This is the draft of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, considered perhaps the deepest and most talented since '03, the fabled draft of Lebron James, D-Wade, Melo, Chris Bosh, and etc. College basketball was treated to quite the show in '06-'07, since the NBA's new rule forcing players to attend college for at least a year after high school led some phenomenal players to play college ball. But most of those one year wonders were in Madison Sqaure Garden for last nite's draft, thus bumping sure 1st rounders of a year ago to likely spots in the 2nd round. Portland and Seattle surprised everyone at the Draft lottery when they won the right to choose 1 and 2, respectively, when everyone assumed that it would be either Memphis or Boston, the teams with the two worst records. This gave Portland the choice of either the franchise center, Oden, an amazing athlete/defender and the rare big man a team can win a title with, or Durant, the most offensively gifted freshman in college basketball history, an incredible talent and scoring machine with a 7 foot 5 wingspan and rail thin arms. Durant will score and be a dominate wing player, but the last wing player to lead his team to a title without a real center was Micheal Jordan. Are we really going to set the bar that high for Durant? Definitely not fair. He has the drive and the skills to be on Jordan's level someday, but there are tons of other equally talented wing players in the league who have yet to even lead their team past the 1st round of the playoffs (T-Mac?). On the other hand, the Spurs have built around Tim Duncan, their franchise big man, and have won 4 NBA titles since 1999. So Oden would be the safe/sensible pick for Portland to make. Portland is a young team on the rise that should start becoming a playoff perennial if not this season than the next one for sure. They have re-tooled their roster from the bottom up and gotten rid of the troubled talents that caused sportswriters to brandish them with the nickname "Jailblazers." So with a guy like Oden added to the mix, not only a rare talent but one of the nicest/funniest guys around, the Blazers might have the final piece to their talented young puzzle. So let's start with the teams in alphabetical order.

Atlanta was the cause of much speculation with their two picks, at number 3 and number 11. Trade rumors floated around all day, concerning Amare Stoudemire coming to Atlanta, KG going to the Suns, and the two picks being dealt to Minnesota. Well the Hawks did the safe thing and decided to pick up some talented young players to add to the NBA's youngest roster. They selected Al Horford from Florida and Acie Law from Texas A&M. They don't need more forwards to clog up their frontcourt, but Horford was the most talented player available and he does satisfy a need for more muscle and rebounding inside. Zaza Pachulia showed off some skills but he's a softie, while Shelden Williams was a huge stretch at number 5 last season and doesn't seem to have NBA starting talent. Horford is strong and athletic, truly a beast on the interior. He can block shots and hit the boards hard, and he has good footwork, but he still needs to improve his touch and overall offensive game. Law was an amazing college point guard, a fearless leader who was responsible for one of the best re-building jobs in college basketball history. Law is fearless in the clutch and unselfish, but there are questions about him having NBA-level athleticism and speed, and no matter how much it goes in, his jumper is still ugly. They may regret passing on Mike Conley, who has the talent and skill-set of Tony Parker. Law seems like more of a scorer, and while Atlanta finally drafted a good point guard, I'm not sure if Law is the right one. I would have picked Conley at 3 and tried to trade down to get a power forward later in the draft.

The Boston Celtics hit panic mode as soon as their hopes of landing the 1st or 2nd pick in the Draft Lottery failed horribly and they ended up with number 5. It really is kind of sad, because they have some young talent and a legit superstar in Paul Pierce, and one of those top two phenom players in this year's draft might have been enough to push Boston back into the playoffs as a low seed in the East. Well the Celtics pushed that panic button in a desperate move to keep Paul Pierce around for the rebuilding, Beantown traded their number 5 pick, along with oft-injured sharpshooter Wally Sczerbiak and perennial backup Delonte West, for Ray Allen, an aging All-Star but perhaps the best pure shooter in the NBA. Allen is banged up and getting old, past the age when every shooting guard except Reggie Miller has declined, but he can still stroke it and will temporarily make Pierce happy because he is an established vet with at least 2 good years left in the tank. So this doesn't help Boston in the long-term, but they may have enough to sneak into the East as a low seed, unfortunately the rest of the conference got a little better in the draft too. In the 2nd round Boston got great value and some real sleepers in USC point guard Gabe Pruitt and LSU forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Pruitt was inconsistent and probably could have used one more year of experience at USC but he's a talented, score-1st guard with a lot of potential and athletic ability who might excell as a defender and take West's position as backup. If Davis can keep the weight off he could be the biggest sleeper of this draft, and he provides the Celtics with great inside depth. He has great footwork and skills, especially scoring inside, and the size of a Chuck Barkely, without the athleticism. He could always balloon up again and become a bust but he has the skills to be a talented contributor. But the Celtics did not give up after draft night, and a seismic trade was about to be made. Rumors of KG going to Boston floated around all day before the draft, but were quickly dismissed when the superstar said that he didn't want to play in Boston. Well a couple weeks later, at the end of July, The Big Ticket sang a different tune as Boston traded away much of their bench and young future (Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Bassy Telfair, Theo Ratliff, draft picks) for Kevin Garnett, thus forming one of the best superstar trios in the league, an instant hype machine and title contender. Ignoring their current depth issues and based on name-value alone, Boston is one of the NBA's elite, but realistically they are going to have a tough time getting through the East and facing the dominant West unless they can garner more depth and Rajon Rondo plays pretty solid at the point guard position. KG gives you an all-world superstar and unique commodity, one of the most versatile players in the league and the hardest playing guy around, giving 100 percent intensity in every game and every possesion, seemingly approaching each task as if it's his last. It's this child-like enthusiasm for the game and hunger for a title that has won him so many fans, along with his era-changing game. He has not won much throughout his career in Minnesota, but he has never played with two other hungry star players like he is now. The window is short for him to win a title and Boston is jumping at the chance to win now, and with this new Big Three of superstars there just may be a shimmer of hope. At the very least the Celtics have blocked out the disappointment of not winning the lottery. Another, more minor acqusition is Eddie House, an instant offense shooting machine off the bench who has trouble making an impact if his lightning-quick threes aren't sinking.

