NBA Preview 2012: My Top Ten Love/Hate Edition

A janitor walks into the New York Knicks home dressing room in Madison Square Garden and flicks the light switch, illuminating the newly renovated space. He smiles.

A restaurant owner in Boston, struggling to stay in business, purchases 2 Flat Screen monitors to promote "Celtics Nights" on Tuesdays. He is relieved.

On December 25th, The National Basketball Association will once again resume its place as the most captivating sport on television. As excited as I am to watch Kobe, Lebron and Derrick Rose display their superior talents, lets take a moment to reflect those who's minimum wage salary is directly affected by millionaires.


From the parking attendants to the concession workers, the effects of the lockout have been wide spread. So, while I'm happy to have the luxury of watching the greatest athletes in the world perform, I'd like to remind everyone that this is a sport. Life goes on when the ball isn't bouncing.

With that said, its time to count down my top 10 reasons to love/hate the upcoming season. Enjoy:

10. Will the fans come back?
With yet another global recession on the horizon, will the average 9-5er (the few lucky to be employed) still be willing to ignore the inflated ticket prices to enjoy NBA basketball?


9. The Fall of the Lakers:
Phil Jackson is gone. So is Lamar Odom. With the effects of father time becoming more apparent in Kobe Bryant's game, is the dynasty finally over?


8. Toronto's own Tristan Thompson's rookie season:
The young power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers has the potential be the best player ever from Tdot.

7. Can Derrick Rose repeat as MVP?
 After a magical, coming of age season, should we expect a repeat performance from Chi-towns finest?

6. Who will have Dwight Howard when the playoffs start?
Its clear that his days in Disney World are over, So who has the pockets and roster deep enough to satisfy Dwights lust for a title?

5. Is Kevin Durant ready to take The Thunder to the Finals?
He's the #1 ranked Fantasy Player and a scoring Champion. Can Kevin translate amazing stats to championship rings? Micheal Jordan did.

4.  Can Chris Paul and Blake Griffin make The Clippers the new LA power?
With a new, All Star point guard and the most exciting player in the league, the Clippers may finally escape the Lake Show Shadow.

3. Has Time Run out on the Big 3 in Boston?
Time waits for no man. With questionable decisions from the front office, have Kevin, Paul and Ray seen their best days come and go?

2. Are The New York Knicks finally relevant?
Carmelo and Amare are still feeling the sting from The Celtic beat down in the playoffs. Can they take the Big Apple Knickerbokers over the top?

1. Will Lebron deliver in June and finally win a championship?
He's NBA Finals meltdown has been analyzed, scrutinized and well documented. Will King James finally sing his redemption song in June?

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone powered by Mobilicity