Eyes On NBA: Media Day Highlights

By @TrueGodImmortal

Well, the NBA season is here. Media Day has arrived and the beginning of the NBA season has been marked. With that, we wanted to take a brief look at some of the teams and the feeling you get from them on Media Day. These are only my perspectives based on what was said, and the interviews. What teams stuck out the most to me in Media Day? Let's take a look.

*Toronto Raptors 

-So, the only thing that mattered for Media Day was seeing top 5 player Kawhi Leonard finally show up in his jersey. That was an amazing moment for most NBA fans, but it had to feel bittersweet as well. While many suspect that Kawhi will leave the Raptors after this season, there is a feeling that he could be persuaded to stay. The Media Day moment is honestly one of the most peculiar, as Kawhi has been more active in just this small window of time than he was last season period. Regardless, the Raptors going against any top team in the East is an instant must watch game now due to the presence of Kawhi. While Toronto has made a small bit of noise before this season, with Kawhi there, it feels like all eyes will be on them this season, for better or worse.

*Boston Celtics 

-We saw what this team was capable of last year in the preseason. The Celtics with Kyrie and Hayward back fully healthy are easily the Eastern Conference favorites and for good reason. They have quite possibly the second best roster in the NBA. If I'm comparing overall rosters, besides the Warriors obviously, the Celtics have the second best team in the NBA and the second best roster. We just discussed their season recently on the site, so no need to really go too much into it here, but they all look focused on Media Day and that could be a great sign for the Celtics fans. Will the Celtics win the East this year? It's looking more and more likely.

*San Antonio Spurs

-I opted out of putting the 76ers on this one, because we have a season preview for the team coming in the next few days. However, the most interesting thing I've seen involving another team at Media Day is DeMar DeRozan officially being in his Spurs jersey. It will be interesting to see how DeMar handles being in the system of Coach Pop along with the dynamic of the Spurs being without a number of centerpieces from their franchise history. Manu is retired. Tony Parker is finishing his career in Charlotte it seems. Kawhi Leonard, who seemingly was passed the torch from Tim Duncan is a Toronto Raptor. For the Spurs, this season is a rebuild and a new beginning. Will they continue making the playoffs? Will the younger guys be pivotal? Will LaMarcus Aldridge mesh well with DeMar? We shall see.

*Detroit Pistons

-So, you might be wondering why the Pistons are here for their Media Day stuff. I have only one reason for featuring them here and it is simple: Andre Drummond has the greenlight to shoot more threes this season and Dwane Casey is the new Pistons head coach. This is actually a sleeper team in the East to me, especially if they are able to pull off a trade to unload Reggie Jackson and maybe another piece for Jimmy Butler. The franchise has money invested in Drummond and Blake Griffin and that alone makes them intriguing in an East that is wide open. Will the Pistons make some noise this season? That is unknown, but they have every opportunity to do so.

*Cleveland Cavaliers

-The question on the Cavs is pretty simple: where do they go from here now that Bron is gone? The answer to that one might be hard. Sure, Kevin Love is now the face of the Cavs franchise, but is that a good thing? He was the face of the Wolves years ago and they made absolutely no progress, but that was before he had been to the Finals three straight times and won a championship. This will be an opportunity for Ty Lue to show his coaching prowess without Bron over his shoulder, and they have some decent pieces who could find rejuvenation this year like Rodney Hood, J.R. Smith, Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, George Hill, Channing Frye, and more. Cedi Osman shows promise, as does David Nwaba and of course, Collin Sexton could end up becoming a big time player for the team. All these unanswered questions for the Cavs will soon be answered. Let's hope things work somewhat in their favor.

*Minnesota Timberwolves

-So, Jimmy Butler is on the way out. Andrew Wiggins is their investment. Karl Anthony Towns just signed a max deal extension. Those two are the centerpieces of the Wolves franchise. However, what will this team look like come October? Surely, Jimmy Butler will be traded off and there will be new pieces in place, but from where? What team makes the trade? Sources say the Wolves will ship Butler to the East, and that leaves more question marks. Will Taj Gibson, Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and all of the former Bulls players mesh well with the Jeff Teague, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl Anthony Towns trio that they've invested in? That remains to be seen.

