The NBA season is almost upon us. Here are the 30 biggest basketball questions to be answered over the next few months.
The NBA season is upon us. Normally, this is a very exciting time for us basketball fans, but given how crazy the offseason was, can we delay the season for a week or two? The answer is no, we can’t. It’d be pretty cool if we could because I’m sure more All-Stars would like to change teams, but it’s finally time to basketball.
However, this offseason left us with more questions than answers. Prior to last season, the only question was, “How can we pretend like the Golden State Warriors aren’t going to run through everyone?” We started making up things like, “they’re better without Kevin Durant” and “Steph Curry is no longer scary.” Man, things were a downer prior to last season.
While the Warriors are still the team to beat, a handful of teams decided to load up and take their best shot. This assembling of superstars across four or five teams has created an intriguing season at the top, chaos in the middle, and even more tanking at the bottom.
There are plenty of storylines to follow this season, but what stories will dominate the year? I’m going to answer that question with another question. Because in life, when you want to learn something, you ask questions. And in basketball, when you want to learn something, you look at a bunch of numbers and pretend you know what they mean.
In this case, the number is 30. Here are 30 answers to 30 questions to help you get through life and the 2017-18 NBA season.
30. Will the Cleveland Cavaliers go all in?
When you have LeBron James, you’re already in the NBA Finals. Sure, the Cleveland Cavaliers still have to win 12 playoff games before they’re officially in the Finals, but that’s just semantics and a scheme to make money. If the NBA didn’t care about things like competition and money, they’d just allow the team with LeBron James to be in the Finals. But competition and money are important, so basketball games must be played.
While LeBron can usually book his trip to the Finals in October, this year the Cavaliers are a bit…underwhelming. Isaiah Thomas won’t be healthy until January, Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade are in 2017, Tristan Thompson is Tristan Thompson, and Kevin Love is somehow the guy who people are like, “Hey, I like Kevin Love and he’s pretty good.”
Not only do the Cavs look weak compared to the powerhouses out West, but the Boston Celtics are taking direct aim at the King this year.
But the Cavs have that famed Brooklyn first round pick that could turn them from “Finals team because of LeBron James” to “Finals teams with LeBron James.” That famed Brooklyn first round pick that could turn into Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, or the entire bottom half of the Eastern Conference.
Or it could remain the famed Brooklyn first pick that turns into a top-five pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and the only player on Cleveland you’re going to recognize next season should LeBron decided to leave.
So, will the Cavs go all in and trade the pick with LeBron’s future up in the air? Probably not. And that’s completely fine.
29. Can Russell Westbrook rein it in with Paul George & Carmelo Anthony?
Last season, with Kevin Durant departing, Russell Westbrook was able to do what he wanted because who the hell wanted to see Victor Oladipo and Enes Kanter try to do things? He averaged a triple-double and put up video game numbers en route to being named league MVP.
Now, Oladipo and Kanter are gone and replaced by Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. People want to see them do things. If George and Anthony are going to do things, Westbrook will have do less things. After doing the things that he wanted to do, does he even know how to do less?
I can’t answer this question. I can’t answer any question when it comes to the Thunder point guard. Not because I’m a biased Thunder fan who won’t let his fandom get in the way of democracy, but because there are no right answers when it comes to Russell Westbrook. The guy’s motto is “Why Not?” He answers questions with questions. Who does that? Only crazy people, right?
“Hey Russell, want to wear a snake skin vest, a skirt made out of ostrich feathers, and sandals with socks?” “Sure, why not?” “Hey Russell, want to eat pigs eyes for dinner and wash it down with a cow turd smoothie?” “Sure, why not?” “Hey Russell, want to play with Carmelo Anthony and Paul George but still take 30 shots a game?” “Sure, why not?”
It’s impossible to answer questions about Russell Westbrook because just when you think you have all the answers, he changes the curriculum.
29. Will Kevin Durant stay off Twitter?
No.
I really wanted to answer yes. I wanted to say that Kevin Durant will be less involved on Twitter because he was caught using burner account and that he’ll now spend his time on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
But I can’t. I can’t do it because that’s not how the world works. People who are addicted to Twitter the way Kevin Durant is just can’t help themselves. It’s like those people on Catfish who swear they’re going to give up Catfishing because it’s wrong and pointless. But a year later, Nev and Max knock on their door again with that same look of disappointment you only see from your parents after you hand them your report card.
Remember when Donald Trump was going to do on Twitter less because now he’s the President and has serious Presidential stuff to do? How did that work out?
Durant isn’t going to be on Twitter less because now it’s the regular season and he has serious basketball to play. The Warriors won’t play serious basketball until April. That gives Durant another six months of Twitter freedom before he finally logs out of @KDTrey5 account and into his @KD3Cino account for the playoffs. Yes, Durant will continue to be on Twitter, even during the playoffs. He’ll just use another burner account that he sets up during the season because no one suspects him to make more burner accounts after he’s already been caught.
And then Nev and Max show up at his door with that same look of disappointment.
27. Is the Process ready to make Progress?
Yes, but only because they’ll make progress by just stepping on the court. The real question is, how much progress will they make?
