Between the simultaneous excitement of the MLB playoffs and NFL regular season, it's sometimes difficult for me to find the inspiration to write about the NBA this time of year. Unfortunately, my Mets were bounced quickly so I'm not as invested in the postseason. That leads us to this (comments will be short; I'll let the letter grades do the talking):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
1. Toronto Raptors - 2015-16 record: 56-26; 2016-17 projected record: 56-26
Starting five: A-, Bench: B-, Head Coach: B-
Rank in East: 2nd, Overall: 8th
I like the affordable pick-up of PF Jared Sullinger. He should outperform his contract, and there's no pressure on him playing alongside Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll and Jonas Valanciunas. "Big V" showed some real solid improvement last season, and he should continue to deliver this year.
2. Boston Celtics - 2015-16 record: 48-34; 2016-17 projected record: 50-32
Starting five: B+, Bench: B-, Head Coach: A-
Rank in East: 3rd, Overall: 9th
Al Horford will improve this team on both ends of the floor. Not enough to compete for a title, though.
3. New York Knicks - 2015-16 record: 32-50; 2016-17 projected record: 42-40
Starting five: B, Bench: C, Head Coach: B
Rank in East: 8th, Overall: 20th
Phil Jackson did what he had to do -- without much in the way of trade assets, he acquired players that other teams are hesitant about, due to on or off-court issues; or in one case, both. If Derrick Rose is able to walk away from his serious legal problems without a massive suspension, he should be the 3rd scorer the Knicks are looking for next to Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. Head coach Jeff Hornacek is definitely an upgrade over both Derek Fisher and stopgap Kurt Rambis. This team should squeak into a back-end playoff spot, but Rose, Brandon Jennings and Joakim Noah are always at risk of injury.
4. Brooklyn Nets - 2015-16 record: 21-61; 2016-17 projected record: 26-56
Starting five: D, Bench: B-, Head Coach: B
Rank in East: 14th, Overall: 28th
There isn't much talent on this roster, but my Nets will play right thanks to new head coach Kenny Atkinson and GM Sean Marks. The Nets will play unselfishly, move the ball and do everything they can to outwork their opponents on a nightly basis. This organization is headed in the right direction; they simply don't have the players right now.
5. Philadelphia 76ers - 2015-16 record: 10-72; 2016-17 projected record: 16-66
Starting five: D+, Bench: D, Head Coach: D+
Rank in East: 15th, Overall: 30th
I could go on for days about this discombobulated franchise. I'll dedicate a separate column to that. For now, I'll just say that the Ben Simmons injury was a killer. No hope, yet.
Central Division
Starting five: A, Bench: C+, Coach: B+
Rank in East: 1st, Overall: 4th
My only concern is their bench -- it looks a little thin. In the end, they just have to keep LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love healthy. It's their conference to win or lose. They pretty much control their own destiny.
2. Detroit Pistons - 2015-16 record: 44-38; 2016-17 projected record: 46-36
Starting five: B, Bench: B-, Head Coach: A
Rank in East: 5th, Overall: 11th
Ouch. The injury to Reggie Jackson stings. I was high on this team throughout the offseason. Luckily for the Pistons and their fans, Stan Van Gundy is a savvy all-around basketball mind, and he snatched Ish Smith for below his true market value. He will be a relatively productive replacement in the meantime. Having Tobias Harris for an entire season will certainly help, and I've always liked both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marcus Morris. Stanley Johnson is a tough kid, as well.
3. Indiana Pacers - 2015-16 record: 45-37; 2016-17 projected record: 45-37
Starting five: B+, Bench: B, Head Coach: C+
Rank in East: 6th, Overall: 12th
Personnel upgrades in Jeff Teague, Al Jefferson and Thaddeus Young, accompanied by a head coaching downgrade from Frank Vogel to Nate McMillan. Larry Bird should have given Vogel another shot with this new talent pool.
