Minnesota Timberwolves – Season Preview 

Jimmy Butler Trade – After it was made clear that the Bulls were looking to deal Jimmy Butler the Wolves immediately emerged as a major suitor. They finally pulled the trigger on a deal that was good for both sides and reunited Jimmy with Tom Thibodeau. Butler brings his playoff experience as well as his toughness to this Wolves team and immensely boosts their profile in the gauntlet that will be the West this year. 

Milwaukee Bucks – Season Preview 

Giannis an MVP Candidate? – As everyone around the league has watched Giannis’ meteoric rise over the past 4 seasons they expect him to take the next step this year. Having been an All-Star last year while leading his team in every statistical category nobody knows what the ceiling is for the Greek Freak. With Jabari Parker missing at least half of the season Giannis will again need to carry the team and if he worked on his shot any during the offseason… Watch out. 

Miami Heat – Season Preview 

Unfinished Business – Last year the Miami Heat made history. They started the season 11-30…. then went 30-11 to end the year. They actually tied with the Bulls for the 8 seed but lost the tie breaker. According to reports there were tears shed in the locker room after their last game. They brought back their key free agents with huge paydays to keep the core together around Dragic and Whiteside while adding big man depth which was an issue last year. The Heat come into this season on a mission to finish what they started in the second half of last season. 

Memphis Grizzlies – Season Preview 

ZBo and Tony Allen gone – After years of grinding and challenging the top teams in the West but never breaking through the Grizzlies are changing the identity of their team. While they seem committed to keeping Gasol and Conley, they decided to let Allen and Zach Randolph walk. In a kind gesture they have already announced plans to retire Tony Allen’s jersey. They’ll be dependent on Chandler Parson’s health and young/new guys stepping up to make up for the lost production. 

L.A. Lakers – Season Preview 

Lonzo Ball bringing back Showtime? – Magic Johnson was salivating over drafting the ball moving PG Lonzo to run his offense. Though I have my feelings about Ball I won’t deny his affect on a team. The Lakers are going to have fun and with the long and athletic guys they are surrounding Lonzo with I expect a lot of highlights coming out of LA. 

L.A. Clippers – Season Preview 

Post CP3 Era – As previously mentioned Chris Paul is now in Houston. After years of heartbreaking playoff exits and locker room turmoil Chris Paul decided it was time to go. Blake decided to stay which was telling as to how the relationship was. The Clippers brought over Patrick Beverly, signed veteran European PG Milos Teodosic, and ALSO drafted a PG who draws comparisons to CP3 and it will be all hands on deck to replace his production. 

Indiana Pacers – Season Preview 

End of the Paul George era – This offseason the Pacers, faced with the expectation that Paul George planned to leave at the end of his contract, decided to trade him to the Thunder. In the haul they got back Victor Oladipo and he looks to be the key backcourt player for them now. There was a time when the Pacers were Lebron’s biggest threat in the East and those days are now long gone. The Pacers will now depend on a mass unit of secondary or otherwise discarded players. 

Houston Rockets – Season Preview 

Chris Paul Trade – This offseason the Rockets were looking to make a huge splash. They seemingly got CP3 to come over rather easily before trying to land Paul George or Carmelo Anthony. Sadly, nobody wanted to take on Ryan Anderson’s contract so CP3 ended up being the only major move made. With that said the Rockets now have a powerful backcourt and it will be interesting to see how they mesh. 

Golden State Warriors – Season Preview

Will the Champs Repeat? – After winning the title in 2015 the Warriors learned the following year that repeating in this league is not easy. After losing in 2016 the Warriors went out and recruited the (arguably) second best player in the league and climbed back to the mountain top. They know this time that they can’t get comfortable but while they were coasting to the title the other teams in the West were plotting their moves and the result is about the wildest offseason we’ve had in years. We now have a big 3 in OKC, the Wolves, Nuggets, and Rockets all made huge moves in the offseason, and people seem to have forgotten about the Blazers and Spurs. Getting through the West will be no easy task on it’s own before they even get to see the Eastern Conference Champion. 

Detroit Pistons – Season Preview

Pistons finally in Detroit – This year the Pistons moved from the Palace in Auburn Hills to Little Caesers Arena in Detroit. I thought this was a great thing but based on the tweets (when I looked it up) there are a lot of people who are not pleased with the move. Regardless the move has been made and the Pistons will look to make the most of their first season in the new arena.