Prediction Predicament

[MexicanMamba]

Dominc Wall

ToledoBlade.com

 

PREDICTION PREDICAMENT
 

Fast approaching is another season of PBSL basketball.  Last season ended with a match-up that many would have guessed during the preseason with the two-time defending champion Orlando Magic going up against the Chicago Bulls.  Partially helped by some untimely injuries for Orlando, the Bulls left with the trophy after a hard fought seven game series.  After the past few seasons almost seeming like a formality, this off-season brought on so much movement and excitement that gives the feeling that the league is as wide open as it has been in quite some time.  It was a whirlwind of an off-season with an absurd number of key players moving locations in normal, trade and free agency methods combined with the league wide contraction draft.  We also had a complete re-alignment which leads to the very exciting prospect of creating new rivalries.  This week I, like many of my sports writing colleagues, received our ballots for our preseason predictions for the upcoming season.  Not only did I decide that I wanted to share what my ballot looks like, but I figured I would leave myself open to even further criticism (and to great threat of being a @coldtakesexposed darling) by giving my thought process to many of my choices. 

 

So, let’s get right into my sports takes that are certain to go wrong!

 

DIVISION WINNERS

Johnson:

Denver Nuggets

Though there are teams in this division who have great players and other teams (Lakers) who have dived head first into building a team that can compete for a championship this season, I am going to still choose the Denver Nuggets to take this division.  Last season the Nuggets finished with a 63-19 record, losing in the Conference Finals in 7 games to the Chicago Bulls.  While they did loss Erik Haynes to free agency, they still have All-Star, All-Defense, All-League superstar Jerry West leading the team with Marvin Bagley alongside him.  The contraction draft was also kind to their future as they were in position to take 2nd year phenom Norris Turney, who averaged nearly 17 points per game as a rookie.  There are rumblings that the General Manager is quietly taking offers for Jerry West in a possible plan to build around Turney with younger players who can grow with him and if that comes to fruition, scrap this whole thing and give the division to the Lakers. 

 

 

Mourning:

Orlando Magic

I think I can safely say that no team has gone under such a dramatic facelift this off-season than the Orlando Magic.  They traded former MVP Boban Marjanovic, whose injury in likely what kept the team from earning a Three Peat, along with star PG Ernie Acuna and Joshua Jackson.  Those losses make me want to choose another team to take this division but when looking over the teams, I still see Orlando being able to push to the front of the pack barring any further trades which downgrade the roster.  They still have young superstar Bronny James on the roster and put him with fringe star players like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ash Ketchum.  They also added good starting placeholders and depth pieces in Wyatt Battle, JR Johnson, and Ronald Jackson.  I get the feeling that these guys are not finished moving and shaking to work on the future of their roster instead of the present, but as it stands today, I would bet on them continuing to win ball games. 

 

Kemp:

Oklahoma City Thunder

I had the most difficulty deciding which team to put atop this division.  The defending champions should still be quite competitive even though they assuredly will take a few steps back than where they have been the past few seasons and the Clippers added three high level championship pieces.  For me though, the Thunder’s upgrade of Josh Jackson for Ash Ketchum from the Magic to team up with Maravich and William Jackson is the key to me putting them at number 1.  They were already a 53-win team last season and made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs and now you add a 20-point scoring, All-Defense type of player?  I would look for this team to add some scary lightning to along with the rumbling thunder this season. 

 

Hardaway:

Toronto Raptors

The surprise team of the 2032 season was the Toronto Raptors due to their run to the conference finals as a 7th seed.  I wholly believe that this will prove to be stable and not just a lucky, Cinderella run like we see in the March Madness tournament many seasons.  The Raptors were able to re-sign their 28-year-old phenom, RJ Barrett in free agency and still have Bjorn Ironside on the roster.  Due to the contraction draft, they also were able to add a high-quality big man to anchor the middle in Ernest Long.  Most impressively is they did not lose anyone on consequence to free agency.  I will say though that I believe the Timberwolves could very easily take this spot and I would not be shocked and that appears to be a stacked team as well. 

 

 

ALL-LEAGUE FIRST TEAM

Wanderlei Silva

Boban Marjanovic

Grayson Allen

RJ Barrett

Jerry West

 

Three of these players moved to new destinations this off-season.  For two of them, Wanderlei Silva and Boban Marjanovic, I believe that they will be extremely motivated to outdo even their most recent fantastic seasons to show that they can continue to be parts of championship-level basketball teams without their past infrastructures.  For Boban, he may even see his 2nd Team selection last season as well as his injury in the playoffs as even more of a driving factor to show that he is still an MVP caliber player.  The Miami Heat did not fight hard to keep Grayson Allen according to some reports out there and while the Trailblazers are indeed a team in a bit of limbo, he gets to be the #1 option (after already being a 32-point scorer last season) while also being backed by a big-time talent in DeAndre Ayton.  Even if the Blazers are bad, Allen will shine.  Barrett and West are holdovers for their current teams, but I am confident in their ability to shine, in particular I feel Jerry West is primed for a massive season as I will discuss in further detail later in this article.  

