Phx-Suns.Net

I'm gonna start with the East, someone else post the first review of the West! But realize, as I do, that these things have a tendency to appear foolish in retrospect.

1. Cleveland
Added: Kay Felder
Lost: Matthew Dellavedova
Needs: Not much

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the best in the league - even with Kevin Love often disappearing on the court. I have a hard time believing anyone in the east will dethrone them.

2. Detroit
Added: Boban Marjonavic, Ish Smith, Jon Leuer, Henry Ellenson
Lost: Um... who am I missing here?
Needs: An elite wing

Drummond + Marjonivic = the two biggest dudes in the east. Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith are solid at the point. Positions 2-4 leave a lot to be desired offensively, but their toughness and depth at those positions should allow them to develop an identity as a gritty, grind-it-out squad.

3. Boston
Added: Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Gerald Green, Demetrius Jackson
Lost: Jared Sullinger
Needs: An elite shooter, rim protection

Horford's a smart player who should really help Isiah Thomas carry the offense. This team has depth and plays solid perimeter D, so they should be fairly stable on both ends.

4. Indiana
Added: Thad Young, Jeff Teague, Al Jefferson
Lost: Ian Mahinmi, George Hill
Needs: A shooting guard who can shoot, a top center

I love what they did this summer. They have a diversity of talent on the front line, and Lavoy Allen provides stability depth. Paul George is a top talent in his prime. Jeff Teague is an upgrade from George Hill, in my opinion, and Joe Young is solid behind Teague.

5. Chicago
Added: Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, Robin Lopez, Denzel Valentine, Jerian Grant
Lost: Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah

This team gained more than it lost. It'll never quite find balance and stability, though, with its shooters not able to play defense and their defenders not able to shoot. But Dwyane Wade has not played for a losing team in a long time, and Robin Lopez might be the most underrated acquisition of the summer. Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott all have a chance to step up.

6. Toronto
Added: Jared Sullinger, Jakob Poeltl, Jason Thompson
Lost: Bismack Biyombo, Luis Scola
Needs: An elite big, an elite prospect in the backcourt to rebuild with

This team has played hard, but I don't think they're solid up front, and I think they've overachieved until now. They're really weak at the forward spots and lack shooting. But most importantly, the east has improved.

7. New York
Added: Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennnings
Lost: Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, Derrick Williams
Needs: Depth, and our prayers

They finally have talent across their starting positions, but they lack depth everywhere, so you're depending on the health of a lot of players that have been unhealthy. But then they have the Zinger. That kid is for real. It also wouldn't surprise me to see Carmelo put forth a more consistent effort this season.

8. Atlanta
Added: Dwight Howard, Taurean Prince, Jarrett Jack, Deandre Bembry
Lost: Jeff Teague, Al Hoford
Needs: A youth injection

I could be way off base with this one, but I think they lose a lot of the chemistry that kept them ahead of the pack with Teague and Horford gone. Schroeder and Dwight will have to really connect to make this work.

9. Milwaukee
Added: Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic, Jason Terry, Thon Maker
Lost: OJ Mayo, Jarred Bayless
Needs: A go-to scorer

It all depends on Giannis and Jabari. Telly and Delly should be a big help, and Thon could see game time.

10. Charlotte
Added: Roy Hibbert, Ramon Sessions, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Lost: Jeremy Lin, Al Jefferson
Needs: Positions 2, 4 and 5

They're going to really miss Jeremy Lin and the chaos he brought to the offensive side of the ball. Kemba Walker may have another great year, but the roster is thin and there's a big hole in the middle.

11. Orlando
Added: Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo, DJ Augustin
Lost: Victor Oladipo, Andrew Nicholson, Brandon Jennings
Needs: A young guard to step up big-time

It's hard to like what this team did. They have everything invested in their front court, and it doesn't seem to fit. Their most stable backcourt players are Augustin and Fournier, and their three-spot is manned by a young big 2 and a young small 4.

12. Washington
Added: Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson, Josh Smith, Trey Burke
Lost: Jared Dudley, Ramon Sessions, Nene
Needs: Um... Earl Watson?

