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HurricaneDij39
The Middle of Everywhere: NWI
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*Rank your teams here.
Eastern Conference:
1) Cleveland Cavaliers (56-26) - While I don't believe that LeBron James has as many years left in his prime as many others claim, there's no reason to think he won't be his usual dominant self in 2016-17 as he awaits his 32nd birthday. Loved the Birdman addition on a short, low-cost deal...
2) Boston Celtics (51-31) - Al Horford is a much better version of Jared Sullinger, though it remains to be seen if the tweener power forward is a championship-caliber big. Getting off to a good start will be key for them. Slow starts have greatly hindered their playoff positioning the last two seasons.
3) Indiana Pacers (49-33) - Team chemistry might be an issue early on with so many new players coming in (Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, Al Jefferson, and Aaron Brooks), but looking up and down this roster, there really isn't any defined weaknesses (maybe three-point shooting). And frankly, I have more faith in the well-traveled Nate McMillan to fit these pieces together than I do the offensively-inept Frank Vogel.
4) Toronto Raptors (49-33) - Re-signing DeMar DeRozan was a must, but Kyle Lowry's continued playoff woes tell me that they've reached their full potential in 2016 and that it only goes down from here. Now Lowry is on the wrong side of 30. So yeah, there's reason to believe that the outlook here has been dimmed in spite of their growing success in each of the last three regular seasons.
5) Atlanta Hawks (47-35) - Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard is a beast of a frontcourt, assuming Howard buys into Coach Bud's system, while the addition of Dennis Schroder into the starting lineup gives them more scoring punch on the perimeter. There's plenty of upside with the Hawks, but plenty of bust potential as well.
6) Chicago Bulls (44-38) - Top to bottom, this is still one of the most talented teams in the east. My biggest concern with them is if Fred Hoiberg is the right coach for such a veteran backcourt that can't shoot threes.
7) Detroit Pistons (43-39) - The sky is the limit for Andre Drummond as long as he works on his free throws, and the Tobias Harris addition had paid greater dividends than I had predicted. Loved the Jon Leuer addition. Consistency is the biggest issue with them, though.
8) Washington Wizards (41-41) - John Wall is still one of the top 15 players in the game today and it's difficult to picture him being out of the playoffs two seasons in a row. However, with all the money they've committed to Ian Mahinmi, I worry it signals that they aren't too thrilled with Marcin Gortat.
9) New York Knicks (39-43) - Derrick Rose? Joakim Noah? Brandon Jennings? Too many "ifs" here for me to buy into them as a surefire playoff team. You've got to think that if they don't contend this year that they're going to start a hefty rebuild around Porzingis.
10) Charlotte Hornets (39-43) - I liked them heading into the off-season, but I wanted to see them do more. I think Kemba Walker is one of the most underrated players in the game and they have plenty of length on the perimeter, though as much as I like Cody Zeller as a basketball player - I don't like him as a starting center. Also, there's still a chance that Marvin Williams could prove to be a contract year player.
11) Miami Heat (35-47) - This season may prove just what kind of value Dwyane Wade had of this franchise over the years. But they also lost Luol Deng and Joe Johnson (see photo above), two very important figures in their second half surge in 2015-16. The young guys (Winslow, Johnson, Richardson, and Whiteside) need to step up and learn their larger roles on the fly in they're going to return to the playoffs this season.
12) Milwaukee Bucks (35-47) - Rim protection. Rim protection. Rim protection. And a true point guard. They played it safe during the off-season, but is that really a good thing? They have some impressive young talent, but if they wanted to go bold they could have shopped a somewhat-overhyped Jabari Parker to fill one of those gaping holes.
13) Orlando Magic (30-52) - Perhaps they should have given into Scott Skiles' demands, because FRANK VOGEL IS NOT AN UPGRADE. Enjoy him and his nine-point quarters, Orlando. Sincerely, Pacers fan.
14) Philadelphia 76ers (23-59) - Right now, they have a bunch of pieces that don't really fit together. The reason I have them improving by 13 games this season is because I believe Ben Simmons is the best rookie in this year's class.
15) Brooklyn Nets (22-60) - Jeremy Lin should put fans in the seats again, and Brook Lopez gives them a solid trade piece in the coming years. Losing their lottery pick this past summer will greatly hurt them in 2016-17, though.
