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DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki gave owner Mark Cuban a big-time hometown discount when he agreed to a three-year deal for only $25 million. That allowed the Mavs to give Chandler Parsons a three-year $46 million deal. “I told him every dinner on the road this year is on him” Dirk said to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas “It’s my money anyway.” The Mavs also added Jameer Nelson to run point, and reacquired Tyson Chandler along with Raymond Felton in a trade that sent Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert to the Knicks. Toss 20 points-per-game from Monta Ellis into the mix and the new-look Mavericks should be contenders.
PROJECTED LINEUP: G – Devin Harris DENVER – Coach Brian Shaw will hope to have a healthy roster this years as he continues to install his half-court system. The Nuggets had a boatload of injuries last year including Danilo Gallinari, J.J. Hickson, JaVale McGee, and Nate Robinson. They don’t have a superstar but they do have one of the deepest rosters in the league. Their main offseason pickup was former Nugget Arron Afflalo who spent the last two years in Orlando. Timofey Mozgov continues to develop at center and looks poised to have a breakout year. The Nuggets roster is an experiment in quantity over quality, eschewing the high-priced superstar for excellent role players. If it works and Denver can sneak into the playoffs expect other small-market teams to adopt the model. PROJECTED LINEUP: G/F – Wilson Chandler GOLDEN STATE – Steve Kerr embarks on his first coaching experience with a very talented roster. The Warriors are super deep and have the best 3-point-shooting backcourt in the NBA with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and boast defensive stalwarts Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut. They lost a seven-game classic to the Clippers last season and will be looking to rebound and make a run at a championship. PROJECTED LINEUP: SF – Draymond Green HOUSTON – The Rockets lost Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik, and Jeremy Lin in the offseason. They filled the void Parsons left by signing Trevor Ariza who is a downgrade overall but an upgrade defensively. Not much was added to supplement the losses of Asik or Lin so the onus will be on James Harden and Dwight Howard to put this team on their backs and dominate. If they can stay healthy the Rockets should be a contender. PROJECTED LINEUP: SG – Jason Terry L.A. CLIPPERS – Los Angeles will have essentially the same lineup they had last year with only minor additions and subtractions. The main difference is the acquisition of stretch big-man Spencer Hawes who gives the Clips the one thing they have lacked which is outside shooting from their bigs. If Blake Griffin continues to improve his jump-shot he and Hawes will add a new dynamic to the Clippers’ attack. It has been a couple of years since the Clips were a joke and they have improbably taken over the L.A. basketball scene. Doc Rivers’ team looks primed to compete for a title. PROJECTED LINEUP: SG – Jamal Crawford L.A. LAKERS – This team is going to be atrocious, and Byron Scott will possibly be the worst head coach in recent memory. He is dead set on playing basketball like it’s 1988. He doesn’t want his team taking threes, hoping to only have 10-15 attempts per game. (Almost every team in the NBA these days attempts 20 or so each night.) He also wants them to play really physical defense which isn’t bad, but they’re going to get a whole lot of fouls called on them because they no longer officiate games like they did when Scott played. So they have an aging Kobe, they are going to give up tons of free throws, and they are going to intentionally never hit a three. Good luck. PROJECTED LINEUP: F/C – Ed Davis MEMPHIS – Here’s another team that never takes any threes but that’s because they don’t have anyone who can hit them, and they win by other means. The Griz are one of the league’s best defensive units and have a very deep roster. