5 Questions For The Upcoming NBA Season

We're going to continue our NBA preview by asking, and then answering, some questions for you.

1. Is This The Heat's Year?

The knee-jerk reaction is to say yes. Of course it's the Heat's year. You're better off saying it is their year, cause the chances of them not winning are slim-to-none. But this season is different. This season will push the Heat to the ends of the earth. The excessive amount of back-to-backs should force the Heat to reach deep into their shallow as hell bench. On pure starting 5 talent they are still the best team in the league. But they're in the bottom tier of the NBA in terms of depth. Lebron should be better than he was, that is if he finally got his head out of his own ass. Dwyane Wade is Dwyane Wade, the best player in the NBA that no one gives credit for. Chris Bosh is still the most overrated raptor look-a-like in the league, so he will continually underperform.

All-in-all the Heat do not have the depth to compete in a shortened, fast-paced season like this. I'm almost a hundred percent sure they're going to win the East and then fall flat on their face somewhere between the ECSFs and ECFs. Lebron won't be hated as much as he was last year, everyone feels as if he got his by not winning it last year. With that being said, the world isn't completely over him, so if he will be rooted against heavily in the playoffs, just like last year. #TeamHateLebron will once again reign champions!
Not this year, but probably next year.

2. Can Anyone Contend With the Thunder in the West?
The answer is no. The Lakers are on their final days. The Spurs are in the retirement home. The Clippers are getting better, but not deep enough. The Mavs basically gave up Tyson Chandler for a lesser Lamar Odom, and are also heavy on the age side. The Grizzlies' run last year was an aberration. The Trailblazers spend more time in the training room than that soft kid on your high school soccer team.

I'm sorry but no one in the West will contend with the Thunder. Their late-game losses last year in the WCF will only prove to be a vital lesson learned. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are improving, while Kendrick Perkins, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Eric Maynor and Nick Collison make up a intense rotation. The Thunder are the league's deepest team and will tear through this season. Think someone can win 50 games? It'll surely be the Oklahoma City Thunder. I see this team dominating the West this year, and next year, and the year after that and, well,  you get my point. If KD35 can get his defensive act together than you can bet your bottom dollar he's going to be knocking on the MVP door. Durant is the NBA's elite scorer, and at times, is unstoppable. If Russell Westbrook can just keep composure when he's on the floor then we're talking about a championship contender here.
Nope.

3. Whose The NBA's Surprise Team This Year?
The Indiana Pacers made two moves this offseason that won't smash headlines. They won't match the Tyson Chandler signing in New York or the CP3 trade to the Clippers. But these moves do put the Pacers in a position to shock the world.

Those acquisitions are David West and George Hill. West will team up with Tyler Hansbrough and Roy Hibbert to create a strong trio, where sometimes the three can be out on the court at the same time, thanks to West offensive versatility. Danny Granger will abuse the stat sheet per usual, and I think Darren Collison could become real threat at PG, especially with George Hill relieving him if and when the game becomes to hard on the young Collison. The Pacers are deep with, Dahntay Jones, Hill, Hansbrough and Lance Stephenson coming off the benche to provide valuable rest time. The Pacers really came together last season, and the two offseason additions should only gel this team further. The East also seems pretty vulnerable this year, with the Celtics and Magic looking shaky to start the season.I could see the Pacers being anywhere from a #8 seed to a #4 seed.
Indiana Pacers




4. Will The Dwight Howard Trade Rumors Affect The Magic?
Dwight Howard has no idea who he is. One minute he wants to force his way out, the next he wants to stay and be a hero. I'm not sure he'll be able to shake this schizophrenia all year. Plus the Magic didn't do much this offseason to A, show Howard that they care, or B, to improve this season. The Glen Davis/Brandon Bass trade is basically trading offense for defense. The Magic didn't finish the season with flying colors in the least bit. They were embarrassed by the Hawks in the first round and really went into the offseason going in a totally different direction from the one they had in the beginning of the year.

The most important roadblock to a successful season will be Howard's mindset. If he can get back that "leader" mentality then maybe the Magic can salvage this season. But the air surrounding the Magic locker room smells of a disaster, and I'm not sure the Magic are ready for it. Jameer Nelson, who seemed destined for greatness, now has began running in place. He might've reached his ceiling and we don't even know it. Nelson was supposed to be a big reason why Howard stayed, but now, that reason has become an uncertainty and Howard knows it. Expect Howard, and the Magic locker room, to be split. The Magic also threw a boatload of money at dunker extraordinare Jason Richardson, not realizing that he hasn't reached a higher pinnacle than winning the 2003 Slam Dunk Contest. Simply put, Richardson can't do much more than rip down the rim. The Richardson signing might as well be a microcosm how inept the Magic management is. Once Howard leaves, expect this team to literally fold inward, I'm thinking worse than the Cavs.

Also you can sign the Magic up for the league's most disappointing team.
Yes, severely.


5.Who's Going To Be Worse, The Lakers Or Celtics? 
This is an interesting one, because both teams are going to significantly underperform compared to last year. The Lakers are without Lamar Odom after trading him to the Mavs for cap space and a draft pick. The Celtics are without Jeff Green, who unfortunately, will miss the entire season due to a major heart surgery.

The Lakers have two problems. 1, an angry Kobe. Kobe is not only pissed off that Stern vetoed the Chris Paul trade, which would have re-energized this team, but also because the Lakers turned around and dished Lamar Odom. Odom, teamed up with Ron Artest(refuse to call him Metta World Peace) and Pao Gasol gave the Lakers unique size. Without Odom, the Lakers become a pretty regular squad. You can't expect Andrew Bynum to play more than 40 games because his knees are shakier than the European Union. So now that leaves Artest and Gasol healthy for the entire season. Kobe and Derek Fisher would've been a lethal tandem ten years ago, but both are heading into their dark years. I'm not giving up on Kobe, the guy can still score the basketball at will, but Fisher is 37 years old and progressively getting worse. Depth-wise the Lakers are pathetic. Steve Blake and Jason Kapono are the only bench players of note. I'm sure we'll see Jason Kapono burn down a couple of nets with his three point percentage, but I'm not sold on Matt Barnes being anything more than a clown. Luke Walton, seems too busy looking exactly like Memphis coach Josh Pastner, and coaching like him.

The Celtics are going to miss Jeff Green a ton more than people think. Green represented the scoring option that Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are no longer. With that being said the Celtics still have a young, but potentially upset, Rajon Rondo. Rondo is basically the key to the season for the C's. If he acts like a professional and just plays ball, then expect the Celtics to be good. If he pouts like a seven-year old boy, then expect the C's to skate the playoff tight rope. KG, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are truly(and for the last time) on their last legs. But I think they have enough in the tank to make the playoffs and maybe win a series. If Jermaine O'Neal goes down, which is highly likely, then expect any team with a big man to destroy the C's. I'm going to give the C's the benefit of the doubt, because they've proved everyone wrong all four years they've been together, but this season the Celtics will be looking up at the top-4 perch instead of looking down from.

Comparable, the Celtics are deeper, and therefore, especially in this shortened season, will be the difference. But I'm not really sure the Celtics will be that much better than the Lakers.
The Lakers, by a small, but recognizable amount.