The Official NBA 2016/2017 Season Preview Thread

[stewie griffen]

2015/16 Record: 35-47, 5th in division, 11th in EC
2015/16 Stats: Ranked #21 offensive efficiency , ranked #17 defensive efficiency
2015/16 Leaders: Vuc 18.2ppg, 8.9 rpg, Payton 6.7 apg
Additions: Cliff Alexander (Portland), DJ Augustin (Denver), Bismack Biyombo (Toronto), Branden Dawson (LA Clippers), Jeff Green (LA Clippers), Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City), Nick Johnson (Austin Spurs), Jodie Meeks (Detroit), Kevin Murphy (Hitachi SunRockets), Arinze Onuaku (Meralco Bolts), Damjan Rudez (Minnesota), CJ Wilcox (LA Clippers) and Stephen Zimmerman (Nevada-Las Vegas).
Departures: Dewayne Dedmon (San Antonio), Ersan Ilyasova (Oklahoma City), Brandon Jennings (New York), Devyn Marble (Aris Thessaloniki), Shabazz Napier (Portland), Andrew Nicholson (Washington), Victor Oladipo (Oklahoma City) and Jason Smith (Washington).
Draft:
Notable: Frank Vogel, Never Google resigned 5/85, signed Bi$mack to 4/70 and Jeff Green to 1/15

Payton gets the reigns at the point, with Never Google alongside in a much better spaced backcourt. Payon struggled at time alongside Oladipo as teams were able to pack the paint. Things should open up a touch more with Fournier alongside him. But it gets pretty thin behind them with only DJ Augustin and Jodie Meeks.

It looks like Gordon will start at the 3, which is prone with danger in a small ball driven league. He's a 4 man by trade. Vogel has said he is going to use him like he used Paul George... except Gordon is no PG13. Whilst he shot a reasonable percentage from the right corner his mid range game is trash, with a best spot of 39% from the left baseline. Which likely leaves Jeff Green coming off the bench. So we have yet another team seduced into thinking Jeff Green is an answer.... Maybe from the bench he can provide some scoring punch, and it wouldnt surprise me if he eventually ends up starting when Gordon inevitably struggles at the front end of the season. Hezonja will have to slot in somewhere, and with Vogel on board his defensive game should improve. They really need his shooting tho, and ultimately he should be the starting 3 you would think.

Who starts at the 4? Biyombo alongside Ibaka would be the best defensive frontcourt going around, but Bi$ isnt the greatest offensive force going around. The advantage Vuc has is that he can shoot the long 2, which opens things up, but he can be taken advantage off defensively. The length and athleticism of Serge and Ibaka can defend at the 4 so it might not be the end of the world, but then again do you sign a guy for 70 million to bring him off the bench?

Ibaka looks locked into the 5. Does he stay tho? Do the Magic look to use him closer to the basket and take advantage of his devastating athleticism off the pick and roll.

If the Magic had a lineup of Payton/Fournier/Hezonja/Gordon/Ibaka I'd be pretty high on them, but i just dont see how Vuc and Biyombo fit with the roster

In the gun: Vucevic. Orlando have brought in Serge Ibaka and Biyombo, and have Gordon in the wings needed minutes in a loaded front court. If they are serious about keeping Serge next year, surely Vuc is gone
Is a gun: Fournier
Needs improvement: Gordon really has to start showing why he was a top end pick. Likewise Hezonja needs to take off for the Magic to even get close to the playoffs
Big question: Can the 3 headed monster work down low and do they have enough shooting. hell can they score enough points at all
Crystal Ball: 33-49

 

[stewie griffen]

2015/16 Record: 55-27
2015/16 Stats: Ranked #2 offensive efficiency , ranked #12 defensive efficiency
2015/16 Leaders: 28.2ppg Traitor, 10.4apg Chucky, 8.2rpg Judas
Additions: Alex Abrines, Domantas Sabonis, Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, Ronnie Price, Semaj Christon, Joffrey Lauvergne
Departures: Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Dion Waiters, Randy Foye, Nazr Mohammed

Some guy left, but lets not dwell on that, even tho apparently its nice to play with people who dont let their emotions get the better of them and play a purer game, but whatever.

