The big talking points in the lead-up to the new NBA season, (from left) Lebron James, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving.
After two COVID-impacted seasons, the NBA is back to its regular starting time of October and a full complement of 82 regular-season matches for its 75th anniversary year.
But one man is dominating all the headlines heading towards Wednesday’s (Australian time) season tip-off and that is Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving.
With two other future Hall of Famers in Kevin Durant and James Harden on the books, the Nets would ordinarily be favourites to clinch the championship. After all, they possess a “big three” the envy of the competition.
However, Irving, a guy who is very much his own man, has sparked controversy by refusing to be administered the COVID vaccine.
The former No.1 draft pick (who was born in Melbourne, incidentally) will not be able to practice or play with the Nets until he complies with New York City’s vaccine mandate.
It has thrown yet another spanner in the works of the ambitions of one of the most talented trios ever constructed in NBA history to get themselves a ring.
Last season, injury played a big part in stymying them, with Durant, Harden and Irving playing together in just 13 games of a possible 84.
This season, Irving’s availability for any games looks to be seriously in doubt.
But having said that, if you were to start a season with Durant and Harden in your starting five, you’d still be very confident of going deep into the playoffs. And if the Irving saga resolves itself eventually, that would be a huge bonus.
Until then, though, from an Australian perspective, Irving’s stance has been a blessing because it has opened up the door for beloved Boomer Patty Mills to step up and take his chance in the Nets’ line-up.
Having just joined the league heavyweights after a magnificent nine seasons with San Antonio, and fresh from guiding Australia to its first ever Olympic basketball medal in Tokyo, the 33-year-old could very well become a key cog in their title ambitions.
While Mills remains the darling of Australian basketball, if not Australian sport, the same cannot be said about his compatriot, Ben Simmons.
Simmons has had a summer to forget. Not only did he stink it up in Philadelphia’s Eastern Conference semi-final series against Atlanta, a performance that was gallingly capped off by him passing off despite having the wide open ring at his mercy for a slam dunk late in Game 7; he also chose not to be part of the Boomers’ squad at the Olympics.
It got worse for Simmons, who in response to post-match comments made by coach Doc Rivers and teammate Joel Embiid, as well as the backlash he copped from Philadelphia fans following their series loss to the Hawks, petulantly refused to return to Philadelphia, demanding to be traded to another club and initially being happy to be fined by the 76ers for not showing up for practice or pre-season games.
The problem for Simmons, though, was that the Sixers couldn’t find a rival team to trade him to (unsurprisingly when you take into account not only his performance in the playoffs, but the fact he is still contracted until 2025 on massive money).
Ultimately, in this high-stakes game of “chicken”, Simmons blinked first and slinked back into the club last week after reportedly losing $1 million in wages.
But while you would ordinarily consider the 76ers a good chance to at least make it to the Eastern semis again, you have to wonder what kind of impact this whole drama will have on the team’s chemistry in the long run.
It’s a long way back from here, and if the locker room disharmony becomes terminal, Philadelphia will be an also-ran. And there’s also the distinct possibility that Simmons is now just going through the motions purely so he doesn’t keep bleeding cash by way of fines – after all, that new $17.5 million mansion in Calabasas isn’t going to pay itself!
Compared to last season, it’s been a lengthy break since the Finals, and, suffice to say, all NBA players, especially those who competed in the playoffs, will have welcomed the four-month layoff between this time around, as opposed to the two months that separated the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns.
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Some pundits pointed to that incredibly short turnaround as a reason for Lebron James’ Los Angeles Lakers producing a lacklustre finish to the season as they backed up their championship, finishing only seventh in the Western Conference before being bundled out in the first round of the playoffs 4-2 by eventual runner-up Phoenix.
It also didn’t help that James (27) and superstar teammate Anthony Davis (37) missed a combined 64 games due to injury.
