NBA 2013-2014 PREVIEW
The NBA Season is finally here time to take a quick look around the league and what I think will happen through out the year.
East
Atlantic Division
1.) Brooklyn
2.)New York
3.) Toronto
4.) Boston
5.) Philadelphia The Nets made the biggest splash during th offseason by trading for the heart of the Boston Celtics in Kevin Garnet and Paul Peirce along with Jason Terry. They add championship heart to a team that lacked it in the postseason. They still have Dearon Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson. To go along with new coach and Nets legend Jason Kid. The Nets on paper have the best team in the Atlantic but if they chose to rest the older players that can open a window for the Knicks. The Knicks still have Carmelo Anthony. They added Andrea Bargnani who will help score. If the Nets start off slow or rest the older players the Knicks can take this division. The Raptors can be a fun team to watch with Rudy Gay and Damar Derozen. Derozen is going to be a break out player this season. The Celtics if they get Rondo back early can be a fun team but they are rebuilding and may trade Rondo. Philly is in tank mode plane and simple.Central Division
1.) Chicago
2.) Indiana
3.) Cleveland
4.) Detroit
5.) Milwaukee
East
Atlantic Division
1.) Brooklyn
2.)New York
3.) Toronto
4.) Boston
5.) Philadelphia The Nets made the biggest splash during th offseason by trading for the heart of the Boston Celtics in Kevin Garnet and Paul Peirce along with Jason Terry. They add championship heart to a team that lacked it in the postseason. They still have Dearon Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson. To go along with new coach and Nets legend Jason Kid. The Nets on paper have the best team in the Atlantic but if they chose to rest the older players that can open a window for the Knicks. The Knicks still have Carmelo Anthony. They added Andrea Bargnani who will help score. If the Nets start off slow or rest the older players the Knicks can take this division. The Raptors can be a fun team to watch with Rudy Gay and Damar Derozen. Derozen is going to be a break out player this season. The Celtics if they get Rondo back early can be a fun team but they are rebuilding and may trade Rondo. Philly is in tank mode plane and simple.Central Division
1.) Chicago
2.) Indiana
3.) Cleveland
4.) Detroit
5.) Milwaukee
Derrick Rose is back!!! Back to being serious this division has the two teams many people pick to take out the Heat in the Bulls and the Pacers. The Pacers won this division last year after Rose missed the whole year. Now hes back and I think the Bulls are going to take back their division crown. Both teams got better along with everyone else in the Central. The Bulls however are getting back one of the 5 best players in basketball, the best coach in basketball, one the top 2 best all around centers in basketball, the best defensive team. The Bulls have also won 80% of their games with Rose, Deng, Boozer, and Noah. Add budding breakout star Jimmy Butler the Bulls will be right up there. The Pacers with Paul George will still be right up there. They have a solid starting 5 and a much improved bench to go with Frank Vogle. The Cavs have a nice young team lead by Kyrie Irving. Dion Waiters is a emerging young shooting guard. Anthony Bennet the first pick overall in the draft. If they get positive play from Andrew Bynum they can be a 5 or 6 seed in the east. The Pistons made some nice moves in getting Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith. To go with those two young bigs in Monre and Drummin. The Bucks I think don't have enough to compete with the rest of the division even though I like Brandon Knight and Larry Sanders.
South East Division
1.) Miami
2.) Washington
3.) Atlanta
4.) Orlando
5.) Charlotte
I wont spend a lot of time talking about Miami. They are the two time defending champs they have one of the top 10 players ever one of the best shooting guards ever and they are just loaded. I will talk about the rest of the division. I picked the Wizards last year to make the playoffs but that was before John Wall got hurt. Hes healthy and I really like that team to be a playoff team. With Atlanta, Orlando, and Charlotte they all are in the same boat and can finish anywhere around 3-5 in the division. East
1.) Bulls
2.) Heat
3.) Pacers
4.) Nets
5.) Knicks
6.) Cavs
7.) Wizards
8.) Pistons
9.) Raptors
10.) Bucks
11.) Hawks
12.) Celtics
13.) Magic
14.) Bobcats
15.) 76ers
West
Pacific
1.) Clippers
2.) Golden State
3.) Lakers
4.) Sacramento
5.) Phoenix
South West
1.) San Antonio
2.) Houston
3.) Memphis
4.) New Orleans
5.) Dallas
North West
1.) Oklahoma City
2.) Minnesota
3.) Denver
4.) Portland
5.) Utah
West
1.) Clippers
2.) Thunder
3.) Spurs
4.) Rockets
5.) Golden State
6.) Memphis
7.) Wolves
8.) Pelicans
9.) Nuggets
10.) Lakers
11.) Mavs
12.) Kings
13.) Portland
14.) Utah
15.) Suns
WCF: Thunder over Clippers
ECF: Bulls over Heat
NBA Finals Bulls over Heat
MVP: Kevin Durant
ROY: Ben Maclamore
6 Man of the year: Jamal Crawford
Coach of the Year: Doc Rivers
Defensive Player of the Year: LeBron James
