2017 NBA Season Preview Part 4: The Dark Horses
Part four of the NBA Preview will cover teams that are (in my opinion) the dark horses in the NBA. These teams have the capability of reaching the conference finals and maybe beyond with the right bounces.
11. Portland Trailblazers
Last season, the Portland Trailblazers were picked to be one of the worst teams in the NBA after losing four starters in the previous offseason. The Blazers defied logic and not only won 44 games, but also won a playoff series to reach the second round. Now granted they took advantage of an injured Clippers team, but a playoff series win still counts the same. Portland found a way to reinvent themselves as an exciting team led by Damian Lillard. They s read the floor and attacked with perimeter shooting that even gave the contenders a run for their money. Now the Blazers enter the season as a dark horse ready to maneuver deeper into the playoffs.
The Blazers added to their roster by signing guys like Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli. Turner process a versatile offensive weapon to plug in at the three spot. Ezeli may have cost himself a lot of money with his finals performance last year, but he can still protect the rim and grab rebounds. The Blazers also were able to retain Allen Crabbe and Meyers Leonard. Crabbe was a breakout player for the Blazers along with C.J. McCollum and got payed for it.
Best Case Scenario: The Blazers are able to build on the momentum they gained last season and advance deep into the playoffs.
Worst Case Scenario: The Blazers take a step back and become a first round casualty or miss the playoffs entirely.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder
2016 will likely go down as the worst calendar year in the history of the franchise. They blew a 3-1 lead in the conference finals to the Warriors and then lost one of their franchise players to the same team. It’s amazing how the Thunder went from Dynasty in the making to fringe contender at best. I have the Thunder ranked so highly simply because I have too much respect for the face of the franchise. It’s the Russell Westbrook show in Oklahoma City now that Kevin Durant is in Oakland. Westbrook will likely reign down enough furry on the league to get the Thunder to the postseason, but any further may be a bit of a stretch. But then again, the lust for revenge can yield surprising results.
The good news is the Thunder are still a playoff team. They added Victor Oladipo to the fold. He’ll bring athleticism and defense to the shooting guard spot and is probably a better option than Dion Waiters right now. Enes Kanter and Steve Adams were a matchup problem at their best. Their control of the paint and glass took the team over the Spurs and nearly over the Warriors. Cameron Payne could be the breakout player on this team as the Thunder’s sixth man once he returns from injury. The days of being known as simply Westbrook’s dance partner should be at an end.
Best Case Scenario: Secretly, I think the goal for the Thunder is the elimination of the Warriors. Kind of like how Miami was aiming at LeBron after he left, the Thunder want the Warriors. So best case scenario, they get them in a seven-game series (preferably in the second round or beyond)
Worst Case Scenario: They miss the playoffs and watch as Durant hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy with his new team.
9. Memphis Grizzlies
Is their a happier team in the league to see a dawn of a new season than the Grizzlies? Last season they were completely destroyed by injuries and used an NBA record 28 different players. Now they hope they can stay healthy enough to give new Head Coach David Fizdale a good first season. Fizdale comes over from the Miami Heat organization where he took part in two NBA Championships in the Big 3 era as an assistant. When healthy this team warrants the Dark Horse label. When they’re injured, they’re lucky to even be in the playoffs.
Speaking of health, Chandler Parsons is the most noteworthy addition if he can stay on the court. He has a chance to provide the shooting that this organization seems to always be missing. Mike Conley got the richest contract in NBA history and will now have the task of living up to it. Marc Gasol says he’s ready to be better than ever and Z-Bo is still Z-Bo. The grit and grind philosophy got the Grizzlies as far as the conference finals once before and there’s no reason to believe they’re not a threat in the West as long as they stay healthy.
Best Case Scenario: They stay health and make a deep playoff run.
Worst Case Scenario: See what happened last season.
8. Utah Jazz
Despite only having one winning season in the last five seasons, the Utah Jazz enter the season as one of the more interesting dark horse candidates. They would’ve made the playoffs had a combination of injuries and Kobe Bryant not cost them a spot in the final game of the season. They now appear to be ready to reap the benefits of previous moves made. Trading Deron Williams for Derick Favors seems like a genius move now. They patiently built through the draft with players like Gordon Hayward, Rodney Hood and Rudy Gobert. Everything is now in place for the Jazz to be a player in the West.
To add on to their core, the Jazz brought in veterans like George Hill and Joe Johnson. George Hill will give the team the consistency that Trey Burke lacked and a steady pressence. Johnson proved to be a versatile player in Miami and can still put the ball in the basket. Boris DIaw also comes over from the Spurs. Trey Lyles and Dante Exum expect to be breakout candidates for this team. Lyles will always struggle with minutes playing behind Favors in the rotation, but he can still be productive off the bench. Exum on the other hand may be the starting point guard in waiting. All he has to do is prove he can do it. Utah has great depth and a mix of youth and veteran players. All in all, this team could be the best developing team in the league.
Best Case Scenario: Six games into the second round is a fair ceiling for the Jazz considering how much has to break right for this team. If they can put it all together, I believe this team can scare a few teams late in the season.
Worst Case Scenario: There’s a chance this team isn’t ready yet and could find themselves back where they were a season ago.
