ANTHONY GETTINO
Special to The Leader
As we head toward midterms this semester, basketball starts to become more prevalent, in particular, the NBA season.
Some history:
Anthony Davis went to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Clippers got free agent Kawhi Leonard and traded for former Oklahoma City star Paul George.
Kevin Durant left the Golden State Warriors to team up in Brooklyn on the Nets with former Celtic Kyrie Irving.
Kemba Walker was acquired in a sign and trade by the Boston Celtics.
The Los Angeles Pelicans were created by New Orleans adding Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart.
Zion went to the New Orleans Pelicans first overall.
JJ Reddick put his 100% playoff streak on the line by joining the Pelicans.
Russell Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets from OKC for Chris Paul.
The East is again looking to be less competitive compared to the West, with the likelihood of a team winning 47-50 games not making the playoffs from the West while a team or two in the East will squeak in with a losing record.
The teams from the East that are looking pretty good this year:
Philadelphia 76ers: They have Joel Embiid, newly acquired Al Horford, and the three point sharpshooter Ben Simmons carrying the roster toward a late round playoff push. Their bench, however, is not too great.
Atlanta Hawks: I don’t think they’ll actually be good, but they will be fun to watch with Trae Young.
Miami Heat: Even without Dwayne Wade, they will be a sixth seed with the addition of Jimmy Butler.
Boston Celtics: They were supposed to be the team from the East in the Finals last year, but were hard chokers. They replace Kyrie Irving at the point guard position with Kemba Walker and return Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward.
Toronto Raptors: It will be interesting to see how they look without their Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
Brooklyn Nets: They have that good, young team and added Kyrie Irving for this year and Kevin Durant for next year.
Milwaukee Bucks: They have Giannis Antetekounmpo and some solid people around him.
Indiana Pacers: Victor Oladipo is good and Malcolm Brogdon is a great sidekick for him surrounded by a bunch of above average players.
Every other team will either be mediocre or absolute garbage.
In the West, every team but the Phoenix Suns could be a 40+ game-winner this year.
The Lakers have Lebron and Anthony Davis; nothing else needs to be said. They also have guys who can shoot this year.
The Warriors went to the Finals last year, but lost Kevin Durant.
The Clippers are somehow the title favorite over the other California teams above, but I don’t see it happening even with that amazing bench and two top five players in the league.
Denver Nuggets: This team was the second seed last year and was just too young and inexperienced. They’re going to be dangerous for years to come.
Sacramento Kings: Same here except they’re the lite version of Denver, not making the playoffs but having a great core themselves.
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum can carry this team far, as evidenced by their trip to the Western Conference Finals.
Houston Rockets: They have James Harden and Russell Westbrook. They’re a top-tier team.
San Antonio Spurs: They will make the playoffs for as long as Coach Pop is around, no matter how bad that roster is.
Utah Jazz: They have Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert and the best defense in the NBA.
Dallas Mavericks: Luca Doncic is gonna be a stud and Kristaps Prozingis is a unicorn of a big guy.