Western Conference:
1) Golden State Warriors (64-18) - Yep, they're the most talented team in the NBA, so let's search for flaws, shall we? They now lack rim protection by opting to keep Andre Iguodala over Andrew Bogut. They've also sacrificed five players of depth (Bogut, Ezeli, Speights, Barbosa, and Brandon Rush) in order to land Durant, so they won't be able to sustain an injury as well as they did last year. There's plenty of potential for failure here, but they're well-coached and still the safest best to take the league's best record.
2) San Antonio Spurs (54-28) - I'm not a fan of how they went about their off-season. Some reinforcements for their againg backcourt of Parker (34) and Ginobili (39) would have been nice. But, as long as they have Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Gregg Popovich as coach, they should still be in good position to grab the #2 seed. Quite frankly though, I don't think Pau Gasol is the answer to get them over the hump and back into the finals.
3) Los Angeles Clippers (51-31) - It been proven the last three postseasons that the only team that's been able to beat the Clippers is themselves. With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin due for free agency in 2017, their window is now.
4) Houston Rockets (48-34) - Mike D'Antoni should open up this offense and not rely on Harden all the time. Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, and Nene were all quality additions for them.
5) Portland Trail Blazers (47-35) - Continued development from one of the league's best backcourts in Lillard and McCollum should propel them to a few more wins in the standings.
6) Utah Jazz (46-36) - George Hill gives them stability at the PG position and that should finally get this talented group over the hump and into the postseason. Most importantly, Hill offers them a point guard that can knock down an open shot.
7) Oklahoma City Thunder (43-39) - With Durant gone, expect Russell Westbrook to lead the league in both scoring and assists a la Tiny Archibald. This is still one of the best run organizations in basketball, but they might have made one move too many during their brief retooling period while Durant was injured (Dion Waiters comes to mind here), and it may have ultimately cost them Durant. In all seriousness, I thought Waiters had matured greatly last postseason but the truth of the matter is that he's just not very good.
8) Memphis Grizzlies (42-40) - Was it wise to commit a combined $247 million to Conley and Parsons (and zero combined All-Star appearances) to an already aging roster that's probably seen better days? David Fizdale was a shrewd coaching hire, but they're going to have to prove me wrong. To me, they're just extremely ordinary.
9) New Orleans Pelicans (39-43) - Their defense should be better with the additions of E'Twaun Moore and Solomon Hill, but are these guys ideal fits in an Alvin Gentry system? Is Gentry the right coach for this team? The health of Anthony Davis is also key, but for a superstar level player to average under two assists per game is unacceptable regardless of position.
10) Minnesota Timberwolves (37-45) - Thibs should get them to play defense and KAT is a beast. They should be better this year, but Thibs is not a miracle worker, as his Bulls teams had consistently lacked offensive continuity. How this vast collection of young talent coexists on that end of the floor might be the most crucial to their growth. They're still another year away from making the playoffs in this difficult conference. Temper your expectations.
11) Dallas Mavericks (36-46) - The instability of this frontcourt scares me. I'm an Andrew Bogut fan, but the Mavs have no backup plan for the inevitable Bogut injury. One of these years, Dallas is going to fade from the playoff race as Dirk continues to age. This could be that year.
12) Sacramento Kings (34-48) - Dave Joerger is the latest coach to take his shot at finding the cure for this franchise's ails. At this point, they just seem to be throwing random talent out there in search of chemistry. One has got to wonder how many chances they're going to give it with Cousins as their franchise player.
13) Denver Nuggets (33-49) - They're simply doing what they're supposed to do in the difficult western conference by stockpiling young talent and draft picks while waiting for some of their veteran contracts to expire. They swung and missed at Dwyane Wade - the one free agent of significance that they took a shot at landing. This will be a popular free agent destination one day, but the front office is holding out for when the time is right.
14) Phoenix Suns (27-55) - I worry about team chemistry here. This is a roster with three starting-caliber guards and not a whole lot of balance. Obviously I'm a Brandon Knight fan, but I don't think this is a good situation for him to succeed. I'm surprised they hadn't made a serious effort to trade Bledsoe, who has had one healthy season out of three with them.
15) Los Angeles Lakers (25-57) - Luke Walton is not going to win Coach of the Year. They're counting on Brandon Ingram to be the next Kevin Durant, but Kevin Durant went 20-62 as a rookie in Seattle and 23-59 in his first year in Oklahoma City with Westbrook. Better luck down the road.