4. Chicago Bulls - 2015-16 record: 42-40; 2016-17 projected record: 35-47
Starting five: B, Bench: C+, Head Coach: D
Rank in East: 11th, Overall: 25th
Fred Hoiberg is one of the worst head coaches in the NBA, and a starting lineup featuring both Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade doesn't have enough perimeter shooting in today's trey-happy league.
5. Milwaukee Bucks - 2015-16 record: 33-49; 2016-17 projected record: 29-53
Starting five: D+, Bench: B+, Head Coach: C+
Rank in East: 13th, Overall: 27th
This club can't survive the devastating injury to Khris Middleton. They simply need his perimeter shooting and all-around scoring. Head coach Jason Kidd alienates his players by altering his rotation on a nightly basis, and key pieces Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams are already in limbo. Still can't believe they traded their primary scorer, Brandon Knight, for Carter-Williams a couple years back. Head-scratching move at the deadline.
Southeast Division
Starting five: B-, Bench: B+, Head Coach: A
Rank in East: 4th, Overall: 10th
Serge Ibaka has been getting all of the offseason hype, but he's not the sole reason why the Magic are going to make "the leap" this season. It's really a combination of things: The obvious coaching upgrade to Frank Vogel, the combined additions of Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo, D.J. Augustin and Jeff Green, as well as the expected development of both Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja. This is a deep team with a lot of similar players, so it will be Vogel's job to manage the minutes correctly. I think he can do it.
2. Washington Wizards - 2015-16 record: 41-41; 2016-17 projected record: 43-39
Starting five: B, Bench: B-, Head Coach: C-
Rank in East: 7th, Overall: 19th
It's very simple for this team: They have to keep John Wall and Bradley Beal healthy, and Markieff Morris out of trouble. I always like when a team sneakily picks up Marcus Thornton for a bench spark. I don't know what to say about the hiring of Scott Brooks, though. The guy is literally a mindless robot.
3. Charlotte Hornets - 2015-16 record: 48-34; 2016-17 projected record: 41-41
Starting five: C+, Bench: B-, Head Coach: A-
Rank in East: 9th, Overall: 21st
The costly losses of Jeremy Lin, Al Jefferson and Courtney Lee bring the Hornets down a notch. Steve Clifford is an underrated head coach, though. He'll keep them in the back-end playoff race with the Wizards, Knicks, Hawks and Bulls.
4. Atlanta Hawks - 2015-16 record: 48-34, 2016-17 projected record: 38-44
Starting five: C+, Bench: C+, Head Coach: B+
Rank in East: 10th, Overall: 24th
Jeff Teague downgraded to Dennis Schroder and Al Horford downgraded to Dwight Howard. This organization is no longer heading in the right direction.
5. Miami Heat - 2015-16 record: 48-34, 2016-17 projected record: 31-51
Starting five: D+, Bench: B+, Head Coach: A
Rank in East: 12th, Overall: 26th
Gone are productive vets Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Luol Deng and Joe Johnson. What's left isn't a very good team. Erik Spoelstra is their second-most valuable asset behind Hassan Whiteside.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Pacific Division
Starting five: A+, Bench: B+, Head Coach: A-
Rank in West: 1st, Overall: 1st
The Golden State Warriors now have Kevin Durant. Goodbye.
2. Los Angeles Clippers - 2015-16 record: 53-29; 2016-17 projected record: 63-19
Starting five: A-, Bench: A-, Head Coach: A
Rank in West: 2nd, Overall: 2nd
They need to keep Chris Paul and Blake Griffin healthy, all the way through the playoffs. I like that Doc Rivers keeps fighting off the word "rebuild." The Clips have the talent...they just need to get lucky for once.
3. Sacramento Kings - 2015-16 record: 33-49; 2016-17 projected record: 43-39
Starting five: B-, Bench: B, Head Coach: A
Rank in West: 7th, Overall: 13th
Finally, the dysfunctional Kings franchise did a few things that make logical sense! They canned toxic George Karl and hired uber-underrated Dave Joerger, and stabilized their shooting guard position with the un-flashy acquisition of Arron Afflalo. I think Joerger can clean up the mess in Sacramento. Furthermore, it's always nice to have talent like DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and even Darren Collison.
