After a busy off-season of high-profile moves, a massive TV deal with big implications, and one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory, unlike Hedo Turkoglu the NBA is in its best shape in years.
Whether the goal is reaching the playoffs or hitting the jackpot at the lottery, a look around the league will show that most teams have a lot to be optimistic about. And then there’s the Pacers. So as the season finally draws near here’s a look at where all 30 teams sit heading into opening night. Next up, the Western Conference’s playoff-bound teams.
(In reverse order of projected finish)
8. Portland Trail Blazers
The Deal: Didn’t greatly improve in the off-season, but they won 54 games last year and, in LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, boast one of the best 1-2 punches in basketball.
Ask An Optimist: Entering his third season, Damian Lillard is already the NBA’s premier closer and next superstar guard. So they’ve got that going for them.
Ask A Pessimist: The Blazers did nothing to address their thin bench. And no, Chris Kaman doesn’t count.
Will Only Go As Far As _____ Takes Them: Nic Batum. Another year and another killer outing for Batum in international competition with his native France. Can the do-it-all forward keep it up during the NBA season?
Don’t Sleep On: Will Barton, the uber-athletic guard who spent his college days training with this guy.
Song That Will Define Their Season: “Stand By Your Man” by Tammy Wynette. You hate it when these kinds of things distract from the on-court product, but the Blazers need to recognize that Aldridge, who is in the final year of his deal, will be next to impossible to replace if he walks.
Relevant YouTube Clip: Good times. Let’s build on this:
7. Houston Rockets
The Deal: Whiffed on bringing in that third superstar, but still enough top-level talent to reach the post-season, even if they’re in tough to get past the first round.
Ask An Optimist: Everybody is forgetting just how good Dwight Howard is, and James Harden is ready to further establish himself as the best at his position. Seriously, how many other teams can boast a combo like that?
Ask A Pessimist: But it’s the other parts you have to worry about, particularly when it comes to the bench. The Rockets are banking on everything going right, and we all know it rarely does.
Will Only Go As Far As _____ Takes Them: Patrick Beverley. A defence-first point guard, he’ll be given more responsibility than ever this season.
Don’t Sleep On: Troy Daniels. A high-volume scoring guard with a knack for coming up big in big moments.
Song that will define their season: “Just” by Radiohead . “You do it to yourself, you do, and that’s what really hurts.” It will be hard to forget that the Rockets could have kept Chandler Parsons and paid him less than $1 million this season to be a major contributor. Instead, they declined his bargain contract option with bigger, ultimately failed, plans in free agency, only to watch Parsons flee to Dallas.
Relevant YouTube Clip: Sure, videos like this are unfair, but you can bet guys like Harden use them as motivation to get better:
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Deal: Everything changed when Kevin Durant went down with a fractured foot. An already top-heavy roster is suddenly completely at the mercy of Russell Westbrook for the next two months. Exciting, sure, but also a reality scarier than a horror flick.
Ask An Optimist: Westbrook and Serge Ibaka are still all star-calibre players, certainly good enough to keep this team very competitive until Durant returns. And then, watch out.
Ask A Pessimist: Even if Westbrook does perform well in Durant’s absence, it will only create more alpha dog tension when KD returns. This could get ugly.
Will Only Go As Far As _____ Takes Them: Westbrook. It’s obvious, sure, but so much depends on how he handles taking the reins for the first time in his career.
Don’t Sleep On: Steven Adams. He’s more than a bruising seven-foot Kiwi with this on his face. In just his second year, Adams has starting-quality potential.
Song That Will Define Their Season: “I’m Free” by The Who. Somebody needs to make a YouTube mix of Westbrook ignoring Durant and going one-on-five set to this tune. Please and thank you.
Relevant YouTube clip: Over/Under on punches thrown at Adams this season?
5. Memphis Grizzlies
The Deal: Kind of like San Antonio Lite in that we expect the Grizzlies and Zach Randolph to slow down every year and they never do.
Ask An Optimist: Memphis has a clear-cut identity, an established rotation and a bona fide star at centre—a position thin on talent. Plus, we’ve seen that tough-nosed defence is a surefire formula for success.
Ask A Pessimist: If Z-Bo or Marc Gasol get hurt again, there just isn’t enough frontcourt depth to make up for the loss.
Will Only Go As Far As _____ Takes Them: Mike Conley. Another reason there should be a good deal of positive energy around the team this season as Conley is one of the best two-way point guards out there.
Don’t Sleep On: Vince Carter. Yes, he may be hall of fame-bound and therefore disqualified as a sleeper, but Carter’s reinvented himself as a potent bench player and should provide the kind of second-unit offence this team previously lacked.
