Welcome to The Basketball Chat. Every week, Mike Slane, co-founder of ElevationMag.com and myself will chat about the latest news in the NBA. We'll take a look at players and teams, as well as any trades, suspensions, and other NBA happenings. Enjoy!
Dennis: Mike, thanks for agreeing to do this with me. It should be fun from week-to-week during the season.Mike: No problem. This is a great idea.
Dennis: Okay let's talk about players first. Which players are your top surprises as far as production goes thus far early in the season?
Mike: Well, I have to start with Monta Ellis. Monta who? The Warrior guard came out of nowhere this year to average 19 points per game, including back-to-back 31 point games this week.
Dennis: Yeah, Monta Ellis is really showing something for a kid that can't even imbibe alcohol right now. He's definitely having a party that rivals his high school prom from a couple of years ago. But it does help that Jason Richardson isn't all the way back from his recent knee surgery, giving Ellis some burn on the court.
Mike: Well, he's proved that he deserves time. Do you think the Warriors will find a spot for him in the starting lineup?
Dennis: Well, the way he's playing, maybe. But when J-Rich proves himself healthy and I think Mickael Pietrus remains a starter, Ellis may come off the bench as an offensive sparkplug. But, if you're asking me who the Sixth Man of the Year will be, we gotta look at my hometown and David Lee of the New York Knicks. This guy is getting boards like crazy! The kid definitely has some fire and desire, unlike some of his other teammates... he's already had four games with a double double!
Mike: And you can't forget that David Lee's got some hops. He's the type of role player the Knicks need and turned out to be one of Isiah's only great acquisitions considering where in the draft he was selected. In only his second year he's one of the few bright spots for the once again struggling Knicks. I'm just waiting for Isiah to trade him...
Dennis: Haha. Seriously, I mean, the guy was winning high school slam dunk contests. As i've said before out there on the internet, i think Lee can be a paler Dennis Rodman... high expectations, but the kid has the ability and the hustle. Maybe not 18 boards a game, but double digits is right there for the taking. So, who else has surprised you?
Mike: I'd have to go with Carlos Boozer. Not only do I love his last name, but I love his intensity on the boards and his impressive offense. He's not only averaging great numbers (21 and 13) but he's also led the Jazz to a 10-1 record! If he and the Jazz keep it up, don't be surprised if you hear MVP chants at the EnergySolutions Arena. Not bad for a former second round pick, who is coming off an injury plagued season last year.
Dennis: Haha, yeah, I like his last name too... imagine him at an AA meeting, "My name is Carlos Boozer and I'm an alcoholic" DUH! Of course, that's just a scenario (please no slander suits). Actually I think that the sky is basically the limit for Boozer as far as being an 18/10 guy if not more. He just needs to stay healthy, which has been a problem as you mentioned last season was for Boozer. Speaking of the Jazz, I think the improvement of Deron Williams is BIG! He was in the doghouse for a stretch last season, but got out of it with excellent play. I think he just needed a season's worth of Jerry Sloan's offense under his belt before he could really excel, which he is doing right now. He's not only proving to be a great assist guy, but he's scoring some points.
Mike: But I still don't think we should let that Utah writer off the hook for giving him that Rookie of the Year vote over Chris Paul.
Dennis: LOL... true. Actually when the season started last year I had Williams ahead of Paul, but then the doghouse happened for Williams and the steals, assists, and stardom came to Paul. So who else has impressed you?
Mike: Los Angeles Lakers 19 year old center Andrew Bynum. I honestly thought that he'd be attracting fans to D-Fenders games this year not averaging decent numbers while starting every game so far for the Lakers. And what I'm most impressed with is his 58.1 field goal percentage.
Dennis: When you're that big and down low, he'll shoot that well. The crazy part is that he's still raw! No one can be Shaq, but are we looking at the next best thing down in the box?
Mike: I wouldn't be surprised. He'll be one of the league's best centers within the next couple of years.
