As with any other sport, there are going to be some familiar faces playing in new cities this year. José Calderón, Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez were sent to the Chicago Bulls so that way Derrick Rose and Justin Holiday could land with the New York Knicks. Ersan İlyasova and Victor Oladipo got shipped from Orlando to Oklahoma City, so the Magic could land Serge Ibaka. Jeff Teague got traded to the Pacers as part of a three team deal that saw George Hill land with the Jazz. Then there was the player movement. A lot of money was spent in the offseason to try and either keep players or get the right players into the right system. Kevin Durant is now in Golden State, Matthew Dellavedova is a Buck (via sign and trade with Cleveland), Matt Barnes went to the Kings, Al Horford moved along to Boston, Joakim Noah came over to the Knicks, Al Jefferson went to Indiana, Dwight Howard moved on to Atlanta, Pau Gasol went to San Antonio, they are just some of the players who have changed uniforms for this year.
There's a lot of stories to be told between now and April. In total, there will be 1,230 games played in that time frame. The players will travel millions of miles, log thousands of minutes and hope they get the right bounce, basket or turnover that helps them win enough games to make the playoffs. Being able to correctly pick who's going to finish where during the regular season is a bit of a challenge, but its a fun one at that. So with that being said, here's how things go down in the NBA this season.
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors (62-20)*
They were the best team in the league last year, setting the single season record for wins with 73. Ultimately, they fell short of the end goal, falling to Lebron and the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals in seven games. So the best team in the West from a year ago did a little bit of retooling. Harrison Barnes and Leandro Barbosa both left town. The two biggest names to come to Golden State were Kevin Durant and David West. Durant joins a loaded starting five that already has Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia. The biggest thing with the Warriors is that Durant is now on board and all the media attention will be on the Warriors, no matter what they do.
2. San Antonio Spurs (59-23)*
Having the loss of Tim Duncan, due to retirement, could make things very interesting for the Spurs. its an upheaval of sorts when the face of the franchise for the last 19 seasons is no longer there. But, life moves on and so do the Spurs. So trying to replace Duncan in that lineup is Pau Gasol, who they signed away from the Bulls. He's not quite a perfect fit to replace Duncan, but he's going to do enough to get by in this offense. Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills will be expected to a lot coming off the bench, as will David Lee. Going Pau in the starting five will be Tony Parker (who isn't as quick as he once was), Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard (one of the best defenders in the game), and LaMarcus Aldridge. All that will help the Spurs keep pace with Golden State all season.
3. Los Angeles Clippers (58-24)*
Doc Rivers has to be doing something right in Los Angeles. As the Head of Basketball Operations and Head Coach of the team, Rivers knows better then anybody what to do to keep his team in contention in the tough Western Conference. The starting five of Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Paul Pierce, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan are in tact and back together once again. They brought in Marreese Speights, Brandon Bass, and Raymond Felton to help out with the bench and maybe help out with one of the worst rebounding teams in all of basketball in the Clippers. What I think is going to stick in the craw of the Clippers was the way last season ended. They got hurt, had the injuries pile up and that allowed Portland to knock them out of the playoffs. If the health can hold up for the Clippers, they are going to make a run at it and give Paul Pierce a solid run at a title in his final year in the NBA.
4. Memphis Grizzlies (47-35)*
Memphis couldn't be any happier that the new season is getting underway. No team got beat up by injuries more then the Grizzlies, who used an NBA record 28 different players during the course of a season. David Fizdale takes over as the teams new head coach and has a lot of tools to be able to work with. Chandler Parsons was brought on board to help bolster a solid starting five, which also includes Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph. So there's plenty of talent on this basketball team. Grit and grind philosophy got the Grizzlies to 56, 50 and 55 wins from 2013-15 and there’s no reason to think they can’t get back to that level as long as the bottom doesn’t fall out again in the health department. They’re going to be back in contention in the West again this season.
