Since 2016, NBA season previews have been about as boring as Bill Belichick on an apple picking excursion. The Golden State Warriors were absolute locks to win the title each fall, as a 73-win team added arguably the best player in the game in Kevin Durant.
Finally the Warriors reign is over, and now we have an unprecedented NBA landscape to start the season in which almost half the league believes it can win the NBA championship. Here are the teams that legitimately think they’re in the title picture for 2019-20:
Clippers
Lakers
Bucks
Sixers
Rockets
Warriors
Jazz
Nuggets
Celtics
Nets
Trail Blazers
Raptors
Pacers
Mavericks
That’s a whopping 14 teams in a 30-team league that believe they’re already there or they’re one piece away from winning it all!
We could see some record TV ratings this season with so many teams on the fringe.
NBA championship
The safe pick here is to go with the Clippers or Lakers to win the West and the Bucks or Sixers to win the East.
But to hell with “safe” in what should be the wackiest season in league history. Let’s get wild!
People are sleeping on the Rockets a bit, considering that they’ve consistently been the best non-Warriors team over the past five years. Year after year, the Rockets have been knocking on the doorstep.
They essentially replaced old man Chris Paul with a guy that is in the prime of his career and won an MVP three seasons ago.
Remember that nearly every pundit thought that Daryl Morey and the Rockets were crazy to pair James Harden with Paul several years back but that worked out swimmingly. Bottom line is that Westbrook is a better and younger player than Paul, and Mike D’Antoni is an offensive mastermind that will be able to figure this thing out.
As for my East pick, I’m going to be a major homer here and say that the Celtics surprise people and come out of the conference.
The reason for this is not just because I believe Kemba Walker is just as talented a player as Kyrie Irving, and not just because I believe Gordon Hayward is going to have the best season of his career, and not just because I believe Jayson Tatum is going to be All-NBA selection this season.
The main reason why I’m so bullish on the Celtics is because of my faith in Danny Ainge.
The Celtics still have enough assets (namely the Memphis first round pick) leftover to make a major move ahead of the February trade deadline. If Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are averaging around 85 points per game against the Celtics’ big men early in the season (which they likely will), Ainge will be making a move for a defensive-minded big man at the deadline.
The Celtics’ replacement for Al Horford simply isn’t on the team’s roster … yet.
Finals pick: Rockets over Celtics in 7 games
MVP
Anthony Davis checks all the boxes for MVP.
Does he have the potential for a career year statistically?
Absolutely considering he won’t always be the focal point for opposing defenses for the first time in his career, opening things up for more points and more boards.
Does he have something to prove?
Damn straight. He possesses the talent to be the best player in the game as we saw two years ago when he was putting up 30 and 15 almost every night down the stretch.
The whole debacle in New Orleans this past year put a black eye on his reputation, but it’s time for Davis to remind everyone that – on the basketball court – he can dominate this league.
Will he be on a team capable of winning over 60 games in the regular season?
Oh yes. This will be the first time in years that LeBron James will be giving it his all during the regular season as he has had six months of rest after the Lakers missed the playoffs.
LeBron also owes it to his Klutch Sports buddy to get him the MVP, and not take one more for himself, considering how ridiculous things got last year with defacto Lakers GM Rich Paul sabotaging the Pelicans’ season in an attempt to get Davis to LA a few months early. At this stage of his career, LeBron is smart enough to know that he needs Davis a lot more than Davis needs him.
As for some of the other MVP candidates, here are some quick hit answers on why they’ll come up short:
Joel Embiid (+1600)
Much like Kawhi Leonard, Embiid isn’t a great pick for MVP due to the “load management” his team is likely to implement.
MVP should almost be called the “iron man” award, as voters always reward players that played close to the full season. Giannis played in 72 games last season, James Harden played in 72 in 2017-18, and Russell Westbrook played in 81 games in his MVP year.
Can’t imagine Embiid plays in more than 65 games this season. There’s more than a few reasons Elton Brand brought in Al Horford.
Giannis (+270)
Voter fatigue is real (Giannis won it this past season), and 80 percent of the NBA national media is based in LA.
Steph Curry (+500)
Curry may put up some ridiculous numbers but there’s a chance the Warriors don’t even make the playoffs in the loaded West. You can’t give the MVP to a player on a team with less than 45 wins.
LeBron (+850)
For the first time in his career, LeBron is playing with a teammate that is better than he is. His stats will be phenomenal, but his points per game total won’t be on the same level as Davis’.
Kawhi Leonard
“Load management” will take Kawhi out of the MVP running each and every year. Something tells me he’s just fine skipping the regular season individual award thing and narrowing his focus on championship rings.
Rookie of the year
If you’re not betting on Zion Williamson (-130) to win ROY, you’re either trying too hard or you’re thinking his Nikes are going to explode again and he’s going to get injured.
If you are of the belief that Zion is injury prone, Ja Morant looks good at +350.
Surprise teams
As mentioned above, I love the Rockets and Celtics to open some eyes on the championship level this season, but as for a lottery team that could sneak up and make it into the playoff picture?
Let’s roll with the Bulls.
Chicago added North Carolina product Coby White with the seventh overall pick in the draft, added a veteran presence in Thaddeus Young, and a starting-caliber point guard in Tomas Satoransky.
They also return Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, Otto Porter, and Wendell Carter Jr.. Carter, the Bulls’ seventh overall pick in 2018, is getting some major “most improved player” buzz heading into the season.
Let’s say that Chicago grabs the six or seven slot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture this coming spring.
