A Mad Men guide to the 2018-19 NBA Season

“You want some respect? Go out there and get it for yourself.” — Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans

A double dip for the two teams in the league everyone is watching.

The NBA and advertising are both dog eat dog worlds. If you don’t have what it takes to push the guy below you out of the way, he’ll take your spot without thinking twice. Just like Don never did Peggy any favors, the rest of the league won’t hesitate to pounce on the first signs of weakness in either Brew Town or the Big Easy.

The clock on both of these franchises has already started ticking, but Milwaukee has a bit more leeway. Not only is the Greek Freak’s free agency one year further off than the Brow’s, but the hiring of Mike Budenholzer has bought the organization some time to get its affairs in order. They also have the advantage of playing in the Eastern Conference, where a home playoff series is seemingly up for grabs.

New Orleans wishes it had it so good. Despite making the second round of the playoffs last season, the Pels are no safe bet to make it back this year. LeBron’s arrival, Denver’s maturation and the Grizzlies possible return to health should all make the conference even tougher, and with 23 of their first 40 games on the road, vultures could be circling if Anthony Davis’ squad hits the end of January with a sub-.500 record. A thin rotation outside of the frontcourt won’t help, nor will the inevitable adjustment period for Julius Randle, a talented player who might be an odd fit, at least initially.

War-chests around the league are only going to get larger. Teams know that there are only a half-dozen players in the NBA truly matter. That two of them might be up for grabs in the immediate future is the biggest storyline outside of Golden State that actually means something.