Category Archives: nba

2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

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.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Indiana Pacers

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.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Houston Rockets

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.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Golden State Warriors

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.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Detroit Pistons

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.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Denver Nuggets

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.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Dallas Mavericks

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.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland has been busy this off-season. Not only did they get Johnny Football playing down the street, but LeBron James came back home…and brought some of his friends with him. Kevin Love, Shawn Marion and Mike Miller all tagged along in hopes of winning a ring in Cleveland.

In order for Cleveland to get their new crew, they had to trade the last two #1 overall picks (Anthony Bennett & Andrew Wiggins) and shed a handful of contracts for pennies on the dollar. They clearly love their roster and hope it is good enough to win the city’s first professional championship since Jim Brown won an NFL Championship with the Browns.

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 Cleveland Cavaliers.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Chicago Bulls

A power shift is happening in Eastern Conference. The departure of LeBron James from Miami and Paul George’s injury will mean new faces will be atop the East Cleveland and Chicago will most likely be the two teams fighting for home-court advantage.

Chicago has some new faces and one important one returning from two injuries, Derrick Rose. Pau Gasol, Aaron Brooks and European star Nijola Mirotic will be making their Chicago debuts this season. The Brooks signing was sneaky good, since Rose will definitely need to rest his knees at times.

The Bulls exceeded expectations after Rose went down with another knee injury last season. Joakim Noah put the team on his back and put up insane numbers. Can he repeat last year’s MVP-worthy performance?

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 Chicago Bulls.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Charlotte Hornets

When Lance Stephenson signed with Charlotte, a little part of me died. As a Pacers fan, he made every game exciting. You never knew which Lance you were going to get. The Lance that would do anything for his team to win or the Lance that was just out there trying to cause trouble.

Not only does Charlotte get Stephenson, but they get their nickname back! Dust off your old Hornets Starter jackets and Muggsy Bogues throwback jerseys, guys. It should be a fun season in Charlotte. I mean, just look at their awesome new court.

Did Charlotte’s name change rid themselves of the ‘Bobcats stink’?

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 Charlotte Hornets.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Boston Celtics

Since Bill Simmons is currently on suspension, someone has to step up and write a Boston Celtics team preview, right?

The Celtics were really hoping to land one of the first two picks in last year’s NBA Draft, but Cleveland got lucky once again (and Philadelphia/Milwaukee were both stupid bad).

Head coach Brad Stevens didn’t do anything to make us think the stage is too big for him. That is all Boston really wanted to see in his first year. They are in the middle of a rebuilding process, so win-total expectations were very low.

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 Boston Celtics.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Atlanta Hawks

I doubt many fans buy NBA League Pass to watch the Atlanta Hawks games, but they are sneaky good. They won’t ‘wow’ you with flash, but if you like three-point shooting, you loved watching them last season.

Jeff Teague impressed many NBA fans with his play against the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs. He held his own against players with much more playoff experience. I look for him to keep improving and possibly be in play for a spot on the All-Star Game roster.

The major key to Atlanta’s success is Al Horford’s ability to stay healthy. He’s had two torn pectoral muscles derail back-to-back seasons. If he stays healthy, it’s hard to omit Atlanta from the playoff picture.

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 Atlanta Hawks.

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