It's year four of our season preview! For those who have been been reading from the beginning, thank you, and for all new readers, welcome. The preview will pretty much be the same as last year's with the same criteria with an added personal take section which is like grab-bag so whatever we want to talk about. However each team will get their insight from the both of us this year. We're (JL = Josh, AT = Anson) ranking from worst to first so without further adieu we give you the worst teams of the preview (sorry)...
30. Philadelphia T̶a̶n̶k̶ ̶M̶a̶c̶h̶i̶n̶e̶ 76ers
Intrigue - JL: Joel Embiid's Twitter - If Joel Embiid wasn't out for the entire season, I would have most definitely said the front court pairing of Embiid and Nerlens Noel. However, with the way things stand, Embiid's stuck on the sidelines and that only means one thing: more social media fun! For those who don't follow, Embiid's been highly entertaining on Twitter. From asking Kim Kardashian out and finding new female friends to just pure tomfoolery, Embiid's Twitter is undoubtedly going to be the most interesting thing about this upcoming Sixers season. Honestly, I don't know if you should be sad or happy about that.
AT: The Chase for Historic Inferiortiy - Have you actually taken a gander at their roster?? How great would you feel if I told you Henry Sims, Hollis Thompson, Tony Wroten, and KJ McDaniels could start 60+ games each this season (Feel free to look up their career stats)? Mikey Carter-Williams may miss half the season and with Nerlens Noel getting his feet wet in year one, the Sixers will be pushing a majority of 2nd round talent out on the floor night in and night out. These Sixers are BAD and I mean potentially, historically bad. For Sam Hinkie, this is all according to plan, and I actually applaud the all-out tanking effort. He will get another top 5 pick, and can use this season to find potential gems in the bargain bucket of 2nd round value to already add to his roster of young talent. If you can't win now, why not bust in a big way? Unfortunately for Sixers fans, are you guys still hanging in there? This is going to be one very difficult year to watch and maybe even next season and the year after that...At least they have JoJo for off-the-court entertainment this year and on-the-court excitement for the future (Please keep him healthy basketball gods, PLEASE).
Player to Watch - JL: Nerlens Noel - He has been a joy to watch in summer league and preseason, and I don't see it being any different during the regular season. He's got ridiculous upside to go with that ridiculous updo. He's my personal favorite to take home the ROY aware this year if the voters don't take into account their inevitable horrendous record like they did last year. If MCW can win the ROY trophy with a string of 26 straight losses to his belt, why can't Nerlens? Nerlens and MCW could be the first back-to-back ROYs to play for and win the award for the same team since Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio did it in the early 70's.
AT: Nerlens Noel - He really is the only guy worth watching for potential upside this season at least until Embiid hopefully comes back towards the end of the year. He has the best high-top fade in the league (Sorry Iman), and he will finish in the top 3 of voting for rookie of the year. I just pray that he can stay healthy all year so we can enjoy one of the leagues best shot-blockers (Yes he is already there without playing a game). I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Personal Take - JL: There's really not too much to say about the Sixers other than they're not going to win a whole lot of basketball games this season… There's a slim chance they might even have 76 losses by the end of the season, but these things happen when you have a team full of D-League All-Stars and Jason Richardson. It's okay though, Philly fans, just think about it this way: at least they didn't change the lottery system this season!
AT: For anyone who has ever made the assertion or consideration that the best collegiate basketball team in a given year could beat the worst team in the NBA in that same year, I've always thought that person was an idiot. That opinion is ridiculous if you consider that NBA rosters are a collection of guys who were most of the time the best players on their collegiate programs. 99.9% of the time the worst team in the league will not only beat the top-ranked college program, but would blow them out. I have no doubts about that. However, this Sixers team may actually be that 0.1% exception and place me in the opinion of said-idiots.
