Another LeBron free agency has come and gone and in its conclusion the Lakers landed their next star who will now follow the shadows left by many greats like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Jerry West, and many others. Some thought LeBron's decision would serve as a domino for many other moves, however many of the league's other free agent stars opted to resign, including Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Paul George, Nikola Jokic, and Clint Capella. Some things remain uncertain, foremost the stalemate between Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs. Carmello Anthony is likely on his way to a contender for a veteran's minimum salary, and other big names have been the subject of trade talks such as Kemba Walker and Jimmy Butler. After all the cards were dealt, a huge lopside was present between the conferences, with the West commanding all of the league's active MVP winners (James, Durant, Curry, Harden, Westbrook, Nowizski) and 9 of the league's top 10 players (I have Giannis as the East's lone member). In fact the East currently has only 2 or 3 active players to reach an all NBA first team (John Wall and Dwight Howard, though Dwayne Wade would make 3 if he forgoes retirement to return to Miami), 2 of which are well past their prime. Alas, #1 will come as no surprise as the rest of the league remains chasing the evil empire that is the Golden State Warriors but 2-30 provides more speculation and debate. So without further to do...
#30. Orlando Magic
Despite a promising, lengthy, young front court the Magic check in at last place due to the lack of guard depth behind Evan Fournier and Jonathan Simmons, who aren't exactly all stars themselves. That being said the positive of this team is it's youth, lenth, and athleticism in the front court, where a few years down the road the trio of Aaron Gordon, Mo Bamba, and Jonathan Isaac can make life difficult for teams inside the arch and if developed can be dangerous offensively as well. The depth is great here as well with guys like Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo serving as 2 of the league's better big men off the bench. The development of the young guys will be crucial, as this organization has not been one of the better developmental ones in the past. Exhibit A is how good Victor Oladipo became 2 years after leaving the organization, and the failed experiments of Mario Hzonja and Elfird Payton could be pointed to as well.
#29. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are another team in a full on rebuild, but at least they can believe they may have found the starting block in Trae Young. Young is a high risk/ high reward pick, he could be anywhere from the next Steph Curry to a huge bust. Trading away Luca Doncic may prove to be foolish, but for Atlanta to get their man and still secure a likely lottery pick in next year's draft seems like a good deal in the present. Last year's first round pick John Collins looks like a player with high potential as well, and the Hawks will continue to be optimistic for the development of their young wings such as Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembry. But Young is the key and his development will be key to where Atlanta will find themselves 4-5 years from now. But for 2018-19 they are not expected to win many games.
#28. Sacramento Kings
The Kings are building a nice collection of young talent, adding Marvin Bagley III with the 2nd overall pick in June's draft. He is the youngest piece to a group that also includes D'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Willie Caulie-Stein, Justin Jackson, and Harry Giles. With more young pieces in place there's more reason for optimism for Sacramento then there is for Orlando or Atlanta, but the disparity between the West and East could force the Kings into the lowest win total of the 3. This group could get better with seasoning and proper development but for this year expectations should remain relatively low.
#27. Brooklyn Nets
Credit where credit is due, I think most of us thought the Nets would be the league's worst team next year and that was not the case. Are they still going to suck this year? Yeah, unfortunately. But the team finally starts having first round picks again starting this summer and the front office has done a nice job striking reasonable deals and creating cap space to make moves next summer. So while in prior years the Nets seemed hopeless, they can finally begin to look forward to higher draft picks and chasing free agents in the summer. But this year they will still be towards the bottom.
#26. Cleveland Cavaliers
It's always surprising to see a team in last year's finals sitting in the bottom 5 but I truly think Cleveland will be clueless without the league's best player to bail out its otherwise less than mediocre roster. Kevin Love will likely become the focal point of the offense, as its lone all star caliber player. Collin Sexton was a good pick at 8, giving the Cavs another ball dominant, pick & roll player they can build around. Past those 2, the Cavs have a slew of older overpaid players and not much young talent to work with. Cleveland is a team I expect to be active in trying to trade players in exchange for picks and younger assets as it hits the reset button and adjusts to life after LeBron.