5. Utah Jazz (46-36)*
Sure, playing basketball in Utah isn't as attractive as it was a while back. But the Jazz decided to create a blueprint and stick with it. Signing free agents in Utah hasn't been easy, so drafting has been the best way for the Jazz to go. Boris Diaw was brought in via trade and Joe Johnson was given a nice sized contract. Oh yeah and they brought in George Hill as part of a three team deal, with the Pacers and Hawks. Utah has plenty of talent in the starting five to make some noise, pending that Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, George Hill, and Rodney Hood can stay healthy and on the court. Coach Quin Snyder is known as a players coach and can make this work in Utah. They have a lot of talent on this basketball team that can make a lot of noise in the West. It's been four years since the Jazz last made the post season and they finally break that dry spell this year with a young, fast team that could hang with some of the other teams in the talent loaded Western Conference.
6. Portland Trail Blazers (45-37)*
This was a team who last year was expected to be sitting near the bottom of the Conference in the West. They didn't do that. They won 44 games and knocked off the Clippers in the first round, granted the Clippers were banged up, but still they won a playoff series a season ago. Now they have the itch to get back there. Damian Lillard has had a huge coming out party the last few years, so there's no denying that he's becoming a big superstar in this game. The same argument can be made for CJ McCollum, who is really start to come into his own in this sport. Evan Turner was brought on board to a big contract to get him away from the Celtics. Turner is a very versatile player, so he is going to be a big help to this Portland team. It's probably going to happen that Damian and CJ are going to be relied on a lot in Portland, so if they Blazers want to win, they need other guys on this team to step it up and help build off the momentum that the team had from a season ago.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (44-38)*
This was supposed to be a good summer for the Thunder. They almost knocked out the Warriors in the West finals last year. They had the pieces in place. Or so you thought. Things kinda looked like the wheels were falling off for OKC this summer. First Kevin Durant decides he's going to take off for Golden State. Then Domantas Sabonis, Victor Oladipo, and Ersan İlyasova were brought in from Orlando in exchange for Serge Ibaka. Dion Waiters also took off, signing with the Miami Heat. Billy Donovan has a lot of work ahead of him this year, coming a year after beating the Spurs in the playoffs a season ago. Russell Westbrook is going to be relied on bigtime this season in OKC, a chance to really prove to the rest of the basketball world that he has what it takes to be a bigtime star in this game. Victor Oladipo is going to be counted on to help support Westbrook. There is enough talent here in Oklahoma City to get into the playoffs, but the Thunder won't be going very far.
8. Houston Rockets (41-39)*
Dwight Howard is no longer a factor in Houston. He got them to one playoff trip in Houston. Dwight and Pablo Prigioni are both gone. In steps new head coach Mike D'Antoni, who has some work ahead of him. James Harden has this team to himself, so lets see what he can do with it. Nenê will be a big factor for this Rockets team as well. This team could put the ball in the hoop, running a D'Antoni lead offense, which is a run and gun style of basketball. Patrick Beverley, Harden, Clint Capela, Trevor Ariza, and Ryan Anderson are expected to score big. The thing with Houston is that they were expected to be a title contending team last year. Now they might be lucky if they make it to the playoffs. Getting into the playoffs will take uncharacteristic defense from a Mike D’Antoni team. So we shall see how things go in Houston this season.
9. Minnesota Timeberwolves (41-41)
Things are going to turn around in Minnesota this season. New Coach Tom Thibodeau and General Manager Scott Layden have plenty of young talent to really be able to run with in the leauge this season. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins won Rookie of the Year in back to back years, that has to mean something good for the Wolves don't it? Gorgui Dieng, Ricky Rubio, and Zach LaVine round out the starting five of what is going to be a solid contending team in Minnesota this year. I mean think about what's going on in Minnesota. Minnesota has a respected coach, two top-flight talents, a promising incoming rookie and a young, improving core. This will be a huge step up for the Wolves, who won only 29 games a season ago, but they still have some learning to do. Towns and Wiggins will carry the team, but they need the rest of the supporting cast to step up and make an impact. They're close but not quite there yet as being a challanging team out West.
