1. Tiago Splitter: He should make his long awaited debut sometime this week. He's a guy we've been hearing about for so long and had so much hype in the preseason (SI even claimed he was THE long term Tim Duncan replacement) that I just want to get a look at him. I fully expect him to be underwhelming early as Pop brings him along slowly, but by the end of the season could be a key cog in a potentially devastating front-court rotation with TD, Blair and McDyess.
2. Kurt Rambis vs. Kevin Love.
Love is averaging a double double in just over 25 mpg (including a faintly ludicrous 19.77 reb/36) and has bristled at the short leash he's gotten from Rambis in favor of such world beaters as Anthony Tolliver and Nikola Pekovic. With a brutal schedule this week (At Miami, at Orlando, home to Atlanta, at Houston), would not be surprised by the Wolves going 0-4 with a blow-up by Love. Kevin doesn't seem like a shrinking violet, so I fully expect a "get me the fuck out of this shithole" from him at some point this year. KAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHN.
edit: just a suggestion but: Turk, a couple young guys and a pick for Love?
3. Chicago at Boston on Friday: Simmering rivalry here with the Rondo/Rose feud brought front and center, not to mention the combustible mix of Noah and Garnett. Also, BullsFan is already taking shots at Paul Pierce.
4. Portland at Milwaukee on Tuesday: Two up and coming teams with rabid fanbases. Still early in the season, but this game could tell us a little something about where one or both of these teams are.
5. The new behavior rules: While there were fairly consistent complaints about the number of soft Technical fouls assessed during the first week, it also must be noted that the instances of vocal, demonstrative complaining over run of the mill calls has dropped way off. Will the officials stick with the rules in the face of the somewhat mild criticism? Will the relatively good behavior of the players last? This is one to watch for a while I think.
No comments:
Post a Comment