Eastern Conference:
1) Cleveland Cavaliers (56-26) - While I don't believe that LeBron James has as many years left in his prime as many others claim, there's no reason to think he won't be his usual dominant self in 2016-17 as he awaits his 32nd birthday. Loved the Birdman addition on a short, low-cost deal...
2) Boston Celtics (51-31) - Al Horford is a much better version of Jared Sullinger, though it remains to be seen if the tweener power forward is a championship-caliber big. Getting off to a good start will be key for them. Slow starts have greatly hindered their playoff positioning the last two seasons.
3) Indiana Pacers (49-33) - Team chemistry might be an issue early on with so many new players coming in (Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, Al Jefferson, and Aaron Brooks), but looking up and down this roster, there really isn't any defined weaknesses (maybe three-point shooting). And frankly, I have more faith in the well-traveled Nate McMillan to fit these pieces together than I do the offensively-inept Frank Vogel.
4) Toronto Raptors (49-33) - Re-signing DeMar DeRozan was a must, but Kyle Lowry's continued playoff woes tell me that they've reached their full potential in 2016 and that it only goes down from here. Now Lowry is on the wrong side of 30. So yeah, there's reason to believe that the outlook here has been dimmed in spite of their growing success in each of the last three regular seasons.
5) Atlanta Hawks (47-35) - Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard is a beast of a frontcourt, assuming Howard buys into Coach Bud's system, while the addition of Dennis Schroder into the starting lineup gives them more scoring punch on the perimeter. There's plenty of upside with the Hawks, but plenty of bust potential as well.
6) Chicago Bulls (44-38) - Top to bottom, this is still one of the most talented teams in the east. My biggest concern with them is if Fred Hoiberg is the right coach for such a veteran backcourt that can't shoot threes.
7) Detroit Pistons (43-39) - The sky is the limit for Andre Drummond as long as he works on his free throws, and the Tobias Harris addition had paid greater dividends than I had predicted. Loved the Jon Leuer addition. Consistency is the biggest issue with them, though.
8) Washington Wizards (41-41) - John Wall is still one of the top 15 players in the game today and it's difficult to picture him being out of the playoffs two seasons in a row. However, with all the money they've committed to Ian Mahinmi, I worry it signals that they aren't too thrilled with Marcin Gortat.
9) New York Knicks (39-43) - Derrick Rose? Joakim Noah? Brandon Jennings? Too many "ifs" here for me to buy into them as a surefire playoff team. You've got to think that if they don't contend this year that they're going to start a hefty rebuild around Porzingis.
10) Charlotte Hornets (39-43) - I liked them heading into the off-season, but I wanted to see them do more. I think Kemba Walker is one of the most underrated players in the game and they have plenty of length on the perimeter, though as much as I like Cody Zeller as a basketball player - I don't like him as a starting center. Also, there's still a chance that Marvin Williams could prove to be a contract year player.
11) Miami Heat (35-47) - This season may prove just what kind of value Dwyane Wade had of this franchise over the years. But they also lost Luol Deng and Joe Johnson (see photo above), two very important figures in their second half surge in 2015-16. The young guys (Winslow, Johnson, Richardson, and Whiteside) need to step up and learn their larger roles on the fly in they're going to return to the playoffs this season.
12) Milwaukee Bucks (35-47) - Rim protection. Rim protection. Rim protection. And a true point guard. They played it safe during the off-season, but is that really a good thing? They have some impressive young talent, but if they wanted to go bold they could have shopped a somewhat-overhyped Jabari Parker to fill one of those gaping holes.
13) Orlando Magic (30-52) - Perhaps they should have given into Scott Skiles' demands, because FRANK VOGEL IS NOT AN UPGRADE. Enjoy him and his nine-point quarters, Orlando. Sincerely, Pacers fan.
14) Philadelphia 76ers (23-59) - Right now, they have a bunch of pieces that don't really fit together. The reason I have them improving by 13 games this season is because I believe Ben Simmons is the best rookie in this year's class.
15) Brooklyn Nets (22-60) - Jeremy Lin should put fans in the seats again, and Brook Lopez gives them a solid trade piece in the coming years. Losing their lottery pick this past summer will greatly hurt them in 2016-17, though.
