Its always difficult to predict how a team will fare before a ball is even bounced, especially when winning and losing aren’t the only determining factors when judging a successful offseason anymore.
In the NBA you are either a ‘winner’, or a ‘loser’, and there isn’t any room for those teams stuck in the middle. This year, it gets even more complicated as the lower ended teams are trying to get as many lottery balls in anticipation for one the most talented draft classes coming through in 2014.
This has lead to many of those ‘in-between teams’ to go for broke – ‘blow the team up’ – a basketball expression used by teams are starting over again in-order to rebuild through the draft.
We’ll take a look and analyse all 30 teams and discuss whether they made the right moves – either to enter the contention race, or the draft race. There are also some ‘in-between teams’ and we’ll address what is expected of them.
I’ll get some wrong and probably have this article used against me by the end of the season, however, that’s what makes for an enthralling 2013-14 season.
We’ve included Grantland’s annual league pass ranking to each team. This will rank which teams will be the most entertaining the to watch this season.
Also, each team will have the Grantland video preview – Bill and Jalen’s 2013 NBA Preview – so we can compare the differing views on each team.
Let the games begin!
Western Conference
Dallas Mavericks
Additions: Monta Ellis (FA), Jose Calderon (FA), Samuel Dalembert (FA), Brandan Wright (re-sign), Shane Larkin (draft), Ricky Ledo (draft), Devin Harris (FA), Wayne Ellington (FA), Gal Mekel (FA), DeJuan Blair (FA), Bernard James (re-sign)
Subtractions: O.J. Mayo (Bucks), Chris Kaman (Lakers), Darren Collison (Clippers), Elton Brand (Hawks), Anthony Morrow (Pelicans), Josh Akognon (Grizzlies), Nick Calathes (Grizzlies)
After winning the 2011 NBA title, Mark Cuban looked like the smartest GM in the world. He had an aging roster that had maxed out and a free agent list that he wanted to dip into – so what did he do?
He broke up a championship winning team in anticipation that the Mavericks would be major players in that free agent market. Unfortunately for Mark, they weren’t, and now Dallas is stuck with this.
With both Deron Williams and Chris Paul re-signing with their respected clubs, and Dwight Howard choosing to run away from Kobe because they were possibly going to kill each other! the Rockets, Cuban had no choice but to settle for Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon.
The problem for Cuban is that he has a superstar – Dirk Nowitzki, who isn’t getting any younger, and rather than just admitting defeat and trying to blow the team up, he spent $54 million on those two players to remain relevant.
He has some decent young pieces to work around with – Mekel is an NBA-ready prospect that intrigued several teams after a terrific season in Israel. But those pieces will not be enough to propel Dallas, in what is already a pretty deep conference.
Overall, they should have cap room next year, and Cuban will be hoping his loyalty to Dirk will be repaid with the German possibly taking a pay cut to help that rebuilding process. However, that doesn’t mean much for this season, and with the current players assembled by Cuban, I can’t see them making the playoffs.
DALLAS MAVS: 56.5 (GrantLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:21)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Zach: Are you ready for Monta Ball? Seriously: Between “I’m going to play Monta Ball” and “Monta Ellis have it all,” he’s given us two of the best nutty NBA quotes of the last 10 years.
Bill: I’m even more excited for Dirk’s “I AM NOT EFFING DONE YET!” pseudo-comeback season. Anything less than 26 and 8 with 53 percent shooting and a third-team All-NBA spot will be disappointing. Also, I love the potential of Calderon-Dirk to trigger some extremely fond 2003 Nash-Dirk memories. And it’s great that Monta Ellis finally has a bigger platform to enrage advanced-metric guys and hoop nerds on Twitter.
Zach: Yeah, we’re relatively close on Dallas — solid team, well-coached, transcendent superstar with one of the league’s all-time great uniquely definable moves (the one-legged fadeaway), Samuel Dalembert somehow doing splits, Jose Calderon’s classic Euro “this permanently looks like I haven’t shaved in five days” beard, and Shawn Marion’s funky two-way game. I like them. They should be a very good offensive team if they’re healthy, and we’ll get to see some intriguing NBA unknown — Shane Larkin, Ricky Ledo, Gal Mekel — eventually earn some key minutes. They might also be a complete train wreck defensively, but they’ll try fun stuff.
Bill: Seems like you and I both believe the Mavs will be better than people think … while fully acknowledging how ridiculous it is to believe in a team that needs 40 good minutes a night from Sam Dalembert. I like where we are here. Is there any chance we can talk Rick Carlisle into wearing different toupees during games?
Zach: I like that he shaved his head and owned it. I hope to be that brave someday. Great coach.
Bill: I’m never going bald — but the good news is that I’m 44 and going white, so I look 10 years older than I am. Don’t count me out for one of those Dr Pepper–colored hair dye jobs soon, Zach. If my hair suddenly appears to be an unidentifiable brownish-red color, please, don’t say anything until I’m out of the room.
Zach: Speaking of teams that make you pull your hair out …
Denver Nuggets
Additions: J.J. Hickson (FA), DarrelL Arthur (trade), Nate Robinson (FA), Randy Foye (S&T), Timofey Mozgov (re-sign), Tim Connelly (GM), Brian Shaw (coach)
Subtractions: Andre Iguodala (Warriors), Kosta Koufas (Grizzlies), Corey Brewer (Timberwolves), Julyan Stone (Raptors), Masai Ujiri (GM), George Karl (coach)
What the hell happened here?
After a 57 game winning season, and a first round exit, the Nuggets lost arguably, one of the best front offices, and one of the best head coaches in the league.
Ujiri, fresh off winning Executive of the Year, left for the Raptors after the Nuggets refused to match an offer. His right-hand man, Pete D’Alessandro, left a few weeks later to take the Kings’ GM job. Head coach George Karl was fired. And their key summer acquisition of last season, Andre Iguodala, took the cash and left to join Mark Jackson at the Warriors.
The new GM Tim Connelly tried to steer the ship and replace Iggy with a few talented back up players in Hickson, Arthur, and Nate Robinson. But that doesn’t detract from the fact that the Nuggets lost too much in offseason, and subsequently will struggle to regain that continuity.
Overall, Connelly made some decent moves as soon as he came in, namely signing young and up and coming coach, Brian Shaw. However, they already had a hall of fame coach, and didn’t need to replace him.
Shaw also has his best player – Danilo Gallinari still sidelined with an ACL injury and with an already starless squad, he will struggle to keep them in the top 8 in the west.
