2009/2010 NBA Preview

A brand new NBA season is upon us. The month of October is home to training camp, where teams attempt to gel and carve out a rotation for the upcoming regular season. There are currently five Buckeye Ballers who will come into October fully signed and under contract, and one fighting for a roster spot at training camp. Each player has something to prove to himself and the greater public.


- It is Greg Oden's world, and we are all just living in it. Well, maybe not yet. But if summer reports from Columbus & Las Vegas, as well as the recent reports from the Blazers training camp are any indication..Oden is going to quiet a lot of doubters this upcoming season. The big man is slimmer, more agile, light on his feet, and overall more comfortable on the floor. You see this is what happens when you get a chance to work on your game in the summer instead of rehabbing. According to the Blazers camp, Oden is displaying jump hooks, drop steps, and even a short face up jumper!

Oden enters his 2nd year in hopes of earning the starting center position ahead of veteran Joel Przybilla. A full year removed from the micro fracture need surgery, this is clearly a statement year for Oden in which he wants to show that he can get back to his dominating ways and anchor the Portland defense.

-Key teammates- Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller

- It is arguable that this is even more of a statement year for Greg Oden's former Lawrence North & Ohio State teammate Mike Conley Jr. The point guard knows this season will amount to a make or break year as his legacy is Memphis. Conley comes into NBA season with a bit of momentum. His post all-star break numbers increased after Coach Lionel Hollins assumed the head coaching role. Conley must demonstrate adequate floor leadership and more assertiveness.

Simply stated, he needs to take over games like we know he is capable of. Mike will have to navigate his personal numbers through the treacherous waters of Memphis where volume shooters Zack Randolf, Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, & Allen Iverson will hope to gel as a team. Right now it is assumed that Conley will hold down the starting position, with Iverson coming in as energy off the bench. Expect Iverson & Mayo to help out with ball handling duties at times, Memphis also has former Connecticut guard Marcus Williams as a insurance PG.

- Key teammates- OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol

-30 year old Michael Redd will enter his ninth year as an NBA Pro. For Redd the operative word will once again be 'health'. And as of now things are currently great for Redd physically. On January 25, 2009 Redd suffered a torn ACL & MCL in his left knee. The season ending injury had many wondering about Mike's status for the first half of this season. An early summer prognogstication called for Redd to miss as many as 30 games at the start of 2009/2010 season. Yet, Redd's summer rehab was ahead of schedule with the veteran recovering nicley in time for training camp.

This season will be a bit of rebuilding year with the departures of Richard Jefferson & Ramon Sessions. It will be up to Redd to lead a young group of Bucks against a talented Central Division.

-Key Teammates- Andrew Bogut, Brandon Jennings, Hakim Warrick.


- It is always the same story with third year pro Daequan Cook. Consistency! Like his fellow members of the 'Thad Five' recruiting class Conley & Oden, Cook also finds himself in a situation where he will have to step up and show more than he has in his fist two seasons. At times, the reigning three point champion can look like one of the best six men in the league. Other times Cook can look rather pedstrian. This season Daequan wants to evolve into one of the Heat's known threats, a guy that will bring it every night. Cook put on some muscle over the summer for rebounding, and also worked on his ball handling skills to add more versatility.

-Key teammates- Dwayne Wade, Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers

- Byron Mullens is the lone Ohio State rookie for this season. Almost everyone knows his story by now..a trying childhood, committs to Ohio State early, and spends only one season before declaring. All that is the past now. After having a decent Summer League showing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mullens can see the light at the end of the tunnell in the form of a possible rotation spot. Byron will have to provide solid rebouding & defense in the pre-season if he wants his rookie season to be something more than the bench or D-league. The best thing about Byron's situation is that he has the utmost confidence and patience from a up & coming franchise like the Thunder

-Othello Hunter is the only Buckeye Baller in the NBA who does not hold guaranteed contract. Although this may change very soon. If anything Othello is fighting a numbers game more than anything. The current economic climate has prompted some NBA teams to cut their roster sizes. In this case Atlanta is currently holding a preseason camp roster that includes 4/5 guys fighting for only one roster spot. Othello's main competition for this spot is Michigan's Courtney Sims, and Juan Dixon. However, in my opinion Othello's experience with Atlanta, and off-season improvement gives him the inside track for the roster spot. Hunter's minutes in the Hawk's preseason games will be a good indicator of his future.

- 2nd year pro Kosta Koufos will enter the 2009/2010 still in search for a definitive role with Utah Jazz. Koufos opted out of Summer Leauge play in favor of Eurobasket 2009 with his Greek National team. That is cool and all, the only thing was that Koufos did not get as much playing time as he would have liked. So from Utah's perspective, the degree of Kosta's offseason improvement still somewhat of a question mark. This season Koufos will be needed for frontline depth behind Memet Okur & forwards Millsap & Boozer. This is another player who will be counting on a good preseason to build some momentum for November.