What’s that sound? The melodic drumbeat of bouncing basketballs upon glistening hardwood. Sneakers squeak, trash is talked, and buzzer beaters are made and missed. These tones serve as trumpets to the ears of the awaiting. Basketball is back.
There are a pair of games airing tonight and three being played in total. Both participants of the Finals will be in action, though not facing each other. Likely, rings will be distributed to the champions, and the Warriors and Cavs Finals series will seem as old as Greg Oden looks. What time like the present to disregard prior conquests and undertake the process of prognostication! Behold… Power rankings and further predictions.
- Cleveland Cavaliers:
This is Cleveland’s year. Questions still linger from last season’s ultimate defeat, had the team been healthy, would the series have played out differently? Hopefully we find out the answer to that question this season. The Cavs are more or less running it back, the key players have been resigned, one of whom will begin the season on perhaps the worst contract in the NBA… ahem… Tristan. However, overpay or not, there does exist a constant with the Cavs. If healthy, they should be the best team in the NBA, especially in a lesser Eastern Conference. Don’t be surprised if the Cavs go wire to wire, finishing with the best record in the league. You can also expect Lebron to once again be on a mission to win it all. - Golden State Warriors:
Another team that returns largely unchanged, hey if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Steph Curry disagrees when it comes to ankles. The Warriors know how to play as a team and they know how to adjust on the fly, there will be few teams that will be able to react to their reactions. A relatively young team, they should start off strong out of the gates, and carry that into the Playoffs, although I do not see the team returning to the Finals. Much has been made of their easy-ish road to a title, forget that, they beat who got on the court with them, but this year the competition has only risen. - Oklahoma City Thunder:
An enemy deserves no mercy! If at any time you’re unable to locate Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, just look on the warpath, that’s where they’ll be. The Thunder will set out to remind their contemporaries just who they missed last year. Coming off a year of postseason irrelevance, the Thunder will have us all wondering how we forgot about them. Possessing two potential top five players, when firing on all cylinders, there will be few who can do anything to stop them.
- San Antonio Spurs:
In familiar Spurs fashion, the regular season will be disregarded more than Lance Stephenson behind the three point line. They’ll likely finish with a lesser record than teams ranked below them here, but for the Spurs, it continues to be all about the Playoffs. Gregg Popovich has stated that it may take time for the roster to meld and to truly develop a playing style and deploy effective schemes. All true, but they will get it together, and when they do, they’ll be ring hunting. The continued development of Kawhi Leonard is more a point of inquiry than the addition of Lamarcus Aldridge. With Tony Parker fading, Leonard will need to create his own shot and the magnificent space his point guard once doled out in truckloads for his teammates. This will be the lynchpin in maximizing Aldridge’s stellar perimeter shooting. Rest assured Spurs fans, Lamarcus will flourish with the Spurs. - Los Angeles Clippers:
Its now or never. LA’s better team returns intact and reloaded. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Deandre Jordan, JJ Redick, Paul Pierce, Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, Lance Stephenson. If they can’t make it to at least the Western Conference Finals, which I don’t think they will, cue Boyz II Men, cause we’re at the end of the road. The talent is present in spades, but is the heart? We all know Chris Paul’s drive is there, his big men… let’s just wait and see. - Houston Rockets:
James Harden more or less carried the load for the Rockets last year and ultimately lead them to the Western Conference Finals. Imagine the possibilities with a healthy Dwight Howard and rehabilitated Ty Lawson. They will surely be better than last year, but so will those around them. If this is the case, we can all expect a mid season Daryl Morey trade, which will leave us all perplexed at his trade partners life choices. - Miami Heat:
As with any other team that has ever showcased Dwyane Wade, health is a concern. Nevertheless, Rolling out Goran Dragic, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside should be enough to bolster the team as Wade misses his standard 20-40 games. Couple that with a depleted East and I predict Miami to be the second best team this side of Texas. - Atlanta Hawks:
