NBA Season 2014-2015

[Jay]

JAYMAN'S PRE-SEASON POWER RANKINGS

27. Milwaukee Bucks

Last season's record: 15-67

Best player: Larry Sanders - 7.7points, 7.2rebounds, 1.7blocks, PER 14.02
Probably going to cop some heat for this choice, with some arguing Jabari or Giannis are already the team's best player. However, I'm willing to take a punt on Sanders returning to 2012/2013 form in which he averaged 10 points on 50% shooting with 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks with a PER of 18.7. Struggled with injuries (and marijuana ::)) last season, so clearly was not at his rim protecting best. My prediction is that he has the biggest positive impact on this Bucks team, with Jabari or Giannis taking over in a year or two.

Off-season moves:
IN: Jabari Parker (draft), Jerryd Bayless (free agency), Kendall Marshall (free agency), Jared Dudley (trade)
OUT: Carlos Delfino (trade)
Pretty good off-season really, they added young talent without losing anything from last season's team (Delfino didn't play at all). Jabari is obviously a huge in, think he is just what they needed. Bayless is a handy scorer off the bench, who they didn't overpay for and Dudley is a handy veteran who they got for basically nothing. Marshall has always been a good playmaker, and they aren't even paying him $1 million for this upcoming season.

Projected Starting 5:
PG: Brandon Knight
SG: OJ Mayo
SF: Jabari Parker
PF: Giannis Antetokoumpo
C: Larry Sanders
6th man: John Henson
They're going to have a weird rotation. They could play Giannis at the SG, and then start John Henson or they could play Ilyasova to stretch the floor - expect them to use plenty of rotations over the season.

What to watch for:
1. Resurgence of Larry Sanders - the 2012/2013 season was a breakout for Sanders, establishing himself as one of the premier rim protectors in the NBA and earned himself a big contract extension. However he regressed majorly last season, due to a number of factors. If he can return to the form of two years ago, then he'll make a huge impact on Milwaukee's defense.

2. Greek Freak converting potential to results - there has been massive hype for this kid because he does things on a basketball court we probably haven't ever seen. Not sure how many other guys in NBA history can go almost the length of the court in two dribbles... As it stands now though, he has averages of 6.8points @ 41%, 4.4rebounds, 1.9assists so those numbers are going to need to improve to match the huge hype

Strength: Upside of their wing positions - Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokoumpo are two of the brightest young wings in the NBA. Jabari was rightly taken in the top 2 of one of the strongest drafts in recent years and will have an immediate impact on the offensive side of the ball. Giannis is a freak - 6'11 and still growing with point guard talent. The play of these two will determine the short-term and long-term success of Milwaukee

Weakness: Defense - the worst defense in the league last season giving up 111.8 points per 100 possessions. Milwaukee gave up 38% on threes last season which was a league high, so perimeter defense is their main issue. They should be okay on the interior with Larry Sanders defending the paint.

Final thoughts: Think they'll improve a fair bit from last season. Sanders will be better, Giannis will be better, Mayo can't get any worse and most of all, they're adding Jabari Parker - the most NBA ready prospect in the draft. Not saying they can push playoffs but they won't be as awful as last season. I actually expect their offense to be close to league average, which is a massive upgrade over the 5th worst offense in the league last year.

Predicted conference rank: 13th

[Master Q]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C02WBFWDiqE&feature=youtu.be

[Mat0369]

The Greek Freak is playing PG for the Bucks

[Jay]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C02WBFWDiqE&feature=youtu.be

Some of the worst rap I've ever heard, yet its on my iPod :P

Btw some more previews coming soon.

[Holz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C02WBFWDiqE&feature=youtu.be

Some of the worst rap I've ever heard, yet its on my iPod :P

Btw some more previews coming soon.

Jay why do this to me, was pumped about my hornets coming back this year.

That was terrible not sure I can defend lance anymore.

[valkorum]

Btw some more previews coming soon.

Can't wait

[Jay]

JAYMAN'S PRE-SEASON POWER RANKINGS

26. Indiana Pacers

Last season's record: 56-26

Best player: Roy Hibbert
Obviously Paul George is the best player on this team but is missing the upcoming season with a broken leg. Hibbert was an all-star last season so was the obvious choice for the team's best player this season.

