NBA Lockout: 3 Teams That Would Benefit Most from a Shortened Season
Will there be an NBA season or not? That’s the big question as the lockout continues to drag on.
The Players’ Association and the owners are inching closer to a new deal it seems, but it might not come in time to save this season.
However, assuming the two sides do eventually get their acts together and sign a deal, which teams benefit most from a shortened season?
The clear answer is teams with aging stars.
So, with that being said, let’s take a look at three NBA teams with aging stars that would benefit most from a shortened season.
Boston Celtics
The 2011-12 NBA season was going to be the Celtics’ last shot at an NBA title with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen (and even Paul Pierce, to an extent) as key players.
They are aging and eventually the Celtics are going to have to put some younger talent around Rajon Rondo.
KG’s knees simply can’t handle a full 82-game schedule any more, and Allen is eventually going to start slowing down. So, a 40-50 game schedule would play right into Boston’s hands.
They haven’t been having strong regular seasons the past couple years, anyway. Their new preferred style seems to be waiting until the playoffs to play to their full capabilities.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have an interesting situation in that they have both older players and an injury-prone young player that would benefit from a shortened season.
Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Ron Artest and Pau Gasol would all benefit from extra rest and less wear and tear on their aging bodies.
Meanwhile, injury-prone center Andrew Bynum might be able to be more of a factor if he doesn’t have to play a full 82-game schedule.
The only problem with a shortened season for the Lakers is that they haven’t had time to work with their new coach, Mike Brown. That might make for some ugly games at the start of the season (if there is a season).
The fact remains, however, that a potential shortened season might give fans a third Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals matchup. The NBA would absolutely love that ratings boost.
Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion are 33 years old. Jason Terry is 34.
The Mavericks are also coming off a season in which they had to play into June en route to the first championship in franchise history.
Should the season start in early December, they’ll have had a few months off. Though they wouldn’t have had as much rest as every other team besides the Miami Heat, they’ll be more rested than they would have been had the season started on time.
That significantly increases their chances for a repeat.