Come Back Player of the Year: Derrick Rose
South East Division
1.) Miami
2.) Washington
3.) Atlanta
4.) Orlando
5.) Charlotte
I wont spend a lot of time talking about Miami. They are the two time defending champs they have one of the top 10 players ever one of the best shooting guards ever and they are just loaded. I will talk about the rest of the division. I picked the Wizards last year to make the playoffs but that was before John Wall got hurt. Hes healthy and I really like that team to be a playoff team. With Atlanta, Orlando, and Charlotte they all are in the same boat and can finish anywhere around 3-5 in the division. East
1.) Bulls
2.) Heat
3.) Pacers
4.) Nets
5.) Knicks
6.) Cavs
7.) Wizards
8.) Pistons
9.) Raptors
10.) Bucks
11.) Hawks
12.) Celtics
13.) Magic
14.) Bobcats
15.) 76ers
West
Pacific
1.) Clippers
2.) Golden State
3.) Lakers
4.) Sacramento
5.) Phoenix
South West
1.) San Antonio
2.) Houston
3.) Memphis
4.) New Orleans
5.) Dallas
North West
1.) Oklahoma City
2.) Minnesota
3.) Denver
4.) Portland
5.) Utah
West
1.) Clippers
2.) Thunder
3.) Spurs
4.) Rockets
5.) Golden State
6.) Memphis
7.) Wolves
8.) Pelicans
9.) Nuggets
10.) Lakers
11.) Mavs
12.) Kings
13.) Portland
14.) Utah
15.) Suns
WCF: Thunder over Clippers
ECF: Bulls over Heat
NBA Finals Bulls over Heat
MVP: Kevin Durant
ROY: Ben Maclamore
6 Man of the year: Jamal Crawford
Coach of the Year: Doc Rivers
Defensive Player of the Year: LeBron James
Come Back Player of the Year: Derrick Rose
SPINZZ
Top 10 Players in the NBA:
1.) LeBron James
2.) Kevin Durant
3.) Kobe Bryant
4.) Derrick Rose
5.) James Harden
6.) Chris Paul
7.) Tony Parker
8.) Carmelo Anthony
9.) Russell Westbrook
10.) Dwight Howard
Top 10 Players in the NBA:
1.) LeBron James
2.) Kevin Durant
3.) Kobe Bryant
4.) Derrick Rose
5.) James Harden
6.) Chris Paul
7.) Tony Parker
8.) Carmelo Anthony
9.) Russell Westbrook
10.) Dwight Howard
RAFF
1. LeBron James- No question on this one. LeBrons the best player on the planet and it's not even close. He passes like a PG, can score inside and out, and can defend every position on the floor. And the scary part is he's still getting better. 2. Kevin Durant- KD is the best scorer in basketball and is unstoppable at times. He's a pure shooter and has been developing his game to be a more Lebron like player instead of a straight scorer. 3. Derrick Rose- Been a long time since we've seen D Rose on the court but the wait is over. It seems like people forgot how good he was. When he was healthy he was the best PG in basketball. He's one of if not the best finisher at the rim and can take over a game whenever he wants. This year I expect a MVP type season from Rose. 4. Chris Paul- A lot of people would have CP3 third on this list but head to head I've seen Rose own Paul and I think he's the better player. CP3 is a big time competitor and is really clutch. Even though its not his first choice , he can take over a game scoring wise. He's also a lock down defender. If you had to describe the perfect PG to someone chances are you'd end up giving them a description of Chris Paul. 5. James Harden- As much is I respect Kobe and Wade I think Harden will surpass both as the best 2 guard in the league. He's one of the best playmakers in the league and is turning into a deadly scorer with his shooting and ability to drive and either score or draw a foul. Now that he has Dwight Howard to work with I think he will only become more deadly and the rockets have a potential championship squad. 6. Tony Parker- To me Parker is still somehow underrated. When you talk about the top PGs in the game Parker might not come up. But make no mistake he's a top 10 player and proves it year in and year out. He's impossible to keep out of the paint and over the years has turned himself into a deadly shooter. 7. Carmelo Anthony- There's no doubting Melo is a top player in this league and could drop 40 on any given night. The only question is weather he can be the best player on a great team that can make a deep playoff run. That question is still out there. 8. Kobe Bryant- Kobe is coming off a major injury and it's not clear when he will come back but even when he does he will still be an elite player. This is a guy who has played through nagging injuries his whole career. When he does come back I expect the same type of scoring output he's always had and for him to put the lakers on his back and try to make a playoff run. 9. Kevin Love- Love might as well not even played last season since he missed most of the season. Injury aside he was the best PF in basketball. He's a 20-20 threat every night and is a tough guard for anyone since he's a deadeye 3 pt shooter and has a great post game. This year he will once again cement himself as the best PF in the game. He will help the Wolves make a playoff run. 10. Tim Duncan- I'm still waiting for this guys game to decline but it hasn't yet. Duncan keeps on rolling and still has the spurs as a potential finals team every year. He's a double double machine and probably has another ring and finals MVP if not for the heat miracle.
