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The NBA season is only just around the corner. Here are 15 predictions for the upcoming year of basketball action.
1. Cavs win the title
Following the loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking to bounce back with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in the starting line-up as opposed to sitting in suits on the bench.
With Tristan Thompson finally signing to a new deal, the Cavs have brought back all their key players from last year. They were recently chosen as the favourites to win the title by NBA General Managers (16/30) and are almost guaranteed to win the Eastern Conference.
If the Cavs can go the season without any serious injuries, they will be the team to beat.
2. Tristan Thompson doesn’t live up to the money
Staying with the Cavaliers, it was announced earlier this week that Thompson had signed a five-year, $82-million dollar contract with the Cavs.
It is clear that owner Dan Gilbert is ready to pull out all the stops to make sure Cleveland has every chance to win a championship, the city’s first since 1964.
But Thompson won’t prove to be worth the money on the court. Averaging 8 points and 8 rebounds off the bench while providing plenty of energy and mediocre rim protection is hardly worth the money that Thompson is being paid. Assuming he returns to his normal production levels, Kevin Love is still a significant upgrade over Thompson, despite his incredible durability.
3. Anthony Davis takes home the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Awards
Probably the least likely to happen, but you never know these days. After a huge season averaging 24 points and 10 rebounds, Davis is predicted to make huge strides in both his offense and defence under coach Alvin Gentry.
There has already been talk of Davis shooting corner 3s and that is just downright scary to even think about. A force of nature on both ends of the floor, Davis has both the physical tools and intangible desire to win both awards.
He was among the league leaders in PER last year and ranked second in win shares per 48 minutes last year.
4. Paul George at power forward works
For the majority of his career, Paul George has played shooting guard and occasionally small forward. So when news broke that Frank Vogel was going to play him at power forward this season, he naturally wasn’t very happy.
“Um, you know it’s, uh, I was open for – to try it out. It’s definitely a change. It’s something new. We’ll see how it goes. As the season goes, it might be better for me to just be at my regular position. But I told them I was open to the situation and (we’ll) see where it goes.”
With the small ball revolution taking over the NBA landscape, George will initially struggle against the bigger power forwards before adapting to the new style of play.
5. Detroit Pistons make the playoffs
With Stan Van Gundy at the helm, the Pistons look poised to jump from the Eastern Conference cellar into the playoff picture.
Of course the Disney-esque story of waiving Josh Smith and then winning six consecutive games has been told over and over, however further player movement should have fellow Eastern conference teams worried.
The replacement of Greg Monroe with Ersan Ilyasova will be instrumental to the success of the team as SVG attempts to replicate the magic he procured in Orlando with Dwight Howard. Andre Drummond still needs to work on his offensive game but his rebounding and growing defensive prowess more than make up for the points left at the free throw line.
Finally, keep an eye on Stanley Johnson, definitely a player to watch this year.
6. Mark Cuban suffers first ever losing season
For as long as Mark Cuban has owned the Dallas Mavericks, they have never had a losing season. Always the paragon of consistency, the Mavericks are up there with the San Antonio Spurs in regards to 50+ win seasons. But this year it looks set to change.
After securing DeAndre Jordan to a deal and then losing him back to the Clippers, Cuban was forced to bring in Sam Dalembert (who they just waived) and the ‘Dwight Stopper’ of 2009, Zaza Pachulia. Combine this with the losses of Tyson Chandler and Monta Ellis, it doesn’t look too promising for the Mavericks.
Dirk is another year older, Deron Williams is a shell of what he used to be and Chandler Parsons is coming off a serious injury that kept him out for two games against the Rockets last year. It will be a bleak year for the Mavericks and Cuban.
7. Steph Curry breaks another three-point record
I don’t know which one and I don’t particularly care. This man is on another level.
8. Atlanta finish in the bottom four seeds of the East
While the new uniforms do look great, the Hawks are unlikely to repeat what the accomplished last year: an entire month undefeated, four All-Stars and the player of the month honours going to their entire starting line-up.
It was fun while it lasted, Atlanta. The loss of DeMarre Carroll to the Raptors was almost inevitable, as former general manager Danny Ferry had to decide between signing him or Paul Millsap due to the lack of Bird rights on either player.
The acquisition of Tiago Splitter will work wonders for Al Horford but beyond the starting five, there isn’t much depth on the team which includes a German point guard who says he should be starting. While they’re still good enough to make the playoffs, the Hawks will finish somewhere between the fifth and eighth seed.
The team will start to realise that they’re just a cheaper version of the Spurs.
9. Gordon Hayward makes his All-Star debut
One of the most underrated players in the modern NBA, this will be a breakout year for Hayward who is now entering his sixth year as a pro. A jack of all trades but master of none, Hayward averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists last season all while shooting an effective 45.5 per cent from the field. An improved three-point shot and now more media coverage on the Jazz should see Hayward emerge as a dark horse for an All-Star birth.
10. Spurs win the West
I don’t need to say much. LaMarcus Aldridge is going to be huge for them.
11. Kobe Bryant averages 20 ppg
Assuming (read: hoping) he doesn’t get injured again, Kobe Bryant is still more than capable of scoring 20 points per game for the season. While the Lakers aren’t going to make the playoffs, Bryant will still shoulder the offensive load for his team.
Both Nick Young and Lou Williams won’t be too happy but Kobe will more than likely keep shooting the ball just to piss them off. He won’t have any problems putting the shots up, it’s just a matter of making a decent percentage that will determine if he gets to the 20 ppg mark or not.
12. Toronto Raptors win a playoff series
After being eliminated twice by Paul Pierce, once as a Brooklyn Net and then again as a Washington Wizard, the Raptors are pretty down on their luck when it comes to playoff basketball.
The emergence of skinny Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas as a decent offensive prospect could see their fortunes turn around, but another year together in a relatively weak Eastern conference should be enough for the Raptors to get over the hump.
Quite possibly the most important factor when making this prediction would have to be that Paul Pierce now plays with the LA Clippers in the WESTERN conference. No more nightmares for you Mr. Lowry.
13. Knicks squeeze into the eighth seed
After an abysmal season last year, it would be hard for the New York Knicks to do much worse. Finishing with a 17-65 record for new head coach Derek Fisher, the team surrounding Carmelo Anthony for the majority of the season was full of borderline D-League players.
The Knicks finished in the bottom ten in points per game, opponent points per game, pace, offensive rating and defensive rating. This was a disturbing season, especially considering Phil Jackson was brought on board as Director of Basketball Operations to improve the team, rather than hinder it.
The signings of Arron Afflalo, Robin Lopez, Kyle O’Quinn and Derrick Williams will all surely contribute over the course of the season and, when combined with the all-round talent of Carmelo Anthony, will see the Knicks just sneak into the playoff picture (even with a losing record).
14. Celtics finally trade for a star
The experiment with George Karl goes wrong. Rajon Rondo continues to cause trouble. Kings losing games despite DeMarcus Cousins averaging near triple-double numbers.
Boogie is heading to Boston.
15. Kevin Durant leads league in technical fouls
In the 2013-14 NBA season, Kevin Durant led the league in technical fouls with 16. While he was tied equal first with the aforementioned DeMarcus Cousins and Blake Griffin, Durant is not the type of player you would expect to be constantly picking up petty technical fouls.
The 2013-14 season followed Durant losing the NBA Finals to the then LeBron James-led Miami Heat. The 4-1 series loss reinvigorated Durant to play harder and take no prisoners. So you can only imagine what is going through his head having sat out almost an entire season, having to sit back and watch other players disrespect him by calling themselves the best in the game.
This is going to be a fun season.
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