Heroes and heels

Alas, it’s time to celebrate. The NBA season has finally come. For us basketball players, Fantasy NBA owners, NBA Live ‘06 junkies and all other hoop maniacs, the wait could not have been longer. The NBA kicked last Nov. 2, and already there have been some nail-biters and jaw dropping performances. So who are the stars and busts of premiere week? Here are a few.

Heroes

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers — Kobe is averaging 36.3 points, nearly five assists, seven rebounds and a blocked shot leading the Lakers to a decent two-to-one start, including that thriller against the Denver Nuggets where Bryant hit the game winner in the dying seconds. He was also named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week. If Kobe continues to play at this level, with Phil Jackson’s coaching and Lamar Odom orchestrating the offense, the Lakers should easily take a low-seed playoff berth.

Mehmet Okur, Utah Jazz — Memo’s hot streak is making the absence of Carlos Boozer easier on the Jazz, who have won three straight after dropping their first game against Phoenix. Okur is averaging 23.5 points and 10.3 rebounds. Granted he has not exactly been facing the elite centers of the Association, Okur has nevertheless provided a big lift to his offensively-challenged Utah team.

T.J. Ford, Milwaukee Bucks — Having been injured the entire season last year and coming back looking like he hasn’t missed a beat makes Ford this year’s version of Grant Hill. Suddenly leading a red-hot Milwaukee Bucks club to an undefeated start, Ford has been given Player of the Week honors alongside Kobe Bryant. Ford is averaging 16.7 points, 10.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds.

Heels

Jamal Crawford, New York Knicks — Crawford is probably the biggest casualty of the Larry Brown Era so far. He has been playing sub-par defense and has been relegated to a bench role, after being a starter last year. Jamal, who is averaging just 5.7 points (down from 17.7 a year ago), has seen his playing time decrease in favor of lesser-known names like Matt Barnes and Trevor Ariza. Crawford’s Knicks are still searching for their first win.

Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets — It’s a shame when one of the game’s best and most exciting players goes down with an injury in the first week. The Rocket’s star is on the shelf with back problems and has left Houston without its most prolific scorer for three weeks. Houston is staying afloat with a 1-1 record but their offense is going to get pretty predictable with the team mostly looking to Yao Ming to score and not getting much else from the rest. Derek Anderson should fill the void somewhat until T-Mac returns.

Nene, Denver Nuggets — A year after the Nuggets lost sharpshooter Voshon Lenard on opening night, they lose one of their best low-post scorers and sixth man Nene for the entire season due to an ACL injury. With an already injury-prone frontcourt of Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby, the Nuggets will struggle with their interior depth this season as they try to build on last year’s momentum. Denver is off to a shaky 1-3 start and losing Nene will only make things harder. Nene would’ve been the perfect backup for both Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby, providing size, quick hands and a nice low-post game off the bench.

Shaquille O’Neal, Miami Heat — The Heat are lucky they added some firepower this season because in the NBA, there is no bigger loss than losing Shaq. O’Neal sprained his ankle when he accidentally stepped on Ron Artest’s foot when the Heat went against the Pacers, a game they consequently lost. The Heat have instantly turned into a perimeter oriented team, with most of the shots going to third year sensation shooting guard Dwyane Wade and small forward Antoine Walker. Miami is still a good team, but without Shaq, they are far from the championship contender they were hyped up to be before the season started.

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For questions, comments or corrections, please e-mail me at emailcarlramirez@yahoo.com.