FanHouse Player To Watch

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Two of the most frequent questions through this Player to Watch series have been "Is he real?" and "Is he back?" That stands to reason: so many teams rely on internal improvement, especially with the league's financial situation restarting a leaguewide thaw on superstar trades (Shaquille O'Neal aside). Fans need to know whether they can count on improving players to keep on going, and whether injured stars can be expected to return to form.

You'd think Magic point guard Jameer Nelson would be facing the latter query -- has Jam's separated shoulder healed well enough to recreate Orlando's awesome starting five? But to me the real question is whether the pre-injury Nelson was even real, or just a short-lived mirage of elite play ready to fall back to Earth.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

You have to know it killed me to dub Andrew Bynum, a Laker, as the league's 24th best player in advance of the 2008-09 season. As a Kings fan, I should have aligned myself with all the "prove it for more than 30 games" chaps who tried to convince me Bynum, surrounded by stars, played over his head during the abbreviated 2007-08 campaign.

Bynum's muted (but still effective) 2008-09 season served as relief for my Royal Purple heart, but confusion for my rational, "this kid's a beast!" mind. Until, of course, I checked the end-of-season numbers, where -- according to John Hollinger's PER -- Bynum finished the year as the league's 24th best player. Hmph.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The market on Jamario Moon has been all over the place since he arrived in the NBA from various minor leagues and the D-League. At the tender age of 27, he was a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2007. Then he was a struggling sophomore at 28. He was traded to Miami and seemed to be a favorite target for Dwyane Wade for halfcourt alley-oops. But injury and a lack of cohesiveness with the Miami offense led to frustrations along with the Heat's first-round exit at the hands of the Hawks.

And now, four years after playing for the Arkansas RimRockers, a D-League team no longer in existence, Jamario Moon finds himself the reserve for a King.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

It would be facile and possibly inaccurate to anoint Manu Ginobili as the most important comeback player of the 2009-10 season. After all, the success of the Wizards and Timberwolves surely depend on the health of Gilbert Arenas and Al Jefferson respectively more than the Spurs depend on Ginobili.

But -- while I would never endorse a bias of hype toward the greatest teams in the league -- it should be noted that Gil isn't going to take D.C. to parade level, and even Big Al won't land the Pups in the playoffs. Ginobili, though, could plausibly push his Spurs to the very top of the league. If Manu feels right, this is a legit championship team.

So, does Manu feel right?

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

More than seven feet tall. A mountain of a man. A true big man for the modern age. Able to score, rebound, and defend in the post. Loved by teammates. Feared by opponents. The crucial down-low component that could help the Blazers contend for a championship.

I'm talking, of course, about Joel Przybilla.

Why, who were you thinking of?

Przybilla is the polar opposite of his younger replacement (as in, the guy he's being replaced by). No hype. Not flashy. Not heralded or swooned over. But when we start throwing out the phrases "effective" and "workman," Przybilla is as prime a candidate as any. The Vanilla Gorilla has not only done the work, put in the time, and become a very solid NBA center, but he's got the numbers to back it up.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Okay, before we get started, I'm going to go ahead and take care of the handful of required played-out puns used by sportswriters in other media in this kind of scenario.

"Easy Peasy, Lemon Quisy, Daniels Ready to Contribute"

"Celtics Hope To Be 'Living on Quisy Street'"

"Quisy Come, Quisy Go: Celtics Turn To Daniels For Bench Support."

All right. Now that we have that unfortunate bit of business out of the way, we can begin.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Russ Bengston once said that "Nene dunks like God."

I think that is undeniably false.

First of all, the Lord clearly says that you should love thy neighbor. And while Nene is known to care for his teammates and help them to succeed, I'd also say that he cares more about destroying the hopes and dreams of his opponent even more. It's personal with Nene. And he knows it.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Over the past two seasons, Jason Terry has taken on a new role with the Dallas Mavericks, coming off the bench for the first time since his first two NBA seasons in Atlanta. But despite the drastic difference between starting and performing as a sixth man, Terry has continued to perform at a high level, doing the same thing he's done his entire Mavericks tenure: shoot the lights out, and put up points.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The problem with hard-nosed, legendary coaches is that they drive such a hard line, demand so much, that you often feel like it will never be enough for them. Players will work hard, impress fans, show themselves to be "one of his kind of guys" when it comes to the coach's demanded work ethic and selflessness, and yet, they'll never reach it. The coaches keep them just on the outside, hoping to continuously drive them to further and further heights, 'til they're the absolute best they could possibly be.

One such coach is Jerry Sloan.

One such player is Ronnie Brewer.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Forget the out-of-this-world athleticism. Forget the alley-oops (difficult, I know), forget the jumping out of the gym and forget the slam dunks that make you think "You know, I wouldn't necessarily give a T-Rex the edge in a fight with this guy." Forget the worrisome shot selection and coach clashes and the immature behavior. Forget all that for a second and get used to a new set of ideals.

Josh Smith is turning into a pretty great basketball player. And he's only 23.