Tis that season again! It's time to stare deeply into my crystal ball and wrongly predict another NBA campaign. Well, maybe I will get one or two right somewhere along the way. Let's begin, shall we?

Rookie Of The Year: Yi Jianlian

I would have never guessed that I would go in this direction but after looking at his preseason numbers, the fact that he will start and that he is 32 years old, I think this has become a pretty safe bet. Durant is the sexy pick here but Yi has a lot more experience and this will be extremely valuable against the crafty and stronger NBA vets.

Most Improved Player: Andrew Bynum

Who will win the award for having better stats due to actually getting playing time this year? I think Bynum is that guy. He came into the league at a SUPER young age and has shown flashes of brilliance along the way. Now, with some real playing time, he should start to put up great numbers along the line of Andris Biedrins last year. Someone like Ronnie Brewer may step up as well but my money is on Bynum for now.

Defensive Player of the Year: Bruce Bowen

Year after year I keep predicting the sexy candidate but Bowen is always a safe bet to finish in the top three. As long as the NBA keeps letting the guy use every old school tactic in the book, he will be a tough defender. He's the old man at the park that holds, grabs and gets in your head and before you know it, completely shuts you down. I tip my cap to the guy for being able to do this for so many years and chances are, his name will be called at the end of this year for the first time. Can you believe the guy has never won the award??

6th Man of the Year: Leandro Barbosa

Historically speaking, the 6th Man award changes hands almost every year. But, Leandro is a perfect bench player ala Bobby Jackson or Vinnie Johnson. He comes into the game hot and can just dominate offensively. Coach Mike loves this guy and he will get every opportunity to win this award again.

MVP:KG

I think this year will be the celebration of KG. The guy has been dominating the league for years on teams that had less than stellar talent. Now, in a lesser conference and with real talent alongside him, he will shine. The wins will come and on a national level, people will see his amazing all around game. I've always been a big fan of his effort and game and his reward will come this year in the form of an MVP trophy.


Coach Of The Year: Rick Adelman

The Rockets are the sexy pick this year which makes me not want to do this but I can just see the team playing well under a more open offense that Adelman will implement. He's been through the wars with the Blazers and the Kings and there is no reason to think that a team with Yao, Tmac and other solid player like Wells and Scola can't provide great success as well.

Finals: Spurs and Celtics

Every year I try to predict this and every year as of late, I pick the Suns to get here. This year, I am going against conventional wisdom with the hope that things go in the opposite direction. That being said, this Finals match up just makes sense. The Spurs just continue to get it done and the only thing that can stop them is themselves and maybe the Mavs if they get lucky. As for the Celtics, I don't see much competition beyond the young Bulls. It would be a thing of beauty to watch KG get to the Finals and just play his heart out every night. In the end though, no three players are better than the entire sum of a quality team. Spurs in 6 and it will be hard to see the pain in true champions like KG, Pierce and Allen's eyes when it all comes to an end.

Birthday Wishes!



On the eve of my 27th birthday, I have many wishes for the upcoming basketball seasons in both college and the NBA. Let's take a peak into my fantasy land...

I'm wishing that a team steps up and represents college hoops as well as the Florida Gators did. While people can grow tired of seeing repeat champions, you have to respect a team that hustles, plays defense and plays with an overall passion. The team that could fill this role in the upcoming year is UCLA.

I also wish for a player to capture the nations consciousness like Kevin Durant did last year. While I'm a bit down on the character of players like OJ Mayo and Michael Beasley, they have the type of talent to get viewers to tune in.

I wish for an NBA champion to be decided by the play on the court rather than politics or bad officiating. I don't want to see a player rewarded free throws because of star status or a team punished because of another team's actions. There should be a clear champion and no doubt in anyone's mind.

I wish people in the United States would love basketball as much as myself. While I enjoy football, baseball and many other sports, I'm tired of basketball continually being third fiddle. I'm happy to see the rest of the world coming along for the ride and I hope in time that Sportscenter will lead off with basketball highlights instead of a discussion about the Giants and Falcons during the fall.

I wish NBA players would stop thinking about dollar signs and endorsement deals so the game could be played in an unselfish manner and so the negative perception of the NBA as a whole would disappear. Casual fans only see the Kobe's and Carmelo's instead of Steve Nash, Dwayne Wade, Tim Duncan and many other great ambassadors for the game.

I wish the NBA would call traveling consistently... Seriously, just one time.

I wish an NBA trade that is rumored would happen at least one time. I don't know if I can handle another Shawn Marion for any player in the league scenario.

Finally, I just wish for a good season with some parody and good games played well and good health to all those involved. Get well Greg Oden!

Player to Watch





Every year the Suns have a shot at a lottery pick, I obsess about those first thirteen picks. Who will go where? What do the Suns need? Somewhere along the way I find a player I am insanely intrigued by like Sergio Rodriguez or Shaun Livingston in the past. This year, that man, er, teenager, is Serge Ibaka. Apparently, I can only like players that have names that begin with "Serg"..

I watched the video above after reading about this kid via NBADRAFT.NET and Draftexpress and I've been fascinated ever since. Keep in mind that he is seventeen,(21 in Mutombo years), and 6'10. Look at his speed from end to end, his touch with his jumper, his insane leaping ability and best of all, hustle and fire on the boards or as a weak-side defender.

He is firing up draft boards across the net and it won't be long before Chad Ford has a blog declaring Serge the next Reign Man or Amare Stoudemire. I don't know what he will become and a lot of this will be on him to continue to work on his game and learn how to properly utilize his obvious gifts. Being that he plays in Spain, at least the coaching and competition should help prepare him for just that. Keep your eye on this kid because I wouldn't be shocked to hear his name called in the late lottery, hopefully by the Suns, on draft night.