Here is my preview and rankings for the 2016-17 season. I was 16-13-1 last time around and 4-1 in my locks for the 2014-15 season.
Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (56.5-OVER/LOCK) - Cleveland is coming off a championship win and might get pressure from Boston to win the conference. With a healthy year from Kyrie and a bulked up Kevin Love should put Cleveland on top.
2. Boston Celtics (52.5-OVER)- Boston other than the Golden State Warriors appear to be the big offseason winners since they acquired Al Horford and lottery pick Jaylen Brown. The Celtics also return Isiah Thomas and plethora of young players including Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder. The Celtics could be a player at the trade deadline.
3. Toronto Raptors (50-OVER) - I have Toronto taking a slight step back because of the loss of Biyombo but could still be above 50 wins provided that they have a healthy DeMarre Carroll who missed much of the 2015-16 season .
4. Atlanta (43.5-OVER) - Atlanta may be slightly worse than last season due to losing Al Horford and Jeff Teague but may minimize the loss a bit with the acquisition of Dwight Howard. Aging Korver could be problematic but his flaws may not show up until the postseason.
5. Indiana (45.5-OVER) - Indiana has put together some interesting moves including trading for Jeff Teague and acquiring AL Jeferson. I have the Pacers gaining a bit of ground in the East although they may have to gel a bit with Coach Nate McMillan.
6. Washington Wizards (42.5-OVER) - Washington does get back a healthy John Wall and Bradley Beal, Otto Porter look to take a step forward. I would say their frontcourt depth is slightly better in years past although they may take a bit of a hit coming out of the gates with the injury to Ian Mahimi.
7. New York Knicks (40.5-OVER) - The Knicks could potentially make a relatively deep playoff run. They are relying a bit on injurery riddled stars including Rose and Noah to find their mix, Anthony will likely have a great year based off his Olympic play, and Porzingus could become a better player. That being said injuries tod happen and they still may lack enough outside shooting which is why I do not have them in the top half of the conference.
8. Charlotte (40.5-UNDER) - The Hornets did lose a few pieces this offseason including Jeremy Lin, Coutney Lee, and Al Jefferson which should make them slightly worse but did retain Nicolas Batum. They also got Roy Hibbert, Bellinelli, and Sessions coming of the bench.
Reggie Jackson will miss the beginning of the season
9. Detroit (44-UNDER-LOCK) - Detroit was a solid playoff team last year that gave Cleveland a relatively tough test until their bench came in. Now they seemed to have added an intereting bench piece in Boban althoug I still think they may suffer a bit with Reggie Jackson out.
10. Chicago Bulls (40.5-UNDER)- Made a splash with Wade but did lose key pieces including Rose and Noah and didn't no much to parlay that into a spread offense unless Rondo, Wade, and MCW have career years. I did like their acquisition of Valentine. Also lost Pau Gasol in free agency but could get a boost from 2nd year player Bobby Portis who is nice energy gu but not a great defensive player, seems liek a Kenneth Faried type of player.
11. Miami Heat (36-OVER) - Miami did lose a lot of key pieces last season including Wade, Bosh, Johnson, and Deng. But they did re-sign Whiteside and Dragic could benefit more with the basketball in his hands. Plus Spolestra
12. Orlando (37.5-UNDER) - Orlando has a lot of young talent Payton and Mario Herzonja Fournier, and add Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo to a front court that already had Vucevic and Aaron Gordon. While Orlando should improve a bit from last season, they did have to give up Oladipo and still do not really have a go to option down the stretch.
13. Milwaulkee (33-UNDER) - Milwaulkee has an ecletic mix of tall springy players including Antetokoumpo and Jabari Parker and added Dellevedova but they did lose Kris Middleton for 6 months which hurts their playoff chances. I suppose they did manage to parlay MCW into Tony Snell although questions remain where the Bucks can find their offense.
14. Brooklyn (21.5-UNDER) - I suppose Brooklyn will get a few more wins than last year based on Jeremy Lin returning back and reuniting with head coach Josh Atkinson which will serve as a consolation as the 2nd worst team in the East.
