PARIS (George Eddy's International Show) - All the NBA players that participated in the FIBA Basketball World Cup will now be confronted with a two-edged sword.

On the one hand, they started the NBA pre-season already in game shape after less than two weeks of resting up from their efforts in Spain. On the other hand, they will probably have a moment in December or January where they will hit a wall and feel drained. The key will be to rebound physically for the playoffs in April!

For Kyrie Irving, the MVP at Spain 2014, I am convinced that there will be a lot more benefits than inconveniences concerning his participation because he has reached a new level of notoriety which happens at a time when his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, evolves from an also-ran into a favorite for the NBA title according to some Las Vegas bookmakers. In the Cavs' first exhibition game on Sunday against Maccabi Tel Aviv, many experts saw the premises for a very strong team with lots of complementary talent and a decided effort to share the ball around new superstar recruits, LeBron James and Kevin Love.

One preseason theme in NBA media has been whether Irving-Dion Waiters is the best guard tandem in the league or not. Some say it's John Wall and Bradley Beal from the  Washington Wizards but my personal vote would be for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. Thompson, in particuliar, was the best sixth man in Spain in the role of dangerous long-range gunner and defensive stopper off the bench. Curry might have been less remarkable at the World Cup but he is the NBA's best pure shooter bar none!

So, Cleveland is well-armed at the guard position... and everywhere else too! The fact that the franchise put the responsibility of driving this spanking-new Ferrari into the hands of a neophyte NBA coach who spent his whole career in Europe is simply extraordinary. I applaud the decision because David Blatt, an American-Israeli, can coach anywhere but LeBron sensed a little nervousness in his new coach the last few days which is understandable! Blatt represents an historically new trend in the league towards Euro-coaching competence that was a long time coming. A young coach like France's Vincent Collet might be next in line after a few seasons with a top Euroleague team.

Gregg Popovich is participating in the trend too by naming Italian coaching legend Ettore Messina to his staff in San Antonio. Blatt and Messina will add flavor to the habitually long and drawn out regular season. So will another Popovich-provoked phenomenon with the addition of a woman to his coaching staff, the legendary WNBA player and fomer Russian international player, Becky Hammon.

The evolution of Popovich is amazing because he went from an ultra-conservative and hyper-defensive "dump it in to the Twin Towers (Tim Duncan and David Robinson) on offense" type coach to the builder of a beautiful United Nations-type, uptempo, collective masterpiece team that rains down three-pointers on the way to an unexpected title run with an aging roster! Man, this guy is incredible because despite his sometimes grouchy approach with the media, his players will tell you he can be incredibly charming... and rigorously demanding too. He's like the fine wines in his personal cellar - he gets better with age!

Other themes come to mind as the pre-season games get under way.

The three best centers at the FIBA Basketball World Cup - Pau Gasol, Jonas Valenciunas and Anthony Davis - should have a great time this season.

Gasol and Joakim Noah are two of the best passing centers ever and the Chicago Bulls should rapidly develop outstanding chemistry on offense which will be the key to their success.

Davis could become an MVP or All-NBA candidate because EVERYTHING the New Orleans Pelicans do will be built around him.

Valanciunas will continue to anchor the paint on a surprising Toronto Raptors team that can only continue to get better.

Oddly enough, Gasol's Spanish teammate Jose Calderon will have a MUCH bigger role in New York than he had with the national team.

Players like Spain's starting point guard, Ricky Rubio, France's small forward Nicolas Batum - a member of the All-Star Five at Spain 2014 - and Les Bleus captain Boris Diaw will all attack the season full of confidence and ambition so we'll follow them closely, too.

I'll finish this column with the hope that Derrick Rose and Andrew Bogut stay healthy this season because the success of their respective franchises hinge on this.

Bogut's passing and defense could help new Warriors coach Steve Kerr get his team to the Western Conference Finals.

Rose should take his time and work incessantly on his mid-range shooting and not be obsessed with what he used to be able to do attacking the hoop like a kamikaze.

Many players like Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker or Dwyane Wade have made this necessary transition to limit the wear and tear on their bodies and Rose's future success will depend on him doing the same thing.

George Eddy

FIBA

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