I was not ready for the NBA season to start. I wasn't missing out on any physical preparation, it was being mentally ready to see NBA basketball or any basketball. The World Series just ended and Football is mid-season. Can't the NBA start be pushed back? Last year it seemed as if your team was playing every other night , it was comparable to the circadian rhythm of baseball. This year, as well as most years in the NBA, there is no rhythm to the teams schedule.
I was able to watch some of the 0-1 Lakers take on the Blazers. Steve Nash was out with a sore leg, but it would not have made much of a difference since they seem to not use Steve Nash's set of skills. Pau Gasol did not impress me and hasn't since my brother played NBA 2K 9 and blocked me 12 times in a game with Gasol. I don't see a player that takes over games, I see an okay defender that the Blazers were going at most times down the floor. On offense he disappeared. Metta World Peace did look different with a clean shaven face, but was still old and scary when the basketball is in his hands.
The Lakers looked horrible on defense and I link it to Dwight Howard. I don't think it is Dwight's fault either. He looks injured. He hobbles as he runs the floor and does not seem to have the incredible athleticism that we expect from Dwight. Maybe this is the end of his athleticism, or maybe he will recover from his surgery. Seeing him in purple and gold made me think of Shaq, and not the athletic Shaq, but the out of shape Shaq. The Lakers are a team of flaws especially on the defensive end and Dwight was supposed to make up for those issues. That seems like to big of a task for him to take on at this point.