Once again, the team for which Lebron plays has been a hive of activity in the off-season. The roster has undergone a dramatic overhaul as the living legend tries to ensure his side can mix it with the likes of Brooklyn.
But it’s also very personal for James as he relentlessly pursues a fifth championship in his attempt to catch the great Michael Jordan’s six titles and firmly put himself in the “GOAT” conversation.
James, who turns 37 in December, has become increasingly impatient and knows time is of the essence, which will go a long way to explaining why almost the entire Lakers 2020-21 roster will be wearing different colours this season.
Out go Dennis Schroeder (Boston), Alex Caruso (Chicago), Markieff Morris (Miami), Kyle Kuzma (Washington), Andre Drummond (Philadelphia), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Washington), Montrezl Harrell (Washington), Ben McLemore (Portland), Isaiah Jackson (Indiana), Marc Gasol, Devontae Cacok and Alfonzo McKinnie.
In come high-profile duo Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, as well as handy veteran pieces Rajon Rondo, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington. “Youngsters” Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk also join James and Davis in LA.
Former Washington Wizard Russell Westbrook, a high-profile recruit for the LA Lakers this season.
For Howard and Rondo, this will be their third and second stints with the Lakers respectively, the pair having been part of their last title in 2020. Ellington and Bazemore have also been Lakers in past lives.
There’s a real “Dad’s Army” feel about the Lakers’ recruitments, which have ensured the roster has an average age of 30.9 – one of the oldest in NBA history and a whopping 2.1 years ahead of the next-oldest this season, the Miami Heat (28.8).
It’s a fact that raises questions over the Lakers’ ability to withstand the rigours of a full season and come out the other end with a ring. But considering James guided the Heat to glory in 2013 with an even older roster (31.2), he won’t be too concerned by the doubters.
Incredibly, in putting together his latest “super team”, James is now the longest-tenured Laker, despite only joining the organisation three years ago. That’s one hell of an attrition rate.
But the Lakers don’t have only the Nets to worry about this season. How about the Milwaukee Bucks? After all, they are the reigning champions, having broken the club’s 50-year drought in June with the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo at the peak of his powers.
With a fully-fit Klay Thompson back in the fold after two years off due to injury, and reuniting with fellow “splash brother” Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors cannot be discounted, either.
The Suns, whom the Bucks vanquished in the Finals, have unfinished business, especially 36-year-old Chris Paul, who like Westbrook and Anthony, is still chasing his first championship. Having Devin Booker by his side won’t hurt his chances.
The Utah Jazz will have plenty to prove after topping the Western Conference last season but failing to get past the conference semi-finals, while the Lakers’ cross-town rivals the Clippers will also be a tough nut to crack with Paul George in the line-up, but will probably find it too hard to overcome the extended absence of his brilliant teammate Kawhi Leonard, who is recovering from an ACL injury.
The Denver Nuggets will be thereabouts purely by virtue of having the incomparable Nikola Jokic running things, but without Jamal Murray, also due to an ACL, for most of the year, it will be hard to see them making a meaningful tilt at the title.
Miami looms as a smoky, with the additions of Kyle Lowry, PJ Tucker and Morris to an already-talented roster as well as the eventual return of Victor Oladipo, who will be like a new recruit after a quadriceps injury restricted him to only four games for the team last season. And just how far the incredible Luka Doncic and Trae Young can take Dallas and Atlanta respectively remains to be seen, but it’s going to be a lot of fun following the fortunes of those two sides regardless.
And Chicago might not be a serious threat for the championship, but the Bulls have certainly created the most waves in the pre-season, and with new recruits Caruso, DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball joining Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic could surprise a few onlookers.
Meanwhile, there will be another decent Aussie contingent in the NBA in 2021-22, with Mills and Simmons joined by Joe Ingles (Jazz), Matisse Thybulle (76ers), Josh Giddey (Thunder), Josh Green (Mavericks) and Jock Landale (Spurs) in the senior ranks.
