The 2011-12 NBA season has finally arrived and with 66-games in only 118 days, this season will be a very exciting one. I am going to title this season as (THE YEAR TO PROVE SOMETHING). Lebron James finally will have to put up or shut up, which is why I believe he will win the MVP Award over Kevin Durant. Andrew Bynum will either have a great year in LA, or a monster year in Orlando, if he ultimately gets traded for Dwight Howard, so I am picking him to win the NBA's MIP (Most Improve Player Award). Kyrie Irving will slightly edge out Kemba Walker for the NBA's ROY(Rookie Of The Year) Award, and quite frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if Kemba Walker ends up winning the award. With 3 straight Defensive Player Of The Year Award under his belt, I think the voters will shy away from Dwight Howard, which is why I expect Lebron to also win this award. You can expect the Miami Heat to have an awesome record with Lebron winning the Defensive Player Of The Year and MVP Award, which will lead to Heat's coach Eric Spoeltra winning the NBA COTY (Coach Of The Year Award).
The list goes on...
2011-12 NBA CHAMPION
Miami Heat
FINALIST
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALIST
Miami Heat
Chicago Bulls
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALIST
Oklahoma City
LA Lakers
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI FINALIST
Miami Heat
Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
New York Knicks
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI FINALISTS
Oklahoma City Thunder
LA Lakers
Dallas Mavericks
LA Clippers
EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF TEAMS
1. Miami
2. Chicago
3. New York
4. Boston
5. Atlanta
6. Orlando
7. Philadelphia
8. Indiana
8. Charlotte
WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF TEAMS
1. San Antonio
2. Oklahoma
3. LA Lakers
4. LA Clippers
5. Dallas
6. Memphis
7. Denver
8. Portland
8. Golden State
MVP
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Chris Paul
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (ROY)
Kyrie Irving
Kemba Walker
Derrick Williams
SIXTH MAN AWARD (SMA)
Lamar Odom
Mo Williams
Thaddeus Young
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (DPY)
LeBron James
Dwight Howard
Tony Allen
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER (MIP)
Andrew Bynum
DeAndre Jordan
Paul George
COACH OF THE YEAR (COTY)
Erik Spoelstra
Vinny Del Negro
Scoot Brooks
All-NBA 1ST TEAM
Derrick Rose
Dwyane Wade
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Blake Griffin
ALL-NBA 2ND TEAM
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Carmelo Anthony
Amare Stoudemire
Dwight Howard
All-NBA 1ST DEFENSIVE TEAM
Chris Paul
Tony Allen
Lebron James
Serge Ibaka
Dwight Howard
ALL-NBA 2ND DEFENSIVE TEAM
Rajon Rondo
Dywane Wade
Paul George/Luol Deng
Josh Smith
DeAndre Jordan
All-ROOKIE TEAM
Kyrie Irving
Jimmer Fredette
Kemba Walker
Derrick Williams
Tristan Thompson
Saturday, December 24, 2011
NBA WIZARD POWER RANKING: WEEK1
RK LAST RK LAST REC
1 (3) HEAT 58-24
The Heat pretty much stayed pat and made very few changes. They added Shane Battier, Eddy Curry and Rookie Norris Cole, but as we all know, the Heat success boils down to their big 3, mainly Lebron James. This is put up or shut time time for Lebron, which is why I expect him to have his best season this year.
2 (4) MAVERICKS 57-25
The Mavs are the defending NBA Champions, so you probably wondering why I'm ranking them second, especially after getting Lamar Odom for practically nothing from LA and adding Vince Carter. The answer is Tyson Chandler. He was the Mavericks starting center who anchored their defense last year, but now he's he New York and believe me, the Mavericks will be miss dearly.
3 (1) BULLS 62-20
The Bulls believe adding veteran guard Rip Hamilton may be the final piece to their championship puzzle, but I think by late February, it will become evident that his addition is enough. It wouldn't surprise me then to see the Bulls trade Noah and Boozer, or Noah and Deng for Dwight Howard if he's still available by the trade deadline.
4 (5) THUNDER 55-27
Kevin Durant was perhaps the most active player during the lockout, participating in summer league games from Ruckers to Oklahoma and he's returning this season with Dirk's one legged fade away jumper added to his already impressive offensive arsenal. Kendrick Perkins is returning 25 pounds lighter and vowed to Durant that he'll be ready this season. My only concern is the Thunder are returning with the same team from last year, and I really don't think Durant's improvement and Perkins weight loss will be enough to put the Thunder over the hump.