The Charlotte Bobcats nabbed some much-needed scoring punch by trading pick Brandan Wright to the Warriors for Jason Richardson, a uber-athlete who has a deadly stroke from downtown. He is not quite a superstar but definitely an electric scorer who instantly becomes a go-to option here to temporarily make up for the early failures of Adam Morrison. Other than that the Bobcats focused on depth, getting a fantastic, versatile, and blue-collar college stud in Jared Dudley of Boston College and nabbing shot-swatting center Jermareo Davidson from Alabama. Dudley is the epitome of great, hard-working college player, the type of guy who brings his lunch pail and just goes to work. He's not gonna get you with jaw-dropping athleticism or speed but he has game in all areas, plus he's a big body who can just fill up the stat sheet. Davidson is skinny and not much of a scoring center, but he's an athlete and a shot-blocker who can thrive in an up-tempo system, which appears to be what Charlotte is gearing for.

The Chicago Bulls came into the draft a low-post scorer away from title contention, and while they didn't really solve this problem in the draft they did stock up on depth and in getting some big bodies down low. In the 1st round the Bulls picked up Joakim Noah out of Florida, one of the most charismatic and visible players in college basketball the past two seasons. His constant energy/motor, athleticism, and willingness to run the floor are all positive attributes. Noah is one of the most active big men around, on the boards and on defense, but he lacks much of an offensive game and doesn't solve the scoring need in the paint for Chi-town. In the 2nd round the Bulls got Pitt center Aaron Gray and Oklahoma State combo guard JamesOn Curry. Gray has plenty of size, he can pass, and he's a strong finisher; unfortunately, his senior season was not good for his draft stock, as his severe lack of NBA-level athleticism and weak offensive skills were on display. Curry can stroke it but he has had his share of off-the-court problems and he is kind of a tweener. He'll be lucky to see the court. Chicago also nabbed veteran power forward Joe Smith, more of a scoring threat than P.J. Brown.

Cleveland apparently liked their chances of returning to the Finals in the East, and did not make any roster changes worth talking about. They better hope Lebron can tune in some kind of all-universe performance, because their roster has too many holes to put a dent into the West's elite and one more year of playoff maturity isn't going to change that.

The Dallas Mavericks wisely decided not to blow up their talented roster after their mental collapse in the playoffs, but they did land some minor acqusitions. In the draft the Mavs picked up Nevada forward Nick Fazekas, a versatile big man with a sweet outside touch. There are questions about his speed and strength but he should be able to take over the Keith Van Horn role, a good shooter and offensively skilled big man to give them some versatility off the bench. They also picked up massive forward Brandon Bass and veteran 2-guard Eddie Jones. Bass is a big dude who should provide some depth, but he has had trouble keeping the weight off and seeing some playing time so far in his career. Jones is getting up there in age but he can still play. He's a good shooter and tight defender, and he provides a good vet/leadership presence.

The Denver Nuggets didn't have any draft picks, like last year, but they did pick up underrated veteran guard Chucky Atkins. The Nuggets are still desperate for anyone who can shoot threes and this acqusition proves that, as Chucky provides a nice perimeter scoring threat off the pine.