Off-season moves:
IN: CJ Miles, Rodney Stuckey
OUT: Lance Stephenson, Evan Turner
I'm still trying to work out why they didn't just pay Lance. Indiana were offering him 5 years, $44 million and he ended up signing in Charlotte for 3 years, $27 million. So for an extra couple of hundred thousand per year, they could have kept the league-leader in triple doubles. Turner was a cancer for them as soon as he got there so was no surprise that they let him walk. Miles and Stuckey are decent stop gaps but they aren't Lance or PG.

Projected Starting 5:
PG: George Hill
SG: Rodney Stuckey
SF: Chris Copeland
PF: David West
C: Roy Hibbert
6th man: CJ Miles
I could see CJ Miles starting at the SF should he perform well but I think he is best suited to a 6th man role. The others are fairly obvious with no real threats from the bench.

What to watch for:
1. If George Hill is a starting quality player - I think Indiana's biggest weakness last year and the reason for them playing so poorly in the playoffs the inability of George Hill to initiate the offense - Hill had the 2nd lowest assist percentage of starting point guards. For Indiana to have a shot at making the playoffs, Hill needs to prove he is a starting quality player and do a better job of initiating the Pacers offense.

2. Roy Hibbert shrinking or shining - probably the most confusing player in the NBA, but I think he's a very good big man. He's still the best rim protector in the NBA, which is a very important skill. His offense has been wildly inconsistent, in 2013 vs Miami he looked like a legit 20ppg post player however in last years playoffs he was struggling to even register a point. Last season he complained about not getting touches, that's not going to be a problem with Lance and George out of the lineup. This is when we find out whether Roy is good or not.

Strength: Defense - they are still going to be a very good defensive team with Coach Vogel, Hill, West and Hibbert. Last season they were the 4th best defense since 2010 led by the wing defense of George and the rim protection of Roy Hibbert. They won't be as good as last year but I expect them to still be top 8.

Weakness: Scoring - the 8th worst offense in the league last season and now they've lost the leader in offensive win shares (Paul George) for the season and Lance Stephenson who had the 4th most offensive win shares. I expect them to be a bottom 3 offense which is to be expected when your 3 best offensive players are Roy Hibbert, George Hill and David West.

Final thoughts: Maybe I'm overreacting a little to the losses of Lance and PG but I think those 2 and David West held the entire Pacers squad together last season. I can't see them making the playoffs which may not be a bad thing as they should get a top 10 pick to put next to Paul George next season. They really shot themselves in the foot by letting Lance walk, they'll be regretting that move for years to come.

Predicted conference rank: 12th

[Jay]

Rondo has broke his hand and is out for 6 weeks. flower, the guy cannot catch a break :(

[Jay]

JAYMAN'S PRE-SEASON POWER RANKINGS

25. Minnesota Timberwolves

Last season's record: 40-42

Best player: Nikola Pekovic
Almost went Rubio here but he's just too inefficient, shooting at 38% from the field. Wiggins will take this title soon being a two-way force but for now, its Pekovic - he's an elite offensive big man.

Off-season moves:
IN: Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Thaddeus Young, Zach Lavine, Mo Williams
OUT: Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Alexey Shved
All things considered, they've done pretty well this off-season. Without a doubt they have got worse for the upcoming season but the future is looking much brighter than what it was when they were treading in mediocrity with Love. Wiggins will make an impact defensively from day 1 but is still very raw offensively. He isn't ready to be a no.1 scoring option but having a low post threat in Pekovic and a good passing PG in Rubio should help him. Love was top 5 in league PER and Win Shares last season so his production cannot be replaced but Minnesota certainly got a fair haul in return. Zach Lavine will be fun to watch, he has crazy athleticism and was worth the punt at pick 13. Mo Williams was a cheap signing to provide some shooting from the PG spot, hopefully can make up for Rubio's horrid form.

Projected Starting 5:
PG: Ricky Rubio
SG: Kevin Martin
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Thad Young
C: Nikola Pekovic
6th man: Corey Brewer

What to watch for:
1. Will Rubio prove to be worth a max contract extension - so instead of giving Love a 5 year max contract, they decided to save it for Rubio. He better improve on last season's numbers to be worth that, 38% from the field has to be more like 45%.

2. Andrew Wiggins rookie year impact - he was the correct choice for the first pick, but I think he is more raw than the likes of Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Marcus Smart. He doesn't have a refined offensive game yet and needs to improve his jumper and handle. Look for him to be an elite wing defender from day one though, he has the perfect body for it - long, quick and strong.

Strength: Getting to the free throw line - the free throw is a vital part of an NBA offense and Minnesota got to the line more than any team other than Houston. Kevin Love was the team leader in free throw attempts, however Martin, Rubio, Pekovic and Brewer all got to the line more than 220 times last season.

