New season, new players, new hope
The NBA season officially got under way on Tuesday but with 13 games on Wednesday night the NBA really got into full swing and there were some nice surprises.
There were plenty of moves in the off-season – not mentioning LeBron James and Chris Bosh going to Miami – and last night they showed just what everyone can expect from them for the coming season.
David Lee received one of the biggest contracts in the summer from the Golden State Warriors and he showed exactly why he received his $90-plus million deal. With 17 points, 15 rebounds and one block on your debut, that isn’t a bad return especially considering the Warriors managed to beat the Houston Rockets.
More impressive however wasn’t a new signing, but Golden State’s shooting guard Monta Ellis who scored 46 points on 18-24 shooting.
The Los Angeles Clippers have been waiting for over a year to see their No.1 draft pick from 2009 play. After breaking his knee cap and undergoing surgery Blake Griffin finally made his NBA debut on Wednesday and he didn’t disappoint. The Rookie scored 20 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and handed out four assists in the Clippers’ defeat to the Portland Trailblazers. If Griffin can consistently put up numbers like that then he will be crowned rookie of the year.
New York’s $100million man Amar’e Stoudemire started his career as a Knickerbocker with a double-double. The power forward scored 19 points and took down 10 rebounds to help the Knicks win their opening game of the season in Toronto. He did make nine turnovers but with the superstar still learning his team's new system he might just be forgiven.
DeMarcus Cousins, possibly the second best talent in the draft behind John Wall this year, had a solid debut with the Sacramento Kings as he scored 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves themselves had a high draft pick play in Wesley Johnson. The forward came off the bench to score 13 points with four rebounds. Michael Beasley, who they acquired from Miami via a trade, showed glimpses of his talent when he scored 17 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes, shame it won’t be enough to keep the Wolves from being one of the worst teams in the league.
The Milwaukee Bucks made some nice additions in the off-season in Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette. Gooden dominated the boards to take 11 rebounds whilst adding 15 points. Maggette was brought in as a scorer and someone who will get to the free-throw line constantly. And that’s exactly what he did, in just 20 minutes the forward went to the line eight times – making all eight- and took down seven rebounds.
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