 

ALL-STAR GAME

Alpha:

     Starters- Jerry West, Wanderlei Silva, Bryce Dejean-Jones, Bronny James, Erik Hayes

Omega:

     Starters- Boban Marjanovic, Grayson Allen, RJ Barrett, Josh Jackson, Patrick Edmunds

Winner: ALPHA (over 5 points)

Jerry West feeds Wanderlei Silva for lob after lob on the head of heated rivals from a past life, Boban and Josh Jackson who can’t stop bickering with each other since they are now division rivals instead of teammates. 

 

BEST RECORD

I think I have talked myself into about 5 different teams in this spot so far.  Which says something about the league as whole coming into this season, I believe.  The Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers all pop out to me immediately (that’s 6, not 5).  I initially wrote down the OKC Thunder and that is what went onto my ballot which has been turned into the league.  However, I am currently questioning that decision.  Sure, they have plenty of talent, but they will also have to play the Bulls and Clippers an extended amount of games this coming season which could hurt their ability to stretch their win total away from others on this list and the same thought goes to the Clippers.  So, instead I am going to go with the Denver Nuggets to take the regular season crown. 

 

WORST RECORD

I take no joy in trying to decipher this puzzle as I want every team to succeed in what they are doing.  The more successful teams are, the better and more entertaining the league is.  However, this is what the Toledo Blade pays me to do so I am going to man up and make the tough decisions!  Just like with the Best Record category, there are several choices to pick from.  I will not list them all here because I do not want that amount of negativity in my life.  So, the one and only choice, in my humble opinion, is the Detroit Pistons.  They currently lack any true difference makers, depth, and hell, they do not even have a roster currently built to even run a real rotation once games start as they sit at 6 players on the entire roster.  This team has missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, losing more games each one of those and unfortunately there is absolutely no evidence to show that this will change this season.  It is going to be a rough one in the D. 

 

 

LEAGUE AWARDS

 

Most Valuable Player:

Jerry West, Denver Nuggets

Am I simply taking the easy way out and choosing the best player on the team that I feel will end up with the best record?  Maybe, but you can’t prove it.  West is an incredibly accomplished player who has proven that he can carry a team to the top of the mountain.  He has been an All-Pro, All-Star, All-Defense and a world champion.  One thing that he has not earned yet is an MVP trophy and I feel like this coming season is when he can capture it. 

 

Rookie of the Year:

Richard Hunt, Orlando Magic

Although the Magic still have enough pieces in place to be a dangerous basketball team, they have taken major steps towards the future this off-season.  They have shed future salary, currently have 4(!) 2035 1st round draft picks and drafted Mr. Richard Hunt at the top of the 1st round.  Typically putting a rookie on a talented team means that they will only get to sit and learn for long stretches.  While that could be the case in Orlando this season, I get the feeling that they will send the kid into the fire to speed up his development and with guys around him to take pressure off of him, I believe Hunt will shine bright. 

 

Defensive Player of the Year:

Boban Marjanovic

A 1st Team All-Defense selection a year ago, I look for Boban to anchor the Clippers’ defense the same way that he has done for the Magic all these years.  Never one to back away from a challenge, that fiery mindset coupled with the chip(s) that are now planted squarely on his shoulders, look for Boban to terrorize opposing offenses (and defenses) in 2032-2033. 

 

GM of the Year:

Greeple Airport

Big talent upgrades, constant tinkering with the roster, and most impressively to me, having the fortitude (I.E. having the balls) to take big swings when they present themselves.  I look for the Lakers to have a major uptick in wins and should put up a great fight with all the top teams in the league.  This moment has been building since the day that he was hired at GM as he has been active and engaged in a way that not many new GMs are in the league.  If the team responds as it looks like they are primed to, this is just another piece of fruit that will bear itself. 

 

Most POTW Awards:

Grayson Allen

As said above, Allen is going to score a lot of points on a team with very few options.  I would not at all be shocked if that 32 PPG average hikes up to closer to 35 this season.

 

Most POTM Awards:

Jerry West

He’s my MVP pick.  Of course, I think he will win this one too. 

 

And there you have it!  Plenty of ammunition to use against me as the season unfolds.  I preemptively accept all the hate mail, jokes at my expense, and ridicule that will come along with it.  I raise this beer that I have near me and I toast to good health for every team in training camp and the pre-season.  I also toast to an exciting and wide-open season, full of highs, lows, sweat and tears.   

 

Salud!

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[AngryBanana]

That’s was a great read!


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[digiskunk]

This would have been P-E-R-F-E-C-T if the Jazz were listed for "greatest team ever"—I think that would've been great.

Nevertheless: Excellent work; you deserve everything you've earned.

[MexicanMamba]

This would have been P-E-R-F-E-C-T if the Jazz were listed for "greatest team ever"—I think that would've been great.

Nevertheless: Excellent work; you deserve everything you've earned.

That'll be the theme of my trade deadline update article

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[false9]

2017 words= 7 points