Did you believe in the Hawks last year? I didn’t. But somehow there they were, playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. Oh well, I guess they’re contenders? Nah, I still don’t believe in them, they’ll be good but take a small step back. Losing Demarre Carroll will hurt them, especially on the defensive end, adding Splitter was cool I guess but… I can’t do it, I still don’t understand them. Good teams have to have superstars, right? - Memphis Grizzlies:
Back to the grind house. I guess that’s still a thing. Basketball fans have come to love and respect Memphis’ gameplay and tenacity, they simply try to wear you down. Which they can do. Outside shooting, not so much. Marc Gasol is one of the top if not the top center in the league, and Zach Randolph is a formidable player to partner him with, but they seem a little stuck in the mud. Mike Conley is a very good point guard, but right now a very good point guard is almost a weakness compared to the absolute monsters playing the position elsewhere. This could be the beginning of the slow dismantling of the grind house, before it is stripped down and rebuilt into unaffordable condos, welcome to the Gasolberg. - Chicago Bulls:
“Hey, close that window. Oh, it’s already shut, ok.” Get it? Thats their title contention window that closed. The Bulls will still be good, and their record will be padded by their Eastern Conference foes, but oh those question marks. Rose’s health, Noah’s health (and potential bench role), Gasol’s age, Hoiberg’s first year as a head coach, that’s a lot of things that have to go right to compete for a Finals appearance. Jimmy Butler is pretty good though. - New Orleans Pelicans:
This is the year that the league gets put on notice. Anthony Davis is coming and there’s nothing you can do to stop him. As a team, the Pelicans are lottery fodder, as an Anthony Davis dragging his teammates to wins and eventual Playoffs, they’re on the rise. - Washington Wizards:
The Wizards go as far as Wall and Beal can carry them. John Wall is trending upwards, Bradley Beal needs a solid season to prove the same. The hometown of a certain NBA superstar (KD) and with offseason money to spend, there will be no shortage of rumors circling Washington, it’ll be interesting to see how the players handle the noise. - Boston Celtics:
Depth for days and excellent coaching, Boston makes a bit of a jump this season. Boston has no true star, an issue they will attempt to rectify via trade all season, but they have almost everything else, plus a plethora of draft picks. Amir Johnson and David Lee will prove to be huge additions. - Toronto Raptors:
Kyle Lowry lost weight, Demar Derozan is in a contract year and the team added Demarre Carroll, yet it still remains difficult to see the Raptors making any true Playoff push, if things aren’t going well, look for Derozan to be on the move. - Milwaukee Bucks:
Potential. So much of it. I love the Bucks, I want them to succeed, but it happens next year. Milwaukee will continue to develop and the individuals will improve, but with so much young talent at every position, much of it rawer than how ODB likes it, they’re likely a season away from true Playoff damage. Though they should manage to sneak in. Jason Kidd is the wild card, if his coaching continues to progress exponentially, as it has his first two seasons, there’s no telling what’s in store for the great lakes area. - Sacramento Kings:
It actually works out. No the Kings won’t be making late Playoff appearances, but they will enter as debutantes. The Kings are clearly an on paper team, one that should work, but you also know it wont. Rondo will have a return year, not back to Celtics Rajon, but enough to be respectable. Side prediction: DMC ain’t going anywhere. - Utah Jazz:
They’re a fun young team, but they play in the West and they don’t have a point guard. Good luck. Well coached though they are, and despite a great end of season run last year, the Jazz don’t set foot in the Playoffs. - Orlando Magic:
Something’s brewing down South and it won’t be long before there’s a new best team down in the sunshine state. With potential at every starting position and proven production at center, the Magic are on the rise. There’s potential for a Playoff appearance in the Magic Kingdom. - Phoenix Suns:
That West, it’ll get ya. Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe will be a formidable back court, but from there it gets a little thin. Recently added Tyson Chandler is a serviceable big man, when healthy, and Markieff Morris can be effective, but both are inconsistent. Phoenix misses the Playoffs again. - Charlotte Hornets:
