NBA Preview "And One" Playoff Predictions

This is Part II in a two-part series previewing the National Basketball Association season on Sports Business Society's Tipoff Week.  To read Part I, click here. 

All the questions I asked before were mostly human interest.  Now for the question that really matters:

Which teams will complete the playoff picture in each league?

As the season approaches, there appears to be a block of teams in each league we can pencil in as playoff participants without much argument. In the Western Conference, the six seemingly shoo-ins are, (in no particular order) The Rockets, Spurs, Thunder, Warriors, Clippers and Grizzlies. In the East, the teams that will stand atop the standings (again in no particular order) are The Knicks, Heat, Nets, Pacers and Bulls. The last two western conference playoff spots will come down to a battle between Denver, Dallas, Portland and Minnesota.

Sorry Lakers fans  despite Kobe's objections the purple and gold will not be in the playoff hunt. Look on the bright side, next year’s lottery will provide you with a potential successor to the Mamba.

 This past summer the Nuggets lost their coach, G.M. and most prized free agent. However, their acquisitions of J.J. Hickson, Randy Foye and Nate Robinson will sure up their bench, make up for the lost production brought about by Igoudala’s departure and keep the Nuggets’ fast-paced attack relevant until the end of the regular season.

Mark Cuban and company took on the hair pulling frustration that comes with a team lead by the Mississippi Missile, Monta Ellis. Ellis’ inconsistent play and poor shooting percentage historically leads to losing seasons. What Big-D can hang their cowboy hats on this year is that their offense will run through Dirk, Monta will simply provide the secondary scoring option that they’ve lacked in the past few years. What separates the Mavs from the West’s contenders stems from their complete and utter lack of frontcourt depth. Nominees for their best non-Dirk big-man include; Samuel Dalembert, DeJuan Blair and Brandon Wright...Need I say more?

Last season the Blazers’ had one of the NBA’s most competitive starting fives. Unfortunately for them, their bench was the worst in the league, by a lot. Their bench scored 25% fewer points than the next least productive bench. Luckily for the fans in Rip City, they brought in Thomas Robinson, Dorell Wright and Mo Williams, amongst others, to sure up their bench and keep them in the post-season hunt.

The Timberwolves, when healthy, can play with most anyone in the NBA. Adding Kevin Martin to the potentially dominant trio of Rubio, Love and Pekovic provides them with a starting five to be reckoned with. The T-Wolves also have two players on the NBA’s all-name team, Alexey Shved and Gorgui Dieng. If they remain healthy then they have as good a chance as any to make the playoffs.

 In the East the discrepancy between the fifth and sixth seeds, is larger than that of the Ben Stiller led movies Zoolander and Envy. The illustrious four teams vying for the final three spots include Detroit, Cleveland, Washington and Milwaukee.

Of these teams, the Pistons arguably had the best summer. The acquisitions of two of the league’s best lefties (J. Smith and B. Jennings) as well as one Mr. Big Shot, thrust them into a playoff or bust mindset. The NBA’s biggest floppy haired YouTube sensation, might also be their best reserve, this is a problem for D-Town. Their lack of depth will inevitably keep them out of contention for a top five seed in the East. 

The Bucks seem eager at the chance to defend their eighth seed. Despite losing their hyper-quick backcourt, their offseason moves (Ridnour, Neal, Mayo and Knight) potentially improved them at the guard position. If their frontcourt of Ersan Ilyasova and Larry Sanders develop nicely and O.J. can score with consistency, look for the Bucks to make a potential run at as high as a six seed. As things stand currently, however, they’re looking at another battle for the last playoff spot. Once again depriving their fans of drafting a potential new franchise player in the lottery.

Cleveland fans finally have something basketball related  to look forward to besides LeBron’s free agency and the next episode in the Uncle Drew YouTube series. Their signing of Andrew Bynum has Cavs fans expecting postseason basketball for the first time since King James’ departure. Their lack of depth and veteran leadership, however, should keep them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Leading to a potential first round matchup with their former hometown hero.

Lastly, we have the Wizards. The backcourt of Wall and Beal has the chance to place the Wizards in the national spotlight for the first time since Agent 0 (Gilbert Arenas) had the bright idea of bringing his piece to the office and the far reaching responses to his felonious action. If any of their forwards, Nene, Big Al Harrington, Otto Porter or even newly acquired Marcin Gortat, develop as a viable alternative scoring option, then DC could provide Obama with his first hometown playoffs since entering the Oval Office.

This is Part II in a two-part series previewing the National Basketball Association season on Sports Business Society's Tipoff Week.  To read Part I, click here.