Weakness: Interior defense - Thad Young and Nikola Pekovic, both ranked very poorly in FG% allowed at the rim. Ricky Rubio often gambles for steals allowing easy drives and with only Young and Pekovic rim protecting, Minnesota are going to give up a lot of points. Shots close to the basket are obviously the most valuable for an offense and if Minnesota are incapable of guarding that, good offenses will take full advantage.

Final thoughts: This team is going to be fun to watch for the upcoming season despite losing a top 10 player in the association. Rubio, Wiggins and LaVine running in transition, throwing alleys will be exciting. But they aren't going to be a good team, competing in that western conference is so tough so they're likely to add a top 5 pick to the already young core of Rubio, Wiggins and Bennett.

Predicted conference rank: 14th

[Holz]

I think your underating the wolves a little Jay, can see why you would though.

Love gave little D, and Wiggins will really help they should be much better on D next year.

Ill go out on a limb and put them at 20.

Fantastic read though, enjoying the work.just got go back my man Wiggins.

[Jay]

I think your underating the wolves a little Jay, can see why you would though.

Love gave little D, and Wiggins will really help they should be much better on D next year.

Ill go out on a limb and put them at 20.

Fantastic read though, enjoying the work.just got go back my man Wiggins.

It's just that they're in the west, it's tough going out there.

Next one on it's way.

[Jay]

JAYMAN'S PRE-SEASON POWER RANKINGS

24. Detroit Pistons

Last season's record: 29-53

Best player: Andre Drummond - 13.5 points @ 62%, 13.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 22.65 PER

Off-season moves:
IN: Jodie Meeks, DJ Augustin, Caron Butler
OUT: Rodney Stuckey, Chauncey Billups
In a valiant attempt to make the 'paint clogging' trio of Smith, Monroe and Drummond work, Van Gundy has gone out and signed a lot of shooting - all three players signed shot over 40% from three last season. They overpaid for Meeks but the motives were right as last year proved the need for outside shooting. Would've liked to have seen them sign and trade Monroe before he walks for nothing but they had a good off-season for what they had to work with.

Projected Starting 5:
PG: Brandon Jennings
SG: Jodie Meeks
SF: Josh Smith
PF: Greg Monroe
C: Andre Drummond
6th man: Caron Butler

What to watch for:
1. The rise of Andre Drummond - we all saw what Van Gundy did with Dwight in Orlando, and he'll look to recreate the exact same thing with Drummond here in Detroit. If you look at the 2009 Orlando team that went to the finals, they had Dwight down low and then shooters around him so it should be too no surprise that as soon as SVG comes on board, he signs three 40% 3pt shooters.
Here's an interesting comparison of Drummond and Howard after 2 seasons (stats are adjusted per 36 minutes as Drummond played limited minutes as a rookie):

Drummond: 14.6 points @ 62%, 14.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, PER 22.3
Howard: 14.4 points @ 53%, 11.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, PER 18.3

2. Will the newly signed shooters improve the offense - Shooting is nice, but it doesn't solve their core problem of their front-court - Smith, Monroe and Drummond all have no outside game clogging the lane for the other guards and not giving the post up players any room to move. When all three played together, their net rating was minus 8, equivalent to being the 4th worst team in the NBA.

Strength: Offensive rebounding - Detroit led the league in Offensive Rebounding %, Drummond led the team with 5.3 per game

Weakness: 3pt shooting - Aside from Philly, Detroit had the worst 3pt percentage in the league, largely influenced by Josh Smith shooting 26%.

Final thoughts: If there's anyone that can make this team work, its SVG but I can't see it happening. The core players just don't fit together, in my opinion they need to blow it all up and build around Drummond properly. He is such an elite talent that they don't need to overpay mediocre players like Josh Smith to try and win now. Will be interesting to see how they handle the Monroe situation, my bet is he signs elsewhere first chance he gets.

Predicted conference rank: 11th

[valkorum]

Rondo has broke his hand and is out for 6 weeks. flower, the guy cannot catch a break :(

I heard he fell in the shower

[valkorum]

I am starting to get withdrawals Jayman - where's the next installment of the pre-season power rankings

[Jay]

I am starting to get withdrawals Jayman - where's the next installment of the pre-season power rankings

Haha! Haven't had much internet access this weekend but there's one coming tonight.

The one you've all been waiting for ;D (spoiler alert)