http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/405644.html
Seven NBA stories on the horizon
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 2:12 am PDT Saturday, September 29, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
The NBA gets back to the business of basketball, of all things, as training camps soon open with Commissioner David Stern dealing with several issues:
• The fallout from the gambling crisis.
• No. 1 pick Greg Oden injured.
• Kobe Bryant still a Laker and the Lakers still a soap opera.
• The Hornets back in New Orleans full time.
Months of swirl that reached from the league office to the newest and youngest players at last gives way to getting back on the court in a development most will welcome. Maybe not the Lakers -- who must endure Bryant's wrath until he rescinds a trade demand -- but most.
They were such unimaginably hectic months that several of the issues remain in play as most teams begin practice Tuesday. Some teams will start Monday overseas, where they'll play exhibition games. The tangible impact of Tim Donaghy and his resignation as a referee amid an FBI investigation, Bryant and his future in Los Angeles, the awkward introduction of rookie Yi Jianlian and the Bucks -- all to be decided, still.
The new season starts anyway Oct. 30 with the Spurs as defending champions in testimony to teamwork and organizational stability.
But first we give you seven story lines.
THE PHENOM
There is only one at the start of 2007-08. Greg Oden is sidelined by knee surgery, possibly for the season, leaving Kevin Durant the clear consensus choice for Rookie of the Year, a greatly hyped small forward who projects as being able to score from most anywhere on the court and create his own shot.
Durant probably will even be able to avoid what could have been his greatest burden. With no sign of hope that the SuperSonics will stay in Seattle, a young man who would be entering his sophomore year in college won't be put into the position of needing to excite the fan base in what would be the last, best chance to build momentum to keep the team in Washington state. The decision to leave for Oklahoma City is likely finalized, if not far along, and the official announcement could come early in the regular season.
THE CELTICS
After years among the rubble, they are suddenly playing with the expectations of reaching deep into the postseason. No team turned its fortunes so dramatically to the positive during the summer, just as no executive in the league repaired his image as much as Danny Ainge.
Kevin Garnett came in trade, Ray Allen came in trade, and a proud basketball city got behind its team again. The Celtics report that no more than 1,000 tickets remain for any game -- after just nine sellouts in 2006-07 -- and that season-ticket sales had jumped 40 percent. All they have to do now is live up to the hype.
THE PUNCHING BAGS
You know, the Mavericks.
Losing a 2-0 series advantage and a 13-point cushion in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals created enough doubt about their mental toughness. But that's nothing compared to the questions that await in the aftermath of the historic '07 first-round loss to eighth-seeded Golden State.
The Dallas roster has barely changed since, so any adjustment will have to come from within -- within the locker room and within themselves.
THE 'NEW' NEW ORLEANS
The Hornets are down for a full schedule in the "Big Easy" for the first time since the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, hoping to finally find a sense of permanence.
Except it's not just a Katrina comeback story. Executives with some teams remain skeptical New Orleans could have been a successful home for a franchise even without the disaster, and now the doubts have been compounded in the face of a shrunken fan base and an economy with more pressing concerns than professional basketball. The Hornets can be good on the court -- the playoffs are very realistic -- and still find trouble off it.
THE LAKERS
Round 1 went to the front office. Kobe Bryant demanded a trade, berated management, ripped teammates and insisted the damage was irreparable and that he could not play for them again. The Lakers held their ground and countered that he would not be dealt. They kept him, and the rhetoric slowed to a trickle of dodged answers when Bryant was asked if he still wanted to go.
With Bryant returning to the team, the subject will be unavoidable. If he backs off his summer stance, everyone moves forward -- until the next Lakers drama. If he reloads or gives another non-answer answer, the world is still crashing down around them.
THE WARRIORS
Sixteen wins in the final 21 games of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs, then the dramatic upset of the Mavericks to return the Bay Area to the national basketball map -- the 2006-07 finish was electric. Now to do it an entire season.
Golden State has been catapulted into a new stratosphere, full of uncommon expectations for a franchise that had been lottery constants. Building on that late-season push puts the Warriors in position to be something more than a team that plays small and fast and just got the right matchup in the first round. Miss the opportunity, and they'll fade to the former life just as fast.
THE REFEREES
The firestorm of the offseason is the central league-wide issue of 2007-08, with Commissioner David Stern and his staff desperately needing game officials to climb back from the depths that Tim Donaghy created.
If each on-court call was an invitation for scrutiny before, imagine the microscope referees will be working under now. And probably not just working under. Every walk past a casino door and every stroll in front of an off-track betting site will become public fodder, and that's before the season's first controversial late-game whistle.
The league tapped the former chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney's office in New York to lead an internal investigation that the NBA said will include an analysis of everything from off-court behaviors to the process of hiring and developing referees. No timetable has been announced for the completion of the report.
About the writer: The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper can be reached at (916) 321-1210 or showard-cooper@sacbee.com.
Seven NBA stories on the horizon
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 2:12 am PDT Saturday, September 29, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
The NBA gets back to the business of basketball, of all things, as training camps soon open with Commissioner David Stern dealing with several issues:
• The fallout from the gambling crisis.
• No. 1 pick Greg Oden injured.
• Kobe Bryant still a Laker and the Lakers still a soap opera.
• The Hornets back in New Orleans full time.
Months of swirl that reached from the league office to the newest and youngest players at last gives way to getting back on the court in a development most will welcome. Maybe not the Lakers -- who must endure Bryant's wrath until he rescinds a trade demand -- but most.
They were such unimaginably hectic months that several of the issues remain in play as most teams begin practice Tuesday. Some teams will start Monday overseas, where they'll play exhibition games. The tangible impact of Tim Donaghy and his resignation as a referee amid an FBI investigation, Bryant and his future in Los Angeles, the awkward introduction of rookie Yi Jianlian and the Bucks -- all to be decided, still.
The new season starts anyway Oct. 30 with the Spurs as defending champions in testimony to teamwork and organizational stability.
But first we give you seven story lines.
THE PHENOM
There is only one at the start of 2007-08. Greg Oden is sidelined by knee surgery, possibly for the season, leaving Kevin Durant the clear consensus choice for Rookie of the Year, a greatly hyped small forward who projects as being able to score from most anywhere on the court and create his own shot.
Durant probably will even be able to avoid what could have been his greatest burden. With no sign of hope that the SuperSonics will stay in Seattle, a young man who would be entering his sophomore year in college won't be put into the position of needing to excite the fan base in what would be the last, best chance to build momentum to keep the team in Washington state. The decision to leave for Oklahoma City is likely finalized, if not far along, and the official announcement could come early in the regular season.
THE CELTICS
After years among the rubble, they are suddenly playing with the expectations of reaching deep into the postseason. No team turned its fortunes so dramatically to the positive during the summer, just as no executive in the league repaired his image as much as Danny Ainge.
Kevin Garnett came in trade, Ray Allen came in trade, and a proud basketball city got behind its team again. The Celtics report that no more than 1,000 tickets remain for any game -- after just nine sellouts in 2006-07 -- and that season-ticket sales had jumped 40 percent. All they have to do now is live up to the hype.
THE PUNCHING BAGS
You know, the Mavericks.
Losing a 2-0 series advantage and a 13-point cushion in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals created enough doubt about their mental toughness. But that's nothing compared to the questions that await in the aftermath of the historic '07 first-round loss to eighth-seeded Golden State.
The Dallas roster has barely changed since, so any adjustment will have to come from within -- within the locker room and within themselves.
THE 'NEW' NEW ORLEANS
The Hornets are down for a full schedule in the "Big Easy" for the first time since the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, hoping to finally find a sense of permanence.
Except it's not just a Katrina comeback story. Executives with some teams remain skeptical New Orleans could have been a successful home for a franchise even without the disaster, and now the doubts have been compounded in the face of a shrunken fan base and an economy with more pressing concerns than professional basketball. The Hornets can be good on the court -- the playoffs are very realistic -- and still find trouble off it.
THE LAKERS
Round 1 went to the front office. Kobe Bryant demanded a trade, berated management, ripped teammates and insisted the damage was irreparable and that he could not play for them again. The Lakers held their ground and countered that he would not be dealt. They kept him, and the rhetoric slowed to a trickle of dodged answers when Bryant was asked if he still wanted to go.
With Bryant returning to the team, the subject will be unavoidable. If he backs off his summer stance, everyone moves forward -- until the next Lakers drama. If he reloads or gives another non-answer answer, the world is still crashing down around them.
THE WARRIORS
Sixteen wins in the final 21 games of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs, then the dramatic upset of the Mavericks to return the Bay Area to the national basketball map -- the 2006-07 finish was electric. Now to do it an entire season.
Golden State has been catapulted into a new stratosphere, full of uncommon expectations for a franchise that had been lottery constants. Building on that late-season push puts the Warriors in position to be something more than a team that plays small and fast and just got the right matchup in the first round. Miss the opportunity, and they'll fade to the former life just as fast.
THE REFEREES
The firestorm of the offseason is the central league-wide issue of 2007-08, with Commissioner David Stern and his staff desperately needing game officials to climb back from the depths that Tim Donaghy created.
If each on-court call was an invitation for scrutiny before, imagine the microscope referees will be working under now. And probably not just working under. Every walk past a casino door and every stroll in front of an off-track betting site will become public fodder, and that's before the season's first controversial late-game whistle.
The league tapped the former chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney's office in New York to lead an internal investigation that the NBA said will include an analysis of everything from off-court behaviors to the process of hiring and developing referees. No timetable has been announced for the completion of the report.
About the writer: The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper can be reached at (916) 321-1210 or showard-cooper@sacbee.com.
