Adidas paid James Harden $200 million, and he still refused to rock their kicks. Tristan Thomson’s contract demands suggested that at some point he believed he had morphed into Anthony Davis (the Canadian Anthony Davis, maybe). And for some reason Stephen A. Smith thought he was Lucious Lyon when he looked dead into the camera and threatened Kevin Durant (you’re a reporter bruh, bag back). But alas, the offseason is behind us and the 2015-16 NBA season is now staring us in the face.
In keeping with the NBA’s decision to basically render divisions useless for playoff purposes, HHSR has decided to breakdown the upcoming season in a different format. So instead of going division by division, we’re going to tell you which teams are contenders, which teams are wannabe contenders and which teams are strictly playing for ping pong balls in each conference. Don’t worry, you’ll quickly get the hang of it. And of course, our previews will include our playoff and NBA Finals predictions, and you already know how HHSR gets down with predictions.
Sidebar: Each NBA preview column will feature contributions from myself, and fellow HHSR contributors Kenneth Hicks and Anthony Hueston.
So here’s the five franchises in the Eastern Conference that, well…let’s just say they have a better chance of winning a Super Bowl than an NBA championship. And what better place to start than Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?
Philadelphia 76ers
Last Season: General manager Sam Hinke’s “Sambagging” initiative moved right on schedule in 2014-15. The Sixers finished with an 18-64 record, one game worse than their 2013-14 record, and good for third worst in The Association overall. So if you’re scoring at home, that’s a 37-127 (.226) record over the last two seasons, without an end to the misery in sight.
And management couldn’t be happier.
There were some bright spots. Forward/Center Nerlens Noel rebounded from injury to play in 75 of 82 games, and averaged just about 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks per game. Noel seems like a legit candidate for a 5 X 5 game one day (notching five of each of those five major categories in the same game— it’s only happened 15 times since 1987, many of them by Hakeem Olajuwon). Actually, that was about the only bright spot, aside from D-League phenom Robert Covington finally getting some significant run in the NBA.
Philly was able to acquire promising point guard Isaiah Cannan from Houston, but they had to give up the promising K.J. McDaniels in the deal. All told, an astonishing 29 different players were considered to be on the Sixers roster at one point or another in 2014-15. At least half of them don’t even belong in the NBA.
And the 76ers traded away the only proven young player on their roster, Michael Carter-Williams.
Sidebar: Am I the only one who feels there’s a disproportionate amount of men with hyphenated last names in sports as compared to normal life? Seriously, think about it.
Off-season: All that losing didn’t exactly work out, as the Sixers ended up with the third pick in the draft. Fortunately, they may have landed 2015’s best prospect, Duke center Jahlil Okafor. ESPN already believes he’s one of the 100 best players in the NBA, and judging by everything we’ve seen in Summer League and preseason, they’re probably right. Philly also retained all of the youth they wanted and then some. The retirement of 34-year-old swingman Jason Richardson probably brings the mean age of this team down to 16.
#Trending: Down. How can a team with the worst record in the NBA over the last two season that landed arguably the best player in the draft be trending downward?
That link details everything wrong with Hinkie and the 76ers “Trust the Process” mantra, a mantra that management has attempted to drill into the psyche of the players. Those same players more than likely won’t even be there to see “the process” through.
For real, why would Hinkie waste time spreading this message to his D-Leaguers or players who only stopped by the Wells Fargo Center for a cup of coffee? It only makes sense that he would attempt to get his cornerstone guys to buy in. But if the team is never sure when they’re going to try to turn the corner, and if a would-be cornerstone like MCW can get dealt before his first contract is up (I’m not the biggest MCW fan— dude did win Rookie of the Year though), why should any of these players even care? Nobody’s job is safe.
So if the team shows little to no interest in taking care of the names on the back of the jerseys, why would the players ever lay it on the line for the name on the front? What must that do the mental state of a young player like Okafor? All this, and I’ve yet to even mention Joel Embiid’s foot.
Definitely trending down. Just like the Eagles.
— JH
Brooklyn Nets
Last Season: The Brooklyn Nets finished last season with their third straight playoff appearance in as many seasons. With a 38-44 record and a tie breaker over the Indiana Pacers the Nets finished with the eighth seed. The Nets went on to lose their first round series against the Atlanta Hawks four games to two, ending the least interesting match in the playoffs. This completed a season that began with the “trade” of Head Coach Jason Kidd to the Milwaukee Bucks and the subsequent signing of Lionel Hollins; Hollins is the fourth coach in Brooklyn Nets’ three year history.
