NBA Preseason Recap

The NBA preseason is winding down toward the start of the regular season. Here are some of the biggest stories that have made the preseason interesting:

Kevin Love is going to miss the first month of the season for the Minnesota Timberwolves after breaking his hand working out. This will hamper the Wolves even more since point guard Ricky Rubio is not back yet from ACL rehab.

Dirk Nowitzki will also be out for the first few weeks of he season for the Dallas Mavericks with a knee injury. He will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and will be out for about six weeks.

The Orlando Magic is beginning a new era without Dwight Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy.  New coach Jacque Vaughn takes over for Orlando with a few old faces in Jameer Nelson, Glen Davis, Hedo Turkoglu and J.J. Redick, but also a lot of new faces such as Nikola Vucevic, Arron Afflalo and Moe Harkless.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been getting blown out in their preseason games. Dwight Howard has yet to make his Laker debut but the shellackings make the bench look a bit suspect.

The Miami Heat has been winning games even though Lebron James has been limited due to various nagging injuries. The Heat has been getting contributions from newcomers such as Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.

The Boston Celtics have gotten an infusion of some young talent and look poised to give the Miami Heat some competition in the Eastern Conference. Jared Sullinger, Kris Joseph, Fab Melo and Courtney Lee have been added to the Celtics to go along with veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Jason Terry.

The Brooklyn Nets opened up their new arena, the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. The Nets are the first major pro sports franchise to call Brooklyn home since the Dodgers left for Los Angeles in 1957.

The Los Angeles Clippers are looking to improve in year two of Chris Paul. Paul has taken it upon himself to be the team leader. He is promoting team togetherness by hosting team events off the court. Paul believes it will pay dividends on the court as well.

The season tips off in about a week. It will be a fun season this yea with the Lakers and Heat as the favorites to meet in the Finals.