There was quite a bit of big names that got moved in the offseason as well. Carmelo Anthony (Knicks to Thunder), Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder (Boston to Cleveland), Kyrie Irving (Cleveland to Boston), DeMarre Carroll (Toronto to Brooklyn), Victor Oladipo (Thunder to Pacers), Paul George (Pacers to Thunder), Chris Paul (Clippers to Rockets), Zach LaVine (Timberwolves to Bulls), Jimmy Butler (Bulls to Timberwolves), Brook Lopez (Nets to Lakers), D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov (Lakers to Nets), and finally Dwight Howard (Hawks to Hornets) have all been traded to other teams. Oh but wait, there's more. Langston Galloway (Pistons), Rudy Gay (Spurs), J. J. Redick (76ers), Tim Hardaway Jr (Knicks), Vince Carter (Kings), Taj Gibson (Timberwolves), Jeff Teague (Timberwolves), Zach Randolph (Kings), George Hill (Kings), Paul Millsap (Nuggets), Derrick Rose (cavaliers) have all switched jerseys and gone elsewhere as free agents.
So lets get right into it, here's how things go down in the NBA this season.
Western Conference:
Northwest Division:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (56-26)*
This team may be the most fascinating one to watch during the regular season. With the big moves they made during the offseason, the Thunder have a chip on their shoulders and are expected to win like right now. Russel Westbrook to a new five year extension and wanted to get their best player more talent to surround him with. They did that in spades. They sent away Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to Indiana for Paul George. Adding Paul George gives the Thunder one of the most talented back courts in all of the game. Throw Carmelo Anthony into the mix, who they just acquired from the Knicks, and you got something to work with in OKC. Throw in Stephen Adams at center and Andre Roberson at Shooting Guard, and you got yourself a very solid starting five. They have some decent depth pieces in Andre Roberson, Patrick Patterson and Jerami Grant. There's plenty of talent here to make this work really really well in the West. At the same time there could be the potential for trouble. If one of those big names gets hurt, the depth could come into issues. Then there's the ego and talent of their big three, George, Westbrook and Anthony, all of whom are used to being THE guy. It could work and they could mesh very well, which leads to a division title.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)*
Minnesota basketball fans have been waiting quite a long time for this. It has been thirteen years since the Timberwolves last made the playoffs. Minnesota has a good young core to work with, lead by Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Now here's where things get interesting. They add in Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson via the free agent market. Just to add a little more spice to things, they go out and make a deal with the Chicago Bulls that sent Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine to the East for Jimmy Butler. There still leaves a few questions to be answered in Minnesota, like trying to upgrade on being a bottom five defense last year, which looks a little strange now that Ricky Rubio is no longer in Minnesota. Bringing in guys like Butler and Gibson, who each played for head coach Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, should be a boost for this basketball team. They are a solid lock to finish in the top five in a very tough Western Conference. Don't relly think they have enough talent to really be able to hang in with the top four in the West, but they are still a fantastic basketball team.
3. Utah Jazz (45-37)*
Here we have a team that won the division, and 51 games to go along with it, a season ago. This year could be a step back for Utah, who lost both Gordon Hayward and George Hill to free agency in the offseason. Adding a guy like Ricky Rubio should be able to help Utah repeat as a top-five defense. The question is whether they can keep last season’s 12th-ranked offense from plummeting into the bottom five. Rudy Gobert will be up to his old tricks again and playing well, if he can maintain a level of health. What will really help out Utah is that outsdanding defensive play. Scoring depth might be a bit of an issue for this club, but there is enough talent with Rubio and Joe Johsnson leading the offensive charge to help them hold onto a playoff spot. Rodney Hood will also be counted on to try and step his game up if Utah wants to really go anywhere in this top heavy conference.
4. Denver Nuggets (43-39)*
Denver finished two games under .500 last season and just missed out on the playoffs. This year, Denver starts taking steps in the right direction. Denver stayed busy in its own right and nabbed Paul Millsap as Nikola Jokic's new frontcourt running mate, and his arrival figures to put the Nuggets in the thick of a crowded Western Conference race that will see roughly six teams, including the Jazz, duke it out for three playoff spots. Pairing Millsap with Nikola Jokic, who really is a magician with the ball, and one of the most pleasurable players to watch, will make for a fun one-two punch to run with in Denver this year. Denver has as much of an intriguing talent through the end of their roster as any team in the NBA, but here’s betting their chances at making a leap are dependent on their young backcourt rotation. It might be close on a playoff push for the boys in Denver.