7. Boston Celtics
Last season marked the best season since the Big 3 era in Boston. The Celtics posted a 48-win season despite not having a mainstream superstar on their roster. They made the playoffs only to lose the Hawks in the first round. It’s been a quite build so far since Pierce and Garnett were shipped out to Brooklyn. While they still haven’t flipped their assets into a top five superstar, they were still able to land one of the best big men in the league in Al Horford. With the third pick in the draft, they selected Jaylen Brown who will likely fill the void of the departed Evan Turner.
Horford brings his ability to not only score in the post, but he can also stretch the floor and shoot. That creates even more space for Isaiah Thomas to do damage on offense. Marcus Smart will also need to play a bigger role in this season to offset some of their losses. While he’s a good scrappy guard that can play defense, he hasn’t translated into the top-10 pick he was supposed to be. As dangerous as the Celtics could be, the road through the east still goes through Cleveland. And until the LeBron riddle is solved, they will only ever be a dark horse trying to play contender.
Best Case Scenario: A trip to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavs.
Worst Case Scenario: Losing in the second round.
6. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers playoff berth last season shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. They got Paul George back at full strength last season, and the wins followed. They pushed Toronto to seven games before losing in the first round and now they look to get back to the level they were on before George went down with his leg injury. This team looks built to be the perfect sleeper in the east. They have who I would consider to be the third best player in the east in George (the other two play in Cleveland), a budding young star in Myles Turner and solid pieces around them that could be dangerous if their new coach figures out a way to bring it all together.
Speaking of their new coach, it feels like Nate McMillan should have had another coaching job long before this one. It’ll be on him to keep the pace up offensively while bringing back the defensive presence the Pacers were once known for. The pace on offense will be key for their new point guard Jeff Teague. He’s only an upgrade from George Hill if he’s allowed to play at the pace he likes. Al Jefferson also comes over to the Pacers and is still one of the best low post scorers in the game. When things begin to slow down late in the season, having a guy like Jefferson on the block is always a plus. Thaddeus Young is the last of the big additions and should be right at home playing combo forward alongside George. Larry Bird wanted more sizzle from his offense and his new pieces should help realize that goal. They’re capable of making a run in the east until they eventually run into Cleveland.
Best Case Scenario: Same as the Celtics. This team has the ability to make it to the eastern conference finals against the Cavs, but no further.
Worst Case Scenario: Another loss in the first round.
5. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors had their best season in franchise history following a 56-win outing and a trip to the conference finals. But I’ll say this about this team: it felt like they hit the ceiling a bit. Seriously, how much further can this team go with Cleveland in the east? They held onto DeMar DeRozan in free agency, but lost a key contributor in Bismack Biyombo. To replace him, they used a draft pick on Jakob Poeltl from Australia. For the Raptors to get over the hump in the East, they need DeRozan and Kyle Lowry to be more than all-stars. Together they form a good dynamic duo. Combined they averaged 44.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 10.4 apg. And yet the two guys in Cleveland are still better than them.
Two other players that can help the Raptors break through the east are Jonas Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll. Valanciunas showed great potential in the playoffs last season, but most keep improving. With Biyombo gone, he’ll be called to be more of a rim protector as well as the teams top option in the post. Carroll was limited due to injuries last season and ended up only paling 26 regular season games. He’s the only guy on this roster who can even think of guarding a guy like LeBron. Maybe a healthy season provides a boost for the Raptors.
Best Case Scenario: A return trip to the eastern conference finals and maybe even a finals berth if they can find a way around Cleveland or father time knocks LeBron over the head or something.
Worst Case Scenario: They fail to make the conference finals after running into the Celtics or Pacers.
4. Los Angeles Clippers
Fun fact: Every team in the west have advanced to the western conference finals with the exception of the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans and the Los Angeles Clippers. What player do they have in common…
The Clippers curse reared it’s ugly head last season at the worst possible time. With Steph Curry injured, it looked like the perfect time for the Clippers to take the West and advance to the NBA Finals. That was until Chris Paul and Blake Griffin suffered injures mere minutes apart and everything fell apart. Though the team didn’t break up and they still can compete in the west, this could be it for the golden era of Clippers basketball. Anything short of the conference finals could spell the end of an era with both Paul and Griffin having the ability to hit the open market next season (and why wouldn’t they with all the money they could make).
The Clippers kept themselves mostly intact and added in reserves like Marreese Speights, Brandon Bass and Brice Johnson. Other than that this is mostly the same Clippers season from a season ago. One thing that must improve is the rebounding. Last season, they ranked 29th in that category with DeAndre Jordan and Griffin on the roster. That would explain the moves to beef up on the frontline. At the end of the day, I can only go back to what I stated above. Anything short of the conference finals likely means the end of the Clippers of this era. They have to make it past the second round this season. No excuses.
Best Case Scenario: A trip to the conference finals and maybe even the finals if everything goes right. The trip to the conference finals is mandatory.
Worst Case Scenario: Their season ending in the second round or sooner.
The fifth and final tier of the NBA Previews will cover the contenders. Check back on Tuesday before the tip off of the NBA season to see what order they fall in.
