2018-2019 NBA preview and picks: Will we see a three-peat?

Another year, another potential repeat.

The Los Angeles Lakers made the biggest splash of the offseason by enticing LeBron James to leave his Cleveland Cavaliers for Hollywood and a franchise with young talent. He signed to them without the promise of another star joining the team through a trade or by also signing there. He is the man and will be surrounded by the young up-and-comers Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. He is now in the same conference as the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors. Speaking of which, the Warriors also made a splash in the offseason.

Yep, the rich got richer. DeMarcus Cousins signed for a minimum contract, and is expected to return mid-season. The Warriors are a team with the potential for a three-peat, and three championships in four years, and they got an All-Star for cheap in NBA terms. It’s hard to not expect them to win again this year, but anything can happen in sports.

The Kawhi Leonard saga was completed in the summer. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors, and the Raptors sent DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs.

We recently got drama with Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Butler asked for a trade, and has yet to be traded. As long as he’s still in Minnesota, the drama will likely linger, so it will be interesting to watch as the drama continues to unfold.

There is more offseason moves to go over, but all of that will be done in my conference playoff predictions. Let’s start with the eastern conference.

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Celtics

The Celtics will finally get Gordon Hayward back on the court after he went down for the season in the first quarter of the opening game of last season. It will probably take some time for him and Kyrie Irving to acclimate to playing with each other. Boston also spent the playoffs without Irving on the floor, but they nearly went to the NBA Finals anyway. It’s fair to expect Boston to be at the top of the conference by the end of the season.

2. Toronto Raptors

Toronto had the best record in the conference last year. Yet, they still were demolished by LeBron in the second round of the playoffs. That led to the coach of the year Dwane Casey being fired. Then they traded DeRozan for Leonard. The MVP-caliber Leonard should be an upgrade as long as his health is good.

3. Philadelphia 76ers

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will be back for the 76ers. It’s crazy to imagine them getting better because of how good they already were, but the season following their first playoff appearance points to that happening. The loss of a few key shooters prevents them from passing Toronto and Boston, but expect them to be a high seed in the playoffs.

4. Milwaukee Bucks

Gone are the days of Jason Kidd and Joe Prunty coaching. New head coach Mike Budenholzer will look to unlock the Bucks on both sides of the floor. A team with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, and Malcolm Brogdon should be better than their 44 wins last year. Expect this team to take a big step forward.

5. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers return Victor Oladipo after his amazing season last year. It’s hard to picture him not repeating that performance. The Pacers also added veteran Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott. Evans is an offensive threat, and McDermott is a good shooter. The Pacers should be fighting with Milwaukee for the division crown.

6. Washington Wizards

They should look better this season as long as John Wall remains healthy. He played in just 41 games last season, so if he plays 20-30 more games that will be good for the Wizards. Wall and Bradley Beal will still be a great backcourt, but the biggest question is if the Wizards can get over the hump or if they will continue the trend of being unable to get over that hump.

7. Miami Heat

Miami returns most of the same roster from last season. They are currently in the mix for Jimmy Butler, and if they do manage to get him, they could jump up a few spots in the standings.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers

They still have Kevin Love. Losing LeBron will be hard, but at least they still have Love. The Cavs could fall further than the final playoff spot, and it wouldn’t be surprising. It will be interesting to see how they do and if Love goes back into his Minnesota Timberwolves days.

Western Conference

1. Golden State Warriors

Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguadola, and now DeMarcus Cousins. Yeah, the only thing keeping Golden State out of the top seed is, you guessed it, Golden State.

2. Houston Rockets

The team that chased the Warriors and nearly took them out. They lost key defenders in Trevor Ariza and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, but they should still be near the top of the conference as long as Chris Paul and James Harden are there.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder looked like they were having issues incorporating Carmelo Anthony throughout last season. With him gone, Paul George and Russell Westbrook can focus on driving the team. And another year of the two of them being more familiar with each other should lead to improvement this year.

4. Utah Jazz

If they get a full season of Rudy Gobert–after playing in 56 games last season–that will be great for them. Donaven Mitchell will be fun to watch in his second year, after nearly winning rookie of the year. They should be in the middle of the conference again, and be a tough matchup every night.

5. Los Angeles Lakers

Ah, King James in Hollywood. Most expect him to be fighting for the final spot in the playoffs, but we have seen LeBron carry teams on his back before. Plus, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram are not scrubs. Playing alongside James will be good for them, and I think we see a Lakers team in the mix and LeBron in the playoffs again.

6. New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans played well despite losing Cousins for the season due to injury. They also lost Rajon Rondo to the Lakers, but this team still has Anthony Davis. Davis is a beast so it’s hard to bet against them getting into the playoffs.

7. Denver Nuggets

Denver came within a game of making the playoffs last year, but lost to the T-Wolves and were on the outside of the playoff picture. They also added Isaiah Thomas and drafted Michael Porter Jr in the offseason. With the Spurs losing Leonard, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili after getting the No. 7 seed last season, I think the Nuggets get into the playoffs this year.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves

Jimmy Butler was traded to the Timberwolves before last season and it looked great for them. However, Butler missed time due to injury, and the team was just 10-13 without him. That left them in the No. 8 seed, but just two games away from the No. 3 seed. The hope was a healthy Butler would put them toward the top of the conference. Butler, however, has made it clear that he wants out of Minnesota. Their place in the playoff picture depends on how this situation is resolved, but if he’s gone, questions about Andrew Wiggens and Karl Anthony-Towns leading them will drive the narrative.

Award predictions:

MVP: LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

Rookie of the year: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns

Coach of the year: Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics

Defensive player of the year: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

Sixth man of the year: Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets

Most Improved player of the year: Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers

NBA Finals:

Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics

Warriors win in seven games.

That is the 2018-2019 NBA preview. It should be another fun one, even if we all think the Warriors will repeat.

The season starts tonight with 76ers and Celtics facing off, followed by the Thunder taking on the Warriors.