4. Phoenix Suns - 2015-16 record: 23-59; 2016-17 projected record: 41-41
Starting five: B-, Bench: B+, Head Coach: B-
Rank in West: 9th, Overall: 15th
It's abundantly clear that young head coach Earl Watson loves his job and players. He's probably the most enthusiastic coach in the league at the moment. I like his decision to ask Brandon Knight to carry his second unit, and clearly Devin Booker is a breakout player to watch with the starters. Talk about a mature kid, both on and off the court. Alex Len should also emerge a bit more this season, as Tyson Chandler fades away toward eventual retirement. This is a spunky little team. I think they'll compete for a back-end playoff spot.
5. Los Angeles Lakers - 2015-16 record: 17-65; 2016-17 projected record: 39-43
Starting five: B-, Bench: C+, Head Coach: A-
Rank in West: 12th, Overall: 18th
The most valuable quality that new head coach Luke Walton brings is the necessary ability to instill confidence in his players. He's going to pump these young kids full of unfounded swag. I've never been a D'Angelo Russell fan, but he did flash some ability to stuff the stat sheet during the second half of the 2015-16 campaign; I've always liked Jordan Clarkson, whereas Julius Randle is in the same boat with Russell; rookie Brandon Ingram needs to be a producer for this second unit, and I think Timofey Mozgov is going to surprise the haters out there. If everything breaks exactly right, the Lakers might stay in the playoff hunt with the Kings, Nuggets, Suns, Thunder, Rockets and Grizzlies.
Southwest Division
Starting five: A-, Bench: B+, Head Coach: A+
Rank in West: 3rd, Overall: 3rd
Pau Gasol replaces Tim Duncan (thanks for a jaw-dropping career, Timmy!). Everything else is status quo in Pop's enviable organization.
2. Dallas Mavericks - 2015-16 record: 42-40; 2016-17 projected record: 50-32
Starting five: B, Bench: B, Head Coach: A+
Rank in West: 6th, Overall: 7th
If Pop retired, Rick Carlisle would immediately ascend to the No. 1 spot on the coaches' chart. The guy just quietly goes about being a basketball genius. How did he make the playoffs in the West with a team that required key contributions from Salah Mejri and Raymond Felton? I'm quite confident that J.J. Barea was their best player at one point. Anyway, Warrior rejects Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut have been added to the Mavs mix, and I'm sure Carlisle will figure out the optimal ways to utilize them. Wesley Matthews should be healthier and more consistently productive this season, and I like Dallas' young bench featuring the entertainingly energetic Justin Anderson, Dwight Powell and newly-acquired Seth Curry. This team isn't bad, and its record will end up even better than it should be.
3. Houston Rockets - 2015-16 record: 41-41; 2016-17 projected record: 40-42
Starting five: B-, Bench: C+, Head Coach: A-
Rank in West: 11th, Overall: 17th
I like the additions of Mike D'Antoni, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon, but how the hell is this team going to defend without Dwight Howard protecting the rim? Howard's clearly on the downside of his career, but the Rockets have little-to-no presence in the paint. They should be among the team leaders in scoring, but they'll be in the bottom five or 10 defensively. A postseason appearance will be a tough sell.
4. Memphis Grizzlies - 2015-16 record: 42-40; 2016-17 projected record: 39-43
Starting five: B, Bench: C+, Head Coach: C+
Rank in West: 13th, Overall: 22nd
Why any organization would willingly go from Dave Joerger to David Fizdale is beyond me. Joerger was one of the top overachievers in the game last season; he guided the beat-up and broken-down Grizz into the playoffs with Vince Carter and Matt Barnes leading the way. There's a title for someone who can do that: Miracle-worker. In other news, I'm just over this team. Marc Gasol has always been wildly overrated, Mike Conley hasn't been himself in recent seasons and Chandler Parsons is the Sam Bradford of the NBA: Looks good, sounds good, gets hurt all the time and never produces the way you think he will. I love my boy Zach Randolph, but I hope this team fails.
