Another year, another Mavs Free Agency. There will be no mass pursuit of big fish, but Deandre Jordan is back on the Mavs radar. With his name being the only one floated publicly, he’ll definitely be a focus of this list but I do want to focus on some under the radar moves as well. Continue reading Mavs Free Agency Wish List
Another NBA Season is upon us so Josh and I sat down after all of the work of the previous week to make some predictions on how this season will play out. Who wins MVP? Who is Most Improved? and of course, who hoists the Larry O’Brien when it’s all said and done. Continue reading NBA All-Star, Playoffs, and Awards Predictions
Otto Porter Deal – The Wizards always said they were going to keep Otto Porter no matter what and they followed through on that promise. The Nets offered him a max deal with all kinds of unappealing clauses (trade kicker, player option, etc.) but the Wizards still matched it. The goal was always to keep their blossoming 3 together and basically wait for other teams (The Cavs and Raptors) to age out ahead of them. Porter will need to increase his production to earn the money he’s going to be getting and there’s reason to believe he will do so. Continue reading Washington Wizards – Season Preview
Gordon Hayward Leaves – The biggest story of the offseason was definitely the departure of the team’s leading scorer Gordon Hayward. Fans and the players (most vocally Rudy Gobert) alike were obviously disappointed by the move and the team will now look to the supporting cast to step up. Gobert has been a beast in the preseason as he looks to take on more of a role as a scorer this season as the face of the team. The question will be if Ingles and Hood can make up for Godon Hayward’s 22 missed points. Continue reading Utah Jazz – Season Preview
The Culture Reset – After being swept by the Cavs in the playoffs last year Masai Ujiri said that the Raptors needed a “Culture reset.” That clearly didn’t mean a roster reset as the Raptors only removed role players from their 2016-2017 team. What they have changed is the way they play. During the preseason they have done more to get Jonas Valanciunas involved (Thank God, I’ve always felt he was underutilized) and they are shooting more 3’s. These changes could be huge for them as they try to hold onto their place in the East if not build upon it. Continue reading Toronto Raptors – Season Preview
Tony Parker and Kawhi Injuries – Tony Parker suffered a devastating injury last season and is projected to be out another 3 – 4 months. This means that the combination of Dejounte Murray and Patty Mills will be holding down the PG spot for the majority of the year. Meanwhile, Kawhi has yet to practice with the team and did not appear in the preseason as he’s dealing with a quad injury. The expectation would be that he’s going to miss some time to start the year as well. Every game will count in the West this year so Pop will need to work his magic early and often to keep this team afloat. Continue reading San Antonio Spurs – Season Preview
Veteran Influence – The Kings brought in Vince Carter, Zach Randolph, and George Hill this offseason in what most thought were surprising moves. The vets will be there to guide the young guys and allow them time to develop. Currently Hill and Randolph are expected to start but I’d expect that once they fall out of the playoff picture they’ll let the rookies take over much like the Suns did with their vets last year. Continue reading Sacramento Kings – Season Preview
“Bad Boy” Blazers – I happen to follow a few Blazers players on twitter and they seem to be embracing a “Bad Boy” persona for the team. Caleb Swanigan embodied this the other night getting into an altercation with Alex Len of the Suns and Stotts backed his guy up saying “Caleb Swanigan isn’t going to back down from anybody, and we expect that from him.” Big Nurk’s father’s exploits are well documented and the Bosnian Beast will also not be backing down. With those two enforcers down low, and the outside tandem of Lillard and McCollom steering the ship this Bad Boy theme could carry this team to new heights. Continue reading Portland Trail Blazers – Season Preview
How good can Devin Booker be? – Booker gets buckets. He did so to the tune of 70 points against the Celtics last year. This year he’ll look to turn that scoring into more actual winning and to do so will need to step up in other ways besides scoring. We will see if he is able to do so. Continue reading Phoenix Suns – Season Preview
Joel Embiid Extension – Joel Embiid got PAID a few days ago and he’s feeling good. In back to back games he’s screamed about how the opponents can’t guard him and they really can’t. A healthy Embiid is a scary proposition for the league. He shoots 3’s, put’s the ball on the floor, has a post game, blocks shots. He’s basically the perfect Center for today’s league. The 76ers are gambling that they will get a healthy Embiid and did not want to risk him leaving in the offseason. You can’t help but root for the guy. Continue reading Philadelphia 76ers – Season Preview