As a joke, the owner was running Nets practice. I guess all you can do is joke when your team is overpaid and you’re out of draft picks.
Off-Season: This off season the Nets agreed to a buyout with the former face of the franchise Deron Williams, who has been one of many disappointments in Brooklyn. GM Billy King resigned their best player Brook Lopez who led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks last season. King also brought back forward Thaddeus Young. They still have All-Star G/F Joe Johnson, who is in the last year of his deal and could be a candidate for a trade or buyout.
The Nets traded Mason Plumlee to the Trailblazers for the draft rights to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who they hope can reach his potential as a two way impact player on the wing. They also invested a draft pick in forward Chris McCullough who will most assuredly miss all of this season as he recovers from an knee injury. The combination of these two forwards could be the cornerstones of a very “positionally flexible ” team.
#Trending: Down. The proverbial shoe is officially dropping for Brooklyn. They will have to pay at least two first round draft picks to Boston (2016 and 2018), and owe swap rights to another first as well (2017) for the trade that brought Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn. Brook Lopez, who may go down as one of the best Nets ever, will likely be the only major piece left from the move to Brooklyn after this season. Without first round draft picks the Nets will have to hope that they can find gems in the second round like Bojan Bogdanovic or undrafted players who can contribute like Ryan Boatright. If Chris McCullough can return after this season and contribute, that will be huge for this franchise going forward. As for this season, the Nets will hope to at least compete for a playoff spot.
— AH
Orlando Magic
Last Season: The Orlando Magic sputtered through their third straight season ending as the 13th best team in the Eastern Conference or worse. The team seemed disjointed through much of last year as a combination of injuries, inexperienced players and underwhelming performances mired much of the campaign. Orlando proved to be a young and hungry team that often seemed unsure of what they should hang their hat on as an identity. The trio of Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, and Tobias Harris proved to be a formidable and balanced attack with each of them averaging over 17 ppg., but the rest of the team failed to produce as the Magic only averaged 95.7 ppg. as a team. (25th in the NBA) Head Coach Jacque Vaughn has been relieved of his duties after two and a half seasons.
Off-Season: Replacing Vaughn is a man who is beloved by the city and organization, former Magic guard Scott Skiles. They looked aboard to land Croatian three-guard Mario Hezonja in the 2015 NBA Draft. The addition of guards CJ Watson and Shabazz Napier should allow for great depth moving forward in Orlando’s backcourt. With a lot of undeveloped talent, youthful energy and a coach excited to re-energize this team, Orlando is still looking to bounce back from the “Dwight-mare” ordeal of 2012.
#Trending: Even. Despite having youth, there is still a lack of proven veteran leadership on this team with few players that have ever seen the playoffs. Not to mention a coach that is only at .506 win pct. for his career, which is decent until you consider that Scott Skiles burns out his players at each stop. So how long will it be before these youngsters tune him out? Or perhaps Skiles has learned his lesson.
The Eastern Conference looks to be even more competitive this season that in recent memory. Expect the learning curve to be great for Orlando as they try to lay the foundation for a strong future under Skiles. Still lagging behind Atlanta, Washington, and Miami in their division alone, it will take a real magic act to get Orlando into the playoffs this season.
— KH
Detroit Pistons
Last Season: On January, 2014 Mike Duggan was sworn in as Mayor of the city of Detroit. On May 14th of that same year, the Detroit Pistons hired Stan Van Gundy to assume the positions of Head Coach, President of Basketball Operations and Grand Puba of the organization. Both men have been given similarly daunting task: To restore a sense of pride to the hard-working fan base of a region doing its best to reemerge from under its Rustbelt stigma.
The 2014-15 Pistons started out at a dreadful pace at 5-23, but SVG set out to remake the team in his image. Van Gundy started with waiving Josh Smith, whom along with giants Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond clogged basically all of the space within the three-point line. Smith’s penchant for shooting the long ball with no regard for human life or accuracy quickly grew irksome for SVG, amongst Smith’s many other foibles. Van Gundy then traded for, and subsequently resigned, Thunder reserve point guard Reggie Jackson in hopes he could recreate the magic that saw him lead Orlando to the Eastern Conference Finals under his stead. After picking up some momentum, the season’s hopes flamed out after a crushing Achilles injury to starting PG Brandon Jennings, who was in the midst of a career year.