Song That Will Define Their Season: “You Know My Steez” by Gang Starr. Sure, the playing style won’t be much of a surprise, but that won’t hamper its effectiveness.
Relevant YouTube clip: Yup, he’s still got it:
4. Dallas Mavericks
The Deal: Deeper and better than they were last season, the Mavs boast a franchise player (Dirk Nowitzki) whose game has aged better than any other in the NBA.
Ask An Optimist: There’s a lot to like here. Chandler Parsons is a huge upgrade at small forward, and the Nowitzki/Monta Ellis duo will continue to develop. Throw in the return of Tyson Chandler and another year of Brandon Wright disrupting the low post, and this team has few weaknesses.
Ask A Pessimist: What is this, 2011? Chandler looked ineffective in New York last season, and you do know that you need a really good point guard to win these days, right? (No offense, Jameer Nelson.)
Will Only Go As Far As _____ Takes Them: Ellis. Kudos to Rick Carlisle for being the first coach in Ellis’s nine-year career to figure out how to let him play to his strengths while still contributing to a winning team.
Don’t Sleep On: Jae Crowder. He had a great pre-season and will get the chance to earn significant minutes at both forward spots.
Song That Will Define Their Season: “Back in the Saddle” by Aerosmith. It works on so many levels! Well, at least two that I can think of.
Relevant YouTube clip: Alright, “relevant” may not be the word, but this doesn’t get old:
3. Los Angeles Clippers
The Deal: The Clippers are loaded and behind the steady brilliance of Chris Paul and the continued growth of Blake Griffin, they’ll continue their regular-season dominance in style.
Ask An Optimist: Where’s the glaring weakness on this team? That’s right, there isn’t one. Plus, Lob City.
Ask A Pessimist: One thing LA lacks is proven playoff winners (Turkoglu doesn’t count). Paul, as great as he is, has never sniffed the Finals, and the same can be said for most of the roster. Experience matters.
Will Only Go As Far As _____ Takes Them: DeAndre Jordan. If he returns to his career-year form from last season, leading the league in rebounds and finishing third in blocks, it will add a killer dimension for the Clips.
Don’t Sleep On: Jared Cunningham. Originally drafted as an extremely athletic wing, Cunningham will get a shot at stealing minutes as CP3’s backup.
Song That Will Define Their Season: “Flick of the Wrist” by Queen. Alright, so it took a little hand-wringing, too, but just like that the black cloud known as Donald Sterling is gone from above this team, taking a major distraction—one that likely cost them a playoff series—along with it.
Relevant YouTube clip: There’s just so much to like here.
2. Golden State Warriors
The Deal: The Warriors stood pat when given the chance to deal for Kevin Love. The decision will follow them all year, but even without him this team is good enough to have an outside shot at a Finals appearance.
Ask An Optimist: With one of the strongest starting fives, and plenty of talent on the bench (Andre Igoudala as sixth man!?), the Warriors are far more well-rounded than you think.
Ask A Pessimist: What happens when Andrew Bogut inevitably gets hurt? Then who’s defending the rim? Ognjen Kuzmic? Exactly.
Will Only Go As Far As _____ Takes Them: Steph Curry. Not only is he a good wager to break the LeBron/Durant MVP stranglehold, but Curry is always just a hot streak away from making this team unstoppable.
Don’t Sleep On: Shaun Livingston. Raptors fans know all too well how potent the backup point guard can be. His arrival in Oakland went relatively under-the-radar, but he could be a difference maker.
Song That Will Define Their Season: “You Should Be Dancing” by The Bee Gees. A lot has and will continue to be made about the fact that this team had a strong shot at landing Love and instead chose to hang on to Klay Thompson. It may turn out to be the wrong choice, but for now kick off those heels Warriors fans, and enjoy watching what could be a very special basketball team.
Relevant YouTube clip: Many happy returns from deep.
1. San Antonio Spurs
The Deal: The best franchise in pro sports, there is frankly nothing to suggest things will go any differently in San Antonio this season.
Ask An Optimist: Seriously? Because we could be here all day.
Ask A Pessimist: Another year older, another long playoff run in the rearview… Ah, hell, even I can’t buy any of this stuff. Go Spurs!
Will Only Go As Far As _____ Takes Them: Kawhi Leonard. The reigning Finals MVP still has plenty of room to grow—a scary notion for the rest of the NBA.
Don’t Sleep On: Aron Baynes. The hard-nosed Aussie could see his minutes increased. Just watch for the elbows.
Song That Will Define Their Season: “The Best Around” by Joe Esposito. Hey, it’s the truth.
Relevant YouTube clip: This video is about two hours too short: