The 2012-13 Basketball Season Is Here

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Basketball season is here!

The Lakers now have Dwight Howard manning the paint and Steve Nash running the point.

Miami Heat have added Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.

The Thunder will be better and stronger.

The Celtics have lost Allen but added Jason Terry and Courtney Lee.

 

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CNNSI NBA Power Rankings:


1. Miami Heat (Last season: 46-20)

The Lakers were hands down this offseason's biggest winners, but let's not forget the Heat were last season's actual winners. And they've gotten better. Miami's five-game thumping of Oklahoma City was a watershed moment. LeBron James was already a three-time MVP and the most dominant player in the league -- imagine how good he'll be now with the burden of winning a title off his shoulders. We also might see a revamped version of LeBron as he wholeheartedly embraces the challenge of playing power forward. That move will allow the Heat to play more of the small-ball lineups that ultimately won them the title. Factor in the addition of Ray Allen, who could see the most open three-pointers of his career, and you've got a recipe for a team that will run away with the East and possibly a second straight championship.

 

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2. Los Angeles Lakers (41-25)

Los Angeles now boasts an embarrassment of riches after pulling off one of the most stunning offseason hauls in NBA history. Consider this: It could be argued that two-time MVP Steve Nash is the Lakers' fourth-best player. Fourth. Los Angeles not only landed the elite pass-first point guard it has always wanted to pair with Kobe Bryant, but it also parlayed a moody Andrew Bynum into the most dominant center in the league, Dwight Howard. The Lakers now sport the best Big Four in the league and represent the biggest threat to the Heat. Said Sacramento's Chuck Hayes after playing down low against the new duo of Howard and Pau Gasol in the preseason: "They're like the Avengers out there. They're huge."

 

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3. Oklahoma City Thunder (47-19)

The Thunder might be a snub at No. 3 considering they kept their insanely talented core together and will benefit more than anyone from another year of experience. Don't underestimate the pain caused by losing in the Finals either. The Heat, Mavericks and Lakers all won titles in recent years with a Finals loss fresh in their memory. Oklahoma City locked down Serge Ibaka in the offseason, but still faces the extension dilemma with James Harden. Either way, the Thunder's tight-knit group is unlikely to be affected by contract talks and should be as motivated as ever.

 

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4. Boston Celtics (39-27)

Boston's original Big Three broke up this summer as Ray Allen took his sweet-shooting stroke to South Beach. Fear not, Beantown. Boston replaced the future Hall of Famer with Jason Terry and Courtney Lee, two shooting guards who actually represent an upgrade thanks to their versatility. The Celtics add a healthy Jeff Green and rookie Jared Sullinger to the Kevin Garnett-led front line, but their success could come down to an aging Paul Pierce's ability to muster another All-Star season and Avery Bradley's ability to co-exist with Rajon Rondo when the third-year guard returns from shoulder surgery.

 

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5. Los Angeles Clippers (40-26)

Los Angeles' little brother is all grown up. While the Lakers addressed their needs with two swift moves of the hand by GM Mitch Kupchak, the Clippers went to work by carving out a series of unheralded acquistions. The team lacked depth at forward, so it landed Lamar Odom and Matt Barnes. With Chauncey Billups recovering from an Achilles injury, the team added insurance in Jamal Crawford and Willie Green. And the Clips beat out a number of contenders to sign 40-year-old Grant Hill, a shadow of his former self but an invaluable contributor as a role player and leader. Now the Clippers might be the deepest team in the league. If Vinny Del Negro can find the right combinations and keep his veteran-laden team happy, Staples Center could be the exclusive home of the Western Conference finals.

 

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Los Angeles Lakers’ X-Factor: Dwight Howard


If 2011-12 was the season that Howard held the NBA hostage with trade demands, back-room politicking and the like, 2012-13 is setting up as the season that the league’s premier big man should hold our attention captive with his play. Howard put out so much smoke in so many directions last season that he inadvertently accomplished the almost unthinkable: He made his reliable production — 20 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks per game and a Player Efficiency Rating of 24.29, good for sixth in the league last season — a total afterthought. Season-ending back surgery in April that kept him off of the postseason stage and sent his Orlando Magic home early buried his on-court contributions that much deeper in the discussion.


