Golden State Warriors
Would I have had them second in the division before the season started? If I said yes, would you believe me? Steph Curry (when healthy) and Monta Ellis make up the #1 must-see backcourt in the league (except for maybe Wall-Gil). Ellis is playing like an MVP right now, he's much more in tune with the flow of the game and I don't see any reason for that to change. Final Prediction: 44-38
Phoenix Suns
They really miss Amar'e. Hakim Warrick has been nice, but let's be real for a minute. Unless Hedo can play like he's back in Orlando, this team is gonna struggle. Final Prediction: 41-41
Sacramento Kings
They're really not that much better than last year. DeMarcus Cousins is cool, and really they have a bunch of talented guys up and down the roster (Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi - who's a bigger chucker than 'Reke is, Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Sam Dalembert, Donte Greene)... I'm just still a little on the fence about Tyreke Evans. And they still don't play defense. Final Prediction: 36-46
Los Angeles Clippers
Baron Davis will torpedo this team. There's no way around it. I'm a big Boom Dizzle fan but this team goes nowhere with him running the show. I'm not saying Eric Bledsoe is the answer... though he might be. Eric Gordon is a beast, by the way. And Blake Griffin is a MANIMAL. But B-Diddy... Final Prediction: 35-47
Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant has to get hurt not to win MVP. This team won 50 games last year and all these other young guys (Westbrook, Ibaka, Harden, Maynor, etc.) will be better. It's pretty simple, really. Final Prediction: 59-23
Utah Jazz
This is a team I almost want to devalue a little after the first couple games. Al Jefferson is the best post scorer in the league but he isn't a pick-and-role player. But still, he's better than Carlos Boozer, and I think he'll figure it out. Deron Williams is still a beast, and Paul Milsap now has a starting position of his own which will put him in more of a comfort zone. I like this team a lot. But I always do. Final Prediction: 55-27
Portland Trailblazers
Nicolas Batum is wasted on this slow offense. WASTED. He would be a star in an uptempo offense. Still, this team is stacked, as usual. Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla aren't even back yet and they're 4-1 already. Final Prediction: 51-31
Denver Nuggets
The 'Melo situation needs to be resolved. And by resolved, I mean they have to trade him. I don't care about how well he's able to table his desire to leave Denver, he still doesn't want to be there. How can that be a good thing for the team? It can't. I feel bad for George Karl, I'm sure he lives for basketball but he's gonna be under a ton of stress... Final Prediction: 47-35
Minnesota Timberwolves
This team is gonna give up a TON of points, and they're not gonna score all too many. Final Prediction: 24-58
Miami Heat
Wade, Bosh and 'Bron are all adjusting to brand new roles and I don't think the Heat will hit their stride until Thanksgiving. Bosh's transition should be the easiest, all he has to do is accept that 3rd fiddle. Wade's is really quite simple as well; cyclone on both ends of the court/primary scorer. Just has accept that, naturally, he's getting fewer shots. The King's transition, however, is a tough one. He's not the first-last-and-only scoring option anymore. He has to take the Magic role. That's not to say he should waste his scoring ability trying to mimic Magic's game - which he probably could do, if he so chose. But he does have to primarily be the point guard/facilitator. Once all three are acclimated to their new settings, they will be a scary team.