5 (6) CELTICS 56-26
The Celtics improved their interior by trading Glen Davis for Brandon Bass, but losing Jeff Green, who is out for the entire season due to a heart condition, will be extremely difficult to recover from. Adding former all-star David West, would have filled the void created by Green's absence, but West ended up signing with the Pacers instead of the Celtics a few weeks ago.
6 (7) LAKERS 57-25
The Lakers had the worst luck of any team over the last month. For starters, LA traded Gasol and Odom for all-star point guard Chris Paul, only to have the NBA's commissioner David Stern void the trade. This obviously resulted in a very disgruntle Lamar Odom, who was eventually traded to Dallas for a trade exception, which left Lakers fans puzzled. Add that to Kobe's recent divorce followed by his bad wrist and you have to feel bad for the Lakers. Well, don't feel too bad, because the Lakers fortune could instantly change if they trade for Dwight Howard. If they can get Dwight and still keep Gasol, the Lakers could find themselves back on top in no time.
7 (11) GRIZZLIES 46-36
The Grizzlies handled their first order of business by signing center Marc Gasol to an extension. Losing him would have set them back and destroyed the momentum they built during last year's playoff. Having a healthy Rudy Gay back in the lineup should help them maintain a top 10 ranking throughout this season.
8 (2) SPURS 61-21
Spurs owner Peter Holt was one of the hardliners from a small market team during the NBA lockout so I had to ask myself, would he have taken a hard line stance 5 or even 10 years ago when Tim Duncan was in his prime? Of course not! Age catches up with everyone and the Spurs are year older and slower. I would be shocked to see this current Spurs roster finish the season.
9 (13) KNICKS 42-40
The Knicks are definitely better with the addition of Tyson Chandler and rookie Iman Shumpert, but I still believe the Heat, Bulls and a healthy Celtics team has an edge over them. I think in the long run, Iman Shumpert will prove to be an even bigger addition than Tyson Chandler.
10 (23) CLIPPERS 32-50
Without question, the LA Clippers came out ahead during a very short 2 weeks free agency period. Their first move was matching the Warriors 4 year/$43 million offer to restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan, which was expected. What came as the biggest surprise, was their acquisition of Chauncey Billups. After being amnestied by New York, Billups threatened to retire if any team picked him up during waivers, but the Clippers called his bluff and had made the highest bid. The icing on the cake obviously, came when they upstaged the LA Lakers by getting CP3 in a trade. Look out, "Lob City" will be in full effect!
11 (10) TRAIL BLAZERS 48-34
The Blazers can't seem to catch a break. Greg Oden is still out, not a surprise, but losing Brandon Roy, who retired because of two bad knees had to be a major blow. To help fill the void, the Blazer signed Jamal Crawford to a 2 year/$10 million deal. However, Oden will have to return and stay healthy if the Blazers expect to take the next step.
12 (9) NUGGETS 50-32
The Nuggets took care of home by re-signing their two key free agents Arron Afflalo and Nene. With Andre Miller and Ty Lawson sharing point guard duties, the Nuggets should have enough to challenge the Warriors and the TrailBlazers for one of the last playoff spots in the West.
13 (8) MAGIC 52-30
Magic general manager Otis Smith is doing everything to save his job by holding on to Dwight Howard for as long as he can and that's not a bad move. The most idiotic thing he could do however, is not trading Dwight in anticipation of re-signing him next summer. If Dwight makes it to free agency, the Magic can forget about trading him to LA for Bynum, because I think at that point he would rather sign with the Mavs or the Nets.
14 (14) HAWKS 44-38
Losing Jamal Crawford will prove to be costly for the Hawks, he was their instant offense off the bench. On top of that, the Hawks didn't make any moves over the last two weeks, so I really don't know what direction the Hawks are heading. If they're just content making the playoffs fine, but a trade has to be made if they expect to contend for a title.
15 (16) ROCKETS 43-39
With Kevin McHale on board as the Rockets new head coach, it made perfect sense why the Rockets went after Pau Gasol. McHale is a big man's coach and Gasol's game would have been the perfect replacement for the retired Yao Ming. Unfortunate for the Rockets, the trade was voided, but to the Rockets credit, they were able to sign free agent center Samuel Dalembert. Something tells me though that the Rockets are not done dealing.
