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Bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

LeBron James

After an entertaining offseason shook up the league, familiar faces will be featured in new places. Those changes helped shape the predictions for the 2017-18 NBA season.

Although the league has a clear favorite in each conference once again, plenty of playoff contenders are rising and falling behind them. That shuffle in that standings will lead to roster movement and changes on the sideline, too.

DeMarcus Cousins gets traded near deadline

While the league zigged to small-ball lineups, New Orleans zagged to a “fire and ice” frontcourt with DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. But what if it doesn’t work? Cousins would be a one-year experiment. The Pelicans surely don’t want to lose Cousins — an impending unrestricted free agent — for nothing, and extending him this summer will eliminate any flexibility for the franchise. Instead, they can send the center to a contender, acquire youth and draft capital in return and move on with Davis as the cornerstone of the frontcourt.

Three coaches are fired during season

Last year, zero coaches received a pink slip in the regular season. Great year to be a head-man in the NBA! But the “days since head coach fired” board will return to zero soon enough. If Cousins gets traded, that means Alvin Gentry will be in a tenuous spot. Jeff Hornacek will always be criticized in the New York market, and a poor upcoming season will crank up the heat. Between those two and Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer, Chicago’s Fred Hoiberg and Orlando’s Frank Vogel, three will be removed mid-season.

Phoenix ships off Eric Bledsoe

The Suns have actively worked to get younger. Eric Bledsoe still fits that description, but Phoenix has a couple of good reasons to trade him, too. First, he’s on an affordable deal that doesn’t expire this season. At $14.5 million this year and $15 million next, per Basketball Insiders, Bledsoe is a relatively cheap All-Star-caliber player. Contenders may be more inclined to overpay for him because he’s not merely a half-season rental. Plus, the Suns have tabbed Tyler Ulis as the point guard of the future. Trading Bledsoe would put Ulis into the lineup and likely net Phoenix at least a pick and a young player.

Timberwolves curb the desire to win now

We can hear it already. As the trade deadline approaches, Minnesota will be “one piece away from being a real threat in the playoffs.” Don’t listen to the noise, T-Wolves. Following the extension for Andrew Wiggins, the key parts of the roster are locked in for two seasons. Minnesota isn’t looking forward to a flexible cap sheet in the summer of 2018. Per Basketball Insiders, Jamal Crawford and Shabazz Muhammad are the only ones with player options. The Wolves could attach Cole Aldrich’s non-guaranteed 2018-19 contract with a first-round pick to make a deal work, but they shouldn’t — and won’t.

Atlanta finds a deal for Dennis Schroder

In a matter of three years, Atlanta has fallen from Eastern Conference darling to expected cellar-dweller. Dennis Schroder is now the leader of the Hawks, but that position might not last long. Since the franchise has a new general manager, Schroder’s off-court issues may sour the front office on his future in Atlanta. And as the season progresses, several teams will encounter problems at point guard. Injuries will disrupt a couple of backcourts, too. Schroder will be dangled on the trade market, and the Hawks will find a suitor at the deadline.

Philadelphia makes the playoffs

Joel Embiid Sixers

Patience has been rewarded, and it’s time for step two of The Process. While the 76ers’ season is mostly dependent on health of the young stars, the depth of talent has improved. Philadelphia brought in J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson to provide space and physicality, respectively, and returning youth has a year of experience. The problems at the bottom of the Eastern Conference give Philly a margin for error, which is especially useful since Markelle Fultz is ailing. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons will propel the deeper Sixers to the franchise’s first postseason berth since 2012.

Golden State reaches 72 wins again

The established juggernaut in the Bay Area has been dominant for three seasons, so initial reactions to this may include annoyed confusion. Would this really be bold? There should be no doubt. As historically great as the Warriors have been since Steve Kerr took the reins three years ago, the 72-win plateau is still a massive mark to reach. Golden State accomplished it in 2015-16, becoming just the second team to ever hit 72 (or 70, for that matter) in a season. We really must be careful not to take the Warriors’ excellence for granted.

Andre Iguodala wins Sixth Man of the Year

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Andre Iguodala has finished fourth, second and second in Sixth Man of the Year voting since moving to a bench role with the Warriors in 2014-15. Last year, Eric Gordon clipped Iguodala by 32 points. His value as a well-rounded reserve will finally be recognized properly this season — though, yes, a Finals MVP honor may ease some personal disappointment. Iguodala doesn’t put up flashy numbers, but Golden State knows he’ll provide tough defense and a diverse stat line every night. Random 20-point outbursts shouldn’t matter more than his consistency.

Chicago is the worst team in the league

The front office managed to tear down the roster without acquiring much for the immediate future. Brace for another challenging year, Bulls fans. Chicago lost four starters from the 2016-17 squad that limped into the playoffs. Plus, Zach LaVine — the primary return of the Jimmy Butler trade — will likely be sidelined until the 2018 calendar year as he recovers from a torn left ACL. The revamped starting unit will probably struggle to present a consistent scoring attack, and the rotation is full of young players. On the bright side, it’s a decent year to be awful for NBA draft purposes.

Ben Simmons wins Rookie of the Year

Ben Simmons

While the 2017 draft class should include a handful of future stars, only a select few have a real opportunity to thrive in a statistically impressive way this season. Faux rookie Ben Simmons enjoys a similar outlook and should put up better numbers in his first healthy campaign. The 6’10” point forward will guide an enjoyable Philadelphia roster, showcasing his ball-handling, passing and vision to finish top-10 in assists. Throw in meaningful contributions as a scorer and more than a handful of rebounds per game on a playoff team, and 2016’s top pick will win Rookie of the Year.

