The moment has finally arrived. In a few days the NBA season will tip off and its going to be a DOOZY! So many questions need to be answered. Will the Heat pull off the rare three peat? Will Derrick Rose return to MVP form? Will the Clippers additions finally help them get over the hump? Will Andrew Bynum or Greg Oden play more minutes? Who is this seasons Paul George? Which young team will make the leap and push one of the older organizations to the back? All questions will be answered in one way or the other and I can't wait for the process to get started.
The Dance I will do in celebration of Tuesday!
I decided that since I have jumped in to the deep end of blogging full time, I should put out my season expectations and predictions. Who better than the guy that will try to juggle an infant, college, full time job (which starts at 5 am) and of course awesome husband duty!? No matter the obstacle I have always kept my ear to the ground, nose in a magazine, bookmarks set on my favorite sites and TV tuned in to NBAtv (like it is right now) during the NBA season. All of that combined with my league pass subscription and brewing fan base makes me the ideal person…right? Well at any rate I am going to give it a shot. ENJOY!
Team Predictions:
1. Finals: Miami Heat vs L.A. Clippers: I fully expect the Heat to not only return to the Finals but beat the Clippers in 5 games. I believe that LeBron will enter another world in the post season and force his way in to the top 3 all time conversation. I believe Wade, Bosh and Allen will more than carry their weight while the new additions led by Beasley will deliver major moments. I believe that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will evolve in to the new Stockton/Malone and rely on their shooters to help them. I see Doc Rivers guiding them through the difficult and deep Western Conference to eventually run into the Juggernaut that is LeBron and Co. Finally I believe that Greg Oden becomes a major factor during the post season which will help to solidify the Heats greatness.
2. The Bulls, Pacers, Nets, Warriors, Spurs, Rockets and Thunder: All of these teams will have superior seasons to the two Finals teams in one way or the next, but they won't have the juice or fight to make it to the finish line. It's no secret that the Heat will probably suffer from some form of fatigue, but the experience and taste of immortality will push them through. The Bulls and Pacers will eventually eliminate one another from the picture in a hard fought playoff series setting one of the teams up for the inevitable dog fight with Miami. The Warriors will push OKC to the max in a battle of two of the games best scorers, but the Thunder will pull it out setting up a match with the Clippers who will beat them in 6.
3. The Wizards, Pistons and Pelicans will be very entertaining this year: Over the last few years the 3 aforementioned teams have been horrible with very little entertainment value. That changes after all 3 had very good off seasons. The Wizards locked up John Wall, drafted Otto Porter and traded for Marcin Gortat. The Pistons added Josh Smith, Brandon Jennings, Chauncey Billups and may have the second coming of Shaq. The Pelicans added one time All Star Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and have the pleasure of witnessing the growth of Anthony Davis. I predict he sneaks in to the All Star game this year, if he remains healthy.
4. The Bobcats will finally win the Lottery: Michael Jordan will finally earn a top pick (by flopping of course) in the draft and grin like the Cheshire Cat when he reveals moments later that Andrew Wiggins will be playing for the Hornets (remember the name changes next season). Phoenix while acquiring several first round picks will draft third because the league can't handle Boston and Philly sucking so the Celtics will pick second.
Player Predictions:
1. I honestly have no idea who will win Rookie of the Year: Too many injuries and not enough preseason data to make a sound decision. Anthony Bennett could potentially finish the season strong, but he is an easy 25 pounds over weight. Trey Burke injured his hand and is out for the foreseeable future. Philly is considering not playing Noel all season. Alex Len is recovering from off season surgery and no one will watch the Suns. McLemore has a shot, but he plays with DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Thorton meaning there are not enough shots! But if I am forced to pick one because of circumstance and opportunity I am going with Michael Carter Williams. The world is his oyster. The award is practically his to lose.
2. Harrison Barnes will be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. The "Black Falcon" proved he can hold his own on the NBA level in the post season. He will be a match up nightmare for opposing teams with a lack of wing depth and he is a walking highlight reel. The only way he doesn't get considered is if he starts too many games. He is on his way to becoming the Second Coming of James Harden.
3. Speaking of James Harden…He alongside Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will quench the thirst of people (HATERS) tired of seeing LeBron hoist the MVP trophy. While I am sure James will have his annual 26 +, 7 rebound, 7 assist performance, like Jordan in the late 90's voters will look for any reason to give the award to someone else. In that case I am rolling with Chris Paul in a close race with Rose. Paul will earn it for the same reason Jeff Bridges won an Oscar, long over due.
4. Andre Drummond will reign: Andre Drummond will average 3 blocks and 14+ rebounds per game: His ceiling has Hall of Fame potential and as long as he remains healthy the league is in trouble. You can't keep him from rebounding and he will rotate to block shots form the weak side with blinding speed. Opposing teams will be so worried about Smith and Jennings shooting that when they miss, which they will…he will be there to clean up the mess. EVERY TIME!
5. The Mamba Strikes Back: Kobe Bryant will return to action in December and be averaging 20 + by the All Star Break. He will then go on one of those "YOU SAID I WAS NUMBER 25!" rampages and drop 40 + for like 2 weeks straight, culminating in a 70 point out burst against some low lying fruit. Mark your calendar they play Phoenix on March 30th.
6. Blake Griffin will dunk on Dwight Howard: This head on collision is inevitable. Howard feels more confident and is beginning to get a little more spring in his step. Griffin, as he proved against Rudy Gobert during the preseason is ready right now. There will be a slight power outage so we will all be left with imagining the bludgeoning until some cell phone videos emerge on ESPN.
7. Carmelo Anthony might get traded: This is my "Moment that will alter the course of history" Prediction. If Anthony keeps alluding to testing free agency with absolute glee and the Knicks are playing sub par come February (at least 10 games below .500), they will cash in the chips, bite the bullet and trade Melo. Might as well join the Lakers, Celtics and Sixers as bottom feeders that were once the best teams of the 1980's.
8. Those stupid T-Shirt uniforms will end this year. I HATE THOSE THINGS!!!! NUFF SAID!
The Draft Fanatic
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