Western Conference:
1) Golden State Warriors (64-18) - Yep, they're the most talented team in the NBA, so let's search for flaws, shall we? They now lack rim protection by opting to keep Andre Iguodala over Andrew Bogut. They've also sacrificed five players of depth (Bogut, Ezeli, Speights, Barbosa, and Brandon Rush) in order to land Durant, so they won't be able to sustain an injury as well as they did last year. There's plenty of potential for failure here, but they're well-coached and still the safest best to take the league's best record.
2) San Antonio Spurs (54-28) - I'm not a fan of how they went about their off-season. Some reinforcements for their againg backcourt of Parker (34) and Ginobili (39) would have been nice. But, as long as they have Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Gregg Popovich as coach, they should still be in good position to grab the #2 seed. Quite frankly though, I don't think Pau Gasol is the answer to get them over the hump and back into the finals.
3) Los Angeles Clippers (51-31) - It been proven the last three postseasons that the only team that's been able to beat the Clippers is themselves. With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin due for free agency in 2017, their window is now.
4) Houston Rockets (48-34) - Mike D'Antoni should open up this offense and not rely on Harden all the time. Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, and Nene were all quality additions for them.
5) Portland Trail Blazers (47-35) - Continued development from one of the league's best backcourts in Lillard and McCollum should propel them to a few more wins in the standings.
6) Utah Jazz (46-36) - George Hill gives them stability at the PG position and that should finally get this talented group over the hump and into the postseason. Most importantly, Hill offers them a point guard that can knock down an open shot.
7) Oklahoma City Thunder (43-39) - With Durant gone, expect Russell Westbrook to lead the league in both scoring and assists a la Tiny Archibald. This is still one of the best run organizations in basketball, but they might have made one move too many during their brief retooling period while Durant was injured (Dion Waiters comes to mind here), and it may have ultimately cost them Durant. In all seriousness, I thought Waiters had matured greatly last postseason but the truth of the matter is that he's just not very good.
8) Memphis Grizzlies (42-40) - Was it wise to commit a combined $247 million to Conley and Parsons (and zero combined All-Star appearances) to an already aging roster that's probably seen better days? David Fizdale was a shrewd coaching hire, but they're going to have to prove me wrong. To me, they're just extremely ordinary.
9) New Orleans Pelicans (39-43) - Their defense should be better with the additions of E'Twaun Moore and Solomon Hill, but are these guys ideal fits in an Alvin Gentry system? Is Gentry the right coach for this team? The health of Anthony Davis is also key, but for a superstar level player to average under two assists per game is unacceptable regardless of position.
10) Minnesota Timberwolves (37-45) - Thibs should get them to play defense and KAT is a beast. They should be better this year, but Thibs is not a miracle worker, as his Bulls teams had consistently lacked offensive continuity. How this vast collection of young talent coexists on that end of the floor might be the most crucial to their growth. They're still another year away from making the playoffs in this difficult conference. Temper your expectations.
11) Dallas Mavericks (36-46) - The instability of this frontcourt scares me. I'm an Andrew Bogut fan, but the Mavs have no backup plan for the inevitable Bogut injury. One of these years, Dallas is going to fade from the playoff race as Dirk continues to age. This could be that year.
12) Sacramento Kings (34-48) - Dave Joerger is the latest coach to take his shot at finding the cure for this franchise's ails. At this point, they just seem to be throwing random talent out there in search of chemistry. One has got to wonder how many chances they're going to give it with Cousins as their franchise player.
13) Denver Nuggets (33-49) - They're simply doing what they're supposed to do in the difficult western conference by stockpiling young talent and draft picks while waiting for some of their veteran contracts to expire. They swung and missed at Dwyane Wade - the one free agent of significance that they took a shot at landing. This will be a popular free agent destination one day, but the front office is holding out for when the time is right.
14) Phoenix Suns (27-55) - I worry about team chemistry here. This is a roster with three starting-caliber guards and not a whole lot of balance. Obviously I'm a Brandon Knight fan, but I don't think this is a good situation for him to succeed. I'm surprised they hadn't made a serious effort to trade Bledsoe, who has had one healthy season out of three with them.
15) Los Angeles Lakers (25-57) - Luke Walton is not going to win Coach of the Year. They're counting on Brandon Ingram to be the next Kevin Durant, but Kevin Durant went 20-62 as a rookie in Seattle and 23-59 in his first year in Oklahoma City with Westbrook. Better luck down the road.
