The Atlantic Division
Starting with the worst division in basketball, the Atlantic division trots out the Raptors, Nets, Knicks, Celtics, and 76ers. Historically some of the best teams in the NBA plus the Raptors, this division is far from the glory days.
One might look for any bright spots with this division, but they are few and far between. The 76ers might be starting a D-League line up night in and night out, and have a very realistic possibility of being the worst team ever in the NBA. Their tandem of rookie big men is promising for the future however, with Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid posed to terrorize the Atlantic in the future. The Knicks manage to lose while Melo puts up 46. This is one of the most dysfunctional teams I've ever seen. J.R Smith taking wins away is extremely comical to see if you aren't a Knicks fan. The Nets trot out the corpse of KG every night, although they have a very real possibility of making the playoffs. Deron Williams has looked good this year, earning player of the week honors last week. The only place to turn to for guaranteed success in this division is the new look Raptors. The Raptors are off to a blazing start this year, going 8-2 in the first 10 games and looking like the front runners in the East. Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry is a top 3 back court, Jonas Valanciunas has made improvements to his game, and Louis Williams could be 6th man of the year this year. I fully expect the Toronto team to win the division handily.
My predictions for the division standings at the end of the year go:
- Raptors
- Nets
- Knicks
- Celtics
- The Harlem Globetrotters
- The Kentucky Wildcats
- The 76ers.
The Central Division
Things take a turn for the better in the Central, being able to say they have two top 10 teams in this division. The bottom of the division is a sad sight, composed of the Bucks, Pistons, and Pacers. There is no division with a bigger gap between the bottom dwellers and the contenders than this division, with the Cavaliers and Bulls being worlds away from the rest of the pack
The two titans of the east reside in the central. The path to the NBA finals will likely go through either Cleveland or Chicago, in fact I'd say it is almost guaranteed. The Cavaliers got off to a relatively slow start, but the offense looks to be clicking now after hitting a franchise record 19 threes against the Hawks and putting up 127 points against the Hawks. Opposing the Cavaliers are the Bulls. As Dennis Green might have told you, the Bulls are who we thought they were. off to a 7-3 start, the Bulls are still grinding out wins. The overall success of this Bulls team relies on one mans ankle. if Derrick Rose can stay healthy, this team can easily compete with the Cavaliers for the division title. As we head down the ladder, we hit the trio of awful. Maybe that isn't fair to say about the Pistons, they might have moved out of the awful tier and into the bad tier. The Bucks and Pacers however, should already be looking towards next year. The Bucks have a plethora of promising pieces, most notably Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Pacers have too many key injuries to compete this year, and the Pistons are a hard team to get a handle on. You look at this roster and see the talent, but no results. Andre Drummond might be the next stud center.
I expect the division to play out like this:
- Cavaliers
- Bulls
- Pistons
- Bucks
- Pacers
The Southeast Division
Easily the most competitive division in the East, there are four different teams I could see winning this division. The Hornets, Heat, Wizards, and Atlanta all call the Southeast division home, along with the Magic.
If you were interested in the division races, this would be the one to watch. I have half of the playoff spots in the east being won by teams in this division. The only team I'm leaving out is the Magic, although they have one of the brightest looking futures in the NBA. Victor Oladipo looks like a really solid player, Elfrid Payton plays akin to a rookie Jason Kidd and also has the best hair in the NBA, and Nikola Vucevic is putting up nearly 19/12 a game on his new contract. This division is going to be a battle for the other four teams. I don't see a clear favorite to come out on top. One might look to the Wizards as favorites, and they have reasons to. The back court is top three in the NBA, Marcin Gortat is a solid Center when healthy, and Paul Pierce gives this team both an edge and some veteran experience. The Miami Heat are still winning basketball games without Lebron James. Chris Bosh is putting up virtually identical numbers to his 2009-2010 season with the Raptors and Dwyane Wade looks good so far. The Hornets have a criminally under rated team this year, with Lance Stephenson, Kemba Walker, and Big Al in the post. They will get shots to fall, they referring mostly towards Lance Stephenson who has been remarkable cold to start this year. Atlanta is a sneaky team, maybe not good enough to win a series against title contenders but being good enough to compete game in and game out. Paul Millsap has looked phenomenal so far this year, and their guard rotation might be one of the deepest in the NBA.
