NBA Conference Predictions
My predictions for the conference standings this season. Debate, criticise, scream, etc. Lots of big moves so im fucking stoked for this season. Also, I got fantasy draft coming up soon and could use some advice. I have 7th pick in an 8 man snake draft. List is 2017 digs. |
| 1 |  | Eidola
To Speak, To Listen
Cleveland Cavaliers (PREDICTION: 1st/FLOOR: 3rd/CEILING: 1st)
I had KLove in fantasy last year, seems like his usage rate is gonna go down a bit considering how deep the cavs got. His constant back spasms were pretty annoying too. |
| 2 |  | Freddie Gibbs
You Only Live 2wice
Boston Celtics (PREDICTION: 2nd/FLOOR: 4th/CEILING: 1st)
eyeing Kyrie for my 7th/10th pick. Pretty dope big 3, but imo they got fleeced by the Cavs in the Kyrie-IT trade. Lost a ton of depth on the bench. |
| 3 |  | Stolas
Stolas
Toronto Raptors (PREDICTION: 3rd/FLOOR: 5th/CEILING: 2nd)
I'm a homer but I think this squad can do better than the Wiz in the regular season and potentially take on the Celtics in 7 games.
eyeing DeMar for my 7th/10th pick. Jonas looking spry, might be a good late round pick |
| 4 |  | Aversions Crown
Xenocide
Washington Wizards (PREDICTION: 4th/FLOOR: 6th/CEILING: 3rd)
nice starting lineup but where's the bench at? John Wall is gonna go early in fantasy but Beal or Porter in later rounds might be nice. |
| 5 |  | CHON
Homey
5th: Milwaukee Bucks (PREDICTION: 5th/FLOOR: 7th/CEILING: 3rd)
Young bucks (heh),with a really high ceiling. This spot is interchangeable with the Heat tbh but ima give them #5. No one here I'd really want on my fantasy team other than Giannis who'll get snatched up early. |
| 6 |  | Shade Empire
Poetry of the Ill-Minded
Miami Heat (PREDICTION: 6th/FLOOR: 9th/CEILING: 5th)
that post ASB-break record was unreal. Had Goran last year on fantasy and he was litty for a late round pick. Hoping to get him back on my squad again. |
| 7 |  | Tyler, the Creator
Flower Boy
Philadelphia 76ers (PREDICTION: 7th/FLOOR: 10th/CEILING: 6th)
This is fully dependent on Embiid and Simmons being healthy for most of the season. If they are, then the conference is weak enough for these young guys to shine. Curious what JJs usage rate is gonna be, and i'd be down to draft Simmons too. |
| 8 |  | Mastodon
Emperor of Sand
Charlotte Hornets (PREDICTION: 8th/FLOOR: 10th/CEILING: 7th)
I can dig Kemba's game, but I don't think the Dwight Howard addition elevates them any further than this. |
| 9 |  | Kendrick Lamar
DAMN.
Detroit Pistons (PREDICTION: 9th/FLOOR: 10th/CEILING: 7th)
The EC is pretty bad so I don't think these guys can do any worse than 10th. On the other hand, I'm just not overly high on this squad's play. Maybe Bradley can change that. I see them having a DarkHorse shot at the 7-8 seed. |
| 10 |  | Save Us From The Archon
Melancholia
Indiana Pacers (PREDICTION: 10th/FLOOR: 13th/CEILING: 8th)
There is no amazing #1 option on this team. it's depressing because imo they have one of the best supporting casts in the last few years, except there's no PG13 this time around. Oladipo, Bojan, Joseph, Sabonis, TJ Leaf, and Collison are all solid additions to play with Turner and Lance. This team has a very low floor, but a tiny chance at making the playoffs since this Conf is so weak. I have no idea what their usage will be like across the board but I'm interested in drafting Turner. |
| 11 |  | Oceans Ate Alaska
Hikari
Orlando Magic (PREDICTION: 11th/FLOOR: 13th/CEILING: 9th)
Some solid players on this roster. I miss Papa Biyombo and Ross. imo this team feels like a bunch of decent, but mismatched parts. Payton and Gordon's development will be interesting though, and Fournier can make for a decent late round pick with his scoring. |
| 12 |  | The Hirsch Effekt
Eskapist
New York Knicks (PREDICTION: 12th/FLOOR: 13th/CEILING: 10th)
I'm assuming with the Melo move they are going into full tank mode unless Kristaps absolutely goes off. Some intriguing rookie development gonna go on, but I don't see this squad doing too well. |
| 13 |  | Bonobo
Migration
Brooklyn Nets (PREDICTION: 13th/FLOOR: 14th/CEILING: 10th)
BroLo for D'angelo is a downgrade imo. But they aren't the worst team in the conference. I think they have a high ceiling relative to the other teams in this tier. I hope they sit professional bricklayer Demarre Carroll. D'angelo looks promising to draft late. |
| 14 |  | Without Waves
Lunar
Chicago Bulls (PREDICTION: 14th/FLOOR: 15th/CEILING: 12th)
I have no idea how long Zach LaVine is gonna be out for. Are the next best scoring options Lopez and Mirotic? Decent roleplayers, but not much of a ceiling imo. |
| 15 |  | The Underachievers
Renaissance
Atlanta Hawks (PREDICTION: 15th/FLOOR: 15th/CEILING: 13th)
What happened to this team? Damn. It's a shame because they've had some genuinely nice squads over the last few years. Schroder intrigues me for fantasy for sure. As it is, these guys are in full on tank mode. |
