Mo, Ro, and Drew’s NBA predictions

 1. The NBA’s biggest surprise will be… 

Mo
Individually or as a team?  Individually, Anthony Davis.  He's my MVP pick this year.  Teamwise, probably the Washington Professional Basketball Team.  Last year they were a team with all the talent but none of the experience.  Paul Pierce adds that.  Also sneaky good signings in DeJuan Blair and Kris Humphries, and Glen Rice Jr was one of the standouts of summer league.  Deep, talented, and deadly.

Ro

 That Andrew Wiggins is not going to be that good this year. I doubt he will get much playing time. The kid is still 18 really isn’t ready to play in the NBA. Defensively he looks sharp but he is a project on the offensive side of the ball. Teamwise, I don't think we realize how bad the Indiana Pacers will be without Paul George and Lance Stephenson. I'd say they'd miss the playoffs but they are in the east. I don't think that they will have a winning record. 

Drew: 

Hornets

2. The winner of the eastern conference will be…

                   

 Mo- Washington Professional Basketball Team for all the reasons above.  They're the biggest, the strongest, and don't have a weak spot on their roster.  If Nene and Gortat play with the sort of motivation they did all year last year, they'll be hard to beat.  

Ro- Cleveland. You just can’t deny how good this team is. LBJ’s first year in South beach the team was in the number 1 seed. This is Lebron’s second time playing with a big three. He’ll know

what to do and how to do it. I have a hard time seeing anyone in the east even holding a candle to a team that has Kyrie Irving, K-Love, and the guy that should be the MVP every year. 

Drew

Cleveland



3. The runner up of the eastern conference will be… 

Mo-Chicago Bulls.  I'm really worried about their defense, and the fact that Mike Dunleavy Jr. is their starting small forward.  I feel like this team is almost too deep - there are too many good players that will want to contribute minutes, and this might create some uneasiness in the locker room.  Would love to see a trade at some point to upgrade at small forward.  

Ro-Chicago Bulls. They drafted well. They signed well. They recovered well. Coach Thib is the best coach in the NBA not named Greg Popavich. He had a competitive team with one only All-Star last year. This year they have everyone back and have added Pau Gasol. They’ll threaten Cleveland but will fall just short.

Drew: Bulls

4. The Winner of the Western Conference will be… 

Mo-San Antonio Spurs.  Did you see what they did last year?  It doesn't matter if they get worse; they were leaps and bounds better than every other team last year.  

Ro-San Antonio Spurs. The thing I’ve learned over the past five years is not to bet against the spurs. They are like a fine wine. They only get better with age.

Drew

San Antonio

5. The runner up of the of the Western Conference will be… 

Mo- Clippers. I see the Thunder taking a step back, with KD being injured, and the Thunder didn't really do anything to get better. This is the year for Chris Paul. They wouldn't have bowed out last year if not for the chaos of the Sterling controversy, and this would be a great way to kick off the Balmer Era in LA.

Ro- Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Clippers will be a very close second. KD will only miss the first six weeks of the season. That event will help Russel Westbrook grow. OKC will be what they are every year. KD and Westbrook will be just good enough to hide the fact that Scott Brooks has no idea how to run a basketball team. Just watch them for more than a highlight and you’ll realize that the team doesn't have an offense.

Drew-

Blazers

6. The worst in the East will be… Mo-The 76ers.  Unlike other bad teams, they're not even interesting to watch (sorry Rojo).  I honestly believe that taking to this extent is damaging; players get better by tasting success, not learning bad habits because they're being pummeled into the ground over and over again.  Long term, I think this is a very damaging approach.  

Ro-The 76ers. I lived in Philly for two years and everyone’s favorite player was Iverson (this was when Iverson was completely irrelevant/retired/Skidrow drunk). The fact of the matter is no one in that city pays attention to basketball and that includes the front office of the 76ers. 
Drew

Magic 

7. The worst in the West will be 

This is tough, because every team in the West is so good.  I guess you have to say the Lakers, if only because Kobe will try to do too much every night, and the team won't be able to guard pretty much anyone.  

The Utah Jazz. Despite their preseason, I don’t not believe in a team that offers a max contract to Gordon B. Hayward and then drafts a combo-guard that no one has seen play in a year and a half. Yes Exum had a marginally productive preseason. Yes they won all but one of their games.  Yes, I am in complete denial that the Los Angeles Lakers will probably be the worst in the west.

Drew 

Jazz