Number 1 overall Ben Simmons is injured
15. Philadelphia (24.5) (UNDER-LOCK) - I think Philadelphia improves with better point guard play and from Joel Embiid, although the possibility of Simmons not being healthy solidifies them as the worst team in the NBA.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Golden State Warriors (66.5-OVER-LOCK) - The Warriors probably improved the biggest weakness of the last season which was finding someone who could hit open jumpers instead of Harrison Barnes. The Warriors did lose a bit in terms of big men including Bogut and Ezeli but did acquire Pachulia and David West. I imagine the Warriors will also use Kevin Durant at the 4 and Draymond at center more times this season. I think that the Warriors may rest on the laurels a bit given that I don't anticipate San Antonio finished with 67 wins with the departure of Tim Duncan.
The Spurs say goodbye to Tim Duncan
2. San Antonio (57.5-OVER-LOCK) - Once again the Spurs will most likely be the 2nd best team in the West but with a few caveats. They are losing Tim Duncan to retirement who was a candidate for defensive player of the year as well Boris Diaw off the bench. The Spurs did acquire Pau Gasol to fill in the void. While the Spurs offense should be fine, they may have trouble being as effective defensively at times. Tony Parker is also getting older and the Spurs may have to think about finding someone else to facilitate the offense. Of course Kawai Leonard is still be in the conversation as a top 5 player in this league so the Spurs should still take care of business in the regular season.
The Clippers hope to contend
3. LA Clippers (54-UNDER) - I still have the Clippers as a top 3 team in the NBA but I anticipate they might stagnate a bit if injuries to Paul and Griffin are significant. Their starting five is still one of the best in the NBA although perhaps their bench play may suffer a bit as Jamal Crawford ages. Speights is an interesting additon and should keep them in games. Paul Pierce also appears to not have anything left in the tank although. Alan Anderson could be an interesting pickup granted he has been dealing with injuries which forced him to miss most of the 2015-16 season.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves (41.5-OVER-LOCK) - The Timberwolves expect to take major steps forward with Tom Thibbeadea, really good young players including Towns, Wiggins, and Dunn. Their defense should be much better with coach Thibs.
5. Houston Rockets (44-OVER) - Houston did lose Dwight Howard but did add Coach D'Antoni. I expect the Rockets to be a more fun uptempo team that will win by outscoring opponents, of course they will have problems defensively but it should be good enough to get them into the playoffs.
6. Portland Trail Blazers (44.5-UNDER) - he Trailblazer did have a nice season last year by getting to the second round. That being said, they did get to the 2nd round mainly because the Clippers suffered injuries. It may take time for their offseason additions of Evan Turner and Festuz Ezeli to mesh and might not meet their lofty expectations although I have them still making the playoffs
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (45.5-UNDER)- At the end of day, losing Kevin Durant is a big loss for them and there will be some growing pains for them. I suppose Victor Oladipo is an interesting number 2 option to pair with Westbrook although the Thunder did lose a nice piece in Ibaka. People may want OKC to be competitive so they match up with Golden State but they are long shots to win a title.
8. Utah Jazz (47-UNDER) - Utah did add a nice mix of veteran talent including Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson. Shelvin Mack was interesting addition at the trade deadline. Bottomline is that the Jazz don't have a bonafide scorer even if they have Rudy Gobert, the eifel tower, keeping them in games.
9. Memphis (42.5-OVER) - Memphis gets their two stars back Mike Conley and Marc Gasol which should make them competitive albeit they will have to do it under a new head coach. Chandler Parsons is an interesting addition that should add playmaking but has not been the same player that he was in Houston due to multiple injuries.
10. Dallas Mavericks (40.5-UNDER) - At the end of the day, the Mavericks still have Dirk and at worst Barnes is a solid rotation player and they also acquired Andrew Bogut. Things could get dicey if Dirk Nowitzki ages significantly but Rick Carlilse has continue to prove that he is one of the top defensive coaches in the NBA.
11. Denver Nuggets (36.5) (OVER) - Denver has a lot of decent players but will still need Mudiaye to develop into a more consistent player from the perimeter. Jokic is a nice piece who played well for Serbia in the Olympics.
