After a crazy off-season which saw LeBron return to Cleveland, here are my projections for the upcoming season.
Western Conference
1. San Antonio Spurs- The defending champs resigned Boris Diaw and are working on re-signing Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who wants a max deal. Assuming Leonard's contract doesn't become a distraction, expect another run at the title by Popovich's team, barring a significant injury.
2. Los Angeles Clippers- Vinny del Negro is gone, Doc Rivers is in, and the Clips resigned MVP-candidate Chris Paul, while also adding perimeter shooting and defense in the form of J.J. Redick, Jared Dudley, and backup PG Darren Collison. Plus, my NBA preview wouldn't be complete without picking an LA team to win the West. (We all know how that turned out last year)
3. Oklahoma City Thunder- Kevin Durant's foot injury only reason I drop OKC down to 3rd. Adding more shooting in Anthony Morrow, added growth from Jeremy Lamb and Andre Roberson, in addition to a healthy Russell Westbrook should keep the Thunder in contention.
4. Portland Trailblazers- Damian Lillard, Wesley Mathews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez form the best starting lineup in basketball. In order for Blazers to take the next step, though, they'll need Steve Blake, Dorell Wright, and Chris Kaman to produce off the bench.
5. Dallas Mavericks- The Mavericks made a litany of offseason moves, as they signed Chandler Parsons from the Rockets, reacquired Tyson Chandler from the Knicks, and added Jameer Nelson to a Dirk Nowitzki and a team that won 50 games a year ago. Rick Carlisle will make sure everyone fits and the Mavs should contend for homecourt advantage.
6. Golden State Warriors- Steve Kerr's new offense is already drawing rave reviews, and could make the Splash Brothers (in addition to continued growth from Harrison Barnes) even more lethal.
7. Houston Rockets- My hometown team lost out on both Chris Bosh and resigning Chandler Parsons, so had a rather disappointing offseason. Instead GM Daryl Morey will hope that SF Trevor Ariza can upgrade the perimeter defense, while adequately replacing Parsons' offense. Bench depth is a big question mark, however, as Houston will be depending on veterans coming off bad seasons (Jason Terry) or unproven NBA players (Kostas Papanikolaou, Troy Daniels, Nick Johnson, Isaiah Canaan).
8. Phoenix Suns- Phoenix was biggest surprise in NBA last season, and adding dynamic PG Isaiah Thomas to pair with Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe gives the Suns a great backcourt. Lack of depth in the front court will hold Phoenix back, though.
9. Memphis Grizzlies- Adding an aging Vince Carter to a team that barely snuck into the playoffs last year doesn't inspire much excitement in me. Still not enough perimeter shooting outside Mike Conley (have only been saying that for the past 5 offseasons)
10. Denver Nuggets- A team decimated by injuries a year ago, Brian Shaw hopes in his second year that a core of Ty Lawson, Aron Afflalo, Nate Robinson, Danilo Galinari, and Kenneth Faried can lead the Nuggets back to the playoffs.
11. New Orleans Pelicans- Anthony Davis is about to breakout as a superstar, and pairing him with Omer Asik in the front court gives New Orleans a top-10 duo there. Need a bounceback season from Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, and Jrue Holiday, though for the Pelicans to make a run at the postseason.
12. Sacramento Kings- Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins may both average 20+, but Sac-town made a mistake in letting Isaiah Thomas go, in my opinion. Instead, they will have to depend on Darren Collison/Ramon Sessions at PG. Also need either Ben McLemore or Nik Stauskas (their last team lottery picks) to develop into a quality NBA starting SG.
13. Los Angeles Lakers- Kobe is back, but his supporting cast is still pretty mediocre. Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer are solid veterans who will add offense but are turnstiles defensively, not good for a team that is in transition.
14. Utah Jazz- Gordon Hayward was resigned to a big deal, and he will have to lead a young team that needs big leaps forward from young players like Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, and Trey Burke.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves- Traded Kevin Love to Cleveland to start over with a young core of Andrew Wiggins, Thad Young, and Ricky Rubio. Will be a long season with a lot of growing pains in the Twin Cities.
Eastern Conference
1. Chicago Bulls- Derrick Rose is back (again?) and so are Chicago's championship hopes. MVP-candidate Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler somehow led Chicago to 4th seed a year ago, and adding a returning Rose, PF Pau Gasol and draft pick Doug McDermott should only elevate Tom Thibodeau's team to the top spot in the depleted East.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers- LeBron is back, and so are the Cavs, who will help that their new nucleus of LBJ, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving can mesh together and develop enough chemistry to make a title run in year 1.
3. Toronto Raptors- Another big surprise from a year ago, Toronto is a young, talented team with two all-star players in DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry (snubbed) in the backcourt. Growth from Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas will determine how high Toronto lands.
4. Washington Wizards- A surprising playoff team a year ago, DC fans finally can have optimism that John Wall and Bradley Beal continue to grow into the best backcourt in basketball. Getting solid contributions from veterans Paul Pierce, Nene, and Marcin Gortat will also determine how far the Wiz go.
5. Miami Heat- LBJ is gone, as are the championship aspirations in South Beach. But Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Luol Deng, Danny Granger, and Josh McRoberts will still be enough for Miami to contend for homecourt in the East.
6. Charlotte Hornets- The rebranded ex-Bobcats should improve on last year's record, with the addition of Lance Stephenson, continued growth from Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and a solid anchor down low at center in Al Jefferson.
7. Atlanta Hawks- Al Horford is back and the Hawks should have enough with all-star Paul Millsap and PG Jeff Teague to improve on their record a year ago.
8. Brooklyn Nets- Money doesn't buy happiness, especially when that money is spent on washed up veterans and a disgruntled coach, who failed in his power grab (good riddance, Jason Kidd). Brooklyn will make the playoffs with Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, and Joe Johnson on the team, but that's their ceiling, and nothing more.
9. New York Knicks- Is Amar'e off the books yet? Capped out NY resigned Carmelo Anthony but still couldn't do much to improve the team other than sign Derek Fisher to teach them how to flop better.
10. Detroit Pistons- Stan Van Gundy brings instant credibility to an organization that has been in disarray. If/when they trade Josh Smith, the Pistons will able to build around a decent nucleus in Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, and Brandon Jennings.
11. Indiana Pacers- Absolutely collapsed last year after getting to an amazing start, falling meekly to Miami in the conference finals. Roy Hibbert looked like he has forgotten how to play basketball, and then Paul George goes down with a horrific leg injury while playing for team USA during the summer. Going to be a long season in Indy.
12. Milwaukee Bucks- Assuming veterans OJ Mayo and Larry Sanders return to form, and new coach Jason Kidd can nurture rookie Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee will be much improved this year.
13. Boston Celtics- Rajon Rondo wants out and Boston may have his replacement in Marcus Smart. Otherwise, another growing year Brad Stevens and a team that won 25 games a year ago.
14. Orlando Magic- They signed center Nicolas Vucevic to an long-term extension and they'll hope he, Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo can be form the core for the future.
15. Philadelphia 76ers- Tank City continues, with maybe Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel (yet to play an NBA game) the only NBA-quality players on the roster.