DENVER NUGGETS (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:16)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Bill: Another top-five team for my Curiosity Rankings that I just made up 10 minutes ago. Ty Lawson, Professor Andre Miller AND Nate Robinson? Huh???? JaVale McGee, Kenneth Faried, J.J. Hickson AND Darrell Arthur??? Wait, what? Masai Ujiri would be rolling around in his grave if he weren’t in Toronto offering Rudy Gay to everyone in the league right now.
Zach: Yup. This is why they came in eighth on my watchability rankings, and 21st (!) on yours. There’s just a lot of stuff going on here, and McGee’s presence basically broke the unintentional-comedy category. They won’t be as fun as last year’s team, mostly because they won’t be as good or play George Karl’s super-fast style. But the transition from Karl to Brian Shaw will be fascinating.
Bill: Just feels like this team lost its Internet Coolness title. Defensively, they’re gonna be absolutely abysmal without Iggy and Brewer (and with that motley collection of defensively IQ-challenged frontcourt guys). We don’t know when Gallo comes back or how he’s going to look.
Zach: Gallo shot really well from 3 last season after an ice-cold first dozen or so games. These guys need outside shooting on the wing, and it’s generally good if you don’t have to lean too heavily on Randy Foye to get it. And you’re right: How Shaw handles frontcourt defense, and how those players respond, will make or break the season for Denver.
Bill: Did we ever figure out why so many teams interviewed Shaw without hiring him? Everything about the Nuggets screams “REGRESSION! REGRESSION!” to me. (Even though we ranked them 13th in Bill & Jalen’s NBA Preview, I’m picking them to miss the playoffs.) With that said, I’m curious as hell to watch them. And as our Triangle dudes keep pointing out, any scenario that leads to someone saying the words “This is JaVale McGee’s team now” is an undeniably appealing scenario. I should have ranked them higher. I blew it.
Zach: Teams that win 55 games almost never miss the playoffs the next season, unless they lose a superstar player. This is in play for Denver, even though it typically walks into 30 home wins (at least) just by showing up.
Bill: Don’t sleep on this being the season when the legalization of marijuana in Colorado really wreaks havoc with the Nuggets.
Golden State Warriors
Additions: Andre Iguodala (S&T), Jermaine O’Neal (FA), Tony Douglas (FA), Marreese Speights (FA)
Subtractions: Jarrett Jack (Cavaliers), Carl Landry (Kings), Andris Biedrins (Jazz), Richard Jefferson (Jazz), Brandon Rush (Jazz), Scott Machado
Golden State was a team that only two seasons ago was on the receiving end of some heavy criticism for what was perceived as blatant tanking. Since then, new owner Joe Lacob – who was booed for trading away Monta Ellis, has now put this team in a position to contend for a title.
They were also the beneficiaries of the up coming draft, as they were able to convince the Jazz to absorb the hefty salaries of both Jefferson and Biedrins.
Overall, the signing of Iggy addresses a weakness for the Warriors last season, as they now have a terrific perimeter defender and runner in the open court. However, this may pose an issue for Harrison Barnes who now seems destined for the bench, and it remains to be seen if Barnes will be happy with his new role.
David Lee will also be involved in trade rumours right up until the deadline as the warriors seemed to be better off with Barnes at the 4 during the playoffs. But right now this squad is loaded with talent, and if Curry’s ankles can hold up, I don’t see why this team cannot contend with the best in the west.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:1)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Zach: Holy crap. This was a blowout. I did a double-take when Golden State ended up atop my rankings, but you had them in the same spot, and they finished a whopping 5.5 points ahead of the no. 2 team. Wow.
Bill: I think it was either Emily Dickinson or Andrew Sharp who said it best: The heart wants what it wants. And our League Pass hearts want the Warriors.
Zach: I mean, Golden State is good and all, and their playoff run was super-fun. But how did this happen? How did Golden State become the most watchable team in the NBA?
Bill: Best home crowd in the league. Top-three uniforms, top-three colors, really nice floor.
Zach: Agreed on the uniforms and team color scheme. I’d have to think about the floors, but Golden State is a very aesthetically pleasing team overall.
Bill: Why do I feel a “Top 30 Floors” column coming from you this season? Here’s what else the Dubs bring to the table: very good announcers. Great team chemistry. Likable players. West Coast start times.
Zach: Boo to Pacific Time. They are a morning coffee/DVR team for me.
Bill: It’s not my fault you live on the wrong coast. The Warriors also have lineup flexibility — they can go big or small. Plus, they mixed it up from last season by adding Iggy, which gives them a different feel from last year and opens up engaging questions like “What’s their best lineup?” and “Is this setting Harrison Barnes back?” I think they’re a top-10 team and a fringe contender, but they aren’t good enough to win at home by going on cruise control — that means we’re getting their best every night. And best of all, they have one of the league’s best “TURN THIS GAME ON RIGHT F—ING NOW!” guys. What am I missing? Don’t be ashamed, Zach Lowe. Follow your heart.
Zach: Curry was the guy who really swung this. I’m not sure exactly when it started — maybe the 54-point game at MSG, maybe earlier — but he is crashing the top of the “change the channel, this guy is going crazy” rankings. I mean, who else is up there? LeBron, Rose, Kyrie, Durant, Curry … is that it? Maybe a rejuvenated Dirk? Other guys can take over games, but they either need someone to pass them the ball (Griffin), or they are more clinical than stylish/explosive/insane (Chris Paul, James Harden).
Bill: It’s LeBron, Curry and Durant … then it drops off to the next tier. Unless you want to count Byron Mullens going for an 0-for-20.
Zach: Anyway, Curry is up there, and you’re right on about the lineup flexibility. Iggy is going to be so great here, filling all the little gaps — guarding the best perimeter player, making the right passes on offense, passing and cutting so that the system keeps moving. I love that guy. But, no. 1? By a landslide? Are we going to regret this in three months?
Bill: You’ll have to ask Steph Curry’s ankles.
Houston Rockets
Additions: Dwight Howard (FA), Aaron Brooks (re-sign), Isaiah Canaan (draft), Reggie Williams (FA), Marcus Camby (FA), Omri Casspi (FA), Francisco Garcia (re-sign), Robert Covington (FA), B.J. Young (FA), Kostas Papanikolaou (rights), Marko Todorovic (rights)
Subtractions: Thomas Robinson (Blazers), Carlos Delfino (Bucks), Royce White (76ers), James Andersen (76ers), Tim Ohlbrecht (76ers)
It seems as though that Daryl Morey has laid the blueprint of how to acquire assets and slowly build put together a contender.