5. Portland Trail Blazers (40-42)
They just snuck into the post season last year, then got promptly swept right out of the playoffs by the Warriors. This year, it might not be the same in Portland. They were quiet this offseason, not making any real noise in free agency. Consider this. Portland went 14-6 with Jusuf Nurkic in the middle after acquiring him from Denver last season. He is the superstud that Portland really wanted and they got him, which was a huge impact for this team down the stretch run last year. He adds frontcourt balance to one of the best, and splashiest backcourts in the league of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. What has me concerned in this team is that they didn't really bring any help for those three and they didn't really do anything to improve that defense that was near the bottom ten in the NBA. Doesn't look good for Portland and a playoff push this year.
Southwest Division
1. Houston Rockets (62-20)*
They were the 3rd best team in the West a season ago and this year, they'll be right back near the top of the conference again. Some around the sport say that super teams are starting to develop. Well there might be one taking shape right now here in Houston. You already have one of the best players in the game in James Harden. Now you add in another fantastic, top tier talent player in Chris Paul. In order to get Chris Paul, the Rockerts had to give up Sam Dekker, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, Kyle Wiltjer, Montrezl Harrell a draft pick and future considerations, but Houston felt it was worth it. This trade gave Houston one of the most unique and talented backcourts in recent memory. Head coach Mike D'Antoni has to find away to get the ball between those two guys, Trevor Ariza, Nene, and role players like PJ Tucker and Ryan Anderson. Knowing Mike D'Antoni, he'll have no problem coming up with a scheme to spread the ball around and keep Houston near the top of the league all season long.
2. San Antonio Spurs (53-29)*
Think its going to be tough for the Spurs to be able to contend with the high powered Houston Rockers, but knowing coach Gregg Popovich, he can always find a way to pull a few magic tricks out of his hat to keep this team fighting for the division all year long. They are getting a little bit older, still being lead by Manu Ginóbili, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Patty Mills. Throw in Rudy Gay and you got yourself a solid team. They are the team that relies on the sum greater then the individual parts. They have an outstanding coach, the top defense in the league last year and one of the best three point shooting teams in all of the league (they shot 39% from behind the arc last year). There's no denying how great this franchise has become, but I don't think they have the talent to rip off another 61 win season. Still, Pop has the horses to be able to at least get 53 wins again and another solid playoff spot
3. Memphis Grizzlies (42-40)
This team was a playoff team a season ago that had a lot of their core together. But there's a lot of changes between last year and this year's club. Tony Allen, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter are all gone. Chandler Parsons is playing well below expectations in the preseason. Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are still expected to lead the team, and both guys are good enough and talented enough to be able to pull it off. They've made the playoffs for seven consecutive years now, but the big question mark is, can they do it again with a young supporting cast that they have around them? This could be the end of an era in Memphis, because of the lack of talent around the Grizzlies. They have the core guys to build around, just not the right supporting cast.
4. New Orleans Pelicans (39-43)
There maybe a smidge of hope for the Pelicans this season to improve off their 34 win year a season ago. New Orleans has some talent to really build around, with Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday but little else. Rajon Rondo was brought in on a one year deal to help bolster the lineup. He adds a weak-shooting starter to the backcourt of a team whose bigs need space. Lets face facts with this New Orleans club, they have a really bad support staff surrounding their best players. The Pelicans have a flat out atrocious bench, one that could spell trouble for a team that needs to be successful. They have talent on their main guys with Davis, Cousins and Holiday but without a supporting staff, they won't be getting very far this season.
5. Dallas Mavericks (34-48)
Things weren't very good for the Mavs last season, and it doesn't look like things are going to get much better this year. The biggest thing to really look at this season in Dallas is the development of Dennis Smith Jr., the team’s top rookie. He's got all the hype and talent around him coming out of NC State, so there's a lot of expectations to live up to. Now the question is can this kid live up to all the hype that comes along with him? If he does, they have a solid core to work around, with Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews, and Nerlens Noel. There's even a long shot that Dirk can still produce, but who knows how much longer the big man has left in him in this league.
Pacific Division:
1. Golden State Warriors (66-16)*
There's a reason these guys are the defending Champions. They are kinda good.The whole core is back together. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Shaun Livingston, David West, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee are all set with contracts through at least this seaason. There's really not a whole lot to try and really break down with this club. They're good and they know it. Shouldn't be really much of a stretch to say that this team has the talent to go back to the NBA Finals for the fourth year in a row.
