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By Alex Kuhn
Sports Editor 

Hear Me Out...The most courageous 2018-19 NBA predictions

 

October 13, 2018

I've never done predictions for the NBA, I'm not sure why either, but now is the time to correct this wrong.

Just like with my spot on, perfect, no need to go check, NFL predictions. These NBA predictions will be just as fearless and courageous, and possibly the most daring in all of sports media. I've looked at each team's roster, coach, front office, offseason moves and have come to an accurate gut feeling for each of the NBA's 30 teams.

Rather than predict each team's exact record, I'm going to give the team's over/under win total for the season, then tell you whether to take the over or under. But I will give you the order of finish for each division, with playoff teams to follow.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

BOSTON CELTICS

Over/Under: 58.5 – Over. This might be the easiest over of the 30 teams.

I'm just going to get it out of the way with, LeBron James is no longer in the East and there's going to be a new top dog in the conference. Shocking right?

Look, even if LeBron didn't leave Cleveland, Boston would still be the East's top team. The Celtics pushed LeBron and the Cavs to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals without their two best players, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

The Celtics were taking the East with or without LeBron in Cleveland. All their young pieces like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum gained valuable playoff experience and played extraordinarily well.

Now they add a healthy Irving and Hayward? They're running away with this conference.

TORONTO RAPTORS

Over/Under: 55.5 – Under. By just a smidge, I think they actually win 55 games.

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri is an unbelievably good GM. He and Rockets GM Darley Morey are the best with their backs against the wall. They pull the trigger on big moves to shake up their franchises and ultimately it works in their favor.

Ujiri shipped out DeMar DeRozan and brought in Kawhi Leonard; when healthy, Leonard is a top-five player. It is a risk though, Leonard can leave at the end of the season but it's a gamble worth taking. You need an elite player to make it anywhere in this league.

Leonard's transformation into a diva last season was a bit of a surprise and I'm sure Ujiri has made it a franchise policy that everyone in the building is super-duper nice to him.

I bet Leonard, in the few months he's been with Toronto, has never had so many doors opened for him or people giving up their seat on the team plane. I'm sure someone has even thrown their jacket over a puddle for him.

That friendliness and courtesy are probably why we're seeing more personality from Leonard. How else do you explain that video of him laughing during media day? It's both hilarious and unnerving because it might be the first time he's experienced the complex human action of laughter.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Over/Under: 54 – Under. You'll have to sweat this one out and root for some losses.

This team is good but they're going to take a step back this season. Everyone points to their 16-game winning streak to end the season as an obvious sign of regression. What's hanging me up the most, is their lack of athletic perimeter players and outside shooting. If they can fix those roster holes with a midseason trade or Markell Fultz plays to his potential, I'm back in on this team as one of the East's elites.

BROOKLYN NETS

Over/Under: 32 – Under. The only way this group gets the over is if there are a string of catastrophic injuries.

The Nets are going to be a lively team. They'll play everyone tough and you might even see them up on the Warriors or Celtics by 15 heading into the fourth quarter, but they'll blow it. At least they won't be the worst team in New York.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Over/Under: 29.5 – Under. This number is way too high.

Once you get past Kristaps Porzingis, who is coming off an ACL tear and out until after the All-Star Break, the rest of this roster makes you sad. Until Porzingis returns, do not punish yourself by watching Knick basketball.

Southeast Division

MIAMI HEAT

Over/Under: 41.5 – Over. This is free money.

If the Heat can pull off the Jimmy Butler trade they'll easily take the worst division in the league. If Butler isn't in South Beach this season, they'll still take the division, because they're playing in the worst division in the league.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Over/Under: 44.5 – Under. Somehow they're going to be a playoff team.

Last year the Wizards went through a lot of locker room drama. To help stabilize the locker room this season they added Dwight Howard and Austin Rivers. It only makes sense to add locker room cancers to an already unhappy group. Still for all the drama headed their way the East is bad and they'll make the playoffs.

The Wizards motto in the offseason should be, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. stay, everyone else must go.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS

Over/Under: 35.5 – Under. They're not awful but they're still a bad team.

The Hornets stink and it's a shame Kemba Walker is stuck in this basketball hellscape. Free Kemba!

ORLANDO MAGIC

Over/Under: 31 – Over. They're bad but they can eek out 32 wins.

I really like the Magic jerseys and their court design, their roster is a different story. This would be a great team for the '90s NBA but in the space-and-pace era, it's quite depressing.

ATLANTA HAWKS

Over/Under: 23.5 – Under. The line could be set at 18 wins and that is still too high.

Eeeeeeeww.

Central Division

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Over/Under: 48 – Over. Good coaching makes all the difference, can't believe this number is so low.

Aside from being the most fun name to say in all of basketball, Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to be even better this season. He finally has a good coach in Mike Budenholzer and the Bucks are a top three team in the East.

INDIANA PACERS

Over/Under: 47.5 – Over. They're still, somehow under the radar.

If Myles Turner makes the leap to All-NBA caliber player, it gives Indy an awesome 1-2 punch with him and Victor Oladipo. This team can be sneaky good and a scary playoff matchup.

DETROIT PISTONS

Over/Under: 38 – Over. And I don't feel good about it.

The Pistons will make the playoffs but only by default because the other bottom eight teams in the East are that bad. They're the least entertaining playoff team.

CHICAGO BULLS

Over/Under: 29.5 – Over. Could be bad, could be surprisingly good. Either way, they're entertaining.

This has happened before and it will happen again.

The Bulls front office is great at finding franchise-caliber players. What they're also great at is surrounding those franchise players with bad to very limited players. Eventually, they miss their window at a title or making the Finals. So they trade away everyone and repeat the process.

That's how the GM Gar Forman and VP of basketball operations John Paxson run things. As a fan, it's absolutely frustrating but I'm in for another round because this team in intriguing. They're young, they overpaid Zach Levine, but Wendell Carter Jr. is going to be a monster. Once Lauri Markkanen is healthy he and Carter are going to be a fun frontcourt.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Over/Under: 30.5 – Under. The Cavs aren't far off from returning to their Ricky Davis-days.

It's hard to feel sorry for Cavs fans this time around. They got their NBA championship and when you live in a sports city as cursed/miserable as Cleveland, you count your blessings. Things are going to get dark for the Cavs this season.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

NORTHWEST DIVISION

UTAH JAZZ

Over/Under: 49.5 – Over. The Jazz are the second best team in the West.

While the Bulls were in a basketball purgatory the past three, four seasons, I adopted the Jazz as not a favorite team, but my designated team to follow/use in NBA 2K. I thought I made a mistake when Gordon Hayward left but Donovan Mitchell turned out to be a revelation. He's a legitimate superstar in the making and playing on the perfect team. The Jazz desperately needed a dynamic playmaker and Mitchell is that guy.

The Jazz play the best defense in the league and with Mitchell taking the leap into top 15, maybe top 10 player, in the league, they'll be the second-best team in the West.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Over/Under: 48.5 – Under. I want to like this team but something is holding me back.

I loved everything the Thunder did in the offseason. They got a steal in Hamidou Diallo, who they drafted in the second round. The additions of Nerlens Noel and Dennis Schroder add a few more wrinkles, and if they play above their expectations could be the underrated signings/trade of the offseason. And, of course, bringing Paul George back was a huge key to their future success.

However, I can't fully buy into this team as a serious title contender, just yet. That's due to Russell Westbrook. He's is an absolute joy to watch but he reminds me of Payton Manning, in that they're great regular season players but come playoff time they fall short. And they fall short because they want to control every little aspect of the game, rather than trusting their teammates to do their jobs. It works in the regular season because you get to play the bums of the league but in the playoffs when you're matched against equally talented teams, it keeps the team from reaching their true potential.

I hope the rumors are true that Westbrook is going to trust in his teammates more, but I'll believe it when I see it.

DENVER NUGGETS

Over/Under: 47.5 – Under. But they're still playoff bound.

The good news is the Nuggets should make the playoffs, the bad news is they'll play either the Warriors or Jazz. But hey, at least the franchise is back on track.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

Over/Under: 42 – Under. Last season's overachievers, this season's lottery-bound team.

What do the Trail Blazers do? They're stuck in a bad spot. They have a talented backcourt but don't have the overall pieces to challenge for a deep playoff run. A big trade might be in their future to shake things up.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Over/Under: N/A – Until the Jimmy Butler drama is resolved they won't have a number.