After landing James Harden, the Morey master plan is finally coming together after he was able to do the unthinkable and prize away Dwight Howard from the Lakers.
It’s not often a player of Howard’s magnitude chooses to walk away from the bright lights of L.A., to move to a market like Houston – while also taking a pay cut.
But that’s exactly what happened. Some of it had to with Morey’s ability to put together a great pitch for Howard, while some of it had to do with Jim Buss botching an opportunity.
Overall, there still some issues with this roster, namely at the point guard and power forward positions. I don’t believe Jeremy Lin is a championship winning point – well not as a starter at least, and can Asik and Howard play together?
Whatever they decide to do with Asik and the point guard position, the Rockets should still have enough to contend in the West for many years to come.
HOUSTON ROCKETS (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:10)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Zach: Houston at no. 10 seems almost irresponsibly low, since it is one of those rare title contenders with a giant, intriguing question mark: How will the new guy fit? In fairness, you had them at no. 7, and I had them at no. 15, and it’s one of those cases where I sort of miss the forest for the trees.
Bill: Don’t beat yourself up — it’s rarely if ever fun to watch Dwight Howard play basketball, and you’ve always been perturbed by his insatiable quest to be considered a larger-than-life personality. One of my social-media joys in life is when you ridicule Dwight for some inane, trying-to-be-funny moment. It’s hard to bring out the troll in Zach Lowe, but Dwight does it. Thank you, Dwight Howard. Thank you.
Zach: I just can’t help it, and I don’t feel great about it. But, I mean, his ex-teammates happily tell stories about his devastating farts, and he actually praised the Magic for bringing his “favorite candies” to one negotiating session. And I lost it this week when he said he was upset the Magic let Tobias Harris have his old number (12). He actually compared James Harden to Courtney Lee in the same interview. It was really a tour de force in total lack of self-awareness. Wait, what were we talking about?
Bill: For the record, I ranked the Rockets no. 7 because of Harden, Parsons, Dwight in Eff You Mode (hopefully), Linsanity, McHale, DoMo, a beaming Dork Elvis … I mean, you had me at Harden.
Zach: But we can’t forget the stuff around the basketball. Their announcing crew brings a dangerous mix of misinformation and homerism that mars the Houston broadcast, and as good as Harden and Howard are, their games are going to feature endless parades to the foul line. That makes for a boring watch.
Bill: How well will Dwight blend in with the Rockets? How healthy will Dwight look on a scale of one to 10? (Let’s be honest, he was a five last season.) Combine those two questions and that’s the fourth-most riveting subplot of the 2013-14 NBA season behind “Is Derrick Rose 100 percent back?,” “How far will lousy teams go with Riggin’ for Wiggins?” and “When will Durant finally snap over the fact that his cheap-ass franchise traded the NBA’s best 2-guard for two spare bench parts?”
Zach: You just won’t let the Harden trade go, will you?
Bill: The trade that probably swung five or six Finals this decade? That one? No, I can’t.
Zach: Hell, execs around the league haven’t let it go yet, either. It’s still a major talking point in team-building discussions. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how often Houston goes to Dwight in straight post-ups after Daryl Morey basically engineered a team last season that did not even have the post-up option — and had to rely instead on 3s, free throws, and rim attacks, just as the stat geeks prefer. They should be fine overall, and it will be fun watching them sort out the Omer Asik issue — first on the court, then on the trade market.
Los Angeles Clippers
Additions: Chris Paul (re-sign), J.J. Reddick (S&T), Jared Dudley (trade), Darren Collison (FA), Matt Barnes (re-sign), Byron Mullens (FA), Reggie Bullock (draft), Ryan Hollins (re-sign), Doc Rivers (VP & Coach)
Subtractions: Eric Bledsoe (Suns), Caron Butler (Suns, then traded to the Bucks), Grant Hill (retired), Chauncey Billups (Pistons), Ronny Turiaf (Timberwolves), Dajuan Summers, Vinny Del Negro (coach)
If Houston pulled of a coupe by convincing Howard to walk away from the Lakers, well Jim Buss isn’t going to be too happy about the Clippers pulling of the biggest coupe of the offseason – acquiring Doc Rivers from the Celtics.
The Clippers needed the coaching upgrade and were able to prize away one of the best coaches in the league.
Rivers’ arrival then helped coerce Paul into re-signing, and also attracted some very good free agents on the cheap.
The clippers were able to add shooters at nearly every position with Reddick, Mullens, Dudley all signing on, whilst also acquring a very good back for Paul in Darren Collison.
Overall, I love every move the Clippers made, and are my pick for the number.1 seed in the West. Most importantly they were able to achieve this whilst staying away from the luxury tax, and losing only one first round pick. Thus ensuring that the Clippers are not only contenders for this season, but also for years to come.
L.A. CLIPPERS (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:3)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Zach: Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are going to be devastating with so much quality shooting around them. It’s almost unfair. Griffin and DeAndre Jordan have their flaws as players (though Griffin’s flaws are wildly overstated by critics who just don’t like him for some reason), but when you watch the Clips, you are constantly on edge, waiting for their next bit of destruction from above.
Bill: Blake has officially become underrated. Everyone picks him apart. He’s still exciting as hell and plays as fearlessly as ever. Doc Rivers will help build him up mentally — all the shit Z-Bo pulled with Blake never would have happened on Doc’s watch. Doc will be good for Blake. And DeAndre, too. What else do you love about the Clips? I can’t think rationally about them because I’m so perpetually happy that I stuck with my Clips season tickets …
Zach: I love the Jared Dudley dunk watch. Matt Barnes is just the right kind of crazy. And the Chris Paul–Byron Mullens combo has been completely overlooked in the “teammate most likely to murder another teammate on the court during a game” rankings. Kobe Bryant and Nick Young are getting all the attention, but Byron Mullens better dial back the 3-pointers. He shoots them like he’s playing Pop-A-Shot. He never takes his eyes off the rim and starts his shooting motion before he even has the ball.
Bill: I’m excited to yell “Take Mullens out!” at Doc — I’ve been practicing all summer. It will be disorienting to watch a Clippers coach command respect from NBA officials and his own players, I can tell you that much. But the Clippers can’t win the title with this current roster — they need to flip Jamal Crawford and/or DeAndre Jordan into a more reliable rim protector/rebounder who can play crunch time.
