S8 Bold Predictions
Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2026 8:53 pm
Season 8 Bold Predictions
I’ve been thinking of different article ideas and this is the one I came up with, Bold Predictions. I thought it would be interesting to try and predict how this season would turn out. Even though I’m almost 100% certain that none of these predictions will come true. But that’s the point of these, they’re meant to be bold.
Sneaks into playoffs: My first prediction will be which team that didn’t make the playoffs last season will make the playoffs this season. In the East, I think the Hawks finally make their first playoff appearance this season. They finished as the 7 seed last season, but only missed the playoffs by 2 games. Then they went and added Kevin McHale and Reggie Theus. It cost them Charles Barkley but this franchise is clearly tired of not being in the playoffs and they took two big swings this offseason. They only went 3-3 in preseason but I fully expect them to put together a gameplan that has them fighting for a first round bye this season.
The team from the West that I predict to make the playoffs is the Nuggets. Once a champion, this team has only made the playoffs once since then. But they added Bill Cartwright which should round out their starting roster. Barring injuries, I can see this team getting in with the 5-6 seed. I don’t expect them to make a deep run but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they make they at least make the playoffs.
Miss the playoffs: If I’m going to predict a team who didn’t make the playoffs last season to make it this season, then that means I have to predict whose spot they will be taking. In the East, I see the Cavaliers missing the playoffs this season. While they do have a good time, this team definitely took a step back this offseason. Moncrief got hit in training camp. They didn’t really sign anyone in the offseason that really moves the needle for them and they seem to be on, what wig likes to say, two different timelines. Everyone is either 29 and older or 24 and younger. Which means this team has players coming out of their prime and players who aren’t quite in their prime. I would not be shocked at all if this team finishes as the 7-8 seed.
In the West, I think the Jazz miss the playoffs this season. They are a very talented team but they might be 1-2 seasons away from being a contender again. The only issue is that their window is pretty small. They may only have 1-2 seasons of being able to compete. But Rodman and Ehlo are only 26 and they look like pretty solid players to build around so maybe they will be able to make a couple of trades or signings to extend that championship window when the time comes.
Division champions:
Atlantic Division: The Nets look like the best team in this division on paper. They have fantastic starters at every position and they also have the depth to help them out in case of injuries. Herb Williams, Clark Kellogg, Eddie A. Johnson, Dale Ellis, and Fat Lever. That is a very dangerous starting 5. And we know this GM knows how to win as we saw them win the first championship of NPBSL. Just two seasons removed from making it to the conference finals, I really see this team taking home the division and giving the Bucks a run for their money in the playoffs.
Central Division:
This division has been dominated by the Bucks for so long so it only makes sense we pick them to win the division again. But of course, that wouldn’t be a bold prediction, now would it? So instead, I’m going to pick the Pistons to finally break through and take the division away from the Bucks. This team has been competing for a few years now and they did it with a lot of young players. Now those players are older and experienced and are ready to break through. Kevin Willis, Larry Nance, and Terry Cummings are going to give teams nightmares all season. Also, the Bucks don’t have the real MVP on their team anymore in Kevin McHale. That’s going to be a lot of production that they are going to have to replace. This is the year we see the Bucks fall.
Midwest Division:
As talented as the Spurs are, we just haven’t really seen them put it all together yet and bring home that trophy. And that’s with the division being pretty weak for a couple of seasons. But now, the other GMs look ready to fight for the top spot and I can see one of them taking it from the Spurs. So who do I think will take the division this season? The Denver Nuggets. Yes, the same team that didn’t even make the playoffs last season. As I said earlier, they added a big boost in Cartwright as well as Clyde still being a dominant force. WIth the right training and gameplanning, the Nuggets could be looking to take back the top spot in the division this season.
Pacific Division:
I’m not sure how bold this prediction truly is since this division really does have three teams that could win it but I’m going with the Golden State Warriors. First, I see the championship the Lakers just won really having them take their foot of the pedal this season. Magic finally got his trophy. But the Lakers still have some glaring holes in their starting lineup and almost no depth. The Trailblazers are always a force to be reckoned with but I’m giving the nod to the Warriors. I really think the addition of Byron Scott will give a big boost to this team. Scott has been waiting to be given the opportunity and now he has it. He looks ready to lead this team to where the Spurs could never get him to. Look for the Warriors to get back to their dominating ways like they did the first few seasons.
League Champion:
This right here is definitely going to be the boldest take of all the takes in this article. There are plenty of teams who are constantly at the top of the standings. And then you have the fact that every Finals has had at least one of the Bucks or Trailblazers. The Lakers just won and they have the best player in the league. The Spurs have Michael Jordan. So who do I think takes home the trophy this season? *drum roll*......... The New Jersey Nets. This team just looks ready to join the Bucks as the only teams with multiple championships. Obviously, it will come down to gameplanning and injuries but, as I’ve said before, this GM knows what it takes to win. The Atlantic is also the only division without two champions so this seems like a great time to even out the score for everybody. Eddie A. Johnson and Dale Ellis are going to be a fearsome duo that are ready to carry this team all the way through the big dance.
