Some Hope for the NBA's Eastern Conference
| 5
|
by Ea34
The relative weakness of the Eastern Conference is among the most widely discussed NBA topic. The Western Conference has won seven of the nine post-Jordan NBA titles (only two of the past four, however), eight of the nine league MVP awards ( Allen Iverson is the lone Eastern Conference player to win the MVP in that span and he now plays in the West as well), and has generally been the deeper and more talented conference by a rather wide margin. Having been home to players like Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Webber in their respective primes, the Western Conference has also had a virtual monopoly on dominant big men for the better part of the past decade.
Even with the ping pong balls conspiring to sent Greg Oden and Kevin Durant to Pacific Northwest, there is cause for optimism in the Eastern Conference. As a result of numerous well-spent draft picks, the Eastern Conference looks poised to challenge, if not overtake, the West’s dominance in the paint. There is an outstanding lineup of big men under 25 years of age, both solid bangers as well as potential superstars, who will be vital in winning back some respect for their conference.
First, some bigs that can (and someday will) carry a team to the Promised Land:
Chris Bosh- The forgotten SUPERstar of the 2003 draft, Bosh has become is the best big man in the Eastern Conference. At just 22 years old, his game already resembles that of Kevin Garnett in his prime, both in terms of style and stats. After January 1, Bosh lifted his game to new heights, averaging over 23 points, nearly 9 free throw attempts and shooting better than 50% from the field. Bosh’s emergence as a legitimate SUPERstar has, not surprisingly, coincided with the Raptors emergence as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference in years to come.
Dwight Howard- As great as physical specimen as there is in the NBA. Despite the fact that his offensive game is still pretty raw, Howard is a Top-3 big man in the Eastern Conference. A bit more polish on his 8-12-foot game, combined with his athleticism and coordination, will make him absolutely un-guardable. Howard’s defense and rebounding already allow him to play bigger than his 6’11” and 265-lb. size. The improvement in his offense is inevitable, as evidenced by his average of 22.8 points-per-game (on an absurd 70.7% from the floor!) in February, by far the best of his career.
Emeka Okafor- Physically, as well as with his shot blocking (2.6 per game) and offensive rebounding (3.9 per game, T-2nd in NBA), Okafor looks like the second coming of Moses Malone. More than any player currently in the NBA, including Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett, Okafor looks like he could average 16-18 boards per game one day; it’s already surprising any time he grabs less than 15 rebounds in a game. Like Howard, Okafor’s offensive game could use some polish, but he is also progressing. He shot about 55% from the field after January 1, and his season field goal percentage (53.2%) was easily the best of his career.
David Lee- A throwback. Lee is the prototype 1970s frontcourt bruiser. Aside from being far-and-away the best player on the Knicks, Lee is the best pure rebounder in the NBA, period. Better than Ben Wallace or KG. He’s the best “inch-for-inch” rebounder since Charles Barkley. Lee has a combination of Charles Oakley’s love of high-impact collisions and Dennis Rodman’s radar for the basketball. If anyone needs more proof that Isiah Thomas is only occasionally awake during Knicks games, consider that Lee, who is young (age 24), productive (hitting over 60% of his field goals and 81% of his free throws), and the ONLY bargain on the Knicks’ roster (salary <$1,000,000), can’t crack the starting lineup. If he stays healthy, Lee could average 15 points and 15 rebounds over the course of his career.
Andrea Bargnani- When he was drafted, it was predicted that the selection of Bargnani would pay off not today but probably two years from now. Not only did he adapt to the NBA in his first season without looking totally lost, he’s poised to grow into one of the NBA’s most versatile scoring big men. Since January 1 (when the Raptors’ season came together), Bargnani’s scoring increased (13.1 ppg since January 1; 9.7 before), as did his field goal percentage (45% vs. 40%), 3-point percentage (41.3% vs. 30.4%; over 48% in February!), and his already great free throw shooting (81X% vs. 83.7%). No rookie this side of Brandon Roy had nearly as successful a season as Bargnani, who was more comfortable in the NBA with each passing game. Don’t be surprised if he averages more than 18 points per game in 2007-08.
After these five, there is another crop of up-and-coming big men in the East. It certainly a step down, but this crew has the potential to make a big impact on the NBA in the coming years. A few big men, all 25 and under, to keep an eye on:
- Andrew Bogut - Still something of a role player, but in his second season, Bogut improved both his scoring (12.3 ppg, up from 9.4) and rebounding (8.8 rpg, up from 7.0). Size (a legit 7 feet) and skill (18-20 foot range), along with Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva keeping defenses honest from outside, will allow Bogut to grow into one of the East’s best big men.
- Anderson Varejao- The Cavaliers’ best rebounder and defender, averaged 6.7 rebounds in less than 24 minutes per game. He’s foul prone (3.3 per game), but simply does not turn the ball over (.8 TO/game). Varejao’s non-stop, high-energy play made him the most valuable player on the Cavs not named LeBron James. Just how valuable? We’ll see- after all, he’s a restricted free agent. Look for him to get a deal in the neighborhood of $6-8 million a year.
- Zaza Pachulia- Maybe the best center in the East that no one’s ever heard of. In addition to his productive offensive game (12.2 ppg on 47%+ from the field), Pachulia is an good rebounder (2.8 off. rebounds/game, 6.9 total in just 28 min/game) and an excellent foul shooter (78.6%; 80.5% since Jan. 1). He does need to improve his defense; he averaged 3.7 fouls and just .5 blocks per game. The Hawks are improving, and while Joe Johnson is clearly their best player and Al Horford is cleary a big part of the future, Zaza Pachulia will be vital in getting them back into the playoffs.
- Nenad Krstic - He’s not known for doing anything noteworthy on defense, but he’s a developing into a very good offensive weapon. Before blowing out his knee in December, Krstic was averaging more than 16 points and 6.8 rebounds (2 of them on the offensive glass), and occupying the attention of opposing big men both on the inside and the outside.
- Samuel Dalembert - At just 25 years old, with six NBA seasons under his belt, Dalembert has become a valuable member of the 76ers front line. Despite his unrefined offensive game, averaging career bests of 10.7 points and 8.9 rebounds (2.9 of them offensive!) and more than 2 blocks; in the month of February his rebounding average shot up to 12 per game!
- Eddy Curry - He’s developed into a legitimate scorer, averaging 19.5 ppg in 2006-07. Sadly, there’s nothing else on a basketball court that he does well; he’s a bad foul shooter (under 62%), turnover-prone (3.6 TO/game) and, at 6'11” and 300 pounds, Curry averaged a sad 7.0 rebounds and .5 blocked shots per game.
