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.

NBA Teens: 2016-17 Sacramento Kings preview

If you are looking for a “ Real Husbands of California,” then come on down to  Sacramento where tempers flare, talent is wasted and diva’s can be found in the Kings organization. George Karl was hired to coach the Kings in the beginning of last season. He was fired towards the end of mid season due to him having “problems” getting along with some players. What this really means is that Demarcus Cousins did not like him and got another coach fired from the Kings organization. Demarcus is best known for his “cry baby” antics and can also be known as a “hothead”.Other than that he is arguable the best center in the league and recently won medal in Rio for the U.S. men’s national team. Now the Kings are known for wasting talent in my opinion, they had Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay, Demarcus Cousins last season along with a solid bench and still tied for 10th place with the Nuggets. Now Rajon Rondo’s contract was up and he left to play for the Bulls and Rudy Gay is on the trading block (hopefully the Pacers or the Celtics can trade for him). In free agency they made a lot of moves, they signed two 3 and D players with Anthony Tolliver and Matt Barnes.They also signed 3 veteran guards in Arron Afflalo, Ty Lawson and Garrett Temple. Lastly, they signed the Atlanta Hawks former 2015 pick, Lamar Patterson who played well for Atlanta  in the 2015 summer league. In the draft they selected 3 players and in my opinion one is going to have a breakout rookie year. Two of those picks are centers, George Papagiannis who played in Greece his last couple years and Skal Labissiere from Kentucky. Skal dropped in the draft and started to get worried when he other players were picked up ahead of him in the draft. This is because of his lack of production and finishing ability around the rim in college. The other pick is Malachi Richardson the breakout freshman from Syracuse. Richardson player extremely well this past college season and led his team deep in the college basketball national tournament. Fans and even myself expect a big season from him, so there will be a lot of pressure on this 19 year old’s shoulder. Ben McLemore is expected to be traded before the deadline if he does not improve tremendously from last season. My sleeper pick is going to be McLemore if Rudy Gay is traded and he moves into the starting line up. I don’t expect much from the Kings this season and they still will not make the playoffs, I predict 10th or 11th maybe worse this upcoming season. The starting lineup will consist of Darren Collison, Arron Afflalo, Rudy Gay, Willie Cauley- Stein and “Demarcus Boogie” Cousins.

NBA Teens: 2016-17 Denver Nuggets preview

When you are young and playing basketball your dad will want to work with you on your game. He’ll usually take you to a court and go through numerous drills like dribbling through cones, shooting some jumpers, or maybe practicing some free throws. Some fathers take a different approach to basketball practice. Roger Murray, the father of 6’4 shooting guard from Kentucky decided to have different basketball practices for his son. His son would do various drills that implemented kung-fu and meditation into the basketball training. He wanted his son to have a clear mind throughout the game and stay focused through anything that pops up. Obviously Jamal benefitted from this drills because in the 2016 he would be selected 7th overall by the Denver Nuggets . Similar to Jaylen Brown another player was selected from my hometown. The Denver Nuggets selected another SG this one  from Florida State, Malik Beasley. The 6’5 guard attended St. Francis School which is approximately 35 minutes from Joseph Wheeler High School where Brown attended. The Nuggets selected 2 other forwards, Juancho Hernangomez and Petr Cornelie both from overseas. Denver now has an influx of talented guards including a personal favorite, Gary Harris who is proving his worth in the league after each season. Guard Will Barton is now a go-to scorer on the team, Jokic is a reliable big man, and Mudiay is force to be reckoned with and he will soon be the face of this organization. The points, rebounds and field goal percentage are dominated by Gallinari and Kenneth Faried. The team ultimately lack talent and experience, and vet Wilson Chandler has become very injury prone so that doesn’t help either. The Nuggets were tied for 10th place in the Western Conference and I don’t expect much for next year they might even fall lower due to the Timberwolves success.I predict another playoff absence in 9th or 10th place. Same starting lineup with Mudiay at the 1, Barton at the 2, Gallinari on the wing, Faried at power forward and Jokic in the paint at center. My sleeper player will be Gary Harris off the bench expect him to play well.  

NBA Teens: 2016-17 Indiana Pacers preview

The Indiana Pacers were the involved in a three-team trade after the NBA Finals that sent point guard George Hill to the Utah Jazz,  two 2017 draft picks to the Atlanta Hawks and the Indianapolis native, Jeff Teague to his hometown team. Teague was born in Indianapolis, Indiana he attended basketball powerhouse Pike high school, he was the 9th ranked point guard in the nation when he graduated. He attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina , and entered the draft after his sophomore year in college getting selected 19th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2009 draft. After his 3rd year he proved himself as a solid point guard in the league and with the help of Al Horford was able to make it to the Conference Finals 2 seasons ago. Teague and Horford were the only remaining player on the roster who were drafted by the Hawks and both moved to a different team this off season. This brings me to the Indiana Pacers, the Pacers roster in my opinion is looking a lot better this season. The biggest hole that needed to be filled was the depth at the center position, Myles Turner is a great young talent with tremendous upside, but he can not do it all. They did so in signing veteran center Al Jefferson, who is a great low post scorer, they also signed high flyer Jeremy Evans who is a power forward that can also play the 3. In the off season the picked up a hometown player, Thaddeus Young who played ball at Georgia Tech, he had a solid season for the Brooklyn Nets last year and I know he will produce for the Pacers. Aaron Brooks, who was the backup for Derrick Rose in Chicago last year was also picked up by Indiana along with Julyan Stone. Their two draft picks are also big men, Georges Niang from Iowa State who I thought was a very solid pick-up due to his rim protection abilities in college. We also selected Alex Polythress from Kentucky who struggles around the rim but I know he will work hard in this league. Paul George will definitely play well this year and will be contending for MVP after playing well and winning gold in Rio. The starting lineup will consist of Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Myles Turner and Al Jefferson. The Pacers will make the playoffs with the 3rd seed  and maybe make it to the conference finals, they WILL beat Toronto.