Minnesota was busy this off-season. Trade rumors swirled all Summer. No one had a clue which player(s) they would get for Kevin Love. First, it was Klay Thompson, then Chicago jumped into the mix and finally, LeBron returned to Cleveland. That move trumped everything and Love was moved to Ohio.
How will the new-look Twolves fare this season? Was the Kevin Love trade the first of many future moves?
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Milwaukee technically lost the NBA Lottery, but ended up with the player they wanted, Duke’s Jabari Parker. Also, the nation was the real winners of the NBA Lottery. We were introduced to the Bucks co-owner’s daughter, Mallory Edens.
Jason Kidd is now in charge in Milwaukee. How will he fare with young talent?
Do the Bucks play hard all season or will they once again tank to speed up the rebuilding process? That’s the biggest question in Milwaukee.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Milwaukee Bucks.
LeBron James took his ball and went home…and Miami fans should thank him. If you like actual basketball (not that non-stop isolation offense crap), you’re going to love this team. Also, since you got rid of LeBron, you probably got rid of most of the bandwagon fans who did nothing but jack up the price of tickets (and cause the remainder of NBA fans to hate your fanbase).
Miami probably won’t be in the NBA Finals this season, but I like the team they put together. They spent their cap money pretty well. They may have overpaid Chris Bosh, but we’ll see what kind of player he is without LeBron. He could be worth every penny.
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Miami Heat.
Getting to the playoffs is becoming the norm in Memphis. The Grizzlies were never synonymous with winning until Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol joined forces in the paint. They have become a trendy sleeper pick come playoff time year after year.
How many more years do you think the Randolph/Gasol duo have in them? Randolph is just 33 years old, but this will be his 14th season. Has the championship window closed in Memphis?
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Memphis Grizzlies.
I wonder if Kobe Bryant ever wonders if he should have retired after blowing out his Achiilles’ tendon? I’m sure it crossed his mind a few times in-between the gym and the bank…where he cashes those huge checks. He now finds himself trying to play with Swaggy P.
The Lakers are expected to be near the bottom of the NBA standings. Does Kobe have a little magic left in him? If things go bad, how does Kobe handle losing?
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Donald Sterling will no longer be sitting courtside at the Staples Center. Steve Ballmer paid two billion dollars to purchase the team after Sterling was banned for saying racist remarks that would even make Stonewall Jackson uncomfortable.
Ballmer made a big entrance and is clearly excited to own an NBA team. He’s filthy rich and I expect him to pay the luxury tax every single season. The Clippers are prepared to take over Los Angeles if the Lakers let them.
Will Blake Griffin continue to develop into a perennial MVP candidate?
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Pacers had a hell of a year last season. I’m not talking about their record or their effort in the Eastern Conference Finals…I’m talking about the off-the-court issues.
Paul George went from a ‘clean-cut NBA future star’ to a guy impregnating strippers and dressing like Eddie Murphy circa 1983.
Roy Hibbert went from Defensive Player of the Year shoo-in to a guy who put up the same NBA numbers I do.
Lance Stephenson went from someone who was trying his hardest to earn respect to doing anything possible to remove the respect he earned.
How will the Pacers do without George and Stephenson?
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Indiana Pacers.
Houston went from trying to score Carmelo Anthony to losing Chandler Parsons to Dallas in the process. We later heard rumors that they were never going to offer him anywhere near the contract he got from Dallas, but that could be sour grapes. The consolation prize of Trevor Ariza is not bad at all. Let’s hope his second stint in Houston is much better than his first.
Last season was seen as a transition year in Houston. They had to see how Dwight Howard fit in their system and figure out the necessary moves they had to make around him. They tried to make a big splash with Anthony, but I feel they are better off with their current roster.
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Houston Rockets.
Golden State had a weird off-season. They were coming off a 51-win season and they ended up firing head coach Mark Jackson and hiring Steve Kerr, who hasn’t coached a day in his life. Should we expect Golden State to keep on their upward trend or will there be some growing pains with Kerr in charge?
The Warriors kept their roster pretty much the same. They added a few pieces, but their starting five and key role players are mostly the same.
In the competitive Western Conference, did Golden State make a mistake by not trading David Lee or Klay Thompson to fill a need?
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Golden State Warriors.
Detroit has a new head coach/president/Ron Jeremy impersonator all wrapped up in one person. Stan Van Gundy steps into those roles after two years of being a radio/television talking head. He doesn’t have either Pat Riley or Dwight Howard there to push him out, so this is the most stable job he has ever had.
Stan Van Gundy’s job might be stable, but it won’t be easy. This team desperately needs blown up. You have two talented big men, but due to salary cap, they might need to move one in order to gain cap space and begin the rebuilding process. Can Detroit surprise us and sneak into the 8th spot in the East?
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Detroit Pistons.
Denver’s 2013-14 season was derailed the prior season. Danilo Gallinari was having his best season as a pro, but tore his ACL in April of the 2012-13 season. That injury cost him the rest of that season and all of last season. He is now healthy and Denver might finally get to reap the benefits of the main prize in the Carmelo Anthony trade.
The Nuggets have a difficult road in the Western Conference. There are at least ten teams that deserve to make the postseason, but only eight will make the cut. Can Denver surprise us and make the playoffs?
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Denver Nuggets.
Dallas needed a miracle to keep Phoenix out of the 8th spot in the Western Conference. They did just that and were the only team to really give the San Antonio Spurs a challenge on the way to an NBA title.
This year’s Dallas team looks a lot different, but they upgraded their starting five and added bench depth. In a lot of ways, they resemble the Dallas team that won a ring. I’m not saying that just because they have Tyson Chandler back (but it helps).
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Dallas Mavericks.