The world’s best and greatest basketball league has just tipped off and the headlines have been money-laden in the early and latter parts of the off-season. In the last days or weeks, defending champions Golden State Warriors have committed to keep the core of their title winning team together.
Jordan Poole and Andrew have bagged four-year deals worth $100 million respectively the same way Houston Rockets Guard Kevin Porter Jr. penned a four-year deal worth $82.5 million. Between the extremities of financial plays from teams, there was a dead period where everything ranging from LeBron James’ bald hair look and Kevin Durant’s trade request from Brooklyn Nets dominated the headlines.
The opening game of the seven-month marathon has tipped off and bigger questions loom for the upcoming season. For the most hyped teams heading into the new campaign, disappointments are sure to happen.
The Los Angeles Lakers was the most disappointing team last season as the LeBron James-led team failed to pass the basic test of becoming a title contender by missing the playoffs.
The same level of shock is in store for two teams while another spot is reserved for a team that is bound to regress badly this upcoming season.
New Orleans Pelicans won’t make the playoffs
The Pelicans made a brilliant late charge to gate crash the playoff party in the Western Conference with the run even more impressive considering that its most talented player Zion Williamson was injured for the season. The team got the needed jolt of experience to handle the pressures of chasing a playoff spot when team President David Griffin boldly traded for Portland Trailblazers Guard CJ McCollum.
Zion has roared back from his injury and weight concerns at least through preseason to mark New Orleans as a playoff team.
However, the Pelicans took advantage of two breaks that aren’t readily available to them this season. For starters, the Lakers have become younger unlike last season by signing players who should help the team in transition defence when the inevitable turnovers happen with Russell Westbrook still on the roster.
Another problem the Lakers have solved at least on paper is by adding players who have a defensive profile to help guys like LeBron, Dennis Schroder and Westbrook on that end of the court. Juan Tuscano-Anderson, Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant, Lonnie Walker and Wenyen Gabriel have carved out a career in the NBA by being defense-first guys.
The Los Angeles Clippers are healthy now and the addition of John Wall makes them a dark horse in the conversations on potential Conference winners dark while the Portland Trailblazers have built a team that hides live wire Damian Lillard’s weaknesses on defence.
Having Josh Hart, Jerami Grant and Gary Payton II playing alongside Lillard and upcoming talent Anfernee Simons puts Portland back in playoff contention that went awry once Lillard went down with an abdominal injury that required surgery.
In the Western Conference, Utah Jazz’s sudden rebuild means Portland and the Los Angeles duo will battle for the two playoff spots available this season with New Orleans out of the picture.
Chicago Bulls won’t make the playoffs
The Chicago Bulls have a throwback Point Guard (passer first) who is developing the touch of a modern day (scorer from deep and midrange) Point Guard in Lonzo Ball and is a top talent.
However, injuries have prevented the highly-touted elder of the three Ball brothers from developing into the All Star player his talent screams every time he walks on to the court. To address the gap at point guard, Chicago has named second-year combo guard Ayo Dosunmu as its starter at the point.
While this is a big display of confidence in the Chicago native, it puts the Bulls behind in an Eastern Conference that has the improved Cleveland Cavaliers in on taking over one of the playoff spots it missed out on last season.
Aside Dosunmu, Coby White, Alex Caruso and Goran Dragic don’ move the needle at the position far enough to get past the lower half of the playoff bracket. Cleveland has Darius Garland, Caris LeVert and Ricky Rubio and also traded for Donovan Mitchell.
Atlanta Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray to pair with Trae Young while Toronto Raptors have Fred Van Vleet and Gary Trent Jnr. manning the point and all are above Dosunmu in orchestrating an offense.
While Zach Lavine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic are top starters, the gap between the trio and the second unit is wide enough to get the Bulls offense to crater to miss out on another playoff run.
Phoenix Suns will disappoint more than Boston Celtics
The Suns and Celtics are in the same boat riding similar terrible tidal waves from the off-season into the new season.
Phoenix Governor Robert Sarver was found guilty of making sexually insensitive and racist comments to Phoenix staff and has been forced to sell his majority shares in the team to a new buyer.
Starting Center Deandre Ayton has a strenuous relationship with the team after contentious contract extension talks this off-season. To make matters worse, Ayton is in a bad spot with head coach Monty Williams and do-it-all defensive plug Jae Crowder is pushing for a trade from the team to worry about the Suns this season.
On the east coast, Ime Udoka’s sexual affair with a female staff member has resulted in a year-long suspension from his head coaching role and a wobbled relationship with All Star Jaylen Brown after extensive talks of trading him. While the Eastern Conference teams that missed out on last season’s playoffs didn’t get mightily better to turn up the heat on the Celtics, the Western Conference teams did.
As such, the Suns are bound to finish way off its conference leading record from last season. It will not be surprising to find Phoenix trade away Ayton mid-season when he becomes eligible to get traded and get the team to drop so low it might end up scrapping around for a playoff spot.