Depending on who you listen to, the Philadelphia 76ers are sneaky mid-tier playoff team, a likely bottom-tier playoff team, or too young to be a threat. Don’t listen to those people. Listen to me. I’m telling you that the Sixers will be a basketball team with talented young men in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Those talented young men include Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz, Dario Saric, and Jahlol Okafor. All five of them are 32-years-old or young, four of them were top-three draft picks, three of them have played in an NBA game, two have not, and one will get traded.
The best-case scenario for the Sixers is that Simmons, Embiid, and Fultz play at least 65 games each. Wins and losses don’t matter. Winning is better, but losers are more lovable so it’s an even trade off. Staying healthy and just playing basketball is what matters.
It’s impossible to go from the Process to Progress without playing. The 76ers are like a video game. You can’t reach the final stage and rescue the Princess if you’re not playing. You may run through every level with ease or you curse at yourself when you accidentally run into a goomba, but as long as you’re playing, you’re one step closer to defeating Bowser.
The only way you can’t defeat Bowser is if you’re sitting on the bench in a nice suit, live tweeting the game.
26. Who will end the season as the Chicago Bulls starting point guard?
The Chicago Bulls have point guards. A lot of point guards. Zach LaVine, Cameron Payne, Jerian Grant, and Kris Dunn are all point guards (ish).
I admire the Bulls strategy. They know that it’s a point guard dominated league. The last three MVPs have been a point guard. Teams that reach the NBA Finals typically have a star point guard. The Bulls are either fielding an entire team full of point guards or they’re playing the odds and figuring the more point guards they have, the better chance that one of them is good.
I never want to hear criticism of Gar Forman again. He’s a revolutionist.
Back to the original question, who ends the season as the Bulls point guard? Probably none of those guys. LaVine is better suited to play shooting guard, Payne doesn’t appear to be very good, Grant went to Notre Dame, and Dunn can’t shoot. If it were somehow possible to combine all four point guards, the Bulls would have a solid Reggie Jackson on their hands.
I believe you will end the season as the Bulls starting point guard. Yes, you, person reading this. Chicago will become so desperate for attention that they’ll go to The Proving Ground to scout for talent. You’ll embarrass everyone at the Proving Ground, talk to a Bulls executive who invites you to practice, embarrass the Bulls A-squad and B-squad, and end up with a contract. That’s how the NBA works in 2017-18 and that’s how you will end up as the Chicago Bulls starting point guard.
25. How long until stories about James Harden and Chris Paul disliking each other appear?
Right after the first game. The moment the clock ticks zero on opening night, you’ll be able to read at least three major stories with a headline that says, “James Harden frustrated with Chris Paul.”
The Houston Rockets open the season against the Golden State Warriors. They will not win that game. Teams that make major additions in the offseason typically take a month or so to figure things out. Remember when the Warriors got blown out on opening night last year and people were freaking out? Or when the Lakers blew them out? It’s because they had to figure out how to incorporate Kevin Durant and Durant had to figure out how to play with them.
Paul and Harden have to figure out how to maximize each other and incorporate the rest of the team. It’s going to take them at least a month. They’ll look good in game two against the Sacramento Kings, but they’re going to struggle against the best team in the league on opening night.
And because we’re a reactionary bunch, we’re going to freak out after game one of an 82-game season and say things like, “Harden wants control of the team back” and “Paul needs Harden to be better without the ball.” People who said “Paul and Harden will never work” will claim victory while rational people will only talk about how the Warriors will go 82-0.
Chris Paul and James Harden will figure it out. Great players who want to win almost always figure it out. But until they figure it, they’re going to hate each other according to unnamed sources.
24. Who will have a better season: Lonzo Ball or D’Angelo Russell?
I’m probably the only person who cares about this and that’s fine. I’m still a believer in D’Angelo Russell. His growth was stunted in his rookie season by cell phones and Kobe Bryant. He looked better last season in a new offense with not so great players. Now, he’s in Brooklyn, with a new offense and not so great players.
Meanwhile, the guy he was essentially traded for, Lonzo Ball, takes over his role in Los Angeles. Ball is a better playmaker and the Lakers offense should run better with him at the helm.
On paper, the Lakers should be better. They’re in a tougher conference, but they have a better roster.
It might be tough to quantify who will have a better season. I expect Russell to end up with more points, Ball to end up with more assists, and neither team to end up with many wins. Those who are on Russell’s side will point to the poor roster and his scoring ability to claim he’s better. And the Big Ballers on the other side will claim that D’Angelo Russell doesn’t even play basketball, he’s the cornerback for the Miami Dolphins so why are we talking about him and not Lonzo?
Here’s how we determine who has a better season: head-to-head. The Nets and Lakers play each other twice this season. The winner of those games determines the entire season for Russell and Ball. If they end up 1-1, it means they are the exact same player and Magic Johnson didn’t make a trade. He just cloned D’Angelo Russell and stuck him with a pro wrestling manager.