Now look, 9 McDonald's All-Americans on a collegiate roster do not equate to a team of NBA pros, and when actually playing against 15 grown-ass men/ actual NBA professionals Kentucky should still get blown out by this current Sixers team (8 McD All-Americans on their squad) logically speaking. Being an outrageously-thinking basketball fan for this situation however, I have to consider...the Harrison twins (late 1st round, early 2nd round talents and the one that plays shooting guard, Aaron? has these), poor man Kidd-Gilchrist (Poythress, 2nd round talent), and that 4-headed big man rotation (Towns, Lee, and Cauley-Stein are all potential 1st rounders/lottery picks) Calipari will unleash at Kentucky could actually give the Sixers a run for their money, right? Kentucky has at least 7 guys that will play in the NBA next year or in the future. We have an evenly-matched basketball game! Let's get these teams on the same court to settle this ridiculous thought in my head, but actually...Let's move on please.
Where Will They Be Come June - JL: The Sixers have a lot to look forward to, and really nothing to be excited for except... maybe a few exciting Tweets from Joel Embiid. By the end of the season, they're going to be the team with the most ping pong balls at the draft lottery, but it's okay. There's a bright future ahead Philadelphia fans! You'll be good in about 2 or 3 years...
AT: There are some early and end-of-season stinkers to be won with a heavy dose of double-digit losing streaks sprinkled in the middle. I am going to give them a friendly record of...12-70. Yes! They are not historically the worst. WOOOOOOO. Let's get ready to draft Kelly Oubre or Emmanuel Muiday to go along with these guys...
...add in some growing pains and 2016/2017 can't come soon enough for the Sixers when hopefully everything comes into fruition.
29. Boston Celtics
Intrigue - AT: ? - I don't want to sound mean, but I really do not have much to be intrigued about with this team. I wanna say...the disparity of rebounds their opponents will have against them by season's end? Will Jeff Green be the only player on this team to average more than 15 ppg until he is traded? Kelly Olynyk is their starting center? Whether they have Rondo for the entire year or not, this team will not be very fun to watch. They don't have any scorers nor do they have any decent rebounders in the front court (unless they throw Sullinger's big butt down there). I would say the best thing for them is to continue blowing it up...then again it may not be? I just...I don't know. At least watching Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart hound opposing guards will be fun to watch.
JL: Waiting on Ainge - Let me just get this out first: I love Rajon Rondo. He's my favorite player in the league, and I want the Celtics to do well. Right now, the Celtics kind of really suck. However, with that being said, the Celtics have a crap ton of young assets and expiring contracts that are very tradable. Something to watch is what Danny Ainge decides to do with the roster. Rondo's in a contract year, and Boston would hate to lose him for nothing come free agency next summer.
Player to Watch - AT: Marcus Smart - I mean there really isn't anyone else. I like Smart. I like his fiery demeanor. I love his bullish style of play, and for the C's they stole a top 3 pick from the 2013 draft . I think his upside can be a poor man's Derrick Rose or Kyle Lowry with more size. How he develops his jumper and whether or not he can bring the same physical presence he exhibited in college to the pros will be important in defining the player he will and could be.