The ace is Chucky, who is going to have a fantasy season for the ages. His usage will go through the roof, but the flip side is that teams will be able to double and triple team him and pack the paint without the threats of Durant and to a lesser extent Serge. Whilst Adams will be formidable as the roll man he doesnt have the same depth to his jumper as Serge provided. Coach Nick made some interesting observations on Rusty's finishing at the rim, something that may get worse without the threats of KD and Serge creating space.



In the playoffs 45 percent of Westy's passes went to KD, with 6 of his 10 assists a game going to Serge and KD. Interestingly, Rusty had 9 40 plus point games last season, with OKC being 2-7 in those games. And dont get me started on his habit of hitting the floor and asking for fouls rather than staying on his feet and getting back on D.

How does the rest of the roster shape up?

Backing up Westy is Payne, who is out for 2 months with a broken foot. So they are down to Ronnie Price as a backup for now. Looks like Rusty is going to have to play 40 odd mpg, but when Payne comes back they'll presumably look to pair the 2 together in patches.

At the 2 guard we have Oladipo, who is an athletic beast who can struggle with his shot. He'll be a great pairing with Rusty giving OKC one of the leagues most athletic back courts. Roberson offers another defensive ace off the bench, and they may look to slot him or Dipo at the 3, because thats where things start looking a touch thin.

Moving to the big man department they are well stocked with the Stache Bros. Adams looks set for a breakout season, and whilst Kanter is absolutely gash defensively they may have no choice but to pair the 2 together. Alternatively they'll look to slot Ersan or possibly even Anthony Morrow in as the stretch 4 with Kanter coming off the bench. I dont expect Sabonis to offer much in his first season.

Depth is clearly an issue, and shooting will be another with Morrow and Ilyasove probably being the best threats from deep.

In the gun: Oladipo. The heat will be on for him to step up to being in the conversation as an All Star calibre player if OKC are going to make the playoffs.
Is a gun: Westy. Nuff said
Needs improvement: Everything bar Westbrook
Big question: Can anyone provide help for Rusty, and can his body hold up
Crystal Ball: 41-41

 

[Son of Skeletor]

I cant be bothered doing 'good teams' like the Dubs and the Paper Clips, i'll leave that for someone that cares

Not me *ducks*

Someone else can do Boston as i cant stand them

nbaman1

And we have Portland, Atlanta, Memphis, Milwaukee, Boogie, Dallas, Orlando, Spurs, Detroit

I might give Detroit and Milwaukee a crack, maybe Atlanta too. I foresee a lot of last minute previews though.

Did we do the Pels?

 

[PP34]

I said I'd do Boston. Just haven't had a chance yet

 

[Catsnlakers]

64 over 4

Absolute joke that deal is for us.... Timofey had better justify some of that insane salary.... Only positive is that Hibbert is gone, worst centre by far last season.

 

[stewie griffen]

I was all ready to lock Detroit into the 4 seed out East until Reggie went down, simultaneously torpedoing both Detroits and my fantasy keeper teams start to the season

Last Year’s Record: 44-38
Key Losses: Jodie Meeks, Anthony Tolliver, Steve Blake, Joel Anthony
Key Additions: Ish Smith, Jon Leur, Boban Marjanovic, Henry Ellenson

