2015 NBA Preview
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA season is finally here. The regular season starts on Tuesday with 2 great matchups, the Cavs facing the Bulls and the Pelicans playing the Warriors on TNT. There was tons of player movement in the summer and now we can see how each team will fare, and who will go on the long road to win the NBA championship. In this preview, I'll go over each team in the league and try to predict where they will finish in the standings. I'll also give my predictions for who will win each award, and how the playoffs will turn out.
Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
This is probably the easiest one to predict. The Cavs easily have the best lineup in the East starting with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. They made it a mission to bring the gang back together and they succeeded in that regard. They also added to their depth by bringing in Mo Williams.
2. Chicago Bulls
Fred Hoiberg replaces Tom Thibodeau as Head Coach, and it's going to be interesting to see what he does with the offense. I'm expecting that Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol will continue to be the center of the offense so Derrick Rose will likely have to learn how to possibly be the #3 option on this team. It's also being reported that Joakim Noah will come off the bench this season, I expect long-time 6th man Taj Gibson will be the one to replace him to keep the spacing on for the 2nd unit. I also doubt that the Bulls will take a step back on the defensive end, even with the loss of coach Thibs.
3. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors flamed out in the playoffs last year with their embarrassing effort against the Wizards. GM Masai Ujiri was on a mission to regain the defensive identity for this team and he succeeded by bringing in DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph, and Bismack Biyombo. A slimmed down Kyle Lowry looks to be a force this season, and DeMar DeRozan will look to regain his All-Star status. The loss of Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez off the bench will hurt some in terms of flare, but it will help the Raptors move away from an iso heavy offense, as well as their perimeter defense.
4. Miami Heat
The Heat have a good looking team on paper, but I feel they're starting to be the most overhyped team going into the season. Dwyane Wade isn't likely to stay healthy, and it's still a wonder (at least to me) if Hassan Whiteside will be able to continue his unexpected rise. Their starting lineup didn't play much together last season so it's going to take a while for them to get used to eachother. I also wonder if they're bench is really that good.
5. Atlanta Hawks
This isn't as much an indictment of the Hawks as it is the rest of the Eastern Conference getting better to go along with their loss of DeMarre Carroll. Hawks were the surprise of the league last season, but with teams like the Heat and Raptors improving, it's hard for me to see the Hawks repeating the same level of success as last season.
6. Milwaukee Bucks
Bucks are being hyped to be one of the most underrated teams in the NBA this season, and for good reason. They made big strides last season, making the playoffs under their 1st year of Jason Kidd and took the Chicago Bulls to 6 games. And they did all of that without the #2 overall pick Jabari Parker. With Parker returning along with the huge addition of Greg Monroe, the Bucks could make a big jump again this season.
7. Washington Wizards
I'm not sure what to make of the Wizards this season. I don't like the loss of Paul Pierce for them because I'm not sure if Otto Porter is ready to step up and play big time minutes for this team. Also with Nene and Gortat another year older, I could see it being hard for them to stay healthy the whole season. And if anything happens to John Wall or Bradley Beal, I don't think the Wizards have any real depth to sustain it.
8. Indiana Pacers
Pacers look to be in good shape with Paul George starting to look like his old self again, but it's the rest of the roster I'm worried about. I think the loss of David West and Roy Hibbert are going to hurt this team, and replacing them with Jordan Hill and rookie Myles Turner is a big drop off. Monta Ellis is a good addition on paper, but I'm not sure if he's a good fit alongside Paul George. And like most teams in this conference, I don't like their depth at all. With players like Ian Mahinmi, Rodney Stuckey, and CJ Miles likely getting tons of minutes this year, I don't think it's enough for the Pacers to be enough of a factor.
9. Boston Celtics
The Celtics looked ahead of schedule with their playoff appearance last season. Part of that was the tremendous coaching of Brad Stevens, but I also think that part of it had to do with them taking advantage of a weak Eastern Conference. They have some nice pieces in Marcus Smart, Isaiah Thomas, and Kelly Olynyk, but with teams that missed the playoffs like Miami and Indiana getting their players back from injury, it's hard for me to see the Celtics making the playoffs this year.
10. Orlando Magic
Orlando is a very intriguing team for me. I'm a big fan of their young core, and I like their hire of Scott Skiles this summer. If the players are able to take the next step in their development this season, they could be a surprise 8 seed, but unfortunately, I still think they're at least 1 more year away from becoming a contender for a playoff spot.
11. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets made some interesting moves this off-season. During the draft they turned down a ton of picks from the Celtics and selected Frank Kaminsky, they traded for Nicolas Batum, and signed Jeremy Lin. I think Kaminsky will help with the spacing and outside shooting that they desperately need, and Batum at the shooting guard spot could be a nice move. I think they could have really contended for a playoff spot, but the injury to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist that's likely going to cost him the season put a dash on those hopes.
12. New York Knicks
Many thought the Knicks were going to be big-time players in free agency this summer, but they failed miserably. Completely missing on LaMarcus Aldridge, while also losing their second option Greg Monroe to Milwaukee. They had to settle for Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, and Kyle O'Quinn, moves that aren't going to move the needle in the East. Carmelo Anthony thinks this is a playoff team, but if they get off to a rough start (which is entirely likely), he could end up in a different uniform by the end of the year.
13. Detroit Pistons
Stan Van Gundy is high on this team, but I'm not. I like Andre Drummond, but I don't like their backcourt combo of Reggie Jackson and Brandon Jennings. Marcus Morris and Ersan Ilyasova were nice, cheap pickups for them, but they're not nearly enough to make an impact in the conference.
14. Brooklyn Nets
Resigning Brook Lopez and Thad Young was nice, but losing Deron Williams is going to hurt them. Their backcourt is incredibly weak, and it's not good that their main off-season acquisition was Andrea Bargnani. Going to be a rough year for Nets fans seeing a possible top 5 pick in the 2016 draft being sent to the Celtics.
15. Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers are continuing their tanking movement again this season. I like Okafor, but don't think he fits well next to Nerlens Noel. I also liked their addition of Nik Stauskas this summer, but this team needs a lot more pieces before they can think about getting out of their irrelevant state.
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors
The reigning champs are still the team best equipped to win the regular season. Most dynamic backcourt in the league as well as great depth to last them through the year.
2. San Antonio Spurs
Spurs made the biggest splash of the off-season, signing LaMarcus Aldridge as the heir to Tim Duncan, as well as getting David West to take a $12 million paycut to come off of the bench. I do think they lost some of their depth with Marco Belinelli and Cory Joseph leaving in free agency, but knowing the Spurs, coach Pop will find someone to replace them admirably. Spurs are also well equipped to finish #1, but they'll likely take some games to rest their players which could eventually cost them in the standings.
3. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers still have their big stars (Griffin and Paul), were able to bring back DeAndre Jordan, and radically changed their bench by bringing in Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith. They should be able to win a lot of games this year because their style of play seems to be perfect for the regular season, but I don't think they're bench will be consistent enough for them to make a deep playoff run.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC's success this year lies squarely on the health of Kevin Durant. He's looked great so far this preseason, and if he can stay healthy, the Thunder can really do some damage. Not high on the supporting cast as much as others are, but as they've shown in the past, when KD and Westbrook are on their A-game, it doesn't really matter.
5. Houston Rockets
The Rockets last year were almost in the NBA Finals and look to be just as good this year. Adding Ty Lawson was a great low-risk high-reward move, and I can't wait to see how Sam Dekker fits into this offense. They could finish higher up in the standings if Dwight Howard manages to stay healthy.
6. Memphis Grizzlies
Same old, same old in Memphis. Same physical inside-out style with Randolph and Gasol banging down low, and Conley will be good enough again to keep them in the playoffs. Still don't think they have enough outside shooting to launch them into title contention.
7. New Orleans Pelicans
This is where things start to drop off in the West. The Pelicans made the playoffs last year due to the ascension of Anthony Davis, and his play alone should be able to keep them in the playoffs. Come playoff time, they'll need their backcourt stars to stay healthy to be able to make a run.
8. Dallas Mavericks
Their off-season took a big hit when DeAndre Jordan spurned them to return LA, but I thought the Mavs rebounded nicely by signing Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams. Dirk's skills seem to be good enough regardless of his age, so it'll be the health of Matthews and Williams that determines how far Dallas goes this season.
