We made it, the NBA season starts Tuesday, LETS GO, so without wasting any more time, let’s dive into my picks for this season for conference standings, the big awards, and the playoffs.
West standings
Jazz
Utah failed again in the playoffs last year, with a very similar roster to last season with new guys who can play the small ball 5 can the Jazz finally break through?
Suns
The Suns won the west last year and I expect them to have another awesome season, with the West being down a few teams, expect the Suns to be at the top of the Western Conference again.
Warriors
I think the Warriors have the bounce back/breakthrough year we have been waiting for, if Klay can be 75% of what he was, Steph and Draymond are as dominant as they were a season ago, and the depth improves, Golden State is a threat out West.
Lakers
I think the Lakers are overhyped, injuries have plagued this team for the past couple of seasons, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and they have sustained a few injuries already in Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker.
Mavericks
Jason Kidd needs to fix his defensive schemes from what they were in Milwaukee and Kristaps Porzings needs to step up because he was borderline pathetic in the playoffs. However, if Luka Doncic has an MVP level season, Dallas will be better than expected.
Clippers
Kawhi is hurt, there is no way around that, he is likely going to miss the season. However, Paul George is still there and he is really good and I expect him to have a monster season, and I like the rest of the Clippers roster, expect them to surprise some people.
Nuggets
I am not a big Micheal Porter Jr. fan, I think he is a good player, but Denver is relying on him to become a 2nd option and that worries me, especially because Jokic is not a scorer. Jokic is really good and I am probably silly to pick against him even without Jamal Murray.
Blazers
Same old Portland Trail Blazers, please trade for Ben Simmons.
Wolves
Anthony Edwards is better than you realize, he has a chance to be one of the best scorers in the league one day, and has a breakout year as the Wolves become a play-in team with Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell.
Pelicans
This makes me nervous, New Orleans has a new coach (who I like) and Zion so I expect a play-in push, but David Griffin is on the hot seat.
Grizzlies
I did not like Memphis’ offseason and think they got worse while others got better, I think they will disappoint.
Kings
The Kings stink at defense and they need to improve at that if they want to be good.
Rockets
I am VERY excited about the Rockets future, though I would have liked to have had John Wall play for them.
Spurs
I don’t want to talk about the Spurs, though I think their young guys are cool.
Thunder
SGA is cool.
East standings
Bucks
The Bucks won the championship as the 3 seed last year after being the 1 seed in back to back seasons and having let downs in the playoffs. They brought back most of their roster, minus P.J. Tucker, and will (at some point) get Donte DiVincenzo back from injury. The Bucks are going to be right back in the thick and near the top of the championship race in 2022.
Nets
With no Kyrie having the Nets at 2 is something I did not want to do but I could not find the courage to have one of the teams below them in this spot so here we are. If KD and Harden are healthy this team should win the championship, even without Irving, but I don't think they put enough into the regular season to be the top seed in the East, especially if Kyrie really is not playing.
Celtics
The Celtics reloaded after a disappointing season last year and have added a lot of depth which normally leads to regular season wins, though I still think they are not a contender in the East, Boston could surprise people with Tatum, Brown, and defense.
Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks surprised a lot of people by knocking out the Sixers in the playoffs and I think the Hawks improved in the offseason. However, a return to the Eastern Conference Finals is unlikely. Although with Trae Young signed long term, the Hawks future is bright.
Heat
The Heat do not have great depth, P.J. Tucker is not an offensive threat, Markieff Morris is meh, Victor Oldapio has so many question marks (and is currently injured), and everyone behind that are borderline NBA players. Their top 5 is really good and I think Tyler Herro is going to have a big bounce back year, but an injury to one of their stars and Miami’s season is toast, especially if it is to Jimmy Butler.
Sixers
I am not touching the Sixers with a ten foot pole, the Ben Simmons situation scares me, Joel Embiid always misses games, and I do not think their team improved all that much this summer.
Knicks
The Knicks have a better team than last year but that will not lead to better success, the 4 seed felt kinda fluky and though I think while their roster takes a step up with adding Kemba Walker and Evan Fouriner, they take a step back in the standings behind the Hawks, Heat, and Celtics.
