By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Lack of depth was supposed to be the outcome from the vast amount of trades the Orlando Magic have done this year. Has it shown? Not necessarily. The Magic haven’t changed their game plan. They run and gun threes and force feed Dwight Howard. They’re style of play alone keeps them in games for the most part. That has a lot to do with how well numerous athletes can shoot the long ball.

Problems with depth were pin pointed at center. Behind Dwight Howard for the last several years was Marcin Gortat, and they also had 6’10 forward Rashard Lewis. Ryan Anderson hardly received minutes, but it’s beginning to look like the Magic needed to find him minutes. Over the last month or so you can see that he is in the flow of the offense and his team is searching for him. It’s tough to cover a 6’10 big man that’s agile. Anderson is just that. He is able to find his spots on the perimeter and be wide open for the most part.

That could be why he is gunning up between five and seven threes a game. A stat most coaches would frown upon from their big man. Anderson though is shooting the three point shot at near 40%. He does the little things as well. He’ll attack the glass and get some put backs when the Magic go with a small guard lineup. Which they have had to do for stretches.

For the Magic to have post season success it’s going to come from an unfound young talent. It won’t be veterans Jason Richardson, Jameer Nelson, and definitely not Gilbert Arenas. Turkoglu has shown his age, even though he typically raises his game in the playoffs. Anderson is comparable to Channing Frye but a tad bit higher in terms of talent. If he can transfer his forty percent three point shooting with this veteran cast into the playoffs, watch out.

From a fantasy standpoint, Anderson will deserve a shot to be drafted next season in later rounds. His minutes won’t peak above the thirty minutes a game mark, but he gets enough done with his minutes. With Turkoglu on the decline who knows how his minutes will fare. There’s tremendous upside for Anderson and he should be on all fantasy radars as a potential steal in next years drafts. Remember he came out of college in 2008 from California early, and won’t be 23 until next month.

By Zack Cimini

 notjustagame23@gmail.com

Time and time again college success doesn’t translate to the NBA. Kemba Walker looks as if he has decided to skip his senior season and declare for the NBA draft. Why shouldn’t he? Academically he will graduate, and he is coming off one of the more prolific statistical seasons from a college athlete. He did this all with a team that was supposed to be unimpressive, and full of underclassmen. The school was also surrounded by allegations that surfaced from the past, and led to a three game suspension for Coach Calhoun next season.

None of that affected Kemba Walker. He stormed the scene in the Maui Invitational. Shocking upsets over Michigan State and Kentucky, which propelled the Huskies from not ranked to the top ten. When the wall of the Big East came and the Huskies finished 9-9 in the conference, it seemed like the Huskies had been figured out. Trying to Jimmer Fredette other teams proved an impossible feat. If there is one conference good at adjusting against one another it is the Big East. Syracuse pulled out their usual zone defense against the Huskies, and that’s when the decline began. Walker scored a season low eight points, and the same concepts were applied by multiple Big East teams.

Turnovers started to pick up for Walker along with poor shooting performances. He just wasn’t trusting his younger teammates, and putting to much pressure on himself. Then the Big East conference tournament came along. The transformation as an improved shooter, ball handler, and scorer was evident all season. The area he showcased that made him the best all around college player and eventual NCAA champion, is what carried this team in the post season. He stopped solely relying on himself, and started feeding and trusting his teammates. Confidence began to brew for his team. The freshman began to shoot the ball better and as a team they matured exponentially on the defensive end.

At around 5’10, Walker must know he’ll have to carry over the play making part of his NCAA tournament run to the NBA. The scorer first pass second mentality has to change by a large ratio. Adapting to guards just as quick as him and likely stronger will take some time. So where will Walker fall in the NBA Draft?

We figure he should still be a top ten to fifteen pick. He should come off the bench and can be an instant impact minutes producer for a team. One area he’ll need to concentrate on is getting rid of the ball upon penetration. John Wall’s speed is one of his best assets, but also gets him in trouble quite often. He’ll dribble into the lane with no where to go with the ball and cause turnovers. Walker made the most of his production upon penetration in college or utilizing his step back jumper.

Will Walker be a bust or solid NBA player? Will go with the latter. He has the drive that you expect to never wane, even when millions become a factor. He’ll always work on improving his game and becoming a better all around player. It’s always tough for a small stature guard to have an advanced career in the NBA.

The best player we can compare Walker too for the NBA is a JJ Barea or Aaron Brooks. Probably a mesh of both. Brooks has the speed to blow by opponents or use his streaky three point shot. While Barea is crafty anywhere with the ball. He’ll take it to the hoop or get creative with his intermediate jumpshot. Either way, Walker will find his niche with a team and sustain a relative long career in the NBA.

There will not be any D-League stints for Mr. Walker.

By Vidur Malik

 notjustagame23@gmail.com

San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs have been struggling lately and might lose the top spot in the West by season’s end, but they’re the kind of team that won’t be affected in the postseason by regular-season issues. If Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and the solid role players around them stay healthy, the Spurs could very well be hoisting another trophy in June.

Los Angeles Lakers – If the Spurs do indeed lose the No. 1 seed by playoff time, it will probably go to the Lakers. They’ve got all the tools to accomplish a three-peat. Their size is a huge advantage on offense and defense, they’ve got athleticism and experience in the backcourt and Kobe Bryant has willed his team to victory so many times before that it would almost be surprising not to see him in the Finals.

Dallas Mavericks – Time is winding down for Dirk Nowitzki to win a ring. The players around him can score, rebound and play defense, making the Mavs a well-rounded team. Dallas will have to contend with teams like the Spurs, Lakers and Thunder before they can think about getting out of the West, so this postseason will be as tough as any other for Nowitzki and the Mavs.