Now let’s look at who I think will win certain awards this season. Of course these are all based on who the computer names as the winners of these awards.
Most Valuable Player:
Of course, Magic Johnson is always the front runner to win this award. But I can see him taking a slight step back this season paving the way for someone else to finally take home MVP. I think this is the season that Kevin McHale finally takes home the MVP. He is consistently a top scorer and rebounder and just dominates every matchup. But even then, I think the Bucks were holding him back. Now that he’s on the Hawks, he’s going to be the reason that we see the Hawks truly become a contender. Look for another 30+ points, 10+ rebounds per game from McHale this season. But only this time, he takes it one step further and finally outperforms Magic.
Defensive Player of the Year:
With the right coaching, look for Bill Laimbeer to take home the DPOY award. He’s a fantastic defender who finished 3rd in rebounds per game last season. If he can just continue his momentum from the preseason and keep getting blocks, he’ll for sure take home this award. But again, it’s going to come down to coaching. Can the Mavericks make the right adjustments to make sure they put Laimbeer in the right spot to show off just how great of a defender he can be?
Rookie of the Year:
Finally, I get to talk about my own team. Kevin Johnson looks like the real deal already. It’s only preseason but he averaged 21+ points and 13+ assists per game. If the Supersonics can keep up that production for him all season. Then Kevin Johnson should walk away with this award pretty easily. Of course, that would mean the Supersonics would have to be sure to utilize him properly all season and not go into complete tank mode. But either way, KJ looked like one of, if not the, best and most ready player in the draft and he’s going to be ready to prove it..
General Manager of the Year:
I’ll be honest, I have no idea what the computer is looking for when it comes to this award. LTS has gotten this award the past three seasons and I’m not exactly sure how. But if I had to pick someone to win the award this season, I’m going with RPF. Going from barely making the playoffs last season to winning it all this season (according to my prediction) then I see no reason that he shouldn’t receive this award. I don’t necessarily think the Nets finish with the best record, although it is very possible, I do see them finishing with a first round bye and having one of the best offenses in the league.
So to summarize my predictions:
Hawks and Nuggets make it into the playoffs
Cavaliers and Jazz miss the playoffs
Nets, Pistons, Nuggets, Warriors win their respective divisions
Nets win the League Championship
Kevin Mchale wins MVP
Bill Laimbeer wins DPOY
Kevin Johnson wins ROY
RPF wins GMOY
As always, I appreciate you spending some time with me and hope you enjoyed these predictions as much as I enjoyed making them. It will be fun to circle back to this at the end of the season to see if any of these predictions ended up being true.
I’ve been thinking of different article ideas and this is the one I came up with, Bold Predictions. I thought it would be interesting to try and predict how this season would turn out. Even though I’m almost 100% certain that none of these predictions will come true. But that’s the point of these, they’re meant to be bold.
Sneaks into playoffs: My first prediction will be which team that didn’t make the playoffs last season will make the playoffs this season. In the East, I think the Hawks finally make their first playoff appearance this season. They finished as the 7 seed last season, but only missed the playoffs by 2 games. Then they went and added Kevin McHale and Reggie Theus. It cost them Charles Barkley but this franchise is clearly tired of not being in the playoffs and they took two big swings this offseason. They only went 3-3 in preseason but I fully expect them to put together a gameplan that has them fighting for a first round bye this season.
The team from the West that I predict to make the playoffs is the Nuggets. Once a champion, this team has only made the playoffs once since then. But they added Bill Cartwright which should round out their starting roster. Barring injuries, I can see this team getting in with the 5-6 seed. I don’t expect them to make a deep run but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they make they at least make the playoffs.
Miss the playoffs: If I’m going to predict a team who didn’t make the playoffs last season to make it this season, then that means I have to predict whose spot they will be taking. In the East, I see the Cavaliers missing the playoffs this season. While they do have a good time, this team definitely took a step back this offseason. Moncrief got hit in training camp. They didn’t really sign anyone in the offseason that really moves the needle for them and they seem to be on, what wig likes to say, two different timelines. Everyone is either 29 and older or 24 and younger. Which means this team has players coming out of their prime and players who aren’t quite in their prime. I would not be shocked at all if this team finishes as the 7-8 seed.
In the West, I think the Jazz miss the playoffs this season. They are a very talented team but they might be 1-2 seasons away from being a contender again. The only issue is that their window is pretty small. They may only have 1-2 seasons of being able to compete. But Rodman and Ehlo are only 26 and they look like pretty solid players to build around so maybe they will be able to make a couple of trades or signings to extend that championship window when the time comes.
Division champions:
Atlantic Division: The Nets look like the best team in this division on paper. They have fantastic starters at every position and they also have the depth to help them out in case of injuries. Herb Williams, Clark Kellogg, Eddie A. Johnson, Dale Ellis, and Fat Lever. That is a very dangerous starting 5. And we know this GM knows how to win as we saw them win the first championship of NPBSL. Just two seasons removed from making it to the conference finals, I really see this team taking home the division and giving the Bucks a run for their money in the playoffs.
