I can't think of any better way to open the season... ESPN...National Audience...Pre-eminent MVP candidate.
Damnit.
Let's take a look at tonight's opponent real quick shall we.
The Good:
Kevin Durant # 35
The biggest "overrated for being underrated" as an MVP candidate of the season. You saw the world championships. KD can light it up better than anyone in the NBA. I'm to the point now where I just might take him over Kobe Bryant in the closing seconds of a big game. I would imagine Lu and Ronny Brewer try to guard him, but it's going to be tough. He will probably go for 30 tonight, even with the Bulls improved team defense.
Russell Westbrook #0
Where the Durant hype machine ended, the Westbrook machine picked right up. And rightfully so. He can run the floor, plays suffocating defense, and can pass the ball quite well. That being said, he torched D. Rose for about 20ppg last season. The two guards have come to the point where they are both just too good to guard each other. Luckily, he shoots the three maybe slightly better than myself.
Jeff Green #22
Green is often considered the swing dynamic of this team. He can be a lock-down defender, and he also attacks the glass on the defensive end allowing KD to really run the floor. That being said, he reminds me of a young Josh Smith, in the sense that he really likes taking bad shots. Brewer, Taj, or Lu could all guard him sufficiently. And we know the way Joakim owns the paint. Great player, but not much of a threat tonight.
The Bad
White Clones (Byron Mullens #23, Nick Collison #4, Cole Aldrich #45, Nenard Kristic #12)
Honestly, they aren't all bad. Mullens is a Buckeye, but even given my bias, he sucks.
Nick Collison came out of Kansas with Captain Kirk way back in 02, and he has been a solid back-up power forward. Pretty much the ceiling of Mullens' career.
As for Cole Aldrich, he's another Kansas boy. But he ain't in Kansas anymore. Now, his new point guard is a bit of an improvement of Sherron Collins (not that I don't love him!), but if there's one thing I can spot, it's mediocre white bigs. No threat to Joakim, and I bet he gets into foul trouble early.
Nenard sucks.
The Unknown
Serge Ibaka #9
Undoubtedly raw, I like Ibaka. He defends, rebounds, and can even put in an easy shot or two. He easily projects as Eric Dampier on steroids, which isn't half bad if you don't pay him over $10 million a season. Or maybe he's the next Tyson Chandler. Who knows? Either way, he'll probably play for the Mavs someday.
James Harden #13
I would be lying if I said it doesn't hurt, just a little, to see anyone losing PT to Thabo Sefolosha. I loved him as a Bull, but he just has no offensive game. Harden is a solid defender, insane athlete, and could be a Jeff Green-like ex-factor for the Thunder. Regardless, don't expect much more than 15 points out of him tonight, and that's assuming a good game.
The Incredibly Mediocre (maybe the Chris Duhon)
Thabo Sefolosha #2, Morris Peterson (Mo-Pete) #42, DJ White #3, Royal Ivey #7, Daequan Cook #14
There's a common theme among these guys: None of them are bad.
There's another common theme: None of them are good.
Thabo provides lock down defense, as we all know, but looks like that kid in a pick up game that missed one shot and the overzealous-wanna-be-D-Leaguer just screamed at him, so no way in hell is he taking another wide open shot.
Royal Ivey kind of sucks, maybe he should go under the bad.
Mo-Pete is past his prime, but we all know he has the potential to light it up.
Daequan Cook just keeps getting put on teams that probably have no use for his three point shooting prowess. But hell, maybe one day they'll let him spell Russ and he''ll go for 25 points.
Guy I really like, like kind of how I liked Casey Jacobsen, Roger Mason Jr, and Mario Austin. And I'm still hoping he gets more burn some day because he will be good, I promise.
Eric Maynor #6
He's just a really good player. Phenomenal scorer, great passer good defender, great athlete. I could go on and on. He just happened to come around at a time when very good point guards aren't hard to find. Poor guy.
As for tonight's match-up, I like the Bulls new team defense and outside shooting to give OKC a really big fit. Durant will get his points, and so will Westbrook. But D. Rose is too quick to be guarded by anyone, and I think he will make this a statement game. Anyone who says he's a second star guy (not me if you've read previous posts) will be put to shame tonight. Look for Rose and Deng to be the focal points, with the outside shooters having a field day when these defenses have to collapse on Rose. And to Thunder Coach Scott Brooks: Please leave Thabo out there to kill your extremely fun and fluid offense.
Final Score:
Bulls 101
Thunder 97
RJ
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