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The NBA is back! After a season that has seen a lot of movement (LeBron James to L.A., Carmelo Anthony in Houston) and even more drama (we're watching you, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler), there are still many questions to answer in 2018-19.
So, what are the hot issues of the NBA this season? Here's what our writers are most eager to get answered in the next nine months.
Malika Andrews: Is Giannis Antetokounmpo ready to win the MVP title?
Here we are – 37 wild predictions for the next year in the NBA.
Can warriors come back to 70 wins? How much will LeBron add to the Lakers count? Where could they stumble? We are planning the best and the worst scenarios for the 30 teams.
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LeBron James is clearly the favorite of the MVP, thanks in part to the hype generated by his spectacular move to Los Angeles, but do not neglect Antetokounmpo. Over the last two years, Antetokounmpo has recorded incredible numbers despite its offense, which often lacked framing and fluidity at the perimeter. New coach Mike Budenholzer should solve these problems, creating better opportunities for the All-NBA's two-time selection to get to the basket in face-to-face situations. In addition, Antetokounmpo is a talented and versatile defenseman who has a stronger two-way MVP case than many of the other top candidates, including James. With a strengthened Antetokounmpo working in a smarter offensive system, the Milwaukee Bucks could easily win 50 games and become a surprise team in the East, which would bring a real craze for their superstar.
Kevin Arnovitz: Is JaVale McGee right? Are tall men an endangered species?
Call him a conspiracy theorist or call him a prophet, but McGee is convinced that NBA basketball is conspiring to drive the great conventional man to extinction: "They are trying to get us out of here. "
This is not because you are paranoid that they are not looking for you. Even if dynamic superstars over 6 feet 10 years old and up – Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo – the 2018-2019 season will give us an idea of how quickly McGee's projection will come true. Besides Rudy Gobert, Clint Capela, DeAndre Jordan and a few others, the "NBA Center" is no longer a realistic profession for 7 feet with a limited range of fire?
1:47
Carmelo Anthony informs Rachel Nichols of her Rocket membership, her ease in retiring from the bench and her relationship with Mike D & # 39; Antoni.
Ian Begley: Can Mike D's Antoni and Carmelo Anthony make it work this time?
Anthony and D 'Antoni were not really the best friends of the time they spent together in New York. Dr. Antoni admitted last year that he had resigned from his New York Knicks coaching post in 2012 after Anthony had issued an ultimatum at the front desk: either he or me. It was however more than six years ago and a lot has changed since then. For his part, Anthony was to carry the title to the Knicks but will not be subjected to the same pressure as the Houston Rockets, even if the end goal is the same. Nevertheless, at some point this season, the strength of Anthony-D's Antoni relationship will be put to the test. The good performance against the high expectations in Houston should have an impact on the rest of the Western Conference.
Nick DePaula: Will the revival of Puma in the NBA be a success?
In the past, when footwear manufacturers had tried to enter the basketball market with NBA endorsers, they had been playing slowly, starting with just one or two players, and having built a reputation through a targeted marketing. This summer, Puma did things very differently. The company hired five players selected in the top half of this year's NBA draft, hired Jay-Z as creative director and gave its signatories access to a private "Puma Jet". Then, Puma doubled production before the start of the season by signing an alliance of DeMarcus All-Star cousins, who might not wear the brand's shoes on the field before Christmas. Will direct expenses, random and unexpected social media publications, big-player lineups, and the first hoop incursion in two decades actually yield or will things get off the hook pretty quickly if players and the product do not go away? not clear?
1:23
Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota Timberwolves fiasco collapsed in a timeline that began with his exchange request.
Nick Friedell: What will happen after the quarrel that Jimmy Butler pursued with his team?
Butler made it clear that he no longer wished to be in Minnesota. So, whether it's staying for one more run or finishing somewhere else in the coming weeks or months, it will brighten up the broader – potentially darker – future of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Even without Butler, the Wolves' lineup will have two players maximum at Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, who still have big questions to ask themselves about their respective games. Tom Thibodeau has two years left after signing the gigantic contract he signed to become the team's basketball coach and tsar. With Butler, the Timberwolves form a marginal team for the playoffs. Without him, they are a mediocre group with several inflated contracts. It is no exaggeration to think that Thibodeau may have left at the end of the season, no matter what happens to Butler. But fixing the rest of the list will be a recurring problem for the organization for years to come.