Zach: Trading DeAndre would be a big, big thing. You better get that one right. Are you overpraising Doc to try to smooth things over after the little TV spat?
Bill: What spat? He’s openly admitting that he didn’t want to rebuild in Boston now. I won the spat. Simmons 1, Rivers 0. But seriously, Doc …
Zach: In all seriousness, there’s a large undercurrent of “Doc’s a little overrated, and the Clippers are overestimating the impact of a coaching change on their title chances.” It will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Bill: Yeah, this isn’t the Chiefs dumping Romeo Crennel for Andy Reid — the Clippers won 56 games last season. Then again, I watched Vinny Del Negro watch dozens of games in person, and lemme tell you something … you never left a Vinny game feeling like you just watched a chess match. Doc will help.
Zach: I’ll miss Vinny, his hair, and his comically immature tendency to scream and stamp his feet near opposing shooters. But there’s still a ton to like here. Oh me, oh my!
Bill: Right now, they can outscore just about anyone, they can shoot the lights out, they can light up YouTube, and they’re insanely fun to watch. I wouldn’t call them legitimatelydangerous. Just dangerous. But for League Pass purposes? They’re legitimately dangerous. Like, to my marriage.
Los Angeles Lakers
Additions: Chris Kaman (FA), Nick Young (FA), Jordan Farmer (FA), Wesley Johnson (FA), Robert Sacre (re-sign), Ryan Kelly (draft), Elias Harris (FA)
Subtractions: Dwight Howard (Rockets), Metta World Peace (Knicks), Earl Clark (Cavaliers), Andrew Goudelock (Russia), Chris Duhon
It’s not everyday that we write season previews discussing how Donald Sterling has been able to out do the Buss family in the open market, but unfortunately for Lakers fans, this happens to be the case.
The Lakers have always been able to turn things around right when people think that dynasty is looking like its going to crumble, however, this time it looks like it will take a very poor season to get them out this rut.
With Dwight Howard bolting and most of the roster coming off contract – including Kobe Bryant, the Lakers will have roughly $40million to dip into the FA market. The rumours floating around are that the Lakers will allow Kobe to hit free agency, in order to use the free money to sign a superstar or two and then pay the ‘black mamba’ whatever is left over.
Jim Buss has since then come out to ensure the Lakers fans that they wont allow that to happen, but it could prove to be the more logical approach.
They figure to be heavily involved in the Lebron and Melo sweepstakes, but if they play their cards right, they could also be vying for the Wiggins sweepstakes.
Overall, I don’t see Lebron leaving Miami to play with Kobe Bryant, especially after he received so much negative publicity for leaving Cleveland to team up with Dwyane Wade.
I personally think that the recent decision to slow down Kobe’s rehab is admitting that a slow start to the season wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen. A poor record would put them out of the running almost immediately and allow them to not have to rush Kobe back.
If they can enter the lottery and get a healthy Kobe back, along with $40million to spend next summer, the Lakers will suddenly be back challenging for a title again. In the meantime though, the best the Lakers could hope for this season is if they lose a lot more than they win…which shouldn’t be too hard.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:24)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Zach: Interestingly, this was the team on which we agreed most closely, in terms of both scores and ranking.
Bill: And yet we might have gone too low, for five reasons: (1) Pau finally playing center again, in a contract year, no less (and we both LOVE Pau); (2) no Dwight, which means Pau and Nash can run high screen after high screen after high screen without Dwight getting in the way; (3) a fairly compelling “Is Kobe recovered, or is he washed-up?” subplot, as well as the possibility of a recovered Kobe secretly gunning for Kareem’s scoring record while swearing publicly that it’s not on his radar; (4) Kobe’s face after every unconscionably bad Nick Young shot; and (5) without Dwight, this is suddenly one of the worst defensive teams in modern NBA history, so every Lakers game carries a 10 percent chance of an opposing player gunning for 50 and maybe even 60. I feel like both of us will watch more Lakers than we expect.
Zach: Of all the interesting on-court subplots you just mentioned, you left out D’Antoni’s unmatched pouting faces! The Lakers scored well in the unintentional-comedy category for me, mostly because of Nick Young. Major lost points for what might be the least pleasant League Pass announcing experience in the NBA. Their play-by-play guy treats every single play as if IT IS MONUMENTALLY IMPORTANT TO THIS HISTORICALLY INCREDIBLE FRANCHISE. The mute button is essential.
Bill: Yeah, I don’t know how Los Angeles sports fans ended up with Vin Scully AND the Lakers TV guy. It’s like God wanted to even things out.
Zach: This might be the year when the Lakers are just a run-of-the-mill bad team after 50 games or so.
Bill: Is it OK if I keep my fingers crossed?
Memphis Grizzlies
Additions: Tony Allen (re-sign), Kosta Koufos (trade), Mike Miller (FA), Jon Leuer (re-sign), Nick Calathes (trade), Jamaal Franklin (draft), Josh Akognon (waivers), Dave Joerger (coach)
Subtractions: Darrel Arthur (Nuggets), Austin Daye (Raptors), Lionel Hollins (coach)
John Hollinger has certainly made his mark on the team since he was appointed Vice President of Basketball Operations.
His love for metrics and analytics has seen the team trade one of the worst players, according to advanced metrics – Rudy Gay, and replace a coach that took them to conference finals in Lionel Hollins.
However, the roster is relatively in tact after their conference finals loss to the Spurs. Their biggest move, roster wise, was the re-signing of defensive specialist, Tony Allen at what is considered a bargain price (4 years $20million).
Hollinger couldn’t do much else to the starting five and focused more on improving the bench. The Koufos trade provides the Grizzlies with depth at the center position, and Mike Miller will be good for some key three pointers during the playoffs (he wont do much else during the regular season). Finally, Franklin is a talented rookie who can come and provide some energy.
Overall, the Grizzlies should still be in the hunt, but their loss to Spurs demonstrated they’re still short a key player on the perimeter. According to ESPN, they are still looking to explore trade scenarios for Zach Randolph and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was shipped out before the February deadline.
Even with this team, the Grizz should still contend for home court advantage in the West, but are still short to contend for a title.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:24)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Bill: Ridiculous. You should be ashamed.
Zach: They came out ninth in my rankings. I was uncomfortable with them so high, but I feel better now. You ranked them 18th, which is offensive, but also deflates their ranking into what is probably a proper spot.
