LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony: 10 NBA Players To Watch for the Rest of 2011
As we head into the 2011 NBA All-Star break, there are many questions to be answered.
When will the Carmelo Anthony situation be resolved?
Can the Miami Heat come out of the East on top?
Will Derrick Rose keep it up?
The answer to all of these questions, and others, lie within certain players.
A few number of players hold the key to their team's potential success.
In the case of some players, their success is pivotal to the continued success of their respective team, while other players need to have a break out second half to push their team in the right direction.
Also, some players we always need to continue to keep our eye on, while others on the list are sleepers that will catch us off guard.
Either way, there are a handful of players that we need to keep our eye on for the rest of the 2011 NBA season.
And here is the top ten of them.
No. 10: Amar'e Stoudemire Of The New York Knicks
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Everyone expected Amar'e Stoudemire to bring some fire back to Madison Square Garden.
But no one expected this.
Stoudemire has officially proved he is one of the elite players in the NBA. Many were skeptical about him having success on a team without Steve Nash.
Those doubts have been put to rest.
Stoudemire is second in the league in scoring at 26.2 points per game and his 2.19 blocks a game are good for fourth best.
And Stoudemire's improvement on the defensive end is incredible. He is blocking shots and hitting the boards hard on a daily basis, which is a refreshing thing to see in Coach Mike D'Antoni's offensive-minded system.
Stoudemire's game is not without concern though. There are certain aspects of his game that we need to watch for the rest of 2011.
For starters, we must ask the obvious: Can Stoudemire keep this up?
Stoudemire is having a career year and is even an MVP candidate, but are the long minutes going to take a toll on him? Is he going to be able to stay healthy? His ability to continue this pace is of the utmost importance to New York.
Stoudemire has only sat out one game this season so far, and although he takes a beating every game, there is nothing to suggest he will slow down.
What should worry the Knicks more is Stoudemire's technical fouls. He has 14 on the season and if he gets two more he will be suspended for one game.
And another game for each two technicals after that.
Stoudemire needs to be on the floor for the Knicks to have success. He is pivotal to New York making the playoffs.
Thus, Stoudemire is definitely someone we need to keep our eye on the rest of the season.
No. 9: Blake Griffin Of The Los Angeles Clippers
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Blake Griffin has proved that he is no "one-minute" wonder.
Griffin has played consistent basketball all year long. He is averaging 22.7 points per game and is fourth in the league in rebounds with 12.7 per game.
Furthermore, Griffin has put on a dunk show night in and nigh out, and is almost a lock to win the Rookie of the Year honors.
If he is such a lock, why must we continue to watch him?
Well, to state the obvious, it is intriguing to see what Griffinwill do next. His dunks have been prolific and his fire on the court can only be matched by a few.
What is also noteworthy though is Griffin's Los Angeles Clippers. They are 20-34 and ten games back of the eight and final playoff spot for the Western Conference.
The Clippers are better than this. Despite that notion though, barring a more than shocking turn of events, the Clippers will not even come close to the playoffs.
And this is pivotal in Griffin's development.
Will he continue to play hard knowing that the Clippers officially have nothing to play for?
Will the 82-game season take on toll on him?
These are all questions that must be kept in mind. Griffin has never played a full 82 game season before so his performance for the rest of it is a legitimate concern.
Furthermore, Griffin needs to lead his team to a great improvement coming off the all-star break. Griffin and the Clippers need to show that they are only a heartbeat away from being a playoff calibre team.
The Clippers will not make the post-season this year, but Griffin needs to prove he his good enough to lead a turn around for next year.
We must keep watching Griffin for the rest of the season to see if he rises to the occasion and completes the task at hand.
No. 8: Monta Ellis Of The Golden State Warriors
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Monta Ellis is in a similar situation as Blake Griffin.
The Warriors are an underachieving team as well and Monta Ellis is pivotal to Golden State's future.
Ellis is fifth in the league in scoring with 25.2 points per game.
But we have always known the kid could score. He has one of the purest strokes in the game, and like Ray Allen, once he gets hot, there is no stopping him.
The concern with Ellis has always been his reluctance to pass the ball to his teammates.
However, he has seemed to silence those critics. Ellis is averaging 5.5 assists per game this season to prove that he is capable of hitting the open man.
Ellis must have an eye kept on him for the rest of 2011 to see if he can continue to improve.
The danger with him is the same as that of Griffin. Golden State is 5.5 games back of the final Western Conference playoff spot. Unless they can find a way to turn it around, they may find themselves having nothing to play for as well.