This might be overly idealistic. Or maybe completely wrong. Or both. Or neither. One thing I know for sure is that all these career role players are going to look better than they ever have, and the Heat will finish with the best record in the conference (barring major injury, of course). Final Prediction: 62-20
Orlando Magic
As I wrote before, I would LOVE if the Magic went after both Agent 9 and AI9. Not because I want to see Orlando do well (I don't) but because it'd be a great team to watch, and a worthy adversary for the Lakers at that. Oh right, the real team... Dwight Howard is great, the play great defense, the make a bunch of threes they win a lot of games. The End. Final Prediction: 60-22
Atlanta Hawks
This is one team I'll give a tiny bit more credit to than I originally planned to before the season started. This team outgrew Mike Woodson (if only they had a point guard - imagine Chris Paul in Atlanta with Josh Smith and Joe Johnson. David Stern's bad karma with the basketball gods has to be at fault.) and are now playing much better basketball. They still need a point guard to really matter... I think.. right? Final Prediction: 54-28
Charlotte Bobcats
I thought of a nice trade for Jordan to pull: Boris Diaw and Shaun Livingston for Baron Davis. Sterling cuts cost and cures (the Clippers') cancer in one fell swoop. But most importantly, Shaun Livingston walking again (let alone in Clippers jersey) would possibly scare of the demonic curse that has been placed on the franchise by Satan himself, Donald Sterling. And the Bobcats get a great scorer to help an aging Stephen Jackson, making them even better than before. Oh right, real team again... I don't trust DJ Augustin but even if he is good, and even a slight improvement over Ray Felton, Jackson is still getting older. Gerald Wallace still plays like he's trying to break his neck. Their second best (after Wallace) frontcourt player is still Tyrus Thomas. Final Prediction: 40-42
Washington Bullets
ALL HAIL JOHN WALL. The kid is still everything I expected. Which was:
Take some Rajon Rondo and some Dwyane Wade, and sprinkle in a little Kevin Durant, and you get John Wall. The Rookie of the Year Award is his to lose to injury, as is a surefire hall of fame career.
(I love jinxing my players.)
And Wall still very much looks like a rookie; he's gonna be incredible by the new year. Problem is, he's not the Chris Paul-type so he can't be expected to necessarily have that level of an immediate impact. Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee make up the most talented frontcourt in the NBA. It's really not close at all. But there has never been a softer set of players (together they're averaging an embarrassing 11 rebounds per, DEAR GOD). Blatche manages to have the shot selection of a 6'11" Kobe while McGee plays like the tin man. I love Al Thornton, though, and I'm a fan of Cartier Martin. And did I mention JOHN WALL? Final Prediction: 39-43
I just had a sick thought, though... what if this Arenas ankle issue is a sign that Arenas is, in some capacity, actively sabotaging the season. Like I've stated, I wish him all the best, but if his best is elsewhere then he's gotta go there.
Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose is my MVP dark horse. He tirelessly worked on his jumper in the offseason and has made it a point to be more vocal in the locker room, thus addressing his only two real weaknesses. There were rumors about a Joakim Noah-Carmelo Anthony swap, but I'd like to see a Carlos Boozer-for-'Melo deal happen. Obviously next-to-impossible, but that would make the Bulls MUCH better. Still like this roster a lot, though they really do need someone else who can create shots. Final Record: 53-29
Milwaukee Bucks
Bogut's health worries me. They said he's not gonna be at 100% at all this year. If he were healthy I'd put 'em above Chicago and pretty close to the top of the East. Still, I like this team a lot, for now and especially for the future. People have been trashing the Maggette acquisition but I like it a lot. Brandon Jennings seems to be having ego problems but if he has more games like the one tonight against Boston that'll resolve itself. Final Record: 52-30
Indiana Pacers
Danny Granger is a legit all-star. Now he has Darren Collison running things, which will be a major boost. And ROY HIBBERT. I told people not to laugh last year when I said he was on the rise, and I still have to tell people the same. Not for much longer, though. Final Record: 38-44
Detroit Pistons
Joe Dumars needs to go. The Pistons historically win with grit and toughness. So you go out and spend money on Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon? Don't get me wrong, they're nice players, but neither plays defense and both were overpaid. They should trade Prince and Greg Monroe for Al Jefferson... Final Record: 29-53
Cleveland Cavaliers
How they beat the Celtics, I'll never know. This team is awful. Final Record: 22-60
I'm late. And I'm doing this division-by-division. That is all.
