Greetings from overseas! I’m pretty bummed that I’ll miss the 5-game extravaganza that kicks off the season on Christmas day, but just knowing that opening day is less than 10 days away has got me really excited for the season. Being on a 14-hour flight to the motherland gave me plenty of time to think and write about the prospects of each team in the upcoming NBA season. Thus begins part 1 of the season previews. Today will focus on the non-playoff teams in the East. I apologize in advanced for possible roster inaccuracies. I’ve tried to update anything I’ve written with the transactions that I have read about. Being overseas means internet access only when I visit a Starbucks in the morning so I may not be completely up-to-date with all the transactions the past week, but I have tried my hardest to get all the crucial updates and provide as accurate insight as possible. Josh will hopefully correct my mistakes and add some of his own tid-bits and thoughts on the season as well. Anyways, here we go:
15. Toronto Raptors Starting 5: Jose Calderon (PG), Jerry Bayless (SG), DeMar DeRozan (SF), Ed Davis (PF), Andrea Bargnani (C);
Breakout Player: DeMar Derozan – Played great towards the end of the season, should become the Raptors 2nd best option on the offensive end, athleticism is through the roof; Josh believes that... "He was robbed of a dunk contest last season by hype and props. However, his game has improved immensely to be more than just another Trevor Ariza and more of a J.R. Smith or maybe even the second coming of a certain Air Canada."
Player to Watch: Ed Davis – competition for the position is lacking and Davis has the opportunity to be a double-double guy. Ed Davis brings depth to the 4 spot and should play a key role in the Raptors' overall season this year. Look for Davis to rise to prominence in Canada as a solid piece to this puzzle.
Overview: Not really much to talk about here. The team is filled with a bunch of quality role players who are overpaid (Amir Johnson, Linis Kleiza, Jose Calderon, etc.) with no superstar (Bargnani is an excellent 3rd best player on a contender, but certainly no star). Bryan Coangello is one of the worst GM’s in the NBA.1 There is no hope for the present or future in Toronto right now, and until they decide how they want to build a team, they’ll be stuck in mediocrity for a while.
14. Cleveland Cavaliers
Starting 5: Kyrie Irving (PG), Anthony Parker (SG), Omri Casspi (SF), Antawn Jamison (PF), Anderson Varejao (C);
Starting 5: Kyrie Irving (PG), Anthony Parker (SG), Omri Casspi (SF), Antawn Jamison (PF), Anderson Varejao (C);
Breakout Player: Unknown – For a team that has no experience and no expectations, anyone that gets playing time can be a breakout player for the Cavs. It may be Luke Harangody or even Semih Erden just because someone has to play and will put up decent numbers.
Player to Watch: Tristan Thomas – I was always high on Tristan Thomas’s potential, but did not expect him to be a top ten pick in this year’s draft. I thought with an extra year of college he could mature and polish his game, and work himself into a top five pick in next year’s draft, but I didn’t think he was ready for the NBA now. Well the problem… He was drafted fourth in this year’s draft and he will be thrown into the fire immediately. J.J. Hickson is gone, Antawn Jamison may be next to go, and Thomas will have to be a strong post presence whether he is ready or not. It will be interesting to see how he develops through a hurried learning curve.Overview: Although the Cavaliers had the first and fourth pick in this year’s draft, the future is not entirely bright for the franchise and this season will be another tough one to bear for the loyal fans of Cleveland. They are very inexperienced and as mentioned, their best player from last season is now in Sacramento. Kyrie Irving has been given the treacherous role of franchise savior and his expectations are definitely going to be impossible to fulfill. He should be a good player, I really hope he will be a good player, but he cannot be a 25-7-7 player like their previous superstar, and fans should not expect that in his rookie season. The Cavaliers are building towards the right direction despite having one of the dumbest and irrational owners in the league. It will be long season of learning by losing for this team.
Season Prediction: (18-48) = top 3 draft pick next year2 and a team ready for a playoff run the following season dependent on Tristan Thomas’s development.
13. Charlotte Bobcats
Starting 5: DJ Augustin (PG), Gerald Henderson (SG), Corey Maggette (SF), Boris Diaw (PF), Tyrus Thomas (C)
Breakout Player: Reggie Williams - I don't know what it is with Rod Higgins, but he just can't let go of the Warriors. First it was Jason Richardson, then Stephen Jackson, then Corey Maggette, and now Reggie Williams. He just loves our wing players, but signing Williams is a good move on his part. Williams has the chance to become the starting shooting guard on this team and through the years of watching him on the Warriors, when he is given an opportunity and his game is on, he can get buckets.