16 (17) PACERS 37-45
Signing David West was an excellent addition for the Pacers. My only concern is whether he will return back to the player he was before his surgery when he averaged 19ppg and 7.6rpg. I also expect the Pacers Paul George to make a major impact and to contend for the NBA's MIP Award this season.
17 (15) 76ERS 41-41
The Sixers made a strong showing last year, but with no key additions they are on the cusp of going either way. You can expect the trade chatter surrounding Igou to start if the Sixers get off to a slow start.
18 (12) HORNETS 46-36
I think most NBA observers would agree that the trade bringing in Lamar Odom, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin, would have made the Hornets a playoff team, but the commission opted instead to put the team in a better position financially for the next buyer. I know a starting lineup of Eric Gordon, Kaman, Aminu, Okafor and Jerrett Jack could eventually develop into playoff team, but I don't see them making the playoff this year.
19 (20) WARRIORS 36-46
Rookie Klay Thompson has a bright future and new head coach Mark Jackson will make the Warriors a much better defensive team. Unfortunately, the Clippers matched the Warriors offer to center DeAndre Jordan, leaving them to settle for "butter fingers" center Kwame Brown. I expect them to battle the Nuggets and Blazers for one of the last two playoffs spots.
20 (18) SUNS 40-42
Poor Steve Nash is all I can say. Phoenix will not make the playoffs and unfortunate for Nash, his value is not what it used to be. His numbers were still amazing last season at 14.7ppg and a league leading 11.4apg, but Nash will be 38 in February. I think the best thing Phoenix can do is trade him, at least so he has a chance to win a title, especially since they are not even going to make the playoffs this season.
21 (22) BOBCATS 34-48
Watch out for Kemba Walker! I expect him to battle Kyrie Irving for the NBA's ROY Award. I am going on record right now to predict that Kemba will average 17.5 to 20ppg along with 6apg. His field goal percentage will probably be in the low 40s, but by the end of the season this kid will end up being the biggest steal in this year's draft, I guarantee it!
22 (19) JAZZ 39-43
The Jazz are going through a transition and though I believe Enes Kanter has a bright future, he is still very raw. If you're a Jazz fan, I hate to say, but your team is at least 2 seasons away from being a playoff team. But don't be discouraged, because things can change very quickly in this league. Just look at the LA Clippers.
23 (21) BUCKS 35-47
I expect Stephen Jackson to bring his winning ways to Milwaukee, but in order for them to make the playoffs starting point guard Brandon Jennings must excel in two areas. He must increase his field goal percentage from 39 to at least 45 percent and his assist must increase to 8 plus a game. He'll average 20 plus points if he shoots 45 percent from the field and 8 assists per game would mean he's getting the entire team involved. Basically, Brandon Jennings will have to play like an all-star for the Bucks to have any chance of making the playoffs.
24 (25) KINGS 24-58
Say what you want about not being able to play defense, but one thing rookie Jimmer Fredette can do and that's shoot the basketball. He is going to average over 12ppg or more off the bench and I wouldn't be surprise if he's in the starting lineup by mid season. If you're wondering why the Kings didn't sign Samuel Dalembert, well, the answer is DeMarcus Cousins. I expect him to average 20ppg and 10 rebounds this year. The Kings will not make the playoffs this year, but they will be very exciting to watch thanks to the Jimmer and a breakout season by DeMarcus Cousins.
25 (26) WIZARDS 29-53
After a breakout season last year Wizards shooting guard Nick Young expected to get a nice contract, but that was before the lockout and the challenge brought on by his own teammate Jordan Crawford, the player who claimed he's better than the real Jordan. The competition between the two shooting guards should make the Wizards a better team, but John Wall will have to have a breakout year in order for the Wizards to have a shot at making the playoffs. By his standard, Wall with have to average 22 or more points per game with at least 10apg.
26 (27) NETS 24-58
Brook Lopez will be out 6 to 8 weeks recovering from a foot surgery and his absence will have two effect. The Nets will obviously miss his 20 points and 6 rebounds per game, but more importantly, the Nets hopes of trading for Dwight Howard will have to be put on hold until Lopez recovers. I still expect Howard to end up in New Jersey, unless Lakers are willing to trade both Gasol and Bynum for Howard, in which case, he'll be a Lakers for sure.
