Another day passes, and we’re officially 19 days out from the NBA Season beginning. Fans worldwide are ecstatic to watch their respective teams face off once again for the chance at the NBA title. Until then, we’re going to discuss the number 19 spot on our list, holding a previous record of 39-43 last season, the Sacramento Kings.
19. Sacramento Kings: Will the Kings prove they truly are royalty?
The Kings have historically struggled in regards to post-season success ever since their move from New York as the Rochester Royals. Their best success as of late was back in the late-90’s to early 2000’s, but unfortunately not being able to get to the NBA Finals in any particular instance. Last season the Kings were the epitome of outside looking into the NBA Playoffs, placing as the 9th seed (if there were one) right behind the LA Clippers.
Looking at this year’s Kings’ squad, the organization has filled its roster with a lot of youth, with the team’s oldest player being 34-year old veteran wing Trevor Ariza. Similarly to the previous Pistons, this team has loads of potential and is just another game of “what-if”? The Kings organization has fully put their belief in the core of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Marvin Bagley III. In a matter of two years, De’Aaron Fox has proved he has what it takes to play at an elite level in the NBA, and with the slight revamp of their roster, they’re hoping they have brought upon the correct pieces to make the Playoff push for the end of this season. They also hope to the say the same for Bagley, he had a solid season as a rookie and I’m sure that he and the rest of the organization wishes to expand upon it. Other than the core that they’ve grown to hold so dear, we also as fans hope to see other players on the Kings roster do well. For example, former NBA Champion Harrison Barnes sought out to hold a bigger role for a team, leaving the Warriors in 2015. From then to present day, Barnes hasn’t necessarily become a go-to type of player, but has reverted back to a important role off the bench for the Kings (also the Mavericks before he moved to Sacramento), similarly to as he was on the Warriors.
Although there are many upsides to the Kings roster, it’s only fair to discuss the potential issues that they may have throughout the course of the season. Without the presence of the bigs that the Kings once had in Zach Randolph and Willie Cauley-Stein, it’s up to the younger players such as Dewayne Dedmon and Harry Giles to pick up the pieces and build upon it.
Ultimately, I believe that this Kings core is only going to get better throughout the course of the upcoming season. And the more games they have under their belt together the better this team will become. I have this team potentially making the playoffs, perhaps as the 8th seed, having a 40-win season. But of course this is only speculation, and the Kings will face many challenges this season in a very stacked Western Conference and Pacific Division.
We are now 20 days and counting until the NBA season kicks off, and the NBA Preseason is in full swing with the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers preparing to square off for NBA India Games 2019 tomorrow, October 3rd. Everyday we grow closer to the highly anticipated start of the NBA Season, but now we continue the NBA Countdown with #20, the 41-41 Detroit Pistons.
20. Detroit Pistons (41-41) – When will Motor City find themselves back in the driver’s seat?
If we’re being real, the Detroit Pistons haven’t been a team in the conversation of great NBA teams since they won the NBA Championship back in 2003. 16 Years later, with the recent acquisition of Blake Griffin, fans actually had some form of hope in terms of contention. This however was very short-lived, after a swift exit in the NBA Playoffs.
Looking at the roster this upcoming season, Pistons’ fans have even more to be excited about, with a multitude of additions to the roster with Piston’s Senior Adviser, Ed Stefanski, stating that the team is “deeper and grittier” after off-season moves were made. The Pistons have been trying to establish their identity within the league, which potentially becomes easier with stronger depth with skilled players. Names like Derrick Rose, Tony Snell, and Joe Johnson being added to the team can only mean good things for this team on top of having Blake Griffin, Langston Galloway, Andre Drummond, and Reggie Jackson at the teams’ core.
The Piston’s should be very proud of their off-season moves, but just how far can they go with 8 new additions to the team, all the while trying to establish themselves as a basketball team. It only seems like there should be an upswing from the organization, but there are many questions to be asked, such as can Joe Johnson be same threat as he was in the Big 3 League? Or just how well will all the new additions buy-in to Dwayne Casey? Pistons fans should be excited, but at the same time be cautious considering anything can happen in this league, for good or bad.
Back to the discussion of the depth of this team, is an area that had to be a priority for the Pistons this past season. Their bench seasons prior were mediocre at best, but making changes such as Derrick Rose coming off the bench, taking Ish Smith’s spot, is a legitimate upgrade for this team. Smith and Rose both played about 50 games last season, but Rose statistically outperformed Smith in all facets. Additionally, having Tony Snell, a genuine 3 and D wing player, and Joe Johnson, a walking bucket, is exactly what a team that comprises of post-up bigs need.