10. Dallas Mavericks (40-42)
Give owner Mark Cuban a lot of credit he keeps trying to hit it big on the free agent market. He may not always get it right in hitting it out of the park, but at least he keeps trying. Chandler Parsons and Raymond Felton are both no longer in Texas. Quincy Acy and Harrison Barnes brought in to help take the pressure off Dirk, who is on his last few years in the league. Barnes can carry some of the load to take the pressure off the 38 year old Dirk. Rick Carlisle will have a hill to climb with his horses in Dallas, and will have them scrapping to make the bottom half of the West bracket. They're a ver a long-shot to make the playoffs.
11. Sacramento Kings (31-51)
Its not exactly going to be a fun season in Sacramento this year if your an NBA Fan. Rajon Rondo and Quincy Acy are both out of the city, while Matt Barnes and Arron Afflalo were brought into the mix. Sacramento's starting five of Darren Collison, Arron Afflalo, Rudy Gay, Willie Cauley-Stein, and DeMarcus Cousins are going to be a solid team, but they might be overmatched by most of the teams in the West.
12. Denver Nuggets (30-52)
Last season was a tough go for Denver, a fourth place finish isn't exactly what the Nuggets had in mind. Michael Malone has been brought on board to coach the team and hopefully help turn things around in Denver. Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and Emmanuel Mudiay are expected to carry the offensive load and are expected to help bring along Nikola Jokic. Just by looking at this young roster, Denver has a solid team and a great upside to it. Denver has a good mix of young talent and veteran leadership to at least be somewhat contending. There's a lot of pressure on this young team, but they may not have enough yet to really contend in the West.
13. New Orleans Pelicans (30-52)
Again a lot of young talent to work with in New Orleans, with Anthony Davis leading the charge. He's the key guy on this Pelicans basketball team. Sad truth is there's nothing much around him. Drafting Buddy Hield was a good move for the Pelicans, young kid with good upside to his all around game. Lance Stephenson will be there coming off the bench to help the kid out. But outside of Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, and Davis, tghere's nothing really to get excited about in New Orleans for the NBA season. Sorry Pelicans fans but its gonna be a long year.
14. Phoenix Suns (26-56)
The future does look a little bit bright in Phoenix. Coach Earl Watson has pieces to work with, in the form of two top-eight draft picks. Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss are expected to try and contribute. Devon Booker is coming off an encouraging rookie season, and they have a returning Eric Bledsoe to monitor the kids. It’s tough to find much fun in another losing season, barring a dramatic roster shift, but there will be a lot to see in Phoenix amid long-term implications for the Pacific Division and beyond. Even with several veterans in prominent roles, 2016-17 is about the future.
15. Los Angeles Lakers (24-58)
Now lets start the Post-Kobe era in Los Angeles. The future and rebuild is bright in LA. Kobe has hung up the sneakers. Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov were brought in to help lead the young kids on this basketball team. Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell are experienced, Jordan Clarkson is more experienced, rookie Brandon Ingram has a bright future at small forward, rookie Luke Walton has a bright future as coach. That's about it. Expect a lot of losses and growing pains in LA this season.
Eastern Conference:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (59-23)*
They are the defending NBA champions and are once again a tough team to beat. There wasn't a whole lot of roster movement by the Cavs this year. Matthew Dellavedova isn't an option in Cleveland (instead heading to Milwaukee). Bringing in Mike Dunleavy and Chris Andersen will be a nice help. The starting five of Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, and LeBron James are expected to rock and roll once again as the best team in the Eastern Conference. Unless a rash of injuries hits the Cavs, they should be back in the finals once again.
2 Toronto Raptors (54-28)*
Toronto made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals last season. That's how good they were. Guess what? They're going to be that good again this year too. Luis Scola and Bismack Biyombo is a bit of a hit to the Raptors but GM Masai Ujiri and coach Dwane Casey are in it for the long haul and have helped mold the team to a talent loaded roster. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are back together and should be raising a lot of eyebrows this year as a dynamic duo. Jonas Valanciunas is going to be key this year with the loss of Biyombo in terms of defense. Toronto is good, they are balanced and will be competing with Cleveland for the top spot in the East this year.