27 (30) TIMBERWOLVES 17-65
Ricky Rubio has finally arrived, Love is in his contract year and Derrick Williams will challenge Beasley for the starting forward spot. Those will be the three story lines coming out of Sota this season.
28 (27) PISTONS
Brandon Knight is a stud, but the Pistons will regret not drafting Kemba Walker. The Pistons are clearly in rebuilding mode. Rip left and Tayshaun was re-signed, but I expect him to get traded eventually. The one player the Pistons should be excited about is Austin Daye, I expect him to have a breakout season.
29 (29) CAVALIERS 19-63
The Cavaliers are at the bottom of the totem pole right now, but this could all change by next season. For starter, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson will make the all-nba rookie first team and are two great building blocks for the Cavaliers. Secondly, the Cavs will be $28 million under the cap, putting them in position to sign two max free agents. Imagine if they end up with a bad enough record and end up drafting Anthony Davis next summer to pair up with Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thomas. And then just for kicks, offered Dwight Howard and Deron Williams max contracts, they would immediately become serious contenders for years.
30 (28) RAPTORS 22-60
As of today, I believe the Raptors are the worst team in basketball. Hopefully, new head coach Dwyane Casey's defensive schemes are adopted by his team, because it will be a miracle with their current roster. I'm sure the Raptors will improve because I have a lot of faith in Dwyane Casey's coaching ability, but as of Dec 24th, 2011, the Raptors are the 30th ranked team in the NBA.
1 (3) HEAT 58-24
The Heat pretty much stayed pat and made very few changes. They added Shane Battier, Eddy Curry and Rookie Norris Cole, but as we all know, the Heat success boils down to their big 3, mainly Lebron James. This is put up or shut time time for Lebron, which is why I expect him to have his best season this year.
2 (4) MAVERICKS 57-25
The Mavs are the defending NBA Champions, so you probably wondering why I'm ranking them second, especially after getting Lamar Odom for practically nothing from LA and adding Vince Carter. The answer is Tyson Chandler. He was the Mavericks starting center who anchored their defense last year, but now he's he New York and believe me, the Mavericks will be miss dearly.
3 (1) BULLS 62-20
The Bulls believe adding veteran guard Rip Hamilton may be the final piece to their championship puzzle, but I think by late February, it will become evident that his addition is enough. It wouldn't surprise me then to see the Bulls trade Noah and Boozer, or Noah and Deng for Dwight Howard if he's still available by the trade deadline.
4 (5) THUNDER 55-27
Kevin Durant was perhaps the most active player during the lockout, participating in summer league games from Ruckers to Oklahoma and he's returning this season with Dirk's one legged fade away jumper added to his already impressive offensive arsenal. Kendrick Perkins is returning 25 pounds lighter and vowed to Durant that he'll be ready this season. My only concern is the Thunder are returning with the same team from last year, and I really don't think Durant's improvement and Perkins weight loss will be enough to put the Thunder over the hump.
5 (6) CELTICS 56-26
The Celtics improved their interior by trading Glen Davis for Brandon Bass, but losing Jeff Green, who is out for the entire season due to a heart condition, will be extremely difficult to recover from. Adding former all-star David West, would have filled the void created by Green's absence, but West ended up signing with the Pacers instead of the Celtics a few weeks ago.
6 (7) LAKERS 57-25
The Lakers had the worst luck of any team over the last month. For starters, LA traded Gasol and Odom for all-star point guard Chris Paul, only to have the NBA's commissioner David Stern void the trade. This obviously resulted in a very disgruntle Lamar Odom, who was eventually traded to Dallas for a trade exception, which left Lakers fans puzzled. Add that to Kobe's recent divorce followed by his bad wrist and you have to feel bad for the Lakers. Well, don't feel too bad, because the Lakers fortune could instantly change if they trade for Dwight Howard. If they can get Dwight and still keep Gasol, the Lakers could find themselves back on top in no time.
7 (11) GRIZZLIES 46-36
The Grizzlies handled their first order of business by signing center Marc Gasol to an extension. Losing him would have set them back and destroyed the momentum they built during last year's playoff. Having a healthy Rudy Gay back in the lineup should help them maintain a top 10 ranking throughout this season.