Raptors
I really like Toronto. They have really good players at the top of their roster with Fred Van-Vleet, OG Annouby, and Pascal Siakam. Toronto's depth is better than what people are saying with Gary Trent Jr., Goran Dragic, Scottie Barnes, and 3 quality centers.
Bulls
The Bulls are funky. They are all-in, sure ok. Their defense probably will not be good and their offense will be very good with a lot of guys who can score. I will say this, I am lower on the Bulls than most.
Wizards
I like the Wizards, Spencer Dinwiddie’s lack of games since March of 2020 (3) concerns me but Bradley Beal is awesome, Kyle Kuzma is criminally underrated and I really believe that, and they are much deeper then they were a year ago (no more RLo and Alex Len).
Hornets
Gordon Hayward needs to stay healthy, LaMelo is awesome and they are going to be fun to watch with the lobs, dunks, and the broadcast team is so fun, but if Hayward is not healthy they are gonna struggle to win those close games.
Pacers
The Pacers have a cool team, they have concerning issues and they do not really fit together, but they always find ways to be good so I don’t know.
Pistons
Cade is gonna be awesome, and I think they find ways to scrape out wins under Dwane Casey.
Cavs
Darrius Garland is real cool, Kevin Love is not cool, uhhhh oh yea and I think Evan Mobly will struggle early but become real cool.
Magic
Jalen Suggs is going to be real good and Mo Bamba has played real well in the preseason. Hey, Robin Lopez hook shots.
Regular season awards
MVP: Steph Curry
Curry had a big year last season, averaging 32.0 points on shooting splits of .48/.42/.91. I expect another huge year from Steph, and with a higher seed, think he has a real shot to win MVP.
Rookie of the Year: Jalen Green
Green is awesome, he showed that in summer league and he showed that while playing in the G-League last season. He has the looks of a player who can lead the NBA in scoring one day and I expect him to beat out Cade Cunningham for Rookie of the Year.
Sixth Man of the Year: Tyler Herro
Herro had a down 2021 season after playing great in the bubble while the Heat made their NBA Finals run. I expect Herro to bounce back and become a legit Sixth Man of the Year candidate. He is a great offensive player and scorer and that is what is normally sought after with this award, along with many of the other awards.
Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Smart
Marcus Smart deserves a DPOY and I think he finally gets it, is this a bit biased, yea probably, but he is one of the best defensive guards the game we have ever seen and I think Smart has a huge defensive year for the Celtics.
Most Improved Player: OG Anunoby
Anunoby is a great defensive player who guards positions 1-4 and is a capable 3 point shooter. I think this year OG takes his game to another level, and becomes a complete wing who can flat out score the basketball and put the ball on the floor to take guys off the dribble, becoming the key 3rd option Toronto needs.
Coach of the Year: Quin Snyder
In my projections Utah gets the top seed in the West, and it is a projection so there is not a team who I think has the 3rd or 4th seed regular season (like the 2020-21 Knicks) so their coach wins the award, so Snyder it is… how does one even project the Coach of the Year anyways?
West Finals: Jazz over Warriors in 6 games
I am all in on Utah, the playoff disaster of last season could lead them down 2 paths, it could completely derail them or make them come together and push for that championship appearance, my guess is the latter. Klay returns and plays well enough to help Steph and Draymond guide this mix of young guys and veterans to the Western Conference Finals but they come up short to the top seeded Jazz.
East Finals: Nets over Bucks in 7 games
To me these are the 2 best teams in the league, and they get to play in the playoffs again, this time in the Eastern Conference Finals. It would be a great series with or without Kyrie, and I think Durant and Harden are enough to lift the Nets past the defending champs even if Kyrie does not play.
NBA Finals: Nets over Jazz in 6 games
With or without Kyrie I think the Nets are the favorites to win the NBA title. They have Kevin Durant and James Harden, with the talent they have behind those 2 guys, assuming they stay healthy, it should be enough for Brooklyn to win the championship. I mean they have Kevin Durant, that guy is really good at basketball.
NBA Basketball is back, so let's all sit down and enjoy the season, even if your team stinks.
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