The Pistons focused on getting some young bodies in their backcourt for this year's draft, and they also signed raw African big man Cheick Samb, an athlete and shot blocker who needs more seasoning before he can make an NBA impact. The two new guards on the Detroit roster are Arron Afflalo of UCLA and Rodney Stuckey of Eastern Washington. Stuckey appears to have more potential as a star, as he dominated the mid-major competition with his scoring ability. Stuckey can score in bunches and will provide energy and offense when subbing Chauncey Billups, something the Pistons have lacked the past few years. Afflalo is quick and athletic, he will be counted on as a defensive stopper to start and brings much needed depth to Detroit as Lindsay Hunter gets older and closer to retirement.

Golden State landed much-hyped Italian guard Marco Belenelli, former Mavericks forward Austin Croshere, North Carolina forward Brandan Wright (in the 1st round), and signed Euro big man Kosta Perovic. The Warriors play at a mind-numbing pace, constantly pushing the ball up the floor, and to play for them you gotta be fast/athletic, able to play different positions, and the easiest one, you have to shoot a bunch of threes. Not too tough a task for most NBA players. Belenelli fills that role, a versatile and athletic scorer who can be utilized in a variety of ways. He has the potential to be the next Euro offensive star. Wright has incredible length and is just plain smooth around the basket, cleaning up the glass or dropping in a patented hook shot. He runs the floor and finishes very well, a big man with great athleticism and versatility. Perfect fit, even though he doesn't have much shooting range, he provides good size. Croshere can hit threes and is a good offensive player for a small-ball style. Perovic has plenty of size and a budding offensive game, but seasoning is a must.

The Houston Rockets had quite the offseason, gathering a star-studded, mismashed cast of talent and ball-hogs while re-tooling their roster for new coach Rick Adelman. This will definitely be a different Houston team than the grinding, defensive-minded unit Jeff Van Gundy put on the floor last season. Scoring, athleticism, and a banger opposite Yao were apparent flaws in the Rocket's 1st round loss to the Jazz, but all of that except a power forward seems to have been fixed. This could be offensive genius or a chemistry mess, but it's much better to have overstocked talent than having a lack of it. I'm just worried so many selfish players on one team is bound to fail. Look at the Knicks of a few years back, they had tons of scoring talent but no chemistry and they fell apart. Larry Brown/Isaiah Thomas may also be to blame, but that is another story. I cannot deny the excitement that is building up from gathering so many talented backcourt players, I just have a feeling there will be mixed results and a lack of ball-movement. In the draft Houston landed Oregon guard Aaron Brooks and traded for Purdue power forward Carl Landry and international power forward Luis Scola. Brooks is tiny and may not see the floor much with our other two new acqusitions in front of him, but he can light it up on any given night and provides some great energy/scoring for our backcourt. Landry may not make the team because he is very similar to Chuck Hayes; undersized, not incredibly athletic, blue-collar banger who hustles and grabs boards. Scola has tons of potential and may even start, he has great offensive skills around the basket. Houston also got scrappy Justin Reed for inside depth and big man Jackie Butler, who brings size and inside-scoring potential but who has never seen the court much in his career. Our big free-agent gets were guards Mike James and an old friend, Stevie Francis. Both of these guys made names for themselves originally in Houston, especially Francis, who was a superstar caliber player when he played for the Rockets before his career fell off in Orlando and New York. Francis may not be the player he was, but he is still a fan favorite with great athleticism and scoring ability, as long as he doesn't have to play point he can attack the rim and become a dangerous scorer. The only problem I have is his selfishness, he will dribble the air out of the ball and I'm not convinced that he will happily accept a minor role, possibly off the bench. James is also a selfish player who has a score-1st mentality and needs to ball to be effective, but it was evident at various times last season that we needed a guard who could hit open threes and score off of T-Mac and Yao's double teams, and I think James is that guy. So lots of backcourt scoring, but I'm not sure if there are enough balls to go around for all these players. Tracy needs to control the ball and act as the point, while Yao also needs his touches, so it will be interesting to see how this experiment works. All these players are hungry for success and to prove that the down-years they experienced last season were not a sign of things to come. There are the obvious chemistry issues, but the talent is there.

