NBA: The return of the Golden Age

After a lockout that lasted 161 days, the NBA is back in full swing.

Despite the lockout, the… After a lockout that lasted 161 days, the NBA is back in full swing.

Despite the lockout, the league has the potential to have one of its strongest seasons yet with a spread of talent that fans haven’t seen since the mid-’80s when players like Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson were the faces of what many consider the NBA’s “Golden Age.”

Presently, the association is on the threshold of another Golden Age. A common argument against the league’s popularity — and an issue debated over and over again in talks between owners and representatives of the Players Association during the lockout — is that too many teams do not have the chance to compete with teams possessing more financial resources. As a result, according to some owners, talent is concentrated in too few places.

That argument could not be further from the truth.

We are all aware of the Big Threes that exist in today’s game: Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh of the Heat; Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum of the Lakers; and (what people now refer to as the Big Four) Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Celtics. However, what makes the NBA’s current era special is that — despite the standings not reflecting success for some teams — nearly every team has a player that is recognizable, which is more than sports associations like the NHL and MLB can say.

Some of these most recognizable faces come from two of the league’s worst teams: Kyrie Irving and John Wall of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards, respectively.

Currently, NBA owners are shifting focus from the paint and opting for a cornerstone power forward or center to place a premium on young, talented point guards. As a result, three of the previous four No. 1 overall picks in the NBA’s draft were point guards, with Irving drafted last year at No. 1 and Wall the year before.

The most notable member of all these picks is Derrick Rose, the No. 1 overall pick of the Chicago Bulls in 2008, who was tabbed as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player of the 2010-2011 campaign. At 23 years old, Rose became the youngest player in the league’s rich history to win the honor.

Further evidence of the league’s parity made itself obvious in the most recent NBA playoffs. For just the fourth time since the NBA playoff format expanded to include 16 teams in 1984, a team seeded eighth upset a team with the top seed in a bracket. The Memphis Grizzlies — missing arguably their best player, small forward Rudy Gay — upset the Western Conference’s top-seeded team, the San Antonio Spurs, in six games.

In the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers did nearly the same thing against the top seed, the Chicago Bulls. Although Chicago won the series four games to one, the final tally deceives fans. In every game Indiana lost, the Pacers held a lead in the fourth quarter against the Bulls, and very well could have won the series.

That being said, fans should expect parity to carry over to this season and make itself clearer.

A number of teams I expect to contend might surprise many fans across the nation. Despite being a supporter of the Lakers thanks to my time spent in Southern California, I also have been intrigued by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Although their president of basketball operations, David Kahn, has a terrible reputation after making some of the worst transactions in recent memory, Minnesota has been traveling a path that many teams take in order to get out of the cellar. The Timberwolves have a young core of talent consisting of Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, recent No. 2 overall draft pick Derrick Williams and Ricky Rubio. The group has astronomical potential.

Rubio possesses the capability to be one of the next great point guards in the league, and his passing ability has drawn comparisons to that of one of the all-time great players in basketball history, “Pistol” Pete Maravich. Much controversy existed over Rubio, as he was drafted by the Timberwolves with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, directly after another point guard, Jonny Flynn, the No. 6 overall pick by Minnesota.

With the commitment Rubio has made to the Timberwolves, fans around the world should be on notice that special things are going to be happening very soon with this team. I believe that could result in a playoff berth for Minnesota this very season.

Another team that I expect to rise from mediocrity — or worse — this season is, believe it or not, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Cavs won only 19 games last season, Cleveland fans should be hopeful. With the drafting of Irving as well as No. 4 overall pick Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers have an outside shot at grabbing a seven or eight seed in the postseason in an Eastern Conference that appears to have only four locks for playoff spots.

Currently, the Cavs are 4-5. But as fans have seen many times before, you don’t necessarily need a winning record to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has a veteran scorer in forward Antawn Jamison and solid defenders in guard Anthony Parker and center Anderson Varejão. In the event Irving and Thompson make strides in this shortened season, Cleveland could be a team to look out for.

For this upcoming week, here are some games to check out on national television:

Friday Jan. 13 — Chicago Bulls at the Boston Celtics

This game offers two facets of basketball that currently make it great. For one, both teams are among the most successful at defending the basket and playing physical, so if you like defense and rebounding, you’re in for treat. Second, this game features a matchup of arguably the league’s two best point guards: Rondo vs. Rose. For any basketball fan, watching these two marshal their troops on the hardwood is an experience.

Monday Jan. 16 — Dallas Mavericks at the Los Angeles Lakers

For the first time since the Mavs embarrassed the Lakers with a sweep in last year’s Western Conference semifinals, these two teams will meet. The dynamic here should intrigue fans, as many expected the Lakers to look old and slow and the Mavs to be serious contenders to repeat. However, the opposite is the case here, as the Mavs have yet to come together as a team, and age is certainly affecting their play early in the schedule. Los Angeles, on the other hand, has looked far from old, with Kobe Bryant posting 48 points against Phoenix Tuesday night, the league high so far and a record for most points scored in a game by a player in his 16th season or later in the league’s history. You can also keep an eye on Lamar Odom, who played for the Lakers last season and is now decked out in Mavericks blue.