*Los Angeles Lakers

-So, of course. The Lakers. The team that everyone is hyping up as usual. It never fails. With all of the competition in the West, I suspect a rough go of it for the Lakers this season, at least early on. Bron is Bron, so they'll eventually turn a corner, but it seems like the foursome of Lonzo, Ingram, Kuz, and LeBron is being promoted as the starting lineup, well at least 4 of that, and the bench has Javale, Lance, Rondo, and Michael Beasley. This is such a weird team, with poor spacing and more than likely mediocre defense. The stakes are higher now and the pressure is on for the team, yet LeBron says he feels no pressure. While many Lakers fans are deservedly excited about this team, other fans are skeptical. Maybe this Lakers team could be a top 3 seed in the West. Maybe they could be top 6 seed in the West. Maybe they could even miss the playoffs. Whatever the case may be, this Lakers team will be one to watch all year for sure.

*Oklahoma City Thunder

-So, I am not sold on the Houston Rockets this year. I see Carmelo Anthony is now a Rocket, and while many people point to his spotty performance in Oklahoma City Thunder and blame Russell Westbrook, I think the issue was and has been Melo. I think you'll see this season that the duo of Paul George and Russell Westbrook together alongside the returning Andre Roberson and Steven Adams with new pieces Dennis Schroder and Nerlens Noel could be a solid group and a possible top 3 seed in the West. If George is committed, Russ is healthy, and the pieces flow together well, this could be the year the Thunder make the Western Conference Finals again. Maybe. Time will tell, but what I gathered from Media Day is that this is a more focused team than the prior year. Where that takes them, only time will tell.

*Golden State Warriors

-The Champions. The dynasty. The quest for the fourth title in five years and to complete a threepeat. The favorites. The Warriors. This season is rather strange to me, as many seem to be overdoing their reporting stating that the Warriors feel like this could be the last year they are all together, but I think they are reading too much into it. I think the Warriors, with Steph, Klay, and Draymond are here to stay and I feel KD is not leaving just yet. I think the Media Day vibes were a little odd only because of the one thing people seem to ignore: this is the last season in Oakland for the Warriors. The end of the Oracle legacy. That itself makes this season that much more special, and now allows the Warriors to have a reason to want to win another title and go out on top in Oracle. However, I see the team staying together for another year or two, as KD, Steph, Klay, and Draymond have all expressed how important it is to be around each other and work towards that goal. Oh, and I forgot to mention, Boogie Cousins is on Golden State now. So, yeah. The overall feeling from Media Day was fun, but also the dread and knowledge that the title likely will stay in Oakland for the final time. Whether or not the Warriors stay together, this season is an end of an era.... for Oracle Arena. What better way to close it out than with a title?

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 8:30 PM  5 comments

Eyes On NBA: 2018-2019 Boston Celtics Preview

By @Phranchize19 and @TrueGodImmortal

Introduction
As September is well underway, we now can prepare for the return of the NBA season. While the Western Conference seems pretty much a lock for the amazing Golden State Warriors dynasty, for the first time in 8 years, the East will likely see a new champion. With the Heat and the Cavs making the Finals the last 8 years and LeBron James joining the Lakers, the East is wide open. Who is the favorite so far? Well, that would be the Boston Celtics. Today, we take a look at the Celtics for this upcoming season and give our predictions. How far will they go? Let's take a brief look at last year, their additions, and losses.

*Last Year’s Record: 55-27 (Eliminated From The Eastern Conference Finals)
-Following a great season that saw them win 55 games, the Celtics are back fully healthy with Gordon Hayward ready to play and Kyrie Irving healthy as well. So, with that said, what is the cap for this talented Celtics team? Let's take a look at the additions, losses, and how the season should look for them.

*Additions: Robert Williams (draft), Brad Wanamaker

*Subtractions: Shane Larkin (signed to Turkey), Abdul Nader (traded to Thunder) Rodney Purvis (waived) 
         

                                            
*Best Player: Kyrie Irving
*X-Factors: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
*Player To Watch For: Gordon Hayward
*Record Prediction: 60-22 (Making The NBA Finals)

Projected Starting 5
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Al Horford 

This small ball lineup is the likely starting lineup for a good amount of the season, though they could start Theis or Baynes at the 5 and bench Tatum, but it is really likely to have Tatum in the starting lineup even if his minutes and numbers take a small hit with Horford back in the lineup. Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart will be the anchors for the second unit and this could make the Celtics easily the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference without question.

Keys To Success
For the Celtics, it all goes through their depth, which is definitely something to rave home about. Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Kyrie, Tatum, Jaylen, Al Horford, Hayward, Aron Baynes, and more help round out one of the more solid rosters in the league. I would consider them to be the second best team in the NBA under the Warriors and this season should reflect that.

