[外電] NBA 2010: Which Bottom-10 team wins it all?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=nba2010_champs
We asked some of the top NBA writers from around the country to weigh
in with their thoughts.
Here's today's roundup:
Q: Which one of the Bottom 10 teams (Blazers, Knicks, Hawks, Wolves,
Bobcats, Warriors, Raptors, Rockets, Celtics, Sonics) can win a championship
in the next couple of years?
David Thorpe, Pro Training Center: Just three years ago, the Miami Heat
came off a bad year and started the new season with a rookie coach, losing
their first seven games.
Yet, less than two seasons later, that franchise lost in the Eastern
Conference Finals, and then won the title the next year. I think the
Minnesota Timberwolves can build a similar team.
The Heat added Shaq, giving them an All-Star post player to go along
with Dwyane Wade. The Wolves already have Kevin Garnett, a dominant
scorer/rebounder/defender, and they drafted Randy Foye, who showed
this summer (and in college) that he has a real chance to be Wade-like
very soon.
Eddie Jones and Damon Jones provided perimeter scoring and leadership
that proved pivotal to the Heat, while the Wolves now have Mike James,
coming off a career year (20 ppg and 44 percent from 3) and Ricky Davis
(19.4 ppg).
Udonis Haslem and Eddie Jones were great defenders and knew how to
play their roles to perfection. Trenton Hassell and Justin Reed can
play similar roles in Minnesota.
Mark Blount had his two best rebounding months in March and April last
year. KG will continue to influence him toward playing to his potential.
The Wolves need some additional help inside, and they need Foye to develop
rapidly, so a trade involving Ricky Davis could help on both accounts.
Now, if Coach Dwane Casey can go to school as fast as Coach Van Gundy
did in Miami, and Foye can "be like Dwayne," the Wolves just may pull
a Miami and contend for the title in 2008.
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Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon Journal: It's the team with the best player
from that group, the Timberwolves. Kevin Garnett's still in his prime and
is still just two years removed from being the NBA's MVP. There is no
questioning his motivation or management's position -- progress must be
made fast or it will be time to start over.
The Wolves appear to have significantly upgraded their backcourt over the
summer, convincing Mike James to turn down the Rockets and Mavericks and
drafting Randy Foye, who will start the season as a favorite for Rookie
of the Year.
More help is needed, of course. The roster has assets for Kevin McHale
to work with and using them wisely is the best way for Minnesota to get
back to elite status. When the Wolves had the West's best record in 2003-04,
they were buoyed when McHale pulled off trades to pick up Sam Cassell and
Latrell Sprewell.
So the challenge at hand is to create a package involving one or more of
the following: Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Marko Jaric, Trenton Hassell and
Troy Hudson. All are semi-talented players with somewhat burdensome contracts
who have value to someone.
The other big issue is the head coach. If the Wolves don't get off to a good
start, every insider in the league feels Dwane Casey will be on the hot seat,
especially with Randy Wittman imported to his staff over the summer. Getting
behind Casey or making a prudent switch will be vital.
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