Bill: Ten out of 10 times, I’m picking the Hornets and Bucks for League Pass over another 85-80 Grit & Grind Grizzlies game. And god forbid they found a shooter this summer instead of banking on Mike “You’ll Be Lucky To Get 30 Decent Games From Me” Miller. Let’s face it — this Grizzlies ranking got a hoop-nerd bump from someone with the initials “Z.L.”
Zach: Their grinding style is fun if you like defense, Marc Gasol is just splendid to watch, and Tony Allen’s antics along the bench are worth a lot on their own. I mean, I’d rather watch a camera that just follows Allen for 48 minutes than a Sixers game.
Bill: Arguing with you about Marc Gasol and Tony Allen is like arguing with Tom Cruise about Scientology.
Zach: What about Jaden Smith, maybe? I wish Jaden would tweet about the NBA: “Are You Consuming NBA Basketball? Or Is It Consuming You?” “What If The Fundamentals Aren’t So Fundamental?” Back to the Grizz: Don’t forget the great arena experience, as well as my high hopes for Dave Joerger — his style of play, his minutes management, and his use of the Ed Davis–Kosta Koufos backup duo.
Bill: That last paragraph did NOT make me regret my low Grizz ranking.
Minnesota Timberwolves.
Additions: Kevin Martin (S&T), Chase Budinger (re-sign), Corey Brewer (FA), Shabazz Muhammad (draft), Gorgui Dieng (drat), Ronny Turiaf (FA), Lorenzo Brown (draft), Flip Saunders (GM)
Subtractions: Andrei Kirilenko (Nets), Luke Ridnour (Bucks), Brandon Roy (retired), Greg Stiemsma (Pelicans), Malcom Lee (Suns), David Kahn (GM) (THEIR BEST MOVE!)
The firing of Khan is almost as good as a marquee signing, but not quite.
On paper this roster looks like it should finally contend for the playoffs. They’ve finally acquired a 2 guard who give them instant offence in Kevin Martin. But they definitely overspent at (4 years $27 million) for a guy whose game is past its best. You can also throw in both Corey Brewer ($14 million for three years), and Chase Budinger ($15 million for three years) in that over paid mix, and it seems like the Timberwolves didn’t totally learn from previous mistakes.
Their draft pick, Muhammad is certainly talented but his attitude has been questioned, and it remains to be seen if the Timberwolves have acquired a steal in the draft or a bust.
Overall, the Timberwolves have the payroll and the roster to be contending for a playoff berth. And while Flip Saunders is a much more astute person to be leading the franchise, he seemed to make some similar mistakes to the previous administration.
I believe that if they happen to be out of the playoff picture before the deadline, it could be in their best interest to begin discussing trade scenarios for Kevin Love. It sounds absurd, I know, but the roster is locked in and if they cannot break in this year, they will struggle to do so the following season.
Khan ruined a great opportunity to lock Love in for the five years, and chose to have that flexibility of a three-year deal. The Bulls are one team that could offer a combination of cap space, assets and draft picks. And If the Timberwolves continue to struggle, Love will surely begin to explore his options, anyway, and the 2014 draft could be a great building block for this team.
MINNESOTA T-WOLVES (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:7)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Zach: A team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2004 is no. 7 in our combined rankings, and it doesn’t feel weird. Part of this is our longing for unrealized promise. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are super-watchable without each other, but together they have the potential to make magic. They played 28 minutes together last season. Twenty-eight. That’s a basketball tragedy.
Bill: Let’s face it — until the Finals, last season sucked. No Rose. No Harden in OKC. No Bynum. Half a Rondo season and half a Gallinari season. Not nearly enough Anthony Davis and Kyrie. Only 28 minutes for Rubio and Love. No Kobe for the Spurs series. Only two playoff games for Westbrook. A crippled David Lee for two rounds. And so on and so on. I blame the league’s big crackdown on PED use — if the league looked the other way with PED testing, these guys wouldn’t get injured so much. Come on, NBA! Your rigorous testing of four whole times during the season, nothing during the playoffs and two plenty-of-heads-up summer tests needs to calm down already.
Zach: I’m going to, umm, pivot and say I hope the incoming commish holds some serious dialogue about reducing the number of games or game length. Also, why are there so many freaking preseason games? Who would pay money to attend them? Anyway, things to like about Minnesota other than Rubio and Love being healthy: The Wolves have some shooting now, Nikola Pekovic is back to being a scary guy, and Rick Adelman’s teams always play some stylish hoops. This should be fun, right?
Bill: They can’t win a title, but they’re going to win our League Pass hearts.
Zach: No knuckle push-ups, please.
New Orleans Pelicans
Additions: Jrue Holiday (trade), Tyreke Evans (S&T), Al-Farouq Aminu (re-sign), Anthony Morrow (FA), Greg Stiemsma (FA), Jeff Whithey (trade)
Subtractions: Robin Lopez (Blazers), Greivis Vasquez (Kings), Lance Thomas, Terrel Harris (Blazers), Xavier Henry, Lou Amundson, Roger Mason Jr
New Orleans broke all conventional wisdom when it came to the philosophy of rebuilding a team in the modern day NBA. Firstly, they named their team after a goofy bird, secondly, they traded away a guy who should’ve been the number 1 pic (would’ve missed enough time to not help them right away and eventually paired him up with Davis to have one of the best defensive frontcourt pairings), thirdly, traded away a number 1 pick in next year’s draft, and finally, spent much more money than they needed to.
Trading away Vasquez removed a valuable asset in this league (a player who is very productive and still on a his rookie contract), and while Holiday is an upgrade, he’s a much more expensive one.
The Pelicans had the assets to continue to build for the future, but also be bad enough to be able to add another great young piece to that core from next year’s draft. They also would’ve had the adequate cap space to address whatever issue the roster needed.
Instead, their aging owner grew inpatient and swung for fences, and they now have a team that should very contend for the playoffs, but lowered their ceiling as a result.
Apart from the aforementioned, the roster does look promising for this upcoming season. Davis has looked like a beast (literally and figuratively) in the preseason, and Holiday gives them an all star point guard to help him in his development.
Although the team didn’t really need a player like Evans, he was a 20, 5 and 5 guy in his rookie year, and the owner believes that he’s in a much better environment to harness that talent than the one he was in at Sacramento.
