For 2006 I wish that:
Ron Artest finds a team he can call home. He’s been on the inactive list since he made a demand to be traded and that has affected both him and the Indiana Pacers. Artest is wasting away, waiting for Pacers top brass Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird to move him and move on with his career. The Pacers seem distracted by this fiasco, and have not been playing their best ball. To their credit, they have been missing key players like Jamaal Tinsley and Jermaine O’Neal on certain occasions. The best thing to happen here is for Artest to be traded sooner rather than later.
Carlos Boozer get to play. The initial news heading into the season was that Boozer wasn’t going to miss a whole lot of time. Utah fans must be pulling out their hair as last year’s prized and hi-priced acquisition hasn’t suited up at all this year and has left the Jazz floundering in mediocrity. On the bright side, Mehmet Okur has been playing extremely well and has helped the Jazz stay afloat. If the Jazz finally field their frontcourt trio of Boozer, Okur and defensive demon Andrei Kirilenko, they’re going to be one of the toughest teams inside.
The New York Knicks start winning games. I don’t think having the league’s worst record was what they had in mind when they hired Coach Larry Brown. The Knicks are struggling to find an identity, shifting different personnel in their starting lineup from game to game. Stephon Marbury isn’t as prolific as he was in previous years as he continues to struggle with Larry Brown’s style and system. Eddy Curry has an inconsistent game to go along with his irregular heartbeat. The Knicks need to find a solid rotation and identity if they want to get out of the NBA cellar.
The Detroit Pistons win 70 games. Not since Michael Jordan’s Bulls has this been feasible. Detroit was winning at that pace before suffering a setback against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Flip Saunders has unleashed an offensive force to back up its hard-nose defense. Chauncey Billups is playing the best ball of his career and is an MVP candidate. Winning 70 games is going to be sweet vindication for the Pistons after watching Larry Brown struggle with his team.
Amare Stoudemire back in action. The hype from last year has died down, but I’m sure Amare can’t wait to make some noise again. His Phoenix Suns are actually playing well without a real post presence and his return will only solidify their place atop the Pacific even more. If his knee holds up, nobody is going to want to face this team come playoff time. Hopefully there aren’t going to be any complications that keep Amare from being the high-flying powerhouse he was last year.
Vince Carter continues playing at the present level. Vinsanity has been lighting it up recently, leading the New Jersey Nets to a league-best eight-game winning streak while averaging nearly 30 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in December. Vince’s aggressiveness in recent weeks has helped the Nets keep their Atlantic Division lead after a lackluster start. Vince has gotten hot before, only to cool down or burn out. Nets’ fans are surely hoping this is the kind of Vince Carter they are going to see for as long as he’s in New Jersey.