Image by Getty Images via @daylifeAll eyes are on the Miami Heat as the NBA tips off its 2010-11 season. The time has come to prove that three big stars--LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh--can play together as well as coexist together. All for one and one for all, right? Right?The passions (to put it mildly) caused by James' nationally-televised decision to ditch his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for South Beach are still reverberating. James has gone from a hero with no championships to a villain (outside of Miami, of course) whose new team has the potential of winning several, just like the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and golfer Tiger Woods.
The Heat won't win every game this season because (A) we have a long way to go between now and April, (B) the possibility of injuries and playing less than their best on the court, and (C) there are other teams that can play just as well (or better) than they can on a given night. As for whether the Heat can win the NBA title, who knows? The Yankees aren't going to the World Series, the Cowboys are having a lousy NFL season, and Woods is having the kind of year he (and we) would like to forget.
On the other end of the spectrum lies the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose general manager David Kahn took out full-page newspaper ads to tell us that the team won't make the playoffs this season. Whether it's supposed to be a motivational tool or not for his players, that'll really do wonders for ticket sales and TV ratings, won't it?
Kahn has moved so many players since he took over the Wolves that the only constants remaining are Kevin Love and coach Kurt Rambis. The rest are relative newcomers, including Michael Beasley (from Miami, of all places) and Darko Milicic, who will try and bring the Wolves to respectability.
The Wolves had one of the worst records in the NBA last season. So the only question is, how bad will it get this year? One encouraging sign: They were 6-2 in the preseason, including a win over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in London. But then, Kobe Bryant only played a few minutes due to injuries. And teams usually tend to rest their best players against the Wolves. When the regular season starts, they'll be back to their old selves again.
Enjoy this season because it looks as if next season the NBA might go the same way as the NFL, threatening to lock out its players while negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. It may sound like rhetoric right now, but commissioner David Stern is reportedly talking about cutting back on players' salaries as well as contracting a few teams. If Stern's serious about the latter, then Minnesota's a good place to start if things don't improve on and off the court.
Here's who we think will be playing past the regular season:
EAST Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards.
WEST Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets, San Antonio Spurs.
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