Al Jefferson is a basketball purist’s dream, the last bastion of low post dominance. Use him until you can’t use him anymore Charlotte. Kemba Walker’s return should energize the offense and there’s no telling what the Hornets will get out of rookie Frank Kaminsky. Batum is a good addition, but the Hornets also lost Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the season. A fun team to watch, but too many hurdles to make the Playoffs. - Dallas Mavericks:
This could get ugly. If Dirk has a solid year, and Wesley Matthews and Chandler Parsons return from injury to their prior form, the Mavericks will miss the Playoffs with dignity. If two of those things don’t happen… Cuban might be focusing a little more on his other investments. - Indiana Pacers:
Hopefully Paul George is completely recovered from the significant injury he sustained while playing with team USA. Hopefully, the Pacers also wise up and drop the George at power forward experiment. Let the man play his natural position and stop trying to shoe horn in the small ball trend. Monte Ellis is a nice scoring addition, but they’re still not making the Playoffs. - Denver Nuggets:
Expect Emmanuel Mudiay to fit like a glove. The Nuggets have found their point guard of the future, but the team around him is in a state of flux. The franchise will likely be looking more to make trades than win games. - Detroit Pistons:
The Pistons are going to have a tough time scoring enough to climb the standings. Drummond is a wonderful young player and Reggie Jackson looks like he could be a solid option, but there’s simply not enough here to make the Playoffs. - Minnesota Timberwolves:
Not making the Playoffs and not caring. With Wiggins and Anthony-Townes, the Wolves are set for the future, take a few years to marinate and then fill in the roster around them. - Brooklyn Nets:
At least they have a really high payroll. Joe Johnson is fading, Bargnani has never met expectations and Brook Lopez is oft injured. Not a recipe for success. With the Celtics owning their first round pick, expect the Nets to do anything and everything to make trades, there’s no point in tanking if its for someone else. Not sure they have a choice though. - New York Knicks:
Derek Fisher has done nothing to make fans believe in him as a coach, Phil Jackson is questionable at best as GM, oh and the teams not that good either. The Knicks have to trade Carmelo this season, New York is so far from contention that there’s no feasible way his timeline matches up with the teams future success. Beware of calls from Houston, you’ve been warned. - Los Angeles Lakers:
You can forget about Kobe leaving on a high note. Expect the Black Mamba to average in double figures in scoring, on a boatload of field goal attempts. Hopefully D’Angelo Russell will excel (he will) and Julius Randle will turn into a great player, but there’s not enough here to do anything other than be unjustly televised in humiliating national games. - Portland Trailblazers:
Offseason, you have been so cruel to the citizens of the city of roses. Eighty percent of the starting lineup gone, the Blazers are left with a rag tag squad featuring the team’s only saving grace, point guard Damian Lillard. Lillard’s scoring average is about to blow up, he is about to shift into whats known as “get buckets” mode. With little to play for, and even fewer teammates to rely upon, look for vide-game-Dame to go off. Position aside, Paul Pierce of the mid 2000s Celtics is an accurate comparison. - Philadelphia 76ers:
Just when 76ers fans (both of them) thought it couldn’t get any worse, the knife twisted. It will get better, but no time soon. If ownership is fully committed to gm Sam Hinkie and his approach, the tank rolls on. Okafor is a solid player and Nerlens Noel would be a welcomed member of any NBA team, but that’s where it all ends. The nightmare that is the Philadelphia 76ers, continues on.
NBA Champion: Cleveland Cavaliers
This is the year the Cleveland Cavaliers pull it off and Lebron James finally brings a championship to his home state. Lebron will be relentless in his quest to once again hold the Larry O’brien trophy, and if the team he currently has around him is healthy, there will be none that can keep that from happening.
League MVP: Lebron James
Hey, there’s that guy again. Lebron has sat back for the last two years and watched as others claimed the award. That stops this season. When we see something so often its common to disregard it’s grandeur. Lebron is the best player in the league and this year will also be it’s most valuable.
Rookie of the Year: Jahlil Okafor (But it should be Emmanuel Mudiay)
Okafor will win the award because he will be the highest scoring rookie, the statistic that seems to be the only measurable for this honor. Yet, it will be Mudiay that will be the better overall player, and clearer cornerstone of the future.
Start the season already.
