Front-court powerhouses for the coming season
92 days and counting until the season tips off with Miami hosting the Bulls. The defending champions looking for a three-peat against a Chicago team bolstered by MVP Derrick Rose returning to orchestrate the offense for the coming season.
Despite the two teams kicking off the season certainly being in many fans’ top 5 power rankings come October, only one of them would make it into my top 5 FRONTCOURT power rankings. Starting the countdown at Number 5…..
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
In at 5 are the Cavs. The still-building franchise used its second 1st pick of the NBA draft in just three years to sign young Forward Anthony Bennett. The UNLV freshman helped bring back the early 90’s glory days to an ailing college program, averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds and getting a block a game before an early exit in the NCAA tournament. Most people (myself included) obviously thought Cleveland would go for Nerlens Noel, arguably an even better frontcourt prospect, but weren’t willing to wait the 9-10 months predicted on his recovery from serious injuries. Bennett joins new additions (both former players from Lakerland) Andrew Bynum and Earl Clark. Clark proved to be one of the only positive notes to take away from a disastrous Laker season last year showing he could play starting minutes and productive bench minutes from the power forward position averaging nearly 8 points and 6 boards. The Andrew Bynum signing marked a dangerous yet exciting opportunity in Cleveland. Not only does Kyrie now have a renowned (albeit with a lot of baggage) big man to use for the post-up who when healthy is one of the top 5 centres in the league teaming up with fan favourite Verajao who gives you great hustle and energy for however long you need him each night. Completing the nucleus is talented forwards C.J Miles and Tristan Thompson. Things are really looking up in Cleveland, the team would still be lucky to make any noises in the post-season but it’s a sign of intent that the Cavaliers are nearly ready to start taking on the elite teams of the NBA once again.
4. L.A Clippers
The Clippers are the odd ones out on this list. They’re in the Western Conference. Once again the team giving the fans the most highlight reels last season are back for another edition of ‘lob city’ but this time with a twist.
Not only will L.A fans see the return of DeAndre Jordan as well as Blake Griffin, but all-star (and possibly the best) point guard Chris Paul has resigned for a max deal of $107 million over five years ensuring one of best passers in the league is going to keep feeding the ball to the two big men. This year marks maybe the first time in two or three decades that the Clippers are looking to get serious in an attempt to bring a championship to the other half of LA through enlisting of the elite coaches in the league, Doc Rivers. Doc is an exceptional play caller and is known for managing to get great production and chemistry in his front and backcourt together. Not only this but he won’t allow reckless crowd entertaining plays and instead focus the rosters attention on one thing and one thing only, winning games. To do this the Clippers’ head office have added depth to an already talented frontcourt through signing Byron Mullens, a player who made an impression on a lot of teams looking to acquire a centre over the summer due to his effectiveness for the Bobcats last season. Add to this the offensive numbers from forwards Matt Barnes and Jared Dudley as well as veteran Lamar Odom still training with the team this is a dangerous frontcourt shaping up for the coming season.
3. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets may not have a huge amount of frontcourt depth but it’s who they have that’s exciting for a team with rookie coach Jason Kidd. Brook Lopez, easily one of the top 5 centres in the league, continues to get better every season he plays averaging 20 pts, 2 blocks and 7 boards over the past season, stats good enough to earn him his first all star call up. At only 25 Lopez is only just entering his peak as a big man, not only that he has an elite point guard in D-Will passing to him and playing the pick-and-roll as well as being joined by Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the frontcourt, two of the greatest players ever to step on the court in the league adding vital experience, defence AND offensive contributions.
Not only that but Kidd and his staff have also added to a finals calibre roster signing Andrei Kirilenko, tempting him away from big-money European moves as well as resigning Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans, guys who know there role in the rotation and give there all every night. The Nets are ready to make a run for the Eastern crown, you can’t pack a team with this many vets and expect it to be a long term project, they need success and soon, the pressure is on the new coach deliver having been given the tools to do the job with.
2. Miami Heat
Frontcourt presence is not something you relate to the reigning two-time champions. But despite the constant defensive weaknesses that need to be addressed the Heat has certainly been getting it done on the offensive side of things. Two of the ‘Big Three’ in LeBron and Bosh play in the frontcourt and provide vital points for the team as well ‘Bron still putting up great statistics in the defence grabbing 8 boards, making 2 steals and 1 block a game over the regulars, stats which for a guy also provides 7+ assists and 25ppg is just unreal. Erik Spoelstra made some positive defensive contributions to his team signing ‘Birdman’ Chris Andersen in January who then gave the team some much needed presence at the board, sometimes reckless, but always high energy and morale boosting.
The team still has an elite perimeter defender in Shane Battier who lit up game 7 as well as a man who has been there from the beginning of the modern day Heat dynasty, Udonis Haslem, who still provides valuable minutes whenever you need him to.
What makes Miami move into second in the frontcourt power rankings however is the new potential (and probable) addition of Greg Oden. A man who only a few years ago was picked ahead of Kevin Durant in the NBA draft but has had his short career plagued by injuries. Oden spent the whole of last season re-habbing his injuries and if he can at least show half of the potential he displayed before his body starting breaking down on him in his early 20’s. The move isn’t for definite yet but the signs coming out of the Heat camp are positive ahead of a potential move.
Top of the list…..
1. Indiana Pacers
This Indiana team also managed to knock out Miami after taking the Eastern Conference Finals to a game seven just two months ago.
The Pacers had Hibbert, West, George, Hansborough and Hill making up the front court last season, a teaming that disrupted the flow of the best offence in the NBA that frustrated LeBron, limited his scoring power and almost toppled the heavy favourites. Noises coming from many top analysts and journalists suggested that Indiana wouldn’t improve unless they added strength in depth; which is just what they did.
Not only does all star and Captain Danny Granger return to the frontcourt but the team have locked up the services of Chris Copeland, who landed on the NBA scene last season as a 28 year old rookie coming off a stint for a Belgium pro team. Copeland shows his extreme versatility across the frontcourt averaging 8ppg, scoring 33 one night and even filling in as a makeshift (and undersized!) centre when the Knicks had horrific big man injury problems last year. He narrowly missed out on the all NBA-Rookie First Team finishing sixth in voting proving this to be a great addition by the Pacers head office. To add to this now Larry Bird (returning to the head office) orchestrated a trade which sent Gerald Green (a flop from last season), Miles Plumlee and a future first round pick to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Luis Scola. This move not only makes the Indiana frontcourt dangerous, it makes it potentially the most dangerous frontcourt in the NBA for the coming season, Scola throughout his career has averaged 14ppg, 7rpg and even shows his versatility by managing to average 2.2 assists per game throughout his career. At 33 his minutes will now be reduced due to his back-up role to Hibbert meaning he’ll be able to give 100% for shorter periods of time making the Pacers rotation lethal and unrelenting for any team for 48 minutes, 82 games a season.
This is what I believe makes Indiana Number 1 in the pre-season frontcourt power rankings (and top five in overall power rankings) being joined by three other Eastern teams and the Clippers representing the West to complete the top 5 frontcourts for the coming season set to tip-off on October 29th.
