Atlanta Hawks Capsule

The only reason I can envision seeing the Atlanta Hawks moving forward is if they have a leader on the team who can step up and make big shots in the stretch during crunch time. If they do not have a go-to guy, the Hawks will lose big games down the stretch. Joe Johnson is the likely option to be the go-to guy. I think he should be the number one guy to make big shots down the stretch. If it is not Johnson, I would give the ball to Josh Smith and see how he operates with the basketball. If the Hawks keep losing basketball games, it will be because they do not have a primary offensive scorer to go to in close and tight games. I think coach Larry Drew is doing a remarkable job of keeping tabs on his players. The only way he can rein in victories for his squad is keep encouraging enthusiasm and keep telling his players not to lose hope when things get tough. The weakness with this Atlanta squad is that they fail to win basketball games when things get tough. This is how the Hawks will lose games as a team. When they fail to go through adversity as a team. As a team to win games, they need a go-to guy who will give them automatic points. It can be Joe Johnson. It can be Jamal Crawford. It can be Josh Smith. Atlanta needs to decide who is their primary scorer, who is their secondary scorer, and who is their third option to go to in scoring. This is how we can decide Atlanta is a good basketball team. Right now, they are battling with inconsistency. Time will tell if the Hawks do become a good basketball team.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The team I like to watch out for is the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have a bright and young nucleus to build around in a budding superstar in Kevin Durant and a sidekick in Jeff Green. Russell Westbrook is making a good start for being a good running mate for Kevin Durant. I think that Westbrook and Durant and Green are going to be good basketball players for the long run. They have the personnel around them to chase that elusive NBA title. They have a defensive combo guard in Thabo Sefolosha. He can make a living chasing and defending the best perimeter scorers of the world. He will be a better NBA player if Sefolosha can have a reliable jump shot or being a threat from 3-point land. Serge Ibaka can make a great perimeter big man and pivot. He can block shots and he has the athleticism and speed that most big men do not have. I like having a scorer and shooter like James Harden on the bench. His instant scoring will help the Thunder remain close in tight games. I also like Eric Maynor's demeanor when he gets to play behind Russell Westbrook. If Cole Aldrich ever gets to play, I like to see him perform. He has the potential to be a great NBA player. I also like Byron Mullens too. If these two young centers ever get to play for the Thunder, I would like to see them succeed at the NBA level as soon as possible. The sky is the limit for Mullens and Aldrich. Nick Collison makes a great backup power forward and center for the Oklahoma City Thunder. If I want to see Collison succeed, his defensive rebounding and floor leadership will help the team as much as possible.

Miami Heat

This Heat team that has Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade on it looks like a confused squad. They are trying to create a team identity, however unlikely it may seem with three mega-superstars meshing together. James and Bosh have to agree that the Miami Heat belongs to Dwyane Wade. They need to see that big picture immediately. They have to play second fiddle to Wade for the entire duration they play together, this Big Three. Lebron James and Chris Bosh look uncomfortable handling the basketball in the low post, because they are not accustomed to doing so. They are more of capable of being perimeter players. If I expect to see dramatic changes in the way the Miami Heat play, they need to realize that there is only one leader on this team and it is Dwyane Wade. Lebron James must realize that he is capable of handling the basketball and doing all the intangibles to helping this Miami Heat team win ball games. Chris Bosh must realize his limitations of playing offensive and defensive basketball. He is not going to take charge of this basketball team. That is not Chris Bosh's personality. The Heat must decide immediately that this team needs one leader and they must all follow Wade's direction the way he sees fit. James and Bosh will operate much better if Wade leads them.

New Orleans Hornets

The Hornets are off to a fast start this 2010-2011 NBA season. I wonder how fast they can keep this up under head coach Monty Williams. The head coach of the New Orleans Hornets says he has no secrets about winning. He just wants his team to play hard and defend. From the starters to the bench, they have done just that. They have a bunch of outcast NBA players such as Willie Green, Jerryd Bayless, Marcus Thornton, and Marco Belinelli running the court and Peja Stojakovic has been reduced to the bench. In his place is Trevor Ariza, newly acquired from Houston. At the 4 spot, David West is still Chris Paul's running mate. Running the pivot position is Emeka Okafor, whose defensive presence and rebounding skills are definite positive assets for the basketball team. I think the New Orleans Hornets will be the joker card this NBA season. I hope that they will give the premier NBA teams like the LA Lakers, the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and the Orlando Magic a run for their money. I would never expect the Hornets to be this fast and quick in this November.

