3 worrisome trends to watch from preseason
Buyer's remorse with Barnes
Whereas the rest of the league cowered in fear when Kevin Durant joined the Warriors, the Mavericks saw an opportunity. They immediately moved to take on Golden State cast-offs Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes.
Grabbing Bogut for free was a no-brainer. The Mavericks needed someone to anchor the paint by collecting rebounds and blocking shots next to an aging Dirk Nowitzki. Signing Barnes to a $95-million maximum contract was, however, a massive gamble.
Here are the preseason returns from Barnes:
Hopes for Barnes haven't changed since he was the No. 1 ranked player in high school. With his athleticism and talent, Barnes was said to hold superstar potential. But he found no such glory on the Warriors, where he served as an unexciting role player and doubled as a convenient punching bag.
Inking Barnes to his rich contract was the Mavericks' gamble on that faint promise, but they've rolled snake eyes so far. And if the Warriors' famed development staff (graduating the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green over the years) couldn't get much out of Barnes, what can Dallas do?
Raptors short at center
The loss of playoff hero Bismack Biyombo robbed their depth, but the Toronto Raptors needed to open up more minutes for promising scorer Jonas Valanciunas anyway.
But there's been a problem: Valanciunas doesn't look ready to take over. He was rusty in preseason, noticeably laboring on both ends of the court in a continuation of his nightmarish summer.
The big Lithuanian's rough run at the Olympics ended with his coach calling out his commitment to basketball after he scored 6.7 points per game on 39 percent shooting during the tournament.
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey then questioned Valanciunas' conditioning in preseason.
"Right now I think he's still having a little lag from coming from Europe, coming from the Olympics … So right now he's working himself into tip-top shape," Casey said.
Further complicating matters, the Raptors' various backups are either hurt or unproven. Jared Sullinger has missed a month with a sore foot while Lucas Nogueira rolled his ankle during the preseason finale. If they're unable to play, the Raptors would need to turn to a pair of unproven rookies in Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl to soak up minutes in a suddenly shoddy frontcourt.
Valanciunas is carrying a lot of responsibility for the Raptors, and that could be a big problem for the Atlantic champions.
Rose uncertainty looms large over Knicks
The new-look Knicks might not be the "superteam" some predicted, but they are undeniably more talented.
Freed from the outdated shackles of the triangle offense, newly hired head coach Jeff Hornacek has the Knicks sharing the ball and playing with pace. The city has also fallen in love with flashy guard Brandon Jennings, while European rookies Willy Hernangomez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas have both shown glimmers of promise.
New York posted a 4-2 record in preseason while ranking fifth in offensive rating. Something good is brewing there.
Casting a dark cloud over the proceedings, however, has been embattled point guard Derrick Rose, who missed almost the entirety of preseason while attending to his unflattering civil case. He hasn't been able to acclimate himself with the team or had time to learn Hornacek's offense.
As the starting point guard, that's a big problem. Rose has three practices before the season starts to master a system he called "complicated" and "foreign," lest he squander the first iota of positive momentum that New York has generated in nearly four years.