So we're here ..

So who is the team to watch out for this season?

This is a looming question on a lot of basketball fans minds, particularly in the Western Conference. They're so many loaded teams in the West. It's very difficult to say there is a definite number 1 seed. The easy choice would be the reining NBA champion, Golden State Warriors, especially given their recent out lashes of criticism of their NBA Championship.

It goes far deeper than that.....

I will break down who I feel has the potential to be the overall number one seed in the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference.

The Western Conference, aka the Mount Everest Conference, will go down to the wire for the first place spot. For starters, there are six distinct teams on paper ready to win an NBA championship in the West. I feel there are three teams that have addressed major issues during their offs-season putting them strides above the rest. The Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs. You might ask, Why the San Antonio Spurs? or the Houston Rockets? These two teams over the past three seasons (minus last season for the Spurs) have consistently shown growth. The Houston Rockers addressed their dire need for another ball handler and playmaker outside of James Harden. While Patrick Beverly and Trevor Ariza tried their best to create for others ...the reality of the situation is they couldn't. They were exposed during the Western Conference finals. For this team that was an excellent step in the right direction after two failed runs. With the addition of Ty Lawson's play making and shooting ability, this team addressed their major question mark following their loss to the Warriors in the Conference finals. This team still has a mental block to over come, which was exposed during the Conference Semi- Finals, against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors on the other end are sitting on top of a "The World" or so they thought..... well.. until critiques began to question the legitimacy of their championship....The anger and hostility built up following comments from people within the league has created a chip on the reining World Champions shoulders. What ever the case is the Warriors are still "the hunted." All of their key players that contributed to their championship run are returning and the team even has something to prove...well kind of...  well to a few people within the league... At the end of the day, this team has set a trend that many around the league have followed following their Championship win so it sounds like these insiders within the league might be expressing some level of jealousy. The San Antonio Spurs will always be " the hunted" regardless of who is on their team. As long as the franchise has Tim Duncan and Popovich, the team will be a key target for any team in the league. With the addition of LeMarcus Aldridge this team became an even larger threat. (Aldridge has gotten off to a slow start during the Preseason, but that is to be expected as he adjusts to a new team and new coaching staff.)

On to the Eastern Conference......

The Eastern Conference... All we need to talk about are the expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season and we can call it a day...I mean they will continue to be the Eastern Conference champion...?... Well, it won't be that simple this year. There are two distinct teams that could challenge the Cavaliers this season for the Eastern Conference Championship. In an average Eastern Conference, The Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks are my top three teams in the East. The Cleveland Cavaliers, are the reining Eastern Conference champions and are worthy of the spot but with the injury bug seemly hitting the team at every corner this team is probable to mess up. Let's be clear the Cavaliers are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference but with the teams brittle nature its hard to say they are the definite winner of the East. With their additions in their back court and at forward and center this team is more prepared for injuries this season then last but that doesn't give them a free pass to the finals. The Miami Heat, on the other end, battled for a playoff birth at the end of the season, but would ultimately be on the outside looking in... This season the team has made major upgrades to compete with the reining Eastern Conference Champion, Cleveland Cavaliers. Chris Bosh return to the line up will be crucial for this team if they plan to compete with the Cavaliers or possibly defeat the Cavaliers during the playoffs.  Different then either one of these teams, The Milwaukee Bucks are new to the scene... this is a series statement... the average age of the Bucks starters is 23 in comparison to 27 and 30 for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat respectively. The Bucks are the team to beat as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James come out of their prime. This team made a statement during the post season last year against the Bulls stretching the series to 6 games. With the addition of Greg Monroe this team could be a true spoiler come playoff time.

Over all, I feel the Western Conference first place team will be a coin flip. If the Warriors are truly as angry as they are showing about the chatter around the league of their championship win, that could prove to be a problem. Over all the Rockets and Warriors are the two teams that in contention for the first place spot. I feel the Spurs will need another season. Tim Duncan will be playing center, for the first time in his 19 season career. That could prove to be something smaller than it seems because the game is moving toward " small ball" so it might not be a big adjustment. The Eastern Conference, on the other hand, has a clear Champion. It is the Cleveland Cavaliers win to lose. The Bucks could be a spoiler but I think they have another season before I could say they could test LeBron and company. But please believe the Bucks are coming ......

AND NBA season is back ....