8 (2) SPURS 61-21
Spurs owner Peter Holt was one of the hardliners from a small market team during the NBA lockout so I had to ask myself, would he have taken a hard line stance 5 or even 10 years ago when Tim Duncan was in his prime? Of course not! Age catches up with everyone and the Spurs are year older and slower. I would be shocked to see this current Spurs roster finish the season.
9 (13) KNICKS 42-40
The Knicks are definitely better with the addition of Tyson Chandler and rookie Iman Shumpert, but I still believe the Heat, Bulls and a healthy Celtics team has an edge over them. I think in the long run, Iman Shumpert will prove to be an even bigger addition than Tyson Chandler.
10 (23) CLIPPERS 32-50
Without question, the LA Clippers came out ahead during a very short 2 weeks free agency period. Their first move was matching the Warriors 4 year/$43 million offer to restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan, which was expected. What came as the biggest surprise, was their acquisition of Chauncey Billups. After being amnestied by New York, Billups threatened to retire if any team picked him up during waivers, but the Clippers called his bluff and had made the highest bid. The icing on the cake obviously, came when they upstaged the LA Lakers by getting CP3 in a trade. Look out, "Lob City" will be in full effect!
11 (10) TRAIL BLAZERS 48-34
The Blazers can't seem to catch a break. Greg Oden is still out, not a surprise, but losing Brandon Roy, who retired because of two bad knees had to be a major blow. To help fill the void, the Blazer signed Jamal Crawford to a 2 year/$10 million deal. However, Oden will have to return and stay healthy if the Blazers expect to take the next step.
12 (9) NUGGETS 50-32
The Nuggets took care of home by re-signing their two key free agents Arron Afflalo and Nene. With Andre Miller and Ty Lawson sharing point guard duties, the Nuggets should have enough to challenge the Warriors and the TrailBlazers for one of the last playoff spots in the West.
13 (8) MAGIC 52-30
Magic general manager Otis Smith is doing everything to save his job by holding on to Dwight Howard for as long as he can and that's not a bad move. The most idiotic thing he could do however, is not trading Dwight in anticipation of re-signing him next summer. If Dwight makes it to free agency, the Magic can forget about trading him to LA for Bynum, because I think at that point he would rather sign with the Mavs or the Nets.
14 (14) HAWKS 44-38
Losing Jamal Crawford will prove to be costly for the Hawks, he was their instant offense off the bench. On top of that, the Hawks didn't make any moves over the last two weeks, so I really don't know what direction the Hawks are heading. If they're just content making the playoffs fine, but a trade has to be made if they expect to contend for a title.
15 (16) ROCKETS 43-39
With Kevin McHale on board as the Rockets new head coach, it made perfect sense why the Rockets went after Pau Gasol. McHale is a big man's coach and Gasol's game would have been the perfect replacement for the retired Yao Ming. Unfortunate for the Rockets, the trade was voided, but to the Rockets credit, they were able to sign free agent center Samuel Dalembert. Something tells me though that the Rockets are not done dealing.
16 (17) PACERS 37-45
Signing David West was an excellent addition for the Pacers. My only concern is whether he will return back to the player he was before his surgery when he averaged 19ppg and 7.6rpg. I also expect the Pacers Paul George to make a major impact and to contend for the NBA's MIP Award this season.
17 (15) 76ERS 41-41
The Sixers made a strong showing last year, but with no key additions they are on the cusp of going either way. You can expect the trade chatter surrounding Igou to start if the Sixers get off to a slow start.
18 (12) HORNETS 46-36
I think most NBA observers would agree that the trade bringing in Lamar Odom, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin, would have made the Hornets a playoff team, but the commission opted instead to put the team in a better position financially for the next buyer. I know a starting lineup of Eric Gordon, Kaman, Aminu, Okafor and Jerrett Jack could eventually develop into playoff team, but I don't see them making the playoff this year.
19 (20) WARRIORS 36-46
Rookie Klay Thompson has a bright future and new head coach Mark Jackson will make the Warriors a much better defensive team. Unfortunately, the Clippers matched the Warriors offer to center DeAndre Jordan, leaving them to settle for "butter fingers" center Kwame Brown. I expect them to battle the Nuggets and Blazers for one of the last two playoffs spots.