Look, too much bad juju on this roster. I don't know if they'll be able to channel their anger outward into success. Markieff Morris is on this team.

13. Philadelphia
Added: Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jerryd Bayless, Dario Saric, Gerald Henderson, Sergio Rodriguez
Lost: Ish Smith, and I'm assuming others

This team should be better on talent alone. If Embiid dominates, they could move up the standings near the end of the season and possibly threaten to swap picks with Sacto if Joerger fails to put that house in order.

14. Miami
Added: Dion Waiters, Derrick Williams, Wayne Ellington
Lost: Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Gerald Green

Dragic should have a better year, but this is Hassan Whiteside's team. Justice Winslow doesn't appear ready to be a scorer. I don't see this team having the talent or the heart to break through.

15. Brooklyn
Added: Jeremy Lin, Trevor Booker, Luis Scola, Caris Levert, Yogi Ferrell
Lost: Players, I'm sure
Needs: Jesus

No bites yet. So I'll do the west as well.

1. Golden State
Added: Kevin Durant, Zaza Pachulia, David West, Patrick McCaw, Javale McGee
Lost: Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli, Leandro Barbosa, Brandon Rush
Needs: Health, rim protection

I think Durant will fit in with Golden State’s offense, and Zaza is an underrated pickup. But they also lost their only two rim protectors. The death lineup worked well last year, but now it seems like they’ll have to go to it all the time.

2. LA Clippers
Added: Brice Johnson, Raymond Felton, Marreese Speights, Brandon Bass, Alan Anderson
Lost: Cole Aldrich
Needs: Wings

I think Johnson, Felton and Speights are solid pickups. But they don’t address their weaknesses. I’d be surprised if this team isn’t more focused than in years past.
3. San Antonio
Added: Pau Gasol, David Lee, Dejounte Murray, Davis Bertans, Dewayne Dedmon, Ryan Arcidiacono
Lost: Tim Duncan, David West, Boris Diaw, Boban Marjonovic
Needs: Young guys to step up

One of Jonathan Simmons or Kyle Anderson needs to crack this rotation, and even then, I have significant doubts about this squad. Parker and Manu have aged, and Pau Gasol is no Tim Duncan.

4. Oklahoma City
Added: Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, Domantas Sabonis, Ronnie Price, Joffrey Lauvergne
Lost: Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Dion Waiters
Needs: A starting small forward

Russell Westbrook is about to go craaazy. While he won’t have a ton of help on offense aside from Kanter and, to an extent, Oladipo, the team around him is hard-nosed and will have a chip on their shoulders.

5. Utah
Added: George Hill, Joe Johnson, Dante Exum, Boris Diaw, Joel Bolomboy, Jeff Withey
Lost: Trey Burke, Trevor Booker, Tibor Pleiss
Needs: Health, chemistry

The tools are there for this team to get home court advantage in the playoffs, but with so many young guys on the roster, one has to worry about consistency. Still, I see them as a lock for the playoffs.

6. Memphis
Added: Chandler Parsons, Tony Wroten, Wade Baldwin IV
Lost: Matt Barnes, Mario Chalmers
Needs: Health, badly

A solid starting lineup, but all five starters have had major injury problems in the past, and they’re thin – very thin. I see another streaky season in the cards.

7. Portland
Added: Evan Turner, Festus Ezeli
Lost: Gerald Henderson, Tim Frazier
Needs: To consolidate

I have a hard time believing this team will continue to overperform next season. I don’t expect a lot of internal improvement from Vonleh, Leonard, Plumlee, McCollum, Aminu, Crabbe, or Harkless. But they play hard and they play together, and that should be enough.

8. Minnesota
Added: Tom Thibodeau, Kris Dunn, Cole Aldrich, Brandon Rush
Lost: ???
Needs: Only time

By adding Dunn, they’re no longer as susceptible to the ebbs and flows of Ricky Rubio’s health. They’ve got a lot of tools and a great coach to provide stability. If they don’t make the playoffs, that’s a minor disappointment.

