“New Year’s is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions.”  ~Mark Twain

In every walk of life the passage of another year brings with it new lists and compilations of feats accomplished, events witnessed, and lessons learned. This is true particularly for sports fans, as they compile lists of the year’s greatest plays, biggest surprises, and best discoveries.

For basketball fans in particular, 2008 was a remarkable calendar year that will be long remembered. Whether it was the President-elect’s pick up games, the amazing parity of the Western Conference last spring, the renewed Lakers-Celtics rivalry, the thrilling NCAA Men’s Finals, or the brilliance of the Redeem Team, the last twelve months has been a testament to the game’s brilliance.

To bring in 2009 properly, and in the spirit of it being the unofficial “Year in Review” time of the season, let us take a look at the twelve most significant aspects of the NBA that we discovered in 2008.

1. Draft picks are assets, not building blocks: Entering the summer of 2007, the Boston Celtics were banking their future on the NBA Draft lottery process and trying to secure a top three pick in the draft. When the ping-pong balls refused to bounce their way, they quickly turned what was still a lottery pick into Ray Allen, and then used previous lottery-pick talent from their own roster (players still considered ‘projects’) to secure Kevin Garnett. A year later, they won their seventeenth NBA title. This is the strongest proof possible that franchises are not built on young players ‘potential‘ or ‘upside’. Unless it is securing a once-in-a-decade talent like Kevin Durant, a team is better served to turn its young players and lottery picks into viable assets that have proven themselves outside of Draft workouts.
2. Almost anyone can succeed in Mike D’Antoni’s system: The famed “Seven Seconds or Less” system has not only proven that its success is transferable without Steve Nash, but it has been shown to be the most inviting brand of basketball in the world for both fans and players alike. Any system that allows a career-backup such as Chris Duhon to deal out 22 assists, sees Al Harrington turn into a scoring machine, and allows a roster full of talent as woeful as this Knicks team to continually score in the 120s is good for the game.
3. The Jason Kidd trade was a disaster for Dallas: Somewhere is the suburbs of New Jersey, Devin Harris is smiling, safe in the knowledge that he will make his first All-Star Game appearance this season while Kidd’s game continues to appear haggard and weathered beyond repair. One can’t help but think that Mark Cuban wishes he had let Devean George follow through in his attempt to block this abysmal swap.
4. Tom Thibodeau should already be a head coach: The mastermind behind the Celtics swarming man-zoning defense, Thibodeau is the best available hire for any team looking for a head coach next summer. Along with developing the system that got Kevin Garnett and company a ring, he also previously guided Houston to among the top five in the league is scoring defense, field goal percentage, and point differential. In a league that has seen a quarter of its coaches fired before Christmas, it is a mystery how he could possibly not have a lead job.
5. Webber and Payton are the best duo on TV: Alone, this former king of Sacramento and the man known as “The Glove” are terrific ambassadors for the game and serviceable TV commentators. Together, they form the most entertaining, lively and honest pairing of TV personalities currently on the air (and yes, that includes the TNT Inside the NBA crew). While purists may point to their apparent lack of polish or professionalism, the most important and gripping part of their Tuesday night broadcasts on NBA TV is that they genuinely look like they are enjoying themselves watching the game.
6. The Magic are for real: While it will take meaningful postseason success for Orlando to achieve the same level of repute and esteem as their Eastern Conference foes from Boston and Cleveland, Mickey Mouse’s favorite team is as strong as any team in the league. Orlando possesses greater depth than Cleveland, more athleticism than Boston, and better shooting than Los Angeles. I am not arguing that the Magic are the NBA’s best team, primarily because their leader, Dwight Howard, is a phenomenal athlete but is not the same level of transcendent talent LeBron James, Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett are. That aside, Orlando should still be considered in the same class as the other three elite squads.
7. Gregg Popovich is the best coach in the league: Last spring saw Popovich win his 100^th career postseason game and pass Larry Brown for third most postseason victories of all time. The architect behind the Spurs pseudo-dynasty of the new millennium also won his 650^th regular season game this year and reached the Western Conference Finals for the seventh time since 1999. This season, the Spurs have faced age, injury, and a brutal schedule that would ravage most teams, yet Popovich has them winning at nearly a .700 pace thanks to his tutelage of the unheralded trio of George Hill, Roger Mason Jr. and Matt Bonner.
8. The Thunder have the worst jerseys in sports: Oklahoma City has the most horrific colour scheme this side of Arena Football and the most uninspired logo in league history. I should mention that the title of “Worst Jersey” does not account for any of the third-alternate jerseys from the majority of NHL team, which are collectively the worst set of sports merchandise in existence. Poor Kevin Durant and friends have uniforms that look like the preset options created for NBA Live New Franchise Mode. These are the worst NBA uniform since the shimmering-silver Mavs set five years ago.
9. Replacing a coach mid-season rarely brings success: Six NBA coaches have been fired so far this season, yet none of the teams have yet to see even marginal improvement for their troubles. Toronto, Sacramento, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Washington and Philadelphia all axed their bench leaders in hopes of lighting a fire under their team and stirring some emotion within their locker room, however the reality is that the head coach in such situations is usually the fall man for an underachieving team as a whole. As the saying goes, you fire the coach because you can’t fire the players.
10. LaMarcus Aldridge is much, much better than Greg Oden: Someone had to say it.
11. OJ Mayo deserved the hype: I first read about Mayo when he was in the eighth grade, as he was being touted as anything from the “heir to LeBron’s Ohio high school legacy” to “the Next Kobe.” The longer he was in the public consciousness, the easier it became to poke holes in Mayo’s game: he wasn’t explosive enough, didn’t have the first step needed to be an elite professional, and played in such a smooth, laid-back manner that he almost seemed disinterested in the game around him. That steadiness and smooth demeanor has served Mayo well in Memphis, where he already looks every bit the seasoned veteran and future All-Star he was touted as a teenager.
12. LeBron James cannot be stopped: This is not debatable. The reign of King James’ as the world’s best player has officially begun. We are not worthy of the monarchy.

Photo Credit: ICON Sports Media

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