Regardless of what Shaquille O’Neal might be shouting, Howard’s standing in the NBA is indisputable. When healthy — and he appears to be close to that based on recent reports — he’s as close to the whole package as you will find these days. Nitpick the free-throw shooting and limited back-to-the-basket game all you want, but Howard is the league’s best defensive player, one of the top two rebounders, a fearsome finisher and a player polished enough that he commands constant attention on the block and has years of experience finding open shooters.

L.A.’s chances wind up on his shoulders not only because of what we know he can do. Howard is the NBA’s greatest X-factor this season because the Lakers had to take on some significant risks to acquire him. Their big-man rotation really goes just four players deep — Howard, Pau Gasol, Antawn Jamison and Jordan Hill — and lacks a true center besides Howard, requiring him to play big minutes to make it work. L.A. also brings with it a chemistry dynamic unmatched in volatility. Howard will have to fit in with Mike Brown, a second-year coach still learning to fit in himself. He will have to prepare himself for the endless psychological battle that is being a star teammate of Kobe Bryant’s. He’ll have to find a comfort zone on the shot-distribution pecking order, something that troubled Andrew Bynum last season. He’ll have to handle a whole new level of scrutiny should the Lakers endure any midseason stumbles.

If this were anyone but Howard, the operating assumption would be that there are too many variables at play to make this work during the first year. That skepticism may be reinforced, for many, by the cognitive dissonance created by his flaky personality and rock-steady numbers. Still, here he is, the new leader of a legit Big Four and a particularly difficult matchup for the Heat. If he plays to his potential, can the Lakers really be stopped? That’s the “if” that could wind up defining this season.

 

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Miami Heat’s X-Factor: Dwyane Wade


The enduring image from the 2012 playoffs was the Heat’s All-Star duo of LeBron James and Wade bopping around like little kids on the sideline during the final minutes of their series-clinching Game 5 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. It was a clear expression of joy, a release of two years’ worth of pent-up pressure for two guys who saw their master plan come to fruition. That celebration, and the confetti and trophy hugging that followed, erased what had been another unforgettable scene during the Eastern Conference semifinals: Wade and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra snapping at each other during a tough stretch against the Indiana Pacers.

In hindsight, that exchange appeared to be venting from Wade, whose troublesome left knee had to be drained during that Pacers series and eventually required minor offseason surgery that forced him to miss the 2012 London Olympics. He has since been deemed fully healthy and has taken the court in multiple preseason games.

After a terrible Game 3 against the Pacers in which he scored just only points on 2-for-13 shooting, Wade bounced back, scoring no fewer than 17 points in each of the 15 games it took Miami to win the title. That stretch was highlighted by a 41-point outburst to close out the Pacers; 23 points in a Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals; and back-to-back 25-point performances in two wins over the Thunder in the Finals. Through that stretch, Wade was exactly what Miami needed: a credible second fiddle to alleviate enough scoring pressure from James so that he could handle a huge minutes load, all the banging that went with playing in the post and countless double teams sent his way. Wade’s shooting came and went against the Celtics and the Thunder, but it was there enough to get the job done.

Wade, 30, missed 17 games last season, more than a quarter of the lockout-shortened schedule. With the pressure off Miami thanks to its 2012 title and with Ray Allen on board as a key addition to the backcourt, Spoelstra enters the season with the ability to limit Wade’s workload more than he has in past seasons. Wade’s scoring production has declined for three straight seasons, in large part to accommodate James’ arrival, and his playing time dropped last season to a career-low 33.2 minutes per game. Those trends should continue this season. Don’t get that twisted: Wade is still in or close to his prime. But keeping him fresh and healthy for May and June is all that matters here.

 

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6. San Antonio Spurs (50-16)

Another year, another Spurs team tough to poke holes in. We all know Tim Duncan (36), Manu Ginobili (35) and Tony Parker (30) aren't getting any younger, but San Antonio's supporting cast is. Second-year forward Kawhi Leonard (21) is expected to make a huge leap this year and French import Nando De Colo (25) will add depth and shooting to the backcourt. Gregg Popovich is likely to preserve his aging core during the season once again, but don't sleep on the Spurs. They could have another run left in them.

 

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7. Denver Nuggets (38-28)

The Nuggets are going to surprise some people this year. Andre Iguodala was the glue of Team USA this summer and that's the role the Nuggets are hoping he'll play in Denver. With Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, the Nuggets don't lack options on offense; they just need someone to push them over the hump into the second round of the playoffs. Denver will be as balanced as any team in the league and one of the most entertaining to watch on a nightly basis.

