Ty Tells You How each NBA Team Can Win the Title: Hornets, Thunder, and Hawks
/
We are on day 6 of my NBA countdown. From here on out, it's all playoff caliber teams. These teams have the players to, at the very least, make the playoffs. We got started yesterday with the Wizards, now, it's all playoff teams, all the time. On with the countdown.
At number 15, I have the Charlotte Hornets. Two really quick things before I get into meat of what I like and dislike about this team. First, I love that they are called the Hornets again. I know this started last season, but it just feels right. Second, I don't know why some people think they will take a step back because Jeremy Lin is gone. Lin is a good offensive player, but I do not think he will missed all that much. If he was that important, I think the Hornets would have tried harder to keep him. Anyway, let's take a look at this roster. I love Kemba Walker. The dude just has guts and plays with a passion that is nearly unparalleled. He has always been told he was undersized, too slow, wouldn't be able to adapt to the pro game, basically he's been told he wouldn't make it, but he has been a pretty good pro, especially last year. He has become a legitimate threat on offense and his defense has stepped up. I think Kemba Walker has the potential to be an all star. Marvin Williams finally played like he was supposed to last season. It was impossible for him to live up to where he was picked when he was drafted, and he was on the wrong team. The Hawks, back then, needed him to be the star. He is so much better fitted to be the fourth or fifth option on a team. He is an incredible athlete, and he uses that to his advantage when playing defense and getting rebounds. He needs to work on his jumper, but he looked really good last year. I see that continuing. If Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could stay healthy at all, I think he would be a good bench player for this team. He's not a great shooter by any means necessary, but he can attack the basket and he plays decent defense, which is what this team is built around. Nic Batum got a big contract, and he did look good in the Olympics, at times, but he needs to stay focused all season. He is a good player, but he doesn't seem to have that killer instinct. They do not have any great big men, so that could pose a problem. When you are relying on Jason Maxiel, Tyler Hansborough and Roy Hibbert to be your guys, that won't work out all that well for you. Those guys don't have any really good, specific skills, they are just big. The bench is fine, with guys like Marco Bellinelli, a great three point shooter, Frank Kaminsky, seems too slow, but can take big guys outside and Jeremy Lamb, he hasn't figured it out yet and I don't see him figuring the NBA out. The bench is just okay. I love Kemba Walker and Marvin Williams though, those guys are really good. The Hornets bench and lack of a true rim protector will be their downfall, but they will win between 42 and 45 games and be in the playoffs.
So Ty, how will the Hornets win the title? The Hornets can win the title if they get a true big man and play the most suffocating defense in the history of the NBA. It would be ugly, but that would be their only chance at a championship, to completely slow the game down to a halt.
At number 14, I have the OKC Thunder. KD is gone, and that is a huge, huge blow to this team. Had he resigned, I think I would have picked them to win it all this year. But, they do have Russell Westbrook back, and when he plays angry, he will not be stopped. That is a good and a bad thing. He will play with reckless abandon and put up huge numbers, but will that translate to wins? They do have a much better roster than two years ago when Durant was out and Westbrook was the man, so I don't think they will be that bad. Steven Adams is on his way to being one of the better true centers in the NBA, He doesn't have an offensive game like Boogie, but I think he is the best defensive true center in the league. He is also a beast on the boards and he is world class trash talker. Andre Roberson is non existent on offense, but he is an incredible defender. He always guards the oppositions best player, and more times than not, he slows them down. Victor Oladipo was a great pick up for them. He is a great slasher, has a sembalance of a jump shot, and he, much like Roberson, is a lock down defender. They did lose Serge Ibaka, but I don't think he will be terribly missed. Enes Kanter is a great offensive big, but he is a horrific defender. He barely played at the end of the Western Finals last year because his defense was so bad. Anthony Morrow is a great spot up shooter, but he brings nothing else to this team. And with KD gone, he will not find himself as wide open as usual. Cameron Payne is a fine young point guard, but he is Westbrook's back up, so he barely sees the floor. Mitch McGary seems like he'd rather get high than work on his game, so he will be relegated to bench duty as soon as his suspension is done. Kyle Singler is trash and Nick Collison is about a million years old and way past his "prime". But, with guys like Westbrook, Oladipo, Adams, Kanter's offense and Roberson's defense, I still see the Thunder as a playoff team, getting about 42 or 43 wins. It may be the eight seed in the West, but still, a playoff team. And Westbrook is going to be on an absolute mission this season.
So Ty, how will the Thunder win the title? The Thunder can win the title if Westbrook goes for a triple double every night, and the numbers have to be huge, I'm talking about 30 ppg, 15 rbg and 15 apg and Adams offensive game takes a huge step and the rest of the roster scores a ton of points. The Thunder would have been so much higher if KD was still there, but he is not, oh well.
At number 13, I have the Atlanta Hawks. Some may say this is too high, but I feel it is just right. I don't think they will regress as much just because they don't have Al Horford anymore. They still have Paul Millsap, who may be the most underrated player in the NBA. Millsap is an all star, a double double machine and a great teammate. He is an excellent basketball player, Some will say, well they don't have Jeff Teague either. I say, I like Dennis Schroder more. He plays with a cockiness that he needs to play with. He thinks he is the best point guard in the NBA. That's not true, but when he is on, he's on. He just needs to stay that way more often. He plays a little too out of control, but he can learn to slow his game down. Kyle Korver is getting way too old to be any threat anywhere on a basketball court, except the three point line. He is still a deadly three point shooter. Kent Bazemore has gotten better the more he's played, and he is becoming a really good NBA player. He is a great slasher, and his jumper is coming along. He also plays very good defense. Thabo Sefolosha is a world class defender, and he can hit the open shot. Other bench guys like Kirk Hinrich, Tim Hardaway Jr, Mike Scott, Kris Humphries and Jarret Jack are all very ho hum. Hinrich's and Jack's best days are way behind them. I'd be shocked if either plays more than 10 minutes a game. Hardaway Jr could be good, but his confidence was wrecked by playing with Carmelo Anthony, and he doesn't see the floor that often for the Hawks. Kris Humphries, when you take away the Kardashian thing, is a pretty decent basketball player. He isn't a world beater, but he isn't a liability either. Mike Scott is their best bench player. He plays hard and smart. And, I cannot forget to talk about their signing of Dwight Howard. I don't know what Dwight Howard they are getting. Will it be the Laker, end of Rockets tenure? Or will it be the Magic, beginning of Rockets tenure? I think they'd like something in the middle. He is not dominant like he was early in his career, but if he engages and plays like he cares, he can be a very big spark for this team. He is still relatively young and can still play, he just has to want to. The Hawks will be in the playoffs again, and they will probably go out with a whimper, like they always do. I see them winning anywhere from 44-47 games this year.
So Ty, how will the Hawks win the title? The Hawks can win the title if Millsap becomes the league MVP, Korver hits 65 percent of his threes, Schroder becomes a team first player, Bazemore becomes an all star and Dwight Howard plays like he did in Orlando, at the beginning. That's asking way too much. Millsap is the only one that may/could play like that.
That's it for today, come back tomorrow for the next three teams.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He would really love the Hornets if they also brought Grandmama back. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.
SeedSing is funded by a group of generous donors. Join them by donating to SeedSing.
