Let's Get Ready To Rumble Pt. 1
Before the season starts, what the hell is going on in the NBA?
If you’re here reading this newsletter, I can guess that like me, you are very excited for the NBA season to begin. We’re almost there. I’ve almost been tempted to start watching preseason games. Almost. Still, the excitement within me grows with each passing day as the autumn leaves start to turn colors and remind us that our favorite league is back.
But I don’t want to start spoiling the real thing yet. That’s the biggest reason I’ve stayed away from preseason more than I ever have. We’ve had two NBA Finals played in the last 365 days. I don’t know about you, but my emotional NBA levers need a break. The WNBA Playoffs have been a nice departure with fun games and different characters. Same for the EuroLeague, which has captured my attention both for gambling and the purposes of Remembering Some Guys.
But the regular season? That’s the good shit. There’s nothing quite like getting lost in League Pass on a Wednesday night. And there are so many expectations to consider. You already know what the Blazers are up against and we will get there in due time. But I wanted to do a bit about every team, both for you and for me, to get us refreshed for the coming season.
In Alphabetical Order
Atlanta Hawks – If there is one team that showed me the faults of my own ego, it was the Atlanta Hawks. To me, the Hawks were an unproven group of lottery picks who had been the constant source of premature expectations. “The Hawks are next” was my running joke about the NBA media’s obsession about finding the “next great franchise” and it was only until Nate McMillan, a coach often derided by the same hype merchants for his consistency and fact that he’s had multiple head coaching jobs, that the prophecy became fulfilled. The Hawks were 27-11 under McMillan and the jokes are done. Trae Young shut up Madison Square Garden, he shut me up too.
A return to the Eastern Conference Finals seems unlikely on the surface, but the most important thing about the Hawks is they finally showed there was substance to the hype. However, we are still playing under the rules of “Bubble Theory,” as we begin the 3rd season in the span of just one year. While they are young, I think there is still some merit to last season’s “Bubble Theory” playing a part in a bit of Hawks regression in 21-22. While this season is a normal 82 game season, last season’s late start brought the playoffs much closer to the start of this season than it would be in a normal year. Still, the Hawks should be back in the playoffs and be a mainstay for years to come.
Boston Celtics – Going from the team that I eternally doubted, we arrive at the team that I have eternally expected too much of. I admit it, I have a sickness for the Boston Celtics. It did not get better after they hired Portland legend Ime Udoka to be the head coach, who then hired seemingly every basketball legend from Portland to be on the staff, including Blazers legend Damon Stoudamire and former Jefferson star Aaron Miles. And that’s before we talk about their roster!
Kemba Walker’s defense is no longer a concern and Al Horford, after a gap year in Oklahoma City, looks and sounds refreshed to be back in Boston. Marcus Smart will take on more of the ball-handling duties with Walker gone. But more than anything, my hope for the Celtics rests on their two best players, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Extra Walker possessions should be filtered through the Jays before anyone else.
With Kawhi Leonard hurt, Brown and Tatum are a slam dunk for the best wing duo in the league and the Celtics defense should be able to perform better without Walker. And while they do have Enes Kanter on the roster, it does seem like he will have a minimal role as Horford and Robert Williams eat up most of the minutes in the middle.
However, beyond the Jays, the rest of their wing rotation needs to figure itself out. A lot of my belief in the Celtics is also contingent on them finding reliable contributors from the likes of Josh Richardson (proudly Anti-Vaxx), Aaron Nesmith, Grant Williams, and Romeo Langford. This is a major reason the odds on the Celtics are what they are.
And yet, the Jays and Marcus Smart have me convinced that they’re ready to weather any storm. I’m banking on the presence of Udoka galvanizing the Celtics in a similar way that hiring Steve Kerr shifted things for the Warriors, by bringing a new voice, perspective, and strategy to a group of accomplished young players.
Also, the Celtics are a team in which Bubble Theory can work in reverse. Last year, having been one of the 4 finalists in the Orlando Bubble, they were cooked. Unlike Atlanta, the Celtics are a team that won’t be feeling quite as much fatigue from a long postseason run. They were a quick out in the first round and Brown didn’t even play.
Tatum, Brown, Smart, and Horford were the core of a team that was one game away from the NBA Finals only three years ago. With Kyrie Irving being a part-time player on the Nets and LeBron James in the West, Boston is still only seen as a dark horse to win their own division, let alone the East. But perhaps the role of the underdog is the one their long-awaited destiny has been waiting on.