Reggie is the key to this team. He's great in the pnr but does have a tendency to chuck and defensively is less than ideal. Still Detroit had to pay him and hand him the keys. His usage last season was 29%, whilst he shot a decent 35% from deep, but his finishing at the rim wasn't particulary great at around 50%. Ish Smith would fit right into the Chicago brick laying backcourt, so the injury to Reggie will hurt Detroit badly. He's a pick and roll/drive and kick type guy, but defenses will routinely go under screens, so he's gonna have to hit shots for Detroit to win games. He can pass, finishing 6th in assist percentage last season.
KCP is coming into the 4th year of his rookie deal and often finds himself defending the other teams primary ball handler given Reggies defensive weaknesses. Whilst his ppg was up at 14.5, and steals increased, he regressed shooting the 3, down to 31% and will need to find his stroke in a squad not well blessed with shooters. Do they extend him, trade him or let him hit RFA tho.... You'd think extending is a fait accompli but finances are going to get tricky in Detroit. Stanley Johnson had an decent rookie season, playing a 6th man role in 23 minutes, putting up 8ppg and has worked on his ball handling and jump shot in the off season
Morris started last season, averaging 14/5/3 over 80 games. They'll probably look to mix and match him with Harris and Johnson playing the 3 in parts.
Harris ended up starting at the 4. Whilst putting up 14ppg on 46% shooting with 31% from 3 and 7rpg with Orlando he improved his scoring to 16ppg and his 3 point shooting to 38%. Now is that improved shooting real or will he regress? He provides a much needed option that can create off the dribble
Jon Leuer 4/42! He shot 48 from the field and 38 from deep, and we all know how SVG likes the shooting bigs. How does he get minutes tho?
Drummond is an absolute beast. The problem is, and has always been his free throw shooting. Whilst the hack changes may help somewhat, it doesnt change the fact that you can still foul him if he takes possession, or in the act of screening or rebounding. I'll quote an sbnation article 'he cannot create his own offense consistently at this point. He assisted on just 4 percent of his teammates' buckets while on the court, and was assisted on over half of his own makes. Those are role player numbers.'
We have this...

And then we have this

Baynes had a reasonable if not outstanding seaso and is vulnerable with the addition of Boban. He can opt out after this season and given Detroits financial squeeze I daresay he might look to get paid elsewhere.
Boban got offered 7 mill and took the cash, which for a somewhat limited 7 foot 3 giant is fair enough. He'll get limited minutes as a third centre, but his biggest strength - his size - is also his biggest weakness. While he can be devastating around the rim and on the boards, if you get him out on the pick and roll he'll get destroyed.

As they stand Detroits depth is pretty good, although they will need to find minutes for Johnson

In the gun: I'm going to go for an odd one here and say SVG. Detroit have a lot of talent, but they key is going to be how they integrate all their pieces and deal with their obvious flaws. Its perhaps more magnified because of his role as the GM, but they are about to enter an intruging off season next year and he'll have to do some juggling to keen the nucleus together but trading out some pieces.
Is a gun: I going to go another way here as well, i don't think they have a legitimate gun on the roster. Whilst they have a ton of talent, each player has some pretty significant question marks.
Needs improvement: Shooting, shooting and more shooting.
Big question: How long is Reggie out and how long till he can run the team at full speed? If he's out for 25-30 games they could be in a spot of bother....
Crystal Ball: 46-36

This team will be downright scary come playoff time

 

[stewie griffen]

2015/16 Record: 42-20, lost 4-0 to Spurs in the first round
2015/16 Stats: Ranked #21 offensive efficiency , ranked #19 defensive efficiency
2015/16 Leaders: M Gasol 16.6ppg, 7.0rpg, Conley 6.1apg
Grittin in: Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt), Troy Daniels (Charlotte), Deyonta Davis (Michigan State), James Ennis (New Orleans), Andrew Harrison (Iowa Energy), Chandler Parsons (Dallas), Wayne Selden (Kansas), DJ Stephens (Iowa Energy), Troy Williams (Indiana University) and Tony Wroten (New York).
Grindin out: Chris Andersen (Cleveland), Matt Barnes (Sacramento), Bryce Cotton (Anadolu Efes), Jordan Farmar (Sacramento), PJ Hairston, Xavier Munford, Lance Stephenson (New Orleans), Dave Joerger

Memphis made the playoffs despite an injury record that would make DRose proud, losing 16 of their last 20 to stagger into the playoffs. Gasol and Conley went down sith season ending injuries and Green and Lee were dealt before the deadline, leaving a merry band of D Leaguers to fight on. Gasol played 52, Conley played 56, ZBo played 68 for the season. The suited up a league leading 28 players for the season. The last game against the Warriors saw a starting lineup of Matt Barnes (36), ZBo (35), Vince Carter (39), Jordan Farmar (29) and Birdman (38). Thats an average age of like 100... or 35.4 if you do the math. Joerger and the FO clearly didnt see eye to eye, so former Heat assistant Fizdale finds himself the latest new coach in Memphis.

Mike Conley finds himself the current owner of the highest paid player in NBA history. We all know what Mike can offer so i ain't going into it again.