I'm mostly just rolling dice for this one:
- Wizards
- Hornets
- Heat
- Hawks
- Magic
The Northwest Division
I like to think this is what Kim and Kanye named their kid after.The Weakest division in the West, which probably makes this the strongest division I've gone through so far. The Trailblazers and Thunder should sit on top of this division, with Utah, Minnesota, and Denver Flailing underneath.
The Thunder are struggling right now due to injuries, but I fully expect when Westbrook and Durant come back this team will be back to their winning ways. The Trailblazers are off to a solid start going 7-3 so far, touting a much improved bench with the additions of Chris Kaman and Steve Blake. Damian Lillard is having a stellar season so far, putting up 20/5/6 so far this season and shooting nearly 47% from beyond the arc. At the bottom of the division, there isn't much to work with so far. The Jazz are exciting to watch, but aren't a real contender. Gordon Hayward has looked like he is worth all 16 million he will be making this year, but not much else looks good on that team. The Timberwolves truly look awful, as expected. Andrew Wiggins has looked fairly raw on offense, but he is already a plus defender in the NBA. Having Rubio out really hurts this team, but it does give Zach Lavine some playing time and he has looked better than expected so far. The nuggets are a puzzling team. You might look at this team and see they are one George Karl and one Andre Iguodala removed from a 57 win season. Brian Shaw hasn't done much to show he is a good coach yet, coaching this team to a 2-7 roster.
This division is fairly easy to predict:
- Trailblazers
- Thunder
- Nuggets
- Jazz
- Timberwolves
The Pacific Division
The second best division in the NBA, the pacific division has some of the most exciting teams to watch in it. The Clippers and Warriors are a treat to watch every time they hit the court. With two up and coming teams in the Suns and Kings battling it out and aiming for a playoff spot in the west, the only real dark spot in this division is the Lakers who are always one big name away from being relevant.
The Clippers and Warriors are fighting for the division title here. The Warriors have the best back court in the NBA and one of the most exciting offenses. Iguodala is an exceptionally unique player, who doesn't put up any significant numbers but still would be wanted by all 30 teams if he was a free agent. Klay Thompson is playing exceptional basketball this year after getting payed. The Clippers are off to a slow start, most of which can be attributed to shots not falling. Chris Paul and his lack of turnovers is one of the wonders of the basketball world. He has an 8.5 to 1 assist to turnover ratio so far this year, which is hall of fame like. The Kings remind me of last years Suns, a surprisingly successful team that came out of seemingly no where. Rudy Gay is looking much better, and Demarcus Cousins has been simply outstanding. I'll go out on a limb and call him the best offensive center in the NBA. The Suns haven't started as well as they would have liked, but Isiah Thomas looks outstanding as the 6th man and if the league ended today would be the 6th man of year. The Lakers however, are having an awful year. Julius Randle getting hurt really hurts for them, and Kobe is being historically inefficient. He is second to last out of 404 players in +/- this year, while scoring the 3rd most points in the NBA.
- Warriors
- Clippers
- Kings
- Suns
- Lakers
The Southwest Division
This ones a doozie.The most competitive division in basketball without a question, and also the best division in basketball. According to the Hollinger Power Rankings, all 5 of these teams are in the top 10 in the league. There is no clear tiers in this division having the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Rockets, Spurs, and Pelicans.
The spurs have had 15 straight 50 win seasons. The most successful franchise in the last 15 years of the four major sports, Tim Duncan is still producing and Pop is still working his magic with resting players, getting the most out of players, and being a wizard. The Mavericks added Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler making it very confusing to refer to a Chandler on that team, and have been off to a good start this year going 7-3. The Grizzlies are still playing stifling defense, and the addition of Vince Carter gives them a much needed shooter. The always under rated Mike Conley Jr. is having another really solid year for the Grizzlies who have the best record in the west right now at 9-1. Right behind them is the Rockets who are 8-1. James Harden is making a serious MVP case so far this year, being the second leading scorer in the NBA. Dwight Howard is still a force in the post, and Trevor Ariza has proved to be worth the 9 million dollars a year he is getting. The Pelicans were a sleeper pick to make the playoffs at the start of the year, and after blowing out the Wolves last time out 139-91, they look like the real deal. Anthony Davis is also making a serious case for MVP putting up 26/13 with 4 blocks a game this year. Tyreke Evans has been playing well so far, and Ryan Anderson is playing exceptionally well.
This division is the hardest one to predict:
- Rockets
- Spurs
- Grizzlies
- Mavericks
- Pelicans
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