Which squad that made the postseason in 2015-16 will fall out of the 2016-17 playoff race and why?
Nick Denning: It’s tough to pick one, but Houston is a likely candidate. They were fortunate to make it this season, and with Dwight Howard’s likely departure, and the apparent lack of continuity amongst the players, they are no lock for the playoffs next season, even if James Harden has a bounce back year. Plus, I’m not a fan of hiring Mike D’Antoni for this team.
Zach Reynolds: A team already on the decline, Memphis sits in a Western Conference with a trio of budding teams ready to make a jump into the playoffs. Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Tony Allen and Zach Randolph have been a formidable core for the past handful of seasons, but the roster is devoid of a youthful injection. Look for the Grizzlies to make moves that position the franchise more towards the future than 2016-17 this summer.
Josh Cornelissen: Indiana. The Pacers have a true superstar in Paul George and a talented young big man in Myles Turner. But this roster has serious flaws that were covered up by Frank Vogel. Now that he has been replaced as head coach those flaws will make more of an impact and the Pacers will fall just short of the postseason next year.
Daniel Coughlin: Detroit Pistons. It pains me to stand against Stan Van Gundy and his f-ing wall, but I must. The team boasts Reggie Jackson, a second-year Stanley Johnson and maybe Andre Drummond? Sure, Tobias Harris is also in town. Van Gundy is a top notch coach, but his team isn’t very deep and unless they score something akin to Kevin Durant in the offseason, they don’t really impress or seem like a team that has the kind of room for improvement that a rejuvenated Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks squad has to work with. And that is just within their division. With Frank Vogel now in Orlando, that team also looks to be a much more serious playoff threat immediately and has more potential for growth and improvement than Detroit. Or maybe that wall that Van Gundy is building gets the job done again in 2016-17.
Gabriel Allen: The Dallas Mavericks got off to a marvelous start in 2015-16, which helped propel them into the postseason. Dirk Nowitzki’s jump shot may never break down. But if the Mavs fail to make a splash in free agency and instead whiff on a stud defensive center (think Bismack Biyombo, Hassan Whiteside, or Dwight Howard), this may very well be the year that these cowboys fall out of the playoff race.
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