The Front Row: Get well soon, Lute

DOCTOR’S ADVICE: Yesterday, Dr. Steven Knope addressed former Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson’s health, telling assembled reporters that Olson had suffered a stroke within the last year.

It’s a terribly sad end to an endlessly strange saga. Finally, we have some clarity on the situation.

We wish nothing but the best for Olson and his family as he deals with these health issues. Full details are covered in the report to the right.

Check Friday’s edition of the Green Valley News for Corky Simpson’s wonderful account of a man who turned Tucson into one of the truly great basketball towns in America.

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ALREADY?: Seriously, where does the time go?

It seems like the Boston Celtics claimed their 17th NBA championship just a couple weeks ago. Can it be that another seemingly endless NBA season has already started?

Years ago, the NBA’s opening day used to be among my favorite sports days of the year. Now? Last night’s trio of games barely appeared on my radar.

This isn’t necessarily the NBA’s fault. Much like everyone else, I’ve simply been too wrapped up in the weather-challenged World Series, an especially intriguing college football season, an always-interesting NFL campaign, Lute Olson’s sudden retirement and a delightfully entertaining Sahuarita Mustangs season to even notice professional basketball’s return.

Nonetheless, I wanted to get a handful of predictions on the record. As always, some will look ridiculous and others will look brilliant — more of the former than the latter.

Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Garnett. The Chicago native and bona fide NBA champion won this award last year, and as long as he stays healthy, he should be considered the front-runner to repeat. Expect KG to focus most of his energy anchoring the league’s stingiest defense while collecting every rebound in a 10-foot radius.

Coach of the Year: Nate McMillan. The Portland Trailblazers come into this season poised to make the leap into the 2009 postseason. With 20-year-old phenom Greg Oden finally healthy, Spanish product Rudy Fernandez ready to bring his Olympic heroics state-side and Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless adding a spark off the bench, McMillan will have more than enough talent to compete for a playoff spot. It will be up to him to meld that youthful energy into a winner — and he will.

Rookie of the Year: Michael Beasley. Oden, O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose will all compete for this award, but the Kansas State star enters this season in the pole position. He can score from anywhere and he’ll have more than enough opportunities to showcase his skills alongside Dwyane Wade. The Miami Heat will win at least 15 more games this year than last year’s dreadful campaign. Beasley will be a big reason why.

MVP: LeBron James. The only person keeping King James from winning this award is himself. Of course, he will get some serious competition from Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul, but if he plays all-out for 82 games, there’s no stopping him. Entering his sixth pro season, James might come close to pulling an Oscar Robertson — double-digit averages in points, rebounds and assists — this season. The scariest part? James doesn’t turn 24 until Dec. 30.

NBA Champions: New Orleans Hornets. This team surprised everyone by winning 56 games and pushing the defending champion San Antonio Spurs to seven grueling games. Now that Byron Scott’s young team endured its first dose of playoff heartache, it might be ready to take that next step. No offense to Steve Nash or Deron Williams, but Paul is the league’s best point guard — and it’s not even close. With David West, Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler, an emerging Julian Wright and newly acquired James Posey (the glue-guy during last season’s championship run in Boston), the Hornets find themselves in excellent position to capture the title. Expect strong competition from the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and the defending champs in Beantown.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747