While most people are gearing up for football, I’m still writing about the NBA. The month of August is the dead season in the NBA calendar year, players are playing in the Olympics, tanning on the beach, or back into their own team’s practice facility. Any General Managers and scouts are still working to finalize their respective teams and decide the invites for training camp. But, at the end of the year, for us basketball fans, we get the satisfaction of getting our predictions right. It’s pretty easy for me, though, because I’m always right. In here, I’ll give out playoff predictions and season awards. So here’s my predictions that are inevitably going to be wrong:
Eastern Conference
15: Philadelphia 76ers 18-64
14. Brooklyn Nets 20-62
13. Orlando Magic 32-50
12. Milwaukee Bucks 37-45
11. Miami Heat 38-44
10. Chicago Bulls 40-42
9. New York Knicks 41-41
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8. Washington Wizards 43-39
Bradley Beal’s contract is big, but the margin that the Wizards will get in the playoffs is not. Washington will get back on track with John Wall the great player that he is, and with some help with better health, they will move in the right direction. Also, my hope for the Wizards is that they change their style of play that they played with last year. They’re trying to play like the Warriors, but only the Warriors can play like the Warriors.
7. Indiana Pacers 45-37
The hype for the Pacers is out of control. Indiana has a great player, don’t get me wrong, Paul George will be able to hold down the fort for Indiana, but the rest of the team that is being built around him isn’t too special. The Pacers made a downgrade move in Jeff Teague for George Hill, considering that in Real Plus-Minus, Hill was a 1.5 and Teague was a 0.3 last season. To add on, the Pacers want to play faster, but adding Al Jefferson with no shooters, is an ill-advised decision.
6. Charlotte Hornets 46-36
Addition by subtraction AND addition by addition puts the Hornets just slightly above the Pacers. Getting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist back into the fray will help the Hornets stay in the playoffs and ahead of the other two teams. Also, without feeling the need to feed Al Jefferson the ball, it will ultimately help Charlotte.
5. Atlanta Hawks 48-34
Yes, yes, I know, the Hawks lost Al Horford, Jeff Teague, and Kyle Korver is aging. But Atlanta had a problem, Al Horford, and Paul Millsap were almost the same player. And Dwight Howard can fix that,.To add-on, I’m not too sure Dennis Schroder is not better than Jeff Teague. The problem with the Hawks is that they have absolutely no depth, but they do have Coach Bud.
4. Detroit Pistons 49-33
Even though Detroit is rolling into the season with nearly the same squad, they will be vastly improved. With young players improving and adding a backup center in BOBAN THE DESTROYER it'll deepen their bench and improve the team bottom up. But seriously, along with that, Ish Smith will add a significant boost off the bench. Reggie Jackson, Caldwell-Pope, Morris, and Harris will all be huge in the Pistons moving up four spots to number four.
3. Boston Celtics 54-28
Al Horford is huge for the Celtics, he brings the center that they needed. Now, with the progression of this young core, Brad Stevens will be able to work his magic. Especially with Al Horford, Brad Stevens will finally have a high-low Center who can help Isiah Thomas when he gets double teamed. He can pass out of the double-team to Al Horford who can either shoot the three ball, drive to the basket, or pass the ball. Phenomenal pickup by the C's.
2. Toronto Raptors 55-27
With the return of Jonas Valanciunas, it seems fitting to place the Raptors at second. With the losses of Bismack Biyombo and James Johnson, it’ll put a little dent into the Raptors season. Andy Bailey from Today’s Fastbreak showed the Raptors staying even in Wins Over Replacement, therefore why I only had them losing one more game. But with the likes of Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan, they’ll be able to maintain the second spot.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers 60-22
Mike Dunleavy was the Cavs biggest addition to their squad. Which, in fact, is a fabulous get. He was a staple in the Bulls organization. A player who can hit shots and pass the ball well will reap a huge benefit in the Cavs style of play. Chris Anderson is another veteran pickup that forced Cleveland to release Harris’s contract. Let’s not forget, they won the Championship and have Lebron James, a top three player ever.
Western Conference
15. Sacramento Kings 23-59
14. Phoenix Suns 25-57
13. Los Angeles Lakers 26-56
12. Denver Nuggets 34-48
11. New Orleans Pelicans 36-46
10. Oklahoma City Thunder 39-41
9. Memphis Grizzlies 40-42
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8. Minnesota Timberwolves 41-41
People who are just casual basketball fans don’t understand how good Karl Anthony-Towns is. For a bold prediction; He is a future Hall of Famer and future MVP candidate in a couple of years. Along with Towns, the Wolves added Coach Tom Thibodeau. For all I can see, Minnesota added a sure fire top five coach in the league.With the development of Zach Lavine and the addition of Kris Dunn, the Wolves get into the playoffs.