It was supposed to be the year Iowa finally joined the elite, the historic names of Ohio State and Michigan, consistent powerhoues of the Big Ten. After winning conference titles in '02 and '04 along with a 10 win season in '03 and a 7 win season in '05, hype surrounding Iowa was at an all-time high last year. Unfortunately the players bought into the championship hype, and did not play with the heart/work ethic that won them those Big Ten titles in the 1st place. They did not play like a Kirk Ferentz team, and injuries also out the cherry on top of the bitter-tasting sundae. Iowa ended up going 6-7, losing in the Alamo Bowl to Texas 26-24, thus losing 6 of their last 7 games. So why is there more hype and optimism for my Hawkeyes this upcoming season? Maybe because of the return of Iowa's blue collar attitude in practices and their positive play in the Alamo Bowl. They were supposed to get rolled by '05 national champion Texas, but they played their asses off and should have won had the Longhorns not received their share of lucky breaks. We have to break in a new QB for the fiery Drew Tate and replace some key members on the right side of our O-Line, but the rest of the roster is intact and (hopefully) hungry for a Big Ten title. Iowa's three year run from '02-'04 was the most successful in school history, re-establishing Iowa as a power and uniting the passionate Hawkeye faithful in the school's success. All this winning got Iowa the most national attention the program has ever recieved and created tons of optimism that Iowa would become not only a constant member of the upper echelon in the Big Ten but a national title contender. Instead Wisconsin seems to have taken Iowa's place among the temporary Big Ten elite, with Penn State joining my Hawks as another potential contender. OSU and Michigan are always going to be up there, guaranteed, but whether or not the Hawks can retain their spot up there is still up in the air. That is why this year is an important crossroads, a season-long test to prove whether or not these past two underacheving seasons were an aberration or a sign of things to come for the future. As long as Kirk Ferentz sticks around and stays true to his word that he wants all of his kids to graduate from the same high school, then we will be competetive and contenders for the forseeable future. Usually, a characteristic of a Ferentz team is closing out the year strong, despite a few puzzling losses that should never happen, but last season was the exact opposite, starting 5-1 and finishing 1-6. But if Jake Christensen can play well and our running game stays relatively injury free, our defense should be dominate and our offense should have more balance than they have in a while, like 2002 and 2003. We avoid OSU and Michigan, so we can't complain about our relatively easy schedule, but we do face Wisconsin and Penn State in two difficult road games and go on the road to play Purdue, who played in a bowl game last season.

JC was a very hyped QB prospect out of Illinois back in '05, the son of a former NFL passer with a wide range of talents and the ability to make any type of throw. He has a strong arm and tons of potential, but not much for height and he doesn't have the elusiveness or the improvisation skills of Drew Tate, which i believe us Hawk fans took for granted often in his career. If he can just play within himself and not make mistakes than the running game should carry us and the recievers can make plays themselves, as evidenced by Andy Brodell's speed. Brodell is a big play threat who could be our next great receiver, his performance will be crucial this season and he has to prove the Minnesota/Alamo Bowl games were not flukes. Dominique Douglas will be our go-to guy and main possesion reciever, not a home-run threat but can be relied on for plenty of receptions. Trey Stross will play a big role as well, he was highly recruited in the class of JC and has a lot of talent. Another potential guy could be James Cleveland, another high recruit and speedster. This corp has a lot of potential and speed but is still young and coming into their own, they made important strides as the year wore on in '06 and the experience they gained was very valuable, they will be underrated this season but could be great in '08. The running game is our offensive strength. Albert Young will be the cornerstone and one of the best running backs in football if he can stay healthy, which he has had a hard time doing in his Iowa career. His versatility and pass-catching skills are impressive. Damian Simms, his backfield counterpart, is more of a speedster and home-run threat. He needs to hang onto the ball more but his speed is dangerous. At fullback we have one of the best around Tom Busch, a great blue-collar blocker and recieving threat at the goal line. Our offensive line loses some great ones in Marshal Yanda, Mike Elgin, and Mike Jones, but we still have our cornerstone left tackle (highly recruited and injury prone Dace Richardson), the next great Iowa center in Rafael Eubanks, and the experienced Seth Olsen. No one else has stood out for the open spots but there is tons of size and potential, and since when has Iowa had trouble getting good offensive linemen? At tight end we will miss the huge Scott Chandler, our main recieving threat often in his career. He was inconsistent in '06 but he will be missed. Luckily we have Tony Moaeki to take his spot, a big blocker and goal-line recieving threat who will have to take his pass-catching to another level. The defense was supposed to come into their own and become a force last season, especially the D-Line, but injuries and underacheving contributed to a poor overall effort. The line got banged up so bad that the defense put NO pressure on the opposing quarterback and our secondary got burned on long pass plays. I know Iowa defense is physical, bend but don't break, but it was obvious that depth was a problem and more speed in the secondary is needed next year, and a little bit of pressure is a must to have any success. Kenny Iwebema returns, but can he stay healthy for once? He is a physical beast, a good run-stopper and potential pass-rusher who should be dominate and draw plenty of attention if he can stay on the field. Bryan Mattison is very active, underrated, and plays well off Iwebemas' double teams. Our interior of Mitch King and Matt Kroul is tough, physical, and blue-collar. Plenty of attitude and strength, but they need to stay healthy as well because depth is a huge concern, especially with Ryan Bain leaving. The only backup who looks good is phenom redshirt frosh Adrian Clayborn. The linebackers don't have the speed and wall-to-wall athleticism of Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge, but Mike Kilinkenborg is a hard nosed, tackling machine in run-support and important team leader, while Mike Humpal is versatile and always active around the ball. Potential is all over the place in the other spot that Ed Miles use to control, but A.J. Edds looks like he has the spot locked down. In the secondary we lose both hard hitting safeties (Marcus Paschal and Miguel Merrick), but that shouldn't be a problem seeing as our secondary is back with the physical, tough tackling Adam Shada and Charles Godfrey. Neither one is a burner but they do their jobs well and bring much needed leadership. Walk-on Brett Greenwood was the story of the spring, playing like he had something to prove and earning one of the other safety spots. Other guys who will get their reps at the other safety spot could be junior Harold Dalton, potential-filled Marcus Wilson, and much-hyped Des Moines product Jordan Bernsteine.

