By Aaron Williams
Football season is in full swing, with college football and the NFL both a few weeks into regular season play. But the NBA preseason has already started. It began with NBA Europe Live 2010 on Oct. 3 – 7. Before you know it, the regular season will be upon us, scheduled to begin on Oct. 26. Longtime fans and newcomers alike should be glued to their televisions for several key reasons, as this year’s professional basketball season promises to be very exciting.
Starting things off with the biggest NBA headline of the summer, a crucial reason people should tune in to watch this season is the Miami Heat. With the re-signing of 2006 Finals MVP and six-time All-Star Dwyane Wade, and the addition of former Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh and back-to-back regular season MVP LeBron James, the Heat find themselves in a strong position in the Eastern Conference. The re-signing of big men Udonis Haslem and Jamaal Magloire, and the pick-up of former sixth-man of the year Mike Miller, forward Juwan Howard and starting center Zydrunas Ilgauskas gives the Heat the assets needed to complement the skills of Wade, Bosh and James. Starting point guard Mario Chalmers should have no shortage of offensive firepower to utilize. The Heat will certainly be one of the most exciting NBA teams in recent memory.
Next we take things out west, where the 2010 Finals champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, quietly bolstered their already solid roster in the postseason, while the nation’s eyes were fixed on the LeBron James free agency and the Miami Heat hype. The Lakers re-signed head coach Phil Jackson, keeping the best coach in NBA history on the Lakers’ sideline. Though the Lakers lost backup guard Jordan Farmar, they gained Steve Blake and re-signed starting point guard Derek Fisher, keeping their backcourt play very strong. The Lakers also stole Matt Barnes out from under the nose of the Toronto Raptors. Lamar Odom will be returning from a summer of excellent play with the U.S. national team at the international games in Istanbul.
With the combined play of forward Pau Gasol and the hopefully healthy center Andrew Bynum, the Lakers’ frontcourt is looking equally strong once again. And, of course, I would be amiss not to mention Kobe Bryant. The 32-year-old 2010 Finals MVP returns to the court this fall with a fifth ring and hungry for his sixth—the one that will tie him with Michael Jordan. Can the Lakers pull off the three-peat and put Bryant on level ground with Jordan? Sports fans should definitely follow this storyline as it builds throughout the season. It’s just another reason to watch.
We’ll be staying out west for the final reason people should watch the NBA this season: Kevin Durant. Coming into this season, Durant is red hot. He was named MVP of the FIBA World Championships, where he averaged 22.8 points and 6.1 rebounds a game to lead Team USA to a gold medal. Could the young star use this summer’s success as a launch pad for this season? In my opinion, the answer is yes. He will hit the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside teammate and fellow Team USA FIBA gold medalist Russell Westbrook. Kevin Durant could very soon be challenging LeBron James and Kobe Bryant for title of best player in the league.
In short, don’t miss out on the most exciting season of NBA basketball in recent years. This one could literally be one for the history books.
