Golden State Warriors 2012-2013 preview

The Golden State Warriors are not a team that attracts much interest, and yet they have one of the best fan bases in the entire league. The Warriors finished last season in their usual spot in the bottom depths of the western conference. They finished 23-43 and lost 9 out of their last 10 games. Let's look at their roster:
F Harrison Barnes, G Kent Bazemore, C Andris Biedrins, C Andrew Bogut, G Stephen Curry, C Festus Ezeli, F Draymond Green, G Jarrett Jack, F Richard Jefferson, G Charles Jenkins, C Ognjen Kuzmic, F Carl Landry, F-C David Lee, F-G Brandon Rush, G Klay Thompson, C Jeremy Tyler

This roster, at first sight looks pretty talented, just look at their bigs, andrew Bogut, Andris Biedrins, David Lee, and Carl Landry are all starters in a handful of teams. Second year coach Mark Jackson will have a full training camp this year, which will definitely help them out. However, it all starts and ends with their best player, Stephen Curry. Curry's promising career has been derailed by a handful of ankle injuries, and at this point every time he's on the floor the fans are just holding their collective breath. Curry is one of the best shooters in the league and by trading away Monta Ellis, management have handed over the keys to Curry.
They have a great front court in Andrew Bogut and David Lee (who should be their starters), backed up by a productive Landry and Biedrins. Yet, it comes to our attention that this team does not really have a star. There is not one player on this roster that you can without questionable doubt mark as the "go to guy", yes David Lee averaged 20 PPG, but would you rather have the ball in his hands or Curry's?. They are a horrible defensive team, (and that should change this year with the addition of Bogut) they were third in the league in opponents PPG at an abysmal 101.2.
Ultimately, this team will not make the playoffs, but now must allow their young players to develop. Harrison Barnes is an intriguing prospect, he all the tools to be a star but critics say he lacks the motor to achieve his greatness. Klay Thompson is also a player who is deemed as invaluable, couple these two with a healthy Curry and that nice front court and the Warriors could be dangerous. Will they make the playoffs? Of course not but at least 30 wins is not out of the question. They have great veteran players in Jarrett Jack and Richard Jefferson, and we all know how much Coach Jackson loves Brandon Rush. Ultimately though, this team wont be very good, but they will be very fun as is always the case when it comes to the Golden State Warriors.

Lebron James and Kevin Durant working out again, but does it matter?

Lebron James is the reigning Finals MVP, and it came at the expense of Kevin Durant, which many now consider to be his #1 rival and second to James for the title of best in the world. They spent some time last offseason working together, and after a summer of being Olympic teammates, they are once again working out together in preparation for the upcoming season. Now, a lot is being put into this in regards to Kevin Durant.
Should Kevin Durant be working out with his #1 rival and the player who dominated him in the biggest stage of professional basketball? Opinions vary on this subject, such as that of Skip Bayless. Bayless, who goes on a ridiculous and disrespecting rant about how Durant is being "Owned" by James, is of those who say that Durant should not be working out with James. Then again, who listens to a man who says Tim Tebow is more box office than Kobe Bryant?
In our minds, when you look at it from a competitive standpoint, Kevin Durant should not be working out with James. It gives the view that perhaps Durant has already forgotten the pain of losing in the NBA finals against the Heat. You never saw Magic working out with Bird during their historic rivalry years. But looking at it from  a point of trying to get better, Lebron James is clearly the best player in the world, and one of the hardest workers in the league, so who better to workout with?
Some will argue that there are other hard workers (such  as Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and the list goes on) that Durant could work out with. But, what are the chances of Durant and James meeting again in the NBA finals next june anyway? Yes, they are favorite in their respective conference. But, the Thunder now have to deal with the Lakers and their revamped roster, while the Heat have to stay healthy after a summer that saw their two supestars Wade and Lebron, go through a tiring playoff run. This playoff run consisted of having to carry the load of the entire team between them two after Bosh went down, and while Lebron did not go through any lingering injuries, Wade needed surgery. While Lebron continued his taxing season by playing in the Olympics.
All in all, can any of you remember the last time two teams made it back to back in the NBA finals? We can, The Bulls and Jazz in 97 and 98. That was 15 years ago. Regardless of this, Kevin Durant is a competitor, as is James. If they meet in the finals again next june, Durant will be thinking about that ring that James took from him, while James will be thinking that Durant its in his way of being considered one of the greatest of all time ( which take multiple rings). If anything, they will go harder at each other out of pure respect for the talent and hard work and dedication they put into trying to be the best.