Jonathan Givony: How will the perception of the preliminary class of the NBA 2019 evolve within the teams as the season progresses?
The 2019 project is considered superficial and particularly weak at the top by most of the executives we spoke with. The 2020 project may not be better than we can say from the beginning. Will this make teams more able to prepare draft drafts on trade deadline or earlier for a star, with potentially available Jimmy Butler and Kemba Walker types? Alternatively, will we see an unexpected prospect emerge – as Trae Young or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did last year – to give more depth and excitement to what is currently perceived as a rather uninspiring culture?
Chris Herring: Can the Blazers step forward realistically without having changed their cast compared to last season?
After an embarrassing sweep in the first round, then a status quo summer, the question facing the Portland Trail Blazers is simple: can this club compete with the same top six as last season without having really changed its position? listing? Coach Terry Stotts talked about exchanging triples with less effective mediums. But the key to Portland, which has seen its offensive rating drop in four consecutive seasons, could be to share the ball (the NBA's lowest attendance rate last season) and create more of the same. Opportunities for attacks and shots. If these strategic changes do not make the difference, it seems a safe bet that a real change will be coming next summer.
1:07
Stephen A. Smith says the Lakers may have added LeBron James to their list, but their playing style has not changed in recent years.
Baxter Holmes: Will the Lakers play in the playoffs?
LeBron James is probably the best player of all time. But is it good enough, at 33 (to be 34 years old, end of December) and with a ton of heavy kilometers on its frame, to make a really strange list of series in a conference of the West that remains murderous, even with the current San Antonio problems (wounds) and Minnesota (drama)? For all of James's greatness, I honestly do not know it. The Los Angeles Lakers have won 35 games last season and will likely need at least 50 wins this season to reach the playoffs. In Cleveland, star Kevin Love was with him for four seasons and Kyrie Irving for three seasons. In L.A., he does not have this type of proven teammate. Do not bet against LeBron, says the adage, but the West is its own monster, as LeBron knows very well.
Jackie MacMullan: Can Isaiah Thomas get back on track in Denver?
A contrite, focused IT team capable of accepting any role could greatly benefit a Denver Nuggets team that is already overflowing with intrigue. This team is about to take a big step forward with 23-year-old Nikola Jokic, ready to boost his score and play skills. Denver also has his own resident 3-D dynamo in Gary Harris, -valued. Still, the projections for the Denver hike have mostly to do with Jamal Murray, the player that NBA general managers have identified as most likely to be the star of this season. Murray is already a 3-point threat with a ton of confidence in him that began to rack up big numbers in the last month of the Nuggets' playoff check last season.
In case you forget him, Murray plays the game, which means that Thomas will not be a starter.
Mike Malone led the computer during the 2013-14 season in Sacramento, where the coach said there was internal disagreement about Thomas' use. Malone says he and Thomas have an "honest" relationship that will make this reunion work.
There is reason to believe that Malone is right. It's up to the computer to decide on the evolution of his career. If he is willing to show the greatest humility, including accepting that he will not often be on the ground to close the games (these defense concerns will not be mitigated), this could then be the beginning of a wonderful relationship in Denver.
But if Thomas perseveres in demanding blows, attention and minutes, everything goes fast to the south.
Bobby Marks: Can Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving stay healthy?
We cover you as soon as a new season of scenarios starts in the league.
63: This is the average number of regular season games that Paul and Irving have played since the 2015-16 season.
The question in Houston and Boston this season is not whether either team deserves the title of champion (this is the case), but whether his point guard can remain on the field. As evidenced by his injury that kept him on the sidelines at the Western Conference Games 6 and 7 finals, Paul is the player that Houston can hardly afford to lose, even with the player the most useful, James Harden.
While Paul has already locked out his $ 160 million four-year contract, Irving will be looking for – at a minimum – a similar payday with the Boston Celtics before the off-season. A healthy Irving will dictate how far the Celtics have come this season, as well as the number of years (and the total dollars) that Boston is willing to commit next July.
Dave McMenamin: Will Kobe Bryant want to take stock of the progress of the Lakers this season?