The non-conference schedule isn't too bad, but the opener isn't at home this year and no 1-AA teams are on the list. All the games are probable wins, but you never know, especially with the always dangerous Cy-Hawk showdown in Ames. We start off playing at Soldier Field, which is being called an official home game for our opponent, the Northern Illinois Huskies. The atmosphere should be amazing, with the Hawkeye fans hopefully outnumbering the Huskie ones. This should be an easy win, not only because NIU loses their all-world tailback Garrett Wolfe and most of their talent from last season, but because JC has a ton of confidence against them after his 1st start came against them last season and ended in a 24-14 Hawkeye victory, with JC throwing 2 TD passes. The next game is our home opener, a prime-time showdown against Syracuse in what should be a raucous Kinnick crowd at night. Syracuse is severely undermanned in talent to my Hawks, the only reason they hung around last year was because of all the mistakes Jason Manson made. The crowd, along with our advantage in pure talent, should make sure that we don't have to pull off a big goal-line stand to win this time. The toughest test before the Big Ten comes at Iowa State. This game is never a representation of how either team's season will go, but Iowa State always comes in ready to pull the upset and this has the potential to be "that game" the Hawks always lose that they shouldn't and that keeps them out of national title contention. Playing in Ames is always dangerous too, and the Cyclones always play pumped. Hopefully we can avoid mistakes and win this one, because we should. They have a new coach and are coming off a horrible year, but you can never be sure in this game and you can bet Gene Chizik will be looking for a signature win to kick off his tenure. This one worries me. Our last game of the season is also our final non-conference showdown, versus Western Michigan at Kinnick. Should be an easy win, not much else to say. Our conference schedule kicks off with a bang against Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium, a primetime ABC game that's sure to have a crazy crowd. Ignoring last year's defeat, Iowa always plays Wisconsin really well, especially at Camp Randall, but the atmosphere and Big Ten implications for this contest will be huge. JC will have to mature early and handle the pressure, because if we play our game and avoid mistakes this is winnable and could mean a Big Ten title if we take it. Next week is Homecoming, against Indiana. The Hoosiers will play emotional all season-long for Coach Hep, and they have burned us these past few seasons with James Hardy, but we owe them a butt-kicking for last year and with a great crowd behind us and better defensive play, we should win this one easy. Next week is another brutal road game against Penn State. They have a huge, intimidating stadium and are expected to be Big Ten contenders, but their offense still has some questions (QB and TB) and some legal issues have affected their secondary, but they will be tough and physical, and the Hawkeyes must play tough back and emotional like they did in '04 after Kirk's dad died if they want a shot. The talent is comparable, but we have had Penn State's number the past few years we have played them. Will be a toughie no matter what, but an important game. Next week is Illinois at Kinnick. They have lots of talent and a good recruiting class, but they are still very young and a few years away from competing, and Zook hasn't proven he can coach these recruits. Shouldn't be too taxing. We go on the road to play Purdue next week, a tough game that could go either way. Last season we destroyed Purdue, but they have everyone coming back on offense and will be dangerous on that side of the ball if Painter can avoid turnovers. We should roll over their perenially weak defense, but this will be close and Ross-Ade is a tough place to play even though it's not too loud, will be an important game. We get Michigan State at Kinnick, a team in transition with a new coach and quarterback that should be contending eventually, but right now they are still a few years off. We have to play Northwestern on the road, a pesky team that has ruined each of our past two seasons with tough-to-stomach upset wins. They have less talent than us but always manage to put up points and they can definitely not be taken lightly. We should win, their stadium is not intimidating at all, but the way they play us this game scares me. Our final Big Ten game is the annual battle for the Floyd of Rosedale against Minnesota. We're playing them at Kinnick, they have a new coach, and a new quarterback and tight end, so they are in transition mode as well, making the opportunity ripe for us to take back the Floyd and bring it back to where it's been 4 of the past 5 seasons. I think anything less than a 10 win season, counting a bowl game, would be a mild disapointment. Anything less, or venturing into 7 or 6 win territory, might call for a change in Kirk's coaching staff. Kirk would not be on the hot seat yet because of all the success he put up, but he needs to get us back up to a consistent power and 8-10 win team again soon, if not this year. We should expect losses against favored Wisconsin and Penn State on the road, but we can also beat both of these teams as well and I wouldn't be surprised. We are probably bound to lose some game we're not supposed to as well, which could be Iowa State, Purdue, or Northwestern. With this factored in, a 9-3 season should be the lowest thing we expect, with a likely trip to Florida for the Outback or Capital One Bowl so we can get a 10 win season. These are my expectations.