Final Thought
In our honest opinion, this is the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and they may very well be the second best team in the NBA as of now. The depth this team showed after their stars went down amazes me. The only way they don’t make the NBA Finals is if they get hurt. No team plays harder for their coach and no coach gets more out of his players than this group. So, the question is, what is the ceiling for the Celtics? I say the NBA Finals and a hard fought series loss to the Golden State Warriors if everyone is healthy. If Kyrie is not healthy or Hayward goes down, or even a Tatum or Horford being out for extended periods when it counts, Philly or Toronto could sneak in there and win the East. Still, if I'm a betting man, the East runs through Boston until further notice.

-EOTR

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Eyes on the Ring 9:29 PM  1 comment

Eyes On NBA: 5 Early MVP Candidates

By @TrueGodImmortal 

The NBA Season is well underway and 11 games in for the most part. While that's really just a sample size, some of these teams and their identities are being revealed early on already. With that being said, the narrative is shaping up for players as well, as the MVP race is starting early on and people are making predictions. Today, I wanted to give my two cents and speak on the 5 early candidates I have listed for MVP so far. Let's take a look.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
(32.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 60% FG)

-The truth of the matter is, Giannis would be no. 1 on this list if he had the wins to make it happen. However, with the addition of Eric Bledsoe, he might be getting the help he needs to win more. Still, Giannis has outperformed LeBron in both of their meetings, pushed the Bucks when they had no more options, and he's been superb. If the Bucks can turn it around and win some more, Giannis will move into the top spot without question, but until then.... he's teetering the line of being kicked off the candidate list for Anthony Davis or Demarcus Cousins. Still, if he doesn't win MVP, I could easily see another year of Giannis going for the Most Improved Player award. He was really good, now he is great and that transition is deserving of something, even if the wins don't match up exactly. If they start to match up eventually, then you'll see Giannis as the NBA darling again.

4. Steph Curry 
(25.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 48% FG, 94% FT)

-The Warriors are currently tied for the first seed in the West and logically, it seems like they'll land there sooner than later. If this occurs like we expect, I think Steph will have a claim to the award. Now, what does it for him really is the PER and his impact on the game, as he has some of the biggest impact on the game, more than a number of players period in the history of the sport. Steph will see his shooting numbers improve I'm sure over the next 10-15 games and I predict he will finish this year with another 50/40/90 while playing some of the best defense of his career. He's not an elite defender, but he is a good defender, and offensively, there might not be anyone better in the game right now. With the Warriors getting into perfect form and the offense being one of the best ranked in the history of the sport and the defense improving, it's possible Steph could end up as a top 3 candidate for the award by game 30. Whatever the case, let's hope the Warriors continue their winning ways and Steph gets the recognition for being the integral piece for the team.

3. James Harden 
(29.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.7 APG, 1.6 SPG)

-I will remain to tell the truth here and that is simple: I don't like James Harden or his game at all. However, so far this season, he looks like he's more focused than ever and he's leading the Rockets to be tied for the no. 1 record in the West with the Warriors similar to the Rockets and their fast start last year. He has quite the team around him, though I predict things will be tough once Chris Paul comes back, but Harden is playing some of his best basketball in these first 11 games. Though Harden bias by his fans would have him at no. 1 likely, he's got enough help on his team that it knocks him down a notch, similar to Steph. Harden will continue pushing the Rockets and putting up amazing stats, and this might be the year that Harden can finally get the MVP that he deservedly missed out on two of the last three seasons. This might be the year where he pulls away from the competition and finally claims the elusive honor. Will we see Harden as MVP? Only time will tell, but he's already making his case quite well.

2. Kyrie Irving 
(22.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 5.7 APG, 2.2 SPG)

-The best team in the NBA right now is the Boston Celtics. That's not just in the Eastern Conference. That's literally in the entire NBA. They are 9-2 with a chance to go 10-2 by the time you read this likely. That right there makes them a bigger threat than expected and when you consider the fact that they lost a huge All Star in Gordon Hayward likely for the entire season, and had injury issues for both Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart, along with having to rely on their youthful players Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, it's a huge surprise that the Celtics have been so good. They are a solid offensive team, but right now they're the no. 1 defensive team in the NBA and Kyrie is in the top 10 with defensive rating as a player and that's a huge improvement over last year. Simply put, the Celtics have faced adversity and seem to be preserving. They are young, defensive minded, and have a leader in Kyrie, and his new role in the team is what has him as a front runner for MVP. His shooting numbers and overall stats will balance out as the year goes along, but his leadership and his importance to the team are what earn him the ranking here. If it wasn't for the fact that my no. 1 choice was so surprising, Kyrie would be my choice. Anyone who can take a bunch of young and inexperienced players while playing alongside Al Horford and lead his team to the top record in the NBA after losing an All Star deserves all of the accolades.

