By Mucteba Gokcek
The Lakers and Nets arguably have the two best teams in the NBA right now. The Lakers added Russell Westbrook, who is coming off a season averaging a triple double, and several very strong role players on minimum wages. The Nets, on the other hand, added Paul Millsap and retained nearly every other player from their previous season.
The Lakers added Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, Rajon Rondo, and last but not least Russell Westbrook. Every single one of these players have played at a very high level at some point in their careers or are currently playing in their primes. Moreover, many of these players have not yet won any championships in their careers showing that they will be playing with a chip on their shoulders. However, with so many guys in many of the same positions on minimum wage salaries shows that either that they will share a lot of playing time, or whoever can rise above the rest takes the open spots. The best of the best will be taking the floor every night. The only negative part of the Lakers roster is that too many of the guys are on the wrong side of 30. However, this could also be a motivation for many of these players as they know that this might be one of their last chances at the title.
Moving to the other side of the country, the Nets will finally be bringing a healthy roster and added weaponry. Last year, their biggest problem was that the Nets’ big three were constantly dealing with injuries so they never had a proper run at the title. Moreover, they are bringing in Paul Millsap, a very good shooting PF with a great resume in the playoffs. Additionally, the breakout star, Bruce Brown, will certainly be playing an important role this season.
These two teams will be going head to head three times this upcoming season – once on Christmas day. Every game will be an absolute show. Moreover, those games will be the most anticipated games of the season, and likely preview of the NBA finals.