3. Boston Celtics (53-27)*
Even thought they got tripped up by the Hawks last year in the first round of the playoffs, Boston took huge steps in the right direction. Head Coach Brad Stevens lead the Celtics to a 48 win season, something that hasn't happened since the Big Three ran things in Boston. Al Horford was brought on board to bolster this team and he shouldn't have a problem doing it. Horford creates even more space for All-Star Isaiah Thomas to exploit on offense. Amir Johnson, Jae Crowder, and Avery Bradley round out the starting five in beantown. They are a very good team and can beat anybody on any given night. They're not quite at the same level yet as Toronto or Cleveland, but they are close enough.
4. Atlanta Hawks (49-33)*
Sure its going to sting losing Al Horford to Boston in the offseason, but lets face the facts the Hawks are still a good basketball team. Jarrett Jack, Dennis Schroder, and most notably Dwight Howard were brought in Since it may take a little while for Howard and Schroder to get adjusted, so Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver and Kent Bazemore will be expected to help stabilize things in Atlanta till everybody gets adjusted to their roles correctly. Throw in Tim Hardaway Jr and Kris Humphries coming off the bench, so it makes for interesting thing. Still the Hawks are good enough to settle in as a playoff team.
5. Detroit Pistons (47-35)*
Stan Van Gundy has done a great job to really build up this Pistons team. Two years ago, they won 29 games. Last year they won 44 games and made the playoffs. Andre Drummond is the undoubted leader of this young basketball team. Average age of this Pistons team is 23 years old. Michael Gbinije and Henry Ellenson were brought in through the draft to bolster this Pistons lineup, which would be a good buildup. Tobias Harris will be counted on again to help move the offense along in Detroit. The Pistons are going to be a fun team to watch, because everybody is buying into Stan Van Gundy's system. They believe like he believes that the system will work. Detroit is going to be a very tough team.
6. Washington Wizards (44-38)*
This was one of the teams that was kind of interested in Kevin Durant, but it went nowhere quick. Instead, new coach Scott Brooks got to work on trying to re-work this Wizards roster. Brooks already had to do that with Durant and Westbrook in Oklahoma City, so now he has John Wall and Bradley Beal to try and mold the same way he did the boys in OKC. Since they couldn't land Durant, they gave Beal a MONSTER contract, but with the way money was thrown around the league this summer, it may be money well spent. Losing Nenê may hurt a tad but Markieff Morris could be a nice addition. Him with Wall and Beal could be a threat. Wall, Beal and Gortat will have to help carry the load, until more of the young talent can get up to speed and contribute. The Wizards will still make the post season.
7. Indiana Pacers (42-40)*
Paul George is back in the mix in Indiana. now you can add in Al Jefferson and Jeff Teague to the mix. So new coach Nate McMillan has some fun stuff to play with. Losing Jordan Hill to the Wolves is tough but by adding Jeff Teague will be seen as an upgrade, if Teague can stay healthy and produce. Paul George is back, this is his team, he runs the show. Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, and Myles Turner can all produce and having Jefferson come off the bench is going to be big for Indiana. They were the talk of the East a few seasons ago for being able to really challenge Cleveland. Now they're trying to get back to that team. They are a good team and will be able to hang around a while in the East.
8. New York Knicks (41-41)*
Talk about a big surprise in the East, it might be the Knicks. Derick Rose and Jokim Noah were the big additions to this ball club that was on an upswing. They gave up Robin Lopez, José Calderón, and Jerian Grant to get Rose, but it may be worth it IF Derick Rose can stay healthy. Same argument can be made for Noah as well, as he's delt with injury problems the last couple of seasons. Just four years ago they won 54 games, they haven't come close to that since. now they have the horses for new coach Jeff Hornacek. He's got Noah and Rose, both healthy and Kristaps Porziņģis entering his 2nd full year in the league, they will be a good basketball team. Sure Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams, Langston Galloway, and Amar'e Stoudemire, who retiredd, are all gone, but this team may be better off. The biggest thing with this Knicks team is they need to show that they can stay on the court. Health and an ability to gel together will be huge for the Knicks. Back to the playoffs they go this year.