23. Are the Los Angeles Clippers better without Chris Paul?
Probably not, but they’re more intriguing. You knew what you were getting with the Chris Paul Clippers. Paul was going to efficiently run the offense, the defense was going to be about average, all the players and the head coach would complain about fouls and non-fouls, and someone would get hurt in the playoffs. There was no mystery with the Paul Clippers. They were an above average team who would constantly disappoint for one reason or another.
The Post-Paul Clippers are different.
They have Blake Griffin. D’Andre Jordan is still there, wondering why he let those guys into his house that night. They’ve got Danilo Gallinari and Miloš Teodosić. They acquired half the Houston Rockets for Paul. Most importantly, they still have Austin Rivers.
I don’t know what to expect for this year’s Clippers. Griffin has shown flashes of being “the guy” throughout his career, but now it has to be a sustained light. Teodosić looks great on highlights, but he’s 30-years-old and never played in the NBA. There is no elite scorer on the wing. Someone is bound to get hurt and Doc Rivers will definitely lose his voice.
The Clippers aren’t better without Paul. They won’t win 50 games like they did last year. Part of that will be due to roster turnover. The other part will be due to the West improving. But I’m excited to watch the Clippers this year. And being entertaining is more important than winning basketball games.
22. Do the San Antonio Spurs finally take a step back?
The San Antonio Spurs have been on the decline since 2010. Sure, they haven’t declined at all since 2010, but trust me, they’re declining.
This year the decline will be noticeable. Unless it’s not. The Spurs are weird.
It’s easy to see why many believe this is the year that the Spurs finally go down in the standings. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets made major roster improvements, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a sneaky pick, and the Spurs didn’t do anything but get older. Manu Ginobili is older. Tony Parker is older and injured. Pau Gasol is older. LaMarcus Aldridge is still LaMarcus Aldridge. Rudy Gay is there. Kawhi Leonard might be a robot, but even robots malfunction from time to time.
But, the Spurs are weird and consistency never hurts. Gregg Popovich is still one of the best coaches in the league, the Spurs defensive system has shown no signs of weakness, and Kawhi is still a robot.
That said, I think the Spurs finally take a step back. And by that, I mean they use the regular season as a dress rehearsal, rest their top players, make the playoffs as a four seed, and still make it to the second round.
Maybe that’s not a decline. Maybe that’s other rosters getting better while the Spurs stay the course and wait for their young players/overseas gems to develop. We’re probably going to look back at the 2017-18 Spurs and say, “They were smart for not blowing their money and assets on guys who left for Los Angeles.”
21. Is this the year League Pass doesn’t frustrate everyone?
Probably not.
Comcast recently announced that they’ll carry all games in high definition. This excited fans. That’s how little people think of League Pass right. A feature that should have been around since the start of League Pass and digital streaming gets announced in 2017 and customers are proclaiming this to be the greatest addition ever.
The NBA is the greatest sport in the world, but League Pass is an eyesore on an otherwise great product. If you’re streaming and not watching through your cable provider, you’re at least a minute behind the action. I have NHL Gamecenter or Network or whatever they call it nowadays and it’s, at worst, a second behind the television feed. I can live with a second. A full minute? Do you know how hard it is to put Twitter away when you’re watching sports? It’s like I’m living in 2005. No one talks about sports on MySpace.
All I want from League Pass is for the streaming service to be almost in line with the television feed and for the service to not freeze every five minutes. My internet connection is great and yet I have so many buffering issues with League Pass. Maybe the bandwidth couldn’t handle solo Russell Westbrook. That’s a viable excuse. But the feed shouldn’t need to buffer during a Nets-Magic game on Wednesday night. You don’t have to dissuade me from watching, League Pass. I already hate myself enough that I’m watching. So let me watch Nets-Magic on a Wednesday night in peace.
20. Can the Minnesota Timberwolves talent overcome their jerseys?
Yes, but that’s not a huge accomplishment. Those neon green things they’re calling jerseys are so bright that I’m allowing Minnesota fans to wear sunglasses inside. Normally, I’d look at you like you’re the second coming of Scott Disck if I caught you wearing sunglasses during an indoor basketball game. But man, you need your eclipse glasses for the Timberwolves threads.
The good news for Minnesota fans is that there is talent inside of those jerseys. The last few seasons have been disappointing as Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Ricky Rubio, and Zach LaVine looked better on paper than they did the court. Wiggins and Towns are still there, but now they’ll be alongside Jeff Teague, Jimmy Butler, and Taj Gibson.
I’ve seen people say the Wolves will finish as high as third in the Western Conference this season. Given that they finished 13th last year with 31 wins. The No. 3 seed Houston Rockets had 55 wins. Is this team really 24 wins better in a still competitive West? No, but they should be around 50 wins and challenging for a middle tier playoff seed.
Like the other teams that made significant roster changes, it’s going to take awhile to gel. Wiggins and Towns have a lot to prove on the defensive end and their spacing could still be an issue.
I hope the Timberwolves are good for the sake of Minnesota fans. I would hate for them to have to endure a bad looking product on the court wearing a bad looking product on their bodies.