JL: Jared Sullinger - He is growing into a monster and I think he could be a very key piece in
determining how this season is going to fare. Last season, Sully showed
a few flashes of brilliance - enough to be deemed the "Kevin Love of
the East." Sullinger should be enjoying his first full season as a
starter for the Celtics, and I predict something along the lines of a 16
PPG and 9 RPG. The last three preseason games, Sullinger averaged 19
PPG, but that's not the crazy thing. Sullinger's rebounding average came
out to an astounding 18 RPG in the last two games. It's also worth
noting that in all three games, he played under 30 minutes. If these
preseason numbers are any indication of how he's going to play this
upcoming season and future seasons to come, the Celtics should be set at
the 4 spot for a while. Personal Take - AT: Alright guys, for your patience of zero posts since last year's preview I present to you my favorite (and hopefully your's) aspect of the preview...Trade To Consider...but not only that, RONDO TRADE ALERT!!...and not only that a 7-TEAMER (I may have spent an hour figuring this one out. That's how much I love this game...):
(Celtics): Brandan Wright, Ray Felton, Ricky Ledo, Thomas Robinson, CJ McCollum,
Joel Freeland, Mike Dunleavy & E'Twaun Moore, Mavs 1st 2015, Cavs or Bulls 1st 2015
(Mavs): Rajon Rondo, Luis Scola, Nazr Mohammed, Phil Pressey
(Blazers): Roy Hibbert, CJ Watson, Brandon Bass, Richard Jefferson & Devin Harris
(Pacers): Robin Lopez, Dorell Wright, Victor Claver, Jameer Nelson, Bernard James, Gerald Wallace & Kirk Hinrich, Blaze 1st 2015
(Bulls): Marcus Thornton, Will Barton, Wiz 2nd 2015 via BOS
(Sixers): Whichever of the 50 role wing players that do the same things on the Lakers they want or Ryan Kelly and Robert Sacre or Jordan Clarkson, Clips 2nd 2015 via LAL
(Lakers): Steve Blake
Logic: So the C's get young talent and a couple of ok veterans (minus Fat Felton), add 2 late 1st rounders and it's not bad if Rondo does leave in the offseason and they end up with nothing...What better way for Mark Cuban to piss off Daryl Morey even more than to take the point guard that he covets. It's great for television, great for NBA beefs, and great for the Mavs. You know what's better than Monta Ellis pick and rolls/pops with Dirk? Rondo pick and rolls/pops with Dirk! Add Scola as a solid reliever for Dirk, and who cares about the rest of the depth. Monta and Rondo can play 40 minutes a night so my boy Gal Mekel (whom I watched for like 5 minutes in preseason...he was AWFUL) and Doron Lamb only have to play less than a quarter a game. Consider the Mavs a legitimate contender in the elite class of the league with this trade...The Blazers upgrade the one position I think could use upgrading, and it's with a center that they've wanted. Their bench becomes very solid with a ton of veterans that will contribute and they too move into legitimate candidacy...The Pacers get to rebuild but also add contributors now. Put it this way, Gerald Wallace and Dorell Wright can contribute just as much as CJ Miles and Rodney Stuckey will for them this season. It's just added depth temporarily...The Bulls add Thornton who can fall in line with the heat check guys that have succeeded on this team the previous years (Nate Rob, Augustin). He can get his own without help and I think the Bulls need more/as much perimeter shooting around D-Rose as they can get...The Sixers are only in this party because they can absorb cap and assets to allow...the Lakers to bring back Kobe's pal because it was not cool when they traded him away last year...and Steve Nash is out for the year ("won't last the whole year or maybe even 5 games" - was written here just a few days ago, mixed with a joke about Steve sneezing and blowing out his shoulder...yeesh I sorry Steve.) so they need a back up for Lin.
JL: I had the Celtics a few spots higher, but that's probably only because I love Rondo. I can't argue with where they're actually ranked because I understand the Celtics are honestly not very good. This season can go one of two ways:
1. If Danny Ainge can somehow pull off another miracle (summer of '07), and flip a bunch of assets for something decent, I think the Celtics could maybe be good enough to surprise a lot of people and make the playoffs.
2. If Ainge finally decides to go all in on this rebuild and send Rondo packing (the more likely option), it's going to be a long season for the Boston faithful. I told Anson that the only teams I'd want to see Rondo go to are Dallas, OKC, New York, or… the Warriors! I'm kidding about the Warriors… I don't even know what they would do with him on their roster.
Where Will They Be Come June - AT: I really don't know because this franchise can go either way and it's all dependent on Rondo, the young guys developing, and how great of a coach Brad Stevens really is. If Rondo can endure losing and wants to re-sign, some of the young talent works, and Stevens coaches them to respectability, they have a solid foundation for other stars who might want to play under the 17 banners. However, if everything stated goes completely the other way, a full rebuild seems necessary. I think KG said it best in regards to the direction of this team. Unfortunately it's just not in the same context anymore.
JL: I really don't want to say this, but by the time mid-April comes around, things aren't going to be looking good for my Celtics. Rondo will be gone, and the Celtics will have completely committed to a full-on rebuild of their team. The Celtics are going to have a lot of ping pong balls in the lottery, and that's probably going to be the only thing to look forward to for Celtics fans after the trade deadline.