And it is going to be intriguing to see how Ellis will handle all of this.
Ellis and the Warriors are capable of turning itaround. Between Ellis, David Lee and Stephen Curry there is more to this team than meets the eye.
But some uncertainty remains on Ellis' part.
Can he continue to do what he has done all season, which is pass and score or will he revert back to his old ways in the midst of his team's disappointing season?
All we can do is stay tuned and see how it plays out.
No. 7: Derrick Rose Of The Chicago Bulls
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Derrick Rose is having an outstanding season.
The Chicago Bulls are one of the surprises of the NBA this season. No one expected them to be third in the Eastern Conference ahead of both the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks.
What is even more impressive is the Bulls are doing this without the likes of Joakim Noah.
Rose has been the key to the Bulls success all season. He is eighth in the league in scoring at 24.7 points per game and dishes out over eight assists per game.
And he is only 22 years old.
If the Bulls are going to keep this up the rest of the season, we must keep our eyes on Rose. He is the glue holding this team together.
It is not going to be an easy task fending off the Hawks and Magic for the rest of the season, but if Rose continues to play the way he has, the Bulls have a real chance at holding onto the third seed.
It will also be interesting to see how the Bulls will fair against the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat the rest of the season. If they want to prove they are one of the elite teams in the NBA, they need to first prove they can win consistently against the likes of the Celtics and Heat.
Rose is the key to all of this.
And don't be surprised if Rose wins MVP honors should the Bulls hold onto the third seed and go deep into the playoffs.
We will just have to watch and see.
No. 6: Deron Williams Of The Utah Jazz
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Deron Williams has come under some fire recently because of the resignation of Coach Jerry Sloan.
However, it is believed that Williams did not play a role in Sloan's resignation, which is good for the Utah Jazz because fans would hate to have to love a player that just pushed a 23 year tenured coach out the door.
The fact is that the Jazz are clinging to a seventh-seeded playoff birth because of Williams. He is averaging 21.6 points per game and is fourth in the league with just over 9 assists a game.
Utah needs Williams if they want to make the playoffs, but it is going to be an interesting second half for him and the rest of the team.
The scrutiny over Williams' relationship with Sloan will continue for the remainder of the season and Williams needs to make sure it doesn't affect his game.
Furthermore, it will also be interesting to see how Williams and the rest of the Jazz fair under new Head Coach Tyrone Corbin. Anytime a coach leaves mid-season it is difficult on the team.
Need an extreme example of the previous notion? Just look at the downward spiral that the Knicks experienced when Jeff Van Gundy left midway through the 2001-2002 season. Disaster doesn't begin to explain the events that ensued.
Yes, Williams has quite a challenge ahead of him.
And his road will only get rockier should Carmelo Anthony leave the Denver Nuggets because then Williams, along with Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, will have their impending free-agency scrutinized even furth.
Williams will probably continue to put up impressive stats. The big question is if he will be able to lead the Jazz into the playoffs amidst all of the controversy surrounding him and the team.
Will Williams lead the Jazz into the playoffs?
Nobody knows.
This all makes Williams a must watch player for the remainder of the NBA season.
No. 5: Dwight Howard Of The Orlando Magic
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Dwight Howard is having another amazing season.
But questions about his future in Orlando are finally starting to surface.
Howard has been lucky he has stayed under the radar this long. He should thank Carmelo Anthony for that one.
Howard is a free-agent at the end of next season and the consensus is that if the Magic cannot put a title contending team around him, he is going to walk.
Howard is averaging 22.9 points per game and is second in the league in rebounds per game with 13.9. He is also fifth in the league with 2.11 blocks per game.
Despite Howard's success this season, the Magic are struggling. They have dropped to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Atlanta Hawks.
With this in mind, every game for the rest of the season is going to be crucial for Orlando. If they want to prove that they are still an elite team in the NBA, then they need to regain some ground in the playoff race.
Orlando maintained the third seed for the longest time, but since the trade that brought them Gilbert Arenas, they have slipped a bit.
It is going to be interesting to see if Howard can help turn things around for this Orlando team that is falling fast.
Should the Magic continue their slide and exit in the first round of the playoffs this season, Howard's future with the team will be put under even more scrutiny.
Furthermore, we need to keep our eye on Howard because of the abundance of technicals he has. He leads the NBA in technical fouls with 18.
Just as the Knicks need Amar'e Stoudemire on the floor to win, the Magic need Howard. Without him, they are probably not even a playoff calibre team.