19. Who leads the league in scoring?
Russell Westbrook and James Harden dominated the scoring last year as lone stars on competitive teams. With Carmelo Anthony and Paul George in Oklahoma City and Chris Paul in Houston, it stands to reason that the scoring of Westbrook and Harden will go down. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry will take away from each other again. Isaiah Thomas finished third last year but he won’t be healthy until January.
Anthony Davis and DeMar DeRozan rounded out the top five last season.
If you’re looking for a scoring leader, it might be best to start there. Davis’ point production went down slightly with the arrival of DeMarcus Cousins and it’s possible that those two take away from each other. DeRozan remains in Toronto with Kyle Lowry and we know DeRozan will get his points in that system. If he does add the long-rumored 3-point shot, he could be a sneaky pick to lead the league in scoring.
We could be in for the craziest scoring season in league history as stars have teamed up across the board. It’s possible that someone like Devin Booker, a streaky scorer on a bad team, just decides that he’s going to score 30 a night. Teams with one single star or guys who think they’re a star are going to do whatever they can to take over games against these multi-star teams.
The best player will continue to get their buckets. But when they have to share their buckets, it drops their average. Look for guys who don’t have to share their buckets.
Or just go with James Harden because you know he’s salty about never winning a scoring title.
18. Will Nikola Jokic finish the year as a top 10 player?
Depending on who you listen to, he’s already a top 10 player. He’s not, but making lists is fun and they anger people. Here’s a list of 10 things that I think are better than Nikola Jokic:
Lonzo Ball, LaMelo Ball, LiAngelo Ball, Lil Ball Wow, LaVar Ball, LaVar Ball with one arm tied behind his back, Summer League Lonzo Ball, Lucille Ball, Ball and Chain, “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus.
The point is, lists are have no power over you unless you allow them to control you. And Jokic would not be as good without a ball. That’s actually a fact, not point. If you don’t give the ball to Jokic, he couldn’t make all of those fancy passes or shoot or do anything but set screens and play defense. Basketball probably isn’t fun if you never get the ball.
Will Jokic finish the year as a top 10 player? Probably not. It’s hard envisioning a scenario where the ten guys ahead of him take a huge step back and even if they did, I wouldn’t say Jokic is the 11th best player in the league.
Even if Jokic isn’t a top 10 player, that’s ok. Here’s the funny thing about a top 10. There are only ten spots. When there are nearly 500 players in the league, not being in the top 10 doesn’t mean you’re bad. Being in the bottom 10 of that 500 still means you’re better at something than millions of people in the world. Whether he’s 12th, 27th, or 217th, Nikola Jokic is still an amazing basketball talent.
He’s just not top 10.
17. Does Kyrie Irving fit in Brad Stevens’ system?
This is the million dollar question for Boston Celtics fans. Isaiah Thomas managed to score nearly 29 points per game under Brad Stevens, but Thomas didn’t have Gordon Hayward, a guy who should get at least 20 points per game. Kyrie Irving averaged 25.2 points per game last year alongside LeBron James, but wanted to get away from LeBron in order to score more.
It’s possible that Irving’s scoring goes up to around Thomas’ average last year while Hayward remains around 20 points and the Celtics find baskets from guys like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and others.
It’s also possible that Irving isn’t able to replicate the nuclear mode that Thomas was able to engage last season. Only Russell Westbrook scored more points in the clutch than Thomas last year. The Celtics had the most clutch wins of any team last year thanks in large part to the play of Thomas.
We know Kyrie is a clutch player. He hit the biggest shot in Cleveland history and one of the biggest shots in NBA history. He’s clutch. But can he do it without LeBron James?
The Celtics thrived last year when they played team ball before allowing Thomas to take over. Kyrie will be allowed to take over late similar to Thomas. He just has to play team ball the other 42 minutes.
Brad Stevens is a smart coach. He’ll utilize Kyrie in a way that maximizes his talent, it’s up to Kyrie to maximize his teammates. That’s something we haven’t seen Kyrie do in the past, but as the No. 1 option on his new team, it’s something he must do if the Celtics hope to make it back to the Conference Finals.
16. Which team is the most unwatchable?
No team in the West is unwatchable. The bottom teams all have young talent that are intriguing on some level. The Lakers have Lonzo Ball, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram. The Sacramento Kings have De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Skal Labissiere. The Phoenix Suns have Josh Jackson and Devin Booker. The Memphis Grizzlies are no longer the Grit N Grind Grizzlies that you may have hated to watch, but if you don’t love the bromance between Mike Conley and Marc Gasol then we aren’t friends.
I’m excited to watch Western Conference basketball this season. Even the bottom teams.
But in the East. Oh boy. The East.
The Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers just have nothing going for them. Alright, they don’t have NOTHING going for them, but…no, wait, the Bulls definitely have nothing going for them. The Hawks have a decent trio featuring Dennis Schroder, Kent Bazemore, and Taurean Prince. Ian Levy tells me that Victor Oladipo will be a star for the Indiana Pacers. The Magic….yeah, they have nothing either, unless you’re still a believer in Aaron Gordon. I didn’t include the Brooklyn Nets because Jeremy Lin is always watchable.