9. Phoenix
Added: Jared Dudley, Tyler Ulis, Leandro Barbosa, Marqueese Chriss, Dragan Bender
Lost: Mirza Teletovic, Jon Leuer, Ronnie Price
Needs: For Warren, Booker and Chriss to contribute

Homer alert? The biggest change from last season should be, simply, the removal of the cancerous Markieff Morris, who drove this tank into the ground. I think Brandon Knight will be an improved player from the bench. One of Chandler or Len needs to be a stable, positive force for this team to be successful. But the problem is youth, and this team is sure to have growing pains.

10. Houston
Added: Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Nene, Gary Payton III, Sam Dekker, Pablo Prigioni
Lost: Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones, Josh Smith
Needs: To overhaul the overhaul

Have there ever been a pair of starters as bad on the defensive end as Harden and Anderson? I suppose this is awfully pessimistic, given that the Rockets have one of the few bona fide go-to guys in the league, but they’ve lost Howard and replaced him with players who are even more injury prone. They’re a Harden injury away from losing a bunch of games.

11. Sacramento
Added: Dave Joerger, Arron Afflalo, Matt Barnes, Ty Lawson, Anthony Tolliver, Garrett Temple, Georgios Papagiannis, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere
Lost: Rajon Rondo, Marco Bellinelli, Seth Curry, James Anderson, Quincy Acy
I think Joerger will improve this bunch. Afflalo’s an upgrade, and Barnes brings toughness, but there’s not a lot of talent around Cousins, and I don’t see much internal improvement happening here.

12. Dallas
Added: Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Seth Curry
Lost: Chandler Parsons, Zaza Pachulia, Raymond Felton, Javale McGee, Jeremy Evans, David Lee
Needs: Draft picks

I keep being proven wrong about this team, as Carlisle works his wonders. But I don’t like Harrison Barnes, and Zaza was a big loss (bigger than Parsons). If they play with pride, I’ll look like a fool. If they get bit by the injury bug, I will have successfully played the odds.

13. Denver
Added: Jamal Murray, Juan Hernangomez, Michael Beasley, Petr Cornelie, Wilson Chandler
Lost: Joffrey Lauvergne, DJ Augustin, Randy Foye
Needs: To consolidate

Much depends on how well you think Jokic and Mudiay will perform this season. Chandler and Gallinari could help them substantially, but they’ve been out so frequently that it’s hard to say. They’re relying on development from a lot of young players, like the Suns. But unlike the Suns, they have no stabilizing vets. At least that’s the rationale I’m going with.

14. New Orleans
Added: Buddy Hield, Solomon Hill, Terrence Jones, Cheick Diallo, Langston Galloway, Tim Frazier, E’Twuan Moore
Lost: Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, Ish Smith
Needs: Health and good vibes

They didn’t lose much (aside from Ish), but they also didn’t add a difference maker. This team lacks offense and outside shooting, and I just don’t trust a rookie to provide the sort of lift they need. As always, much depends on AD’s health.

15. LA Lakers
Added: Luol Deng, Timofey Mozgov, Brandon Ingram, Yi Jianlian, Ivica Zubac, Jose Calderon,
Lost: Kobe Bryant, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, Nick Young
Needs: To continue to lose forever and ever

Bonus: Lottery Standings

1. Boston (from Brooklyn)
2. LA Lakers
3. New Orleans
4. Miami
5. Philadelphia
6. Washington
7. Denver
8. Dallas
9. Orlando
10. Charlotte
11. Chicago (from Sacramento)
12. Milwaukee
13. Houston
14. Phoenix
15. Minnesota
16. Atlanta
17. Portland
18. Denver (from Memphis)
19. New York
20. Toronto
21. Chicago
22. Indiana
23. Utah
24. Oklahoma City
25. Brooklyn (from Boston)
26. Detroit
27. San Antonio
28. Toronto (from LA Clippers)
29. Cleveland
30. Utah (from Golden State)

East:
1.- Cleveland
2.- Toronto
3.- Atlanta
4.- Boston
5.- Indiana
6.- Milwaukee
7.- Chicago
8.- Orlando

West:
1.- GSW
2.- LAC
3.- SAS
4.- HOU
5.- POR
6.- OKC
7.- MEM
8.- DAL

East:

Cleveland
Boston
Toronto
Indiana
Atlanta
Detroit
Charlotte

West:

GSW
SAS
LAC
OKC
Memphis
Houston
Utah
Portland

Not feeling particularly solid about bottom 4 in either conference.