Overall, the Pelicans sacrificed an opportunity to build a fantastic young team through the draft for immediate an improvement. They should be able to achieve that this season, and I think they will move into the playoffs this year.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:15)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Zach: The Jrue Holiday–Eric Gordon–Tyreke Evans–Ryan Anderson–Anthony Davis lineup could be devastating, or it could be one of those lineups that scores 112 points per 100 possessions (a league-best number, basically) and gives up 115. I have no idea.
Bill: We taped our first 15 Bill & Jalen previews in late September, right before Davis started kicking everyone’s ass in the preseason and looking like a potential All-NBA guy (and made me waver on my no. 19 overall selection for them). My thinking: I hated their “splashy” summer moves and hated turning two potential top-seven lottery picks and two cost-effective rotation guys (Lopez and Vasquez) into $21.5 million per year of Holiday and Tyreke. But Davis making The Leap could swing that skepticism, right?
Zach: The ultimate evaluation of that Holiday trade will depend on where that New Orleans first-round pick falls in the draft (and how well Philly does with it). It’s an odd fit, but it’s an intriguing one. But Davis is going to be great, and the three backcourt guys are just different enough, in terms of their skill sets, that they might mesh better than we’d expect.
Bill: I think they’re going to mesh in a “two guys are always pissed off because the third guy has the ball” kind of way. The ‘Cans have replaced Sacramento as this year’s odds-on favorite to have two teammates fight on the court. Either way, a riveting League Pass team and I wish we had ranked them higher.
Zach: Bonus points for Monty Williams’s daring fashion sense.
Oklahoma Thunder
Additions: Derek Fisher (re-sign), Steven Adams (draft), Andre Roberson (draft), Grant Jerrett (draft)
Subtractions: Kevin Martin (Timberwolves)
The Thunder had a very quiet offseason, and they had to watch the Rockets build around their former player, James Harden
While Bill Simmons has made it impossible for Thunder fans to forget about that trade, it’s the injury to Russell Westbrook, which rubs salt into the wound. The Rockets were not only able to swing the deal, which took away the Thunder’s chances of really contending for the title last season, but also it was their point guard, Patrick Beverly who sealed it by colliding with Westbrook during the playoffs.
The Rockets have possibly moved ahead of the Thunder in the Conference pecking order by adding Dwight Howard, and the Thunder will begin the season without Russell Westbrook.
Seems a little unfair, but that’s the way of the NBA world. And Oklahoma fans will be hoping that Durant can finally overcome that ‘2nd best’ tag to keep the team in the hunt during Westbrook’s absence.
They have added depth to their frontcourt with Steven Adams. The 19 year old is a tremendous athlete who can really provide the team with the energy and enthusiasm that the second unit has often failed to deliver.
Overall, I believe the Thunder will slip tremendously this season. They seemed like a shell of themselves when Westbrook went down in the playoffs and they don’t really have the depth to stay in the top half of the conference whist he is out.
And while they will improve dramatically once Russell returns, the rest of the West have strengthened enough to keep home court advantage away from them.
Playoffs are a given…But thats where the buck stops.
OKLAHOMA CITY (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:12)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Bill: This ranking is a tribute/testament/homage to the great Kevin Durant. It’s literally impossible to keep KD off any “Top 12 Favorite League Pass Teams” list even when he’s playing with Serge Ibaka and 10 guys off the street. You know, kind of like next month.
Zach: I had them 19th. They’re only up this high because you are the teacher that gives everyone A’s, and so your inflated scores effectively lifted up a lot of teams. Nice work, Randy Jackson.
Bill: Thanks, dawg.
Zach: In my defense, I gave them a perfect “10” in two categories — playoff relevancy and star power (the Durant factor). Let’s just say they fared poorly in basketball style and League Pass ambience.
Bill: You’re overlooking a variety of juicy League Pass subplots here, including Kendrick Perkins’s quest to finish with a negative PER; Jeremy Lamb’s hilarious attempt to replicate Kevin Martin’s numbers last season (good luck); Steven Adams vindicating his lottery selection by becoming the greatest bench celebrator in recent league history; Serge Ibaka aiming for all red and orange colors in Kirk Goldsberry’s next Serge Ibaka shot chart; Derek Fisher decomposing; an undeniably compelling “Is Westbrook the same post-injury, and if not, does that make Patrick Beverley the Bernard Karmell Pollard of NBA players?” story line; Scottie Brooks’s job security; and, of course, Durant becoming angrier and angrier as the season goes along. Sign me up for all of this. We should have ranked them higher.1
Zach: Lots of subplots that will make for an interesting presence for OKC on the trade market. I expect more from Lamb and Adams than you do, but the bottom line is this: If Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka are healthy and improve incrementally, these guys have a shot to come out of the Western Conference.
The Phoenix Suns
Additions: Eric Bledsoe (trade), Alex Len (draft), Archie Goodwin (draft), Gerald Green (trade), Emeka Okafor (trade), Ryan McDonough (GM), Jeff Hornacek (coach), Pacers’ 2014 1st Rd draft pick
Subtractions: Caron Butler (trade), Marcin Gortat (Wizards), Luis Scola (Pacers), Jared Dudley (Clippers), Wesley Johnson (Lakers), Jermain O’Neal (Warriors), Hamed Haddadi, Lance Banks (GM), Lindsey Hunter (coach)
The Phoenix Suns finally caved in and acknowledged that they needed to start all over again. Better late then never, I guess.
They have selected a great time to be acquiring assets, and after the most recent deal which saw Gortat go over to the Wizards, the Suns could have potentially four picks in the first round of next year’s draft.
Trading for Bledsoe and only giving up Dudley and a second round pick is a steal for this team. And while many experts will question Bledsoe’s ability to lead a team, he’s still a 23 year old with plenty of upside and experience playing for a playoff team.
They screwed up the draft by overlooking Noel for Len. It made no sense to pass up Noel as Len has his own injury issues (surgery on a stress fracture to his ankle), and Noel has more upside. Noel would’n’t have contributed right away either, thus not decreasing the Ping-Pong balls in the draft.
Overall, this team is going to be horrible this season, but again—that’s a good thing. Acquiring so many assets for next year’s draft has put them in a good place to rebuild and plan for the future.
The rebuilding doesn’t seem like its going to stop any time soon either, as the owners continue to shop around players such as Dragic to acquire even more assets.
PHOENIX SUNS(GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:30)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Bill: If I watch more than 75 total minutes of the Suns this season, I’m gonna feel like I failed. Congratulations, Robert Sarver — you did it again.
Zach: Ouch. But Eric Bledsoe is going to get starter minutes! And Jeff Hornacek is going to have them run! And they have that horrible court redesign that makes them look like they are permanently playing on Halloween!