Boston Celtics
Make no mistake, there are pros and cons to starting this a week into the season. It's easy to get sucked into phantom trends that come about in the first few games. Kinda like what the Memphis Grizzlies apparently did in giving Mike Conley a $45 million extension, which pays him only $2 million less than one Rajon Rondo. Rondo, meanwhile, has something like 80 assists in the first five games. Considering the trend of improvement he's displayed in every season of his young career, this doesn't figure to be much of a mirage. The Celtics are the class of the East because they're the best defensive team in the league and now they're DEEP. Final Record: 56-26
New York Knicks
I'm putting 'em second because I think they'll make some sort of significant move, possibly by Christmas, but after Boston the rest of this division is weak. Amar'e is a beast but as much as I support him, you don't have a good team if he's your best player. And while Ray Felton is the most talented point guard 'Antoni's had on that team, he's far from ideal. I don't even know how much adding 'Melo would really help. Final Record: 38-44
New Jersey Nets
I watched one of their games and thought Brook Lopez was awful. Then I looked at the stat sheet and he had 30 points. I think the Nets as a team will have a lot of nights like that, where they'll put you to sleep but you'll wake up, look at the scoreboard, and they'll somehow have a win. Devin Harris is a player, and young Derrick Favors is making my poor-man's Dwight Howard comparisons look halfway sane. Final Record: 35-47
Philadelphia 76ers
This is not a well constructed roster by any stretch, but they have some nice players. Iguodala is wasted on this team but he's a stud. Jrue Holiday is the real deal, and Elton Brand is again playing like he belongs in the NBA. Still lottery bound, but I'd be surprised if their roster isn't shaken up by February. Final Record: 30-52
Toronto Raptors
Bargnani is good I guess. DeMar DeRozan is gonna be a stud. This is a really bad team, though. Final Record: 23-59
I thought about ranking a top-10 but I'm not comfortable putting any over another. Competition (on behalf of the Almighty Dollar) has ruined music across the board, but this is especially true in hip-hop (as far as I know); for this reason I'm not putting one ahead of another.
(For the record, when I make an extreme statement using the word 'ever' or something of the like, it's in reference to hip-hop, not music in general.)
I'll also do one specifically for DC artists next.
2Pac
The number one qualification of an artist is to be true to himself/herself. That's a simple fact. The complication of this is how do you define 'self'? To me, it's a reflection of the "nature vs nurture" argument; meaning it's equal parts A) one's personal position on things relative to B) the society in which they live. Additionally, I feel that an artist has a responsibility to the self and the society to question whatever power structure is relevant (meaning not just government).
Why am I stating this here? Because I don't think anyone has ever fit that bill like Pac did. Towards the end he showed that he recognized that he had gotten carried away by his romanticism of "Thug Life" and was moving towards clarifying it... that's an extraordinarily over-simplified summation of the situation that ultimately led to his assassination, but I don't feel like writing about it.
Admittedly I gravitated towards Snoop at first, but the seeds were planted.
Wale
Long story short, Wale is the first artist that I decided, purely on my own, was worth listening to. I started listening in 2006 and while most of the people around me echoed the "aw you only listen to him because he's from DC" nonsense (yep...), I simply responded with "if you have a problem, TURN OFF YOUR STATION." He's strayed a bit from the path he laid for himself in the first few years (of my fanhood), but not so far that it really matters. He'll get there. He's a beast lyrically, and when he works with the producers that actually know him (Best Kept Secret, for one) he has a truly great and unique sound.
Also, NOBODY HAS BETTER SPORTS REFERENCES. I dare you to prove otherwise. I swear I'll finish cataloging those soon ha.
Cam'ron
I went through an embarrassing G-Unit phase and Cam'ron was there to pull me out. I've never been to Harlem (which could possibly change sometime in the next 3 months) but from everything I know, Cam fits that "nature vs nurture" bill to the T; he IS Harlem. Contrary to what too many like to believe, he's also one of the most creative lyricists I know of, and he's fucking hilarious to boot. I just wish he'd tap into his inner artist a bit more, rather than always being that hustler-first. But that wouldn't be him, so can't really complain.
Ill-iteracy
After Wale, these guys are unquestionably the first artist/group that I've "discovered" on my own. Truly inspiring work. Just listen to the music. If it's not immediately apparent, you're just not a hip-hop fan. Simple as that. One of my favorite verses ever is by Will Spitwell on 'Do You' (second verse).
Outkast
"Live.. from the center of the Earth.. seven light-years below sea level we go.. welcome to Stankonia.. the place from which all funky thangs come."