The start to the NBA season is right around the corner which means.... back to the sleepless nights.. buzzer beats and heart ache. I like many other basketball fans are looking forward to this season especially the Western Conference. If this season is as wild and adventurous as the free agency period NBA fans will be in for a treat.

The 2015 NBA draft showed fans where their team was on its NBA title aspirations. The Minnesota Timberwolves among the top headlined teams for their rebuilding process. With a young strong core, it is a strong possibility the Timberwolves could be vying for the Western Conference Championship in the next three to four seasons. Other teams that made a strong statement in this years draft were the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. The Suns were left, right outside of a tenaciously talented Western Conference playoffs. This teams 3-pt field goal percentage last season was one of the worst in the league. By the team adding Devin Booker, a sharp shooter, to their lineup it will get the team into an offensive rhythm and get the moving up the floor a lot faster. The Utah Jazz on the other hand are in a rebuilding phase adding another weapon to their core during this years draft. Trey Lyles is one of the many young talented players the Jazz have  drafted over the past three years.

To the Finish line we go .....

And just like that the MLB regular season is in its final weeks. Crazy RIGHT?..... with the start to the NBA season on the horizon it is a clear indication the race to the MLB playoffs is just beginning.  The division winners seem to be in the drivers seat heading into the final month of the season but as witnessed before nothing is guaranteed especially in an extremely loaded American League. The true battle lies in the American League wild card spots.  The two final playoff spots most likely will go down to the final week of the season. The New York Yankees, the first place seeded wild card team, has a 4 game lead on the second seeded Texas Rangers. You might ask....., so where is the battle? The Rangers are only 1 game ahead of the third seeded, Minnesota Twins.  This will make for a interesting finish to the season. The Texas Rangers have been one of the hottest teams in baseball the second half of the season. Since July 17th  the Rangers have won 27 games to the Twins 20 games. Which poses the question.. will the Rangers sustain their winning? At this point every team (not including division winners) is pulling out every possible weapon they have to finish and possible grasp the wild card spot.

I think its obvious to say the New York Yankees are in the clear drivers seat to receive at least one of the AL wild card spots. I think its also important to point out the Yankees did not make any big trades before the trade deadline. This could pose an issue as we near closer to the playoffs. I would not be surprised if the Yankees weren't to make the playoffs at all. I know this might upset some fans or maybe half of the baseball world but in the past ..... as recent as last season this team has not be the decorated franchise in which it represents. (the post season). It will come down to who wants it more and the Rangers at the Twins have taken the first step (needed trades at the pitching position etc) to solidify their playoff hopes/spots.

P.S. I'm not saying the Yankees are a bad team. This season they haven't made the upgrades to address their  issues at pitching and offense (batting) as the other AL wild card contending teams.

So who will be the rookie of the year ....

I know this is extremely early.... especially because NBA training camp won’t begin until mid-late September but… I’m an avid NBA fan so.. I am making my prediction for rookie of the year. I'm going to get straight to it. A few weeks ago the NBA conducted a rookie survey among the draft class of 2015. Despite the results of Jahlil Okafor walking a way with the vote for Rookie of the year, I think another player has the potential to challenge the vote. Devin Booker, drafted 13th over all to the Phoenix Suns, has the potential to be a star in the NBA. Not just any star but a star that could possibly challenge the position of Golden States, Klay Thompson in the near future.  You might ask how? or in what way?  Klay Thompson similar to Booker is a technically sound sharp shooter, both able to shoot from anywhere on the floor. Thompson is still developing his game primarily on defense entering his fifth season in the NBA but the Booker has show cased more skills earlier in his career then Thompson. The potential to be better then Thompson is evident.

The Phoenix Suns backcourt rotation consists of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight. There isn't secure depth behind the one two punch (Bledsoe and Knight), which presents an opportunity for Booker. Booker will not start at the beginning of the season, but if he shows his ability to shoot and compete on the defensive side of the ball he might be the Suns starting shooting guard as soon as January. If he doesn't have the starting shooting guard spot by January it will be difficult to make the argument he deserves Rookie of the year honors but his future is extremely bright in the NBA. 

The Suns are one of many teams in the west that have left fans and critiques wondering "what will they be this season?” Its extremely hard to gage if this team will be a playoff team especially in a loaded Western Conference but what is for certain is the organization is taking steps in the right direction. With an excellent draft and a good off season this team could turn heads and possibly sneak into the 7^th or 8^th seed in the West.  Or maybe it’s my optimism. This ball club without a doubt is on the “come up.” I’m not sure if they will have enough to compete with the elite teams of the west but they are opening eyes.