| 16 |  | Jay-Z
4:44
Golden State Warriors (PREDICTION: 1st/FLOOR: 2nd/CEILING: 1st)
Unless Swaggy P single-handedly dismantles the team I don't see them losing a step. 4 solid fantasy options here, Draymond would be a great pickup. |
| 17 |  | Born of Osiris
The Eternal Reign
Oklahoma City Thunder (PREDICTION: 2nd/FLOOR: 4th/CEILING: 2nd)
I'm optimistic about this team, and think the new big 3 can work together so they all get their touches. I don't think they have a shot at first place in the conf, but I predict they'll reach their ceiling and give GSW a run for their money in the playoffs. |
| 18 |  | Kauan
Kaiho
San Antonio Spurs (PREDICTION: 3rd/FLOOR: 5th/CEILING: 1st)
These guys are interchangeable with HOU in terms of conference placement. They always exceed expectations with great team play despite a lack of star power so I'm giving them the edge this year. Kawhi is a solid fantasy option. |
| 19 |  | Ces Cru
Catastrophic Event Specialists
Houston Rockets (PREDICTION: 4th/FLOOR: 5th/CEILING: 2nd)
This is a deep squad with a high ceiling. Hoping to see Capela develop more, and CP3 is one of my favourite point guards. Choosing 3rd/4th seed was incredibly tough. I'm definitely rooting for these guys. |
| 20 |  | Uneven Structure
La Partition
Minnesota Timberwolves (PREDICTION: 5th/FLOOR: 8th/CEILING: 4th)
A capped out ceiling due to this brutal conference, but this is an exciting squad with the additions of Teague, Butler, and Crawford. We're also gonna see development from their promising young players so I'll be extremely surprised if they don't make the playoffs.. |
| 21 |  | Brand New
Science Fiction
Los Angeles Clippers (PREDICTION: 6th/FLOOR: 8th/CEILING: 5th)
They did well with the CP3 trade, and got a swathe of role players. Teodisic is a great playmaker for this squad as well. Barring any major injuries, I can see the Clips at least staying competitive. |
| 22 |  | Archspire
Relentless Mutation
New Orleans Pelicans (PREDICTION: 7th/FLOOR: 7th/CEILING: 5th)
The twin towers lineup can cause a lot of problems for small ball squads. I don't see these guys missing the playoffs, but my prediction aligns with my floor because im not sure how well this rosters gels together. Is this a cohesive unit? |
| 23 |  | Twista
Crook County
Portland Trailblazers (PREDICTION: 8th/FLOOR: 10th/CEILING: 7th)
Dame, CJ, and Nurk all working together should be enough to let them edge into the playoffs, but not much more. Dame and CJ are great fantasy options, and I'm hoping to get my hands on at least one of them. |
| 24 |  | Snooze
Actually, Extremely
Memphis Grizzlies (PREDICTION 9th/FLOOR: 10th/CEILING: 7th)
This set of B-tier West teams all have the same ceiling more or less. I'm ranking these guys over the Jazz on the principle that I prefer the Conley/Gasol (barring injury) duo over Gobert/Rubio. |
| 25 |  | Push Over
Demo
Utah Jazz (PREDICTION: 10th/FLOOR: 10th/CEILING: 7th)
The Clippers/Pels/Trailblazers/Jazz/Grizzlies/Nuggets tier of teams is a crapshoot prediction-wise. The skillgap amongst these 6 teams is fairly narrow, if non-existent. Rubio is a nice addition here. I admittedly don't know enough about this team, but I'm not convinced Gobert can carry them to the playoffs as the first option. |
| 26 |  | Lapalux
Ruinism
Denver Nuggets (PREDICTION: 11th/FLOOR: 12th/CEILING: 8th) |
| 27 |  | Polyphia
The Most Hated
Dallas Mavericks (PREDICTION: 12th/FLOOR: 14th/CEILING: 9th)
Could see these guys attempting a run at the playoffs if a ton of major injuries happen to the teams above. They have solid young guys, and i'd like to draft Barnes. I think they're the best of the worst teams in the West. |
| 28 | | Within the Ruins
Half Human
Los Angeles Lakers (PREDICTION: 13th/FLOOR: 14th/CEILING: 9th)
Pretty close to the Mavs, could be a wildcard depending on how this new experiment works out with Lopez and Ball. Starting a rookie at the point is a big risk, big baller brand or not. They are an Eastern Conference 8-seed as opposed to the Western Conf 8-seed they want to be. |
| 29 |  | At the Drive-In
in•ter a•li•a
Phoenix Suns (PREDICTION: 14th/FLOOR: 15th/CEILING: 12th)
Excited to see Booker develop. Booker and Bledsoe are both intriguing fantasy options and good players. Chandler is a solid veteran as well. But the ceiling for the Suns in this conf is just not that high imo. |
| 30 |  | Turnover
Good Nature
Sacramento Kings (PREDICTION: 15th/FLOOR: 15th/CEILING: 13th)
George Hill is a solid PG, but im guessing he's gonna be mildly injured half the season. I know Carter, Bojan, and Buddy Hield are here, but I don't know anyone else. If that's the big 3 I'm sadly putting my money on these guys being the bottom of the conference. |
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