1. Kristaps Porzingis 
(30.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.3 RPG, 52% FG)

-Okay.... so the truth be told.... I might be getting ahead of myself, but fuck it, why not? For the first time, the top 5 for the MVP doesn't include Kevin Durant or LeBron James. Granted, both have a claim to this award, but Bron is right there under Giannis for the crown, and KD is right there with him. However, this isn't about them. This is about the rising star in New York. Could it be that Carmelo and Phil Jackson were holding the Knicks back? On paper, the Knicks aren't the greatest team, and yet here they are with a winning record 10 games in. I expected a 3-7 start, but they're 6-4 holding comeback victories over the Hornets and a blowout win over the Cavs. They may eventually came back down to reality, but for now, Porzingis is the MVP in my book. If the Knicks keep winning and he continues to play as well as he is, there's no doubt that Porzingis will have a claim to the award. He doesn't have the team that LeBron, Harden, Russ, Kyrie, or Steph has, yet he's making sure the Knicks are in a prime position and currently in a playoff spot. There would be nothing more fun than watching KP become MVP after leading the Knicks to a 50 win season, but that remains to be seen how this turns out. For now, after 10-11 games, Porzingis is my top choice.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 3:11 AM  1 comment

Eyes On NBA: 5 Best Off-Season Moments

By @TrueGodImmortal 

The NBA off-season has been fun.... but it's almost over. From the NBA Draft to the Summer League to Free Agency and everything in between, the off-season has given us some interesting moments, some strange moments, and some hilarious scenarios over the last three months. As the NBA gets ready to begin training camp And the preseason, what better way to get you ready for the season than a look at 5 of the best off-season moments. Let's get into it.

5. Lonzo Ball Wins Summer League MVP After Being Drafted To Lakers 

-Big Baller Brand is forever. The Ball Family is clearly forever. When Lavar Ball said that his son would be drafted by the Lakers as the no. 2 pick in the draft, many doubted him. When it all came true, he looked like a genius. Lonzo has been one of the most interesting parts of the NBA off-season, from his ridiculous comments to his random need to make hip hop music all the way to his success in the NBA summer league. Lonzo would win Summer League MVP, helping the Lakers to win the Summer League championship and slowly but surely, he's being given the keys to become the franchise in LA... at least for this season. Whether or not Lonzo has a monster rookie season, all eyes have been on him this entire off-season.

4. The Bulls Ruin The Franchise....Again 

-Color me shocked. The Chicago Bulls trade away their franchise player who just came off of his best season possible. With the news coming out that the Bulls had their eye on Kyrie and that he wanted to play with Jimmy Butler, this makes the whole scenario even dumber now. However, the Bulls decided to trade away Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Tinberwolves for a deal that was actually worse than what they offered the Bulls a year prior. Jimmy Butler would have been better suited in Chicago as the clear no. 1, but the Bulls didn't see a future there........ So they decided to trade him for an injured Zach Levine, a slightly higher first round pick in the draft, and Kris Dunn, a 2nd year guy coming off of a subpar rookie season. While many of the idiotic Bulls fans praised the move, the move guarantees the Bulls won't be in the playoffs for some years to come and they have little chance of attracting big names to the franchise, which spells the end of a mostly consistent run for the Bulls to the playoffs for the last 10 seasons.

3. Paul George Traded To OKC

-I'm glad the Pacers see potential in Victor Oladipo. However, what possibly could have possessed them to make THIS trade. I'm sure there were better options and I could have even seen the Bulls doing a straight up Butler for PG trade, even if it was only a one year rental. At least get something in return worthwhile. Instead, they got two players that won't be a factor in exchange for Paul George, a top tier player. Oklahoma City won this trade, as they got rid of an inconsistent player with a huge contract and rented one of the premier power forwards in the entire game to give Russell Westbrook some help. It'll be interesting to see what exactly occurs with PG in OKC and if he stays, and that reason alone makes this trade one of the biggest off-season moments.

2. Kevin Durant And His Moments 

-So. Try and keep up. The Finals MVP has been very busy. From a parade in his hometown to saying Kyrie was better than Iverson, all the way down to his stupid diss of his teammate Steph Curry's brand Under Armour, no one has had a more active off-season than the Finals MVP. The belief is that Durant is far too preoccupied with his haters and that's completely accurate. After releasing shoes to stunt on his haters, KD was revealed to have secret personal accounts on Twitter and Instagram that he uses to converse with fans on the low and to address trolls and haters. Yes, the move is immature, insecure, and a bit childish, but KD is human and mistakes like these might happen.... but it still is weird. Why be worried about the people who hated you or told you that you couldn't do it? Why not just ignore it and not feel the need for validation? No one knows and all these things make Kevin Durant's off-season that much more entertaining and intriguing.