Next year's men's basketball team for the Iowa Hawkeyes will definitely be going through a transition phase, as we break in new coach Todd Lickliter and lose a lot of talent from last season's 17-14 squad, but the long term results should be fantastic. Lickliter is a proven winner at the mid-major level with limited resources and talent, twice getting Butler to the Sweet 16 and winning the National Coach of the Year Award for this past season. He is a good recruiter who knows how to find the players to fit in his guard-oriented, three point shooting system. Hawk fans should be ecstatic to see what this man can do with a few good recruiting classes and tons more resources/better facilities than he had at Butler. Obviously he has to prove he can recruit in the Big Ten and compete in one of the toughest conferences around, but I have faith that he is the coach that will bring Iowa back to national basketball prominence. Steve Alford won only 1 tourney game in his 7 year tenure, with no regular season Big Ten titles and two Big 10 tourney titles. He never truly became a Hawkeye and seemed to place himself/his own agenda before the players and before the people of Iowa. His arrogance never sat well with Iowans and he didn't win games, simple as that. His ignorant "football school" comment was simply a result of the basketball team playing crappy and the football team playing fantastic, not because of a bias against him.

We lose two seniors from last year's team, leading scorer in the Big 10 Adam Haluska and point guard/team leader Mike Henderson. Haluska carried our team with scoring and big shots all through last season. He was streaky from downtown but when he was hot he was unstoppable, and he always founds other ways to score (transition, free throws, etc.). Henderson suffered a thumb injury that kept him out for most of the non-conference and really hurt us because we missed his experience and leadership. He never truly found his groove or got back to where he was before the injury, committing silly turnovers and lacking confidence. But his leadership and ability to set up our offense and make big plays will be missed. The big loss, however, is our star player, Tyler Smith, transferring to Tennessee. Smith was a freshman last season and was second on the team with an average of 15 points a game. He was a stellar athlete/leaper with an amazing understanding of the game and all-around ability. He would have carried our team with his scoring this upcoming season if he would have stayed. There was plenty of speculation that he might leave because he wasn't a true Hawkeye and was only loyal to the coaches that recruited him, not the university. Well, those coaches left, and supposedly his dad back in Tennessee was sick with cancer, so those factors led him to transfer. Another minor transfer that will have no effect on next season is Josh Crawford, a tall and lanky noodle of a man from Long Beach, California. He was too skinny to really earn any minutes with us and with Alford gone he saw no reason to stick around.