Detroit finished the season at 32-50 (.390) leaving them as the 12th team in a lowly Eastern Conference. Last season’s training wheels are now off for this Stan Van creation. Expectations will be a little higher as the organization and the city is thinking about a return to the playoffs, their first trip since the ’08-’09 season.
Off-season: The Pistons made some great moves this summer to ensure the future of their organization has a chance to come together. Stan Van let Greg Monroe bounce to the Bucks in free agency, opting instead to bring in forwards Ersan Ilyasova (from the Bucks), Marcus Morris (from Phoenix), and drafting Arizona’s Stanley Johnson eighth overall. With more space to operate the high pick and roll between Jackson and Drummond and shooters (like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) spread around, SVG should have the core he is looking for offensively. On defense, the Pistons are long and mobile, and able to mix and match depending on what the offense is throwing at them. Stanley Johnson should develop into a talented two way player on the wing with his ability to D-up opposing 2s, 3s and 4s with his combination of size and strength. Johnson could be a strong rookie of the year candidate by year’s end. The roster is filled with a lot of young, coach-able and athletic dudes who can run with the best of them.
#Trending: Up. For one, as one of the least successful teams in the league last year, most anything would be an improvement upon the 2014-15 output. The potential is there, but we still have to be proven that Reggie Jackson’s late season surge can continue and increase. Also, can Ilyasova take and make enough 3s to keep defenses honest around the perimeter? He shot .390 from three in 23 mpg for the Bucks last year, numbers which may decrease. If things break right for the Pistons, they could be in line for a low playoff seed. Expect Andre Drummond to have a great season as he does whatever possible to separate himself from Cavalier Tristan Thompson or any other potential front court eye candy that may be testing the free agent waters next summer. If Brandon Jennings can remain healthy, and can learn to play well with Reggie Jackson (easier said than done) and Mr. Drummond, expect the Pistons to try to crash the party in the Eastern Conference.
— AH & KH
Charlotte Hornets
Last Season: New uniforms, new court, new old name, same results.
After a 33-49 finish, that was the 2014-15 Hornets in a nutshell. It’s funny how in sports teams in the south are infinitely better at attracting free agents that teams up north. If not for New York, free agents would rarely sign a deal anywhere north of Chocolate City (that should serve as a solid updated Mason Dixon reference). But it’s those same southern teams that have to deal with the consequences of a failed free agent acquisition, which seems to happen more often than not. Luckily for Mike Jordan’s Hornets, they got out from under the Lance Stephenson colossal failure of a signing after only one year.
Give it up, Mike. It’s over.
Speaking of colossal failures, the team also cashed out after one season of Noah Vonleh, a top 10 pick from the ’14 draft. Big Al Jefferson has been slowed by injuries before the ink even dried on his three-year, $40.5 million contract. At age 30, Jefferson is still highly productive when he’s on the floor. But as a big man with an assortment of injuries — who shrewdly picked up his player option for the 2015-16 campaign — he may be doing the Hornets more harm than good. The always improving Kemba Walker was a bright spot for the team, pouring in just over 17 points, to go along with 5.1 assists per game last year. And he offered up memorable moments like this. But Walker also battled injuries, missing 20 games (mostly) due to knee surgery.
Off-Season: We told you last year before the season this team’s fatal flaw was its inability to shoot, unless you count Lance Stephenson shooting his music video (it’s in the link). In any case, Lance was traded to the Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. Only Hawes is still on the team, and if he’s not enough to satiate your need for big slow centers, the Hornets also drafted University of Wisconsin star Frank Kaminsky with the ninth pick in the NBA Draft. Kaminsky should be a solid pro for many years, but it’d be surprising if he was the type of impact player that could move this team into the playoff discussion. However, Charlotte did also acquire all-around swingman Nicolas Batum in the deal that sent Vonleh to Portland.
#Trending: Even or Down. Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (that’s four hyphenated names in this article alone), the defensive wizard with range all the way out to six feet, separated his right shoulder on October 3, and is likely out for the season. Batum should hold down the fort in MKG’s absence (actually he’ll do more than that because he’s better, in fact he was the last guy to record a 5X5 in an NBA game), but the Bees are stuck in limbo. They’re the definition of a team that at best will make the seventh seed, only to promptly get Swiffered out the playoffs by Cleveland. So in actuality, if they’re neutral (or average to below average) on the court, their team is actually trending down. If they bottom out, they’re trending neutral, with a ray of hope for improvement.
Understand Charlotte that as long as Michael Jordan keeps insisting he’s better than his own squad, this team won’t be competing for any titles.
— JH