The new NBA season is finally upon us. Starting tomorrow, October 28, 30 teams will venture towards the ultimate goal of hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June. It's hard to believe that it has been almost five months since we last saw real basketball, ending with the Spurs upsetting the Heat in the Finals 4 games to 1. There were many big stories in the off-season, many of which changed the landscape of both the Eastern and Western Conferences. Let us now delve deeper into the summer that was, and the fall, winter, and spring that is to come.
First things first, it wouldn't be right to talk about the NBA without saying the name LeBron James right away. Well at least this time there is reason to, since he has made his return home to the Cleveland Cavaliers. After a disappointing end to the playoffs, King James left the Heat to his home state of Ohio. This was to be expected though, especially considering Miami would have to say goodbye to Chris Bosh and/or D-Wade in order to keep LeBron and at least 3-4 mid-tier bench players. LeBron wasn't the only big name addition to the Cavs roster, though.
The Cavaliers also traded for and inked Kevin Love to a one-year deal (player option) this summer. Love showed frustration with the Timberwolves and their lack of success and playoff appearances, so he announced that he wanted out of Minnesota. The trade came with a heavy price tag, however. The Cavs were forced to give away Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, the first overall picks of the last two NBA drafts, among other players, in a three team deal with Philly and Minnesota. Things surely do seem to be looking up for the Cavs and their new big three of LeBron, Love, and Kyrie Irving.
There were some other moves that will make a definite impact on their new or returning teams this season. Carmelo Anthony re-signed with New York, Chandler Parsons signed with Dallas, Pau Gasol signed with Chicago, Chris Bosh re-signed with Miami, Paul Pierce signed with Washington, Luol Deng signed with Miami, along with many others.
There were also some big stories that didn't involve contracts and overpaying players, very recently actually.
First, on October 17, Kevin Durant underwent surgery to repair a Jones Fracture in his right foot. He is expected to be out until December, at the earliest. That is a huge blow to a Thunder team that was expected to make yet another NBA Finals run this season. The team will now have to rely on Russell Westbrook to lead the team until KD makes his return. The Thunder probably wish they hadn't traded James Harden away now.
Another key injury was to L.A. Lakers point guard, Steve Nash. Nash is expected to miss the entire season with lingering nerve issues in his back. This prolonging issue was made even worse when Nash hurt his back just carrying bags into his hotel. This may be the end of a dazzling career for the best Canadian this sport has ever seen. Nash, a two-time NBA MVP with the Phoenix Suns, is still under contract with the Lakers through 2015-2016.
It's easy to get caught up in all the signings of players, but we can't forget about teams that added new coaches. Nine teams added new head coaches, so let's meet them, shall we?
Brooklyn Nets - Lionel Hollins; Minnesota Timberwolves - Flip Saunders; Cleveland Cavaliers - David Blatt; L.A. Lakers - Byron Scott; Utah Jazz - Quin Snyder; Detroit Pistons - Stan Van Gundy; Golden State Warriors - Steve Kerr; Milwaukee Bucks - Jason Kidd; and finally, New York Knicks - Derek Fisher.
Good luck to all these coaches with their new teams!
Now that we recapped some of what went on during the offseason, let's talk about the upcoming season and make some predictions, what do you say? We'll discuss how each conference will shape out, who will make the improbable playoff run, who will stand atop the NBA as NBA Champions, who will win the major awards, etc. Let's begin!
So after all these signings, injuries, returns, etc., it will be interesting to see how each conference will shape out. Who will come out on top and who will surprise us? Let's start out West.
Western Conference Predictions:
1 - San Antonio Spurs (58-24)
2 - LA Clippers (57-25)
3 - Golden State Warriors (55-27)
4 - Houston Rockets (53-29)
5 - Oklahoma City Thunder (52-30)
6 - Portland Trail Blazers (50-32)
7 - Dallas Mavericks (49-33)
8 - Phoenix Suns (47-35)
It was difficult to leave Memphis and New Orleans out of the playoffs, but Phoenix just has too much talent to not at least get in as the 8th seed. Here's how I see this conference breaking down in the playoffs:
1st Round:
SA def. PHX 4-1; LAC def. DAL 4-2; GS def. POR 4-2; OKC def. HOU 4-3
Semi-Finals:
LAC def. SA 4-3; GS def. OKC 4-2
West Finals:
LAC def. GS 4-2; Clippers advance to the NBA Finals
Now that we've gone through the West, let's travel cross country and visit the East
Eastern Conference Predictions:
1 - Cleveland Cavaliers (61-21)
2 - Chicago Bulls (57-25)
3 - Miami Heat (52-30)
4 - Atlanta Hawks (49-33)
5 - Washington Wizards (47-35)
6 - Charlotte Bobcats (46-36)
7 - Toronto Raptors (45-37)
8 - Detroit Pistons (43-39)
These are easily the 8 best teams in the East.
Let's see how the playoffs will work out in the East:
1st Round:
CLE def. DET 4-1; CHI def. Tor 4-1; MIA def. CHA 4-2; ATL def. WAS 4-3
Semi-Finals:
CLE def. CHI 4-3; ATL def. MIA 4-3
East Finals:
CLE def. ATL 4-2; Cavaliers advance to face the Clippers in the NBA Finals.
Here we are, the moment the long NBA season is built around, the NBA Finals. The Clippers against the Cavaliers. Who will come out on top as the NBA's best team?
CLE def. LAC 4-2; Cavaliers win the NBA Finals in the first year of LeBron's return.
Well, there you have it. The Cavaliers will be NBA Champions come the end of June. It is what we have to expect after the Cavs brought LeBron back and invited Kevin Love to join forces with King James and Kyrie. Now that we figured out who's taking home the Larry O'Brien Trophy, let's talk about some other hardware, individual awards.
As we all know, Kevin Durant was the MVP last season, and he won't be able to repeat due to his injury, so who will take home that award? Here's how the top 5 finishers should look:
NBA MVP Prediction:
1 - Steph Curry
2- LeBron James
3 - Anthony Davis
4 - James Harden
5 - Russell Westbrook
Curry could possibly win the MVP simply because he is a magician on the court. He will lead the NBA in three pointers made, three-point percentage, and double-doubles amongst all guards. Hey, he may even lead the NBA in triple-doubles with how his rebounding game has steadily been improving.
Defensive Player of the Year Predictions:
1 - DeAndre Jordan
2 - Andre Drummond
3 - Anthony Davis
4 - Serge Ibaka
5 - Chris Paul
DeAndre Jordan could possibly win the DPOY Award because the dude is impossible to score against in the paint and around the post. He has the ability to block three or more shots a game, and his rebounding is tremendous. Who cares about costless throws when you can dominate the paint defensively like DJ does?
Rookie of the Year Predictions:
1 - Jabari Parker
2 - Andrew Wiggins
3 - Nerlens Noel
4 - Elfrid Payton
5 - Julius Randle
Jabari Parker will narrowly edge out Andrew Wiggins for the Rookie of the Year award because of his overmatched strength inside compared to Wiggins. If Parker can tune his defense, we should be seeing him on the MVP list in the next few years.
6th Man of the Year Predictions:
1 - Jamal Crawford
2 - Greg Monroe
3 - Manu Ginobili
4 - Taj Gibson
5 - Marcus Morris
Well, the NBA Season is quickly approaching, so let's get ready for another great season of basketball. Good luck to all the teams and players this season, may your championship dreams come true!