Central Division:
This division has been dominated by the Bucks for so long so it only makes sense we pick them to win the division again. But of course, that wouldn’t be a bold prediction, now would it? So instead, I’m going to pick the Pistons to finally break through and take the division away from the Bucks. This team has been competing for a few years now and they did it with a lot of young players. Now those players are older and experienced and are ready to break through. Kevin Willis, Larry Nance, and Terry Cummings are going to give teams nightmares all season. Also, the Bucks don’t have the real MVP on their team anymore in Kevin McHale. That’s going to be a lot of production that they are going to have to replace. This is the year we see the Bucks fall.
Midwest Division:
As talented as the Spurs are, we just haven’t really seen them put it all together yet and bring home that trophy. And that’s with the division being pretty weak for a couple of seasons. But now, the other GMs look ready to fight for the top spot and I can see one of them taking it from the Spurs. So who do I think will take the division this season? The Denver Nuggets. Yes, the same team that didn’t even make the playoffs last season. As I said earlier, they added a big boost in Cartwright as well as Clyde still being a dominant force. WIth the right training and gameplanning, the Nuggets could be looking to take back the top spot in the division this season.
Pacific Division:
I’m not sure how bold this prediction truly is since this division really does have three teams that could win it but I’m going with the Golden State Warriors. First, I see the championship the Lakers just won really having them take their foot of the pedal this season. Magic finally got his trophy. But the Lakers still have some glaring holes in their starting lineup and almost no depth. The Trailblazers are always a force to be reckoned with but I’m giving the nod to the Warriors. I really think the addition of Byron Scott will give a big boost to this team. Scott has been waiting to be given the opportunity and now he has it. He looks ready to lead this team to where the Spurs could never get him to. Look for the Warriors to get back to their dominating ways like they did the first few seasons.
League Champion:
This right here is definitely going to be the boldest take of all the takes in this article. There are plenty of teams who are constantly at the top of the standings. And then you have the fact that every Finals has had at least one of the Bucks or Trailblazers. The Lakers just won and they have the best player in the league. The Spurs have Michael Jordan. So who do I think takes home the trophy this season? *drum roll*......... The New Jersey Nets. This team just looks ready to join the Bucks as the only teams with multiple championships. Obviously, it will come down to gameplanning and injuries but, as I’ve said before, this GM knows what it takes to win. The Atlantic is also the only division without two champions so this seems like a great time to even out the score for everybody. Eddie A. Johnson and Dale Ellis are going to be a fearsome duo that are ready to carry this team all the way through the big dance.
Now let’s look at who I think will win certain awards this season. Of course these are all based on who the computer names as the winners of these awards.
Most Valuable Player:
Of course, Magic Johnson is always the front runner to win this award. But I can see him taking a slight step back this season paving the way for someone else to finally take home MVP. I think this is the season that Kevin McHale finally takes home the MVP. He is consistently a top scorer and rebounder and just dominates every matchup. But even then, I think the Bucks were holding him back. Now that he’s on the Hawks, he’s going to be the reason that we see the Hawks truly become a contender. Look for another 30+ points, 10+ rebounds per game from McHale this season. But only this time, he takes it one step further and finally outperforms Magic.
Defensive Player of the Year:
With the right coaching, look for Bill Laimbeer to take home the DPOY award. He’s a fantastic defender who finished 3rd in rebounds per game last season. If he can just continue his momentum from the preseason and keep getting blocks, he’ll for sure take home this award. But again, it’s going to come down to coaching. Can the Mavericks make the right adjustments to make sure they put Laimbeer in the right spot to show off just how great of a defender he can be?
Rookie of the Year:
Finally, I get to talk about my own team. Kevin Johnson looks like the real deal already. It’s only preseason but he averaged 21+ points and 13+ assists per game. If the Supersonics can keep up that production for him all season. Then Kevin Johnson should walk away with this award pretty easily. Of course, that would mean the Supersonics would have to be sure to utilize him properly all season and not go into complete tank mode. But either way, KJ looked like one of, if not the, best and most ready player in the draft and he’s going to be ready to prove it..
General Manager of the Year:
I’ll be honest, I have no idea what the computer is looking for when it comes to this award. LTS has gotten this award the past three seasons and I’m not exactly sure how. But if I had to pick someone to win the award this season, I’m going with RPF. Going from barely making the playoffs last season to winning it all this season (according to my prediction) then I see no reason that he shouldn’t receive this award. I don’t necessarily think the Nets finish with the best record, although it is very possible, I do see them finishing with a first round bye and having one of the best offenses in the league.
So to summarize my predictions:
Hawks and Nuggets make it into the playoffs
Cavaliers and Jazz miss the playoffs
Nets, Pistons, Nuggets, Warriors win their respective divisions
Nets win the League Championship
Kevin Mchale wins MVP
Bill Laimbeer wins DPOY
Kevin Johnson wins ROY
RPF wins GMOY
As always, I appreciate you spending some time with me and hope you enjoyed these predictions as much as I enjoyed making them. It will be fun to circle back to this at the end of the season to see if any of these predictions ended up being true.