The Top 10 Questions Around the League Right Now

“Is John Wall really that good?”… “Is Kobe as good as everyone thinks?”… “Can the Blazers ever have a healthy team?”...

These are a couple of questions that have been in mind for the last couple of days, and I am ready to answer those questions, as well as a couple others.

This article has officially turned into the James Fowler NBA Zone. I have been pondering a few questions now that we are a couple of weeks into the NBA season. I have had many discussions with all sorts of people that really got my mind thinking on a couple hot topics that always seem to get thrown around by basketball junkies.

So without further adieu, I present to you the top ten burning questions on my head:

10.) “Can the Blazers Ever Have a Healthy Team?”

Boy, oh boy, has this Portland Blazers team faced its onslaught of injuries, from Greg Oden to Brandon Roy, even there coach was hurt in the process. This is a multi-talented team, who is easily a contender in the West. They have their all-star player, a defensive-minded team, and a ton of good role players.

But yet there is a “Blazers Curse” that dooms this team, and sadly with Greg Oden and Brandon Roy both facing a serious decline in production (Oden not being able to get on the court and Roy looking like he has lost a step or two), I don’t see how this team can ever get back on track and reach their potential as a team.

I honestly can say that the Blazers will rebuild this team before they ever win a championship.

9.) “Will Carmelo Be Traded?”

Now this topic is beginning to get extremely annoying, and I am putting it up there with “LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and Favre” topics. I just wish the Nuggets would trade him already; I mean there are plenty of offers out there for him, so you would think that after what happened to the Raptors that every GM would have learned their lesson, but I guess not.

The Nuggets are a team that needs to rebuild and lose ties with Martin, Billups, and Anthony (not all together but they do need to do it). They rebuild around the talents on Lawson, Nene, and Afflalo. I would hate to see him just walk and the Nuggets franchise blow up like the Raptors are doing this year.

8.) “Is Michael Beasley as Good as He is Showing?”

It’s official and I called this while he was playing for the Heat: Michael Beasley is showing he is as good as he was hyped up to be.

I’m not saying he is a top 5 player because he has a ton of improving to still do: passing, rebounding, and defensively, but Michael Beasley is showing that he was well worth two second-round draft picks(JUST two 2nd rounders), and they got a guy, who, through the last five games, is averaging 29 points a game.

This was a guy who no one believed could be this good; he was wrote off by everyone as a headcase, but I believe and this is why I love the NBA.

7.) “Will Ricky Rubio Come Over After This Season?”

Ricky Rubio, for those who are not die hard basketball fans, is a YouTube legend and a Euro-League legend at the age of 20. He has been playing professionally since he was 15, and won a championship, as well as many defensive player of the year awards in the Euro-League.

Did I mention he was only 20? He has the vision of the late Pistol Pete. He does it all, but some do not believe he will be as good as YouTube says; however, I for one do believe and I also think that he will be over here after the NBA season.

He really wants to play in the NBA but I honestly don’t think that it will be for the Timberwolves. I think that the Knicks or Suns pull off something big and get him, or at least I can pray for it.

6.) “Who is the best player in the NBA?”

This question has been thrown around a billion times in all the NBA forums in the world, so who is it? Who is the best NBA player in the league right now?

So many people can have their names thrown out there: Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James; but only one can be the one true best player. Well, that all depends on your definition of what the best player really is, best scorer: Kobe/Durant, best passer: Nash/Paul/Williams, best all-around player: LeBron/Gasol, best defender: Howard/Smith/Wade/Lebron. I mean it’s hard to show me one person who is the best NBA player.

In the 90’s it was clear-cut Michael Jordan, but then a new decade came on and we saw an equal level of playing talent. Right now we see so many players that can easily be the face of the league but can’t because of the other talent.

You can say Durant because there are guys like Kobe and LeBron out there, you can’t say Dwight Howard because you have people who say he has no offensive game, you can’t say Steve Nash because he isn’t dominate on the one end of the floor, even though he has made just about every teammate he has ever played for better.

So in today’s NBA there is not one player who is clear cut better than everyone else, and that is the truth.

5.) “Who Will be the Number One Pick in the Upcoming Draft?”

The number one pick is a prestigious thing in the NBA. It’s what every college and high school athlete train for, but with it comes great expectations and sometimes they are never lived up too.

