1. The Warriors do not break the 73-9 record.

Even with the addition of Kevin Durant, I do not see the Warriors breaking the 73-9 record. I think some losses will come early in the season, as they will be figuring out how to play with each other. While the Warriors will have their chemistry questions resolved by the end of the season, the first couple of months of playing together will be spent trying to find a balance between all of the great players on the team. There is only one ball on the court, and there is going to be a lot of possessions spent on finding the Warriors’ ideal game style. I think this team will definitely be great, but I just do not see them clicking right away.

2. DeAngelo Russell wins Most improved player.

DeAngelo Russell was the 2015 Draft’s second pick, but he was a bit of a letdown last season, averaging 13 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds. While some see this as decent for a rookie, it looked as though he was going to have better numbers than that, but he didn’t. In the Summer league, he impressed many people watching, as he hit tough shots to win games, and bailed his team out a countless number of times after a bad possession by making a difficult shot. Russell showed us through Summer League that he has been working on his defense and other areas through the offseason, and I expect him to be a much better all around player next year. I think he will average close to 17 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.

3. The Jazz make the playoffs.

What? The Jazz? Yes, the Jazz. This team is full of young talent, and when Gordon Hayward, Rodney Hood, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert were healthy, they posted a net rating of plus-5.0 points per 100 possessions, regardless of who the fifth body was. That would have been good enough to rank sixth in the league. They also added veterans such as George Hill, Joe Johnson, and Boris Diaw. In addition to those players, Trey Lyles, who had an exceptional Summer League, Alec Burks, and Dante Exum can bolster the bench for the Jazz, giving them a great chance of getting into the playoffs.

4. ….and so do the Timberwolves.

Many say that in a few years, the Wolves can be one of the best teams in the league, but I believe, they can do something now. They obviously won’t be the best team, but they have the potential to make the playoffs. They added Kris Dunn, a Rookie of the Year candidate already, using their fifth pick in the Draft. Partner him with Karl Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Zach Lavine, and you get a team that can climb into a lower seed in the conference, making the playoffs.

5. Dwyane Wade at the Bulls proves to be a mistake.

Dwyane Wade left the Miami Heat to go the the Bulls, and I believe he will end up regretting this decision. Fred Hoiberg, the Bulls coach, said he wanted to play a pace-and-space style on the court. A pace-and-space playing style starts with ball movement through passing and driving to the basket, with players setting multiple picks and screens to create open looks. But if multiple players aren’t threats to make their shots from the perimeter, it fails to keep defenses guessing. And neither Wade, Rondo nor Jimmy Butler are good on the perimeter: They are career 28.4, 28.9 and 32.8 percent three-point shooters, respectively. This is going to lead to more ball screens and iso plays, with Rondo struggling at the first, and Wade at the second. All three are good with pick and rolls, but there is only one basketball. Wade on the Bulls will prove to be a very costly mistake, maybe costing Chicago a playoff spot.

6. The Pacers, Celtics, Cavs, and Raptors are the only championship caliber teams in the East.

This one is pretty obvious. While I do think Atlanta can cause some trouble, I do not really see them beating any one of those teams above. They do have a great frontcourt in Millsap and Dwight, but I do not see them making it past the 5 seed. The Pacers rebuilt their roster a bit, adding Jeff Teague and Al Jefferson. If Al can stay away from injuries, the Pacers will be a fun team to watch, as they have more talent off the bench, with Miles Turner, Thaddeus Young, and Ty Lawson. The Celtics added Horford and this really gives them a push, maybe even pushing them into the East Finals. The Raptors re-signed Derozan to a big deal, and you can expect Lowry and Derozan to have another breakout season like last year. Then there are the reigning champions, the Cavaliers.

7. The new Knicks make the playoffs, but barely.

While the Knicks have not made the playoffs in 4 years, I see them barely getting into the 7 or 8 seed. They did add former MVP Derrick Rose, and I think he will help the team. In the last few years, Carmelo Anothony has been carrying the scoring load, but now, if Rose can stay healthy and play at least 70 games, he can give them a real boost. They also added Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah, and they add more to the team with their different skillsets. The reason I do not see them making it higher is because of their weak bench. After newly-signed Brandon Jennings, they do not have any bench players. If everyone can stay healthy, the Knicks could be looking at a lower seed in the top 8 in the East.

8. Westbrook wins MVP.

With a new contract in hand, keeping him with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook is among the favorites to win the MVP next season, and I think he will win it. Westbrook has agreed to three-year $85.7 million contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The three-year extension includes a player option for the 2018-2019 season.With Westbrook locked up for at least the next two seasons, expect him to post even more eye popping stats than he did last season. Last year, Russ averaged nearly 24 points 10 assists and eight rebounds. Through the last eight seasons, Westbrook has averaged 8 more points, 2 more rebounds, and 1 more assist without Kevin Durant. But this was before Westbrook became a triple double machine. He tied Magic Johnson’s record for most triple doubles in the past 30 years. Last season, he had four triple doubles under 30 minutes. Many of these came without Durant, and it may have given us a small peek at what Westbrook can do without Kevin Durant. I expect Westbrook to average almost a triple double, and win the Most Valuable Player award.

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