An Update with the BLOG...

Well as you can tell I have fall'n off with my post about the NFL season. My focus is narrowed to the final stretch of the MLB season and off season of the NBA. Odd much ?. Especially with the start to the NFL season weeks away. I apologize in advance for my lack of post about the NFL.


Now on the key importance of this post..... actually it will follow this post

Last push to make it to the finish line

As the post seasons lures near the final push in the MLB's to make the cut is in the minds of fans, and players. The wild and adventurous trade period set up fans for this wild push to the end of the regular season but the surprises continue to appear. Teams such as the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, and New York Mets are making sure their names will not be left out of post season talks as they have been some of the hottest teams since the All Star break. The Houston Astros this season were a team that came from left field starting the season extremely hot before leveling off right before the All-Star break. The Astros currently lead the American League West, four games over the Los Angeles Angels. A team just last season considered to be the worst team in baseball, The Houston Astros are arguably the team to beat.  The Mets similar to the Astros didn't have high expectations coming into the season but since the All-Star break have turned some heads. The low expectations this season have stunned people in the baseball world including fans making for an interesting last few weeks of the season.

The Woo hoo's of the draft

Let me begin by saying.... The 2015 draft class has more potential star players then any class I have seen. Thats not saying much ... I started watching the draft in 2010.....So over the past five years ...

Now on to the picks of the draft ... Thats what I'm here to write about ...I will first begin with the top three picks in the draft... Karl Anthony Towns, drafted number one over all, was a great pick for the Timberwolves. Dominate presence at the power forward position........he was exactly what they needed heading into next season.The Lakers picked number two over all. In my opinion, I dont think they made the right decision. D'angelo Russell, drafted number two over all, was great on college film and during his time with the Buckeye's .....but his size is not ideal at the point guard position. He will struggle... because of his lack of length and size... Jahlil Okafor should have went number two over all. The recent struggles within the Lakers organization over the past week to land a "big man" in free agency.....might bring some doubt into the minds of the lakers front office. There aren't many dominate big men in the NBA.... In the rare occasion when one is available in the draft its important to draft them. D'Angelo Russell isn't a bad player .... in fact the Lakers needed a point guard entering the season  but they could have signed a point guard through free agency ....

The surprises did not end outside of the top three picks.. The number fifth and sixth pick had every basketball fan including my self lost for words. The Orlando Magic chose an international player with the fifth pick in the draft. The curve balls continued the Sacromento Kings selecting Willie Cauley-Stein at sixth. The selection was not a bad selection .... just ... I wouldn't have selected him at sixth. Given what the Sacromento Kings roster looks like .. it would have made more since to trade down and get a few additional draft picks. If they would have traded down to number 9, he would have still been available. To round off the top 10 ...Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker was not selected in the top 10 after a record breaking season shooting 40 % from 3. Booker would go 13th over all to the Phoenix suns.

The biggest surprise of the night.....Duke guard Justise Winslow slid to number 10 ... falling into the hands of Miami Heat president, Pat Riley. This was a true blessing for the Miami Heat given everything that has happened to the team over the past year. The biggest  steal of the night. In addition to the miss evaluation of  Justise Winslow in the draft, Aaron Harrison, University of Kentucky starting Shooting guard, went undrafted. This was the BIGGEST SHOCK of the draft. After brother Andrew Harrison went 44th over all to the Memphis Grizzlies I was positive Aaron Harrison would be a late second rounder. When he went undrafted I immediately thought ... " whoever signs this kid will get a ultimate steal. "  Aaron Harrison was ranked number 2 in the country according to ESPNU top 100 high school basketball players in 2013. This lead him to a two year career at The University of Kentucky. Would Aaron Harrison  in 2015 go undrafted? I dont think any basketball fan would have asked that question following the NCAA tournament last season, after watching Harrison knock down clutch shot after clutch shot for the wildcats. Harrison can play positions 1-3 because of his size and length at the shooting guard position... standing 6'6.

There was plenty of misjudgement heading into this years draft. We will have to see how all of these prospects fair in  the big leagues.... I do know who ever ends up with Aaron Harrison on their roster will get the ultimate stealing going into the 2015-2016 season.