Parsons signed on a 4 year max deal. If healthy he brings something that the Grizz haven't seen for years in a perimeter star. He put up 15.3/2.9/6.1 last season, shooting 36% from 3. Hardly the numbers you expect fromt he highest paid guy int he league, altho his defense is elite for the point position. Coming of an Achilles tho..... Wade Baldwin will likely get the backup point role, altho it could be a big ask for the rookie.

At the 2 we have Mr First Team All Defense



We all know he cant shoot, and given the coaching change, and slight shift in direction it will be interesting to see how Allens minutes develop over the season.

Parsons is the key to what this team can achieve, He's the first 'big' free agent to choose Memphis, and comes into a roster depleted in both wing talent and 3 point shooting. With Conley and Gasol in the pnr, Chandler is going to get all the open looks he needs, he just has to stay on court..... and coming off microfracture what can we expect from him?

ZBo is currently going to be the 6th man, it's going to be interesting to see if there's issues with him and the coach over this going forward, but lets give him the benefit of the doubt for know. That leaves JaMychal Green starting at the 4. Can he handle the starting role? He started 16 games for Memphis with 12 being in place of ZBo. In those games he put up 12.8/7.0/2.1 in 30mpg. 8 starts were in double digits and 4 of those were double doubles. I daresay if he could replicate that over the season, Memphis would be more than happy. Fizdale likes his speed and versatility and ultimately he offers more defensively than ZBo ever could. He's offensively a little limited, with 51% of his points coming under the basket, 17% from put backs or tip ins and 14% from dunks. He has a decent midrange spot on the left, and has improved his range to the left corner and right wing. If he can progress his shot he could have a real breakout season, and we could see more scenes like this

Down low we have Gasol and Brandan Wright. Gasol is coming back from injury and Wright was battling knee ailments or season. This is starting to sound like a common theme....

In the gun: Mike Conley. Why? I'll give you 153 million reasons why.
Is a gun: I can't confidently answer this. Their top 3 are all arguably guns in their own right but all have far too many injury concerns to confidently assume they'll play 70 plus games and be ready to go come playoff time. I reckon its prime for Green to have a real breakout season tho
Needs improvement: Health lol. But apart from that Memphis have perenially been a poor 3 point shooting team. That figures to change with the addition of Parsons, and fromw hat Fizdale has talked about we can expect an increase in pace as well.
Big question: Quoting SI 'Neither Gasol nor Conley has had much luck staying healthy over the last few seasons. Parsons, just a year removed from a 'minor hybrid' microfracture surgery and a few months removed from a meniscus repair, joins them in their physical frustrations. All are quality players (to varying degrees) when healthy. To unite them, on three max salaries no less, tempts the basketball gods a bit.'
Crystal Ball: If relatively healthy... 47-35. If 2 of the Big 3 go down for more than 15-20 games they miss the playoffs

 

[stewie griffen]

Inputs: Dejounte Murray (PG, NBA Draft pick No. 29); Pau Gasol (PF, signed for two years, $30 million); Dewayne Dedmon (C, signed for two years, $6 million); Ryan Arcidiacono (PG, signed for partially guaranteed minimum); Bryn Forbes (SG, partially guaranteed minimum); Davis Bertans (PF, signed for two years, details undisclosed); David Lee (PF, signed for two years, $3.2 million)

Outputs: Boris Diaw (PF, traded to the Utah Jazz); Tim Duncan (PF, retired); David West (PF, signed with the Golden State Warriors); Andre Miller (PG, unsigned); Kevin Martin (SG, unsigned); Matt Bonner (PF, unsigned); Boban Marjanovic (C, signed with the Detroit Pistons)

Retained: Manu Ginobili (SG, signed for one year, $10 million)

The Spurs had one of the all time great regular seasons and we were set for an All time great Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately for the Spurs, the Thunder didn't read the script and exposed some key matchups to knock them out in the second round after the Spurs swept a depleted Memphis unit, winning by an average of 22 points. I think they've got younger, i mean they lost Timmy and Miller from last season, yet added Pow pow pow Gasol. David West has departed in his quest to definitely not be labelled a ring chaser whilst David Lee comes in for... um... some reason that escapes me short of replacing the Red Mamba as the token white bench guy.

