Now None of the Teams Are Any Good

This NBA offseason has been a big one.  Lots of superstars changed teams.  The balance of power shifted.  And then it suddenly shifted back.  Finally, it nudged just a little bit toward where it had been before.

And that is where we stand.

Wait, you want more details?  Okay, okay.  I’m going to give you the big news from the NBA offseason, and along the way, it will become evident that none of the teams are actually good anymore.  

Nevertheless, somebody’s got to win the title next year, so hang on until the end for the big reveal!  

Let’s start with the reigning champs, the Toronto Raptors.  It still feels funny to say that, doesn’t it?  Did we ever expect to hear “reigning champs” and “Toronto Raptors” in the same sentence?  I didn’t.  

It was an awesome and unexpected run by the Raptors last year.  They beat the Sixers.  They beat the Bucks.  Then they took out the Warriors in the NBA Finals.  They were expected to lose at each juncture.  But they just kept going!  

I wasn’t pulling for them, but I came away impressed by them.  Van Vleet, Marc Gasol, Siakam, Lowry, and of course Kawhi.  

Oh yeah, Kawhi.  He left this summer to go to the L.A. Clippers.  So now, the Raptors are no longer any good.  

They lost their superstar, their defensive stopper, and the focal point of their offense.  They lost the guy they could give the ball to in the fourth quarter and just get out of the way so he could go win the game for them.

Kawhi’s gone.  Their other key guys remain.  They’re definitely a playoff team, and as reigning champs, they’ll be the toast of the town in Toronto.  

But as for their chances to repeat next year?  Zero chance.

Which brings us to the L.A. Clippers.  They got Kawhi, who wanted to come back to his hometown and play for Doc Rivers.  In addition, they swung a big trade for Paul George, giving up some young players and a ton of future draft picks.  But they got a top-10 player in return.

The Clips are the title favorites now, right?  Nah—I’d argue they’re still not any good.  

Doc Rivers is a good coach.  Kawhi and Paul George are superstars.  They re-signed their glue guy Patrick Beverly and they have their standout bench from last year with Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.  But that is still not a good team.  

A playoff team, to be sure.  Title contender?  I don’t think so.  Kawhi and Paul George play the same position.  They also like to have the ball in their hands.  So does Lou Williams.  The Clippers are going to be playing tug of war with the basketball next year.  

Kawhi is glad to be in his hometown, but pretty soon, he’s going to be pining for his old teammates in Toronto.  Lowry is a willing passer, but he can hit a shot.  Same with Van Vleet.  And Gasol.  And Siakam.  And Danny Green.  

Kawhi had clear alpha status in Toronto, but he could also depend on his teammates to be threats on offense. They could all score, but none of them needed to score.

The Clippers will be different.  They’ll let Kawhi be the number one option, of course.  But once he misses two shots in a row, look out.  All of the sudden, Paul George will be chasing his numbers.  Lou Williams will do the same.  And who else on the Clippers can score the ball?  

I just don’t see the Clippers being that good of a team.  They don’t have a lot of scoring depth, and even though Kawhi, Paul George, and Pat Beverly are great defenders, who do they have to defend the paint?  

And if Kawhi and Paul George are supposed to carry the offense, will they really be able to carry the defense as well?  Too many question marks.  

Let’s stay in L.A. for a moment.  “There’s another team in L.A.?” you’re asking.  Yes, there is.  It’s called “the Lakers.”  The famous purple and gold.  Don’t forget about them.  They’re the current team of Lebron James and Anthony Davis.  Quite a tandem!

I spot a few problems. Coach—Frank Vogel?  With Jason Kidd waiting in the wings as Vogel’s top assistant?  That is a guaranteed mid-season firing so that Kidd can take the helm.  Impending coaching chaos: not a good place to start for the Lakers.

Then they’ve got Rajon Rondo, Kyle Kuzma, DeMarcus Cousins, and … wow, that’s not much.  Kuzma is supposed to be the Kevin Love/ Chris Bosh of this bunch, but he has yet to play in a meaningful NBA game.  Too much pressure, too soon for the young guy.  

Cousins has never been a good teammate.  The Warriors presumably could have used a high-scoring big man like Cousins for next year, but they let him walk to the Lakers where he signed a one year deal for just over the minimum.    

Rondo likes to pass and that’s a good thing, because Lebron, AD, and Cousins like to be passed to.  But any team that has Rondo as its starting point guard, at this stage of his career, is by definition NOT VERY GOOD. They will be in the playoffs, though.

What about the Warriors?  Klay Thompson is out for most of next season after tearing his ACL.  Kevin Durant left.  They traded Andre Igoudala and released Shaun Livingston.  They picked up D’Angelo Russell to pair with Steph Curry in the backcourt.

These are not your father’s Golden State Warriors, let alone your brother or sister’s Golden State Warriors.  This is a Warriors team unlike anything we’ve seen for the past five years.  

And I bet you Steph Curry is chomping at the bit.  It’s his team again.  He could be an MVP candidate again.  Don’t forget, he won two straight MVP’s before KD came to the team.  

It’s Steph’s chance to carry the load again.  Russell is a scoring option who will help.  Draymond Green will bring the intensity on defense and he’ll be a key playmaker on offense, as always.  

But the rest of the guys will be bit players.  Steve Kerr is a great coach and he will have the team ready to compete.   

The Warriors will be fun to watch.  They’ll be a playoff team.  But without KD (and Klay for most of the year), the Warriors will not be title contenders. 

