With the Summer almost officially over and basketball on all levels in a slow period, as we await the start of training camp, it’s time to start to prognosticate on just how the 2010-2011 NBA Season will play out. Some of the game’s best players have not only changed teams, but have completely switched conferences, consequentially shifting the balance power across the league as a few new All Star spots may now be up for grabs. Who will take advantage of all the player movement?
Previously we showed you our selections for which 9 Players Could Get Their First Eastern Conference All Star nod, so here is my list of the 9 most likely players to make a push towards grabbing their first Western Conference All Star Selection in 2011:
1) Russell Westbrook, OKC Thunder – Russell is all about opportunity. After finally getting a chance to shine on the collegiate level with the unfortunate injury to Darren Collison at UCLA, he found himself in another opportunistic position after getting drafted as the heir apparent at point guard for one of the up-and-coming teams in the entire NBA. Westbrook took advantage by averaging 15.3 and 16.1 ppg in his first two seasons as a pro. This comes as a bit of a surprise since his forte has always been defense, even back to high school. He also increased his assist numbers as well from 5.3 to an impressive 8.0 last season, no doubt getting some big time help from scoring champion Kevin Durant. Westbrook also gained some national buzz after starring for USA Basketball in FIBA Worlds, and was instrumental in providing a boost off the bench for a talented US squad. Hopefully that helps Westbrook come All Star voting time.
2) Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings – It’s just logical progression to go from NBA Rookie of the Year to NBA All Star the following season. Evans will look to follow the script as he has an ever improving supporting cast forming around him in Sacramento. Getting the shot-blocking Sam Dalembert from Philly has to help Evans facilitate and run the break, which is his strong-suit. Newly drafted big man DeMarcus Cousins also will help in pick-and-roll situations as well as his securing offensive rebounds to give Tyreke other opportunities to score. Tyreke has a world renowned work ethic, as we should anticipate a gradual improvement from “Reke” on a yearly basis. The sky’s the limit, and that’s scary for the rest of the league.
3) Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors – The self proclaimed “Mississippi Bullet” has been labeled the future of Golden State basketball for a few seasons now. After averaging career highs across the board last season(25.5 ppg, 5.3 ast, 4 rebs, 2.2 stl), Ellis has established himself as one of the game’s most potent offensive scorers, and fastest players, and should garner more attention come voting time. With Steph Curry’s emergence as a prime time point guard last season as a rookie, Monta should be solidified as the starting 2 guard for the for-seeable future. With the constant feuding with Don Nelson finally over, Ellis and the franchise may finally get the chance to grow and move forward with a number of good young players, led by Ellis. Monta seems to take pride in being the best player on the court at all times, and he will be challenged at times by his own teammate(Curry), which bodes well for another probable increase in his career 18.1 ppg scoring average. Dare I say Monta challenges for a scoring title?
4) Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz – Poor Al Jefferson. The talented big man, who has been putting up some eye-popping numbers since high school(46 ppg and 20 rebs as a senior), may finally get the opportunity to make an All Star Team with a fresh start in Utah. Having one of the best young point guards in Deron Williams to dish him the rock will definitely help pad his stats and help his cause come voting time. But seriously, Jefferson has been an All Star caliber performer for a number of years now since he has averaged a double-double 3 times and 20 and 10 twice in only 6 seasons in the Association. He recovered nicely from a devastating knee injury halfway through the ‘08-’09 campaign by posting very good numbers(17.1 ppg, 9.3 rebs, 1.3 blk) last year despite a less than stellar supporting cast in Minnesota. Look for his numbers to increase, a year removed from injury, along with playing in a tried and true flex offense in Utah.
5) Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors – Steph has superstar written all over him. After struggling to find his game in the early part of last season, Steph came on strong to finish in the Top 3 in the league’s ROY voting. After already posting borderline All Star numbers last season(17.5 ppg, 5.9 ast, 4.5 rebs, 1.9 stl), Curry along with Monta Ellis will look to shoulder the scoring load in Golden State. He dispelled the notion of being to small or slight of build to succeed at the next level by being a lights out 3 point shooter, as evidence of hitting on more than 46% on treys. We’ve all heard of the sophomore slump, but Steph’s strong work ethic and determination won’t allow it.
6) Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets – As one of the under the radar surprise stories of last season, Brooks exploded for career highs of 19.6 ppg, 5.6 ast, 2.6 rebs, and .398% from behind the arc in earning the ’10 Most Improved Player Award. After taking the long road through the NBA D-League, then playing behind Rafer Alston, Brooks took full advantage of becoming the full time starter at the point in Houston. He proved to be deadly from behind the arc by becoming only the 6th player in history to make over 200 3-pointers and amass more than 400 assists in a single season. Look for his assist numbers to increase with the return of a healthy Yao Ming back in the line-up.
7) Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies – The time is now for Gay. After having yet another outstanding season averaging 19.6 ppg, 5.9 rebs, 1.5 stl, along with gaining a ton of national exposure playing for the Gold medal winning Team USA this Summer, Rudy should finally be in the All Star discussion come February. The Grizzlies organization proved that they think he is a franchise player by giving him a 5 year/$82 million extension as soon as free agency began in July. At only 23 years of age, Gay seems poised to take that next step towards becoming one of the truly great NBA superstars along with Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo.
8 ) David Lee, Golden State Warriors – Even though Lee finally got rewarded for a number of great seasons by being selected as an injury replacement for Allen Iverson for the East in last year’s All Star Game, David will try and parlay a move to Golden State into his first Western All Star Selection. David has been a double-double machine in New York, averaging the milestone in 3 of 5 seasons. He has already set a number of NY team and NBA marks by becoming the first Knick since Patrick Ewing in ‘97 to notch 30 points and 20 rebounds in a game two seasons ago, and in compiling his first ever triple-double(37 pts, 20 rebs, and 10 ast), became the first player since Kareem to record 35-20-10 in a game since 1976. He would have gotten more exposure but an injury during the selection process kept him off of USA Basketball for FIBA Worlds.
9) LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers – Back in 2004, Shaquille O’Neal once gave LaMarcus some kindly advice as a highly touted senior graduating high school. After initially declaring for the ‘04 NBA Draft, Shaq told him to go to school(at Texas) and evaluate his Draft prospects after a few seasons. Aldridge took that advice to heart and despite overcoming a serious heart ailment in early ‘07, has steadily made strides in his all around game, reaching career highs in a number of categories last season like rebounding(8.0), assists(2.1), and 3 PT%(.313), to go along with scoring at a 17.9 ppg clip. As the 2nd option in Portland behind Brandon Roy, LaMarcus has made great strides as a passer in the post and continues to be one of the tougher frontcourt players in the league to defend because of his unique combination of size, skill, and athleticism.
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