Player to Watch: Bismack Biyombo - Will he be a Serge Ibaka or will he be an Adonal Foyle? Biyombo is probably one of the most intriguing rookies coming into the season because he is a complete hit or miss player. He probably won't get much playing time in his first season as his game still needs a lot of work, especially on offense, and the team has quite a few veteran big men that will probably get playing time over him. When he does play, it should be very interesting. The hype on his defense is incredible and it makes one wonder will he block every shot tossed in the paint and will he grab every missed shot.
Overview: Good players, good prospects, but a bad mix makes for a bad season in Charlotte. Josh: I'm thinking that Kemba Walker is going to steal Augustine's spotlight as well as the starting spot from him. With Raymond Felton gone, the spot is up for grabs. For now, Augustine has it but look for that to change later in the season unless Kemba is a bust, which I highly doubt.
Overview: Good players, good prospects, but a bad mix makes for a bad season in Charlotte. Josh: I'm thinking that Kemba Walker is going to steal Augustine's spotlight as well as the starting spot from him. With Raymond Felton gone, the spot is up for grabs. For now, Augustine has it but look for that to change later in the season unless Kemba is a bust, which I highly doubt.
Season Prediction: (19-45) = Michael Jordan doing absolutely nothing to make this team better next season because he is a terrible, stingy owner. He'll try miserably at persuading Chris Paul to come to Charlotte in 2013.
Starting 5 – Deron Williams (PG), Anthony Morrow (SG), Shawne Williams (SF), tbd (PF), Brook Lopez (C)
Breakout Player: Anthony Morrow (fingers crossed) - The Nets need someone to be that 3rd scorer and Morrow can be the guy to reap the benefits of all the attention that will be placed on D-Will and the double teams on Lopez or Howard in the post.
Player to Watch: Marshon Brooks – Probably one of the most prolific scorers in the draft, he can step up and possibly be the starting shooting guard on opening night. He is another perimeter threat that can spread the floor with Morrow. He's a very good rebounder as well.
Overview: The Nets are currently 11th because they do not have Dwight Howard, yet. The Nets can boost themselves into the top 5 if they acquire him. However, their current roster is not much even with a full season of Deron Williams, and it will be a dismal final season for fans in New Jersey if nothing changes. Brook Lopez is an all-star center but he certainly does not have an impact on games like Superman.
Season Prediction: (20 -46) = Prokhorov going absolutely nuts in the free agency of 2012 resigning D-Will, but not being able to sign Dwight Howard resulting in overpaying Eddy Curry for a $70 million contract as a consolation prize after he averages 2 ppg and 1 rpg in garbage time with the Heat .
11. Detroit Pistons
Starting 5: Brandon Knight (PG), Rodney Stuckey (SG), Tayshaun Prince (SF), Charlie Villanueva (PF), Greg Monroe (C)
Starting 5: Brandon Knight (PG), Rodney Stuckey (SG), Tayshaun Prince (SF), Charlie Villanueva (PF), Greg Monroe (C)
Breakout Player: Greg Monroe –is one of the most-skilled big men in the league and should be able to display more of his skills in his second season. He should be a double-double guy on a nightly basis especially with a much larger role on the team and make every Warrior fan wish we had drafted him over Ekpe Udoh.3
Player to Watch: Rodney Stuckey – All these years of disappointment, the supposed second-coming of Dwyane Wade, should finally come through this season and start living up to his potential. Why? Simple, less responsibility with Brandon Knight sharing ball-handling duties provides more opportunities for Stuckey to just be a primary scorer. Stuckey possesses the ability to make highlight-plays and should make himself one of the more fun players to watch this season.Overview: The Pistons should be a better team than what their record has shown the past few years. For a bad team, the Pistons actually have a ton of depth. Besides their starting 5 they have Will Bynum, Ben Gordon, Jonas Jerebko, Austin Daye, Jason Maxiell, and Ben Wallace coming off the bench, all guys that could probably find a starting job on another team. The only problem is that all that talent does not necessarily make for a good fit on one team. I believe their starting 5 is good enough to compete on a nightly basis with other teams, but flipping some of those bench players (Ben Gordon, Austin Daye) and say… Charlie Villanueva for a power forward *cough Carlos Boozer *cough would make them a more complete team. There is no doubt Lawrence Frank will be a better coach than John Kuester, but until Joe Dumars makes some changes with the roster they will continue to struggle playing together.