12. New Orleans Pelicans (36.5-UNDER) - Anthony Davis gets some more support with Buddy Hield although it may take time for him to transition to NBA play. The big concern of course is whether Davis can play an entire season and the Pelicans also lost Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon in the offseason.
13. Sacramento Kings (32-UNDER) - I think the coaching addition of Dave Joerger is a decent upgrade over George Karl and I expect the Kings to get slightly better defensively by losing Rondo. It will be interesting to see if Ty Lawson has anything left in the tank. That being said, it could be a long season for the Kings if they do not get good point guard play.
14. LA Lakers (24.5-UNDER) - - The Lakers are adding some nice young talent including Brandon Ingram and hope for Russell to develop. Luke Walton will try to lead the Lakers to success, although it did not work out to well for Alvin Gentry.
15. Phoenix (28.5- UNDER-LOCK)- Still slightly better than the 76ers with Bledsoe and interesting additions including Barbosa, Dudley but at the end of day still a relatively young team with pieces that do not fit well.
Eastern Conference
Famous Cleveland denigrator Joakim Noah on being there for ring night: "Congratulations to Cleveland, even though it's not a vacation spot."— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) October 25, 2016
Cleveland looks like the favorites to get back to the finals\
Al Horford ended up choosing Boston
over Washington
2. Boston Celtics (52.5-OVER)- Boston other than the Golden State Warriors appear to be the big offseason winners since they acquired Al Horford and lottery pick Jaylen Brown. The Celtics also return Isiah Thomas and plethora of young players including Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder. The Celtics could be a player at the trade deadline.
Toronto's backcourt was a big reason why
they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals
3. Toronto Raptors (50-OVER) - I have Toronto taking a slight step back because of the loss of Biyombo but could still be above 50 wins provided that they have a healthy DeMarre Carroll who missed much of the 2015-16 season .
Dwight Howard returns back to Atlanta
(via Atlanta Hawks)
4. Atlanta (43.5-OVER) - Atlanta may be slightly worse than last season due to losing Al Horford and Jeff Teague but may minimize the loss a bit with the acquisition of Dwight Howard. Aging Korver could be problematic but his flaws may not show up until the postseason.
5. Indiana (45.5-OVER) - Indiana has put together some interesting moves including trading for Jeff Teague and acquiring AL Jeferson. I have the Pacers gaining a bit of ground in the East although they may have to gel a bit with Coach Nate McMillan.
Washington hopes to make the playoffs
after missing it last year
Porzingus hopes to take the Knicks back to the playoffs
(via SI)sa
7. New York Knicks (40.5-OVER) - The Knicks could potentially make a relatively deep playoff run. They are relying a bit on injurery riddled stars including Rose and Noah to find their mix, Anthony will likely have a great year based off his Olympic play, and Porzingus could become a better player. That being said injuries tod happen and they still may lack enough outside shooting which is why I do not have them in the top half of the conference.
8. Charlotte (40.5-UNDER) - The Hornets did lose a few pieces this offseason including Jeremy Lin, Coutney Lee, and Al Jefferson which should make them slightly worse but did retain Nicolas Batum. They also got Roy Hibbert, Bellinelli, and Sessions coming of the bench.
10. Chicago Bulls (40.5-UNDER)- Made a splash with Wade but did lose key pieces including Rose and Noah and didn't no much to parlay that into a spread offense unless Rondo, Wade, and MCW have career years. I did like their acquisition of Valentine. Also lost Pau Gasol in free agency but could get a boost from 2nd year player Bobby Portis who is nice energy gu but not a great defensive player, seems liek a Kenneth Faried type of player.