I've had such high hopes for this team. I thought after spending a season learning from the Warriors, coach Tom Thibodeau learned his lesson about running players into the ground. I was mistaken and Thibs reverted back to his old Chicago days. Maybe he's better as an assistant coach or needs a better assistant to tell him to stop playing his starters 44 minutes a game.

While it's been very entertaining to follow the Jimmy Butler drama, he's got to go. The Wolves need to move on and use this season as a mini-reboot.

SOUTHWEST DIVISION

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Over/Under: 55.5 – Under. They'll underperform in the regular season but bounce back for the postseason.

27-straight missed 3-pointers. 7-44 from 3-point range. Four months later those two stats are still unbelievable. The Rockets, at home, in Game 7 against the defending champs missed 27-straight 3-pointers, went 7-44 from beyond the arc and lost to the Warriors by 9 points. Along with the Cubs winning the World Series and the Jags winning Super Bowl LIII, the Rockets flameout in Game 7 of the WCF is another sports story I'll tell my future kids over and over again.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Over/Under: 44.5 – Over. Never, ever doubt Popovich.

The roster may look like a really good throwback team but I'm not going to start doubting Gregg Popovich.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

Over/Under: 45.5 – Over. Of any playoff team, I think they're the biggest either/or. They'll be awesome or a fringe playoff team, with little in between.

This is a big season for the Pelicans. If they can't move up in the West hierarchy, Anthony Davis is gone. Losing Rondo might actually hurt them but the addition of Julius Randle is very interesting. I like Randle a lot and it will be nice to see him play in meaningful basketball games again.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

Over/Under: 34.5 – Under. Another bad but fun team to watch.

They're a year, maybe two, away from competing in the West. Until then, Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic will be fun to watch as they grow into their respective games. Plus, Dirk is still playing and you can't go wrong there.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Over/Under: 33.5 – Under. Free Mike Conley and Marc Gasol!

Blow it up already Memphis, there's no need to hold Conley and Gasol hostage anymore. You're not going anywhere. You'd even struggle in the East. Do the right thing, trade both guys let them play on playoff teams again and you can stockpile draft picks.

PACIFIC DIVISION

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Over/Under: 63.5 – Under. They can win 64 games but do they even care that much about the regular season?

I know everyone is freaking out about the addition of DeMarcus Cousins, but the Warrior everyone needs to be worried about is Jordan Bell. If he takes the leap, it might be a wrap for everyone this season. He showed flashes of what he can do during their championship run last year. If he gets it figured out, it was a fun season everyone, and blame the Bulls front office for trading him to Golden State for cash. That's all the Bulls wanted was cash, because they have no need for a rim-protector, versatile defender, pick-and-roll player and strong rebounder.

Moving on, feeling that rage building up.

LA LAKERS

Over/Under: 48.5 – Over. More easy money.

The last time a LeBron-led team won fewer than 50 games, in a non-shortened season, was the 07-08 Cavs team that won 45. The Lakers young players haven't won anything but I think they'll get it figured out and they scratch and claw their way to 50 wins.

LA CLIPPERS

Over/Under: 36.5 – Under. I don't get the love around this team.

This team is going to be bad, they'll be frisky and push good teams, might even grab a win if they're being overlooked. But they're still a bad team. Look at their roster and tell me who is getting the crunch-time buckets for the Clippers? I'm asking in all seriousness. I don't know how they'll score late in games when defenses get even tighter.

PHOENIX SUNS

Over/Under: 29.5 – Under. They'll take their L's this season.

Another entertaining young team to watch, the Suns will take their lumps this season but I bet by the end of the year they'll put together a winning streak. And everyone will designate them the "IT" for next season.

SACRAMENTO KINGS

Over/Under: 26 – Under. Poor, poor Kings fans.

How many jersey retirement ceremonies do the Kings have planned this season? I'm guessing they have more than any team this season, anything to keep the fans distracted from all the L's.

PLAYOFF TEAMS

EAST WEST

1, Boston 1, Golden State

2, Milwaukee 2, Utah

3, Toronto 3, Houston

4, Indy 4, New Orleans

5, Philly 5, OKC

6, Miami 6, LA Lakers

7, Detroit 7, Denver

8, Washington 8, San Antonio

NBA FINALS

Boston over Golden State in 6

 
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