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol are the best 4-5 combination in the West and Mike Conley is a superb all-around player at point. Tony Allen is one of the best defenders in the game and new addition Vince Carter strengthens the bench. Plus they added two nice draft picks in Jordan Adams and Jarnell Stokes. The problem is they have been very good for the last four years but still seem to lack one more ingredient to become a true championship contender. A big mid-season trade could vault this talented squad to the top of the West, but for now there’s no reason to think they’ll be much different from years past. PROJECTED LINEUP: SF – Tayshaun Prince MINNESOTA – The Timberwolves haven’t made the playoffs in a decade and it’s looking like this year will be no different. Kevin Love took his talents to Cleveland but in return the Wolves got the last two #1 picks, including future superstar Andrew Wiggins. Anthony Bennett appeared to be a bust last year for the Cavs but showed up to camp in the best shape of his life looking to prove his doubters wrong. The T-wolves are a young club that will probably lose a lot of games this year but they are set up nicely for the future. New coach Flip Saunders will have a chance to implement his system and have his young players develop into it, so the losing might not last long beyond this season. PROJECTED LINEUP: G/F – Corey Brewer NEW ORLEANS – The Pelicans are somewhat of a sleeper team this year, and if everything breaks right they could make a run at one of the final playoff spots. Anthony Davis is the real deal, and is quickly developing into one of the league’s premier power forwards. The addition of Omer Asik will improve their defense exponentially, and the addition of veteran presence John Salmons will add depth. If inconsistent players like Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, and Tyreke Evans can finally live up to their potential this could be a squad to watch. PROJECTED LINEUP: PF – Ryan Anderson OKLAHOMA CITY – Any team with perennial MVP candidate Kevin Durant and another top-10 superstar like Russell Westbrook is going to be a championship contender. However, the Thunder have fallen just short of a title the last few years and this might be the weakest supporting cast they’ve had yet. Gone are Thabo Sefolosha, Caron Butler, and Derek Fisher and they’ve been replaced by Anthony Morrow, Sebastian Telfair, and rookie Mitch McGary. This team couldn’t get it done when they had James Harden, couldn’t get it done when they downgraded to Kevin Martin, and now they don’t even have a tertiary scoring threat at all. Oklahoma City will turn into instant championship material with a savvy midseason trade but until then they seem destined to fall just short of a title as usual. PROJECTED LINEUP: PG – Reggie Jackson PHOENIX – The Suns were one of the surprise teams in the NBA last season and just missed a playoff birth in the stacked Western Conference. Jeff Hornacek’s squad should continue to improve this season thanks to the most explosive backcourt in the league. Eric Bledsoe was hurt for half the season last year yet the Suns were still competitive. If he can stay healthy along with the league’s most improved player Goran Dragic, new addition Isaiah Thomas, and dunk-machine Gerald Green, the Suns will have one of the best guard rotations in the NBA. Phoenix is one of the most exciting young up-and-coming teams in the league and will challenge for a playoff spot. PROJECTED LINEUP: PG – Isaiah Thomas PORTLAND – The Blazers got to the second round of the playoffs in 2014 for the first time in 14 years. They’ll look to make another run at the Finals this season thanks to their two superstars Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge. The main difference from last year’s squad is their fortified bench which now includes veterans Steve Blake and Chris Kaman, as well as summer league standout C.J. McCollum. Portland is loaded with excellent role players and is in a relatively weak division so it should be another successful season in Rip City. PROJECTED LINEUP: C – Chris Kaman SAN ANTONIO – The defending champs return this season with the same exact team that won the title. The Spurs have made the playoffs 17 consecutive times ever since Gregg Popovich took over coaching duties in 1997, and last year was the fifth championship for the Popovich-Tim Duncan combination. Kawhi Leonard is the best all-around player on the team now but legends like Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili plus a stellar supporting cast have the Spurs looking like a good bet to make their third straight trip to the championship round. PROJECTED LINEUP: SG – Manu Ginobili SACRAMENTO – They might not be the laughing-stock they’ve been in recent times but the Kings will still struggle in the super-deep West. The loss of Isaiah Thomas’ explosiveness in the offseason was a major setback, one they will hope to replace his production with a Darren Collison/Ramon Sessions combo. Nick Stauskas is a player to watch this year, and obviously DeMarcus Cousins is one of the best players in the game. If this team stays together and develops the playoffs could be in their near future but this year .500 would be a huge victory. PROJECTED LINEUP: SG – Nick Stauskas UTAH – At least they’ll be better than the Lakers. Maybe. PROJECTED LINEUP: PF – Trevor Booker |
Article By: Anthony Schiano
