Do you think Showtime would have been as much fun without Kurt Rambis’ horn-rimmed-glasses and the Coop-a-Loop?
Would Duncan have won those championships without the ability to find Bowen in the corner (it is always the corner) for three
The answer is succinctly: no.
The saving grace of the to be determined Western Conference Champion will be their role players. More specifically, a designated guy who is expected to make a consistent contribution every night.
You want to talk about parity, the Western Conference has parity is spades, the 8th seed last year had 5o...and this year, the waters have only gotten muddier.
The Clippers got an extreme makeover, the Blazers have three early Rookie of the Year candidates and the Rockets landed Ron Artest.
But strip away all the superstars and you are left with the diamonds in the rough: the role players who can change the game without getting in the way of the real game changers.
Dallas Mavericks- Brandon Bass
Bass is an angry dude…and he has a killer 15-footer.
With the Mavericks lack of tough guys on their roster, Bass’ toughness and grit may be the X-factor on a team that is struggling to find its identity after last season’s Jason Kidd trade.
Houston Rockets- The Undersized Power Forward
The Houston Rockets seem to be enamored with undersized, bruising power forwards. They have three on their roster.
Luis Scola, Carl Landry and Chuck Hayes are the keys to the Rockets success this season.
Sure, they have Yao, T-Mac, and Ron-Ron, but it is their post defense that will propel these Rockets past the first round of the playoffs.
Landry was a key player in last season’s 22-game win streak, and was finally retained after the Rockets matched the offer sheet from Charlotte last week.
Scola, besides being the NBA’s greasiest, most disgusting looking player, proved that his Spanish ACB MVP awards were not just a fluke, making the All-Rookie First Team.
And Chuck Hayes may see his minutes cut drastically, due to the logjam presented by the overflow of forwards with the arrival of Ron Artest.
Memphis Grizzlies- Marc Gasol
Marc Gasol is everything his brother Pau is not. Pau is finesse; Marc is a banger. Pau is a born scorer; Marc is a beastly defender. Pau looks like a vulture; Marc is a Wookie refugee from Kashyyyk. Get the picture?
Marc Gasol’s skill set is reminiscent of bygone Grizzly center Bryant Reeves. Granted, Gasol is a more adept scorer, yet as far as doughy white guy toughness goes, baby Gasol and Big Country are more like brothers on the court than Pau and Marc will ever be.
New Orleans Hurrrrrnets- James Posey
Although Paul Pierce walked away with the 2008 NBA Finals MVP award, everyone knows it should have belonged to Posey.
Posey made such an indelible mark on the Boston Celtics championship run, that the name James Posey should be synonymous to Dave Roberts to Boston sports nuts.
With Posey now buzzing in New Orleans, look for him to do what he has done in his last two stops in Miami and Boston: spark a team to a championship with intense defense and a keen ability to make EVERY big shot.
San Antonio Spurs- Ime Udoka
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