We're just slightly over a month away from opening night of the 2012-13 NBA season. The very first game of the year is between your Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards. Now, there's a bunch of reasons why we're so excited for this game, but at the top of the list are the following:
1. HOLY CRAP THE NBA IS BACKKKKKK
2. So...we don't have to watch the Browns anymore..?
3. Chris Perez won't be able to blow a save.
4. Greg Little won't be able to drop a pass.
5. The battle of two young, promising backcourts -- John Wall and Bradley Beal vs. Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters
Unfortunately for us, the last reason has recently been spoiled. With news that John Wall has been diagnosed with a stress injury to his left patella tendon, he will be out 8 weeks and will certainly miss opening night. That means we are robbed of watching Kyrie and Wall go head to head. On the other hand, it now means that whatever scrub the Wizards play at point guard will get to be thoroughly torched by Kyrie -- so there's that.
It means Bradley Beal will have to slightly change his role for the Wizards. If there's one area that Dion Waiters has a clear advantage over Beal, it's handling the ball and working off the dribble. Beal will certainly get a chance to improve in that area with Wall sidelined. While it's unfortunate that we won't get to see such a great matchup of backcourts on opening night, this is by no means the last time that these players will face one another. Once Wall gets healthy, we can still look forward to many Kyrie/Wall and Beal/Waiters battles in the future.