1. Cleveland Cavaliers
Most experts and analysts consider the Chicago Bulls to be the favorites to earn the top seed, and ultimately a trip to the finals. I, on the other hand, am not either an expert nor analyst so I'm going to go with my gut and pick Cleveland. While I won't make a claim on how the Cavaliers will do in the playoffs until I see their new team play together, I think they will dominate the regular season with newly acquired players like LeBron James and Kevin Love.
Cleveland has a ton of offensive firepower in their starting lineup which projects to consist of Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Anderson Varejao (who can actually make his matchups pay on cuts to the basket and mid range jumpers if left unattended). Opponents will also have troubles in rebounding the ball as they have to deal with both Love and Varejao. Their bench as of now is filled with shooters, which is much needed considering the fact that James, Irving, and Waiters all excel in the drive and kick game.
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| There are high expectations for Cleveland's new Big 3 |
2. Chicago Bulls
Adding a healthy Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, and European star Nikola Mirotic to an already potent Bulls roster is astounding. In fact, after thinking about it a little, I had the temptation to move Chicago to the top seed but ultimately decided to stick with my first inclination. We all know what Derrick Rose is capable of doing when he's fully healthy. Some believe him to be the best point guard in the league if his knees are supporting him properly. Pau Gasol is an upgrade to Carlos Boozer in every way too. The team concept is still going to revolve around physical defense and being active around the glass but with these key additions their offense is going to take a huge lead forward, an area where they mightily struggled in before.
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| Seeing a healthy Derrick Rose is making fans throughout the nation excited for the upcoming NBA season |
3. Washington Wizards
I love the backcourt pairing of John Wall and Bradley Beal. The two compliment each other like peanut butter and jelly. Wall is developing a pull-up jumper that's making him insanely difficult to guard when he gets the first step he wants, and Beal is developing much faster than most anticipated. Some have even gone to go as far as saying that he will be better than Klay Thompson by the end of the season. Their young core is only growing but to add to their already special group, the Wizards went out and signed veteran Paul Pierce. Kudos to Washington's front office for getting that deal done. His IQ and presence is going to keep that ball moving on offensive and help the team play craftier on the defensive side of the court.
4. Toronto Raptors
Some speculated that Kyle Lowry would dump the Raptors, go the Heat, win championships there, and ultimately cause his former team to drop off in standings because of his departure. Well none of that happened so we can continue to see this team's athletic guards/swingmen play together at a high level. If this team wants to seriously contend though, more production needs to come from center Jonas Valucinas.
A random thought just occurred to me that I think I should mention. In fantasy basketball, Rudy Gay is often drafted within the first three or four rounds, yet DeMar Derozan falls closer to the end of the draft. He has similar production (albeit slightly lower numbers in the defensive categories steals and blocks) but if you're looking for a reliable source of blocks you should be focusing on centers rather than guards/forwards. This fact always bedazzles me.
A random thought just occurred to me that I think I should mention. In fantasy basketball, Rudy Gay is often drafted within the first three or four rounds, yet DeMar Derozan falls closer to the end of the draft. He has similar production (albeit slightly lower numbers in the defensive categories steals and blocks) but if you're looking for a reliable source of blocks you should be focusing on centers rather than guards/forwards. This fact always bedazzles me.
5. Miami Heat
Even with LeBron's departure this team should still be on the radar of most teams. Ironically enough, they replaced James with Cleveland's former small forward, Luol Deng, who is still a capable player in his own right. While the mileage from the weighty minutes he played in Chicago seems to be taking its toll on the vet, he still carries the same attribute as before. Playing under Erik Spolestra also has its benefits - as opposed to Mike Brown whose isolation heavy offense doesn't best utilize his players' talents. Additionally, they still retained Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, both of whom will take on a larger role of this team and are still players to take particular note of.
6. Atlanta Hawks
They weren't playing with a concrete identity for the first half of the season, but after that they were quite enjoyable to watch. Once everything clicked it was smooth sailing (minus the last week or two). The same team is back for the most part so we should expect better things from them this time around.
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| Al Horford and Paul Milsap form one of the most underrated frontcourts in the game. |
7. Brooklyn Nets
Paul Pierce and Shaun Livington did a lot to keep this team together last year and with those two gone it took a lot for me to convince myself that this team will make the playoffs next year. If Deron Williams plays up to his standards for the entire season rather than just the second half, then this team will definitely make the playoffs. If not… good luck Brooklyn.
8. New York Knicks
Only one year removed from the playoffs and many writers want to throw this team away. The makeup of this team expects to be severely different and approach the game in a different way. Carmelo Anthony is on a mission since he's under so much pressure after signing a new deal that made him filthy rich. Phil Jackson also seems to be taking charge and players have the utmost respect for him after all he's accomplished in this league. Players in New York won't be slacking anymore.
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