So, what am I going to miss?...

Those of you who follow my national column at SB Nation know that I'm going to be missing in action around here for a little while.  Here's a prediction for what I'll miss in the weeks ahead.

They say there's never a good time to take a vacation.  And with a thrilling NBA Finals, a sure-to-be unpredictable NBA Draft, the most exciting free agency period in NBA history, sorting out a number of coaching vacancies, the launch of SB Nation Denver and Las Vegas Summer League all on the near horizon, for a wannabe NBA pundit now probably isn't the best time to travel halfway around the world.  But when you have the opportunity to attend a World Cup - and do so in a country as fascinating and beautiful as South Africa - you simply cannot pass up that opportunity, regardless of what is left behind at home. 

The last time I missed an NBA Finals live was in 1997 when I was living abroad during my junior year of college.  Back then, there was no internet streaming, DVRs, NBATV Finals replay, Slingbox, Hava and so on.  I remember having to read about the game results online through my (now defunct) AOL account and having my father tape record Games 5 and 6 between the Bulls and Jazz on VHS tapes, which I watched later that summer when I finally returned to the US.  This year, I'll be able to catch Game 5 live on Sunday night, will be in the air for Game 6 and will do everything I can to find a sports bar (shouldn't be a problem) in Cape Town to catch Game 7.  And as a segue to my predictions, yes, there will be a Game 7 between the Lakers and Celtics.

NBA FINALS

The Lakers and Celtics are destined to head to a Game 7, the NBA's first in an NBA Finals since the Spurs and Pistons battled for seven games in 2005 and only the third Finals Game 7 in 22 years.  And whether I like to admit this or not, I believe the Lakers will ultimately win.  Even though I don't like that Kobe Bryant is yet to embrace this Finals with a full four-quarter performance (he didn't show up in Game 4 until the last two minutes), he could just be picking his moments as he has done with other playoff opponents in recent years.  The Lakers remain a sloppy, one-man show down the stretch, but I just have a hunch that this is their year again (see Game 6 vs. Oklahoma City in Round 1 and Game 5 vs. Phoenix in Round 3) and the home court advantage will help them tremendously.

On a side note, I just wish the referees would let them play.  Tonight's Game 4 was the best officiated game in the series thus far, with the refs swallowing their whistles and calling the fewest fouls of the series thus far.

On a double side note, I absolutely love Bryant's post-game press conferences.  His answers are short, his demeanor is serious and you can tell all he wants to do is play the next game and not be bothered by the media whatsoever.  Now he just needs a few Jordan-esque games or he risks losing his third NBA Finals in seven tries.

NBA DRAFT

I'm predicting that the Nuggets will find a way to work themselves into the draft as we saw last year.  I don't have a proposed move handy, but some combination of small expiring contracts like those for J.R. Smith, Coby Karl (sorry, George) and/or Brian Butch could be used to get the Nuggets into the draft...yet another where they don't have their own pick.  

If I were around to write my annual NBA Draft Preview column, I'd once again advocate for the Nuggets to look for an undersized power forward in the second round who was a stud at a major college program for at least three years.  We need only look at Glen "Big Baby" Davis' exceptional Game 4 performance to be reminded that taking such a player is a sure-fire way to be successful in the draft's second round.  The Nuggets had the opportunity to pull off such a coup last year when DeJuan Blair slipped into the second round, but instead Denver opted to sell their pick before Blair was even drafted.  This was a mistake.

Like Davis and Blair, recent NBA history is littered with productive yet undersized big men taken in the second round.  Names like Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap, Leon Powe, Jon Brockman, Josh McRoberts, Brandon Bass and Ronny Turiaf immediately come to mind, and I'd be thrilled with any of those guys on the Nuggets roster right now backing up the oft-injured Kenyon Martin and the unfortunately soft Nene.

FREE AGENCY

Everyone - including me - has given their opinions on the upcoming free agency fervor to be unleashed as of July 1st.  As of today, I have absolutely no idea how all of this is going to shake out.  The premise of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and Amar'e Stoudemire allegedly "getting together" to discuss the future of the NBA offends me as an old-school fan who would prefer that players stay with the teams that draft them and do whatever it takes to keep them, as these players' teams have done thus far.  Therefore, I hope LBJ stays in Cleveland, Wade stays in Miami, Bosh in Toronto and so forth.  Knowing that's not reality, look for LBJ to stay in Cleveland and Bosh to possibly join him in a sign-and-trade with the Raptors.  Wade to stay in Miami where Bosh may also land.  The Knicks to overpay for Johnson and Stoudemire to stay in Phoenix.  In other words, the Knicks will continue to suck...which is as it should be as long as James Dolan is owning the team.

COACHING VACANCIES

It appears as though the Cavaliers are hell bent on getting Michigan State's Tom Izzo to coach there, and this is a huge mistake.  Not one - I repeat, not one - top college coach has been able to translate his college success into pro success in the modern era of professional basketball.  Again, not one.  (And no, Larry Brown doesn't count because he coached the Nuggets successfully in the 1970s before coaching UCLA, and did a great job with the Nets before guiding Kansas to the 1988 NCAA Championship.)

Don't believe me?  Here are just some of the great college coaches who were disasters as pro coaches within the last 20 years: John Calipari, Rick Pitino, Jerry Tarkanian, P.J. Carlesimo, Mike Montgomery, Lon Kruger and Leonard Hamilton.

Regarding the other coaching vacancy in Atlanta, the Hawks will likely get conned into hiring Byron Scott just as the Nets and Hornets were beforehand.  Nuggets fans saw firsthand how the Hornets players quit on Scott, but he'll resurface for one more coaching failure before calling in quits on his coaching career.  

SB NATION DENVER LAUNCHES!

On the heels of SB Nation Chicago, New York, Boston, DC, Detroit, Arizona, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, SB Nation Denver is coming June 28th.  (Watch out ESPN regional sites!)  There will be a party in Denver to launch the site and Nate and I will be regular contributors, writing about Denver and Colorado sports not necessarily related to the Nuggets (and for the record, I'm thrilled that CU is joining the PAC-10).  I'm hugely disappointed that I won't be in town for the launch party, but Nate will fill you all in with the party details (time, place, etc) and I hope you can all come out and support this exciting new venture.

LAS VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE

I attended Las Vegas Summer League last year and vowed to never miss it again.  Even though I'll technically be back in time to attend, I'll have a tremendous amount of work to catch up and just can't swing it this summer.  Bummer.  If any of you are planning on being there, please let Nate or I know so we can set you up as a correspondent for Denver Stiffs!

Before taking off, I want to extend a major THANKS to Nate for running this site solo over the next few weeks.  And while I wish I could be around for the conclusion of the Finals, the draft, and so on, I have a hunch that I'm going to have a pretty good time...even if I'll be surrounded by a sport I know nothing about.  

By the time I come back, I just hope we have a few new Stiffs on the Nuggets roster thanks to the draft!

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