Over the next 6 days, Skyline Sports will be rolling out our in-depth NBA preview for the 2014-2015 season. One division everyday leading up to tip-off.
Boston Celtics
Waters: Rondo literally hates everyone in Boston. The Celtics have one player I like, well make that two. Jared Sullinger has always been a guy I respect not only because his arms are awesome, but he also plays the game the right way. Marcus Smart is a guy who just loves pissing everyone off so that’s tight. Other than that, Boston is awful and should be out of the playoffs after they get crushed in their first game.
Rand: Well now that they know Rondo wants to stay in Boston… or does he? Who knows, but what we do know is that Marcus Smart is an animal on the basketball court. He will bring the hard-nosed attitude back to Boston and hopefully be a part of the turn around because it’s weird; for like the first time since I have been alive, both Boston and LA are really bad. It just seems wrong. Brad Stevens is a great coach and he is the right guy to be leading this turn in their rebuilding stage.
Joe Mo: Marcus Smart is a murderer on the basketball court. A bad, BAD man. He’s Ravens’ receiver Steve Smith on a basketball court. Smart wants blood every time he plays, and I can’t wait to see where his career goes. He’s a little undersized, so his physical style might not work in the NBA like it did in college, and he has Rajon Rondo in front of him on the depth chart for now, but look for Smart to become a fan favorite and continue his workhorse ways this season.
Brooklyn Nets
Joe Mo: The Celtics screwed the Brooklyn Nets for eternity and beyond with the Pierce/Garnett deal. Injuries and age have already wreaked havoc on this team, and I’m looking for those trends to continue this year. I also didn’t mind Jason Kidd as a coach and losing him I think will hurt even though Hollins is a very good coach. I’m fully expecting a big trade or two as the Nets look to get back some draft picks. I’ll root for KG and AK47. Mirza Teletovic is also a monster off the bench. Injuries will more than likely derail this team early, and I don’t have them in my playoff picture.
Rand: Man do I feel for KG. All of his friends have left him alone in a strange city and honestly, the best thing for him would be to go back home to Minnesota… but that’s none of my business. Anyway, their owner has been rumored to want to sell the team, and they lost their heart and soul in Paul Pierce. Rookie Bojan Bogdanovic will shine this year I feel as it looks like he is adjusting well to the NBA game. This will be a trying year for the Nets, but they do have a nice new head coach in Lionel Hollins who is eager to show he can still do his job. This team will struggle but might have enough pieces to stay relevant in the not-so-good Atlantic Division.
Waters: Brooklyn has KG. They have a shot. Oh wait KG is like a million years old so they are awful. Williams will probably go through 4 or 5 coaches this year because all he does is kill coaches careers.
New York Knicks
Rand: Derek Fisher is now leading the Triangle-rich Knicks in New York. With the Zen Master at the helm how could this team go wrong? Well for starters, they have a glaring lack of talent on the roster that includes a lot of average players who are over the hill or just playing for themselves. I see several trades going down for this franchise and ushering in a new era for Carmelo Anthony to try and turn into winners. Good thing he is such a good team player.
Joe Mo: Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher, Carmelo Anthony, oh my! Triangle-sanity in New York! It will be very interesting to see how a system like this will work with some of the personalities on this Knicks team, and meditation doesn’t seem like Iman Shumpert or J.R. Smith’s thing. Dennis Rodman did however recently refer to J.R. Smith as today’s Dennis Rodman. Maybe there is hope. New York looks like a Stage 2 or 3 on the Tribal Leadership scale. The ’98 Bulls were Stage 5. That’s a long ways to go for an older team. We’ll see what moves they make to try to stay relevant.
Waters: Over/Under on how many times J.R. Smith gets suspended, I will take 3.5 as the number and take the over. Carmelo has still got it, but can he alone carry them? Yes, because the East and Atlantic are actually an embarrassment. Knicks will fight for a spot. Who knows, East’s 3rd best team wouldn’t make it in the West.
Philidelphia 76ers
Joe Mo: I hate tanking. I’m excited to see the front-court of Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid together in the coming years, but I’m a little bitter with Sam Hinkie right now and don’t even want to say anything else about this team. Last place. But I guess you win anyway.
Rand: The end of last season was one of the saddest sports moments in recent memory. This franchise is a joke and hopefully having talent like Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid can lead the next wave of players for the Sixers. They will bottom feed, but hopefully something good will come of this year for them because I truly feel bad for the fans of this team.
Waters: If they win a game its because the other team didn’t show. This team is dirt. They aren’t going to do anything. (I secretly cheer for them to win so they don’t win lottery) If you pay for a 76ers ticket I pity you.
Toronto Raptors
Rand: Terrance Ross improved greatly last season and with the emergence of others– Derozan, Lowry were a pleasant surprise– I expect them to contend. The most intriguing player on the team for me is Jonas Valanciunas. The Las Vegas 2013 Summer League MVP showed up last season and has a chance to make a huge jump this year. A very solid lineup from top to bottom will make this team tough to play in 2014-15. And the resurgence of the Dinosaur uniforms will give them momentum that is impossible to stop.
Joe Mo: The surprise of the year last year was the emergence of the Toronto Raptors. With one of the best backcourts in the league rotating through Kyle Lowry, Greivis Vasquez, Terrence Ross, Louis Williams, and DeMar Derozan, I am pumped to watch the Raptors play. Lowry/Derozan is must-watch TV, and with Drake as their mascot, they immediately become the coolest team in the NBA.
Waters: The Rise of the North. Raptors, the team Canada embraced because their NHL teams as a whole are brutal. Terrence Ross is going to be much improved from last year. Derozan and Lowry will be All-Stars, and the Raptors will cruise to the playoffs and win a round this year. If Drake sticks with this team, its gonna be a hell of a ride.
Awards
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Rand: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Joe Mo: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Waters: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Defensive Player of the Year
Rand: Nerlens Noel (Philadelphia 76ers)
Joe Mo: Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
Waters: Jared Sullinger (Boston Celtics)
Rookie of the Year (RoY)
Rand: Bojan Bogdanovic (Brooklyn Nets)
Joe Mo: Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)
Waters: Nerlens Noel (Philadelphia 76ers)
Sixth Man of the Year
Rand: J.R. Smith (New York Knicks)
Joe Mo: J.R. Smith (New York Knicks)
Waters: Terrence Ross (Toronto Raptors)
Most-Improved Player
Rand: Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto Raptors)
Joe Mo: Jared Sullinger (Boston Celtics)
Waters: Terrence Ross (Toronto Raptors)
Coach of the Year
Rand: Lionel Hollins (Brooklyn Nets)
Joe Mo: Dwayne Casey (Toronto Raptors)
Waters: Dwayne Casey (Toronto Raptors)
Skyline Sports All-Southeast Division Team
Point Guard: Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
Shooting Guard: DeMar Derozan (Toronto Raptors)
Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Power Forward: Nelens Noel (Philadelphia 76ers)
Center: Brook Lopez (Brooklyn Nets)
Best fan ever. But they don’t have no award for that.
Skyline Sports 