NBA Teens: 2016-17 Milwaukee Bucks preview

I believe Giannis will be the new face of the NBA once Lebron, Melo, CP3 and D- Wade and the rest of them retire. At  the age of 21, he is already taking the league by storm and he is now playing the point guard position but is still listed as a small forward. Houston Rockets star, James Harden also made this adjustment when coach Mike D’antoni assigned him to play point guard this season. The Bucks have a very young roster and their head coach is Jason Kidd who I think can help them improve tremendously. They are definitely on the upside for the next few years and hopefully they can build on the young and immense talent they have. In the draft the Bucks got two players who have some potential. First they selected Thon Maker, a 7’1 power forward who is listed at 19 years old. We aren't yet sure if his age is official but we do know he did not go to college in the United States and only has experience against some High School prospects in the United States. He obviously needs to put on some weight because he will need to work on defense in the post against the bigger forwards and center in the league. On the upside he is very mobile and very athletic for his size. The other player is Malcolm Brogdon from Virginia. He played well in college last season, leading his team deep into the March Madness tournament. Malcolm also went to school in Georgia (where I was born and currently live) and attended Greater Atlanta Christian Academy which happened to be in my high school’s division. In free agency they picked up former cleveland guard Matthew Dellavedova, and a good scorer in Michael Beasley. The also got a outside threat in shooter in Mirza Teletovic, the former Brooklyn Net and some veteran talent in Jason Terry. Early in the season they traded injury prone Michael Carter - Williams for Tony Snell from the Chicago Bulls. My sleeper pick is going to be Jabari Parker who I expect to break out and have a great year after tearing his ACL last season. The Bucks finished 12th last season with a 33-49 record, I know they will improve tremendously this season and make the playoffs. I expect them to make either the 7th or the 8th spot in the playoffs and push for 6 games in the first round, but lose. There starting line-up will be: Matthew Dellavedova, Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker, Giannis and Greg Monroe. The Bucks have a great young core and they are a team on the rise.

NBA Teens: 2016-17 Cleveland Cavaliers preview

There is not much you can do to add onto a championship team, after beating a team that broke  the record for most wins in a season, beating the unanimous MVP Stephen Curry team and then coming back from 3-1 to win the series!?!! How sway!? The best player in the world proved that he can battle against the odds, with his team on their backs and still win for his city. That’s a true champion. Now will Lebron and the Cavs be able to defend their title this year? We don’t know yet, the NBA is going to be very different this upcoming season. With the addition of Kevin Durant to the already loaded Warriors rosters poses a huge threat to the defending champs, so let’s take not time to jump into their roster and some predictions. Cleveland added center Chris “Birdman” Andersen who played with Lebron during the Miami Heat era, they also added some veteran players in Toney Douglas which caused some disturbance when J.R. Smith thought they were trying to get rid of him. The other player was Mike Dunleavy, sharpshooter from the Bulls. The best thing to do for a winning team is to keep the same pieces and remain the chemistry. In the draft with their only pick they selected a good point guard in 5’9, Kay Fleder from Oakland. He is one of the slept on guards in the draft with only his height being his downfall. Iman Shumpert and Jordan McRae on the trading block to clear up some cap space. I expect the Cavs to still sy atop the East with Boston, Toronto and Indiana to follow behind. The starting line-up will be. Kyrie, J.R., LeBron, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. My sleeper player will be Jordan McRae (if they don’t trade him) and I expect them to face the Warriors again in the finals. With all the stars either on really bad teams or really loaded teams the MVP race this year should be a good one for LeBron this year with his competition being, Paul  George, Kawhi Leonard and Damian Lillard he should use this year to further chase after the “ghost,” Michael Jordan.  