 

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8. Brooklyn Nets (22-44)

No, the Nets didn't get Dwight Howard, but the consolation prize of Joe Johnson and a re-signed Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace isn't too shabby. Williams probably feels like he's on the '92 Dream Team compared to the mish-mash of talent he played alongside last season. But how good can the Nets actually be? They have a strong shot at being the best team in New York (cherished bragging rights) and a top-three team in the East if all goes to plan. But they'll have to dedicate themselves on defense, something they've yet to do in the preseason.

 

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9. Indiana Pacers (42-24)

Indiana opened its small-market pockets to pay big-market bucks and re-sign George Hill (five years, $40 million) and Roy Hibbert (four years, $58 million). But the team's biggest decision this summer was to shake up its bench, a unit that ultimately cost it a winnable second-round series against the Heat. Out are Darren Collison, Dahntay Jones and Lou Amundson. In are D.J. Augustin, Gerald Green and Ian Mahinmi. Does the line change make the Pacers better? Marginally, yes. Enough to beat the Heat? Not so much. Indiana is deep, but its lack of a true superstar puts it just outside the upper echelon.

 

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10. Philadelphia 76ers (35-31)

The 76ers might have gotten the best value out of the summer's biggest blockbuster, giving up Andre Iguodala for a once-in-a-lifetime bounty: a franchise center. Andrew Bynum might fancy himself a stretch 4, but he is, in fact, the second-best center in the league, regardless of what Shaq says. Philadelphia also did a nice job of replacing Iguodala on the wing with Jason Richardson, Nick Young and Dorrell Wright. If Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner can live up to their potential in the backcourt, the 76ers will be near the top of these rankings by the end of the season.

 

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San Antonio Spurs’ X-Factor: Kawhi Leonard


Much like the Thunder, the Spurs have way more answers than questions. The entire rotation is back, their management, coaching staff and core players couldn’t be more dependable, and a glistening 50-16 record powered by the No. 1 offense in the league last season provides plenty of comfort and confidence.

The challenge for San Antonio is to close the athleticism gap with Oklahoma City, a tricky task given that the Spurs’ three core players (Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili) are more than a decade older, on average, than the Thunder’s top trio (Durant, Westbrook and Harden). The Spurs, who have long led the league at getting the most out of their role players, don’t have a ton of obvious candidates to emerge to fill this role. Truth be told, there’s really just one: talented second-year forward Leonard, who averaged 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals as a rookie, earning enough trust from coach Gregg Popovich to play more than 27 minutes per game during the playoffs.

Leonard’s defensive skills and overall awareness, given his commitment and mentality, should improve with age and experience. On the offensive end, there’s more untapped potential, as a vast majority of his shot attempts last season, by design, came at the rim after cuts, in transition or from behind the three-point line. The San Antonio Express-News reported last week that Popovich is encouraging Leonard to shoot and handle the ball more often this season. Should he make the leap to a fully diversified offensive game, Leonard would be charting a star’s course.

Expecting Leonard’s development to make the difference against the Thunder may wind up being too much to ask of a 21-year-old, even if he already looks like the steal of the 2011 draft class. At last year’s deadline, the Spurs took on Stephen Jackson’s contract (more than $10 million this season) and somewhat checkered past to address their lack of athletic, dynamic wing play. Even with Leonard in the fold, it’s possible that San Antonio pursues a similar course at the 2013 deadline.

 

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Denver Nuggets’ X-Factor: Andre Iguodala


The Nuggets have exceeded general expectations since it became clear that Carmelo Anthony was going to hijack his way out of town during the 2010-11 season. Denver didn’t skip a beat after trading their All-Star forward to the New York Knicks, riding a deep but star-less team to back-to-back postseason appearances. In 2012, the Nuggets gave the Lakers a real scare, pushing their first-round playoff series to seven games before bowing out. The run-and-shoot Nuggets were No. 2 in pace and No. 3 in offensive efficiency last season, but their No. 19 defense just wasn’t good enough, not when the top of the Western Conference is populated by the likes of Durant, Bryant and Ginobili. Enter Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri, who smartly worked his way into the four-team blockbuster trade that sent Howard from the Magic to the Lakers. Ujiri not only upgraded from a solid defender, Arron Afflalo, to a star two-way wing, Iguodala, but he also unloaded Al Harrington and what remained of his excessive five-year, $33 million deal signed in 2010.

