The 2017 NBA season saw the super-stacked Golden State Warriors exact their revenge on last year’s champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Last year the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the finals against the LeBron James lead, Cavaliers.
Insert Kevin Durant, one-time MVP of the league. Durant joined the Warriors in the 2016 free agency period, with a lot of scrutiny from fans all over the world. Durant and Steph Curry lead the Warriors to a cruisy 4-1 win over the Cavaliers to become the 2017 NBA champions.
With the 2017 free agency period soon ending, I will be taking a look at each team in the eastern conference and making some predictions.
Atlanta Hawks
The 2017 year is looking to be a bleak one for the once promising Atland outfit. Picking up absolutely no-one of note, the Hawks will be looking towards their veterans and rookies to step up and be competitive.
It’s not looking all bad for the Hawks, though. Last year they experimented with 23-year-old Dennis Schroder in his fourth professional season to start at point guard. Schroder averaged 17.9 points and 6.3 assists, but what is more impressive is Schroder’s composure in the playoffs. Across six playoff games last year he averaged a very impressive 24.7 points and 7.7 assists. Although this season may look bleak, the future of Atlanta does not.
Boston Celtics
It is no secret that Boston has an issue securing big-name free agents. One of the biggest franchises not only in basketball but in all sport cannot land a big fish? Boston is one of the best in the business in building from the ground up through the fraft and trades. In the past few years, though, history has been just that.
Al Horford, one of the most sought after big men in the league, joined the Celtics, and now the Celtics landed rising superstar Gordon Hayward. Boston finished on top of the eastern conference last year but fell to the Cavaliers in the conference finals.
Adding the scoring power of Hayward, the aggressive nature of Marcus Morris and rookie superstar sensation of Jayson Tatum, all that Boston has lost is some of its defensive edge with the trade of Avery Bradley. It was a questionable trade, and all I can say about it is that Ainge and Bradley must have something up their sleeves.
With the free agency period in Boston’s favour, they are looking to make it a step further this season.
(Image: Wiki Commons)
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls looked a massive force in the NBA, but now that is all what could have been and nothing else.
In the past few years Chicago has seen some great basketballers walk through its doors – for example, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Ben Gordon, Taj Gibson, Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler. Butler looked to be the future of the Bulls organisation, but that was not meant to be. At 27 years old and averaging only 23.9 points ad seven rebounds a game, I can see why the Bulls traded him away – he wasn’t the scoring or defensive presence they were hoping for and looking to build around.
With the trade the Bulls received Kris Dunn and Zack Lavine. A lot of Bulls fans were discouraged by the news of Butler. In my opinion the future looks brighter for the Bulls – the brightest it’s been since the Derrick Rose in his prime era.
Zach Lavine will absolutely flourish in his fourth professional year in the NBA. Last year he averaged 18.9 points a game – Lavine may be the scorer the Bulls have been looking for. Expect that average to go up to 22 points a game by the end of the year.
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron and the Cavs didn’t have that 2017 in their plans: finishing second in the east and absolutely crushing through the playoffs only to be embarrassed by the Warriors in the finals.
The free agency period looked quite bleak for the Cavaliers until the past few days, when they picked up veterans Jeff Green and Jose Calderon. They may not seem like big signings at first glance, but let me assure that they will help the Cavs claim their second title.
The main thing going against the Cavaliers this season is not the Warriors, it’s the clock. The 2018 season is make or break for LeBron and his tight-knit unit. With the east curently at its weakest, the Cavaliers are getting older and older, so they need to take this opportunity and take the cup once again.
What Calderon and Green will bring is experience and a lot of other little factors. Green will bring explosiveness off the bench with the ability to drop 20 points a game if he’s healthy. Calderon will be able to take some of Irving’s minutes to reduce his workload. The Cavaliers have to stay healthy and be consistent to claim their second title for their beloved city.
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