I’ll say the Bulls will be the most unwatchable team because there are better sports to watch in Chicago. Orlando doesn’t have another sports team, the Falcons will be gone in 3 to 28 weeks, and the Colts aren’t much more exciting than the Pacers.
At least if you’re in Chicago, you can an always competitive Blackhawks squad. Just do anything but watch the Bulls. Michael Jordan aint walking through that door. And even if he did, it wouldn’t matter because he’s 54-years-old.
15. Is this the last we’ll see of Dirk Nowitzki?
I hope not. I really hope not. He’s entering his 20th season in the league and there is a club option on his contract for 2018-19. But he’ll be 40-years-old prior to next season and there are a lot of miles on his lanky legs.
It’s also a question of whether he wants to continue to play for an uncompetitive Dallas Mavericks team. Unless they catch a lot of breaks, the Mavericks are unlikely to make the playoffs this season. Depending on how things shake out next offseason, it’s hard to see them making the proper moves that put them into the playoffs next year. Dennis Smith Jr., Harrison Barnes, and Nerlens Noel are good building blocks, but that isn’t a playoff trio and it’s possible they lose Noel after this year.
Short of Mark Cuban promising every 2018 free agent that they’ll be a star who the offense will run through, no one seems destined for Dallas to help them make the leap back to playoff contention.
Unlike past stars who put winning over everything, Dirk seems happy just playing basketball. Obviously, he wants to win, but he seems content with teaching the young guys and being around his peers. That’s why Dirk is the best and why he should never leave us.
I don’t think this will be the last time we see Dirk. I believe he’ll grace us with a 21st season and I hope he gets the same retirement tour Kobe Bryant got because his performance in the 2010-11 Finals is better than any Kobe Finals performance. Don’t @ me.
14. Are the Sacramento Kings finally fixed?
Given that their owner thinks of Buddy Hield as the next Steph Curry, probably not. But I like this Sacramento Kings team. They’re no longer DeMarcus Cousins and a bunch of guys. They’re just a bunch of guys. And it’s better to be a bunch of guys with a clear direction than be one star with no direction.
Hield, De’Aaron Fox, Skal Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, Georgios Paragiannis, Bogdan Bogdanović, Justin Jackson, and Harry Giles are all young players with high upside. To go along with their plethora of young talent, most of whom have played less than two seasons in the league, the Kings added George Hill, Zach Randolph, and Vince Carter.
The Kings are a fun mix of young millennials and older “get off my lawn” veterans. Those teams always end up being fun. Either the kids are going to get on the veterans nerves, causing Zach Randolph to single handedly spank them all. Or the veterans are going to start listening to The Chainsmokers and using Snapchat filters.
I’m all in with this Kings team. They won’t win a lot of games, but they’re going to frustrate the elite teams in the West with their scrappiness.
Plus, they have Vince Carter. You know he’s got one more 12-point game in him where he flushes a two-hand dunk and we’re all like “VINTAGE VINCE!” on Twitter.
13. Who will get the No. 8 seed in the East?
This is a very important question because getting the No. 8 seed in the East means you’re too good to get a lottery pick, but you’re not good enough to beat LeBron James in a playoff series. Don’t get the eight seed. Find a way to tank out of that spot and into the lottery. Even if the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors end up with the No. 1 seed, at some point you have to face LeBron. You’re the No. 8 seed. You can’t beat LeBron.
Last year, the Dwyane Wade-Jimmy Butler-Rajon Rondo led Chicago Bulls got the eight seed. And they would have won their first-round series too if it wasn’t for those pesky kids and that Rondo injury.
The Hawks, Bulls, and Pacers will likely drop out of the playoffs, leaving three open spots.
Going by the Vegas odds to the win the Eastern Conference, they have the eight playoff teams as Cleveland, Boston, Washington, Toronto, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Miami, and Detroit.
I’m still not sold on Philadelphia until Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz prove they can play 10 games together without one of them getting hurt. Miami has Dion Waiters and no one should ever bet against Dion Waiters. Dwight Howard (don’t laugh) and Malik Monk make Charlotte a more formidable squad.
That leaves Detroit. I asked my BIG3 Best Friend and Pistons fan Matt Rutkowski whether he would want Detroit to get the No. 8 seed or miss the playoffs. Under protest, he said he wanted the eight seed.
Under Protest: The Story of the 2017-18 Eastern Conference Eight Seed
12. Will the Toronto Raptors consistency pay off?
Yes. This is the year of the Raptor. I can feel it. While Cleveland and Boston re-tooled in major ways, Toronto retained Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, added C.J. Miles, and still have DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valancuinas. Plus, all my Raptors friends are telling me that the young guys are ready to step up and contribute.
I believe them because Canadian people are the nicest people ever and would never lie.
But what constitutes success for Toronto? If they get the No. 1 seed in the East, but lose in the second round to the No. 4 seed Wizards, that’s probably a failed season. Making the Eastern Conference Finals and losing to the Cavaliers in seven games? That sounds like a good year.