Iguodala isn’t an A-lister, but he has transformative potential for this Nuggets team, plugging a clear wing-defender need without slowing down the Nuggets’ attack or compromising the number of offensive weapons coach George Karl can put on the court at once. Iguodala’s scoring average and shot attempts have declined for five straight seasons, but everyone would seem to be better off if he’s shooting 10 times a game (as he did in 2011-12) rather than 15 times a game (as he did in 2007-2008), especially if he couples that with another year of good outside shooting (a career-best 39.4 percent from three-point range last season).

Iguodala’s Sixers capitalized on a Derrick Rose injury to advance out of the first round in the East last season. These Nuggets have the feel of a four or five seed that can push out of the first round of the West for just the second time in the last 19 seasons without needing the benefits of that circumstance. There’s talent at every position, plenty of guys who can play on the bench and a proven point guard in Ty Lawson who has Karl’s trust and has shown he can guide a winning team for multiple years now. And there’s Iguodala, who is cast better in Denver as one member of a talented core rather than as the No. 1 option he was asked to be in Philadelphia.

 

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11. New York Knicks (36-30)

The Knicks haven't reached the Finals since 1999, which is too bad considering most of their offseason additions were in their prime that year. New York added Jason Kidd (39), Kurt Thomas (40), Marcus Camby (38), Rasheed Wallace (38) and Pablo Prigioni (35). It's a debatable strategy to stock your roster with over-the-hill veterans, but the Knicks are hoping it gives them the toughness and grit they've lacked since their '90s heyday. With Jeremy Lin out of the equation, the focus shifts back to the annual experiment of playing both Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, who will likely miss the season opener with to a knee injury. New York goes as far as they do.

 

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12. Memphis Grizzlies (41-25)

It might be addition by subtraction for the Grizzlies, who lost O.J. Mayo but gained flexibility in their rotation. Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay will carry the load, but Mike Conley, Josh Selby and newcomers Jerryd Bayless and rookie Tony Wroten will get plenty of chances. Memphis will need strong seasons from at least two of its backcourt players to follow up on a fourth-place finish in the West last season.

 

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13. Chicago Bulls (50-16)

With Derrick Rose out indefinitely, we likely won't see the true Bulls until the spring. But even without its superstar, Chicago will be one of the toughest outs in the league. With Tom Thibodeau at the helm, the Bulls are guaranteed to boast one of the stingiest defenses. The question is, Can they score without Rose at the point? To tide them over, the Bulls brought back Kirk Hinrich and signed Nate Robinson. It's a duo that doesn't exactly strike fear in opponents' souls, but you can bet Thibs will squeeze out every ounce of talent from the replacement tandem.

 

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14. Dallas Mavericks (36-30)

The Mavericks were spurned by Deron Williams and others this offseason, but their biggest loss came last week when it was announced Dirk Nowitzki would undergo knee surgery and miss six weeks. As SI.com's Rob Mahoney points out, that absence could lead to an excruciating stretch for Dallas. All of a sudden the Mavericks' quartet of complementary offseason pickups -- Chris Kaman, Elton Brand, O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison -- has become the foundation of the team. Mayo (career scoring average of 15.2 points) is finally freed from his sixth-man shackles in Memphis, but he's not fully equipped to be a go-to-scorer on any NBA team. And let's not get into his defense. The Mavs did an admirable job of piecing together a roster before gearing up for another free-agency run next year, but the injury to Nowitzki could doom their season. Their success hinges entirely on Nowitzki's ability to recover from arthroscopic surgery and play like the Dirk who has powered Dallas the last 13 years.

 

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15. Atlanta Hawks (40-26)

Like most people with a vague familiarty of the NBA, new GM Danny Ferry realized the Hawks weren't going to win a championship with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Al Horford. So he did something about it. Ferry unloaded the least valuable of the three in Johnson and his albatross contract (four years, $90 million left). The Hawks didn't get much in return from the Nets, but they gained much-needed cap flexibility, which will help them get better in the long term. In the short term, they added Devin Harris, Lou Williams and rookie John Jenkins. That makes for a crowded backcourt, but it also gives Atlanta plenty of shooters to compensate for the void left by Johnson.