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The NBA Through Travis Colored Glasses

- Is it weird that I dressed up like Artis Gilmore for Halloween?

- Jamaal Magloire was finally moved, and I have to admit that I'm somewhat surprised that the Bucks were the team that acquired him. After giving shooting guard Michael Redd a max contract in the offseason, it probably made sense for the Bucks to move Desmond Mason. The Bucks contend that they made the move to solidify their position as a viable threat to make the playoffs this season. I already thought the Bucks would make the playoffs had they maintained the status quo, and a healthy and happy Magloire only helps their cause. As a result of the trade, look for coach Terry Stotts to use a lineup that will at times feature both of his underrated point guards, T.J. Ford and Mo Williams, on the court simultaneously.

- Speaking of Mason, he was very unhappy with Bucks GM Larry Harris, as he thought that Harris had assured him that he was in the Bucks long term plans. I feel for Mason, too. While people like you and I love writing and reading about trade rumors, we sometimes forget that these guys have lives. That said, everyone knows that winning and money in the NBA supercede everything else. If I were an NBA player, I wouldn't trust any NBA GM any further than I could throw them -- and some of those guys are a lot bigger than me, so I don't know if I could throw them at all.

- Supposedly the Knicks and Blazers are talking trade, and Darius Miles is the man the Knicks want. Look, I have acknowledged that I think the Knicks have a lot of talent, but I've also said that the team has the potential to be combustible -- and D-Miles might be just the player who causes the darned thing to explode. All I'm saying is that the next time Darius Miles gets down and really defends someone on the perimeter will be the first time. I don't think that will go over to well with Brownie. Also, it is worth noting that use of the nickname "Brownie" in this column in no way means that this column endorses or is any way affiliated with president Bush or former FEMA director Mike Brown (i.e. "You're doing a heck of a job Brownie").

- Some predictions about the upcoming NBA season from your humble columnist:

NBA comeback player of the year: T.J. Ford. Ford has looked amazing in the preseason, and if he can stay healthy, he could be one of the two or three best point guards in the Eastern Conference.

NBA rookie of the year: Chris Paul. Whether it be his quickness, defense, or playmaking ability, NBA people seem to be readily admitting that they didn't realize just how good Paul really is. The addition of Mason to a Hornets team that already features Paul, and second year stud J.R. Smith, means there will be a lot of running and gunning this year in Oklahoma City/New Orleans.

NBA sixth man of the year: Earl Boykins. Earl "The squirrel" is as unique a player as there is in the NBA today. He's a one man tempo changer, and he will finally get his due this year, as Denver soars under coach George Karl -- who by the way will win coach of the year this season, too.

NBA surprise team of the year: Milwaukee Bucks. Laugh now, but hey these guys are good. I really think that they could make some noise in the Eastern Conference.

NBA's biggest disappointment: Sacramento Kings. Yeah, I know that many people have predicted the Kings to challenge for home court in the first round of the playoffs -- I'm not one of them. In fact, I believe that the Kings will struggle to even make the playoffs, but I believe that they probably will slip in as a 7 or 8 seed.

Onto some e-mail:

What's going on Travis? With the season quickly approaching what starting line-up gives the Wizards the best chance of making the playoffs for the second straight season.

Line-up 1: Arenas, Butler, Jeffries, Jamison, Haywood
Line-up 2: Arenas, Daniels, Butler, Jamison, Haywood

I like the first line-up because of the size factor in both the front court and backcourt. The only problem I see with this line-up is that it forces Arenas to handle all of the playmaking duties something that he shared last season with Hughes. Looking at his last two teams the Spurs and Sonics it seems like Daniels has had more success coming off of the bench. Keep up the good work, Jermaine

Hello Jermaine. I have to agree with you man. I really like Daniels coming off the bench, since he is more of a combo guard then either a natural 1 or 2. I think that he has always provided good energy coming off the bench, and he's not the type of sparkplug that you want to waste as a starter. I think the Wizards will be a darn good team this year, and on top of that, they will be a heck of a lot of fun to watch. Enjoy the season my man.

And some more e-mail:

Hey Travis, I love your columns on insidehoops.com. I think you really have some great information, and it is one of the best in-depth analyses I've read. I just had a couple of questions and thoughts that I was hoping you can comment on.

First off, in the last couple years in the NBA, we've seen a lot of guys pretty much give up on their team because of their situation. For example, Tracy McGrady with the Magic, pretty much gave up, and sat on the bench as injured. Baron Davis last year did the same thing with New Orleans, and once he came to Golden State, it was like a rebirth. We've seen this happen with Alonzo, Steve Smith, and Jim Jackson. Following this trend, where do you think Kevin Garnett stands in this. His situation in Minnesota has hit rock bottom. Being an avid fan of fantasy basketball, do you think that KG is going to give the same amazing production he has over the past couple of seasons, or will he be a flop, like the rest of these guys?

Also, I was just wondering what you thought about the situation down in Miami. Is this combination of Jason Williams, Antoine Walker, Dwayne Wade, and Shaquille O'neal really going to work? All of these guys demand the ball, and we are also talking about some other former stars coming off the bench in Gary Payton and Alonzo. These guys have all pretty much been the star of their teams throughout their entire careers, how will they possibly get over this hump? Dwayne Wade has already started complaining about not getting the ball and not being able to adapt to his new teammates. Do you think it is realistic to put the Heat as the Eastern Confrence Champions? Don't you think that the Indiana Pacers will give them a run for their money? Thanks, Avi Shah

Hello Avi, and thanks for the kind words. Now I'm no fantasy expert, but I'll give you my opinion on the KG scenario you discussed above. I think your observation of past superstars giving up on their respective teams is quite astute. That said, I don't believe that will be the case with Garnett. To me, Garnett is the best all around player in the game today, and he's a fantasy player's dream. The guy is such a warrior that he will continue to put up amazing numbers no matter where he's playing, barring injury of course. Bottom line, I think it's a safe bet to pick up KG on your fantasy squad if you can.

As far as Miami goes, I believe it will be another great year in South Florida. I know a lot of the so-called experts out there are predicting doom and gloom for the Heat, but don't count me among them. I expect a mediocre start from the team, but a very strong finish. Now, it will take a while for all of the new players to become acquainted with one another, but team chemistry will eventually be achieved.

At the end of the day, D-Wade's the man on that team, and he will see plenty of the basketball.

I also believe that Antoine Walker will have no trouble playing a role at this stage of his career. The wild card to me is Jason Williams. When this guy has his head screwed on straight, he's one heck of a player. He has great quickness, court vision, and can nail the long-range shot consistently. If coach Stan Van Gundy is able to keep White Chocolate in the game mentally, the Heat will be a bear to deal with. Also, the Heat still has the Diesel on their roster -- albeit an aging Diesel -- and any team with Shaq in the fold has a chance to win a championship every year.

The Heat will ultimately defeat the Indiana Pacers in a very hard fought seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals to get over the hump this year, and in doing so, qualify for the NBA Finals for the first time in the history of the franchise. Unfortunately for you Heat supporters out there, I believe they will lose to the Spurs in the Finals.

That's all I got. Thanks for reading, and for those of you who care -- I Love This Game!

Have a take about what you just read. Contact Travis at travismheath@msn.com. Travis Heath is a doctoral candidate in psychology, and a freelance writer. Travis currently resides outside of Denver, Colorado, but he has spent time in Washington, Nebraska, and Both Northern and Southern California. He is also a self-admitted sports addict, with his primary vice being the NBA.

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