The problem for the Raptors is that very little of what happens in the regular season matters. Unless injuries hit hard, they should be a top-three seed. They could even be the top seed if the Cavaliers and Celtics go through chemistry issues that shouldn’t plague the Raptors. But none of that will matter if LeBron sweeps them while wearing a blindfold.
For the Raptors to have a successful season, they just need Lowry and DeRozan to show some life in the playoffs. They can’t be a combined 12 points worse from the regular season to the postseason like they were last year. That kind of drop in production is inexcusable from your top two players.
DeRozan is 28. Lowry is 31. They need to figure it out before the window is shut for good.
11. Can anyone save the Washington Wizards bench?
Yes, but not Jodie Meeks. I don’t know where Washington got the bright idea that Meeks is allowed out of the house without bubble wrap, but he is not the bench savior they are looking for. He’s going to run into a Kelly Oubre screen during practice and shatter like a Sub-Zero clone.
Here are players still available according to NBA.com’s Free Agent Tracker:
Monta Ellis, Festus Ezeli, Gerald Henderson, Roy Hibbert, Ty Lawson, Deron Williams, Metta World Peace, and Josh Smith. Plus, everyone in the BIG3 league and guys playing in China. I heard Stephon Marbury wants back in the NBA.
Are these guys any good? Probably not considering the season starts tonight and they’re still free agents. But did you watch the Wizards bench last season? No, you didn’t, because you have more respect for yourself than that. You turned on Nets-Magic like a true maniac.
But that’s why the Wizards should sign five of the aforementioned players to come off the bench. Because you’re not turning away if Scott Brooks trots out a Marbury-Ellis-World Peace-Smith-Hibbert lineup. Not only are you not turning away, you’re texting and tweeting all of your friends, “TURN ON THE WIZARDS GAME!” I don’t care what I’m doing in life. If the Wizards play that five-man unit, I’m tuning in.
Ten years from now, my kid will just have to understand that I had a good reason for pulling out my phone and dropping him or her on their head.
10. How quickly will Utah fall in love with Ricky Rubio?
I just assume it’s already happened because Ricky Rubio is so lovable. He has the best hair in the league and it’s not even close. I’m really sad the Minnesota Timberwolves traded him right when they got good. Rubio spent six seasons with the team, never made the playoffs, and right when Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns are supposed to take the next step and Jimmy Butler arrives, they ship Rubio off to Utah.
What did Rubio ever do to you, Minnesota? Besides be awesome and have great hair.
I am looking forward to the Rubio-Rudy connection in Utah. They were enemies in national play, but now they’re going to be scorned lovers uniting to destroy everything in their path. Rudy Gobert is angry that Gordon Hayward left for Boston and is ready to take out his anger on rims and anyone who dares come into his paint. Rubio is angry that Minnesota traded him and is ready to take out his anger on…well, I’m not sure Rubio has the same kind of ferocity as Gobert on the court.
Instead, Rubio will channel his anger through to Gobert. So, instead of an angry Gobert, he’s got super angry Gobert. And Rubio will use his magical passing powers to control the rage of Gobert and only unleash it when necessary.
Given how the Western Conference looks this season, it’s going to be necessary every single night.
I know you just lost Hayward, Utah. But have no fear, Ricky is here. And Ricky is magical.
9. Did the New Orleans Pelicans do enough for DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis?
They got Rajon Rondo. That’s more than enough. Sure, Rondo only shows up in the playoffs and there’s a chance the Pelicans don’t make the playoffs and even if they do, there’s a 50 percent chance Rondo doesn’t show up. But he’s still Rajon Rondo. People know who he is. That’s something. Oh, and Rondo is out four to six weeks after a hernia surgery.
The Pelicans didn’t do enough for Cousins and Davis, but in doing nothing, they’ve allowed the rest of the league to forget about them. It’s a brilliant move when you think about it. Everyone is talking about Houston getting Chris Paul and Oklahoma City getting Paul George and Carmelo Anthony and Cleveland trading Kyrie Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas and the Timberwolves getting Jimmy Butler.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans have the two best players at their position on the roster. The Pelicans went 7-10 with Cousins and Davis in the lineup after the trade last season. That’s not great, but that small sample size is something the Pelicans can build off of. While the other teams have to figure out how to incorporate their new pieces, the Pelicans have 17 games of data to pull from. Those 17 games might be the difference between No. 8 and No. 9 in the West.
I’m reaching here for you, Pelicans fans. I love Davis and Cousins, but the front office did them a disservice this offseason. I hope the coaching staff is able to figure it out and maximize the damage Brow and Boogie should be able to do together. But if they can’t, it falls on the feet of the front office.
8. Better MVP candidate: Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kawhi Leonard?
LeBron James might be the answer here.
As with the scoring title, I suspect the superstar duos in the West will take away from each other, leaving a solo star to carry his team with a MVP performance. Kawhi Leonard proved himself capable of doing so last season and Giannis Antetokounmpo has all the tools to do it this year.