Bill: Your love for horrible court redesigns almost rivals your love for Swin Cash and mascots. For the record, I watched Bledsoe up close for three years at Clippers games. Phenomenal athlete, destructive defender, great energy guy off the bench … and if you’re turning your offense over to him, in the words of Baby Doll Dixon, “I wish you a lot of luck.”
Zach: I’m actually cautiously optimistic about Bledsoe’s floor-generalship. I watched a ton of film on him, and it looks like he learned some tricks from Chris Paul. Shooting and turnovers are major issues, but he sees the floor well. But, yeah, it’s going to be ugly overall. Bledsoe, Alex Len, and Archie Goodwin are exciting, and Marcin Gortat is going to say some crazy stuff before they trade him. And, seriously, it’s wonderful to have Channing Frye back. But there’s not much here. Also, leave Swin Cash out of this!
Portland Trailblazers
Additions: Mo Williams (FA), CJ. McCollum (draft), Thomas Robinson (trade), Robin Lopez (trade), Dorell Wright (FA), Allen Crabbe (draft), Earl Watson (FA), Terrel Harris (trade)
Subtractions: J.J. Hickson (Nuggets), Eric Maynor (Wizards), Ronnie Price (Magic), Jared Jeffries, Sasha Pavlovic
Last season, the Trailblazers weren’t deep enough to break into the playoffs. This is not the case this year as GM Neil Olshey has brought in two more lottery picks in McCollum and Robinson to address that issue.
McCollum looks like the real deal, and like they did with Lillard last season, the Trailblazers seem to have found a real gem. Combined with their maturity and work ethic, the two of them should become one of the most dynamic backcourt pairings in the league.
Robinson is the perfect example of a very good player being drafted by the wrong team. The kings were loaded at the 4 positions and had him languishing on the bench. He was then shipped to the Rockets who were looking to bring in a superstar, rather than using time to develop a young talent. Unfortunately, three teams in one year isn’t a good look for him, but he now has a chance to prove the doubters wrong.
Robin Lopez was a steal as they basically picked him up for nothing. The middle was a weakness last season, and another key aspect that was addressed in the offseason.
Wright and Crabbe were two more bargains and round off what is now a pretty deep team.
Overall, I love everything the Blazers did. They had a strong starting five last season and have improved their bench tremendously. The addition of Mo Williams gives the team even more offence and a combo guard who can really contribute.
Combined with two genuine stars in Lillard and Aldridge, I believe the Blazers will be in the playoffs this season, and could even push for as high as a 6th seed.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:19)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Bill: If we’d awarded points for a Curiosity Category, Rip City would be getting a 10 from me after a potential Executive of the Year performance from Neil Olshey. The Blazers went from having No Bench Whatsoever to trotting out Robin Lopez, Dorell Wright, C.J. McCollum (out six weeks, but still) and Thomas Robinson every night. I like all four of those guys. In fact, I would have made every single move that Portland made this summer — so really, if Portland does well, then it means I could have been an NBA GM, Zach. That’s how I look at it.
Zach: Is that your way of auditioning for one of the jobs that might open up after this season if one of those win-now teams falls flat? Can you hire me in some capacity? Maybe I can be in charge of court designs and hiring the mascot?
Bill: Anywhere I go, I’m taking you with me. My goal is to take over an NBA team that has a WNBA team attached, then put you in charge of court designs, mascots, advanced metrics, scouting AND the WNBA team, followed by you immediately trading for every UConn player. We’re gonna wear out the WNBA Trade Machine.
Zach: We’re getting Diana Taurasi, even if the trade leaves us with only two other WNBA players and we have to scour local high schools to fill the roster. D is the best. No controversy about Portland — we were only two spots apart. Great court, great name, great jerseys, solid team that will be a lot of fun to watch on offense. Damian Lillard and Thomas Robinson are channeling some bitterness into their play, and I still hold out hope that Nic Batum has another level.
Bill: I blame David Kahn — Nic Batum’s career was going fine until Kahn tried to overpay him.
Zach: I still feel like Nic Batum trying to punch Juan Carlos Navarro in the balls, with some crazy serial killer look on his face the whole time, should have been a bigger deal. That was Metta World Peace–level temporary insanity.
Sacramento Kings
Additions: Ben Mclemore (draft), Carl Landry (FA), Greivis Vasquez (trade), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (trade), Ray McCallum (draft), Vivek Randive (owner), Pete D’Alessandro (GM), Mike Malone (coach)
Subtractions: Tyreke Evans (Pelicans), Toney Douglas (Warriors), Joe and Gavin Maloof (Owners), Geoff Petrie (GM), Keith Smart (coach)
The Kings were almost out of the league. They had owners who were broke, a roster that doesn’t mix well, and a disenchanted fan base that were fed up of the mediocre performances.
Enter Kevin Johnson, enter Vivek Ranadive, enter Shaq (yeah I know!) and enter David Stern.
The Kings’ future is now secure, but unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Kings are ready to start winning.
The new era has begun with the owners already over spending on two role players in Carl Landry (four years, $26 million) and nearly $9 million on Mbah a Moute.
Their draft pick Mclemore has tremendous upside, however there were questions marks about his maturity and lack of aggression, and unfortunately, these weren’t dispelled with some lackluster performances in the summer league.
They extended the contract of Demarcus Cousins and will be hoping the new coach will be able to finally get the best out of him.
Overall, this team can light it up at any time and cause a few upsets. They have scorers all over the floor, but will be hoping that both Vasquez and Thomas can provide the direction needed to get this team fighting for an 8th seed.
Personally, I don’t think they will be in the playoff hunt and another trip to the lottery probably isn’t a bad thing for this team nor it’s fans.
At least they’re still in the league.
SACRAMENTO KINGS (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:20)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Bill: Boogie! Boogie!!!!!!!!!!! BOOGIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zach: Ladies and gentlemen: the team on which we disagreed most. I had them 23rd. You had them 13th. I feel strongly that I am correct, but mostly because I am stodgy and boring, and generally have abhorred watching this team for the last three or four seasons.
Bill: Allow me to quote the famous philosopher Andrew Sharp: “There are two types of basketball fans in this world — those who love DeMarcus ‘Boogie’ Cousins, and those who are wrong.”
Zach: I am wrong, then. But Boogie is highly skilled, and I hope he gets me over to the other side.