We should have some good talent at guard next year, with PG Tony Freeman leading the way. The Hawks will have major trouble scoring unless someone steps up big time, and our posts will have to play much better and more consistent than they did last year. We relied too much on Haluska's 21 ppg and Smith's ability to improvise when a play broke down. With Lickliter you can bet that his system will be guard-heavy and that they will have a lot of freedom to shoot threes, but everyone else is going to have to step up and play better if we want a chance to make the NCAA tournament. Our posts need to do a better job securing the boards and scoring some more, as the Hawks lack that go-to scorer that we can rely on to get buckets. Freeman will be the unquestioned leader and go-to guy at the start of the season at least. He made great strides as a playmaker and passer last season, positive signs seeing as he used to just be a scorer to complement Henderson. Freeman will be relied on to make threes and set up the offense, as well as push the tempo, and the other players will look to him for leadership and motivation. I think Freeman can provide this as the season progresses but it will take some time, and I believe it will be a season-long transition for Freeman, like our team, to fully grasp his role. Luckily, he is only a junior. We are very fortunate he did not leave because he was an Alford supporter, but I think he realized how bare the cupboard would be if he were to leave. At SG we have long-range specialist Justin Johnson. Johnson did a fantastic job draining spot up three pointers last year and will be a valuable sharpshooter once again, only he will be counted on for even more offense now. Cyrus Tate should man the PF spot. He was a great rebounder last season and he always played hard. He's a good complementary role player who did his job and hit the occasional open shots, but he will have to emerge even more this season and become more of a scoring threat while continuing his board work. He definitely showed flashes last season, just watch the MSU game for evidence. Seth Gorney and Kurt Looby will both platoon the Center position. Gorney is a big guy who can make shots, but he is slow and not very active on the boards or on defense and his feet are glued to the ground. Looby couldn't be more different. It's like he has springs in his legs and he will be our most athletic player by far next season. Last year he had many highlight-worthy alley oops and blocks, but he will need to tune-up the rest of his raw offensive game and add some bulk/muscle on the boards if he wants to earn more playing time. SF will be a big hole, but hopefully we can get David Palmer on the floor somehow. He is more of a post than a SF, but he provides size at 6 ft. 9 and some solid scoring/rebounding down low. He was a high-profile transfer from Seton Hall and it would help us out a lot if he could contribute now that so much talent has departed. J.R. Angle will also be back. Angle is an Indiana boy with a decent set shot and a good knowledge of the game, but he's not much of an athlete and he needs to put on more strength. We also have some solid incoming freshmen considering Lickliter only had a couple weeks to finalize recruiting and maintain the guys that Alford was going after. Jake Kelly is a good looking guard out of Indiana. He needs to put on muscle and improve his jumper but he has a lot of skills and understanding of the game and will give us some good depth. Jeff Peterson is probably the gem of the recruiting class, a talented pass-1st point out of powerhouse Demataha. He didn't put up elite stats because he played with a bunch of studs and was a playamker 1st, shooter 2nd. He should bring plenty of stability to the point and make those around him better, as well as backing up Freeman. The final recruit is Jaryd Cole, a beast of a man who should push his way around and bang down low. He needs to add more basketball skills to his football body but his size alone makes him a valuable recruit. So while it looks like our guards should give us some scoring, we will need the posts to play better, Palmer to become eligible, and some of our other players to step up the scoring if we want to have a chance at March Madness. With a new coach and a lack of returning talent, I think another 15-17 win season and a possible NIT berth would be considered a success. Give us a few years with Lickliter at the helm and we will be great once again, just not this year.