Cleveland Cavaliers 2012-2013 prediction

IF there is one thing for certain about the Cleveland Cavaliers, is that Kyrie Irving will be a star in this league. The Cleveland Cavaliers finished last season with a 21-45 record but with plenty of reason to be optimistic about their future. Let's look at their current roster:
G Kelenna Azubuike, F Omri Casspi, C-F Michael Eric, G Daniel Gibson, F Luke Harangody, G Kyrie Irving, F Jon Leuer, G-F C.J. Miles, G Jeremy Pargo, C Samardo Samuels, G Donald Sloan, C Tristan Thompson, C Anderson Varejao, G Dion Waiters, F Luke Walton, F-C Tyler Zeller
The Cavaliers have done a nice job building pieces since the departure of Lebron James, and this season will be our favorite team to watch. They are very well coached in Byron Scott and have the young pieces to keep growing. For their record last year, they got Dion Waiters in the top 5, and later on Tyler Zeller. The Cavs are high on Waiters, who will provide the necessary fire power in the backcourt for Irving.
In addition, they will have a healthy Varejao this season, to go along with young players such as Thompson and Zeller. However, it ultimately comes down to Kyrie Irving, the reigning rookie of the year will suffer from no sophomore slump we believe, and we expect him to have another marvelous season. In an era where point guards are expected to be more of a scoring threat than a passing one, Kyrie flourish last year in getting in the paint at will, converting difficult layups and finding open teammates when necessary.
The Cavaliers will not make the playoffs for another few years, and truthfully as of right now, we see no clear robin to Kyrie's batman. Their roster still has lots of gaping holes. Besides Varejao, they do not have a capable defender on the team, and a lack of a post presence does not help them either. We do not necessarily believe that Zeller's offensive repertoire in college will translate to the pros. They are young, and thus Scott must suffer through the growing pains and learning lessons that will come with time.
We expect the Cavs to win 30-35 games just on the brilliance of Kyrie Irving, but do not believe that they will make it an the eastern conference that looks a lot stronger this year than in recent years. The Cavs are well coached, and have a potential superstar at the point guard position, they will be very fun to watch this year at the very least.

Sacramento Kings 2012-2013 prediction

The Sacramento Kings are a very intriguing team heading into the next NBA season. They finished the season 22-44 and beat out the New Orleans Hornets for the worse record in the western conference by a mere win. For their trouble, and the second worse record in the conference they got the fifth overall pick in this year's draft (nothing new here, the Kings seem to be in the lottery every year). Let's take a look at this young but talented roster:
G Aaron Brooks, C Demarcus Cousins, G Tyreke Evans, G Jimmer Fredette, F-G Francisco Garcia, F Chuck Hayes, F Tyler Honeycutt, F James Johnson, F Travis Outlaw, F Thomas Robinson, F-G John Salmons, G Isaiah Thomas, F Jason Thompson, G Marcus Thornton
Free Agents: F Donte Greene, G-F Terrence Williams
Usually two or three names stand out to you in each team, but the Kings have a number of players who just stick out to you. The kings weren't very good last year, a coaching change after what seemed to be a "me or him" situation between Cousins and Westphal did not help either. The Kings have a lot of "potential" on this team, but it starts with Tyreke Evans and Demarcus Cousins. Evans had a marvelous rookie season in which he averaged 20 5 and 5, but a foot injury derailed his sophomore year, and since then he has not exploded like we thought he would. Then there's Cousins, already considered by many as a top 3 center in this league. He's a double double machine, averaging 18.1 PPG and 11 rebounds in only his second year. If these two players develop to their full potential, then the Kings will have a deadly one two punch.
Now, for their 5th overall selection, they drafted Thomas Robinson out of Kansas, we figure that Robinson will eventually become the starting power forward and is flat out a beast. Now, the most intriguing story of this season for us will be the development at the point guard position. One of the most intriguing stories last year for those who follow the whole NBA and not just one team, was that of Isaiah Thomas, the last selection (60th overall) of last year's draft. Thomas not played his way into the starting spot for the Kings (well over lottery pick Jimmer Fredette), but also saw his mention in for rookie of the year besides Kyrie Irving and Ricky Rubio (before Rubio's injury). Thomas was a force, holding his own against the game's elite point guards.
Thomas finished the season averaging 11.5 ppg and 4.1 assists setting up the beginning for a promising career. And yet, the Kings have brought to the team Aaron Brooks who spent last year being backup to Steve Nash but who clearly is a starting point guard in this league. Will Brooks play Isaiah out of his starting spot? If he does not, will he be complacent coming off the bench? The point guard position is perhaps the most important position on the floor, and we are eager to see how this plays out. One thing is certain though, the Kings have a bright future should the peaces stay in place and develop. The Kings will certainly not make the playoffs, but we expect them to win at least 30 games and be very fun to watch.