As a basketball fan I love this time of year. There is so much hope in the air as players return to their respective clubs, fans start drafting their fantasy teams and the possibilities for the upcoming season are endless.
The concept that only half the teams in each conference will make the playoffs is just absurd and everyone is dreaming of having a winning season.
Hindsight has not cast its judging gaze over the season yet, previous seasons performances are easily forgotten behind a thick cloud of new signings, ambitious statements from GMs, coaches, players and the energy surrounding all the what ifs that come with preparing for a new season. It’s a magical time of year.
To celebrate this magical time in the calendar I have prepared an optimists guide to very team in the league with a few reasons why you can get excited about each of them before they eventually break your heart and start looking ahead to the 2015 NBA draft.
Put your rose tinted glasses on, sit back and have a pinch of salt at arm’s length.
Miami Heat
Draft Picks – Shabazz Napier (24th)
High fives all round with this pick. We managed to get LeBron’s favourite player in the draft by trading up to the #24 spot. This will surely make him happy and want to re-sign with us. Wait, he was always going home and we botched another first round pick?
Did we add anyone? – Luol Deng, Danny Granger, Shannon Brown and Josh McRoberts. This is a good list of players headlined by one of the nicest guys in the league in Luol Deng. McRoberts can pass well for a big man and Granger might return to his glory days. Fingers crossed that they can get it together.
Reason to get excited – We may have lost LeBron but on paper our team looks alright. Plus we have the runner-up MVP for the 2013/14 NBL Season in James Ennis. Woot!
Milwaukee Bucks
Draft Picks – Jabari Parker (second) and Johnny O’Bryant III (36th)
Parker is a born ready NBA big and should dominate from day one.
He has the size and game to put up big numbers so get ready for some excitement. O’Bryant III is a college veteran whose name sounds like an Irish Kobe. That’s all I know right now.
Did we add anyone? Jerryd Bayless, Jared Dudley, Kendall Marshall and Jason Kidd – Not exactly a superstar collection of players but the last name on the list could be intriguing. A young coach with a young, talented squad could be the recipe for excitement, especially when one of your players is called the Greek Freak.
Reason to get excited – New owners, new coach and a new stadium on its way – what isn’t there to get excited about? Sure the roster might not be world class yet but with a young core this team will be fun to watch, even if they play in a city where a trip to shops carries a severe frostbite risk.
New York Knicks
Draft Picks – Cleanthony Early (34th)
We desperately need a draft pick to come in and make an early impact and Cleanthony’s four years at college means he might be useable very early. Still early days yet to see if the early bird gets the worm. Early.
Did we add anyone? Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin and Jason Smith – While we lost our defensive anchor in Tyson Chandler, we did manage to get rid of Raymond Felton (thank you Dallas). In return we got one of the best shooters in the league (Calderon). Watch Calderon become Steve Kerr v2.0 in the new triangle system Coach Jackson I mean Fisher will implement.
Reason to get excited – Melo didn’t leave us, we are implementing the triangle and there will no longer be a five-minute montage of Mike Woodson staring into the distance during each game. Plus we have Phil Jackson, who doesn’t just win single NBA Titles, he wins threepeats!
Orlando Magic
Draft Picks
Aaron Gordon (4th), Elfrid Payton (10th) and Devyn Marble (56th) – Gordon is a high flying acrobat in the Blake Griffin mould, Payton is a pesky defensive guard and Marble had a highly productive college career. Solid additions to a young core.
Did we add anyone? Channing Frye, Evan Fournier, Ben Gordon, Luke Ridnour and Willie Green – The big addition here is Channing Frye. A long range centre that should space the floor a lot more than any line-up we threw out there last season. This should give our young guards plenty of room to work in.
Reason to get excited – We are young, talented and have plenty to prove. Plus if we play in the black pin-striped jerseys this season we will be the best looking bunch of players in the NBA.
Philadelphia 76ers
Draft Picks – Joel Embiid (3rd), Dario Saric (12th) and Jerami Grant (39th)
So out of our three draft picks only one might play in 2014 and it’s the guy we picked in the second round. On the plus side we managed to get the guy who was going #1 before his injury became headline news. Go the future!
Did we add anyone? Luc Mbah a Moute and Keith Bogans – This is going to be another long season.
Reason to get excited – The 2015 NBA Draft and Beyond! Clearly we are going to suck this season and Nerlens Noel can only send so many shots into the stands per game before the misery of losing hits home. We might be good in a few years but right now we are tanking without shame.
Toronto Raptors
Draft Picks – Bruno Caboclo (20th)
This was an unexpected pick but this guy is passionate. If his Summer League antics are anything to go by the Raptors have a guy who wants to get better and will work his Brazilian behind off.
Did we add anyone? Lou Williams and Greg Stiemsma
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Williams is a solid pick-up for not a lot of money and given we came within one game of honouring our GMs “F**K Brooklyn” motto in the playoffs, I like their chances this season.
Reason to get excited – We kept Lowry, our core is young and very talented and we have Drake on our side. T Dot is going to be crazy this season, crazy with winning!
Washington Wizards
Draft Picks – N/A – We traded our first round pick to the Suns last season for the Polish Hammer (good move) and our second round pick went to the Lakers because we felt bad for them.
Did we add anyone? Paul Pierce, Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair
The Truth, Ex-Mr Kardashian and Mr No Cartilage. That’s not a bad haul over the summer as we have gone all in on winning in the next two years.
Reason to get excited – One of the best backcourts in the league (sorry Dion), a great looking roster and a shaken up Eastern Conference where anything can happen. Let the misery of Washington professional sports come to an end this season!
Are you an overly optimistic NBA fan and think I missed anything? Let me know in the comments sections.
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