The wait is finally over, basketball fans, the NBA Preseason is here. After an eventual free agency period, which saw Kawhi (pronounced Kah-why) Leonard traded to the Toronto Raptors, Carmelo Anthony sign with the Houston Rockets, DeMarcus Cousins sign with the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, and especially LeBron James taking his talents to Hollywood and playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s time to cue up Andy Williams’ “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” as we take a look at what to expect heading into the 2018-2019 NBA Season.
Heading into the Western Conference, we take a look at the Northwest Division. There’s been trouble in paradise for the Minnesota Timberwolves, mainly because of Jimmy Butler’s discontent with the organization. Last season, the Timberwolves were in the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, only to be eliminated at the hands of the Houston Rockets. Butler’s frustration manifested by the end of that series, where he mentioned Andrew Wiggins’s lack of play and especially Karl Anthony-Towns’s lack of intensity. Despite trade rumors involving the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and especially the Miami Heat, it seems like Butler will remain put Minnesota…for now. If the Wolves are able to survive the Jimmy Butler drama, they will have meet him halfway, otherwise, their playoff hopes could be diminished greatly.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s offseason was riddled with rumors of Paul George looking to depart in favor of the Los Angeles Lakers. Needless to say, George announced his intention to stay in Oklahoma City, after a first round knockout at the hands of the Utah Jazz and even a fallout with teammate Russell Westbrook. Despite all of this, the Thunder look to start fresh heading into this season. Oklahoma City still have players like Steven Adams, but they also acquired Dennis Schroder from Atlanta and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (pronounced Timothy Lu-wa-wu Cah-bah-rot) from Philadelphia to help their passing and offense. Expect the Thunder to be a top five team in the West.
The Denver Nuggets missed the playoffs last season as they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the final day of the regular season. Since then, Denver traded away Kenneth Faried (pronounced Fah-reed) and Darrell Arthur to Brooklyn for Isaiah Whitehead. The Nuggets still have their core of Nikolai Jokic (pronounced Yo-kich), Paul Millsap, Gary Harris, and Isaiah Thomas, which means the Nuggets look to capitalize from last season and make the postseason for this go around. Denver should be able to get to that point without error.
The Utah Jazz surprised a lot of onlookers during their playoff run, in which they saw how capable Rudy Gobert (pronounced Go-bear) was on both ends of the floor, the passing abilities of Ricky Rubio, and especially the development of Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz were once a team that was under the radar in the West, but with the rest of Mitchell, the Jazz are a team that can no longer be ignored. Along with a core of Dante Exum, Derrick Favors, Jae Crowder, Joe Ingles, and rookie Grayson Allen, the Jazz are a team that will be top four team in the West. Look for Mitchell to increase his game and possibly be an all-star. Same could be said for Gobert and Rubio.
The Portland Trail Blazers were a top three team in the West last season, but you wouldn’t know it from watching them get swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of last season’s playoffs. Jump to now, and the Blazers could not only find themselves on the outside looking in, but they could also find themselves possibly losing Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum by next season or earlier than that. While the jury is still out on the Blazers being a top team this season, that can surely be eclipsed. Portland also signed Nik Stauskas (pronounced Stau-skas) and Seth Curry to help boast their shooting production. It’s going to be a long season for Portland, who are looking to redeem themselves, but how far are they willing to take themselves?
Northwest Division standings prediction
- Oklahoma City or Utah
- Utah or Oklahoma City
- Denver or Minnesota
- Minnesota or Denver
- Portland or Minnesota
The Heat Check Magazine 