ICYMI: The off-season was exciting and more combinations are lurking to dethrone the Warriors. Read more here.

Before the seasons gets too far along, here’s how I see the season shake out with playoff berths and awards.

EAST:

Who cares? Okay fine, I guess we can still think about them.

Boston: sacrificed a lot of depth and identity to put together the least intimidating Big Three, but unfortunately I love Kyrie and am excited to see him dribble, cross, scoop and score in green. They are still well-coached, have smart basketball players, and…..
Cleveland: is older and doesn’t care about the regular season so number one seed goes to Boston. That being said, Cleveland is better and deeper than Boston, oh and has LBJ, so they will advance to the Finals for the fourth straight time. I just can’t see Boston beating them yet. I’m excited to see Kevin Love play real C ball and see if D-Wade or D-Rose has anything left. Like a lot of other folks, I also think Jae Crowder will be a solid role player on this team and the steal of the Kyrie trade.
Washington: one of the best starting fives in the game (Wall, Beal, Otto Porter, Markieff Morris, and Marcin Gortat.) They all complement each other perfectly but their depth is where things drop off, but at least they got rid of Trey Burke.
Milwaukee: Kobe Bryant wants the Greek Freak to win the 2018 MVP and I drafted him first in my fantasy bball league so I want him to win that, too. I think they have a solid core, but some serious what ifs as well. Malcom Brogdan won Rookie of the Year, but was it a reflection of a poor rookie class or is he a legit, starting (off-guard, kind of) point guard? Can Giannis become a shooter? Will Middleton be around the whole year? Can Jabari come back and recover, too? What is a Thon Maker?
Toronto: I love Air Canada, Jurassic Park and these Raptors. They may be mediocre come playoff time, but Lowrey and DeRozen are studs and I like Ibaka too (although overpaid). They get the job done during the regular season, but they do play in the Eastern Conference. I personally believe my Jazz are better than they.
Miami: If these are the Heat from their unbelievable 30-11 second half of 2017 winning streak, they will be a solid playoff team at .500. They also are a team with the most “I didn’t know that was an actual basketball player” or “I’ve never seen that dude in my life ever.” Consider: Rodney McGruder starts at SF, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson are the super subs, and they have a rookie named Bam.
76ers: I’m all in on these guys. They are legitimately the only reason to watch the East. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are going to be a show, while Markelle Fultz will come along to be a scorer by the end of the year. We’ve been waiting for the process for so long that the bball Gods have to give them a year. They have to. Plus, an Embiid vs LeBron first-round playoff series? Yup.
Charlotte or Detroit? Meh. Yay, 34 wins?

West:

The Battle of the Best

Golden State: Like duh. Do they crack 70 wins again? I think so, easily too. Think of that four-year run: 2015 had 67 wins and a ring, 2016 was 73 wins but no ring, 2017 was 67 and a ring, 2018 is 70+ and a ring. Book it.
Houston: I love the Chris Paul addition and I’m not too worried about the “too little ball” theory that’s running around. Paul and Harden are good players, and veterans, who just want to win so they’ll make it work. I don’t really see an ego thing being a problem, plus Harden is comfortable playing off the ball so it works out pretty good for him. It wouldn’t surprise me if The Bearded One finishes top three in MVP voting again. I also like how deep Houston got this off-season. Keeping Nene was good, but getting PJ Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute was even better. Long, versatile players are the key to prolonging your season nowadays and having a shot vs the Dubs.
San Antonio: Why? I’m not really sure besides the fact that they are the Spurs and I should never count them out. Kawhi is my MVP vote so if they get the 3rd seed, that’s his MVP Moment. They overpaid Pau Gasol, and didn’t add anyone significant via free agency, but they still have Popovich and that’s almost all that matters.
OKC: Russell Westbrook rampaged through an MVP, Triple Double, Inhuman season after losing cupcake, BFF, Kevin Durant and then is rewarded with two future Hall-of-Famers. I’m not a big Carmelo fan, nor Hoodie Melo/ Olympic Melo, but I’m curious how he fits in the small ball at power forward in OKC with Steven Adams covering his backside. I love Paul George. Patrick Patterson is an underrated pickup. They’ll be good.
Los Angeles Lakers: Just kidding. I meant the Clippers. I hate putting them here, but I do think they are still going to be a good team. Sure, Blake Griffen needs to stay healthy, but Patrick Beverly and Milos Teodosic are pretty good pickups to replace Chris Paul all things considered. I expect them to play fast, up-tempo basketball that will be a fun team to watch along the way. #LobCity2.0
Minnesota: First, I have a lot of respect and confidence in Tom Thibedou so I expect him to get a lot of out this talented team. Second, Andrew Wiggins needs to take a step forward in his progression as a pro in order for this team to really elevate. Third, Jeff Teague is such an awkward fit at point. I personally think they would have been better off with pass-first Rubio even though Teague is the better shooter. Fourth, their youth, lack of consistent defense, and brutal Northwest Division causes them to drop down the playoff order. Fifth, Karl Anthony-Towns turns 22 the day before I turn 28.
Utah: Is it a homer pick? I really don’t think so. When a team can play defense, they have a chance. Sure, the West is going to be brutal but the Jazz are well coached, play hard, and can lock it down. Because of that, I give them the edge over Denver. Rubio will be fun to push the pace, I don’t believe in Rodney Hood, but I do salute Rudy Gobert who will average 20 and 10 and win DPOY after anchoring another stingy year.
Denver: If they had a better point guard and can sharpen up their defense, they’ll be tough. That said, I don’t see it happening. Jokic and Milsap are a fun frontcourt that will be tough to defend as both can pass, cut and score. I really don’t know what else to say about these Nuggets except that they have five power forwards, including Trey Lyles whom they traded for instead of taking Donovan Mitchell, my new man crush.

Predictions, because I’m always right:

MVP: Kawhi Leanord over Giannis. Westbrook and Harden added more talent while San Antonio’s roster kind of got worse. Leanord needs to play both ways, for 76 games, to make us realize San Antonio is still good at dribbling, passing, and scoring.

Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons over Lonzo Ball. A 6 ft 10 point guard? Sign me up.

6th Man of the Year: I don’t know if I even care. Suggestions?

Defensive Player of the Year: Gobert over Giannis #STIFLETOWER

Coach of the Year: I guess Brad Stevens is due for an award, but Steve Kerr needs more credit for managing this Super Team.

WCF: Golden State over Oklahoma in 6. What I want? Chris Paul in the conference finals. Just kidding, no one ever wants that.

ECF: Cavs over Boston in 6. What I want? LeBron vs Kyrie in the final seconds of a game seven in Cleveland. Kyrie has the ball, dribbles, lulls LBJ to sleep, pulls up, and LeBron blocks it.

Finals: Warriors over Cavs in 7. What I want? Cavs over Warriors in 7, making the Finals matchups 2-2 and setting up the best-of-five finale in 2019 after LeBron signs a one-year deal to give it a try. ESPN 30 for 30 should immediately begin filming.