Friday, April 24, 2009
Let me first admit that I do not get excited for the NBA playoffs on a regular basis. I prefer college basketball because something about it is just more exciting. This year, though, Kansas fans like me have a legitimate reason to be giddy for the NBA playoffs. The playoff teams’ rosters are littered with former Kansas standouts.
Yes, a lot of them are role players, but that doesn’t matter when you’re talking about the possibility of a championship ring.
Let’s start by analyzing some of the older Jayhawks’ chances at a title.
Raef LaFrentz has been injured the entire season, but he is still on Portland’s roster. His NBA career has been underwhelming, and most likely, that’s how you’ll be able to describe Portland’s run in the playoffs.
Jacque Vaughn has a much better chance to win a title than his former teammate. Vaughn is merely a role player on San Antonio’s bench, but he has shown he can contribute. Vaughn is also playing with another former Jayhawk, Drew Gooden. Gooden provides solid bench production for the Spurs who direly need it because they’re without Manu Ginobili for the playoffs. The Spurs could give the Lakers a run for their money in the Western Conference finals.
Kirk Hinrich has had to make room for a bevy of guards on Chicago’s roster, so he’s not as prominent a player as he was the past two years. Nonetheless, the Bulls made it to the playoffs, and Hinrich can get hot at certain times. Unfortunately (or fortunately, with all the injuries), the Bulls drew the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. They’ve already taken one game, but Boston will, most likely, win a close series, leaving the Bulls out of the championship hunt.
Julian Wright sees a little less floor time than Gooden and Hinrich, but he gets to play with one of the best players in the league, New Orleans guard Chris Paul. But Paul is a lonely centerpiece on that team, and doesn’t get too much help. The Hornets have little chance of winning the championship, but I predict that in a couple years Wright will be a relevant bench player and possibly even a starter with another chance to win a title.
breakbox
Championship odds
New Orleans — 5% Portland — 10% Chicago — 15% Miami — 15% San Antonio — 35% Boston — 45% Cleveland — 85%
No, I didn’t forget about Paul Pierce. He’s trying to defend his NBA championship with the Boston Celtics and he is the most relevant Jayhawk in the NBA, but he still has to go through Cleveland to make the finals. That just won’t happen with all the injuries the Celtics have had to deal with.
Now we’re left with two rookies from last year’s national championship team. Both Mario Chalmers and Darnell Jackson have a chance to follow up an NCAA title with an NBA title, a very rare occurrence. Chalmers actually earned a starting role at point guard for Miami this season and performed admirably. He even set the franchise record for steals in a game earlier this season. Miami won’t make it to the conference finals though, so that leaves Jackson. He plays very sparingly for the Cavaliers, but he is on the roster of the best squad in the Eastern Conference.
The Lakers and Cavaliers are almost shoo-ins for the NBA Finals. Lebron can do everything and will do everything to bring a championship to Cleveland. So, that’s my pick, and yet again, a Jayhawk will be an NBA champion. So, you may not care about the NBA, but a Jayhawk on the championship team should be reason enough to get a little excited.
— — Edited by Chris Hickerson
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Jayhawks in the NBA playoffs
Kelly, I always love your articles. They're great!
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