A Review of NBA Powers: Cavs Vs. Heat & Lakers Vs. Suns

Earlier last week, I went on the ESPN NBA page and checked the Schedule for games that are upcoming in the week and farther on. It's something I've been doing for years and seeing what all is available to me is actually sort of fun. Usually, I'm looking for the TNT and ESPN games, and often I get excited just seeing what WGN/Comcast will have available to view of the Bulls (since I'm a couple of states away from Illnois-my whole basketball-watching boyhood was based in watching Michael Jordan, not on national television, but on WGN, because that meant that I could see just about every non-national game that he played in; it was a real treat). Anyway, after watching the Cleveland Cavs and Orlando Magic play Wednesday (getting in a cool live chat at StepienRules.com during the course of the game), I checked the games for the end of the week-Thursday was gonna be my night, the Cavaliers and Miami Heat-LeBron and Dwyane Wade?-and Kobe and the L.A. Lakers vs. the Phoenix Suns? Yeah man. I knew I was gonna enjoy the night-and I did.

On the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat...

I think everybody who watched saw that tomahawk dunk that Wade put on Anderson Varejao. Moments like that have helped me to realize why Wade is so special in the first place. It's known by now that he's the new premier face for Brand Jordan's signature Air Jordan shoes, and his game is totally reminiscent of Michael from the 80s.

It's going to be interesting to see how Michael Beasley develops. I hope he does well and he needs to do well. With all the things that he's been subjected to (and subjected himself to), he needs a good year and Miami needs to see where he's gonna fit into their plans. I think he can really be something, but Beasley needs a mentor for his game in the worst way; he needs someone that can give him more direction into how he can better access his skill set. A guy like Beasley with good range on his jumper, stealthy moves around the basket and remarkable athleticism could use some much-needed guidance. Cliff Robinson or Tom Chambers would be great for him; if Rasheed Wallace or Antoine Walker weren't signed or being chased by the feds, they'd be good, too.

Quentin Richardson is in really good shape, but I think people get it twisted when some players drop weight. It matters what kind of weight they were dropping. Q always was able to build good muscle, and honestly he had a bodybuilder physique the past few years-his losing pounds wasn't because he was fat, it was because his muscle was slowing him down. Shaq actually has a similar issue, as did Greg Oden. That's why Phil Jackson had to keep The Big Aristotle out of the weight room various times over their period together in Los Angeles (although Shaq didn't try much to stay in optimum condition...).

The Heat already have a solid cast, so if they get LeBron at all in 2010, it's going to transform what many of those guys do currently-he's special that way. Jeff McInnis instantly got more valuable when James was in the backcourt with him, and Ira Newble had the same experience in James' more formative years in the league.

And by the way, Mr. James seems really fresh. It's like he's not even trying these days. In '08-09, he had a transformative season that was out of this world, but you could tell he was pushing. As of right now, it's like LBJ doing those same things he did last year with half of the effort, it almost sort of freaky (I also think he went back down to 265 or 260 in weight, I'm sure of it).

Onto Phoenix and Los Angeles...

If I were the Phoenix Suns management, I'd push hard to try for a championship right now. I say that because it's probably the best chance to go with Amare' Stoudemire silently giving the finger to the front office. Nash is still not getting any younger (although uptempo basketball really seems to keep him young-looking and -playing), and neither is Grant Hill. If they acquire another rebounder or two, another shooter and one or two more super-versatile wing and post players, they have a legitimate chance to push for a title this year, but Robert Sarver has to be willing to spend for it this year. The fans want it, the players want it, so why not gamble on great success?

I also think Sarver was asinine for being responsible for drafting and then subsequently trading Luol Deng, Nate Robinson, Rajon Rondo and Rudy Fernandez all away over the years. Ridiculous. If they had just spent the luxury tax in keeping those guys, they'd be a super-elite team (with a lot more revenue from selling tickets for a winning basketball team). Three- and four-guard lineups everywhere, a replacement wing and post player for Quentin Richardson and Boris Diaw in Deng, and great promise for the future would the Suns right this moment in that scenario. That was egregious to get rid of those players-Phoenix would be competing right now if they had those young dudes. They should've never gotten rid of Joe Johnson or Jimmy Jackson when they did, either...

Phoenix can make the changes and take advantage of Tim Duncan's decline, Portland's youth and inexperience, Denver's inability to win big late in the year and Utah's instability. All they need is some hired help for 09-10.

Also, the Suns were no good against the Lakers Thursday night.

The Lakers, on the other hand, are looking pretty great right now. With Ron Artest being on the team, I think it'll give Kobe some good balance and help them develop a stronger rapport. Ron seems tuned in when great players that he admires are on-court, so having KB24 there should keep him in an agreeable way.

Shannon Brown continually looks good on the court-he really does make Cleveland, Chicago and Charlotte look like morons for not using him in the right ways, especially Cleveland. I always felt that he was more valuable, overall, than Daniel Gibson, because of the overall package of size, skills (shooting, defense) and endurance. They didn't use him in the backcourt with LeBron like I felt they could have. The Bulls had Thabo Sefolosha when Brown was there, so they duplicated each other in a sense, and the Bobcats just didn't have the patience to stay with him. Oh well.

Hopefully, Sasha Vujacic will have a good year. I'm already sick of his funny haircut.

If Los Angeles dominates other teams like they did with the Suns, it's gonna be a long year for the rest of the league...and don't think that Phil won't add another veteran or two by midseason or late in the year. I have to give some credit to Lamar Odom for being a great trooper for the squadron. He's become a winner, he's matured, and he's seen how his skills can be transformative and rejuvenating for the Lakers no matter how he starts out the game. He's glue for the gold and Forum blue.