#25. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are another team progressing through a rebuild but are doing a decent job of it. Zach LaVine, Lauri Markannen, and Kris Dunn all are young pieces coming off good years, and the Wendell Carter pick is a good one that fills a need and gives the Bulls a good young duo of big men who can also shoot from outside. The Bulls are still too young to win many games so the focus of next season should be more aimed at developing its young guys and maximizing their minutes on the floor together.
#24. New York Knicks
The Knicks 2018-19 season will largely depend on when Kristaps Porzingis, who continues to recover from a torn ACL just before last season's all star break. But the Knicks should allow Porzingis to heal and rehab at his own pace and use that time as an opportunity to develop its other young prospects such as Frank Ntilikita and Kevin Knox. Once healthy, Porzingis gives the Knicks a capable star to work through that the other rebuilding teams lack. But an ACL is nothing to rush the recovery of, especially when the team has no reason to be winning immediately, thus I expect the Knicks 2018-19 win total to stay low.
#23. Charlotte Hornets
Our countdown is now progressing from the rebuilders, to the "a little bit short of the middle of the road" teams. I expect the Hornets to trade Kemba Walker prior to the February deadline, and begin their rebuild around Malik Monk and Miles Bridges, but until then Walker remains on the roster and one of the league's best point guards and this ranking will reflect as such. If he is still on the roster come April, there's a chance the Hornets are in the playoff race, but the more likely scenario still involves the Hornets moving Walker, as well as other veterans whose window is closing such as Nicholas Batum (a contract they would love to dump) and Marvin Williams and resetting with the younger pieces.
#22. Phoenix Suns
The Suns are on the verge of exiting the rebuild with the proper places now in piece. They have their elite scorer in Devon Booker whom they can run the offense through and who will serve as the centerpiece. DeAndre Ayton has a chance to be a legit big man in this league and dominate the middle on both ends. Signing Trevor Ariza gives the Suns a veteran presence and helps them stretch the floor with his shooting. The Suns then traded for Mikal Bridges to give the roster a second top 10 pick from this year's draft class. If other young pieces like Josh Jackson and Marquesse Chriss can take steps forward and if the Suns can still get production from the other vets like Tyson Chandler then this a fringe playoff team, and probably is a playoff team in the East.
#21. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies still believe they are a 'win now' team and intend to ride Mike Conley and Marc Gasol for at least one more year. When healthy, those 2 guys are top 10 at their respective positions. Despite tampering with trading away the 4th overall pick, the Grizzlies retained the pick and selected Jaren Jackson Jr., who is one of the best 2 way players in this class. Past those 3, the roster leaves little to be desired, and given the strength of the West it wouldn't surprise me to see the Grizzlie's 2 stars on the trading block if they don't find themselves in the top 4 or 5 teams of the conference, which I don't think they will.
#20. Los Angeles Clippers
Just a little over a year ago the Clips still had Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. Now, all 3 find themselves on different teams. Fortunately for the Clippers they were able to trade the best 2 of that group (Paul and Griffin) and get some decent return. The current roster now lacks an all star caliber player but has a slew of veteran B-list players, including Tobias Harris, Danillo Galinari, Patrick Beverly, Avery Bradley, Marcin Gortat, Wesley Johnson, and the reigning 6th man of the year Lou Williams. They found their point guard of the future in Shai Gilgious-Alexander who may even prove to be the best point guard of this draft class if he can show the same growth he did in one season at Kentucky. The Clippers may opt to blow up the roster come the trade deadline, as the rest of the West is too competitive for this group and the franchise could use some more young blood to compliment Gilgious-Alexander. The lack of big men behind Gortat may also prove problematic for the Clips, who have a guard heavy roster and not a single true power forward.
#19. Dallas Mavericks
In terms of starting 5's the Mavericks quietly boast one of the more well-rounded groups in the league with Dennis Smith Jr, Luca Doncic, Harrison Barnes, Dirk Nowitski, and DeAndre Jordan. The latter 3 are proven veterans, DSJ is coming off a solid rookie campaign, and if Doncic is half of what he was in Spain then this 5 is solid. Strengthening the bench with some scorers could give Dallas a great shot of landing one of the West's last playoff spots but regardless it's a team that could surprise some people.
