I’ll go ahead and do this on Monday so as I don’t fail to do it and forget the season starts tomorrow evening with my Philly Sixers opening in the East versus the Boston Celtics in the otherwise tame Eastern Conference. My viewing of Eastern Conference games is limited to basically the Sixers, the Celts, the Raptors, and the Bucks.
I’m doing these predictions with the assumption Kawhi Leonard finishes the season in Toronto.
The West is a complete and utter beast with LeBron now being with the Lakers and the Spurs now getting to know what life without Timmy and Tony will be like. LeBron should have joined Popovich is what I think. They both hate Trump and share similar views on hoops and politics, but LeBron opted for his Hollywood brand. So we wait to see who will hook up with him in LA.
I’m going ten deep on my preseason list in the West this season with Dallas, Minnesota, Memphis, Phoenix, and Sacramento not making my final top ten list.
So…here’s how I’m going in the West.
1 Golden State
2 Houston Rockets
3 Utah Jazz
4 OKC Thunder
5 LA Lakers
6 New Orleans Pelicans
7 San Antonio Spurs
8 Portland Trail Blazers
9 Denver Nuggets
10 LA Clippers
Golden State is an obvious No. 1 for me. Surely, Steve Kerr can handle DeMarcus Cousins and help him out. Houston did lose Ariza, but their overall offensive game and guard play should be excellent, plus I love Clint Capela. I don’t think D”Antoni will allow Carmelo to be a negative. I think Gobert is a player who gives OKC absolute fits at the rim, so consequently I have them above the Thunder. I’m very interested to see if Donovan Mitchell emerges into a full blown star and if rookie Grayson Allen gives the Jazz additional pop at the guard position.
I like every thing Sam Presti did this summer, but you know what, I’m not sure if he addressed OKC’s three point shooting woes. Basketball is a game of mathematical analytics. It has been ever since the advent of the three point shot. This is simple math. It’s very difficult to win big in today’s game if you can’t make threes at the least near something like a 36%-38% clip. Additionally, you then can’t have Steven Adams and Andre Roberson plodding along making only 50% of their free throws after missing two point shot attempts. It’s just math. So…unless the Thunder show me they’ve addressed this I can’t really view them as serious contenders. Steven needs to pick it back up at the free throwline.
If you look at the Lakers current roster, I’m not sure who are LeBron’s second and third best players as the season starts. But when you have LeBron and the roster I see right now I still think they’ll be very competitive in the West except probably versus the Warriors and the maybe the Rockets.
I don’t see the Spurs and Pelicans as serious conference finals contenders, but New Orleans did make a run last post season which interested me and they’ve added Julius Randle on the interior. New Orleans does have my attention if they stay healthy.
Portland, Denver, and the Clippers should all be competitive and challenge for the 8th seed.
I love Pop. I genuinely do. But as the landscape of the West has changed, one thing never changes and that is at the end of the day the stars make the coach. Maybe DeMar DeRozan will take his game to another level.