10 Things I'm Looking Forward To Seeing This NBA Season

With the new season approaching and the start of free agency and training camps next week I decided to name 10 things I am looking forward to this season. So here there are in no particular order.

1. Who will be this lockouts Shawn Kemp and Vin Baker - Just like the last lockout someone who was on top of their game is going to come into camp this season overweight and looking like instead of dunking basketballs this summer they just been Dunkin Donuts. I have a couple of people I'm thinking might be a prime candidate but mostly Raymond Felton. I'm sorry but anyone who saw this guys cameos in highlight of the NC Pro-Am know this dude definitely doesn't look like he's been in the gym this summer. Maybe he'll surprise me though.
2. Does John Wall make the leap to elite - Anybody who payed attention to the summer leagues this year knows John Wall was killing on every court he stepped on. Sure Kevin Durant was the biggest headline of the summer but the J Wall wasn't too far behind. So the question is how will this translate to his NBA game. We all know he has the tools and the potential to be a Top 5 PG in the league but will he be able to put it together this season and become the true star on a young Wizards team.
3. What happens with Chris Paul and Dwight Howard - Ever since the end of the lockout was announced these 2 have been the biggest stories in the NBA. Will the NBA owned New Orleans Hornets even entertain trading CP3 after the league was so strict on trying to create "competitive balance"? Who will offer the best package for Dwight Howard? We shall see in the upcoming months.
4. Will the Rockets finally stop trying - With the official retirement of Yao Ming will the Rockets finally enter rebuilding mode. Truth is they have been without a healthy Yao for years now but this team just keeps scrapping out wins. This team isn't good enough to make the playoffs but they aren't bad enough to get a real good draft pick. With the prospects out there for the 2012 draft will the Rockets finally move players like Luis Scola and Kevin Martin in order to try to get a top draft pick and other young assets?
5. Blake Griffin - The reigning rookie of the year made the Clippers relevant again and also has some top stars considering signing with them in 2012. How will he follow up a year that got him the rookie of the year, a allstar nod, a slam dunk championship, and a pretty good endorsement deal with Kia? Can he show that he is more than just a dunk machine?
6. Will the Knicks actually play defense - The Knicks went out and signed former Hawks coach Mike Woodson as an assistant coach and many people think he may end up replacing D'Antoni. Mike Woodson was primarily brought on to teach the Knicks how to play defense. With Melo and Amar'e never really focusing on the defensive side of the ball their whole NBA careers will they buy in to Mike Woodson's system? As a Knicks fan I sure hope so...
7. Kyrie Irving - With the 1st pick in the NBA draft the Cavs took Kyrie Irving to be their new face of the franchise. The problem is we hardly saw this guy in college because of a foot injury that sidelined him for most of the year. Is he really as good as advertised? Can he help Cavs fans get over the departure of Lebron James?
8. What move will the Lakers make - The Dallas Mavericks showed us last season that the Lakers are no longer the team to beat in the western conference. Kobe Bryant is getting older and you know he is hungry for another championship to catch up with MJ. So what will the Lakers do in order to keep one of the greatest player in the teams history happy? Will they make a run at Dwight Howard via trade?
9. The rookie class - Most people would agree that this year was a rather weak rookie class but I do believe that there are some real gems in here. Jimmer Fredette was a high scoring guard in college but in the NBA he wont be able to guard anybody. Will that sweet shooting carry over and allow him to be a spark plug off the bench for the Kings? What position will Derrick Williams actually play in the NBA? Is Kemba Walker going to be able to be a floor general for the Bobcats? Who will be the biggest steal of the draft?
10. The coaching debut of Mark Jackson - Sure he was a pretty good point guard in his day but going from analyst to NBA head coach wont be easy for him. Will he be able to mold Stephen Curry into something great? Will he clash with Monta Ellis? What will the Warriors do?

The Return of 808s and Pumpfakes

Ok so after getting some positive feedback on twitter about my thought and views on the NBA I decided to bring back my NBA blog 808s and Pumpfakes. But unfortunately it happened at the same time as the NBA lockout. There wasnt any point in me blogging about meetings I wasnt attending so I decided to wait until the lockout is over. So on Saturday morning I wake up to tweets saying that the lockout is over. Now its back to my NBA grind.
Trust I'm no journalist, I'm just a fan who loves to talk about the NBA. So during the next season I will discuss my thoughts on whats going on around the league, post highlights, and anything else I find interesting.
808s and Pumpfakes... Where Amazing Happens