2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Washington Wizards

Washington has built a fun team to watch. They have one of the best backcourts in the league with John Wall and Bradley Beal. Washington can do things around the perimeter while also having two huge men in the paint.

The East is a top-heavy conference. Cleveland and Chicago are the two teams many put on top, but shouldn’t Washington also be mentioned?

Could John Wall be a sleeper 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 Washington Wizards.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Utah Jazz

Utah did the smartest thing they could do this off-season. I’m not referring to drafting Dante Exum or signing Gordon Hayward to an absurd contract. I’m talking about them getting rid of Tyrone Corbin as head coach. He was just horrible at his job. They upgraded by hiring Quin Snyder. He resurrected his career in the D-League and then as a player development-focused assistant coach in the NBA.

Speaking of Exum, Utah can wait to see what he becomes. They have Trey Burke and Alec Burks as their starting back-court. I actually want to see what they do this season.

Utah isn’t expected to compete this season. How many years will this rebuilding process take?

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 Utah Jazz.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the surprise team in the East last season. Their corps of young talent blossomed. They even traded Rudy Gay mid-season, which shed considerable cap space. Toronto GM Masai Ujiri helped turn Denver’s franchise around when he was in charge. He has quickly done the same in Toronto.

Can Toronto upset Cleveland and win 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 Toronto Raptors.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs have been a championship contender for so long that Coach Pop is just ‘over it’. He doesn’t want to talk about basketball or do interviews. He’s been this way for awhile. I don’t blame him. The guy just wants to play games and not do all the extra stuff.

The Spurs are once again one of the best teams in the league. Getting the #1 seed isn’t their goal. They will sit their stars when they see fit. They just want to keep their older players fresh and get in the playoffs, no matter the seed.

How many seasons do Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli have left in them? Could this be their last together?

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 San Antonio Spurs.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are the most intriguing team in the NBA. Not only do they have Boogie Cousins on the roster, but new owner Vivek Ranadivé pitched the idea of 4-on-5 defense. It would be similar to what Loyola Marymount ran in the late 80’s.

I plan on spending many nights switching back-and-forth between the marquee game of the night and random Kings games. I doubt they will use the proposed defense, but I’m all about outside-the-box thinkers in leadership roles.

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 Sacramento Kings.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Portland Trail Blazers

Portland was able to get into the second-round of the playoffs, but ran into the San Antonio. LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard just keep improving together, but they were not ready for the Spurs. No team was ready for the Spurs.

Portland didn’t mess with the team this off-season. They kept all the starters and just added some bench depth. This could be the season Portland matures and has a nice playoff run.

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 Portland Trail Blazers.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Phoenix Suns

The Suns went into last season as a bottom-of-the-barrel preseason pick. They were able to trade Luis Scola to Indiana for Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee and a first-round pick. That trade helped spark a winning season in Phoenix.

The Suns gave Eric Bledsoe a big contract this offseason. If he plays as well as expected, their back-court duo of Goran Dragic and Bledsoe could be the best in the league. Let’s hope the payday doesn’t mess up his work ethic.

The Suns were only a game out of the 8th spot last season. Will they make the playoffs this season?

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 Phoenix Suns.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Philadelphia 76ers

To best explain where the Sixers are as a franchise, they left the 2014 NBA Draft with Joel Embiid (who is expected to miss the entire season) and Dario Saric (who may not play in the NBA for two seasons). Yes, this occurred a year after Philly drafted Nerlens Noel, who sat out all last year recovering from an ACL injury.

The 76ers have made little to no effort in improving their roster for this season. They signed borderline D-league players. Philly is already tanking and haven’t even played a single game.

It will be a long ass year in Philadelphia.

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 Philadelphia 76ers.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Orlando Magic

The Magic have spent the last two off-seasons rebuilding a young, athletic roster. They were able to draft Victor Oladipo to guard wings, Elfrid Payton to play the point and Aaron Gordon to do the freakishly athletic things he’s expected to do in the NBA. Orlando is off to a nice start.

How far away is the Magic from being a playoff team?

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 Orlando Magic.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are the perennial preseason favorite to win the Western Conference. They deserve all the hyped they receive. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are two the best ten players in the league. Unfortunately, this preseason is much different for one of their stars.

Kevin Durant is expected to miss at least 6-8 weeks with a Jones fracture in his right foot. OKC didn’t really have a contingency plan for this. They are thin at small forward and will need to be creative to fill his spot.

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 Oklahoma City Thunder.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: New York Knicks

Carmelo Anthony did the whole recruiting tour this off-season. He visited Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles (among others) and each team pulled out the red carpet. It was a long shot he would sign anywhere other than back in New York, but I’m sure he got some free meals out of it.

The Knicks had a disappointing season last year. They had hoped to build on the previous season’s success, but were derailed by injuries and underwhelming free agent signings.

Can the Knicks bounce back and once again be a playoff team?

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 New York Knicks.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: New Orleans Pelicans

Anthony Davis is my sleeper pick for MVP. It is highly unlikely, but just like Derrick Rose did a few years back, he beat the odds and won the award over the usual candidates.

In order for Davis to become the next superstar, the Pelicans need to make the postseason. That is easier said that done in the hyper-competitive Western Conference.

New Orleans have a fun roster to watch. They can spread the court with shooters and score at the hoop with athletic finishers at the rim.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the New Orleans Pelicans.

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