Welcome to Hoops Business! I’m Steve but you can call me Rookie. Thanks for giving this new blog a chance, and we will do our best to try and give you a different, yet entertaining perspective on the NBA.
Recently all the writers here at Hoops Business had to make our way-too-early picks for who win the NBA Title for the upcoming season. I picked the Cavaliers, but I must confess that that pick is a bit of a fib. My main reasoning for picking Cleveland to win the title is because I simply do not know who is going to come out of the Western Conference. I believe I have an idea of what the playoff field will like in the west, but the victor is a much taller task. I’m going to take you guys through my thinking process of who I believe will be in the playoffs in the West, and then try to determine which of those teams has the best odds of coming out of the West to challenge the Cavaliers. And yes, Cleveland coming out of the East is almost a foregone conclusion, barring injuries or a seismic trade(s) that drastically alter the NBA landscape.
As of right now (and I reserve the right to change my mind based on injuries, unforeseen jumps in player development, trades, etc.) I believe the following eight teams will make up the playoff field for the Western Conference: Golden State, LA Clippers, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans and Utah. Now before some fans get mad at me, let me say that I LOVE all teams in the NBA and I have no favorite team or bear any ill will towards any team. Now let’s talk about why each of these teams (assuming they are indeed the ones that are playoff bound) have a chance to come out of the West, and yes even Utah would have a chance.
Golden State: DUH… All jokes aside, this team essentially returns every key component that led them to one of the best regular season and postseason runs in NBA history, which of course was capped by winning last season’s title. The reigning MVP is still on the roster last time I checked, as are Klay Thompson, a richer version of Draymond Green, Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes and company. The only player departure was David Lee, and while this will of course affect their overall depth, this team is still deep and ready to continue where they left off last year. I suspect their might be a slight slowdown now that Alvin Gentry is coaching Anthony Davis in New Orleans, but I think Steve Kerr and his staff will mitigate these obstacles and have this team primed and ready for June.
L.A. Clippers: This team continues to be fascinating. They had arguably the best starting five last season, depending on which metrics you looked at. But that bench was not up to par to the task of winning an NBA title. It seems that Doc Rivers has managed to add some much needed depth to that woeful bench. Bringing in Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson has a lot of potential to push this team over the top, assuming that these acquisitions don’t self-combust first. Josh Smith is a lightning-rod of criticism, and in many ways unjustly so. He can still finish at the rim, he’s a very skilled passer and he can defend well enough. The obvious (and sometimes painful to watch) problem that he has is that he bricks threes at an alarming rate, besides sometimes being a malcontent. Stephenson has allegedly been disliked on some level in every locker room he’s been in. He clearly is talented, but who knows how he will mesh with the likes of Chris Paul. It could simply be that he needed to be with a more talented team that is poised to win a lot, just like the Pacers a couple seasons ago. All this being said, as long as CP3, Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan are the nucleus of this team, they will be in contention to win the West.
San Antonio: Of course they’re in this conversation. All they do is compete in the West. Tim Duncan doesn’t age at all, as every other basketball outlet has mentioned and will mention several times during this season (if not every game). We all know that Greg Popovich is one of the best coaches ever to walk on a basketball court. The team seems to develop and locate talented players that fit their scheme better than anyone else in the NBA. And now they have one of the League’s best and most undervalued players in Lamarcus Aldridge. Why is he underrated? Well, basically he is one of the most skilled big men in basketball. He is a very, very good shooter. He has very good passing skills and contrary to popular belief, he is a good defender. Aldridge is also a very sharp and savvy player. It’s a lock that he will flourish here. They lost some depth with the trade of Tiago Splitter, but obtaining Aldridge is definitely worth this loss. Once again, the immortal Spurs will be a force to be reckoned with.
OKC: The Thunder will be under a microscope this season. Kevin Durant’s upcoming free agency has already been talked about at length, and will unfortunately be dissected all season long. Add to that the hiring of Billy Donovan as Scott Brooks’ replacement and the injury concerns surrounding Durant and his superstar teammate Russell Westbrook, and the Thunder will be arguably the most interesting team in the NBA this season. If everyone stays healthy, the Thunder will do very well and of course contend to win the West. Durant, Westbrook and Serge Ibaka are one of the best nucleuses in all of basketball, but they will need heavy contributions from their bench. As anyone who has followed the Thunder over the years can attest to, the Thunder have gotten very erratic production from their bench, which is why their bench has been in constant flux. Their “big 3” can carry them far when healthy, but if they’re not getting any help they will have their work cut out for them.
Part Two is coming soon!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – STEVE HARVEY, SENIOR COLUMNIST
Steve, call sign Rookie, is a US Coast Guard veteran and a student at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. He is pursuing a BA in Digital Media Production and also participates in intercollegiate athletics. Rookie has an AA degree in journalism from San Diego Mesa Community College, and serves as the Technical Skills Editor and a writer for the Net Set blog.
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