2. Los Angeles Clippers (45-37)*
This team won 51 games last year and finished 2nd in the division, but looks like its going to be a big step backwards this season. They still have talent in the form of Blake Griffin and Danilo Gallinari was brought in as part of a three team trade, but otherwise, it looks like a downgrade in Los Angeles. Chris Paul and JJ Reddick are both gone, which takes away some of the depth in Lob City. But one does have to wonder just how well the Griffin/Gallinari dynamic is going to work together. Throw those two guys in with DeAndre Jordan and it makes for a tough big three to try and deal with in LA. They still have the talent to be able to make it to the playoffs, but the Clippers don't have the depth overall to really be able to make it deep in the post season.
3. Los Angeles Lakers (31-51)
Rebuild mode has started in Los Angeles and it looks like they might start to head in the right direction. They got rid of D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to Brooklyn for Brook Lopez. They brought in Andrew Bogut, who adds some solid depth and experience to this team. Oh and there is that kid named Lonzo Ball, who has a lot of hype to live up to. He has the passing ability and talent to make this team somewhat respectable. Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma paired with Ball make this team watchable. They're still going to be one of the worst defensive teams in all of the league, but at least they won't be as bad as once thought. They are going to get better, but they aren't a playoff team.
4. Phoenix Suns (29-53)
This kid Devon Booker that the Suns have has the talent level to be a star in the NBA. That's about all they got in Phoenix to really build off. Phoenix has three top eight picks in the last two drafts, Dragan Bender, Josh Jackson, and Marquese Chriss. If the Suns really want to have any sense of respectability, the team really needs one of them to step up and help out their star player in Booker. The Suns do have Tyson Chandler and Eric Bledsoe, but by the time all is said and done, both guys could be on the move if the Suns are smart and want to build towards the future.
5. Sacramento Kings (26-56)
Sacramento is trying to rebuild by bringing in some outside talent in the form of Vince Carter, George Hill and Zach Randolph. All guys who are past their prime and aren't very good anymore. They have some young guns like Justin Jackson, Frank Mason and the biggest one being DeAndre Fox. These guys aren't really ready to be stars in this league yet, but Fox has the biggest upside on this basketball team. Lets face facts the Kings are going to suck this year.
Eastern Conference:
Atlantic Division:
1. Boston Celtics (52-30)*
There's been a few changes that were made to the defending Atlantic Division champions. They made a big splash in the offseason by trading away Isiah Thomas and Jae Crowder to the Cavs for Kyrie Irving. The last time Kyrie Irving was the guy on a team, that club didn't fair so well. There is a difference between that go around and this one. He has a little more of a supporting cast here in Boston then he did in Cleveland. He's got Al Horrford, they had Gordon Hayward (before that horrible injury) and they brought in Jayson Tatum with their pick in the first round. One thing though to take away from this is that a lot of depth and heart and soul was taken away from this team. So since the depth has gone down, it is really going to test the coaching ability of Brad Stevens. He did a fantastic job last year with this team. They have the horses to really be able to compete in the East, but the big question is, can they finally get over the hump known as the Cleveland Cavaliers with the talent they now have?
2. Toronto Raptors (48-34)*
Toronto has been one of the tougher draws in the Eastern Conference the last few years, and this year will be no different then the last two or three years. Credit must be given to Toronto GM Masai Ujiri, who managed to keep his biggest pieces in place. He gave a lucrative deal to Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, which was much needed, since those are the two best overall players on the team. Signing those two guys required serious cuts elsewhere. Because of those signings, DeMarre Carroll, Patrick Patterson, Cory Joseph, and P.J. Tucker will no longer be playing in Toronto, as coach Dwane Casey must turn to the bench unit, which isn't as deep as once previously thought. DeMar DezRozan will still play a very big role on this team, as will Jonas Valančiūnas, when he gets healthy again. The braekthrough luster on this Raptors club seems to be gone, but there is still plenty of talent to keep them in the hunt in the East.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (40-42)
Trust in the Process and things will work out. Joel Embiid has full control of this team and now has pieces around him to make things possibly work in Philly. There's a pretty good mix of youth and experience on this basketball team. To help out the young talent, Philly brought in JJ Redick and Amir Johnson to build around this talent. Along with Embiid, there's two other young guns, Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons, there's a lot of hope in Philly. Simmons has enough talent he could be a solid candidate for Rookie Of The Year in the league. With all the youth in Philly, if they can get things to click right, they could be a playoff team for quite some time. They may not quite be ready to be a playoff team just yet, but oh are they getting going in the right direction.