#18. Detroit Pistons
The one big positive for the Pistons is that they have the best big man duo in the East with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. In fact, that may make them the only team in the league with 2 guys who can average 25 & 10. The bad news is that it's quite a drop from those 2 to the remainder of the roster. Stanley Johnson and Luke Kennard are still in developmental mode but will both likely be thrust into starting roles and Reggie Jackson probably doesn't even scratch the top 20 point guards in the league. Assuming that's the starting 5, there are even less positives to say about the bench. The big men will need to shoulder the load if Detroit is to be in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
#17. Miami Heat
Few teams were able to match Miami's depth last season, who boast a roster full of 2nd tier players who can hurt opponents in a variety of ways. Unfortunately for the Heat they sit in cap room hell right now owing a lot of big money to a lot of players in their late 20s and early 30s. Thus as other teams in the conference are improving, the Heat appear to be running in place. That being said, this is still a team with a lot of talent on the roster and arguably a top 5 coach. They shoot the 3 well, they defend, they play with a lot of grit. There is still enough here to return to the playoffs, but it's tough to envision them going far once they're there.
#16. Washington Wizards
The Wizards find themselves in the middle of the pack because that embodies what they have been in recent years, painfully mediocre. In drafting John Wall, the Wizards landed one of the best if not the best player in franchise history, but have struggled to build around him and the sharpshooting Bradley Beal. Dwight Howard is a nice addition, who quietly had a pretty good season last year, averaging 17 & 14 while staying healthy. Duplicating that level of production would be an upgrade from Marcin Gortat. Otto Porter Jr and Kelly Oubre continue to improve with seasoning as well. If Wall and Howard manage to stay healthy you should bank on the win total improving, however this group has never gone past the 2nd round of the playoffs and I see no reason to believe that will change this season.
#15. Portland Trailblazers
This year in Portland will be very telling. The Trailblazers pay Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum too much money not to at least win a playoff series, let alone game (they have lost 10 straight!!). Yet still this team found a way to win 49 games and finish 3rd in an extremely competitive Western Conference. The Blazers are the counter part to the Pistons, 2 extremely talented guards and not much else to support. Portland will likely still have a successful regular season, but winning in the playoffs remains a monkey on the back for this team and I'm not sure there's enough personnel behind the guards to get it done in 2019.
#14. Milwaukee Bucks
With the departure of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo now becomes the best individual player in the Eastern Conference. The organization has done a nice job of surrounding him with assets like Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, Malcom Brogden, and John Henson. Donte DiVincezo is a solid draft pick who can add scoring a perimeter shooting to the line up. The Bucks are close, may be another shooter away from being a real contender in this conference, but if Giannis can take the next step then he and these Bucks may just be the dark horse to win the East.
#13. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have built an excellent collection of young talent with high potential, the next step for this group would be reaching the playoffs, who finished 1 game behind Minnesota and San Antonio for 7th & 8th last season. 3 of the starters, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Gary Harris, are all 23 or younger and just beginning to scratch the surface of their potential. If Michael Porter Jr. proves to be healthy following his back surgery, he could be the steal of the draft and add a 4th youngster and fill a hole at small forward for the Nuggets. Paul Milsapp remains productive and gives this group a veteran presence, and the addition of Isiah Thomas will add to that and could prove another great addition if he can reach anywhere near his pre injury form in Boston. The Nuggets are probably still a couple years away from being a true contender in the West, but as other 'win now' teams begin to deteriorate this franchise will be primed to make a move towards the top.
#12. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers greatly exceeded their expectations last season, many had them only winning 30-35 games following the Paul George trade. Few foresaw Victor Oladipo taking the league by storm and becoming the league's most improved player and an all star. There is super star potential hear if he can continue to develop. Myles Turner is also an excellent young piece that the Pacers can build around. The additions of Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott also add depth and scoring options, and exchanging Al Jefferson for Kyle O'Quinn is an upgrade down low. Everyone is pinning Boston, Philly, and Toronto as the heavy favorites but the Pacers are another potential sleeper in the East and one that could make some noise come playoff time.
