Luka’s Corner

All I can say about the lottery is that the Portland Trailblazers are one lucky organization. Going into the lottery, Portland only had a 5.3% chance of winning the number one pick, but they beat both Memphis and Boston (unfortunately), who had a combined 44.5% chance to win the number one pick. When Brandon Roy heard Portland’s name being announced as the winner, he was not only glad because the odds were clearly against him at the start but also because the pick will most definitely bring in Oden or Durant. Either of these two prospects would form a dynamic trio with the quickly developing LaMarcus Aldridge and Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy.

Because of the top pick, Portland will arguably have the deepest front-court in the entire league, considering Oden (yeah…he will be taken first) and Aldridge’s potential and Zach Randolph’s impressive line of nearly 25 PPG and 10 RPG. Although I do not think that Portland will improve tremendously next year and make the Playoffs, they will surely become (unless one of the trio is traded) one of the best teams in the NBA in five years time and, I think, will even contend for a title. The reason why is that the key to any team, in my opinion, is a consistent big man down low. With such a reliable big man (in this case, Portland has three) you can look for him to score in a half-court set, create second chance opportunities, and intimidate the other team with shot-blocking. With the potential big three from Portland, Roy’s job will also become much easier because teams have to focus more on Oden and Roy will drain kick-out threes as long as Oden is doubled on the block. He will have better point and assist totals in the upcoming season because less attention is focused on him, but he can still feed the big men down low for easy layups. The Roy/Oden/Aldridge/Randolph combo will provide Portland with a nice inside-outside game.

With the top two picks going to the Blazers and Seattle Super Sonics, the Northwest is finally becoming the basketball region of the future and, in the next five years, a team from the Pacific will finally be contending for a title. Both of these teams needed a major change in their respective rosters, and the luck they encountered at the Draft Lottery will provide them that change. One of the deepest drafts in history (this one in June) will also provide Portland and Seattle with the chance to become the deepest teams in the league. So…all the other teams out there should definitely watch out because something dangerous is brewing in the West.

I thought that, before they were eliminated in the Playoffs, it was about time that I talk about the New Jersey Nets, and why they are struggling in recent years. On paper, the Nets should be one of the best teams in the league year in and year out, but there are three main problems with New Jersey.

The first is injury. Throughout the season, they have played with a depleted roster and have had to look to their bench for help. The Nets’ all-star small forward and second-leading scorer, Richard Jefferson, was bothered by ankle problems for the entire year and missed significant time due to ankle surgery and rehab. Nenad Krstic, their starting center, was injured in late December and missed the entire season with a torn ligament. This was extremely unfortunate for the Nets because he was their only offensive option down low and was averaging a career high 16.4 PPG and 6.8 RPG prior to his injury. Since Jefferson and Krstic both missed significant time, this weakened New Jersey’s team chemistry because the player rotations were constantly changing.

The second problem is the lack of a inside presence. Now…I know Nenad Krstic was developing rather quickly before his injury and was putting up career numbers, but he still hasn’t proven that he can keep that up consistently (for a whole season) and is still a huge hole on defense. Krstic only averaged 0.9 BPG, which is not great at all for a starting center. What is even worse, without him in the lineup, New Jersey only has Mikki Moore and Jason Collons to fill his role. Both are incredibly inconsistent and were always underachieving (or just not that great at all) throughout their careers.

The third problem is (and most of you won’t believe me) is actually their superstar, Vince Carter. I believe that Carter hurts the Nets more than he actually helps them because he constantly moves away from what he does best on the court- driving down the lane and finishing in dramatic fashion. Instead of attacking the paint, "Vinsanity" just stays behind the three-point line and shoots contested fade-away threes. If he were to drive, that would free up New Jersey’s two deadly three-point shooters- Bostjan Nachbar, Eddie House, and Jason Kidd. Also, Carter has not been known that well for being clutch in the final minutes, and that hurts the New Jersey game plan because he is their leading scorer and the guy they want to look to in the fourth quarter.

Now, enough of me criticizing New Jersey. I think that Jason Kidd is the best all-around point guard in the NBA today (sorry Steve, but Kidd is also an excellent perimeter defender). We all know that he has been averaging a triple-double during the Playoffs (with 14.2 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 11.2 APG) and was very close to doing the same thing in the regular season, but I am just astonished at Kidd’s remarkable rebounding ability (for a PG). He is arguably the best rebounding point guard in history, but the way he does it does not seem at all remarkable. Unlike other point guards, J-Kidd steps about two feet into the lane and just waits for the long rebound or the ball to be deflected off of another player. When this happens, he jumps up at the top of his ability and secures the rebound. This is not at all difficult, and yet he controls 10.8 rebounds just because of it. Kidd also competes with Steve Nash as the best play-maker in the league and has been at the top of the assist charts throughout his career. He runs the fast break flawlessly, sets up plays efficiently, and (most importantly) always has a pass-first mentality.

It is because of Jason Kidd’s rock solid scoring, outstanding rebounding numbers, and great assist totals (along with his persistent lock-down defense) that make him, in my opinion, the most versatile point guard (and maybe player) in the league. He truly is Mr. Triple-Double and he has been showing that skill for his entire basketball career.

The draft in June is coming up quickly and many say it is one of the deepest in history, but many also know that the number one pick will almost certainly be Greg Oden of Ohio State. And, quite frankly, I cannot even describe what kind of publicity his arrival in the NBA will draw to league. It is not only because of Oden’s unlimited potential, but also because of the league’s lack of true centers. I think that Oden is the future of the center position and the NBA in general. He is one of the only players in recent years to emerge from high school with the potential to become a pure center in college and in the pros.

Now, let’s not get too excited and say that he will become as physically dominant as the Shaquille O’Neal or will turn out to be as smooth as Tim Duncan, but let me tell you this: GREG ODEN IS SPECIAL. We all know about his monstrous body (he weighs more than 280 lb. and stands at 7-0) and many doubt that he is only 23 years old, but the strength in Oden’s game lies in his defensive presence. It has been a long time since I have seen a player dominate games on the defensive end through constant shot-blocking and physical intimidation. When playing against Oden, players attack the rim hard in the beginning of the game, but are turned back. Because of this, they stop driving down the lane and when they do, they spend half of their time just looking to see where Oden is on the floor. This aura of intimidation is a surprising resemblance of what I also saw in Hakeem Olajuwan a decade earlier.

Now, if Oden can improve in his back-to-the-basket game and improve in getting open on the block, he will become unstoppable. He will be both a scoring threat and defensive presence in the NBA next season and I strongly believe that he could quickly become a great 20-10-3 guy (in points, rebounds, and blocks). The Ohio State product truly is the next big thing and he holds the future of the NBA in his enormous hands right now.

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