NBA Questions Left After the Crazy 2019 Off Season

This NBA offseason has been crazy!

There’s seven teams in the West with legit title chances (Houston, Golden State, The Lakers, The Clippers, Denver, Portland and Utah.) and like 14 with legit playoff Chances (sorry Phoenix).

The East got more wide open too with Kawhi leaving. You’ve got legit contenders in the Bucks, 76ers and Pacers. The Nets have a great window for the next year when Durant is healthy. Miami, Chicago, Detroit and Boston all probably have great moments this season. But we still have Washington, Charlotte and New York to look like the dumpster fire we know and love!

No other sport’s off seasons are as impactful as the NBA and now without the certainty of a Warriors v “Whoever” finals the excitement is palpable!

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My biggest questions heading into the season are:

1. Can the Warriors still pull one out?

With Durant leaving and Thompson’s ACL tear all hope kind of feels lost for another inevitable Warriors title. Ultimately the team that was “Lightyears ahead” due almost solely to their incredibly fortunate durability was undone by injuries and their big free agent haul that was the crowning achievement of a front office that rarely made mistakes in the title window bolted after he got what he wanted. With that said the Warriors still have the only active multi-time MVP not named LeBron James in Steph Curry, two more healthy All-Stars in Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell and one more when Klay Thompson comes back mid season. Other than their scarily thin bench they still look like a solid team and I wouldn’t count them out of a top four seed in the West by any means.

2. Which new team clicks the fastest?

The Lakers, Warriors, Jazz, Rockets, Clippers, Heat, Trailblazers, Pelicans, Thunder, Pacers, 76ers, Celtics, Nets and Knicks all will have massively different rosters on opening night than they did at the close of last season. Based on that I actually expect teams like the Kings, Nuggets, Spurs and Pistons to start out super hot. I think the Jazz, Rockets and Blazers and Pacers have the best chances of figuring it out quick because they have the fewest changes to go through. The Jazz added Mike Conley jr. and Bogdan Bogdanovic but they have always been good at integrating high IQ players, however their early season struggles are a constant issue. The Pacers would be my next bet but reports are saying Oladipo will be out till at least December so I’d rule out a quick start there too. The Blazers are navigating a change of identity after loosing overpaid but quality role players and bringing in more overpaid but quality role players that play differently. Then there’s the Rockets, the only new piece is Russell Westbrook. I almost expect Westbrook and Harden to win games by sheer force of will and implode in the playoffs.

3. Does Zion, Ja or RJ win Rookie of the Year?

It’s probably Zion but this weird “Jrue has a chance to win MVP” narrative we are getting out of the Pelicans front office kind of scares me. Ja will have lot’s of opportunities in Memphis to have the ball but I don’t know that he has the swag of RJ and Zion. RJ seems like he’s set to be the classic “good stat’s, bad team” guy but I still would put Zion ahead of him.

4. How much time does it take for New York to implode?

When does the season start? I’m pretty sure it takes that long, unless they overachieve and blow up in pre season.

5. Is small ball kinda dead?

Maybe a little. The Lakers, Mavericks and the Sixers looked primed to play massive lineups. The Spurs may too depending on how they handle Dejante Murray coming back from his ACL injury. But with all of that it still looks like the Clippers, Rockets, Jazz and several others still look like they’re going to play three wings. It’s not dead but there may be a revival of the traditional four man this year.

6. Who takes the reins in the East?

My money is on the Bucks. Giannis will come in ticked about how he choked away his shot at the finals last year. Loosing Brogden and Mirotic won’t be the huge blow that some people think it is as they weren’t as key of pieces as some people think. Also look for the Pacers to come on strong in the second half of the year when Oladipo comes back. Obviously the Nets are going to improve but it’s not like they’re favorites with Durant expected to miss the whole year.

7. With no one getting the “this guy deserves his MVP now” treatment from ESPN who pulls it out?

My money is on Jokic in Denver. Especially with Westbrook going to Houston, that almost for sure knocks him and Harden out of the running. If the Pistons make a leap expect a ton of Griffin hype. If the Warriors get the one seed Steph is a lock for a third. I’ll end it with the obligatory shout out to LeBron because if he wants it he could have it.

8. How bad of an All-Star are we going to get in the East?

Probably not terrible because there’s still some solid guys out east. Oladipo could come back early enough to earn his actual spot. Jimmy being out East from the beginning will help out a lot. The only guy’s from last years roster (if we don’t count Wade) are D-Lo (a replacement for Oladipo anyway) and Kawhi. So that leaves us with someone making a jump to a spot or maybe a resurgence from Derek Rose but that’s about it.

9. Can the Lakers actually be good again?!?

I doubt they miss the playoffs and if they stay healthy they’ll be a top four seed. I also feel like they’ll be extremely active during the season with trades and buyouts. LA is going to be decent.

10. Is Houston actually going to be the hot mess people are predicting them to be?

Ok as a Rocket’s fan it’s well documented that I have a borderline irrational dislike of Russell Westbrook. I can’t think of a single time in history when a team acquired a player that the fanbase despised as much as this. However, it took me all of three minutes to realize… there’s no “Chris Paul DNP’s” this year and I’m actually a little optimistic. Houston hasn’t had the floor lowered any but the ceiling has been raised. I don’t think that the Beard and Brodie are going to be a seamless fit but it will probably work out about as well as Harden and Paul. In that sense this should be a net win. The best ability is availability and in that case Westbrook will probably work out better than CP3.