1. The Fallout From The Kyrie Irving And Isaiah Thomas Trade

-So, the acquisition of Chris Paul by the Rockets wasn't a huge shock as many expected him to leave LA, neither was Gordon Hayward joining the Celtics. However, NO ONE saw this coming. At all. I would have expected Kevin Love to be traded before Kyrie Irving. However, Kyrie wasn't having it. He was ready to leave and with that, he decided to make a name for himself by stepping out on his own. After his trade request was heard, many speculated he would end up in New York, or even in San Antonio, but those options didn't make as much sense. The one option I never considered was Boston because they have a star player in IT, so why would they need to do it? However, Boston decided to make this trade and include Jae Crowder and an important pick in the trade as well. What followed in the wake of the trade was shit talking from an injured IT, many social media opinions, and the realization that there is no loyalty in sports business. The culmination of this entire thing is that we knew that Kyrie just didn't want to play with LeBron, and his recent interview on First Take drove that point home. The nonchalant attitude and the honesty from Kyrie helped make this trade even more official and make me want to see the opening game in less than a month for sure. Will Kyrie and the Celtics be better than Bron and the Cavs with IT? That remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, this season is going to be beyond entertaining.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 2:30 AM  No comment

Eyes On NBA: 5 New NBA Duos To Watch

By @TrueGodImmortal

So, the NBA season is nearing and there's so much to watch out for. After a few trades and free agent signings, we now have a number of top tier duos in the NBA that could end up doing some damage or making some noise. In addition to the already existing juggernaut in Golden State, the stacked team in Cleveland, and of course the duos in Washington, Toronto, and New Orleans, we now have 5 new duos to get used to. Not included here? LeBron James and Isaiah Thomas, because we don't really know how soon it'll be before Isaiah will play. That aside, let's take a look at 5 new duos to watch for.

5. Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic
(Denver Nuggets)

-This COULD be a post nightmare for some teams, and I think Denver suits Millsap pretty well. My biggest concern is that these two won't mix well, but with the type of players they are, it should work to give Denver some solid offense. While Denver needs to really work on their backcourt, their frontcourt is set, and of all the new duos, this is the most slept on of them all and underappreciated. Millsap doesn't make the Nuggets a championship team, but he definitely can make them a playoff team again.

4. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward 
(Boston Celtics)

-It is surprising in many ways that Kyrie and Hayward both would end up in Boston, but we knew Boston would end up making some big move. I just never expected Isaiah Thomas to leave and I never expected Kyrie to leave Cleveland. Hayward was clearly heading to Boston and with the system they have in Boston, it is fairly certain to be a fun thing to watch Kyrie as the no. 1 option. The question remains, is this big time All Star duo enough to push the Celtics beyond the Cavs and to the NBA Finals? That remains to be seen. The sure thing is that it'll definitely be fun to watch regardless.

3. Jimmy Butler and Karl Anthony Towns
(Minnesota Tinberwolves)

-As a Bulls fan, it sucks that Jimmy Butler is gone. For Minnesota fans, you have to be ecstatic. The playoff drought should finally be coming to an end. The Wolves don't seem championship bound, but with Butler provided scoring and defense for the Wolves alongside KAT and his natural abilities, this duo could work very well to help the team see the Conference Finals at best and at worse, the first round of the playoffs. This duo will be fun to watch and I think Butler takes over where Wiggins couldn't. That'll be interesting to watch play out. 

2. Chris Paul and James Harden
(Houston Rockets)

-This duo is the most intriguing. These two have never played with a player of this magnitude on each end. Harden can comfortably go back to his shooting guard position, but he's still a good passer and a primary ball handler, and so is CP3. This will end up being an interesting dichotomy and while I can't for sure say that it will work like everyone expects it to, on paper, the Rockets look very good. Chris Paul is silently beginning his late career decline (defensively mostly), but outside of that, he's still a viable player and Harden was just a MVP candidate, so he for sure has the tools to help this team. Will this duo work? Will the Rockets make the Conference Finals? That remains to be seen.

1. Russell Westbrook and Paul George
(Oklahoma City Thunder) 

-This duo is the most intriguing. Russell Westbrook had a decent team around him, but he carried the scoring load in OKC. He has been used to having a second option most of his career and PG has been a first option on his own team, so putting these two chiefs together to make something happen should result in instant playoff success. If Paul George plays solid defense and scores at will like he usually does  when focused, the fact remains that we might see the Thunder as a top 3 seed in the West and a sleeper to make the Conference Finals. This is the duo you need to watch out for the most.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 2:02 AM  No comment