The initial shock to the system was felt by Lakers fans who blurred their allegiance to the franchise and their reputation for Kobe. The panels are safe. Jeanie Buss has ruled that those who push LeBron James to support Kobe are not welcome at Laker Land. But what about Kobe himself? He has publicly supported LeBron since James' signing, but what will happen if the Lakers fight this season? Will Kobe be a far-off voice – much the same way as Magic Johnson and Phil Jackson – putting pressure on the Lakers and LeBron for that to happen? If he does, will it rekindle the Kobestans' rage over LeBron at the head of the Lakers?
Kevin Pelton: Will the teams continue to turn more to defense after seeing so much during the 2018 series?
The best basketball of the 2018 playoffs has not always been the best basketball. As exciting as the finals of the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets traded just about every choice, which led the two teams to not create the best match and to make the best of both worlds. fight in attack. I will be watching to see if more teams are following their example using failover as their primary defense. This requires the right staff, and not all teams have it, but with powerful faults such as the Rockets and Warriors, so difficult to stop using conventional defense, budding champions might not be no choice but to pass.
Mike Schmitz: Will Trae Young be worth it for Atlanta?
By switching to choice # 5 to pick Young, the Atlanta Hawks made an emphatic statement: the rebuilding franchise reassessed Oklahoma's polarizing custody more than the Slovenian sensation Luka Doncic. The Hawks not only preferred Young to Doncic, but they also rejected a lean guardian of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and rare 3-D centers of Mohamed Bamba and Jaren Jackson Jr. Of course, they received a protected first-round pick in 2019 in the agreement with the Dallas Mavericks, but have the Hawks focused too much on "siege" on future victories and defeats? This season will give us a window to find out if Atlanta has made the right decision.
1:30
Paul Pierce and Tracy McGrady give their opinion on the most important movement during the off-season, including LeBron James in the Lakers and Kawhi Leonard in the Raptors.
Andre Snellings: Are the Raptors ready to cross the line of legitimate title contenders?
The Toronto Raptors won 59 games last season, their best regular season in team history, and then were swept in the second round of playoffs by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was widely accepted that the Raptors were good but not good enough to legitimately challenge for a championship. In response to this, the team exchanged its beloved Star Allstar DeMar DeRozan in a package that brought back a group starring Kawhi Leonard, potentially on a one-season lease. According to the analyzes, a Raptors team led by a healthy and motivated Leonard could win a championship. But can the Raptors really keep that promise? Moreover, if they are legitimate, do the Kawhi stay in the long run?
Marc Spears: When will DeMarcus Cousins make their debut with the Warriors?
The 2017-18 Cousins season was cut short when he tore the Achilles tendon in late January as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. The quadruple All-Star did not get the self-service money to which it was projected before the injury. He shocked the NBA world by signing a one-year, $ 5.3 million contract with the champions. Cousins was seen dribbling the pitch after a workout last week, and the 6-foot-10, 265-pound player recently acknowledged to The Undefeated that he was seeing the "light at the end of the tunnel" ". The warriors say that they do not hold back the cousins and do not hurry him. Calendar? Only cousins really know it.
Michael Wright: Will the San Antonio Spurs play for a 22nd consecutive playoff run?
It became much more difficult to answer this question when Dejounte Murray suffered a torn ACL at the end of the season in pre-season. This is a new era for the Spurs, with the big three Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. The realization that Patty Mills is now the oldest player on the team is frightening, and how good is the new DeMar DeRozan addition to the San Antonio system and culture a legitimate concern? . Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will have to compose one of the strongest coaching positions in his career to bring San Antonio back to where he was, it seems, forever.
1:35
With the West Conference adding LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, is a Golden State Championship less likely?
Royce Young: Will the Warriors take care of this regular season?
The greatest enemy of warriors is often the warriors themselves, complacency and boredom being the most persistent opponents throughout the 82-game season. Steve Kerr told a pre-season official: "I do not want to be here," as he was ejected. Kerr recently tried different tactics to maintain engagement, like letting players coach and increase intensity with referees, but it's hard to preach the process and habits when everyone knows the Warriors play much more for 16 matches in April, May and June than for the 82 who do it.
Ohm Youngmisuk: How is Luke Walton going to please all the Lakers?
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