28. Orlando Magic
Intrigue - JL: Prospects of a New Coach -
The Orlando Magic have a really solid, young nucleus. One thing that
Orlando's management is going to realize is that Jacque Vaughn is not a really great coach. With young studs like Oladipo, Vucevic, and
Harris, the Magic should be on the brink of their first playoff season
since Dwight left. That's not the case though. The Magic are stuck in the
basement for now, and that's not going to change drastically until they
sign a new coach (maybe Mark Jackson?) to take over. Elfrid Payton and
especially Aaron Gordon (who in my opinion, left for the draft a year
too early) are going to need a coach who can really help them develop
into potential super stars.AT: Young and Not Ready - They're a very intriguing team in the opinion of loaded depth but consisting mostly of young talent. I think they've done a great job drafting and trading the last few years. The question I have this season is their style of play, what the team's realistic expectations are, and why they've shelved out money ($45 million total) in the offseason for the likes of Luke Ridnour (1 year guaranteed), Ben Gordon (2 years), and Channing Frye (4 years) this summer. It doesn't make sense to me when considering they're not a playoff-caliber team adding those guys, and without them, they could have given valuable experience to a young/decent (?) lineup of Vuc, AG, Harris, Oladipo, and Payton with a bench group of Fournier, Harkless, Nicholson, O'Quinn, and old man Willie Green. That young rotation minus Green might surprise some some folks and I don't see how allowing Ridnour or Gordon to take valuable playing time from guys like Payton or Oladipo will help now or in the future. As for Channing Frye I wish he had signed with a contender for cheaper, but I can't blame the man for getting paid. He'll at least be a decent stretch 4 or 5 on the team.
Player to Watch - JL: Victor Oladipo - Hola, Oladipo! As with most players in the NBA, their sophomore season says a lot about their future. As we saw last season, Anthony Davis bloomed into a superstar and Damian Lillard turned into an All-Star. I love Oladipo's energy on the court. He's a pretty versatile player who competes on both ends of the floor. I also love how he's always calm and extremely level-headed, never too high, never too low. Can Oladipo bring his game to the next level or will he go through the infamous Sophomore Slump? We're about to find out.
AT: Victor Oladipo - I like him a lot. I still think he can be the best player from his draft class and the boy can sing. Look for a much bigger role for him this season.
Personal Take - JL: Bonus Player to Watch - Elfrid Payton - A lot of people are extremely high on Payton. He's predicted to finish in the top 3 for ROY voting, and I'm not entirely sure it's warranted. Watching him go through several workouts and the draft combine really intrigued me, but since then I haven't really been following his game too much. I saw a few games during summer league, but that often doesn't tell you too much. Initially, I thought he was similar to Damian Lillard coming out of a small conference school and doing big things in the league, but we'll finally get to see the type of player he actually is really soon.
AT: It hurts my heart to realize I am only getting older. Watching sports my whole life, I've always admired athletes because they were marvels at the games they played. I wanted to be like them and imitate all their moves. The other aspect of this was that most of these athletes I watched were older than me so it was easy to look up to them and hope to eventually strive to be like them. However, I've now reached the point in my life where that isn't happening and rookies in the NBA are Josh's age. Case-in-point: Aaron "Baby Blake Man-Child" Gordon.The first time I ever saw him play, he was 16, and playing in the SF Pro-Ams for the summer. In warm-ups he non-nonchalantly threw the ball off the glass and went between the legs for a dunk. No big deal. Then in-game he was just throwing down 360s and posterizing grown men. Not special at all. Until I remembered HE WAS 16 FUCKING YEARS OLD. Fast forward 3 years later and now he is a rookie in the league...at 19. He's still dunking on folks and looks like this now with a promising future of being the next Blake Griffin. While I in 3 years have maybe gained 10 pounds (hopefully muscle and not fat), remained a nice 5'8, and hopefully can last 2 hours of pick-up basketball once a week with a promising future of hopefully turning this cubicle I work in into a nice office with a window one day.