Clippers cruise into the postseason

After losing Chris Paul, the Clippers have fallen from the NBA championship conversation. Some fans and analysts are even looking at Los Angeles missing the playoffs entirely, and the reasoning typically has merit. If Blake Griffin and offseason addition Danilo Gallinari cannot stay healthy, the playoffs absolutely will explode into a lottery-pick-sized dream. But we’re not committing to that thought. The Clips have plenty of talent surrounding Griffin, Gallinari and DeAndre Jordan and will avoid a massive dropoff in the first year post-CP3.

LeBron James wins MVP

Voter fatigue is real, but this is a perfect year for LeBron James to snatch the fifth MVP honor of his career. The leading vote-getters of 2016-17 probably won’t receive as many first-place nods. The arrival of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony means Russell Westbrook won’t carry such a massive offensive burden. The biggest threats are Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Isaiah Thomas’ early-season absence will increase the pressure on LeBron to excel immediately. However, he’s never not answered that challenge.

Spurs notch three eight-game winning streaks

Kawhi Leonard

Golden State will almost certainly put together the longest run of consecutive victories. San Antonio, however, will quietly stay near the Warriors and Rockets thanks to three bursts of eight-plus wins in a row. Over the last five seasons, according to Basketball-Reference, just one team has accomplished the triad — and it’s probably not the club you expect. Led by Durant and Westbrook, the 2013-14 Thunder rattled off streaks of 10, nine and eight triumphs. Once Leonard returns from a quad injury, the Spurs will take advantage of the sporadic lulls in their schedule before March.

Chris Paul and James Harden finish top-three in assists

As if it wasn’t already last season, the ball will be flying around Houston’s offense in 2017. James Harden excelled in Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced system last year, and the addition of Paul gives the Rockets a pair of point guards who won’t be fighting over the ball throughout the game. Whether they’re passing to each other, the slew of three-point shooters or an above-the-rim target in Clint Capela, both Harden and Paul will rack up assists. The only player who will stop the Houston duo from finishing one-two is Washington’s John Wall.

Russell Westbrook isn’t All-NBA first-team

One year after winning the MVP and being a near-unanimous choice on the All-NBA first team, Westbrook will cede his latter position to Stephen Curry. By no means is that to suggest Westbrook will have a rough season, however. Rather, it will be a product of the Thunder superstar adjusting to play with new superstar teammates, while Curry has an established leading role alongside Durant. Additionally, Harden and Paul complement each other far better than the isolation-heavy trio of Westbrook, George and Anthony.

Celtics still manage No. 2 seed

Courtesy of USA Today Images

During the offseason, Boston reshaped the roster with Gordon Hayward and later Kyrie Irving, joining them with a low-key star in Al Horford. But disaster struck the Celtics in the season opener. Hayward fractured his ankle during the first quarter, possibly ending his year basically before it began. We already expected the Celtics to need half of the campaign to settle on rotations and become comfortable with each other, because there are a ton of new pieces in the rotation. But even without Hayward, they’ll rally and put together a late-season surge to leap the Washington Wizards in the standings.

Raptors finish sixth in the East

Most everyone can agree Cleveland and Boston are certain to finish near the top of the East. Washington won’t be far behind. But Toronto is headed the wrong direction, while the Bucks and Heat are trending upward. Charlotte is also a threat to the Raptors, who resigned Kyle Lowry yet lost several depth pieces. C.J. Miles was a quality addition, but Toronto will be relying on inexperienced players to round out the bench unit. Although the Raptors aren’t in danger of missing the playoffs, they’ll open the postseason on the road for the first time in five years.

Bucks win a first-round series

Perhaps “don’t lose right away” doesn’t seem like much, but Milwaukee has a history of exiting the playoffs quickly. The Bucks haven’t advanced to the second round in seven straight postseason appearances and 11 of the last 12. The lone exception is a run to the Eastern Conference Finals what will be 17 years ago. It’s time for the trend to have another outlier. Led by Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, Milwaukee should cruise to the playoffs. And when Jabari Parker returns for the stretch run of the campaign, the Bucks will (hopefully, finally) have a full-strength roster for the “second season.”

Cavs need seven games to escape the East

Courtesy of USA Today Images

Remember how we said Boston will need to figure out the roster? Well, the Celtics will have found that rhythm heading into the playoffs as they leap the Wizards. Cleveland will ultimately appear in its fourth straight NBA Finals, but Boston will push the conference finals to seven games. And really, for the sake of history, we should be rooting for this matchup. How often do the premier teams in a conference swap All-Star point guards? This was an unprecedented deal, and we’ll see the first meaningful series between the teams take as long as possible.

Every Warriors win in Finals by double digits

We acknowledge that picking Golden State to win the championship isn’t a shocker. And unless you think Golden State notches the perfect 16-0 postseason — which we’re not doing because Kerr’s squad will probably need to outlast two of Houston, San Antonio and OKC — little is unexpected. The Warriors, however, merely won two Finals games by 10-plus points last year. Looking ahead to the 2018 championship round, Golden State will register four double-digit victories in a convincing five-game triumph over the Cavs.

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