Thoughts on the New NBA Season

WITH the new NBA season a week old, there have been a lot of surprises taking place on the floor.

The biggest news so far this young season is how the Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to a bad start in the LeBron James era, losing three straight games including an overtime heartbreaker against the San Antonio Spurs in their most recent game.

Prior to the Spurs game, the Lakers also bowed to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets in a game that saw the ejection of Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo following a fight with Chris Paul during a heated moment in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers' bad start has led many to believe that it will be a struggle for them this season even with James on board. Against the Spurs, LeBron missed two free throws in the dying seconds of overtime that led to the game-winning shot by Patty Mills. Then LeBron missed a long jumper at the buzzer that sealed the Lakers' loss.

In fairness to LeBron, the Lakers are still a flawed team in the sense that they lack outside shooters and a backup big man who can help JaVale McGee inside the shaded lane. Many NBA experts predict that they will be lucky to make even the second round of the Western Conference playoffs with the lineup that they have now.

On the other side of the spectrum, many are surprised over the unbeaten starts of the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans. The Nuggets have won four straight games primarily due to defense, limiting the defending champion Golden State Warriors to 98 points in a two-point home win. On the other hand, the Pelicans have shown that they have moved on from DeMarcus Cousins leaving for GSW, winning three straight games primarily due to the strong inside game of Anthony Davis.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors have been undefeated under their new head coaches. Dwayne Casey -- the former Toronto coach -- has instilled a winning culture for the Pistons who are enjoying a fine season from former LA Clipper Blake Griffin. The Raptors, meantime, haven't really missed a beat even with new coach Nick Nurse calling the shots and Kawhi Leonard showing flashes of his old San Antonio Spurs form.

Some of the favorites like the Warriors and Boston Celtics are still struggling at the start of the season but expect them to get their groove as the games progress.

The Cleveland Cavaliers? Well, without LeBron, it will be hard times ahead in Ohio. Kevin Love was signed to a multi-million dollar extension but it will take at least two to three years before the Cavs can think of being NBA champs again.

NBA fans have also seen how games have become more high-scoring as a result of a new rule introduced by the league where the shot clock is reset to just 14 seconds on an offensive rebound. That rule was first implemented by the FIBA and the PBA so it will take some time before the NBA players get used to this new rule before they play in the FIBA World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.

Hang in there. It will be a roller-coaster ride in the NBA this season.