Season prediction: (26-40) = Joe Dumars being fired and a new GM actually bringing Carlos Boozer to Detroit a year too late when his all-star skill is completely gone and he becomes the power forward equivalent of Jamal Crawford, only a scorer.
10 Washington Wizards
Starting 5: John Wall (PG), Nick Young (SG), Rashard Lewis (SF), Andray Blatche (PF), JaVale McGee (C)
Starting 5: John Wall (PG), Nick Young (SG), Rashard Lewis (SF), Andray Blatche (PF), JaVale McGee (C)
Overview: The Wizards are a super-talented team with a lot of good young players. I am tempted to put them in the top 8 of the East, but I just can’t, even when John Wall will have an MVP-worthy season. I just think they’re one year away. Usually when I get this feeling for a team, expectations are exceeded, I will explain in a future post, but hopefully the Wizards prove me wrong because this should be a very fun team to watch. Besides Wall, they have Nick and Pierre, the triple-double whore, the self-proclaimed “I can be better than Jordan” LeBron-facializer Jordan Crawford, and the rookie who had the kiss that won my heart and the hearts of millions on draft night, Blake Griffin’s idol, Jan Vesley. Oh and I forgot about machine-stroking, Rashard Lewis who should have a bounce-back season, hitting plenty of threes. Do these players not excite you? I really like the Wizards on paper, but they still have to play the game, and until I see all this potential greatness actually working, they are not a playoff team.
Season Prediction: (32-34) = Me being wrong, and their actual record being (36-30), a playoff team that no one wants to face in the first round, and me wishing I had just had confidence to believe they were ready now.
9. Milwaukee Bucks
Starting 5: Brandon Jennings (PG), Stephen Jackson (SG), Ersan Ilyasova (SF), Drew Gooden (PF), Andrew Bogut (C)
Starting 5: Brandon Jennings (PG), Stephen Jackson (SG), Ersan Ilyasova (SF), Drew Gooden (PF), Andrew Bogut (C)
Breakout Player: Brandon Jennings – After a really good rookie season of Gumby hair and 55-point explosions, Young Money’s sophomore season came short of that greatness. Sophomore slumps are expected, but this is year three, and I expect Jennings to play his best basketball yet in his short career. He has been busy this summer, working for Under Armour and being a frequent participant in pick-up games assembled by the players. He should be more than ready to shine this year.
Player to Watch: Andrew Bogut – Last season’s leading shot blocker, I have always had a great affinity for the Aussie. He is one of the most underrated centers in the league because he plays for the small-market Bucks and his game cannot be fully utilized because he plays for freaking Scott Skiles.4 Regardless of where Bogut plays, his great defense, passing, and post-game should be appreciated more.
Overview: The Bucks actually have a team that can be pretty good in the East, but the same could be said about them last season. They’ve replaced John Salmons5 with Captain Jack6 which could be considered an upgrade for one season, but one season only, before all hell breaks loose with him. He will destroy the chemistry in the locker room, turn his teammates into whiny divas, demand more money (he has already done this) or a trade, and possibly shoot a stripper at a club. The point is, in the future Jackson will be a cancer to the team, but for this season, he should actually be a bright spot, and the Bucks should have a decent season in large part due to his contributions. If Jennings and Bogut stay healthy all season, and they can get contributions from guys like Ersan Ilyasova, Luc Richard-Mbah Moute, and Larry Sanders, they will be there fighting for a final playoff season in the East.
Season Prediction: (33-33) = Scott Skiles finally being fired and replaced by Don Nelson. Nelson will have a team that makes NBA history the following season by scoring 20 more points per game the following season. Ersan Ilyasova averaging 20 points per game under Nelson will make more people believe the BS that he could be a Turkish Dirk Nowitzki, and Stephen Jackson will choke Nelson in practice. I already cannot wait for next season!
Stay tuned for Part 2 in a day or two. Thanks for reading.
Footnotes:
1 How does he still have a job??????????
2 Harrison Barnes or Jared Sullinger!
3 I watched a ton of Monroe’s games during his two years at Georgetown and I would tell anyone who would listen that we should draft him if we couldn’t trade for Cousins. Monroe was a beast in college! His skill was amazing yet Udoh’s one season of defensive dominance impressed the Warriors so much that they disregarded two seasons of great basketball by Monroe. Monroe is 3 years younger too!
4 How does the man who holds the record for most assists in a game become the most defensive-minded, slow-paced coach in the league?
5 Plays chin pubes for a whole season, plays basketball for half a season.
6 Plays with a pistol in his shorts for a whole season, plays basketball for half a season.
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