Bill: You didn’t mean that. Anyway, I know the last few years were rough (and that’s an understatement), but they have a new coach and a whopping eight players I enjoy watching: Vasquez, Jimmer, Ben McLemore (just for the raw potential), Carl Landry (out for three months, but still), Marcus Thornton (heat check potential), Boogie, Boogie a second time, and The Totally And Irrevocably Washed-Up John Salmons (just because he’s so totally and irrevocably washed-up, it’s actually kind of amazing to watch). Their happy-to-have-a-new-owner fans will be going bonkers all season, so that will play nicely on League Pass. Jerry Reynolds is a lovable lunatic, so they got extra announcing points from me here. And I’m excited for lots of Vivek “I’m pretending I don’t know the camera is on me even though I told my TV guys to show me 15 times a game” camera shots. I’m buying Vivek stock.
Zach: Great League Pass experience all around, from the announcers to the coloring of the court and jerseys. I’ll give you that. This really comes down to me not enjoying selfish players who loaf on defense, regardless of the unintentional-comedy value they might provide by trying to attack Sean Elliott (an idea we can all get behind, I think). I hope Cousins and Thornton especially get better, and more well-rounded, and Mike Malone is the right coach to make that happen. I love Landry but he’s hurt. Remember when Chuck Hayes was like the darling of the NBA, by the way? Long, long time ago.
San Antonio Spurs
Additions: Manu Ginobili (re-sign), Tiago Splitter (re-sign), Marco Belinelli (FA), Jeff Pendergraph (FA), Josh Howard (FA), Deshaun Thomas (draft)
Subtractions: Gary Neal (Bucks), DeJuan Blair (Mavericks)
The Spurs came within one freethrow, and then a Tim Duncan lay up from winning the NBA title. It’s almost difficult to believe that they didn’t walk away with the championship—just ask the guys who were preparing the champagne for the championship ceremony.
In typical San Antonio fashion, they didn’t panic and chose to make a few tweaks to the lineup that many experts predicted would be ‘too old’ to even get there last season.
Their two additions aren’t exactly creating headlines, but when has anything in San Antonio ever made the headlines?
Belinelli showed with the Bulls that he can play and he’s certainly not afraid of the moment. He’s a shooter who will fit well into Popovich’s system, along with Pendergraph who’s a good athlete and solid rebounder.
Overall, the Spurs will continue to be in the hunt. Many will question their age, their ability to bounce back, and whether or not they have enough athleticism to match it with the likes of the Rockets and Clippers.
But don’t worry. They’ll be there…. and they’ll prove ya’ll wrong again.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS(GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:17)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Bill: Full disclosure: I infuriated you by giving them such a low League Pass score. You nearly quit Grantland before we talked you into staying.
Zach: Come on: If you like basketball, actual good basketball, you can’t beat this team. Great unis and court, too. You’ll miss Timmy and Manu when they’re gone. You ranked Sacramento seven spots above the Spurs. How can you feel good about yourself after that?
Bill: I was factoring in Spurs overload from their playoff games next spring, as well as all their national TV games, as well as the 12 days I spent in San Antonio last summer (I’m still trying to drain the BBQ from my body), as well as all the freaking Duncan-Pop-Parker-Manu minutes I’ve watched in my life. They will never make me say, “Oh, cool, the Spurs are on League Pass!” unless they’re battling one of the contenders. Throw in Sean Elliott (my least-favorite League Pass analyst and SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO BE STOPPED) and that’s how we ended up here.
Zach: I believe League Pass, or at least League Pass Broadband, will allow you to choose which broadcast team you’d like to hear. That’s a game-changer when it comes to the Spurs (and a couple of others).
Bill: You mean I can live in a world that doesn’t have Sean Elliott in it? (Thinking.) This changes everything!!!
Zach: I get that the Spurs don’t have much intrigue left. We basically know who they are.The exception is Kawhi Leonard, and if I write any more about him, he’ll join Swin Cash on the list of basketball stars who have successfully secured a restraining order against me. Pop’s between-quarters interviews on national broadcasts merit a couple of stray points, even though this is supposed to be a League Pass–focused list. Still … Pop is the best.
Bill: Unless you’re up five points and 28.2 seconds away from a title.
Zach: Come on.
Utah Jazz
Additions: Trey Burke (draft), Rudy Gobert (draft), Andris Biedrins (trade), Richard Jefferson (trade), Brandon Rush (trade), John Lucas III (FA), Ian Clark (FA), Warriors’ 2014 1st Rd draft pick
Subtractions: Paul Milsap (Hawks), Al Jefferson (Bobcats/Hornets), Mo Williams (Blazers), Randy Foye (Nuggets), Demarre Carroll (Hawks), Earl Watson (Blazers), Kevin Murphy (Warriors)
I almost wrote the word ‘TANKING’ and left the review at that. I feel I’ve already spoken enough about the 2014 draft and the teams that are preparing for it.
Utah is one of them. Simple.
They made that clear when they let two of their big men – Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson go for nothing and traded for the big contracts of both Jefferson and Biedrens.
Although the Jazz are going against their philosophy of tanking, they do have some great young pieces to build around. Haywood, Kanter and Favours are guys with all star potential and could very well be headed for break out years. The team is also high on Alec Burks as well, and they have a young point guard in Trey Burke to join the mix.
Overall, the Jazz will be heading for the lottery, but if they can acquire a top pick and use their free cap space wisely, they’ll only be there for one year and move right back into contention in 2014-15.
UTAH JAZZ (GRANTLAND’S LEAGUE PASS RANKING:26)
Via ESPN and Grantland.
Bill: I get Ty Corbin in the “First Coach Fired” pool, you get everyone else — do you take that bet?
Zach: I’m going field, but it’s a tough call. I mean, there might only be two legit candidates to beat Corbin out the door — Randy Wittman in Washington and Dwane Casey in Toronto. The Lakers are a wild card, since they’re nuts in general, and I could see Terry Stotts being vulnerable down the line if Portland disappoints. But Wittman needs to win now, Emeka Okafor is hurt, and Ernie Grunfeld is in the final year of his contract. Bad combination, unless Snakey the Snake really steps up. Casey has a new GM who hired two high-profile assistants, which isn’t a coincidence. Corbin isn’t a good bet to last beyond this season, but Utah has no expectations of winning. I’m taking the field.
My Western Conference predictions
- Los Angeles Clippers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Houston Rockets
- Oklahoma Thunder
- Golden State Warriors
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Portland Trailblazers
- New Orleans Pelicans