Nets - Argueably the best backcourt in the NBA
Sweet mother of God this is an atrocious statement considering there's a team in the NBA right now that has both Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant.
My predictions:
East
1. Heat - Probably the most difficult prediction I've ever made.
2. Pacers - They're just going to keep getting better and better. I'm kind of scared.
3. 76ers - They've finally obtained someone that can dominate on offense while maintaining a lot of what made them a defensive juggernaut last season.
4. Celtics - I feel they'll cruise a bit during the regular season to make sure Pierce and Garnett are feeling good come playoff time.
5. Bulls - Even without Rose for a while they'll be able to scrape by with their defensive efficiency and solid big men.
6. Hawks - Joe Johnson wasn't THAT big of a deal. They still have J-Smoove and they're still a perennial playoff lock.
7. Knicks - They really didn't upgrade at all at any position, and Iman Shumpert will probably be out for a while.
8. Cavaliers - Yeah, bitches. Round 1 of the playoffs, LeBron heads to Cleveland.
9. Bucks - An explosive yet immature back court won't be enough to lead this team into the playoffs.
10. Nets - One of the best point guards in the league, yet one that cares only about statistics along with a former star that's well out of his prime and a young center that can't go three games without hurting himself. Bad things will happen to this team.
11. Raptors - They got some nice additions this offseason, but without any real star to lead them, they won't be going far.
12. Wizards - This team will slowly rise into a playoff team in a few years I believe, but they still need all these young guys to mature.
13. Pistons - Greg Monroe is an exciting player, but there's just nothing on this team that leads me to call them a playoff team.
14. Bobcats - They legitimately do have some talent, and MKG is going to be a solid player for years to come.
15. Magic - They...are going to be horrible.
West
1. Thunder - They'll absolutely dominate the regular season.
2. Lakers - Getting a number one seed is meaningless to these guys. The rings are what they want.
3. Nuggets - Fuck yeah I'm serious. This team is incredibly deep at every position, and don't even get me started on how sweet it's gonna be when Lawson/Iggy/Galo/Faried/McGee start to gel.
4. Spurs - I think there will be some slight regression from last season, but they'll still be great.
5. Clippers - There's still lots of questions about this team, such as: can Blake Griffin make free throws?
6. Grizzlies - They're not really going to change, in my opinion. 1st or 2nd round playoff bounce once again.
7. Mavericks - Their reign as a Western Conference power may be coming to an end. They need to start regaining pieces to once again rise to relevance.
8. Warriors - There is a disclaimer with this prediction, and that disclaimer is that Curry and Bogut stay healthy.
9. Timberwolves - It makes me sad to not have these guys in here, but the West is just so damn competitive.
10. Jazz - They have an epic front line, but I'm still not sure if it will be enough.
11. Trail Blazers - LMA is turning out to be a super star in this league, but there's not enough around him. I couldn't even tell you most of this team's lineup.
12. Hornets - There's some legit talent on this team, and the Bill Russell-type potential for Anthony Davis could translate into this team being a perennial contender in a few years.
13. Kings - This team is just too young and too thin to be great in the Western Conference.
14. Rockets - They lost Lowry, they lost Scola...it's gonna be a rough season.
15. Suns - Speaking of rough, the Suns will be terrible. Nash is the only reason they've been good for like the last fucking decade.