Once this Anthony drama subsides, even more eyes will turn to Howard and the Magic. Every loss, every technical foul, and every interview Howard gives will be scrutinized.
Rumors concerning Howard's future will dominate headlines. He will get publicity, both negative and positive, that he has never experienced before.
And it is going to be very interesting to see how Howard handles all of this.
No. 4: LeBron James Of the Miami Heat
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LeBron James is always a player that we should keep our eyes on.
One never knows what James will do on the court or say off the court next, but he will be more compelling than ever to watch the rest of this season.
Right now, the Miami Heat are the second-seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics. James leads the Heat with 26.1 points per game to go with 7.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists. He is having another typical "LeBron James" season.
And I do not mean that in a bad way.
What makes James so interesting to watch for the rest of 2011 is to see how far he can lead the Heat this season.
For a good portion of the season, the Heat have looked unbeatable. When James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are all on the court together, it's a scary thing.
There have been times though that the Heat have struggled. And this is cause to worry.
What is most troubling about the Heat is their lack of depth. Although people hate to admit it, if Miami's "big-three" stay healthy, depth is not really a necessity.
But the problem is keeping Miami's superstar trio all heathly.
When James, Bosh and Wade are all healthy, they barely need the other two players on the court. But if even one of them goes down, Miami's lack of depth can be exploited.
Will all three of the Heat stars stay healthy the rest of the season?
No one knows.
Wade is very injury prone and Bosh is no invincible man either.
Don't get me wrong there are some other strong role players on Miami, like Mike Miller.
But wait, he's barely played at all this season.
Why?
Injuries.
When it comes to the potential success of the Heat, everything rests on James' shoulders. He is a durable work-horse and has definitely proved his worth this season by still being "the guy" even on a team that has both Wade and Bosh.
If anything should happen to Wade or Bosh, or both going into the post-season, LeBron will have to carry Miami even more.
It will be interesting to see how far James can take this Miami team this season. Before the season began, many predicted the Heat would become a dynasty, but not this season.
Many analysts believed that the Heat would not be able to overthrow the Celtics this season as the Eastern Conference's premiere powerhouse. Some do not even see Miami making it to the Eastern Conference finals this year.
Up until this point, the previous notion has been somewhat true. The Heat have proved they are a very good team, but have not yet proved they are better than Boston.
Can James continue to carry the weight of probably the most-hated team in the NBA right now?
Will he be able to push Miami past Boston and make the Heat the team the Eastern Conference's team to beat?
Will he be able to take the Heat to the Eastern Conference finals or beyond this season?
Who knows.
But as sure as anything, James is going to be a very intriguing player to keep an eye on for the rest of 2011.
No. 3: Russell Westbrook Of The Oklahoma City Thunder
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Russell Westbrook continues to impress this season.
Up until recently, Kevin Durant has overshadowed Oklahoma City's organization. But now, Westbrook is starting to emerge out of Durant's shadow and make a name for himself.
In only his third season, he is averaging 22.2 points and 8.6 assists per game. And what is more is that he has improved his points by over 6 per game from last season.
Wow.
Westbrook is truly fun to watch. Every game it seems that he has something new to offer that you didn't know he could do before.
Whether it's slashing to the basket or finding the open man, Westbrook makes a tremendous difference for the Thunder when he is on the court.
Westbrook is also a stellar defender. He is averaging almost 2 steals per game. Additionally, Westbrook is a very physical player that is not easily shaken up.
In his first season back in 2008-2009, Westbrook started 55 games and played in all 82 for Oklahoma City. Last season, he started all 82 games and this season to date, he has started all 54 of the Thunder's games.
Talk about dependable. Not many players play every game, especially when they play as physical as Westbrook does. And the fact that he may play every game for a third straight year is even more impressive.
But it is not just Westbrook's stats and improvement that makes him a player to watch for the rest of the season. What truly makes him appealing to watch is how other teams will approach match-ups against him.
Despite Westbrook's success, it seems that many teams around the league do not take him very seriously. The opposition is so focused on Durant that they forget Westbrook can be just as dangerous.
It will be very interesting to watch and see how opposing teams play Westbrook after the all-star break.
Westbrook's play has certainly received a fair amount of attention this season, but the way that teams seem to neglect his presence, you would think it has been a secret.
Well the secret's officially out.
Westbrook is dangerous and the rest of the league has got to know this by now.
Will Westbrook be able to still exploit teams the way he's been doing once they tighten up on him?
We will have to keep our eye on Westbrook the rest of the season to find out.