Now with this upcoming draft, it has been known since last year that Harrison Barnes was the supposed top pick, but I’m not as clear-cut as everyone else. I am a big Tar Heels fan and so far Barnes has shown some real polish to his game, but I have not seen him show a killer instinct, and that is exactly what you need when you are a number one pick.

He reminds me a lot of Loul Deng/Grant Hill player, and is that really what you want from a number one pick? I don’t.

I’m putting my money on Perry Jones. He is something the NBA hasn’t seen.

4.) “Are John Wall and Blake Griffin Game Changers?”

John Wall and Blake Griffin are going to play huge parts in the NBA for the next decade. Both are players that will change their position for future generations.

Blake’s domination of the Knicks showed how special of a player he can be: 44 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists, and two dunks that just blew my mind.

Wall’s domination has been amazing for a rookie. He is averaging a double-double and already has a triple-double.

These two are going to change the game, mark my words.

3.) “Who is the Favorite for the NBA Championship?”

Now this is a hard one to judge because it’s still early, but if the playoffs started right now, the San Antonio Spurs would be the NBA’s top team. They are at a very impressive 11-1 start to the season.

Now I know the Chris Paul Hornets, I mean the New Orleans Hornets, are off to the same record, but trust me the Spurs have the experience of championship contenders and they have a veteran coaching staff.

Unlike the Hornets, I think they are more hype than contenders but we will see. You can make a case for the Lakers, who are dominating almost everyone they play. The Thunder are up there as well just because they have Durant and Westbrook, plus good team chemistry.

Miami is a strong contender because they have the Big Three, and you can’t count out Boston or Orlando; they are both great teams with great offense and defense. So if I had to put my money on one team right now, I would have to go to with the Miami Heat.

They are the most dangerous/unpredictable team and if I was a playoff team, I wouldn’t want to play LeBron or Wade in any round of the playoffs.

2.)”Will Steve Nash be Traded?”

This one has been really eating me up as of late. Anyone who knows me, knows I have been idolizing Steve Nash since I was in middle school; he is the one guy I spent watching hours and hours of film on trying to replicate his every move.

Steve is also a two-time MVP, who I honestly think deserves to take home the MVP every year since he joined the Suns. He has made countless guys better. He also is a guy who averages 50/40/90, while averaging a double-double.

After watching the Orlando Magic vs. Phoenix Suns game, where Nash actually sat out while nursing a groin injury, it was painfully obvious that the Suns need to go into a rebuilding mode.

They shouldn’t have to keep Nash while he is still able to help a contender but, they should give him enough respect and trade him to a contender in his goal to earn a championship. I would hate to see him finish his career without a ring.

1.”Is Kobe Bryant as Great as Everyone Says?”

This is one question I know most people would love an answer too: “Is Kobe Bryant as good as everyone says?” Kobe is a player who has been the benefit of a great career because of where he landed.

Kobe landed in the right situation for him, and he had one of the most dominate big men in the game with Shaquille O’Neal. Don’t get me wrong, he did what he had to do to be a good robin player. Then he forced Shaq out of town and he struggled to lead a team that was barely a playoff team one year and not even a playoff team the following year.

Eventually even demanding a trade of him or for a new player, anyone remember his rant about Andrew Bynum and Jason Kidd? And yeah, through that time he put up stats, leading the league in points but also taking 20-30 shots a game to get those kind of stats as, he was as selfish as a player had come.

Next thing you know, they pull off a heist in where they got Pau Gasol from Memphis, and boom look who is winning a ring again, why? Because he has a dominate post player.

Now the real question comes out, if Kobe is thrown on a team like the Bobcats does he ever win a ring? In my opinion, I say no he may score like he does taking his 30 shots a game but he will never win a championship and he never does that, isn’t he just another Tracy McGrady?

I mean come on now, Kobe you don’t get my respect, you will never be Jordan. For me, Kobe should never say anything bad about LeBron and Wade because he never did it alone either.

Rookie Rankings:

1. Blake Griffin
2. John Wall
3. Landry Fields
4. Wes Johnson
5. Eric Bledsoe
6. Al-Farouq Aminu
7. Evan Turner
8. Derrick Favors
9. DeMarcus Cousins
10. Gary Forbes