Oklahoma City Thunder – The Thunder are one of the teams of the future, and they’ll make things interesting in the playoffs, but they won’t get too far. If the season ended today they would be playing the Denver Nuggets in the first round, which is a winnable series, but there’s still too much talent and playoff experience for the Thunder to deal with.

Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets will probably enter the postseason with the most momentum of any team in the league, but that doesn’t mean much when the playoffs start. Don’t expect Denver to make it out of the first round. They’ll give Oklahoma City a good fight, but the Nuggets will make another first round exit this year.

New Orleans Hornets – Losing David West for the season was a tough loss for the Hornets, who, if they will be playing the Lakers in the first round, might be able to steal a few games because of Chris Paul’s leadership and the talented role players the team has around him.

Portland Trail Blazers – If they play the Lakers in the first round, as they would based on current standings, the Blazers could play a competitive series. LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace and the young Blazers have the energy to win at least a few games in the first round, and though they’ll probably leave the playoffs early, they can push their opponent out of their comfort zone and expose some weaknesses.

Memphis Grizzlies – The Grizzlies aren’t going to give the Spurs any trouble in the first round, but they do have the pieces to be a playoff team for a long time. They’ve got size in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, a proven scorer in Rudy Gay, and solid players at the guard and forward spots.

Eastern Conference

Chicago Bulls – The Bulls have been an elite team the entire season, and will stay in that category for a while. Derrick Rose has grown into a leader and a superstar, and has the drive to push his team far into the playoffs. They’re still too young to get past teams like the Boston Celtics, but this team will make noise in the East for a long time.

Boston Celtics – Though the Bulls and Heat are higher seeds, the Celtics still have more championship experience than those teams and should never be counted out. No one would be surprised if the Celtics knocked off the Bulls and advanced to the Finals behind the leadership of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. The shock of losing Kendrick Perkins would all but disappear if Boston went back to the Finals this year.

Miami Heat – Everyone’s least-favorite team has the potential to make it to the Finals, but the Heat could also have a tough time just getting out of the first round. As of now, they would be playing the New York Knicks, a team with its own superstar issues. These teams have made for some dramatic matchups and storylines, and the Heat will probably win an exciting first-round series and go on to make more drama.

Orlando Magic – The Magic don’t have the experience to make it out of the second round of the East, but there’s no doubting their talent. Dwight Howard is the most dominant post player in the game, and he’s surrounded by good shooters and playmakers, but the team doesn’t have the experience or explosiveness to compete with the Celtics, Bulls or Heat for a seven game series.

Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks are slated to play the Magic as the East’s No. 5 seed, and just like the 2010 postseason, they’ll probably be eliminated by Orlando. The Hawks have been hovering around the above-average category in the East, and with their youth, they’ll probably stay there for a while.

New York Knicks – The Knicks have made headlines, but they won’t make it to May. Since the Carmelo Anthony trade, New York has been streaky, going on winning and losing streaks without showing much consistency. It will take a while before Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and the Knicks develop a chemistry that can make them legitimate contenders.

Philadelphia 76ers – The 76ers are a young team with guards that can score. That could mean one win against the Celtics in the first round, but not much else. If the core of Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and players like Louis Williams and Jrue Holiday stick around, the Sixers should be a consistent playoff team.

Indiana Pacers – There’s enough size and talent on the Pacers to think that they could make things interesting as the No. 8 seed, but they’ll make an early exit from the playoffs after returning to the postseason for the first time in five years.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Is there really tournament parity? Seedings and outcomes would suggest that. Money circles around teams that are the perennial power conference teams. That hasn’t changed and won’t change. Demand for the media to cover these teams hasn’t changed either.

The Big East, SEC, ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12 have their tickets punched for the television networks. Nightly they’re showcased on ESPN’s family of networks. Of course this only draws and translates over to the weekly polls. I know I’m not the only one that’s raised my eyebrows at certain teams jumps in the polls at a given time. The same thing happened with seeding this year. Florida, who is still alive, somehow got a two seed. A team that wasn’t in the top eight all season long, and lost badly in their conference championship to Kentucky. It made absolutely no sense.

Take a conference such as the Pac-10. They’re never showcased on ESPN, as Foxsports has full control of the conference. Besides a quick late night clip, there is never any analysis or expansion of conversation on the conference. Never once has Jay Williams or Doug Gottlieb given a take on a Pac-10 team. Perception all year was that it was a down conference, which obviously has been misleading.

Last year Washington had a strong run in the tournament, and now Arizona is doing the same. You can take a look at the teams left, and think how many times have you watched them play all year. Throw out the Ohio States, Uconn, Kentucky, and Florida. Richmond, VCU, Arizona, Florida St, Marquette, and Butler, you probably can count in single digits on one hand the amount of times combined you’ve seen them on television. In all likelihood it came from the powerhouse ACC or Big East teams pairing up against Florida St. or Marquette.

There’s no denying that the NCAA’s talent level isn’t as high as years past. Talent is spread out and teams truly can build together. It’s a year long process them can blend together with the proper seeding and matchup in the NCAA tournament. Cinderella stories will keep occurring. There just is too much under the radar recruiting going on. Look at Marquette and see what they’ve done with immediate community college transfer impact players. Florida St., snatching an ex-military personnel at age 26, that’s been an integral part of their team. Then VCU, taking upon former athletes from other division one schools, that just needed time to develop into their own.

This day and age with teams and coaches better than ever, wouldn’t you like to see better network coverage for all of college basketball. ESPN is the major source, but they need to split up their coverage. Maybe that’ll awaken the limited analysis of their commentator’s, who are constantly delving in one of the five conferences mentioned above. There’s coverage of high school sports for goodness sakes. After this year take a step into more mid major games, and emerging conferences such as the Atlantic 10.