Honestly, their popularity is quite astounding to me. So is the wide recognition that Andre 3000 is better than Big Boi. Sometimes I think it's because people don't truly get it, but they're ultimately refreshing pieces of knowledge.
Nas
In the competition-driven industry of the last 20 years, by my criteria, Nas is Jordan. He has crazy mastery of the English language (and everything in lyricism that comes with it), real subject matter that relates both to the streets he comes from and the overall society in which he lives, and a desire to better the world with his art. Many argue that that desire is too strong and personally I sometimes find myself on the fence about it, but I definitely lean towards his side. Ultimately, that's needed.
Lupe Fiasco
If Nas is Jordan, Lupe is Kobe. I need to finish my Kanye West:Vince Carter write-up, and next on my list will be Nas/Lupe:Jordan/Kobe. I promise I'll get these all finished up soon.
Bobby Ray
Enough of BoB. It's boring. But not only is it boring, it's an obvious (not necessarily direct, though) compromise to his music for the Atlantic Slave Trade Organization, er, Atlantic Records. Just go to his BoB vs Bobby Ray mixtape and listen to the 2nd half, then you tell me if most of that album is who he really is.
Just look at that cover art. They might be too much for some, I dunno, but the music is as beautiful as it is awe-inspiring. Listen:
Curren$y
This is sort of a recent revelation, but Curren$y is the man leading the independent charge. Just watch this video, and remember, that he was signed to "Young Money" or whatever the fuck they called themselves then, and told 'em to fuck off. RESPECT FOR THAT.
What officially put him over the top for me? Of course, sports references. They're not nearly as prevalent in his lyrics as Wale, but his might be even more arbitrary (Yancey Thigpen!)
Big K.R.I.T.
I only wanted to do ten but I had to add in one more. For one, to show how much of a rolling list this is. But more importantly - and I realize the gravity of this statement - K.R.I.T. is as close to 2Pac as there's been since his murder, this close to the mainstream ear. He's also going the independent route (for now, at least...) and he's currently touring with Curren$y. K.R.I.T. stands for King Remembered In Time, which is cool... again, just listen to the music. It speaks for itself far better than I ever could, obviously.
Wiz Khalifa
Again, to show how the list is a rolling one; he was where KRIT is now. Going with my basketball/hip-hop theme, I had Wiz labeled as Durant after releasing his great project, Kush and Orange Juice. Since then he joined Atlantic and put out a single (entitled 'Black and Gold') that is extremely disappointing not only because it's so commercially bland, but for a song that references Pittsburgh in the title, you can't actually find anything about the city in the song. After Kush and OJ came out I said it was great but I hoped he didn't plateau, and it's looking dangerously as if that's indeed the case. Instead of Kevin Durant (I'm hoping this'll be KRIT) I'm now calling him Tyreke Evans, which was a better fit all along anyway (and another write-up for the future).
There are so many other names I'd wanna mention, but that's a decent list. I'm about to give myself a history lesson anyway and listen to nothing but pre-turn-of-the-century stuff, a breather from the smog that is mainstream music is desperately needed.
Soooooooo what has now officially become a yearly right of passage for the start of the NBA season has prompted me to finally do this. Just videos (hyperlinked for Facebook purposes) and a brief description. IT AIN'T A SEASON UNTIL PAUL MILLSAP GETS POSTERIZED!!!
LAWD'AV MERCY. But in my opinion this wasn't quite as good as last year's...
Paul Millsap would be a great QB. You know how people always say a great QB doesn't think about his past interceptions? Well Paul here went on to have a good enough season to convince the Jazz to let Carlos Boozer walk after getting baptized here.
THAT'S HOW YOU FUCKIN' DO IT! My personal favorite. First we get to see LeBron get stuffed by Jermaine O'Neal (aged 31 going on 91), then Varejao get destroyed doing what he loves most: attempting to take a charge. Add Wade's stepover and subsequent proclamation on how things are done... classic.
"When J-Rich first tossed me the ball, my first thought was, 'I hope he jumps.' ... Once I caught it, I sized him up - he jumped - and, uhhh, just went over top of him."