7. Dallas Mavericks 43-39
Rick Carlisle, don’t let me down. I have great faith in his coaching abilities, and one thing rings true; players always play great under Carlisle. And I'm hoping the same will be true for Harrison Barnes and will be able to push them into the playoffs.
6. Houston Rockets 44-38
The Rockets are going to score a lot of points. A lot. They actually could be historically great on the offensive end. With James Harden already a prolific scorer and passer, Houston added Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson. Gordon and Anderson add a combined 3.1 offensive plus-minus.
5. Utah Jazz 47-35
Great veteran additions were the story of the Jazz’s offseason. With a “Three and D” point guard in George Hill, and a scoring wing in Joe Johnson it will boost the Jazz to the fifth seed in the West. Also, in Andy Bailey’s Wins Over Replacement the Jazz were third most improved team on this chart. Gaining six wins.
4. Portland Trail Blazers 48-34
Damian Lillard is a superstar, and this is the reason I have the Blazers ahead of the Jazz. C.J Mccollum just signed a four year 106 million dollar contract which creates a security blanket for the Blazers. Adding Evan Turner to the mix can be a big boost on the bench or starting due to his great defense. They also retained Allen Crabbe and Festus Ezeli who will bolster Portland’s bench from the bottom up.
3. Los Angeles Clippers 54-28
Do we forget how good the Clippers are? With Blake Griffin coming back healthy with the likes of Chris Paul and Deandre Jordan, the Clippers are still a force to be reckoned with. Both Chris, Paul and Blake Griffin, are in contract years, so maybe they’ll step up their game even more. The Clippers Achilles heel will be their small forward position and bench. We’ll see how their depth holds up.
2. San Antonio Spurs 57-35
A foundational player leaving an organization is a huge loss. I don’t think the loss of Tim Duncan will affect the Spurs now, but it will in the future. The addition of Pau Gasol will help bandage the wound. Even though Duncan declined in his played last year, his defense was still so valuable. San Antonio's defensive rating was a team-best 93.8 when Duncan was on the floor this year. That dropped to 98.4 when he sat.
1. Golden State Warriors 70-12
C’mon, I mean, what do you expect? Kevin Durant was one of the best offensive players in the league. He was number two in win shares and in the top five in offensive plus-minus. The number one player in both metrics? Stephen Curry. The Warriors are statically unstoppable. I do believe they will struggle in the beginning, but it won’t last long.
Season Predictions and awards
Most Unbearable Team to Watch: Brooklyn Nets
What In The Hell Are They Doing Award: Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings
The Least Valuable Player Award: Michael Carter-Williams, Milwaukee Bucks
First Coach Fired: Fred Hoiberg, Chicago Bulls
The "I'm going to chuck more shots up in a game than when the name "Chuck" is mentioned on NBA on TNT" Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Most Improved Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Sixth Man of the Year Award: Ish Smith, Detroit Pistons
Rookie of the year: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Rookie of the year: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
Executive of the Year: Dennis Lindsey, Utah Jazz
NBA Champions: Golden State Warriors
Finals MVP: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
All NBA First Team
G Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
G James Harden, Houston Rockets
F Lebron James, Clevland Cavaliers
F Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
F Kawhi Lenord, San Antonio Spurs
All NBA First Team
G Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
G James Harden, Houston Rockets
F Lebron James, Clevland Cavaliers
F Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
F Kawhi Lenord, San Antonio Spurs
All NBA Second Team
G Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
G Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
F Blake Griffin, Los Angles Clippers
F LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
C Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
All NBA Third Team
G Chris Paul, Los Angles Clippers
G John Wall, Washington Wizards
F Demar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
F Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
C Al Horford, Boston Celtics
NBA All-Rookie First Team
G Kris Dunn, Minnesota Timberwolves
G Jammal Murray, Denver Nuggets
F Ben Simmons, Philidelphia 76ers
F Brandon Ingram, Los Angles Lakers
C Joel Embiid, Philidelphia 76ers
NBA All-Rookie Second Team
G Buddy Hield, New Orleans Pelicans
G Denzel Valintine, Chicago Bulls
F Jalen Brown, Boston Celtics
F Dragan Bender, Phoenix Suns
C Ivic Zubac, Los Angles Lakers
NBA All-Defensive First Team
G Chris Paul, Los Angles Clippers
G Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
F Kahwi Lenord, San Antonio Spurs
F Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
C Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
NBA All-Defensive Second Team
G Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzles
G Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
F Paul Milsap, Atlanta Hawks
F Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
C Deandre Jordan, Los Angles Clippers
All stats are provided by basketballreference.com unless previously noted