9. Sacramento Kings
A lot was made this summer about the relationship between star center DeMarcus Cousins and new coach George Karl, but it looks like it was overblown by the press. Not sure how well Rajon Rondo fits into this offense, but on paper they have a very strong lineup. The signings of Marco Belinelli and Kosta Koufos were good for their bench, and drafting Willie Cauley-Stein should help out their interior defense and rebounding. As long as they can stay away from their usual dysfunctional selves, the Kings could be a playoff team.
10. Utah Jazz
Post All-Star break last year, the Jazz were one of the better teams in the West, largely due to the play of Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward. The Jazz could have been a sleeper playoff team in the West but I think the loss of Dante Exum for the season will eventually doom them. Next year will likely be the year we can take the Jazz seriously as a playoff team again.
11. Portland Trailblazers
Portland definitely lost a lot this off-season. Trading away Nic Batum, and losing LaMarcus Aldridge, Wes Matthews, and Robin Lopez in free agency. I do think they did a good job at regaining momentum in a rebuilding situation by acquiring Mason Plumlee, Noah Vonleh, and Moe Harkless. They'll likely lose their playoff spot this year, but I also think it won't be too long before they're back in.
12. Los Angeles Lakers
Like the Knicks, the Lakers were expected to be major players in free agency. Also like the Knicks, they bombed on LaMarcus Aldridge and had to settle for 3rd tier free agents (Lou Williams, Brandon Bass, Roy Hibbert). Kobe will have to turn the clock back 10 years to be able to get this team into the playoffs. It will be fun to see how the offense works if Byron Scott ever decides to put Kobe, Lou, and Nick Young on the court at the same time.
13. Phoenix Suns
The Suns didn't have a bad off-season by any means, but they didn't have a good one either. They were able to sign Tyson Chandler which is nice, but trading away Marcus Morris (upsetting his brother in the process) in their ill-fated attempt at signing Aldridge and giving Brandon Knight a $70 million extension weren't smart moves. The Suns have been close to getting in the playoffs the last 2 seasons, but I see them taking a step back this year.
14. Denver Nuggets
This season I don't see much hope for the Nuggets in a strong Western Conference. Trading Ty Lawson to Houston was a big loss, but the transition to Emmanuel Mudiay should ease the pain in a year or two. Also didn't make much sense for them to give Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari big money extensions unless they are able to trade them for draft picks to further their rebuild.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves
Although they'll likely finish last in the conference once again, this team has a really bright future. Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns are going to be stars and Zach Lavine doesn't look too far off either. I also really like their decisions to bring in guys like KG last year (even though giving him $10 million/season to be a mentor is high), and Andre Miller and Tayshaun Prince in free agency to help their young guys develop. Won't be too long before the T-Wolves are a force to be reckoned with.
Awards
MVP: Kevin Durant - Oklahoma City Thunder
Coach of the Year: Fred Hoiberg - Chicago Bulls
6th Man of the Year: Nikola Mirotic - Chicago Bulls
Most Improved: Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks
Rookie of the Year: Jahlil Okafor - Philadelphia 76ers
Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis - New Orleans Pelicans
Eastern Conference Playoffs
First Round
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers over (8) Indiana Pacers in 5 games
(2) Chicago Bulls over (7) Washington Wizards in 7 games
(3) Toronto Raptors over (6) Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games
(4) Miami Heat over (5) Atlanta Hawks in 7 games
Second Round
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers over (4) Miami Heat in 6 games
(2) Chicago Bulls over (3) Toronto Raptors in 7 games
Conference Finals
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers over (2) Chicago Bulls in 6 games
Western Conference Playoffs
First Round
(1) Golden State Warriors over (8) Dallas Mavericks in 4 games
(2) San Antonio Spurs over (7) New Orleans Pelicans in 5 games
(3) Los Angeles Clippers over (6) Memphis Grizzlies in 5 games
(5) Houston Rockets over (4) Oklahoma City Thunder in 7 games
Second Round
(1) Golden State Warriors over (5) Houston Rockets in 7 games
(2) San Antonio Spurs over (3) Los Angeles Clippers in 6 games
Conference Finals
(2) San Antonio Spurs over (1) Golden State Warriors in 7 games
NBA Finals
San Antonio Spurs over Cleveland Cavaliers in 7 games
And there is my NBA Preview. I would like to thank you for reading, and if you have any comments on what you think I got wrong or right, also feel free to give your own predictions in the comments below. Thanks again!
Twitter: @thomas_mooney1