#11. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans would be inside the top 10 had they resigned DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo, which gave them a 2nd legitimate scorer and rebounder and a pass first guard who elevated his game in the playoffs. Unfortunately, both ultimately walked and were replaced with Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton, who while solid players probably are downgrades from Boogie and Rondo. Still, Anthony Davis is a top 3 player in this league who can carry this team, and Jrue Holiday is arguably a top 5 2-way player who had a terrific post season. Behind those 2, the roster is lacking, and thus the Pelicans may take a small step backward, but still this team was probably the 3rd best team in the West last season once the playoffs were said and done and thus are still a force to be reckoned with.
#10. San Antonio Spurs
Yes, this ranking is still reflecting the assumption that the Spurs will ultimately be without Kawhi Leonard. But many forget this team only had Leonard for 9 games last season and still managed to win 47 games and make the Western Conference playoffs. The roster still has a slew of talented veterans in LaMarcus Aldridge, Manu Ginobli, Pau Gasol, Danny Green, and Rudy Gay and a pair of young pieces with high potential in DeJounte Murray and Lonnie Walker. And let's not overlook the fact that they're coached by the league's best in Greg Poppovich. No, they aren't going to contend with Golden State and Houston, but they did prove last year that they can compete and win games without Kawhi.
#9. Minnesota Timberwolves
If they can work out the locker room kinks, there's enough talent on this roster to finish in the top 10 with a big 3 of Jimmy Butler, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Andrew Wiggins. Furthermore the gritty veterans like Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, and Derrick Rose should further compliment the young trio, along with Gorgui Deng. The team itself hasn't really undergone any changes from last season, so building on their recently ended 14 year playoff drought will be dependent on the growth of the young stars as well as the aforementioned chemistry.
#8. Toronto Raptors
Perhaps no team was more overjoyed to see LeBron exit the East than the Raptors, who have lost 10 straight playoff games to LeBron and the Cavs. Upon being swept out for the 2nd consecutive year, all signs pointed to the Raptors blowing up the roster and starting over following the departure of Dwayne Casey, but now the Raptors seem to want to give it another ride. Because of the post season woes along with all the hype around Boston and Philadelphia , it's easy to forget that this group won a franchise high 59 games last season, which was also the highest in the conference. The same group remains intact, with Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry leading the charge with strong support from Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valenciunas, OG Annunoby, Fred Vanvleet, Lucas Nogueira, Norman Powell, and Jakob Poetl. With Cleveland no longer a contender, it will be interesting to see if this group can pace themselves with the Celtics and Sixers.
#7. Utah Jazz
The pieces are coming together for the Jazz, who after an 18-29 start finished the season as one of the league'hottesest teams (tied for 4th in the West) and upset the Thunder in the first round before ultimately losing to the Warriors in 5. They hit the jackpot in last year's draft by selecting Donavan Mitchell, who was a prolific scorer and who would have won Rookie of the Year had Ben Simmons not been eligible. They have a great rim protector and the Defensive Player of the Year in Rudy Gobert, and they have a top 5 coach in Quinn Snyder. The roster runs deep with Ricky Rubio, Derrick Favors, Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder, and Dante Exum, and added another good perimeter shooter in Grayson Allen. They may still lack the firepower to keep up with Golden State and Houston but this well rounded unit could finish 3rd in the conference.
#6. Oklahoma City Thunder
Carmello Anthony and his 28 million pounds of dead weight will not be a part of this roster come the beginning of the season and once again this ranking is reflecting that. Once that transaction has been completed, the Thunder can chalk up this offseason as a 'W' also factoring in the resigning of Paul George, which seemed highly unlikely a year ago. PG and Russell Westbrook alone give this team a flurry of offense and the return of Andre Roberson will give the team a huge lift defensively as well, while Steven Adams continues to hold the fort down in the middle. Nerlens Noel is a nice addition that adds more defense and depth behind Adams. The lack of perimeter shooters is the biggest thing holding the Thunder back from the 2 mainWestern Conference rivals, and although getting out of Carmello's contract is a great thing, his career high 169 3 pointers will need to come from somewhere else. The superstar duo can only do so much with a thin bench and a lack of shooters.