No. 2: Carmelo Anthony of The Denver Nuggets
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Carmelo Anthony is certainly a must-see player for the remainder of this season.
He is a Denver Nugget right now, but who knows where he will be after the February 24th trading deadline passes.
Regardless of where Anthony is playing though, it will be interesting to see how he does the rest of the season.
At 25.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, Anthony is having another tremendous season. But will he continue to dominate the rest of the season?
If traded, whether it be to the Knicks, Nets, Mavericks or I think the Harlem Globetrotters might have been mentioned as a potential destination at this point, Anthony has his work cut out for him.
It has been speculated that Anthony has wanted out of Denver for nearly eight months now and if he doesn't click with his new team immediately, his decision to force is way out of Denver will be further scrutinized.
The Nuggets may also decide to hold on to Anthony for the rest of the season. In this case, if Anthony still does not sign the extension Denver has on the table, the speculation about what he will do during the off-season will increase.
Even if Anthony signs the three-year, $65-million extension with Denver, he still will find himself under a microscope.
It is clear that Denver and its fans are upset about what has transpired up until now. Should Anthony decide to remain with the Nuggets, one can only wonder if the Denver faithful will welcome his continued presence with open arms.
The saga surrounding Anthony may have burned too many bridges for him to play with the Nuggets anymore.
But maybe it hasn't.
The trading deadline is rapidly approaching, but there is no end in sight for the hype surrounding Anthony.
No matter which team, no matter what kind of circumstances he is playing under, Anthony is a player to keep your eye on for the rest of 2011.
We've monitored his situation up until now. And there's no reason stop just yet.
No. 1: Danilo Gallinari Of the New York Knicks
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Danilo Gallinari is the second New York Knick to appear on this list, and many may disagree with him being the number one player to watch.
Gallinari is not in the same league as many of the people on this list, but he is still the number one player to watch for the remainder of the season.
Why?
Gallinari is on the verge of breaking out.
I've been saying it all along and I still believe that Gallinari is a heartbeat away from becoming one of the premiere players in this league.
Gallinari may still be a Knick after the trading deadline, or he may be a Denver Nugget, but regardless of where he plays, he is someone to keep an eye on.
Gallo is averaging a modest 16 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, but he is finally starting to come into his own.
Up until recently, Gallo has been viewed as a player who lingers beyond the three-point line until he gets the chance to jack one up.
Not anymore.
Gallo has started driving the ball to the basket. And he has done so effectively.
When he takes the ball to the rim, it's almost guaranteed he will be able to draw a foul.
Gallo does have the tendency to just throw the ball toward the basket if he feels contact, but he will soon learn to actually aim his shot in such a scenario.
And this is bad news for opposing teams.
Gallinari is no longer just an outside threat, but an inside one as well. And if he remains with the Knicks, look to see his team feature him a lot more on the offensive end.
Knicks Coach Mike D'Antoni has even said that his team needs to keep Gallinari involved more, and coming out of the all-star break, this will be a focus.
Gallinari has had his struggles this season, but remember that he has been mentioned in trade rumors constantly since the beginning of August, and regardless of what he says, the rumors have affected his game.
Gallo is only in his third season, and only his second full one, so he is not used to the trade rumors that have been plaguing him.
Once Gallo has some continuity though, look for his comfort level to dramatically increase.
Gallinari may be a Denver Nugget next week, or he may still be a Knick. Regardless though, once he knows where he will be, Gallinari will be further poised for a break out.
Many have compared him to Dirk Nowitzki and many others think the comparison is unwarranted.
I'm here to tell you that it has been far from unwarranted.
At Gallo's age, Nowitzki only averaged half a point and one rebound more a game. Statistically they are not that different.
And if Gallinari didn't suffer a back injury in his rookie season, I believe that you see a different Gallinari today.
Gallo is still learning. He is only 22. But he is coming into his own rapidly.
By the end of the season, I believe Gallinari will be scoring at least 20 points a game with ease.
If he's on the Knicks, he will take advantage of teams doubling Amar'e Stoudemire, and possibly Carmelo Anthony. Give Gallinari any room, and he is going to make you pay.
Gallinari may be in Denver next week though. And if this is the case, with Anthony gone, Denver will look to feature him on the offensive side of the ball quite often. Gallo barely averages ten shots a game, so imagine what he could do in Denver with twenty or more a game.
The possibilities are endless with Gallinari. He has great potential to be a star in the NBA.
And he's about to live up to that potential.
So while Gallo is not one of the superstars on this list, he soon may be.
And we need to make sure we keep our eye on him for the rest of this season, and many more to come.
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