Houston, right?  Is all this to say that the Houston Rockets are the heirs to the title throne?  Is next season their big chance?

In a word, no.

James Harden is back. Chris Paul is gone.  Russell Westbrook is the new guy.  They have Clint Capela, but they don’t like him anymore.  P.J. Tucker, Eric Gordon.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.  They haven’t gotten over the hump before and they probably won’t get over the hump next year.  

Coach Mike D’Antoni is coming back angry because the front office didn’t extend his contract and he’s in the last year of his deal.  The owner publicly criticized his players after they lost in the playoffs last year.  They got rid of Chris Paul because James Harden didn’t get along with him, but they brought in Harden’s old teammate Russell Westbrook, who wasn’t a great fit with Harden the last time they played together.  

The Rockets are just not the picture of a franchise that’s on the verge of accomplishing great things.  I see Harden and Westbrook fighting for control of the offense, I see everybody slacking off on defense.  I see D’Antoni mentally checking out halfway through the season, if not sooner.  Public castigation from the owner, Harden gunning for some more 60 point games, Westbrook pouting.  

You get the picture.  I’m not high on the Rockets for next year.  I’m predicting dysfunction, a lot of wins anyway, probably a deep playoff run, but ultimately no title.

Portland?  They brought in Hassan Whiteside.  I don’t like that move at all.  Miami was dying to get rid of him.  I’m pretty sure it was for a good reason.  

Denver.  I like Jokic a lot.  Jamal Murray is pretty good.  Paul Millsap.  But they’re just not a great team.

New Orleans!  Zion Williamson!  They’ll be exciting to watch, but it’s not going to be a playoff team.

Let’s venture out east.  Boston plugged in Kemba Walker after losing team cancer Kyrie Irving.  Their chemistry will be much better as a result, and Kemba can do a lot of the same things Kyrie did, even if he’s not quite as talented.  

Brad Stevens will remind us all that he’s a great coach and Gordon Hayward will be ready to handle more responsibility as his health continues to improve.  

Al Horford was a big loss, as he went to the Sixers.  Terry Rozier is gone.  That leaves the Celtics with Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart, and not a whole lot else.  

A good team, but not a great one.  

The Sixers?  In an unsurprising move, they let Jimmy Butler go to the Heat.  His intense personality was stunting the development of one of their franchise cornerstones, Ben Simmons.  

Superstar Joel Embiid can play alongside anyone, but he probably didn’t mind seeing Jimmy go.  It’s now his team and it’s his time to shine. 

Al Horford comes into the fold as a veteran glue guy who can do it all, and Tobias Harris is coming back as their small forward.  Josh Richardson, a solid pro, is plugging in at shooting guard.  

That’s a very good starting five in Philly.  What’s the problem, then?  Not enough shooting.  J.J. Reddick is gone to New Orleans.  Simmons can’t shoot, Harris is streaky, and Josh Richardson can shoot pretty well, but he’s a downgrade from Reddick.  Horford can hit an outside shot, but he’s a reluctant shooter.  I think Embiid needs a few more offensive weapons surrounding him. 

The Nets:  Everybody says they’re the winner because they got Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. It’s undeniably a coup.  Going forward, they have much better players now than they had before, and that’s the goal of the offseason.  To improve your team.

But for next year? They’re not much better than last year. Durant will miss the whole season because he tore his Achilles in the Finals.  He will help the Nets down the road.  They might even be a legitimate title contender when he comes back, if he can regain his form.  He’s well worth the risk and the wait, as he is a special player.

Kyrie Irving is ready to play.  He’s an enigma, though.  He seemed to have a falling out with his coach and teammates last year in Boston.  A couple years ago, he had a falling out in Cleveland and asked for a trade.  Brooklyn is happy to have Kyrie, but they have to be wondering if and when the friction will begin.  

They’re probably figuring that a superstar like KD can keep Kyrie in line.  I hope they’re right.  But the Nets are far from a sure thing going forward, and certainly next year, they’ll be fortunate just to make the playoffs.  

The Bucks:  They have the MVP in Giannis Antetokuonbo, and he’s going to get better and better every year. The Bucks are very good.  

They lost Malcolm Brogdon to the Pacers, but they brought back veteran stalwarts Khris Middleton, George Hill, and Brook Lopez.  They made a nice pickup when they got the other Lopez twin, Robin.  

Ersan Ilyasova can hit a shot, so can Pat Connaughton, and Eric Bledsoe is a dynamic point guard.  

Last year, they didn’t have quite enough shooting, so bringing in Kyle Korver was a great move. He can help, and he knows coach Mike Budenholzer’s system from when they were together in Atlanta.  

I really like the Bucks.  I don’t see them as a great team, but as you’ve seen in my analysis above, all of next year’s NBA title contenders have glaring flaws.  The Bucks have the fewest flaws.  

Their biggest obstacle in the East is Joel Embiid and the Sixers, but I think the Lopez twins can slow him down just enough in a playoff series, kind of like Marc Gasol was able to do last year when the Raptors knocked out the Sixers.  

Whoever comes out of the West (probably Houston) is going to have nobody to guard Giannis.  Kawhi and Paul George would be a tough tandem for Giannis to face, but I don’t think the Clippers make it that far.

Giannis got his MVP this year, and next year he will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy when he and the Bucks win the NBA championship.  

As Chuck Swirsky says, “Book it.”