Chicago Bulls 2010-2011 NBA Season

I like the Chicago Bulls' chances of winning multiple games this season. They have a legitimate low-post threat in Carlos Boozer. The Bulls have a rising star in Derrick Rose, whose chance to shine is now. Rose can decide how he wants to lead this Chicago squad and it is up to him to fully take charge. Over the summer Chicago added key players to its roster and have the ability to play with the more physically-challenged teams of the East like the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics. Joakim Noah will play with the tougher teammates now he has Carlos Boozer and Omer Asik. The Bulls also have added backup point guard CJ Watson, whose defensive purposes and offensive-mindset will help the team. Chicago has a defensive-minded guard in Keith Bogans, whose experience in guarding the opposing team's best scorer will also help the Bulls maintain composure in tight and tense games. With a perimeter player like Ronnie Brewer, also acquired from Utah along with Carlos Boozer, Derrick Rose has a running mate who can shoot the ball as well as catch lobs to the rim. Off the bench, the Bulls will have instant offense in Kyle Korver, whose sharpshooting will help this Chicago team maintain its scoring. Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau's defense approach to this team will definitely give Chicago some much needed boost on the defensive end. I also believe that the addition of Kurt Thomas will give the Bulls veteran leadership and a post defender. Along from Boston where Tom Thibodeau's assistant coaching days comes Brian Scalabrine, whose glue-approach to teamwork will help bridge Chicago Bulls chemistry together along with team cohesion and locker-room leadership. In conclusion, I believe the Bulls are in for a long season if the new additions to the team can mesh together.

NBA Pre-season

I can't wait for the NBA season to start. It will be an exciting 82 games for 30 teams to play. I certainly hope that the L.A. Lakers do find a way to win their third consecutive championship. Their bench got better with Steve Blake serving as a reliable backup for Derek Fisher. Blake's defense and steady leadership handling the basketball will be a great relief for the aging Fisher who will be nearly 37. I think that the Lakers got with Matt Barnes was a great help. Barnes will provide a defensive threat along with Ron Artest in the battle of the small forward slots. The Lakers also got Theo Ratliff, who will help Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom fill the lanes. With the Lakers in tow for their third title in three years, the Miami Heat retooled with the additions of two All-Stars in Lebron James and Chris Bosh joining Dwyane Wade. One can only hope that the Heat can quickly build chemistry and cohesion with all three egos on one team. The Orlando Magic still remain the same, their sharp release of the three-point shot and Dwight Howard manning the middle, nothing's changed for these Magic. They added two players who can shoot the three ball amongst their three-point shooting barrages in Quentin Richardson and Chris Duhon. I still like the Boston Celtics' chances of returning back to the NBA Finals for the second time in a row. They added Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal over the summer. That's a load to handle for the C's front line including Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, and Kendrick Perkins. If anything, I'm looking forward to seeing the Lakers back on top of the NBA world for the third year in a row.

Miami Heat

I know why Chris Bosh and Lebron James left their respective teams to join Dwyane Wade in Miami. In my opinion, their talents and skills were not meant to be leadership quality in Toronto and Cleveland. Their personality and versatility on and off the basketball court did not allow Bosh and James to be captains of their basketball team. They played well, I will give you that, but their ability to make clutch shots at the end of basketball games were not grand enough to call them superstars or give them the right to make Jordan-esque plays. I think that joining Wade in Miami will give James and Bosh a chance to become the supporting cast and it would be best to let Dwyane be the man or the superstar on the Heat team. In Bosh's and James' interest, it would be great to score, pass, rebound, and play defense as the second bananas to Dwyane Wade being Batman as Wade will make most of his opportunities taking control of the offense. If I can say anything about Wade being the leader of the Heat team, he needs to pace himself so he doesn't burn himself out like he does when he flies through the air and takes bumps and hits and tumbles to the floor. He needs to take a lesson from Kevin Durant, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan. What Durant, Bird, and Jordan had in common was that they were willing to take shots when they saw opportunities and take what the defense gave them. Wade doesn't do that. He forces his offense through to the defense when he tries to initiate what the defense gives him. The Heat will play well as a team if they build chemistry and cohesion quickly in training camp. No egos allowed for this team. If anything happens to this team, one little bump in the road towards the NBA title, watch out for explosions.