20 (18) SUNS 40-42
Poor Steve Nash is all I can say. Phoenix will not make the playoffs and unfortunate for Nash, his value is not what it used to be. His numbers were still amazing last season at 14.7ppg and a league leading 11.4apg, but Nash will be 38 in February. I think the best thing Phoenix can do is trade him, at least so he has a chance to win a title, especially since they are not even going to make the playoffs this season.
21 (22) BOBCATS 34-48
Watch out for Kemba Walker! I expect him to battle Kyrie Irving for the NBA's ROY Award. I am going on record right now to predict that Kemba will average 17.5 to 20ppg along with 6apg. His field goal percentage will probably be in the low 40s, but by the end of the season this kid will end up being the biggest steal in this year's draft, I guarantee it!
22 (19) JAZZ 39-43
The Jazz are going through a transition and though I believe Enes Kanter has a bright future, he is still very raw. If you're a Jazz fan, I hate to say, but your team is at least 2 seasons away from being a playoff team. But don't be discouraged, because things can change very quickly in this league. Just look at the LA Clippers.
23 (21) BUCKS 35-47
I expect Stephen Jackson to bring his winning ways to Milwaukee, but in order for them to make the playoffs starting point guard Brandon Jennings must excel in two areas. He must increase his field goal percentage from 39 to at least 45 percent and his assist must increase to 8 plus a game. He'll average 20 plus points if he shoots 45 percent from the field and 8 assists per game would mean he's getting the entire team involved. Basically, Brandon Jennings will have to play like an all-star for the Bucks to have any chance of making the playoffs.
24 (25) KINGS 24-58
Say what you want about not being able to play defense, but one thing rookie Jimmer Fredette can do and that's shoot the basketball. He is going to average over 12ppg or more off the bench and I wouldn't be surprise if he's in the starting lineup by mid season. If you're wondering why the Kings didn't sign Samuel Dalembert, well, the answer is DeMarcus Cousins. I expect him to average 20ppg and 10 rebounds this year. The Kings will not make the playoffs this year, but they will be very exciting to watch thanks to the Jimmer and a breakout season by DeMarcus Cousins.
25 (26) WIZARDS 29-53
After a breakout season last year Wizards shooting guard Nick Young expected to get a nice contract, but that was before the lockout and the challenge brought on by his own teammate Jordan Crawford, the player who claimed he's better than the real Jordan. The competition between the two shooting guards should make the Wizards a better team, but John Wall will have to have a breakout year in order for the Wizards to have a shot at making the playoffs. By his standard, Wall with have to average 22 or more points per game with at least 10apg.
26 (27) NETS 24-58
Brook Lopez will be out 6 to 8 weeks recovering from a foot surgery and his absence will have two effect. The Nets will obviously miss his 20 points and 6 rebounds per game, but more importantly, the Nets hopes of trading for Dwight Howard will have to be put on hold until Lopez recovers. I still expect Howard to end up in New Jersey, unless Lakers are willing to trade both Gasol and Bynum for Howard, in which case, he'll be a Lakers for sure.
27 (30) TIMBERWOLVES 17-65
Ricky Rubio has finally arrived, Love is in his contract year and Derrick Williams will challenge Beasley for the starting forward spot. Those will be the three story lines coming out of Sota this season.
28 (27) PISTONS
Brandon Knight is a stud, but the Pistons will regret not drafting Kemba Walker. The Pistons are clearly in rebuilding mode. Rip left and Tayshaun was re-signed, but I expect him to get traded eventually. The one player the Pistons should be excited about is Austin Daye, I expect him to have a breakout season.
29 (29) CAVALIERS 19-63
The Cavaliers are at the bottom of the totem pole right now, but this could all change by next season. For starter, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson will make the all-nba rookie first team and are two great building blocks for the Cavaliers. Secondly, the Cavs will be $28 million under the cap, putting them in position to sign two max free agents. Imagine if they end up with a bad enough record and end up drafting Anthony Davis next summer to pair up with Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thomas. And then just for kicks, offered Dwight Howard and Deron Williams max contracts, they would immediately become serious contenders for years.
30 (28) RAPTORS 22-60
As of today, I believe the Raptors are the worst team in basketball. Hopefully, new head coach Dwyane Casey's defensive schemes are adopted by his team, because it will be a miracle with their current roster. I'm sure the Raptors will improve because I have a lot of faith in Dwyane Casey's coaching ability, but as of Dec 24th, 2011, the Raptors are the 30th ranked team in the NBA.
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