The elephant in the room is LeBron, who is even more of an MVP candidate with Kyrie Irving gone and Isaiah Thomas out until January. But LeBron is always the elephant and we’re going to choose to pretend that he’s now a tiny pig elephant even though their DNA doesn’t splice.
Giannis is the correct answer here. Not because Kawhi isn’t great, but because we’ve seen it before with Kawhi. MVP voters want something new and fresh. That’s why Karl Malone has an extra MVP and Derrick Rose has one at all. Kawhi doesn’t have an MVP trophy like Michael Jordan or LeBron, but he does have a Finals MVP and he’s been in the upper echelon of players for a while now.
Giannis is 23-years-old, entering his fifth season in the league, and the lone superstar on a mid-level playoff team. He’s Greek Freakish enough to average 20-10-5-2-2, which has never been done in league history. We know how much the media loves arbitrary numbers. An arbitrary stat line like 20-10-5-2-2 would make Giannis a unanimous MVP and Daryl Morey self-combust.
But the true answer is LeBron James.
7. Do you recognize anyone on the Indiana Pacers or Atlanta Hawks?
Well, do you?
I do, but only because I play an NBA expert behind a keyboard. If I were just a casual fan, I’d still know Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis from the Thunder-Pacers trade, Myles Turner from that time he hit his first career 3-pointer against the Thunder, Lance Stephenson from being Michael Jordan cosplaying as Lance Stephenson, and Dennis Schroder from his hair. Otherwise, I’d be pretty confused.
But, because I play an NBA expert behind a keyboard, allow me to give you one player from each team that you should pay attention to this season.
Atlanta Hawks — John Collins: I watched a decent amount of John Collins at Wake Forest because I live in North Carolina and if you’re not watching college basketball every night, you have to say you’re from Virginia. Collins is going to make Atlanta fans forget about Al Horford and Paul Millsap in three to five years. He’s going to make Atlanta fans forget about Dwight Howard in three to five games. The Hawks have very little to play for this year and should give Collins as much run as possible.
Indiana Pacers — Domantas Sabonis: I’ve already told you (via Ian Levy) that Oladipo will be a star, but Sabonis is the guy you want to keep your eye on. He was asked to do too much as a rookie on the Thunder, but should look better and more comfortable on a Pacers team with lower expectations. If he goes left, he looks like a future Hall of Famer. If he goes right, he looks like he’ll be out of the league next season.
6. Who is the overlooked player we fall in love with by the end of the season?
It happens every year. A second- or third-year player comes out of nowhere and we’re ready to declare him one of the best players in the league. This past season it was Nikola Jokic. This season it will be Brandon Ingram.
Ingram is coming off a disappointing rookie season where he only averaged 9.4 points on 40 percent shooting and 29 percent from 3. He was supposed to be a scoring machine, drawing comparisons to Kevin Durant, yet he looked invisible for the majority of the season.
Ingram will figure it out this year. With willing passer Lonzo Ball in town and Brook Lopez taking some pressure off, Ingram should get easier shots. He has a year of experience under his belt and will be asked to do less. He’s not the next Durant. Those were lofty expectations to cast on a 19-year-old, but he can still be an efficient scorer who averages at least 20 points per game for the majority of his career.
Here’s what Ingram is going to do this season: averaged 20 points on 45 percent shooting, including 35 percent from 3. Have a handful of 30 point nights where he looks like the best scorer in the league. And not be Lonzo Ball.
Ball is going to take so much pressure off of Ingram, on multiple levels, that we’re going to prop up Ingram just so we’re not talking about Ball all the time.
Go ahead and get your No. 14 Brandon Ingram jerseys, Lakers fan. It’s a better use of money than those No. 0 Westbrook jerseys you already purchased.
5. How many teams will be punished for resting players during nationally televised games?
Only five or six teams will be punished because this rule only applies to five or six teams. This rule only applies to good teams with multiple star players who decide to rest said stars on the road in games that are nationally televised.
Adam Silver isn’t fining the Memphis Grizzlies for resting Chandler Parsons on a Friday night ESPN game against the Houston Rockets. But if James Harden rests in that same game, you can bet the Rockets will face punishment.
But how can they enforce this? If Golden State says, “Steph Curry has food poisoning” and he sits out a game against the Spurs, will Silver send a team of NBA food experts to Ayesha Curry’s house and question her about what ingredients she used in last nights dinner?
If Oklahoma City holds out Russell Westbrook for precautionary reasons pertaining to his knee, will they be fined for looking out for their immediate and long-term future?
This rule could get messy for the league if they start pushing up on teams, but I’m all in on CSI: NBA. Are players resting….or relaxing? *puts on sunglasses* YEAHHHHHHHH!
So, here’s my solution for teams: If you want to rest players, start them. Start them alongside the 13th man on the roster, have the 13th man pick up an immediate foul, and then sit the guy you want to rest for the final 47 minutes and 59 seconds. Technically, they played. They even enter Mark Titus’ exclusive Club Trillion.
You’re welcome, Gregg Popovich.
4. Will coaches be confused by the new timeout rules?
Did you even know there were new timeout rules? Well, there are.
