Don’t look now, but the circus that is the National Basketball Association returns in only a few short days.
Yes, in the midst of the NFL, NHL, and the MLB Playoffs, old and new stars will return to the court to get buckets, break records, and in Jimmy Butler’s case, make Andrew Wiggins cry. The antics, the emotion, and “The Goat” conversations are officially back, but most importantly, so are early season predictions by people (like me) who are completely taking a shot in the dark and guessing. By the end of the year, these takes are terrible, there is no one to blame, I’m just a 20-year-old college student who watches basketball now and then. But there is a chance, a very small chance, that these predictions are going to be small. The odds are small, probably smaller than one in a million. But as Kevin Malone says, “If anyone gives you 10,000 to 1 on anything, you take it.” I’m taking those odds and running with them.
Without further ado, here are my Way Too Early NBA Predictions for Eastern Conference for the 2018-2019 season.
#13 – New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are still finding their footing in the post-Carmelo era, attempting to find their identity and accumulate some assets for the future. On the positive side of things, Kristaps Porzingis has shown that he is a franchise cornerstone and a player the Knicks can build around for many years to come. When healthy last year, Kristaps was a dominant player and easily one of the best players in the Eastern Conference. If the Knicks are smart, which we know damn well they are NOT, they will let Kristaps take his time with his recovery, and slowly, very slowly, ease him into the lineup. (Trust the Process?)
Another positive for the Knicks is the possible star potential of rookie Kevin Knox. It is tough to navigate through the bullshit with the Knicks, as the hype surrounding young guys is going to be amplified in the city that never sleeps, but from the Summer League, he sure does seem like the real deal. Much like Trae Young in Atlanta, I hope new coach David Fizdale allows Knox to develop and make mistakes during the season.
Lastly, just wanted to make one last positive note – Frank Ntilikina is good. At the very minimum, if he develops no further offensive skills, he is one of the best on ball defenders at the guard position in the entire league. And he is only going to get better.
Now that the good things are out of the way, there are still many issues with the Knicks organization. They are still trying to find a way to overcome the shit contract that is Joakim Noah and overpaying a league average starter in Timmy Hardaway. Dumping Noah to another team is going to be an impossible task, so they will most likely have to eat the contract and deal with their mistake.
Furthermore, incredibly hot take, Trey Burke and Ron Baker are not talented enough to get relevant minutes on an NBA team. Is that too contentious? The lack of effective point guard play will hurt the Knicks throughout the year, and they have got to hope of landing someone in free agency.
It should be noted that this Knicks team is significantly better than both the Hawks and Magic, but similar to them, this is another rebuilding year. I see no situation in which they make the playoffs, and this year should be used for developing the young guys and getting Porzingis back to full strength. This offseason will be a big one for the Knicks, as they have been linked with many soon to be free-agents, including Kevin Durant, so setting a tone of being a competent franchise during the season is crucial.
#12 – Chicago Bulls
This may be the most intriguing team in the Eastern Conference, as there Chicago possesses a lot injury-prone, big-named stars that have the potential to break-out and have success, or sputter under the pressure and fail.
Jabari Parker was obviously the biggest signing for Chicago during the offseason, as he signed a two-year “prove it” contract to show he can still ball. If his ACL can manage not to snap during his first possession of the season, who knows what Jabari will be capable of. It’s tough to watch a guy with so much talent have a career so riddled with injuries, but with current medical technology, he may come back better than ever. I’m rooting for him to prove the haters, especially the Milwaukee Bucks, wrong.
The Bulls also have some young fun guys down low in Lauri Markkanan and Wendell Carter. Both of these guys have shown great potential to be pieces on a winning team, and I am excited to see the growth of Markkanan in his second year, as he was sneakily one of the best rookies in the league during the past year. Additionally, Carter was not able to show his whole plethora of skills in the shadow of Marvin Bagley III at Duke, and I think he will turn some heads this year as he shows his true capabilities.
I hate to say it, but I am not on the Zach Lavine hype train. In fact, I would say I am the absolute opposite. I may be lighting a stick of dynamite under the train tracks of the hype train because, wait for it, Zach Lavine is not that good. Zach Lavine’s game is so dependent upon pure athleticism and quickness, and after his ACL surgery, I am not so sure he still has all those abilities. Combine that with the fact that he is a career 32% three point shooter, pretty terrible for a guard, he is not a weapon if he cannot use his athleticism. Lavine signed a 4 year, $78 million dollar contract this offseason to stay with the Bulls. In my eyes, thats about $38 million too much.
The Bulls, similar to the Knicks, do not have great points guards on the roster either, headlined by Aaron Holiday and Cameron Payne, but hey, maybe the big man can carry the team enough where the point guards are not needed as much.
This season will be one of growth and development for the team. If guys like Lavine and Parker can prove they are the real deal, and Lauri and Wendell development and contribute, I can see this team making the playoffs in the near future. This year though? Not a chance.
#11- Charlotte Hornets
The ranking of the Charlotte Hornets at #11 in the East may come as a huge surprise, especially considering they have an all-star guard in Kemba Walker as well as a couple other proven pieces on the roster. They have the ability to compete for the 8th seed with this roster, but I have them at #11 because I have a strong feeling that the Hornets and Kemba will part ways throughout the season.
The Kemba/Hornets saga has been a positive one I believe, as Kemba was a fundamental piece that helped turn the then Bobcats from one of the worst teams in NBA history to a team that competed with Dwyane Wade and Miami Heat in the playoffs. He has made all-star teams and given the city something to root for. But like all good relationships, this one has to come to an end.
The Hornets will never be anything more than a borderline playoff team with Kemba as their number one option. Pair that with the fact that teams are always interested in Kemba at the trade deadline and that the Hornets desperately need draft picks, I see Kemba being gone by the end of the year.
Later Kemba, have fun being a third option on a team that will end up getting mollywhopped by the Warriors.
Besides Kemba, there is not much to this team. I hope they give the reigns to Malik Monk and allow him to be the lightning quick, knockdown shooter that he was at Kentucky. Although he had more than a forgettable rookie year, I am not ready to give up on a guy that had so much talent during his college career.
Miles Bridges has looked, at the bare minimum, like one of the best in-game dunkers in the NBA during the Summer League and preseason. I think he is gonna be a solid rookie and end up being a solid starter in the NBA for many years. Pair that with Dwayne Bacon, who also had a forgettable rookie year, and the Hornets bolster a decent looking core of young guys with big potential.
The roster is rounded out with MKG who doesn’t know how to shoot, Marvin Williams who is overpaid, and Nicolas Batum who is overpaid. Tony Parker looks weird in a Hornets jersey. Michael Jordan is a terrible owner. Don’t expect too much from the Hornets, especially after Kemba gets traded.
In The Books 