4. New York Knicks (37-45)
KP now has a good team to work with, and this is his team to lead finally. Carmelo Anthony is gone, which I know makes a lot of Knicks fans happy that he's finally gone. It wasn't the only problems that the Knicks have finally rid themselves of. Both Derrick Rose and Phil Jackson are gone as well. Rose wasn't much of anything for this Knicks team, and Phil Jackson had been running this team into the ground. So now that he's out, the Knicks can actually get players in here that fit whatever system they are trying to run. Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott were brought back in the Melo trade, which sent him to the Thunder. One move that the Knicks made that did leave me really scratching my head was forking over a TON of cash to Tim Hardaway Jr. Now this is no slight on Hardaway Jr, he's a very good basketball player, but he's not worth the $71 million that the Knicks are slated to pay him over the next four years. Kristaps Porzingas has the team all to himself, and he will be a very good player, but he can't hit that elite status until there's talent around him. That won't happen until Owner James Dolan stops being an impulsive owner and spend his money smarter.
5. Brooklyn Nets (30-52)
Man the Nets are going to suck this year, hate to say it Brooklyn. They got rid of Brook Lopez, shipping him out to Los Angeles, and in exchange they picked up D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov. Oh but the trades didn't stop there, as they brought in DeMarre Carroll from Toronto in exchange for Justin Hamilton. They had Jeremy Lin (before he got hurt), and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who were both expected to be leaders on this team. Russell brings a lot of intrigue to this club, it does make you kind of want to watch to see whats going to happen with this Nets team. That wow watch factor won't translate into wins because, lets face facts this team isn't very good. There's not really a chance to sell hope to this team because, lets face it, there is none.
Central Division:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32)*
Like there was really any doubt at all who was going to win this division. There's been a few changes made to this Cleveland team. The biggest one being Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder being brought in from Boston in exchange for Kyrie Irving. They've also gotten rid of Richard Jefferson in a deal with the Hawks for the rights to Sergiy Gladyr and the rights to Dimitrios Agravanis. getting Jae Crowder was a solid move to help out a defense that finished 22nd overall in the NBA a season ago. And yes while it does suck that they had to get rid of Kyrie, a guy who was looking for a trade anyway, they got back a pretty good basketball player in Isiah Thomas. They also brought in some familiar faces to the league, guys like Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose. They are going to have some of their veteran players like Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith who are going to be playing some new roles. There may be a speed bump or two early in the season, but Cleveland still has some guy named LeBron James. LeBron is still easily the conference’s transcendent talent. Unless Thomas never gets right physically, Cleveland should make its fourth straight Finals with ease.
2. Milwaukee Bucks (49-33)*
The Bucks may very well have the best young player in the world in Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak is going to put up off the chart numbers this year and really help push Milwaukee to the limits and beyond into the playoffs this season. They have a good complement of players around him in the form of Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker, Malcolm Brogdon, Matthew Dellavedova and Tony Snell. The core of this Bucs team is in tact and there's plenty of talent to go around between Middleton, Antetokoumpo and, when he's healthy, Parker. The biggesting thing is that all of their core players are under 30. If they can stay healthy long enough, then they will be a very tough team to beat in the years to come. The Greek Freak is going to be very very good.
3. Detroit Pistons (45-37)*
Stan Van Gundy is going to have his hands full trying to get this team back on track and it looks like it could work and get them moving in the right direction. Andre Drummond and Avery Bradly are going to be expected to carry the offensive load in Detroit this year. Picking up Bradley in the trade was a very wise move by Detroit. Having Reggie Jackson around is good for Detroit, but he hasn't been a dynamic player as he once was. He could be a great sixth man on a good team, but here he's just a step above solid. They drafted a good shooter in Luke Kennard and they brought in a well rounded ball player in Langston Galloway. With the talent on this team, it should be able to help bring Detroit back from a season ago, which was a disappointing one in the Motor City. now it looks like the Pistons will be back on the right track and be just good enough to get into the post season.
