BOLD PREDICTIONS
October 27, 2009 by R.C. Cola
We at Ball or Die can’t wait for the season to get started. There’s nothing like the beginning of a new season, which brings renewed hope for the teams and cities that were in the thick of things last season. For those on a rebuilding team, it’s time to test your general manager’s mettle and skill in upgrading his squad. For the first few games, anything can happen.
Of course, given the roster changes and a strengthening of the strong over the offseason, a pecking order can get established pretty quickly.
The following are a few bold predictions, or things we want to see:
1. Lakers fall apart, still win. Look, Ron Artest is going to blow up one of these days. I don’t care if Kobe Bryant has a tight leash on the guy; he’s nuclear. He and Lamar Odom’s new wife, Chloe, will take the lion’s share of spotlight with their various antics (how cool would a reality show with Ron-Ron and Khloe be?), taking away from the fact that the team will still blow away 90% of the competition. Even with all the drama, which Coach Phil Jackson has dealt with before, the Lakers should cruise through the season with the top ranking.
2. Refs stay on strike. That’s looking less likely, but wouldn’t that be awesome? Maybe it’ll shine a light on the horrendous calls that the regular refs make. The worst-case scenario is that the scab refs completely blow a game, giving us the infamous season that wasn’t!
3. Shaq and LeBron implode. Just read what Shaquille O’Neal has said in the past. Has he ever followed through? Just ask Amare Stoudamire and Dwayne Wade. I can’t see things being any better in Cleveland. LeBron James benefits from a more fluid and rapid moving offense, which is exactly the opposite of what O’Neal brings to the table. Well, at least it’ll be entertaining.
4. Orlando returns to the Finals. The Magic really upgraded by bringing in Vince Carter. Sure, he’s not going to be a clutch assassin, but he will bring points and attention away from Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard, who is only going to get meaner. Getting so close to winning a ring should fuel Howard, bringing to bear the most fearsome center in the league.
5. Twitter comes back! Come on, we’ve said this before, bring back the tweets! Sure, they’re distracting and terrible for team morale, but they are entertaining as heck. The mid-game ones are awesome, if completely inappropriate.
6. KG’s legs break down. I like the guy, but I hate the Celtics. I hope their whole squad comes crashing down.
7. Griffin is a monster, Clippers still lose. It looks like Blake Griffin won’t be playing the season opener tonight, but it’s probably better for his morale if he doesn’t experience the beat-down firsthand. Regardless of his broken kneecap, he’ll eventually be back in the line-up and dominating. The Los Angeles Clippers got lucky with the scored the No. 1 pick, but they’ll likely just wait him and turn him off to the game.
8. Barkley becomes a GM. Charles Barkley recently told the Boston Globe that he wanted to try his hand as a general manager. While I can only think disaster, Sir Charles needs his own team. If Michael Jordan can screw up a team, why not Barkley. Sure, he never won, but the entertainment value alone would be worth the move.
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