Tony remains as the starting point. He's serviceable in the right matchups but got downright abused by Westbrook in the playoffs. There's a fair chance that come playoff time the Thunder guard won't be around... altho that just leaves CP3, Curry and Lillard floating around... with Conley being no slouch either. Patty is a decent back up who can get hot, but has his limitations, still he's perfect for the Spurs setup in its current form.

Danny Green signed for 4/50, and it looked a steal on paper. That was until he laid enough bricks to house all of Priceys mums conquests in the lap of luxury. How he rebounds from that disaster will go a long way to determining how the Spurs season goes, although defensively he was still solid. If he throws up another 7ppg, 33% from 3 season, so au revoir to the Spurs hopes. Manu stayed, despite a grandfather offer from Philly and will come off the bench.

Kawhi is a stud, but he's going to have even more load on his plate this prep, and it remains to be seen whether he can be the new face of the franchise.

Down low it gets a little interesting. LMA is back again, this time to some rumblings of discontent. Although it is funny that his departure from Portland to chase a ring has left him with arguably the weaker chance of getting to the Finals... but i digress. He was a beast down low, but his iso/midrange heavy game is a throwback in todays NBA

Pau shot a career high in 3 point attempts, and as such his numbers suffered a little. He was borderline atrocious defensively, resembling an open mouthed clown on sideshow alley in the pick and roll and only pretending to care when he could get the in the Sportscenter block highlights. His entry forced the departure of the much loved Diaw, altho for all his limitations Pau remains a fantastic passer of the ball, with the highlight of his Bulls tenure being his alley oops to Butler. The Spurs defensive grip loosened whenever Timmy sat, being 5.1 points worse off. That figures to get worse with Pau in the lineup. They have David Lee and Dwyane Dedmon off the bench... oh dear sweet jesus is it really that bad!!!



For Pau's defensive highlights... check this vid

https://cdn-w1.streamable.com/video...8664_a33bff74f246101f0119759098b6eccc77b151dd

In the gun: Pau. He faces the unenviable task of replacing The Big Fundamental. Good luck
Is a gun: Kawhiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Needs improvement: Danny Green. Time to earn that coin son.
Big question: Defense. How do they even begin to replace Duncan's defense. They still have quality defense on the wings with Kawhi and Green.
Crystal Ball: Its hard to tip against the Spurs. They still have a solid 1-2 punch the envy of many teams, and barring injury to those 2 key guys, they should easily put up 50-55 wins. Come playoff time tho, if they meet the likes of Portland or GSW i think its curtains. So second round at best imo.

 

[PP34]

Last Year’s Record: 48-34
Losses: Evan Turner, Jared Sullinger, R.J Hunter, John Holland
Additions: Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Demetrius Jackson, Gerald Green
The 2015-16 season was an interesting one for the Celtics. They proved themselves as one of the elite NBA defensive teams despite having any sort of rim protector. Offensively they improved, but it was still apparent to all who watched them that a major star is needed on this end of the court, Isaiah Thomas proved that he belongs in the second tier of elite point guards, putting up a career high 22ppg with 6apg to go along with it. All year Thomas made big offensive plays for the Celtics. Improvement was also seen from the likes of Crowder, Bradley and Smart on both ends of the floor. Smart however had a horrific shooting year, hitting just 25% of threes in a year the Celtics desperately needed him hitting shots. The playoffs exposed the flaws of the Celtics, and with Avery Bradley injuring a hamstring early in the series it was almost all Atlanta from that point on.

The off-season proved to be a surprisingly interesting one for the Celtics. In the draft the Celtics were left to choose between the likes of Jaylen Brown, Kris Dunn and Dragan Bender, with Danny Ainge deciding that Jaylen Brown was the man he wanted, resulting in much backlash from Celtics fans, with some going as far as a team that doesn't lure the big names, normally not being in any sort of discussions for a star player, the Celtics proved that their new era can be a draw card, with ex-Hawks big Al Horford signing to a lucrative deal. Celtics fans spent every minute of an early July weekend glued to phones, computers and TVs with news that Kevin Durant was considering signing with the Celtics. The Celtics went as far as calling the NFL's GOAT quarterback Tom Brady as their recruiting wildcard. As Bill Simmons said, for a brief second there it looked like we had him, only for Durant to dog the whole NBA world, signing with the completely stacked Warriors.

