Two Years in the Future
Two years is an eternity in professional sports, especially in the NBA. Two years can be the difference from a team bound to be perennial players in the lottery to an NBA Champion.
I am talking, of course, about the Boston Celtics and their acquisition of a future Hall of Fame player (Kevin Garnett) and an assassin (Ray Allen) before the 2007-08 season. In a sport where only five guys are on the floor at a time per team, the addition of one player can make the difference between glory in the postseason and low moments in the regular season.
In the 2010-11 season the league landscape could be quite different. The Hall of Fame free agent class alone is something to ponder and weave bright futures around the very possibility of landing LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, or Chris Bosh.
By the beginning of that season the Celtics trio will have matured well beyond veteran status and will begin to look like arthritic-ridden old men. The Cleveland Cavaliers are next on the list as the dominant team in the East (and frankly, they are the best team right now), but there is no guarantee James will not leave for a better marketing opportunity with the New York Knicks or the future New York Nets.
There are few young talents that look like they are going to take their team to the next level in the East. The only team that appears to have one of those special players is the Chicago Bulls.
Derrick Rose had a mixed series in the first round against the Celtics in the first round. He could blow by anybody at times and find a seam to the basket. He could also throw a lob two feet two high on a fast break.
Still, just watching him play has to get you excited. Alone he might be able to make this team a second round beast in the 2011 postseason. If the Bulls are able to reel in Bosh (who wants to play for the Bulls) this team could have serious finals aspirations.
There are two teams out in the Western Conference that are for sure, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers are going to tie Bryant up until his retirement. They also have Pau Gasol until 2012 and a young stud named Andrew Bynum until 2013. Add a few role players to this squad and you have one of the best teams in the either conference, assuming Bynum ever plays a complete season.
The Trail Blazers are one of the few teams to build through the draft, a concept unheard of since free agent contracts eclipsed $20 million a year. With Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, and Rudy Fernandez, this will be the second coming of the running Trail Blazers from the Clyde Drexler days.
The future of the NBA is looking bright right now and right now just about every team can smile when they think of the 2010-11 season, when anything is possible.