#5. Philadelphia 76ers
Do you trust the process yet? Joel Embiid is the best center in the conference, maybe even the league if DeMarcus Cousins doesn't return to pre-injury form. Ben Simmons is a jump shot away from being a mini LeBron, and if Markelle Fultz can stay healthy and live up to his hype when the Sixer's traded up to draft him first overall last year then we have a scary good trio. Did I mention they are all 24 or younger? The roster is loaded with good role players behind the big 3 as well. Robert Covington is a great young 3&D player, JJ Reddick is a sniper from deep, and Dario Saric is a tough as nails power forward. Trading back for Zhaire Smith allowed the Sixers to add the best athlete in the draft class and yet another unprotected future first round pick. Sixers/Celtics has the potential to be a great Eastern Conference rivalry for years to come, one that will only be further fueled by Embiid's love for trash talking and social media. Trust the process, trust the process indeed.
#4. Los Angeles Lakers
Look, when you add the best player in the world, maybe ever, you jump from the bottom of the food chain to the top 5. LeBron James is the ultimate trump card of this league, the alpha and the omega. While further adding Kawhi Leonard or Paul George would have made the Lakers an instant title contender, the front office had a great plan B of creating a roster that had a sufficient balance of winning veterans and promising young prospects. Rajon Rondo gives the team a pass first guard who also defends and one with plenty of playoff and Finals experience. Lance Stephenson is a terrific defender who gave LeBron fits for years in Indiana. JaVale McGee provides rim protection inside and more Finals experience. Lonzo Ball is another pass first point guard with great handles and good decision making and Brandon Ingram is turning into a great 2nd option as a scoring wing. Also good young players are Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart, who have overachieved thus far. There's a good collection of talent and grit here, which always makes things interesting when The King is the centerpiece.
#3. Boston Celtics
People always mention how the Warriors can start 4 all stars, but hypothetically Boston could do the same in Irving, Hayward, Horford, and Tatum. Even Jaylen Brown has all star potential and rounds out a very complete starting 5. Furthermore this is one of the league's strongest benches with Marcus Smart (assuming they do bring him back), Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris, and Aaron Baynes. And like the Sixers, this team is youthful and should be expected to contend in the East for years to come. Brown and Tatum are 21 and 20, Smart and Rozier are both 24, and Irving is 26. And they're coached by mastermind Brad Stevens, who is 41 years young himself. This group has it all, athleticism, shooting, defense, mental toughness. They're my pick to win the East and I think they could surprise the Western champ as well.
#2. Houston Rockets
Let's not forget the Rockets were one bad hamstring and/or one cold shooting night away from dethroning the champs and more than likely winning the title themselves. The Rockets are an offensive juggernaut with reigning MVP James Harden, another top 10 player in Chris Paul, one of the best young centers in Clint Capella (assuming he returns) and a plethora of 3 point shooters surrounding them (Eric Gordon, PJ Tucker, Ryan Anderson), perhaps even Carmello gets added. They play fast and they make many 3's. The depth is lacking with the departures of Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, and the Rockets were only playing a 7 man rotation last postseason prior to that, thus still making them underdogs to the....
#1. Golden State Warriors
The Pope is still Catholic, water is still wet, and Golden State is still the best team in basketball by a country mile. Once DeMarcus Cousins is healthy, this team's starting 5 will all be made up of top 25 players, any of whom could score 25 points on any given night. Oh yeah, and they still have Andre Iguodala coming off the bench. Many believe they would beast this year's Eastern Conference All Star's in a 7 game series. I don't need to elaborate here, it's Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and DeMarcus Cousins. I mean there are ways they could lose, right? They could get hit by an airplane, they could unleash the TS-19 virus. Joking aside, we will all be greatly surprised if Golden State isn't 3-peating, I would even consider it an upset if it takes more than 5 games against any opponent along the way.