How many teams in the east do you think aren't expecting playoffs? I think only Nets and 76ers, which should make it very interesting. It was already very tight last year.

In the West, I think Houston will be pretty good this year. I don't think OKC will be as high as many have listed them; I think they are a fringe playoff team. In the East I think Milwaukee is super overrated.

Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:In the West, I think Houston will be pretty good this year. I don't think OKC will be as high as many have listed them; I think they are a fringe playoff team. In the East I think Milwaukee is super overrated.

Especially now that Middleton is out...

I actually think the east may finally be more talented than the west. It's been a long, long time since that was the case.

I'm curious about the love for Utah. Can anybody explain why you think they will be much better than last season?

O_Gardino wrote:NOP - If healthy, this is a very good team.

Holiday is already out for an indefinite period of time to attend to his wife, who's battling brain cancer. They lost Ish Smith, Eric Gordon, and Ryan Anderson, and added Terrence Jones, E'Tuan Moore, Tim Frazier, Langston Galloway, Buddy Hield, Lance Stephenson, Kendrick Perkins and Solomon Hill. AD is going to have to be incredible to take that team to the playoffs. Just a ton of below-average players on that team.

OE32 wrote:

O_Gardino wrote:NOP - If healthy, this is a very good team.

Holiday is already out for an indefinite period of time to attend to his wife, who's battling brain cancer. They lost Ish Smith, Eric Gordon, and Ryan Anderson, and added Terrence Jones, E'Tuan Moore, Tim Frazier, Langston Galloway, Buddy Hield, Lance Stephenson, Kendrick Perkins and Solomon Hill. AD is going to have to be incredible to take that team to the playoffs. Just a ton of below-average players on that team.

Well, AD is incredible. Plus, I'm betting that Holiday doesn't miss many games and that Hield turns out to be a legit NBA player.

I think the Pelicans are cursed. They just seem to be injured and underachieve every year. I wouldn't bet on them to make the playoffs.

I think many of you are overestimating Memphis. They're old, slow and have massive injury issues. I've also got no reason to think they've upgraded at coach.

1 warriors
2 clippers
3 spurs
4 grizzlies
5 houston
6

other teams in contention for last 3 spots in no order: suns, portland, minny, utah, okc, pelicans

1 warriors
2 clippers
3 spurs
4 grizzlies
5 houston
6

other teams in contention for last 3 spots in no order: suns, minny, utah, okc, pelicans

Shabazz wrote:I think many of you are overestimating Memphis. They're old, slow and have massive injury issues. I've also got no reason to think they've upgraded at coach.

Obviously, any of these teams could fall off with injuries, but the Grizz were 7th last season even with crushing injuries. They play an effective style of basketball for their players, and they 45 wins is enough to put a team in the middle of the pack these days. I think they can get 45.

If Chandler Parsons can stay healthy and get back to playing like he was 3 years ago, they'll be solidly in the middle. New coach too tho, but I can't imagine much changing in terms of system/style.

ShelC wrote:If Chandler Parsons can stay healthy and get back to playing like he was 3 years ago, they'll be solidly in the middle. New coach too tho, but I can't imagine much changing in terms of system/style.

It's just their bench. They have Brandan Wright, JayMychal Green, Vince Carter, and... I want to say that Troy Williams might be the best of the rest. They just have a slew of way-below-average players on that roster. That'll bite you over the course of 82 games, even without significant injuries.

I have given up on Memphis. Not sure they have enough shooting or athleticism to compete for the playoffs. And I have never been a Chandler Parsons fan; I think he's one of the most overrated players in the NBA. I don't think he moves the needle for them, or for anybody really. What's the word on Marc Gasol's health?