Over 46.5 wins -110
Atlantic Division Champs +1000
Eastern Conference Champs +1800
Brooklyn Nets – The limits of the Vibes Council are already being tested. Set aside for a moment, the terrible public health ramifications of being unvaccinated, as Kyrie Irving proudly is. Irving is fucking up the plan. Whose plan? The plan of James Harden, who is still waiting for a championship ring to help solidify his legacy. And let’s not even consider Durant’s hope for more rings outside of the aura of the Warriors.
Harden burned every piece of goodwill with Houston, a place that loved him, to work his way to the Nets. And now that the Nets are championship favorites, Irving is refusing to get vaccinated, which will keep him from playing in the 41 home games the Nets will play in Brooklyn as well as both games against the Knicks, so 43 games in total. Throw in the Golden State roadie and you get to 44.
As it stands, a popular theory exists that because the Nets only needed two of KD/Harden/Kyrie to have the 2nd best record in the East last season, they will be fine. But that theory also undermines the potential strain Irving’s stance could have, for as much as the Vibes Council tries to tell us not to believe what our eyes see.
Aside from not having one of their best players during the season, how long does a situation like last before it becomes an issue? Durant’s chill and Nash’s vibe direction might save them, but what will a guy like Harden who shows up basically every night in the regular season say when one of his best teammates continues to watch from the couch and show up less than half the time.
They also still have real basketball issues, such as who will play center. Blake Griffin did a solid job in the postseason and LaMarcus Aldridge has come out of retirement to rejoin them in search of a ring. But for all the jokes the Lakers get for being old, what does the bench of Aldridge, Paul Millsap, and James Johnson get you at AARP?
Like the Lakers, they will probably still be in the mix for the championship despite their issues. But I’ve never been more skeptical of a title favorite than I am this Nets team. Harden and Durant are brilliant. They should win a lot of games. But they need help. Joe Harris proved to help in the regular season but not so much in the playoffs.
A more balanced team with a stronger presence at the rim might be able to catch them in a series like Milwaukee did last year. Kevin Durant is still arguably the best player in the league. As long as they have him, they have a chance. But their status as favorites, given Harden’s postseason struggles and Irving’s part-time employment, seems dubious.
Charlotte Hornets – For the first time since he became the Hornets owner, Michael Jordan’s franchise finally has the kind of franchise player he can build around. LaMelo Ball made the Hornets one of the teams to watch on League Pass, earning a bookmark on my feed basically every night.
Ball’s flair for darting the passing lanes, getting the ball ahead, and throwing alley-oops merged perfectly with the young Hornets. In particular, Ball’s connection with Miles Bridges in the open court delivered some of the best moments of last season. But the Hornets’ success will depend on keeping Ball healthy, as well as getting a full season out of Gordon Hayward, which has proven problematic over the past couple of seasons.
I love the Hornets and they are going to be one of my favorite teams on League Pass again. But beyond that, it’s kinda ????? They added Kelly Oubre, who will add to their already fantastic array of players who are fast and throw down in the open court. The hair flair with him and LaMelo will overload the LeagueFits page. But the Hornets probably also need to see some more growth from LaMelo as a finisher, especially at the rim, but such is the list for a second-year player.
The Hornets are in no rush and they shouldn’t be. But they should be better. If they aren’t, moving on from James Borrego, well-regarded as he is, might be the next move on the board for MJ, Mitch Kupchak and company.
Chicago Bulls – From one Ball to another, we’re here to have more fun. As you may have heard, the Bulls Are Back. And while the joke truly never gets old, what I can say about the Bulls is this is the most talented group they’ve had since trading Jimmy Butler to Minnesota. They were one of the few big spender franchises in free agency, acquiring a whole new backcourt to join All-Star Zach LaVine, bringing in DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso. This is already after acquiring All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline last year.
The Bulls’ defense is expected to have issues with Vooch in the middle and LaVine, but there is hope that the arrival of Ball and Caruso can help fortify their defenses while DeRozan’s arrival should allow LaVine to have more energy on the defensive end. Patrick Williams, Chicago’s No. 4 pick in 2020, who was drafted in large part due to his long arms and big hands, could grow into his own and help those defensive weaknesses. These are all tremendous leaps of faith for an unproven group. One I’m not going to bet on but will gladly enjoy watching.
The Bulls haven’t had this many cool players together in a minute. They just might surprise some people and knock some expected Eastern Conference playoff teams down to the play-in realm, or get there themselves and vault themselves into the first round. The latter should be possible if this collection of talented offensive players can collectively play decent defense.
Five more teams tomorrow.