Itโs only been a week. Theyโll be fine. Elsewhere: What a fun week itโs been.
After one week of the new NBA season, Paul Flannery and Tom Ziller hooked up to discuss early surprises and disappointments.
ZILLER: The first week of the NBA season is in the books. With one glaring exception, it feels as though almost everything has gone according to script. That glaring exception is, of course, the Warriors, who are 2-1 and whose defense looks incredibly suspect. Is there really anything to be concerned about in Golden State right now?
FLANNERY: In the interest of content creation and well, general interest, sure. We can get worried if we want. The issue is the one thing people were worried about: interior defense. That looks like a glaring weakness, and it's going to look bad on the stat sheet for a while after the Spurs sliced and diced โem in the opener. Ron Adams is a defensive guru and I'm sure he'll come up with something that will put a patch on the problem, but the Warriors don't have anyone like Andrew Bogut on the roster. So, this isn't going away.
That said, I'm not that worried about it that much. They'll figure this out as best they can and smooth out the rough spots offensively. I mean, they are 2-1 as we write this. Getting smacked in the opener may have been the best thing that could have happened to them. Get that first L out of the way early.
What else has caught your eye? I am pleasantly surprised at how darn watchable the Rockets and James Harden are right now. I've never enjoyed them, or his game, on an aesthetic level, but this is alright.
ZILLER: On the Warriors, I wonder if a trade to get a better defensive center is in the cards. I hearken back to Cleveland's Timofey Mozgov trade almost two years ago -- it seemed to solve a big problem for the Cavaliers. The Warriors certainly have assets. But we're getting ahead of ourselves for sure.
Houston is damn watchable, which honestly hasn't been the norm for post-Phoenix Mike D'Antoni teams. I really enjoyed what D'Antoni did in turning Kobe into more of a distributor, but it's clear that Harden is another level as a playmaker. Isn't it a bit hilarious that after Kevin Durant's laments about OKC's selfish style, his two former ball-hog teammates are apparently going to compete for the assist title? (And the scoring title, at the same damn time.) Harden is almost as fun to watch as Russell Westbrook right now.
I say almost because, holy god, Russell Westbrook. Can he possibly keep this up?
FLANNERY: Probably.
I covered the Iverson Sixer teams and this reminds me a lot of that, but with an important distinction. Those Sixer teams were built specifically around AI with smart veteran defenders who knew they had a role to play and thrived in them. It was also 15 years ago, when you could get away with non-shooters at several positions. OKC's roster isn't quite in that vein and that's where I wonder not only if this is sustainable, but whether it's actually a good thing at all.
I know, I suck. I should just sit back and watch Russ devour planets. I'm fine with that, by the way. If that's all this is, then it's a hell of a show. It doesn't strike me as a building philosophy going forward, though. Where are you on this?
ZILLER: I am all about enjoying the show, to hell with real-world consequences. How else do you think I survive as a Kings fan in the Boogie era?
Speaking of which! No, just kidding. I'm walking away from grand pronouncements on Boogie Cousins and the Kings. I will not do it.
Any disappointments to date for you? Indiana saw an eye-popping Myles Turner opener and then lost to the Nets. And I'm a little concerned about our Jazz so long as Gordon Hayward is out.
FLANNERY: I have my doubts about the Pacers, but I am not going to overreact too much to the early season. There's a lot of new players to mix and match along with a new coach. Let's give them a bit of time. Same with the Jazz, but we are seeing how valuable Hayward is to their overall structure. That's going to be a fascinating free-agent storyline to watch.
I think Indiana and Utah are going to be alright in the long run, but um, what's up with the Magic? We knew they were going to be weird, but good god do they look dreadful. My Orlando expectations weren't that high to begin with, so I don't know what to make of them yet. But the Wizards, man. They've got to get it together.
ZILLER: The Wizards are definitely going to be under close scrutiny for the next couple of weeks. The Minnesota bubble might deflate quickly if Ricky Rubio is really out for a while. Kris Dunn is definitely a rookie point guard, and we know all about rookie point guards.
FLANNERY: You know who has caught my eye? The Nets, who are not terrible. I don't think they're going to compete for a playoff berth, but they are just good enough to be mediocre and that's something of an accomplishment. They'll compete and with Jeremy Lin running the show they'll put up points. This won't be Linsanity II, but it's nice to be reminded that there are good players throughout the league who just need the right situation to excel.
I've also been impressed by what I've seen from the Cavs so far. We all know how good they are, but I like how they're playing. Any idea that some other team could sneak up on them in the East if they get bored is going to disappear by December if they continue reeling off wins.
The league is in really good shape. That's my biggest takeaway from Week 1.
ZILLER: The Nets and -- hey! -- the Knicks are both frisky. The Bulls are the exact opposite of what we all thought they'd be (namely, fun).
We've had a string of entertaining seasons and this looks to be another. I'm getting pretty excited for either LeBron-Warriors III or LeBron-Kawhi III. Let us savor every moment until then!
