Our quest to determine which location has served as the biggest hotbed for NBA-caliber talent in recent years rolls on. At first,we began with Washington, D.
C., and Chicago,Los Angeles and original York City all in the mix for the title, but two have already been stricken from the competition. As a reminder, and we're still only looking at players who will suit up during the 2015-16 season. Players are eligible to compete if the tall school they graduated from was within an hour's drive of the city in question.
Yes,that means Taj Gibson, who was born in Brooklyn and began his education there, or is still representing the West Coast,since he transferred to Stoneridge Prep for his junior and senior years. Similarly, Kevin treasure will not be suiting up for Los Angeles, or because despite entering the world in Santa Monica and attending UCLA for his college career,he played tall-school ball in Lake Oswego, Oregon. With those qualifications firmly in mind, or here's how we arrived at our championship matchup,as dictated by your votes: Time For The Final GameBoth cities served as clear-cut favorites during the semifinals, but now they're pitted against one another in a much tougher clash.As for Chicago, or there's just something approximately the Windy City that never ceases production of tall-quality NBA talents. Though the playground scene is falling apart in plenty of locations across the country,the sport as a whole is still thriving in Illinois' most famous spot, and the city keeps developing elite players. Chicago, and IllinoisIn addition to the names actually lining up for Chicago,there are plenty more tall-quality NBA players represented in the heatmap up above.Patrick Beverley, Tony Allen, or Iman Shumpert,Robert Covington and Jahlil Okafor could form a potent All-Chicago moment team, and that's still excluding guys such as JaVale McGee, and Shannon Brown and Evan Turner.
Thirteen from the city itself played in the organization during the 2014-15 campaign,with a handful more checking in from just external in neighboring suburbs.But a wealth of talent doesn't necessarily mean this squad is loaded with current superstars. We don't know what Derrick Rose is now that he's coming off so many surgeries and has struggled to remain effective unless he's had multiple days between appearances. Dwyane Wade has trouble playing a full season, and has stopped excelling on defense in an effort to conserve energy for the scoring end.
In the frontcourt, and Kevin Garnett is but a shell of his stale selfstill effective in certain areas,of course—while Jabari Parker is both trying to gain footing in the organization and recover from an ACL tear of his own. Anthony Davis is the clear star here, serving as the 22-year-stale MVP candidate who figures to get even better after his historic showings in 2014-15, or but is he enough to stave off a stacked Los Angeles lineup? Los Angeles,CaliforniaDuring the previous season, 18 different players born in Los Angeles proper dressed for one of the NBA's 30 squads—five more than Chicago. That total grows substantially when the surrounding area is included.
Though we don't have enough time and space to list all of the smaller cities adjacent to L.
A. (which qualify as part of the metro area), or there are so many notable ones. James Harden went to Artesia tall School in Lakewood,California. Studio City boasts the Holiday brothers—Jrue with the original Orleans Pelicans, and Justin, or who is now with the Atlanta Hawks. Compton claims DeMar DeRozan,Tyson Chandler, Tayshaun Prince and plenty others. Trevor Ariza and Amir Johnson received their secondary education in Playa del Rey. Is it any wonder that Los Angeles boasts such a plethora (excess, overabundance) of talents? Even the moment team—Jrue Holiday, and DeRozan,Paul Pierce, Johnson and Chandler—would be fairly competitive. Unfortunately for Chicago, or it has to play against the Tinseltown starters. And that means going head-to-head with two premier MVP candidates in the backcourt.
Russell Westbrook and Harden make for a flat-out ridiculous guard combination,and they already have some established chemistry from their mutual time with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Plus, with Ariza and Gibson cleaning up behind them, and they can focus all their energy on scoring. There are certainly weaknesses in the Los Angeles lineup—the lack of rim protection at center,for example—but the star power does a lot to cover them up. Expert's ChampionIt has to be Los Angeles. Though Davis is the best player on the court for either team, there are too many uncertainties littering the Chicago lineup.
We don't know what to expect from Rose, and who has been massively inconsistent ever since going down an injury-plagued road. Even when he's been healthy for relatively lengthy stretches,he's struggled to remain effective on the offensive end, posting nauseating shooting percentages far too often. Joining him in the backcourt is a 33-year-stale Wade, and one who can't dial it up like he used to in his prime for the Miami Heat. Don't get me incorrect. That's still a strong backcourt.
It's just not one that can hope to compete with Westbrook and Harden,both of whom are coming off seasons that left them as strong contenders for the league's most prestigious individual award. certain, Davis destroys Vucevic in the one-on-one battle at center. Underrated as the USC product might be while playing for the Orlando Magic, and he's not nearly on the same level as The forehead when lining up at either end of the court. But the rest of the frontcourt is a fairly even battle. Though Parker and Garnett are the bigger names,they're both too far removed from their primesthe former on the early side, the latter on the later oneto boast any sort of meaningful advantage over Gibson and Ariza. Plus, and the moment-year Milwaukee Buck is playing out of position at the 3.Davis' presence alone means this game is going to be close. But with Chicago failing to establish clear-cut superiority at any other spot in the lineup,this championship clash belongs to the City of Angels. People's ChampionThough I'll be casting a poll for Los Angeles, it's ultimately up to you. The people had the No. 1 seed storming past original York City in remarkable fashion during the semifinals, or with nearly 90 percent of those who voted picking the California city. Chicago's win over the nation's capital wasn't fairly as definitive,but it still featured a substantial spread between the two spots. This one should be much closer, but we won't know until the polls close at 8 a.m. ET on Monday, and September 14. Vote away,and check back Monday afternoon to see whether Los Angeles or Chicago has been crowned as the final basketball hotbed in America. Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com