It’s back! The moment ever basketball fan has been waiting for since last June. The NBA season kicks off Tuesday night, and the league is looking more competitive than it has in quite some time. The Western Conference could be race of close to 11 teams. While the Eastern Conference, which has lacked a competitive balance seems to have found its touch.

Western Conference

The home of the 2013-2014 NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs. For a couple years now the Spurs have been written off by many as an old team, but time and time again they’ve outshined the NBA and proven many wrong. Many experts have the Spurs leading the charge this year as the Oklahoma City Thunder battle the biggest injury in the NBA. Last year’s MVP, Kevin Durant will miss the start of the season due to a foot injury. Durant’s injury affects the Thunder and the West hugely. This allows the Los Angeles Clippers, who have overcome the racial issue around former owner Donald Sterling, and the players along with Head Coach Doc Rivers are ready to take the once lonely Clippers to a level they have never been.

Golden State Warriors rejected the idea of trading for Kevin Love, which could have created one of the best duos in Love and Stephen Curry. However, the Warriors have decided that Curry and Klay Thompson are truly the best back-court, in their minds – but have refused to re-sign Thompson due to disagreement on money. The Warriors with new Head Coach Steve Kerr might surprise many, however, there could be a lot of surprise teams in this conference. The Dallas Mavericks got an underrated pickup in Tyson Chandler, which changes the defensive game for the Mavs. With Chandler Parsons, a lot of the offensive pressure is taken off Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis.

Then we come to the middle of the pack. Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trailblazers all hope to go from a playoff team into a true contender in the West. The Nuggets have built a nice core, but have yet to build on it. The return of Danilo Gallinari and growth of the mammoth Kenneth Faried will be the difference maker for the Nuggets. The Rockets hope the loss of Parsons does not affect them in a negative way. Dwight Howard has faced criticism in the past but an MVP type season from him and James Harden is crucial. The Grizzlies and Trailblazers added veteran pieces in the summer, but these two teams understand that there’s younger teams chasing a playoff spot.

The New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns are young, but not young enough to forget the importance of the playoffs.  Anthony Davis is predicted to have a breakout year for the Pelicans, which puts him in the hunt for MVP. The big man is a beast defensively and on the board. If his offensive continues to grow, it’ll be a scary thought. Health will be something to watch for the Pelicans, but if their wings can stay healthy the playoffs won’t be too far out of reach.  The Suns, however, are a much younger team. They’ve added many pieces, especially more point guards. There’s a chance the Suns have three point guards on the court at the same time for some games this season. It’s be an interesting growth year for both teams, but anything below 41 wins won’t get them to the playoffs, and they know that.

I don’t want to downgrade any team in the West, because it’ll be one funs season. The Los Angeles Lakers will be tough to watch this year, but the return of Kobe Bryant is every NBA fans dream. Will the future Hall of Famer get back to his old self? A younger version of Kobe would most likely win the scoring title on a team like this. Minnesota Timberwolves are younger, again, but the excitement of Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine will be eye popping for basketball lovers. Let’s not forget the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. Both young teams, so there’s something to watch there, but another rough year is ahead for both teams.

 

Eastern Conference

It seems the East has been a one to three teams race for a few years now, but with the Paul George injury the Indiana Pacers have fallen out of the picture, especially with the growing talent in this conference. Toronto Raptors surprised many last year and are now either underrated by some or overrated. Only time will tell who the Raptors truly are, but it’s easy to rank them as the third best. The Washington Wizards are in the same boat. They had a fantastic season that year and they are continuing to grow, and there could be breakout seasons on this roster, which for teams like the Raptors is a scary thought.

LeBron is back. Well he never left the East, but he’s back in Cleveland making the Cavaliers the favourites to win the East. James this time has talent along with him. Kyrie Iriving, an impact scorer will only develop the rest of his game playing alongside James. And as much as Chris Bosh thinks playing alongside James was tough, Kevin Love will find a way to succeed. The Cavaliers also have some solid role players, but it will be tough with the return of Derrick Rose. With the Chicago Bulls getting Rose back the East becomes a true two-team race. Rose showed in preseason that he is beyond ready to make an impact after missing close to two full seasons with multiple leg injuries. Rose has veterans and shooters around him, making the Bulls are real threat for the NBA Championship.

We can’t count out the Miami Heat like many have. This team lost the best player in the world, but regrouped quite nicely. The signing of Luol Deng make the Heat an actual contender to steal the third spot from the Raptors and Wizards. Chris Bosh has been in the driver seat before when he was with Toronto, so on nights Dwyane Wade needs to rest Bosh can help the heat succeed. But let’s not question Wade’s health this early in the season. It’s been an issue in the past, but with some depth the Heat can watch his minutes, allowing the guard to strive as face of the franchise again.

The Philadelphia 76ers are going to bad again, so will the Milwaukee Bucks, but both teams have added enough talent that it’s worth watching these two play. Their records won’t show it at the end of the season, but these two teams are loaded with young talent. The same goes for the Orlando Magic, who are ahead of both these teams in growth and will possibly surprise teams during season games.

Then it comes to the middle of this Conference. The Charlotte Hornets are easily a playoff team, just like last season. The Hornets added Lance Stephenson to their roster, which is a huge pickup on both ends of the floor. Al Jefferson has done a good job being a leader on and off the court, leading to key success for the Hornets. Al Horford is back for the Hawks, which is arguably the biggest non-free agent/trade pickup of the summer. This puts the Hawks in contention for the final two spots along with Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. The Nets are still that veteran team that reached the second round last season. The Pistons have Stan Van Gundy now. He’ll find a way to coach the likes of Andre Drummond, Josh Smith and Greg Monroe. It’s possible the Pistons surprise with the Van Gundy coaching. The Pacers will get Paul George back, but the question is how late will it be, and will they have enough time to overcome the losses they face early.

Then we come to the Knicks. They are more than a mess, but Carmelo Anthony’s scoring could lead them to the playoffs, but there’s too many injuries and issues within this team that hopping over four to five teams for a playoff spot looks unlikely.

 

Prediction:

Western Conference: San Antonio Spurs

Eastern Conference: Chicago Bulls

Western Conference Champions: Los Angeles Clippers

Eastern Conference Champions: Chicago Bulls

NBA Champions: Chicago Bulls