Giannis Antetokounpo could be the Bucks' 6'9 point guard
(via Bleacher Report)
14. Brooklyn (21.5-UNDER) - I suppose Brooklyn will get a few more wins than last year based on Jeremy Lin returning back and reuniting with head coach Josh Atkinson which will serve as a consolation as the 2nd worst team in the East.
which could slow down the 76ers
(via Sportsgrid)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Kevin Durant teams up with the team that beat him
2. San Antonio (57.5-OVER-LOCK) - Once again the Spurs will most likely be the 2nd best team in the West but with a few caveats. They are losing Tim Duncan to retirement who was a candidate for defensive player of the year as well Boris Diaw off the bench. The Spurs did acquire Pau Gasol to fill in the void. While the Spurs offense should be fine, they may have trouble being as effective defensively at times. Tony Parker is also getting older and the Spurs may have to think about finding someone else to facilitate the offense. Of course Kawai Leonard is still be in the conversation as a top 5 player in this league so the Spurs should still take care of business in the regular season.
but the road ahead looks tough
3. LA Clippers (54-UNDER) - I still have the Clippers as a top 3 team in the NBA but I anticipate they might stagnate a bit if injuries to Paul and Griffin are significant. Their starting five is still one of the best in the NBA although perhaps their bench play may suffer a bit as Jamal Crawford ages. Speights is an interesting additon and should keep them in games. Paul Pierce also appears to not have anything left in the tank although. Alan Anderson could be an interesting pickup granted he has been dealing with injuries which forced him to miss most of the 2015-16 season.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves (41.5-OVER-LOCK) - The Timberwolves expect to take major steps forward with Tom Thibbeadea, really good young players including Towns, Wiggins, and Dunn. Their defense should be much better with coach Thibs.
James Harden should thrive
with D'Antoni
5. Houston Rockets (44-OVER) - Houston did lose Dwight Howard but did add Coach D'Antoni. I expect the Rockets to be a more fun uptempo team that will win by outscoring opponents, of course they will have problems defensively but it should be good enough to get them into the playoffs.
6. Portland Trail Blazers (44.5-UNDER) - he Trailblazer did have a nice season last year by getting to the second round. That being said, they did get to the 2nd round mainly because the Clippers suffered injuries. It may take time for their offseason additions of Evan Turner and Festuz Ezeli to mesh and might not meet their lofty expectations although I have them still making the playoffs
8. Utah Jazz (47-UNDER) - Utah did add a nice mix of veteran talent including Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson. Shelvin Mack was interesting addition at the trade deadline. Bottomline is that the Jazz don't have a bonafide scorer even if they have Rudy Gobert, the eifel tower, keeping them in games.
9. Memphis (42.5-OVER) - Memphis gets their two stars back Mike Conley and Marc Gasol which should make them competitive albeit they will have to do it under a new head coach. Chandler Parsons is an interesting addition that should add playmaking but has not been the same player that he was in Houston due to multiple injuries.
10. Dallas Mavericks (40.5-UNDER) - At the end of the day, the Mavericks still have Dirk and at worst Barnes is a solid rotation player and they also acquired Andrew Bogut. Things could get dicey if Dirk Nowitzki ages significantly but Rick Carlilse has continue to prove that he is one of the top defensive coaches in the NBA.
11. Denver Nuggets (36.5) (OVER) - Denver has a lot of decent players but will still need Mudiaye to develop into a more consistent player from the perimeter. Jokic is a nice piece who played well for Serbia in the Olympics.
12. New Orleans Pelicans (36.5-UNDER) - Anthony Davis gets some more support with Buddy Hield although it may take time for him to transition to NBA play. The big concern of course is whether Davis can play an entire season and the Pelicans also lost Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon in the offseason.
13. Sacramento Kings (32-UNDER) - I think the coaching addition of Dave Joerger is a decent upgrade over George Karl and I expect the Kings to get slightly better defensively by losing Rondo. It will be interesting to see if Ty Lawson has anything left in the tank. That being said, it could be a long season for the Kings if they do not get good point guard play.
Brandon Ingram could be ROY
14. LA Lakers (24.5-UNDER) - - The Lakers are adding some nice young talent including Brandon Ingram and hope for Russell to develop. Luke Walton will try to lead the Lakers to success, although it did not work out to well for Alvin Gentry.
15. Phoenix (28.5- UNDER-LOCK)- Still slightly better than the 76ers with Bledsoe and interesting additions including Barbosa, Dudley but at the end of day still a relatively young team with pieces that do not fit well.
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