Another season has ended for the NBA, with the San Antonio Spurs getting their 4th championship crown since '99 and clearly establishing themselves as the class organization of the league and the dominate dynasty of our time. They have not had to face the best competition history has to offer and have never won back-to-back, but their run of success is hard to ignore and their underappreciated consistency will go down in the history books as one of the key components to the team. The mainstream fans of basketball have never caught on to the Spurs' grind-it-out, team 1st style of play and emphasis on defense, calling it boring, but they play the best form of basketball the NBA has to offer and to true afiocinados of the game they are far from boring. The only criticism anyone could have of the Spurs is their constant complaining and penchant for embracing the new NBA craze of flopping. Tim Duncan will go down as one of the top 2, if not the best, power forward of all time for his championship rings and consistency. He has never had a bad season and his ability to do it all and act as defensive anchor of the team has made him a player for the ages. He can dominate with his scoring and methodical post moves/use of the bank shot, he is a great rebounder, and an amazing defensive player and shot blocker who relies on positioning and helping the weakside, protecting the paint and erasing teammates' mistakes as well. Tony Parker has also established himself as one of the best scoring guards in the history of the postseason and probably the NBA when all is said and done, getting to the paint and scoring at will with his blazing speed and slippery, creative finishes and moves. His scoring also nabbed him the Finals MVP trophy. Two other players who were vital to the Spurs championship success are Manu Ginobli and Bruce Bowen. Manu does not consistently dominate and often his impact disappears, but he plays with reckless energy and is the versatile motor that drives the Spurs and gets them to play at another gear. His back-breaking threes are also a key attribute. Bruce Bowen is the league's most physical defender and always does his job of guarding the opponent's best player and throwing him off his game with various jabs, knees, and elbow-shots that look like accidents to the untrained eye. Bowen is a master at making these subtle moves, as referees don't see them but opponents feel them. Veteran sharpshooter Micheal Finley, a great leader and former star with the Dallas Mavericks, also got his 1st ring by accepting a lesser role. Crafty center Fabricio Oberto had a fantastic playoffs, showing a great nose for the ball and a scoring sense around the basket, while the athletic Francisco Elson played his role too. Brent Barry did not play a very big role on this team but made some occasional threes, while Jacque Vaughn did his job of spelling Parker. Now the question is, can the champion Spurs repeat and win a few more titles before Duncan has to call it quits, along with the 37-year old Bowen? The Spurs are already an old team and aging fast, with the only young players being Parker and Ginobli. There is no doubt that they will be in the hunt again for the next few years, but can they keep winning? If they do they will be in the discussion as one of the best basketball teams of all time, even in this era of lesser competition and meaningless regular season games. Expansion has hurt the parity of the league, as the two conferences have wide gaps in talent level. The playoffs need to be re-seeded to make sure that the true "championship" of the playoffs each year doesn't keep occuring in the Western semis, where the Spurs played the Suns this season and the Mavs played the Spurs last season. The West is a tough place to play and no team is guaranteed a spot out, but even if the Cavs continue to dominate the East and Lebron makes more strides toward All-World status, will it really matter once they run into a stronger foe in the West? These are all intriguing questions and ones that will be answered in the future. The Heat should be back in the thick of things as long as Wade stays healthy, but the rest of their senior citizen roster is a mess. Detroit seemed to implode and they have gotten the most they can out of this unit, so they probably need to rebuild their roster a bit. They have talented vets and experience though and they should be back as a high seed. Washington is a very talented, overall young team with some great young scorers and a legit superstar in Gilbert Arenas, but they need to stay healthy, improve their defense, and Gilbert needs to show that he is a leader who can take this team on a deep postseason run, which he has yet to do in his career. Hell, he might not even stay on this team. In the East, however, anyone can ascend to playoff status in a year, but none of the teams can come close to even the bottom of the West. Golden State probably could have beaten Detroit in a series this year. As far as other Eastern teams, Toronto should be back and could be a sleeper now that they have more experience. They have a young superstar to build around and a versatile roster that can score a lot of points, but they need more depth and for their young Euros to keep improving. The Nets still have a talented trio but they have gotten as far as they can and that roster may get blown up pretty soon. And i still haven't mentioned the Chicago Bulls, the one team i believe can give Western foes problems. They have youth and they play with a lot of toughness and energy, and they are only one post-scorer away from being a perennial title contender and a team noone wants to face in the West. If they can nab KG, look out. The West is a totally different story. The Spurs will be the favorites as long as they have the Big Three of this roster together, most notably Duncan and Parker, but there are other talented teams that could give them a run for their money. Dallas is the most talented and versatile team around, with the most depth as well, but they don't play the consistent defense needed to go all the way and their mental and emotional toughness is not up to par, as they completely collapsed against Golden State this year. Phoenix will be back with their explosive offense and versatility, but the clock is ticking on Steve Nash and it is yet to be seen if can take this talented bunch to their fullest potential, to an NBA championship. Keeping Shawn Marion around will be important. Remember, things could have been completely different had Diaw and Stoudemire not been suspended. Utah has a fabulous young nucleus and Deron Williams broke out as a star player in this playoffs. The Williams/Boozer combo will be lighting up the league for a long time and will make Utah a perennial threat, but they still need more pieces (shooters and post players) to take down the Spurs. Houston has a new coach and will have a new identity next year, but will still be back in the thick of things with the star power of McGrady and Yao. Houston may not play the tenacious defense they did under Van Gundy, but you can bet that their offense will be much improved and much more wide-open, which may be enough to get Tracy his 1st series win. Golden State will be dangerous for the forseeable future, they have a ton of great athletes and shooters, but they won't be able to make a deep run in the playoffs playing Nellie ball and won't be much more than a playoff perennial novelty act. The Clippers should be back in the playoffs if they can find a good point guard, or if a miracle happens and Shaun Livingston returns at close to 100 percent. The Lakers will be interesting, as they can't wait on their young players to emerge and waste Kobe's prime. As long as Kobe and Phil are here they will make the playoffs,but deep runs are out of the question unless they get more support or another star to go in the post. The Nuggest proved they can put up points, while Carmelo emerged as one of the best all-around scorers in the NBA and Nene may be an emerging post star, but they are still a shooter away and they need more depth/defensive play. A sleeper team that should start becoming a dangerous playoff squad is the Portland Trail Blazers. They will be great in the future, with an impressive young nucleus. Post-star Zach Randolph will probably be gone but they have do-it-all guard Brandon Roy, athletic and offensively skilled power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, and presumably phenom big man Greg Oden in the middle after this month's draft, along with a bevy of other talented athletes. So while this year's playoffs was one of the most boring in recent memory, we have another dynasty to crown and plenty of talent Western foes ready to make things interesting for San Antonio again next year. The question is, can anyone in the East put up a fight?