NBA Teens: 2016-17 Toronto Raptors preview

One of the most “revamped” rosters this year and you have to give half of the credit to “VIEWS,” Drakes long awaited album that took the radio’s and music world for storm. Now considered one of the best backcourts in the NBA, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are seeking vengeance on the Cleveland Cavaliers and make a deep playoff run. Another surprising star during that playoff run was shot-blocking center, Bismack Biyombo. After losing him in the off-season they had to fill that hole at the center position. This brings me to their draft picks, their first pick went to fill the center void with, Jakob Poeltl, the 7’0 center from Utah. He is a mobile center who has great rim protection and touch around the basket. They also drafted Pascal Siakam a forward from New Mexico State and Fred VanVleet, a guard who played a big role in Wichita State’s March Madness runs these past few years. In  free agency they signed Jared Sullinger from the Boston Celtics and Bruno Caboclo who has played overseas. The Raptors finished second in the Eastern Conference this year and I predict them to have that same spot again or battle with the Boston Celtics for that position. I predict they will play either the Celtics or the Pacers in the 2nd round and have an opportunity to play Cleveland for a ECF rematch. The starting line-up will be: Kyle Lowry, DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll, Jared Sullinger and Jonas Valanciunas. My sleeper player is going to be Norman Powell who played well in the playoffs last year. The Raptors are going to need to make a good push this year against the defending champion Cavs or they can wish DeRozan good-bye.  

NBA Teens: 2016-17 New York Knicks preview

Now don’t get me wrong, this team looks amazing on paper; also good enough to give Cleveland a run for their money. The only problem is we have only seen them play in the preseason and Derrick Rose is battling a court case that could prohibit his time on the NBA court ( the only court we want to see him on). The also added Joakim Noah from Chicago but he hasn't been the same considering the former DPOY was coming off the bench a season ago. The Knicks also signed Courtney Lee, who played well for the Hornets last season and Brandon Jennings who played bad enough last year to send himself to the D-League. So myself and whole bunch of other NBA fans are scratching our heads on the Knicks pick-ups this offseason. Each player has their own flaws and I think they all need to play well to lift this team off the ground. On the bright side, last year's ROTY runner- up, Kristaps Porzingis is making a name for himself, whether it's a put-back poster, consecutive blocks in one possession or a Olajuwon like post move he has a bright future ahead of him.The Knicks traded their draft picks for the rights to Joakim Noah, Justin Holiday and a first rounder in next years draft. They signed some undrafted players like Ron Baker from Wichita State who I think has some good upside to him, Willy Hernangomez who played well for the Mexico team this offseason and Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Maurice Daly Ndour.  The Knicks were the 13 seed in the Eastern Conference, but I think they will make the playoffs this year with either the 6th or 7th seed in and maybe make a push for the 2nd round. The starting line-up will be: Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Melo, Porzingis and Joakim Noah. My sleeper player will be Brandon Jennings who can potentially win 6th man of the year award. The Knicks have a lot to prove this year to change our minds, the last few years are not ones to remember.

NBA Teens: 2016-17 Detriot Pistons preview

The Pistons do not have a player over the age of 30 on their roster. Surprising right? Keeping All-star center Andre Drummond was their biggest priority this offseason and they managed to do so. They hope to surround him with some young talent and make a higher seed in the playoffs so they don’t have to play the Cavs in the first round. They drafted 2 players this draft: Michael Gbinije from Syracuse, Henry Ellenson fro Marquette. Ellenson is has great upside and is a great shooter from outside. He has the size and length to be a great inside scorer too but he is definitely going to be deadly with the pick- and pop this year with Reggie Jackson. In Free Agency the Pistons signed Boban Marjanovic, the 7’3 center from the Spurs, Ray McCallum who spent most of hi years as King and Ish Smith who played well for the 76er’s last year despite their losses. It’s only a matter of time before Stanley Johnson breaks out into the player we all know he can be considering how young he is. They have a lot of size down low now and used free agency to sign some guards to help Reggie Jackson out. The Pistons were the 8th seed and I expect them to keep that position or maybe move up to 7th, but they are still going to lose in the 1st round. The starting line-up will be: Reggie Jackson, KCP, Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris and Andre Drummond. My sleeper pick is going to be either Stanley Johnson or  Henry Ellenson. Stanley Johnson has the potential to win either 6th man of the year or Most Improved player of the year. The Pistons might have to look into the Draft and draft that next great player. I’m not telling them to tank but I do not think they have the talent to take it past the 1st round with the players they have.