5. New Orleans Pelicans - 2015-16 record: 30-52; 2016-17 projected record: 28-54
Starting five: C, Bench: C-, Head Coach: C
Rank in West: 15th, Overall: 29th
Anthony Davis is already banged up, Tyreke Evans has no timetable for return (as usual), Jrue Holiday has some serious family issues to attend to, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon are gone, and Alvin Gentry got absolutely nothing out of this team last year. It's looking grim once again.
Northwest Division
Starting five: B+, Bench: B, Head Coach: A
Rank in West: 4th, Overall: 5th
I've said this before and I'll say it again: The Blazers are the mini-Warriors. Think about it. You have the young, talented, shot-happy backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum (their version of The Splash Brothers); Al-Farouq Aminu, the swingman who does a little bit of everything (Draymond), and a bunch of long, lanky, athletic hustlers who do whatever they can to help the team. For the Blazers that's Mason Plumlee, Ed Davis and Moe Harkless, and for the Warriors that's Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and used to be Leandro Barbosa. Both teams feature head coaches who encourage their guys to play without fear, the severely-underrated Terry Stotts and of course, Steve Kerr. The Blazers even picked up Evan Turner who, I promise you, is going to be used exactly like Iguodala. Copycatting is real.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - 2015-16 record: 29-53; 2016-17 projected record: 51-31
Starting five: B+, Bench: B, Head Coach: A
Rank in West: 5th, Overall: 6th
I can't possibly fathom a coaching transition more influential than Sam Mitchell to Tom Thibodeau. Instead of developing his young, talented players, Mitchell was starting washed-up vets like Kevin Garnett and Tayshaun Prince. He literally had no idea what he was doing (kind of like Todd Bowles for my Jets). With "Thibs" now at the helm, it's all very simple: The right guys are going to play, they will exert defensive effort and young players will reach their potential. I think it'll be a quick and impressive transition.
3. Denver Nuggets - 2015-16 record: 33-49; 2016-17 projected record: 42-40
Starting five: B, Bench: B, Head Coach: B-
Rank in West: 8th, Overall: 14th
I haven't had anything nice to say about the Nuggets for a long, long time, but things finally appear to be looking up for them. Mike Malone was surprisingly ineffective his first year on the job, but he should be able to turn it around with established players like Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried, and rising contributors such as Emmanuel Mudiay, Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris. Their talent pool has gradually expanded and they've been doing things the right way, so hopefully they'll be rewarded. It'll be a dogfight for the 8-seed.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder - 2015-16 record: 55-27; 2016-17 projected record: 41-41
Starting five: A-, Bench: C-, Head Coach: B-
Rank in West: 10th, Overall: 16th
My gut tells me the Thunder will be better than my ranking system suggests. I have an inordinate amount of faith in Russell Westbrook, and I like OKC's bigs, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter. However, their bench looks crappy, I wasn't particularly impressed by Billy Donovan in year one and I'm up in the air on Victor Oladipo. He has talent, but I question his effort. He may not mesh with Russ and his balls-to-the-wall style. This is a difficult team to gauge.
5. Utah Jazz - 2015-16 record: 40-42; 2016-17 projected record: 34-48
Starting five: C+, Bench: B, Head Coach: B-
Rank in West: 14th, Overall: 23rd
A bunch of mediocre players playing for a mediocre coach, and they won't be able to overachieve without Gordon Hayward at 100 percent.
THE POSTSEASON
Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland Cavs over Toronto Raptors, 4-2
Western Conference Finals: Golden State Warriors over Los Angeles Clippers, 4-2
NBA FINALS: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS OVER CLEVELAND CAVS, 4-2
As always, all questions, comments and complaints are welcome. Thanks for reading!
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