Spurs, Celtics line up to crash Warriors-Cavs party
Westbrook appears poised for big year with Thunder
Derrick Rose is back in camp. J.R. Smith finally has a shirt — actually a jersey — on. And the Philadelphia 76ers already are nursing crushing injuries.
In other words, it’s time for the NBA season to begin.
After another summer of free spending with an inflated salary cap leading to stars joining forces for super teams, the last two standing last season — the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors — remain the odds-on favorites to return to the NBA Finals. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of things to watch for — and a few things from which you might want to cover your eyes. Class of the class: The Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games last season but came up short in the Finals. So what do you do? Add the star of the team that nearly kept you from the NBA Finals, breaking the hearts of Oklahoma City Thunder fans as Kevin Durant came aboard. The Warriors were 6-1 in the preseason and provided no hint that they’d be any less super than anticipated. The Cavs lost Timofey Mozgov in free agency but have plenty of talent — including LeBron James — on hand. Can anyone stop them? The San Antonio Spurs are — as we say every year — aging but seem like the other team with the talent to battle the top two. Tim Duncan’s retirement certainly will hurt. The team will be based around Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge.
One surprise team could come from the East, where the Boston Celtics have assembled an interesting unit. For a few years, they were a talented group that played well under Brad Stevens, but by adding Al Horford, along with explosive rookie Jaylen Brown, general manager Danny Ainge is assembling a quiet contender.
The dark horse: Don’t you always feel as if the Los Angeles Clippers have the talent to reach the Finals? And don’t you always find yourself disappointed when they fall apart? Again, there is more than enough talent and experience. And again, we’ll be surprised if it all comes together.
A fall from grace: The Miami Heat’s Pat Riley always seems to have a plan — and this year’s might be to tank the season under the radar. Dwyane Wade was allowed to bolt for the Chicago Bulls; Chris Bosh has been pushed aside; and of all things, the franchise matched an offer to Tyler Johnson. Sound as if Miami is planning to contend? Who is already throwing in the towel? Poor Brett Brown. The 76ers finally began to see the pieces arrive with Joel Embiid healthy and emerging as an early favorite for rookie of the year — but Ben Simmons is out for at least three months, possibly the season, and Nerlens Noel will have a minor surgical procedure. So if you’ve ever played point guard in the NBA — or at a park — the Sixers might be interested. Best offseason pickup: Sure, by landing Durant in Golden State, one of the three best players in the NBA joins the most talented roster. But the Warriors were going to be great with him or without him — and to get him they had to surrender a lot of important pieces. So let’s go instead with Horford, who’s a perfect fit for what the Celtics do, a skilled big man with inside and outside skills, pairing up with their talented perimeter defenders. He took the Hawks as far as he could and might be the piece that pushes Boston to the top of the East.
The MVP is … Durant will be great, as will defending MVP Stephen Curry. While the Warriors have combined forces for a super team, it’s the talent that does things with little help that grabs the attention in the balloting. James will get consideration, but Russell Westbrook, with Durant gone, should put up monster numbers. And if not him, keep an eye on James Harden, who should be a fantasy dream with the ball in his hands and Mike D’Antoni orchestrating the Houston Rockets offense. Most improved team: The Minnesota Timberwolves were loaded with young talent a year ago, and with Tom Thibodeau leading the franchise as coach and president, expect them to take a huge step forward. That might have happened anyway with Karl Anthony Towns, the next NBA star, but under Thibodeau, the rough edges seem ready to be smoothed out. Rookie of the year: With Simmons out, Embiid could finally find his way to a healthy season and display his array of talents to win the award. But No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram of the Los Angeles Lakers has shown flashes of Durant-like skills.