Here’s the quick and dirty: teams now have 14 timeouts instead of 18 and only have two timeouts in the final two minutes instead of three.
This rule was done to help speed up the game because we’re all sick of the last two minutes taking 30-minutes in real time. Now, it’ll only take 20-minutes.
Since the league is looking to speed up the game, allow me to continue my suggestion train. All aboard:
*No dapping after free throws. Shoot the ball, get the ball back, then shoot it again. We don’t need to waste 10-seconds for you to slap hands with your teammates after you brick a free throw.
*No more TV timeouts. I know broadcasters need advertisers to pay the bills, but we already have rotating ads on the scorers table, sponsored interview segments, and now ads on jerseys. Just plaster a bunch of ads on the court like it’s a boxing ring and eliminate commercials altogether. This is going to happen within five years anyway, I’m just light years ahead.
*No halftime. You don’t want players resting for a full game? I don’t want players resting for 12-minutes in the middle of a game.
*Running clock. The only time the clock should stop is during timeouts and free throws. Don’t stop the clock for a non-shooting or non-bonus foul, don’t stop it after made baskets, and don’t stop it after the ball goes out of bounds. Keep the clock running and get these games over with because I live on the east coast and don’t like staying up until 1:30 AM when the Thunder travel to Los Angeles.
3. Can the New York Knicks make headlines on the court?
The thing I love about not being a New York Knicks fan is not being a New York Knicks fan. The thing I hate about not being a Knicks fan is that they’re always in the news. Imagine being a Magic fan. You’re not a good team and no one is talking about you for any reason at all. At least if you’re a Knicks fan, you’re always in the news. Most of it is bad news, but you’re a Knicks fan.
This past offseason, the Knicks got rid of two of their three biggest problems: Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony. Will that lead to less off the court drama? Not as long as James Dolan and Tim Hardaway Jr.’s $70 million contract are around.
I think this is the year the Knicks get it together, he said right before dying of a heart attack. Kristaps Porzingis should grow and mature into the top option without Anthony and Derrick Rose taking all the shots and Enes Kanter is going to average 20-10, but no one will care because “defense.”
The Knicks are going to be fun this season, he said right before getting hit by a bus. Porzingis and Kanter are going to take social media by storm, Frank Ntilikina and Hardaway Jr. are going to bomb away from 3, and we’ll never hear about triangles in relation to basketball ever again.
I’m excited to not be a Knicks fan this season. And I think Knicks fans should be excited to be Knicks fans, he said before a piano fell from the third story and smushed him.
2. How annoying will the 2018 free agent talk get?
Very annoying. Everyone is scheduled to be a free agent after this season. Literally, everyone.
Alright, not literally everyone, but you can make a Hall of Fame team with the 2018 free agent list. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony are all free agents. Those are just the headlining names. There’s also DeAndre Jordan, Isaiah Thomas, LaMarcus Aldridge, Enes Kanter, and Avery Bradley. The 2018 free agent class is so stacked and deep that you could create a team to beat the Warriors with it.
And we’re going to hear about these guys all season.
That’s mainly due to LeBron. He’s a brand unto himself and whatever he does, or doesn’t do, makes headlines. Where he goes shapes the entire league. The fact that he’s a free agent the same time as the rest of the Banana Boat just gives everyone a new talking point.
The NBA season is long. 82 games, to be exact. Around game 57, we start to get a little bored. The freshness has worn off, you figure out who is going to finish where, and you’re ready for the playoffs to start. That’s when you start to look for other things to talk about. The playoffs are less fun to talk about because Warriors. So, you start talking about LeBron teaming up with George, Paul, and Cousins in Los Angeles. Or you start talking about team Banana Boat heading to Miami. Or you talk yourself into thinking Aldridge can be the second best player on a championship team.
Game 57. Mark your calendars. And turn off Twitter.
1. Can anyone beat the Golden State Warriors?
Yes. Someone will beat the Golden State Warriors this season. They will not go 82-0. They could probably go 82-0. But history and logic says they won’t. That said, history and logic said a team with 73 regular season wins and the unanimous MVP wouldn’t blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals.
But no, no one will beat the Warriors in a seven-game playoff series.
This year should be a bigger challenge for them. No one will beat the Warriors in a best-of-seven series, but they won’t go 16-1 in the playoffs. In fact, I think they’ll lose at least one game in the second round of the playoffs.
The West is loaded. They’ll be facing Houston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, or Minnesota in the second round. Any of those teams can take at least a game off of Golden State. It may only be one game, but that’s one game more than anyone out West got off them last year. So, progress.
The league is top heavy this years as stars aligned for multiple teams. But the Warriors still have four All-Stars, an unselfish system, and the greatest collection of offensive talent the league has ever seen.
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They can use a lineup featuring Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Nick Young, Omri Casspi, and Kevin Durant. The worst 3-point shooter in that group is Casspi at a career 36 percent. When your fifth-best shooter is equal to the second-best shooter on most teams, you have the firepower to run any team off the floor.
Jump shooting teams may not win championships, Ernie, but the greatest jump shooting team of all-time remains light years ahead of the competition.