NBA-Five players to watch in the 2013-14 NBA season
Oct 24 (Reuters) - Five players to watch for during the 2013-14 National Basketball Association (NBA) season that begins on Oct. 29.
DERRICK ROSE (CHICAGO BULLS)
After missing last season while rehabilitating an ACL that was torn in the previous campaign, Rose returns with question marks over how quickly he can get back to his best. There are no question marks, however, over the 25-year-old guard's talent.
The NBA's Rookie of the Year in 2009 and Most Valuable Player in 2011, Rose quickly established himself as one of the league's most exciting point guards before his ACL injury. A thrilling sight when in full flow, the Bulls are not the only ones hoping to see a fully fit Rose thrive again.
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BLAKE GRIFFIN (LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS)
An All-Star in each of his three NBA seasons, the former first overall draft pick noted for his spectacular dunks is a brilliant, athletic power forward who has been a large part of the Clippers rise in fortunes the past two seasons.
Griffin averaged 18 points per game along with 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season while helping the Clippers to a franchise-high 56-win regular season.
With a wide range of skills and superb physical ability, it will be fascinating to see how Griffin further develops under new Clippers coach Doc Rivers, a veteran who led the Boston Celtics to a pair of Eastern Conference championships and the 2008 NBA title.
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ANDREI KIRILENKO (BROOKLYN NETS)
The veteran Russian forward took a massive pay cut when he opted out of his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves to join the Nets during the offseason, bolstering a team that was already considered one of the best and deepest in the NBA.
The 32-year-old versatile forward has been to the playoffs six times and will be a massive boost to the Nets bench as he gives the team the luxury of keeping veterans and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from playing heavy minutes.
Kirilenko is a lockdown defender coming off a rejuvenating campaign in which he averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the Minnesota Timberwolves, his best NBA season since 2005-06.
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DWIGHT HOWARD (HOUSTON ROCKETS)
A messy departure from the Orlando Magic in 2012 followed by an unhappy stay with the Los Angeles Lakersmade Howard an easy target for boo-birds in many NBA arenas but he has a chance for a fresh start alongside James Harden in Houston.
Few can match Howard's defensive prowess. The 27-year-old led the league in rebounds for five consecutive seasons from 2005-06 and was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons from 2008-09.
Howard, however, does have his critics given his sub-par free-throw shooting while some question his smartness on the court. But his arrival in Houston has turned the Rockets into a Western Conference contender.
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DWYANE WADE (MIAMI HEAT)
Perhaps the biggest question mark facing the Miami Heat's chances of winning a third consecutive NBA championship is the state of Wade's knees, which have been an issue throughout the guard's career, dating back to college.
Wade, 31, enjoys solid numbers during the regular season but has been hampered during the playoffs the last two years, most notably in 2013 when he averaged just 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game during Miami's title run.
The Heat will need everything they can get from Wade if they are to become the first team to capture three consecutive NBA championships since the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002. Any further drop in form by Wade come playoff time could prove too much a burden for teammate LeBron James to shoulder. (Compiled by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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