Ty's 2017-2018 NBA Preview: Pelicans, Raptors, Heat, Timberwolves

To change things up just a bit, for a surprise type ending if you will, I'm going to do 4 teams today and tomorrow, then back to three on Friday, saving Monday for my number 1 overall team. It may be a bit odd, but hey, it's my blog and I will do what I want. Anyway, here we go.

At number 12 I have the New Orleans Pelicans. I am much, much higher on this team then some of the so called experts seem to be. I love the trying to be the twin towers thing that they are doing. Boogie Cousins is one of my favorite NBA players. I know he can be a hot head at times, and he may whine a bit too much, but he is so god damn good at basketball. He is nearly unstoppable in the low post, and he has gotten himself, for a guy his size, an okay jumper. He is also a tenacious rebounder. If he is fully engaged on defense he is a force to be reckoned with. This is probably his last year as a Pelican too, so I expect him to ball the hell out. Anthony Davis is a once in a generation player. When healthy, there is no better center in the league. He literally does it all. He can dominate the post, he can shoot all the way out to the three point line, he is a great rebounder and one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. He has all the tools and he is only going to get better. He just needs to stay healthy. I could see him make a real push for MVP this year, especially if the Pelicans are as good as I think they will be. I am not a big Rajon Rondo fan, but I love the signing. I know he is hurt, but he will be back before they even hit the quarter mark of the season. He cannot shoot, at all, but he will put Boogie and Davis in the best possible position to each average at least 20 points a game. And if he is engaged on defense, well, we all saw what he did in the playoffs before he got hurt last year. Jrue Holiday got too much money, but I get why the Pelicans did it. He is very important to this team, and he has played through some bad injuries and bad family stuff for this franchise. He is also not that bad too. I like that Ian Clark is going to get some real playing time for the Pelicans. He showed flashes here and there when he got in games for the Warriors last year, but he was way too far down the depth chart. Now, he will get 20 minutes plus a game. Omer Asik needs to go, especially since Boogie is now on the team. He is a zero gain for this team. His contract was an atrocity and they need to move on. Soloman Hill is a fine role player. Nothing more, nothing less. Tony Allen is going to bring some much needed toughness and defense to this team. Cheick Diallo, who I thought was going to be a bust, looked okay in his limited playing time last year. He can spell either Davis or Boogie when they need a break. The Pelicans may not have many big names besides Boogie and Anthony Davis, but I would be happy about having those 2 guys if I were a Pelicans fan. Look for them to return to the playoffs this year.

At number 11 we have the Toronto Raptors. What is there to say about the Raptors that I didn't say last year, or the year before that. They are running it back once again, and while that will be good for 50 plus regular season wins and a playoff berth, will they make it passed the second round? I don't know. Depends on who they play I suppose. But, getting Kyle Lowry to return was big. He is an important player and a good playerfor the Raptors. He just needs to play better in the post season. DeMar DeRozan is a great scorer. He is one of the better mid range shooters and rim attackers. The problem with him, he cannot shoot threes. He has never been a good three point shooter. He will still get 24 or 25 points game though. Serge Ibaka is back. He kind of tailed off at the end of last year, but I like his fit with Toronto. He is a good third option, he has expanded his touch and he can still be a good rim protector. Jonas Valenciunas is back, but he hasn't gotten better every year like so many other younger players have. He is good for 12 points and 8 rebounds a night, but if I had to pick between him and Marcin Gortat, I'd go with Gortat. Valenciunas just hasn't shown the full potential so many expected out of him when he came into the league. Losing PJ Tucker and Patrick Paterson will hurt. But, this gives guys like Norman Powell and Lucas Nogueira more playing time. They could replace some of what the other guys are leaving behind. Jakob Poertl is a mystery to me. I expected him to be good, but he had a rough rookie year. Maybe he will bounce back, maybe he will be a bust, but this season will let us know for sure. They signed KJ McDaniels and CJ Miles this offseason. McDaniels was pretty mediocre in Detroit. But, CJ Miles was the Pacers second best option last year. He is a very good, long and left handed scorer. Don't sleep on Miles. The Raptors also drafted OG Anounoby. He will miss the first part of the year recovering fro, his injury, but I do see him as a lite version of Victor Oladipo. The Raptors will be a good regular season team and coast to the playoffs, but matchups will be a determining factor as to how far they go.

At number 10 I have one of my new favorite teams, the Miami Heat. I love what the Heat did in the second half of last year, and I think they will only get better this year. Erik Spoelstra is a good coach. Last year made that wildly clear. I am a big fan of Hassan Whiteside. I'd put him second to only Rudy Gobert as the best rim protectors in the NBA. He is also a beats on the boards. And now he is figuring out the offensive end. That is scary. Goran Dragic is a solid NBA point guard. He can pass, score and even defend a little bit. Dion Waiters has finally found a perfect spot for himself to just let it fly and fly as often as he wants. I would not be shocked at all if he is 20 point per game scorer this year. James Johnson looks like a linebacker and runs like a running back. He is so big and strong and can get to the rim. Tyler Johnson, after getting a crazy contract, wasn't all that bad last year. He surprised me with how okay he was. This is the make or break year for Justise Winslow. Either he fixes his jumper, or he is destined to be a bench guy the rest of his career. He still does play some solid defense though. We will also see how he does coming off an injury. I love the pick of Bam Adebayo. He looks like he is going to be a solid center in the NBA for awhile. He is big and can run the floor. All he really needs is a competent jumper. Josh Richardson isn't all that bad either. This Heat team reminds me a lot of the early 2000's Pistons. They don't have any "star" players, but they do have guys that bought into playing team basketball. They won't win the title, but I do like them to be a top 4 seed in the East come playoff time.

And for the fourth and final team of today, I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last year I was reluctant to call this team a playoff team. This season, I would write it in pen. First off, they got Jimmy Butler. He was one of the prize guys this offseason, and he is reuniting with Tom Thibodeau, and he is the veteran super star this team needs. The fit is perfect. Karl Anthony Towns is becoming one of the better big men in the league. I know his defense needs work, but he is already a big threat on offense, and he will learn to play defense. I love the way Towns approaches the game. Andrew Wiggins is getting, in my opinion, unfairly dubbed as a bad defender. I think a ton was asked and expected from him when he came into the league, and he is still kind of figuring it out. He is so explosive though, and I really love his game. Besides Butler, the Timberwolves also signed Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson. Crawford brings some instant offense for this team. Jeff Teague is a good point guard that will run the offense and play some defense and hit some open shots. And Taj Gibson is a great rebounder and a great veteran leader. All three of these guys bring something that the Timberwolves were missing last year. Shabazz Muhammed has been a fairly decent player in the league, much to my surprise. He is a good bench player. Gorgui Dieng is a fine backup center. He does need to play better defense, but he is still a solid backup. Tyus Jones has finally made his way to an NBA roster. He has become a solid player too. I also like their pick of Justin Patton. He can learn behind Towns and Gibson before being pressed into action. The Timberwolves will be the team that everyone thought they were going to be last year this year.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next four teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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