

Will Joe Dumars be the GM of the Pistons by January 1, 2012?

Best Guess:

No. This is the year Detroit finally does something about the mess Dumars has created. He gave out massive contracts to an aging Rip Hamilton, an over-valued Ben Gordon, and a…I don’t know what to call the Charlie Villanueva deal.

Dumars doesn’t seem to have a direction and made his Pistons cellar dwellers.Things are broken in the Motor City and Detroit will learn that Dumars isn’t the guy to fix it. 

9.Greg Oden

Question:

Will we see Greg Oden play in 2011?

Best Guess:

Yes. Let’s assume there is no lockout and Oden has the complement of a regular season starting on time. My best guess is he’ll play. I’ll make this amendment to it: he won’t play for long. It’s sad that Oden may never get a chance to prove himself. He just seems cursed.

He’ll play a little bit for whatever team picks him up, but I’d be surprised if he makes it through a full season.

8.Dallas Mavericks

Question:

Could This Be The Year the Mavs finally win back the Western Conference?

Best Guess:

No. Don’t get me wrong, Dirk has been playing out of his mind and he’s made the Mavs legit. But in a deep conference like the West you need to another big player. Kobe has Gasol. Williams has Jefferson, and Durant has Westbrook. Dirk has Dirk.

The Mavs are a really good team, but I wouldn’t bet on them repping the West in the NBA Finals. 

7.NBA Lock-Out

Question:

Will There Be A Lockout?

Best Guess:

Yes, there will be a lockout. Rumors are that Stern wants to cut the max contracts and slash payroll by a third. There isn’t a player in the league who likes that idea. Look for the players to call the owners bluff, and Stern will play hard ball. You could estimate that after the finals there will be no basketball until 2012 officially begins. 

6.Chris Paul

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 22: Chris Paul #3 of the New Orleans Hornets smiles as he walks off the court during the game against the New Jersey Nets at the New Orleans Arena on December 22, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Hornets defeated the Nets

Question:

Where Will Chris Paul Be One Year From Today?

Best Guess:

Los Angeles Lakers. This might seem reaching, but follow me here for just a second. Paul doesn’t want to be on a stinker anymore. New York won’t have the pieces to add him and Melo. No other quality team in the NBA either needs him(Rose, Rondo, Williams all make Paul useless) or has the money or pieces to obtain him. Except L.A.

If the Hornets were willing, they could trade Bynum for Paul. Of course that goes out the window if Bynum can’t stay healthy. However, L.A could sweeten the deal by trading Odom as well or Ron Artest. 

Bottom line is Kobe want’s more rings and having Paul there makes L.A an instant contender again. Paul will take the load off of Kobe and Gasol. It just might happen. 

5.San Antonio Spurs

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SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 28: Guard Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs with Gregg Popovich during play against the Los Angeles Lakers at AT&T Center on December 28, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees t

Question:

Is San Antonio for Real?

Best Guess:

For this season they are. Duncan doesn’t have it left anymore, but this team reminds me of the Boston Celtics of last season.  They know their days are numbered, but they’ve played shortened seasons the last few years(so they are fresh) and they are playoff tested.

They may be irrelevant by 2012, but they’ve got enough juice to make noise for the rest of this year. If they get the one seed and get to play at home: watch out.

4.Carmelo Anthony

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CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 07: Carmelo Anthony #15 of the Denver Nuggets watches on against the Charlotte Bobcats during their game at Time Warner Cable Arena on December 7, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and

Question:

Where Will Melo Go? 

Best Guess:

Nowhere this season. It’s likely you’ll see him in a Knicks uniform in 2011(if they play basketball), but this season he’ll stay put in Denver. His contract his huge so anyone who gets him has to give up a lot of guys or a few big contract guys. Melo would have to want to play there, and that team would have to look at him as possibly a rental player. That takes the Nets out of the running and teams like Chicago and L.A.

Any team that is willing to acquire Melo as a rental player isn’t going to want to give up more than bad contracts. Bottom line is the variables are too great for Melo to head out of Denver this season. 

3.Boston Celtics

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BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 16: Nate Robinson #4 of the Boston Celtics drives around Jason Collins #34 of the Atlanta Hawks as Kevin Garnett #5 of the Celtics blocks on December 16, 2010 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly

Question:

Will injuries derail the Celtics?

Best Guess:

No. That is not a declaration of them as World Champions, but it’s just to say that they seem to be so deep that it would take a lot(namely an injury to two of the big three, or just a prolonged injury to Garnett) to see them derailed. 

Look at it this way: they have already suffered losses to Perkins, Rondo, and Shaq and yet they’ve only lost 5 games, and even the games they lost were close.

2.Miami Heat

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HOUSTON - DECEMBER 29: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade during first period action against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on December 29, 2010 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downlo

Question:

Can the Heat make it to the Finals?

Best Guess:

Yes. But it’s not because they have figured things out. 

The still lack a serious low post defender who isn’t over 40. They still have trouble executing in a half court offense. And if they face a healthy Boston, Orlando(if Howard shows up), or possibly even Chicago, the Heat will struggle to win the series. However, since these things are all questionable you’d have to think they are. 

1.The Lakers

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SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 28: Guard Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers at AT&T Center on December 28, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is con

Question:

Will The Lakers 3-Peat? 

Best Guess:

No. Now, that isn’t to say the Lakers won’t be a tough out in the playoffs, but it’s likely that L.A doesn’t make it back to the Finals. The team is old and their brightest young player, Andrew Bynum, is an injury waiting to happen. 

Kobe has logged a lot of miles on the legs and he doesn’t have the lift he once did. With so many strong teams filling up the Western Conference playoff brackets, it’s likely the Lakers fall just short of another title.