Moving on, the Celtics still had one of the better off-seasons with Jaylen Brown in pre-season showing that there's definitely plenty of potential there, showcasing a lighting fast first step, and jaw-dropping athleticism.


A major problem for the Celtics this year is going to be replacing Evan Turner. Who would've thought 3 seasons ago that we would be sitting here talking about Turner like that? While he isn't likely to ever live up to his number 2 draft status, he was the consummate professional in Boston, playing his role and proving to be a very handy ball handler for the Celtics. Other than Thomas, the Celtics desperately need another creator. Either Smart or Rozier are going to have to step up and replace what Turner added to the team. The 3 point shot is still a major concern for this team. They hit a fair amount last year, but they ranked 3rd last in three point percentage, and were just dreadful at times against Atlanta in the playoffs. Defence once is going to have to be their calling card, with Brad Stevens finally being given a big who can defend the pick and roll and protect the rim. Adding in Jaylen Brown's perimeter defence as well off the bench, it's scary to think how tough this team could be to score against this season. Just ask Golden State. In a regular season where they rarely looked like losing, the Celtics pushed them hard twice, managing to beat them after the all-star break on their home floor.

With the state of the East, this team should be pushing for the second seed. While it is pretty clear that some issues are still going to remain offensively, the team is too stacked with defensive talent not to be amongst the top 3 in the East. Isaiah Thomas should provide more of the same, and with Al Horford now being there, he should have plenty more room to work in the pick and roll, with Horford being both a threat at the basket and at the rim, making it harder for teams to choose how to defend against Boston. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart are two players to keep an eye on. Smart is in his third year, and has proven before he has talent. Hitting the three ball is imperative for him, and if he can do so at a decent clip, he'll get minutes and we could see a bit of a breakout from him. Jaylen Brown will be closely watched too. Will he be on the way to pushing Crowder aside or to the 4, or does he sit on the bench a lot?

The Celtics are still also loaded with assets, and all eyes once again will firmly be on Danny Ainge as it grows closer to trade deadline. Is this the year he cashes in on a star who wants out? It was revealed a week or so ago that Kevin Garnett was in his plans years before he was finally brought to Boston. Does Danny have someone in mind again? Brooklyn's performance will heavily scrutinised too with the state of their draft picks.

Celtics fans have high expectations for this team, but still know that beating Cleveland is probably one task too many at this stage. Regardless with the additions made, and the likely improvement from the likes of Smart and Rozier, this team should end up fighting it out with Toronto for the 2nd seed in the East.



In the gun: Marcus Smart. While showing plenty of talent defensively, Smart has been up and down in his time in the NBA so far. He lacks the explosive ability needed to be a great offensive guard at this stage and his three point shooting has been abysmal. With Danny contemplating how to best achieve success with the assets he has, Smart is going to have to step up this season to remain in a Celtics uniform.
Is a gun: Isaiah Thomas. Big fan of Allen Iverson he is, and you can see the former MVP has had an influence on him. Small, tough, big heart.
Needs improvement: Offense, particularly when it matters.
Big question: Does this team remain as it is come all-star weekend?
Crystal Ball: 55-27.

 

[FFPAULPAO]

Knicks have already won.
PG: Alleged Rapist Deserved MVP Derrick Rose
SG: 3point machine Courtney Lee
SF: Olympic Melo
PF: GOAT Porzingod
C: Defender of the CENTURE Noah

 

[nahnah]

I'm just bumping this so when I do mine i can remember the format

Crystal Ball: Somewhere between 52-62 wins, lebron usually takes it easy in reg season so don't expect 65+ wins. It's more about making sure everyone is ready to peak in the playoffs for the cavs.

51 wins. Had a 10 game span to cover all possibilities and i still get it wrong.

 

[mickelboy182]

Denver Nuggets Preview:

Predicted Record:
40-42

So uh.... I should have put some money down!

 

[Son of Skeletor]

I'm just bumping this so when I do mine i can remember the format

Lol format, introduce a little anarchy into your life.

I want to see a preview consisting entirely of "Kyrie Irving sucks donkey balls" over and over again.