4. Indiana Pacers (30-52)
Indiana was the most average playoff team a season ago. They won 42 games and were in the middle of the pack in both offense and defense. Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis were brought over from OKC in the Paul George trade. Oladipo is now going to be expected to carry this team and I think he should be OK in doing that. But that's about all they did to try and improve. They subsequently imported more mid-level vets at mid-level prices like Darren Collison, Cory Joseph, and Bojan Bogdanovic. Even so, the Pacers have taken a huge step backwards. They may not be able to recover. Forget about the playoffs this year Indy, its not happening.
5. Chicago Bulls (20-62)
Its going to be a bad year this year in the Windy City when it comes to Basketball. Jimmy Butler is gone, he was traded to Minnesota for Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine. Dwayne Wade left town after he knew what was coming with how bad this team was going to be. They have Justin Holiday, they have Robin Lopez and that's really all about it. Looks like its going to be a high shot for the first overall pick next season in Chicago.
Southeast Division
1. Washington Wizards (49-33)*
After winning the Southeast last season, the Wizards are looking to win another division title, which they should be able to get this year. John Wall and Bradley Beal are once again going to be counted on to lead this team into a decent playoff run. The two of them also got help with a career year last year from Otto Porter and all three are going to be counted on again this year in the heavy going. Markieff Morris is expecting to have a bit of a coming out party once he gets healthy and ready to go. With the starting five that the Wizards have, there's the potential to be a dark horse in the Western Conference. What has one wondering is how deep the bench is for this team to really be a force in the East, at least with the top tier teams. An awful lot could be riding on young Kelly Oubre, bounce-back hopes Ian Mahinmi and Jodie Meeks, and journeyman Tim Frazier. Still there's plenty of talent here to be able to keep them right in the think of things all season long.
2. Miami Heat (45-37)*
Clearly the big three ear is long gone in Miami, but Pat Riley has done a good job of getting talent for Erik Spoelstra to be pretty competitive with in the Eastern Conference. Hassan Whiteside, Udonis Haslem, and Goran Dragic are going to be counted on to lead this team, and with their talent levels, it doesn't seem like they should have much of a problem doing that this year. They had a top five defense from last year that has everyone of consequence that was brought back again this year. Just to try and add more pieces to this puzzle is bringing in Kelly Olynyk. Plus if they can get Dion Waiters to play up to his potential and then some, watch out because there's a better then even chance that the Heat could really strike a little bit of fear into the hearts of teams in the East. The elite teams anyway.
3. Charlotte Hornets (43-39)*
This is a team that won 36 games last season, but based on talent level, they could have finished a lot closer to the .500 mark then they did. Now I think they have the right mix to get them over the hump to make it into the post season. Adding Dwight Howard is usually a red flag, because of his attitude as of late, but if he’s going to work anywhere in 2017 it might be here. Head coach Steve Clifford has worked with Howard before, so maybe he knows how to be able to get Howard to buy into this system and make it work out for him. Here’s betting Howard helps boost last year’s average defense back up into the Top 10, while Kemba Walker, stud rookie Malik Monk, and a rotating cast of stretchy forwards (Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, Frank Kaminsky) helps craft an above-average offense. Losing Batum for 2-3 months to injury could cost them a few possible wins. In this conference it may not cost them any playoff seeding.
4. Orlando Magic (34-48)
Frank Vogal has a very mixed bag to work with in Orlando this year. This was a team that finished 29th in the NBA in scoring last year, something they are in desperate need to try and improve on this year. At the end of the day, they didn't really improve much, adding Jonathon Simmons, rookie Jonathan Isaac and little else to a somewhat weak team. Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon are set up to take steps forward this season, and it will be fascinating how and when a new front office molds an underwhelming roster. The Magic should be able to move up a little bit from last year, but that's only because, lets face it, some of the other lower level teams in the East are worse off then they are right now.
5. Chicago Bulls (21-61)
Its going to be a lottery watch kind of a year in Chicago this season. Yes they were able to get Kris Dunn and Zach LeVine for Jimmy Butler in that trade over the summer, which seems like it could be a decent return in the long run, maybe. They also brought in Justin Holiday from the Knicks. But otherwise to make a long story short, the Bulls don't have much in the way of competitive talent on the court this year. With how good the top heavy talent teams are in this conference, and with what little the Bulls did in the way of improvement, well there's not much to look forward to in the Windy City in terms of basketball this season,.
(Note: All predictions were made before the start of the 2017-18 NBA Season)
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