Atlanta Hawks (49.5)
Boston Celtics (42.5)
Brooklyn Nets (28.5)
Charlotte Hornets (32.5)
Chicago Bulls (49.5)
Cleveland Cavaliers (56.5)
Detroit Pistons (33.5)
Indiana Pacers (42.5)
Miami Heat (45.5)
Milwaukee Bucks (43.5)
New York Knicks (31.5)
Orlando Magic (32.5)
Philadelphia 76ers (21.5)
Toronto Raptors (45.5)
Washington Wizards (45.5)
Dallas Mavericks (38.5)
Denver Nuggets (26.5)
Golden State Warriors (60.5)
Houston Rockets (54.5)
Los Angeles Clippers (56.5)
Los Angeles Lakers (29.5)
Memphis Grizzlies (50.5)
Minnesota Timberwolves (25.5)
New Orleans Pelicans (47.5)
Oklahoma City Thunder (57.5)
Phoenix Suns (36.5)
Portland Trail Blazers (26.5)
Sacramento Kings (30.5)
San Antonio Spurs (58.5)
Utah Jazz (40.5)
First thing that jumps out is that Blazers number. They won over 50 games last season and the O/U is 26.5! What a fall. They still have Damian Lillard, right? I know the dude needs some help but under 30 wins?
Can Derrick Rose not say stupid shit with a mic in his face? At Bulls press day he was going on about preparing for free agency so he can get his money and set up his family. He’s like 2 years away from free agency. The $300M he makes now from the Bulls and Adidas isn’t enough to set up his family? This, of course, after last season being worried about playing too many games and being sore when he sits in meetings after retirement. The dude clearly does not care about playing basketball. I don’t know how Bulls fans tolerate him.
I’m so glad that Derrick Rose has a chance to play unhurt for the first time in a while…(wait, what’s that? He got hurt on the FIRST DAY of practice???) Argle-bargle.
I haven’t followed player movement too closely so I’m probably forgetting a major move here and there.
Looks like everyone’s agrees the Hawks overachieved last year. I still don’t know how they won so many games, but they were not impressive in the playoffs.
Bulls seems like they are expecting Rose to miss significant numbers of games, otherwise that 49.5 is way too low. With Rose playing like 75% of the games, I’d expect them to be right there with Cleveland in the mid to high 50’s, and even then that might be low. Cleveland, with all guys healthy and on board, seems like they’re due for one of those Lebron lead 60+ win teams.
Heat seems a bit high, though I heard Hassan Whiteside has been developing really well. It all depends on Wade though. If he can’t play well, they’re a #7 seed at best and 45.5 is too high.
In the West, I’d probably have Memphis a little higher than 50.5, but not much higher. Like 53-55 range. They still have all their major pieces and I think Gasol’s in a contract year right? So he’ll play out of his mind.
Pop is a great coach, but I think this is one of those transition years due to losing/adding major pieces. They’ll do well in the playoffs and Duncan will have moments where you forget he’s an old guy, but I don’t see them near the top of the NBA this year. They’ll get in the playoffs but probably as a low seed, maybe around 53 wins.
Looks like they’re expecting the Jazz to edge out the Mavs for the last spot in the playoffs. I couldn’t name a player on the Jazz except Dante Exum, so I don’t know how they’ll do. But the Mavs still have Dirk. I don’t think he’s finished under 40 games in a long time. We’ll probably have the exact same group of 8 teams like last year, I don’t see the Jazz breaking through just yet
Kyrie is out the first couple months for the Cavs. Love is obviously coming off the shoulder injury, too. Given that and the fact that LeBron ain’t getting younger, I could see a 50-55 win season where they ramp it up at playoff time.
The biggest move the Mavs made was not getting Deandre Jordan in that whole fiasco where he left Cuban high and dry at the 11th hour.
I think the O/U for my team, the Nuggets, is pretty low. I don’t expect them to be a playoff team, but I also don’t think they’re the absolute worst in the West. They traded Ty Lawson to Houston, but got a halfway decent return for a guy with a drinking problem.
Even pop couldn’t get Richard Jefferson to produce enough to keep him. While I like West for what he did in Indiana, their best year was 2 years ago and for a big man veteran, time moves fast. I’d say take his stats from that year, minus 20% for coming off the bench and another 15% for being 2 years older. That’s the production ceiling I expect from West. Not that Pop can’t make it work, but I think its more likely to fail than not
I don’t follow all the NBA labor stuff too closely, but I’m starting to suspect that the players have internalized the value of the Popovich approach to managing minutes, because it seems like a lot of guys want only want to play 70 regular season games and are being real conservative when it comes to their health and recovery. The players talk all talk to each other, so maybe it’s conventional wisdom among the established veterans that you don’t make heroic efforts for all 82.
Thus, Cavs over/under of 56.5 wins seems right, because I foresee them kinda half-assing it in November and into December, until the commentators start making a big deal of it. It’s a sensible approach in the East.
Love coming off injury, Kyrie out a couple months and LeBron has apparently said he could use another couple months of rest. So yeah, I see a slow start coming for the Cavs. But I do believe they’ll ramp it up come spring time.
Somebody tell Kobe that. I’m still hearing issues about limiting his minutes. He hasn’t committed to less minutes and Byron Scott seems to have his hands full trying to convince him
He’s going to be their backup power forward and he signed for the veterans’ minimum. I can’t even conceive of a scenario where David West as your backup power forward, playing for the minimum, is something you have to “make work.”
I’m definitely taking the under on that Cavs win total. Tristan Thompson is holding out and it could stretch into the regular season.
Oh, and Matt Barnes drove 95 miles to his ex-wife’s house when he found out Derek Fisher was there so he could “beat the shit out of him.” Nothing in that sentence is surprising for NBA news.
Well, the season is underway with a couple fairly surprising results. The Nuggets put it on the Rockets in Houston last night. The Knicks scored 122 points and 'Melo only accounted for 11. Kobe’s back and doing what Kobe does, but the Lakers could not stop Ricky Rubio.
The Wizards’ supposedly hotshot offense got shut down in Orlando, and they only won by a fluke. Not sure what the departure of Paul Pierce is going to mean for them, and Coach Wittman is always a bit of a crapshoot.