These new young athletes just reaching the pros have changed the way I look at sports. Instead of admiration for wanting to be like these guys, I admire them with jealousy and sadness. A sadness and realization that I will never be as tall as them (not even 6 feet), be able to run, or jump like them, to look like this when I work out, or to even possess the one-eyed snake of Amar'e Stoudemire. These young'ns are all still amazing and will continue to amaze me as I get older. As Aaron Gordon progresses through his career of turning each NBA arena into his personal bounce house, it will only make me wonder more how these people are created?? What did their parents feed them? Why didn't my parents put protein powder in my milk growing up?? Life is unfair man.
Where Will They Be Come June - JL: At the end of the season, Orlando's going to be in the lottery with an interim coach. They have a really slim chance on seeing the playoffs this year, but I doubt it's going to happen. It's probably just going to be more ping pong balls for Orlando next summer.
AT: Looking forward to adding another lottery pick with their young core en route to the list of darkhorse/sleeper teams to potentially make the Eastern Conference playoffs next year.
27. Utah Jazz
Intrigue - AT: See "Intrigue" section for the Magic above and apply all except for the signing of useless veterans.
JL: How Many Scowls Will Quin Snyder Have This Year?? - So you're telling me that Utah indeed won't make the playoffs this year?! There's going to be a lot of growing pains with this team this season. I really like the hiring of Quin Snyder. He seems like a great guy. Speaking of great things, I just came up with a
great idea! One shot every time Quin Snyder scowls during a game! Okay,
maybe not… you might get a little too drunk and I don't want to be held
responsible. But yeah, what are the Las Vegas odds that Quin Snyder will
have an angry look on his face at least 1000 times this season?Player to Watch - AT: Derrick Favors - I'm still waiting for that all-worldly power forward to show up eventually. While many doubt it will happen now especially since he's coming up on year 6, I think everyone forgets he's still only 23 years old! There's still plenty of time to prove everybody wrong.
JL: Trey Burke - He plays with a competitive edge that I love. He, like Oladipo, brings a lot of energy to the court. I didn't watch the Jazz play too much last season, but they were a lot worse before he returned from his injury. I think he can maybe be a star in this league, but similar to Oladipo, there's always the chance he'll catch the Sophomore Slump and never reach his potential.
Personal Take - AT: This is my bonus Player to Watch - Rudy Gobert - Just ask Josh, I'm a fan. If you watched any of him in the summer league or during the World Cup he's actually a competent raw, young center that can be pretty decent in the league. 7-footers that can run and chew gum at the same time whilst blocking shots is a rare breed. Zach Lowe can explain the rest.
JL: This team is not very exciting. I think it was a mistake to re-sign Gordon Hayward, and it was also a mistake giving Kanter and Favors big contracts. I'm hoping they prove me wrong because that'd be just great for everyone. I actually really like Gordon Hayward, but he's on the wrong team. Utah's just not going to make the playoffs soon, and I think they should've tried trading him for more young assets. I hope this Utah team surprises me and proves me wrong.
Where Will They Be Come June - AT: See "Where They Will Be Come June" section for Magic above, replace Eastern Conference playoffs with "Western Conference playoffs" and apply. It'll also be interesting to see of the trio of Favors, Kanter, and Gobert, which two they decide to keep.
JL: Utah hasn't been to the playoffs since 2010, and that's not going to change this season. In a loaded Western conference, it's extremely difficult to get to the upper echelon of the league. Phoenix and Portland made the leap last season, but I think the only team on the verge of that is New Orleans. More on that later.