9. Chicago Bulls (38-44)
Things are sure changing in the Windy City. Native son Derick Rose left for New York. In his place is another Chicago native, Dwayne Wade, who ended his tenure with the Miami Heat to come home. So to did Rajon Rondo, while not a local boy, but he did come to a challenging team in Chicago. Coach Fred Hoiberg has new toys to play with in Chicago, because Wade and Rondo will be joined by Robin Lopez, Nikola Mirotic, and Jimmy Butler in the starting five. It also helps when you have Taj Gibson coming off the bench. What I want to know is how much really does Dwayne Wade have left in the tank to be effective at this level? The Bulls will be able to put up a fight and they'll be able to float around the .500 mark for much of the year.
10. Charlotte Hornets (38-44)
This could be a team in the fence in the NBA this year. Al Jefferson, Jeremy Lin, and Courtney Lee are all gone, buys playing in other cities. Roy Hibbert was brought into the mix, sure he is a shell of the player he was in at his best in Indiana, but under head coach Steve Clifford, he MIGHT be able to revive his career. Hibbert joins a core starting five of Kemba Walker, Nic Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Marvin Williams. And lets not forget about Cody Zeller. He will be battling Roy Hibbert for the starting job at center, a battle that could last well into the regular season. That’s a good thing. Because the Hornets need more from Zeller at this stage of his career. I'll give the Hornets credit, they have a solid starting five and core, they could be something here. They'll challenge the Knicks all year for that final playoff spot.
11. Milwaukee Bucks (36-46)
This is going to be rough in Milwaukee this year. Khris Middleton is going to be of no use to the Bucks for anytime soon, (six months to perhaps for the entire season) due to a torn hamstring. That's not really a good way for things to start off. Without Middleton there to space Milwaukee’s offense, opponents will be able to load up on Giannis Antetokonmpo and Jabari Parker, which adds more pressure to those two guys, who are already going to be under enough as it is. Sure, the Bucks did add Matthew Dellavedova to the mix, Miles Plumlee is an option and Greg Monroe along with Mirza Teletovic coming off the bench maybe able to produce a little. But lets face facts. The East is too deep for the Bucks, the best thing for them to do is maneuver at the trade deadline and prep for 2017-18.
12. Orlando Magic (35-47)
Lets face facts, Orlando has been regretting letting Dwight Howards go, and the Magic are still digging their way out of the rubble the one-time face of the franchise left in his wake. Frank Vogel takes over as the coach in Orlando, and I wish him the best of luck he's going to need it this season. Getting Serge Ibaka was a HUGE pickup for the Magic. But it cost them Domantas Sabonis, Victor Oladipo, and Ersan İlyasova. Brandon Jennings left for the Knicks. Outside of Serge and Jeff Green, there's nobody in this Magic lineup, either starter or off the bench, that really strikes fear into your heart. Long season for the Magic this year.
13. Miami Heat (34-48)
The Dwayne Wade era is done in Miami. Its not going to be a good season for the Heat this year. Justise Winslow, Goran Dragic, and Hassan Whiteside are going to be asked to carry this team. The outlook for the Heat changed dramatically the day Dwyane Wade decided he was done with the Heat. There was no guarantee Bosh was going to return anyway, but that was another wicked blow for a team that would have been in the top four mix in the playoff chase. Now they’ll have to develop chemistry on the fly and hope they are healthy enough to stay in the playoff mix early. A more realistic expectation is that the youngsters overachieve and they battle for one of those final playoff spots.
14. Brooklyn Nets (21-61)
Its been a bad stretch for the Nets, and its not getting any better. Kenny Atkinson has a tall task ahead of him to get the Nets back on track. Brook Lopez, who's gonna be teaming with Jeremy Lin to try and carry this team. After years of promoting sky-high expectations, the Nets are done promising titles any time soon. These new Nets will look to win from within, which may happen later than sooner.
15. Philadelphia 76ers (20-62)
What a long, strange trip it’s been. After years testing the depths of the rebuilding process, it seems as though the process is finally paying dividends. Players are getting healthy, overseas prospects have arrived, and the Sixers are hoping new addition Ben Simmons is the real deal, eventually. Its gonna be a long road for Philly.
(All predictions made BEFORE the start of the NBA Season)
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