The NBA is coming. The warriors with the two reigning most valuable players are coming. Lebron and company look to defend the land. Can the addition of big Al Alford help Boston get over the hump? Can the pacers regain their swag with the addition of Jeff Teague? Will Westbrook get MVP and troll saying, "You the real MVP." The first year without the Black Mamba, can San Antonio remain their dominance without Timmy d. Harden has gotten the keys from mike D'atoni will he ride with it? Will the Lakers show any growth? Can Tom Thibodeau groom the young Timberwolves to be a legit squad? Can the revamped Knicks produce in the Phil Jackson area? D wade returning to the house that Michael Jordan built.
The association is back and the storylines are fresh and riveting. From Lebron attempting to reach another consecutive finals appearance to the golden state bullet club dubs aiming to redeem themselves. Is a new team on the verge of dethroning either team?
Quick predictions for the season:
Finals rematch for the third consecutive year, this time deciding match-up comes down to the small forward position. Durant vs. Lebron except this time Durant shows out and remembers his first heartbreak he suffered in the finals from Lebron and the Heatles.
The Golden State Warriors, the heels of the NBA having two MVPs who both blew a 3-1 lead respectively leading the charge are about to be deadly. The offense is going to be leading my Durant’s efficiency which is going to be the key to winning the ship this season. Curry will continue to look human instead of the everyday highlight reel that he was last year but he is going to drop dimes this season while the scoring takes a hit. Draymond Green will be Draymond; Klay Thompson will continue to put up video game numbers by shooting less. Let’s not even get started with the bench, who will need help but the addition of David West along with Andre and Livingston is going to be a scoring machine. Plus death lineup 2.0 > original death line-up, is going to be the reason why they get the ship.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, what Lebron and company did last season was remarkable. Being down 3-1 in the finals to bring a championship to the land, the shot of young Kyrie Irving to win the game is start of Irving becoming a bright star in the association. Irving will have a better year after dealing with the first season after knee surgery. The only question will be how will the squad do being coached for a full year under Tyron Lue? Kevin Love should be a bigger factor on the offensive side he looked like he finally got his groove back in game seven of the finals. J.R. Smith is going to be good ol’ JR so that should be fun.
Wildcard to come out the east: either Boston or Indiana. Boston made strides in the post-season. Coach brad Stevens and guards Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas lead the charge with big Al manning the middle controlling the paint could cause some havoc from the defending champs.
One reason why Indiana might come out as the wildcard Paul George looks like the old Paul George. Monta Ellis can get hot any given time. They actually have a pretty solid point guard that can contribute passing the roc or getting some buckets. The fact that Miles Turner has another year under his belt is going to be huge defensively for this pacers team.
Maybe Toronto if DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry continue to hit his stride on the hardwood.
Teams that could be interesting to watch just to see if they can get it together by the post-season:
The Chicago Bulls. who knows how that trio of Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler are going to do but they are definitely a team to watch. The addition of rookie Denzel Valentine deciding to come into the Chi and play in the 45 should be interesting just to learn from the Bulls trio.
The New York Knicks. The additions of derrick rose, Joakim Noah and Brandon Jennings coming off the bench gives this Knicks team some life. Carmelo Anthony has never played with a point guard like D. Rose and D. Rose has never played with a scorer like Melo. Or even played with anybody with the skills set Kristaps Porzingis has. P. Jackson may have made the right moves let's see if they play out for him.
The Houston rockets. Mike d handing over the keys to the 7 seconds or less offense to James hardens easily makes it where he can average a nice 30 points per game. The Harden show is definitely going to be lighting up the H-town this season.
The San Antonio spurs. Life without Timmy. Kawhhi Leonard and Lamarcus Aldridge turn to lead this new generation of spurs to the promise land. Will it happen - doubtful? But the addition of Pau Gasol makes them an even explosive offensive team if they get the mall movement system working together.
The Oklahoma City thunder. Billy Donovan did one hell of job for his first season as the head coach. Mixing in a big line up with Enes Kanter and Steven Adams but all eyes are on Russ. Russ who is going to have Kobe playing with Smush Parker numbers like numbers this season is going to be unstoppable. Leading candidate to win MVP. The addition of Victor Oladipo gives some much-needed scoring but the lost of Serge Ibaka hurting them as much as the lost of KD will.
The Minnesota Timberwolves. The young talent along with the impressive rookie Kris Dunn can be a surprising team. With Thibs controlling this franchise and having a defense first mentality. No reason why Karl Anthony Towns can't win defensive player awards. Towns is about to ball this upcoming NBA season. Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVIne could easily make this team league pass worthy to watch.
Rookie of the year: Brandon Ingram, will have big shoes to fill in for the first year post-Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers. They will be entertaining on some games. It'll be benfecial for the team if D’angelo Russell's maturity blossoms as well as his improvement on the game. Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle should have no problem getting numbers in the new offensive lead by new head coach Luke Walton.NBA Player to watch Joel " the Process" Embid, he has yet to play official minutes in the association but if he doing anything that he is doing in pre-season Philadelphia will having something to cheer about despite the number one pick Ben Simmons sustaining an injury and being likely done for the season. Hopefully, Philly fans get to see the rookie out on the hardwood, if not the process will get you. cheering Philly.