26. Los Angeles Lakers
Intrigue - JL: How Will Kobe Fare? - Kobe Bryant returned from a torn achilles suffered at the end of the 2013 season to only play 6 games last season before sustaining a knee fracture that shut him down for the rest of the year. He hasn't played an official game for a long time and in the 6 games he did play last year, he looked rusty. He's looked relatively Kobe-esque this preseason, and I
hope he returns to form. We're in the twilight years of Kobe's
illustrious career, and it's going to be exciting to see just how well
the Lakers do this season. Regardless of how they perform, it's hard
for me to imagine that Kobe will be anything short of amazing. Kobe's
been in the league for nearly 20 years now, and it's crazy to think that
he's going to retire soon. So, cherish the last few Kobe years we
have.AT: Will the Lakers Finish as the Worst Team in the Western Conference This Year? - My answer to that is...Yes. Preseason isn't indicative of what will actually happen once the games matter, but boy do they look really bad so far. They can't play defense, they have no young studs to be excited about minus Julius Randle (no pressure though), they have so many wings that are just athletic, and poor old Steve Nash...*sigh*...Kobe is back and ready to chuck 25+ shots a game while hoping his knee/Achilles/ankles will hold up. Carlos Boozer is ready to share his enthusiasm for losing. While Jeremy Lin gets to be a starter again! Feel the excitement. It's going to be a loooooooong season for LA's other team (YEAH I SAID IT). Even Utah at least has something to look forward to while losing (a whole starting 5 and more of youth). The Lakers can't say the same. The only reason they're not actually ranked behind the Jazz is because Josh thinks a little more highly of them so hopefully he had something nice to say.
Player to Watch - JL: Jeremy Lin - He has always played with a chip on his shoulder, and this season should be no different. Many times last season, especially during the post season, Lin was thrown under the bus and used as a scape goat for the Rockets under-achievements. Going into this season, Lin doesn't really have too many expectations. With Nash out for the year, Lin's expected to start for the Lakers. Lin's stated many times before that he plays a lot better without too many expectations, which is reason to believe he didn't perform to the best of his abilities in Houston. Since everyone else has low expectations for him, I'm expecting Lin to have the best year of his career.
AT: Ed Davis - As much as I wanna say Swaggy P for the fun/goofy/irrational style of play he possesses on the court and the fun/goofy personality he displays off the court, I'm gonna focus on someone who may be overlooked with a potential opportunity to shine. Despite being the 3rd string power forward, I'm assuming he will get some backup center duties as well and will eventually get an opportunity to play once the team starts sucking (which may be early or when Boozer - friendly contract - gets traded at the deadline). He didn't get a chance in Toronto and didn't fit in Memphis. This may be his last shot to stick around in the league or assert at least a future as a solid role player before reaching an unfortunate destiny of playing overseas or fighting for a final roster spot in the league every year. Sadly at only 25 it's now or never for Davis, and I think he'll open some eyes if given a chance.
Personal Take - JL: After blowing the free agency, the Lakers find themselves on a down year. At the start of the summer, Laker fans were extremely excited, but really for nothing. The Lakers were hoping to land Melo, Lebron, and/or Kevin Love. All of whom ended up not signing with the Lakers. What they got instead was Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin… Not exactly what they were looking for. The Lakers are going to have a down year, and they'll have to wait another long year before another exciting free agency class rolls around.
AT: Where is Andrew Bynum? I miss that guy and all his fun wacky hairdos. He needs to be a Laker again just for the entertainment of practicing with Kobe and potentially causing him to pop a couple blood vessels. The Lakers need Andrew Bynum and Andrew Bynum needs the Lakers. C'mon he's only 26 with bad knees and a history of destroying franchises some untapped potential. Let's try and make it work again...
Also LeBron sprayed it better. Sorry Booze.
Also LeBron sprayed it better. Sorry Booze.
Where Will They Be Come June - JL: At the end of the season, Steve Nash will have retired and the Lakers will be in the lottery once again. I like the addition of Julius Randle, but he's probably not even going to start for half the season. After the lottery, the Lakers can look forward to another shot at some superstar free agents.
AT: Hoping to land a big fish in the free agency summer of 2015, concluding with another catch in 2016, along with the development of Julius Randle, and another lottery pick, leading to Kobe pushing for one last title on his last legs with the new future core of the franchise...BUT... After reading this about Kobe (which actually comes as no surprise), I'm not sure if the allure of being a Laker and the city of Los Angeles is enough to bring stars to the team anymore, especially if it means playing with Kobe the grinch.
Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon! And as usual thanks for reading.
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