Regardless of what happens this season however, I’m personally excited to watch the Pistons this season. There is a ridiculous amount of potential for this team, and if Dwayne Casey can rally these guys together, the Pistons will definitely be a team to be reckoned with. They also have the potential to contend for the second place in their division against the Pacers( because lets face it, the Central Division currently belongs to the Milwaukee Bucks).
Facing all the facts, I got the Pistons making it to the Playoffs again this year, somewhere probably towards the bottom of the playoff picture again. The Eastern Conference took some hits this season (again), and realistically the only things stopping the Pistons is a lack of cohesion, or other teams in the Eastern Conference having breakout years.
PUMA is still on the hunt for new talent and they’ve pounced on their biggest prey yet. PUMA has officially inked Los Angeles Lakers Forward Kyle Kuzma to a multi-year shoe deal reportedly worth $15 million over 5 years. The acquisition of Kyle comes as a bit of a surprise especially after Kyle’s deal with GOAT and his position as a Kobe acolyte, even having a pair of the Undefeated x Kobe IV Protro dedicated to him.
PUMA immediately capitalized on the reveal, erecting a billboard in Los Angeles with “KUZ” stamped over the PUMA branding. Rumors began to spread just recently when Kuzma was spotted at Lakers media day wearing a pair of the PUMA x Rhude Alteration sneakers. Kuzma joins a wealth of young talent including Terry Rozier, RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Marvin Bagley, and 2018 number one overall draft pick Deandre Ayton.
There are officially 21 days until the start of a new NBA year and that is means for celebration. Preseason ball came back last night while you were probably asleep and James Harden recorded his first triple-double of 2019-20 for Houston Rockets as they played the Shanghai Sharks, in a game that didn’t count but still entertained.
The rest of the league is to start their preseasons on Friday and the days following the weekend. We will get the opportunity to witness the newer dynamic tandems share court time for the first time, big names in new threads and contenders practice obtaining their chemistry in short outings for four quarters. We are getting really, really close to NBA basketball, and it feels like I’m repeating myself when I say that the anticipation is killing us all.
But to get back on track, coming in at No. 21 is the 2018-19 first-round exit Orlando Magic.
21. Orlando Magic (41-41) – With 42 Wins Last Year And A Stolen First-Overall Selection, Can The “Magic” For The Magic Continue?
Admit it. If you were asked last fall about Orlando’s ability to contend with the likes of the Heat and Wizards in the Southeast, you’d have never seen a postseason berth in the realm of possibility for these one-time underhanded Magic.
Don’t lie. You know you didn’t predict the Orlando Magic to be a topic of relevance in the yearly NBA Playoff Picture, and it’s okay, I didn’t either.
Steve Clifford should earn a presidential medal of freedom for the way he’s revived one of the more infamous and unlucky NBA franchises in recent memory. The Magic are developing fundamentally, and in the right way going from the top down. We all cannot wait for what is to come in Mo Bamba’s second year while Nikola Vucevic is coming off an All-Star season, the first of his career in fact. They’re maintaining stability by keeping their starting five from last year. They are adding wing depth by getting a proven and credible defender in Al-Farouq Aminu that has extensive postseason experience.
All of the things that the Magic are doing are just right. Problem is, there isn’t a lot to look forward too when it comes to their backcourt. D.J. Augustin is a veteran with some slightly impressive numbers and he only missed one game last season, but he was wildly inconsistent in his 81 starts, as he’s never averaged more than 15 points per game, or over 6 assists a game, over the entire course of his career. There’s no other reasoning that the Magic will need a reboot at the PG position, and it does not look likely that Augustin is the likeliest candidate to stick around for this rebuilding period that’s lasted for over eight seasons.
But, if all turns out well for their offseason pickup at the guard spot, that lengthy search that most teams that are looking for a franchise guard may not have to be undergone.
The disenfranchised Markelle Fultz is looking for a roster to fully call a professional roster home and hasn’t had the luxury of doing so, so at the tender age of 21, the 2019 season may be his last chance to maintain a spot in the NBA. His rookie season, being fair of course, was plagued with concurrent injury and mismanagement, causing him to miss over 68 games with that bizarre shoulder condition that altered his shooting form so many times you’d think he was a toddler learning the B.E.E.F method (Balance, Eye Contact, Elbow Follow Through).
Still, his ceiling for the type of guard he could be is too magnanimous to ignore. He averaged 18 points a game when he was a high schooler at DeMatha High, then went on to compete in the Pac 12 at Washington, putting up some scary good numbers by averaging 23.2 points per contest. He was equally able to get to the bucket by using an effective dribble, albeit with a 6’9 wingspan at a 6’4, 201-lb figure and shoot effectively from everywhere at a 47 percent FG percentage and a 41 percent rating from deep.
Now, his NBA numbers haven’t been great (averaged 7.6 points off a combined 41.2 shooting percentage in two seasons as a Sixer) but picture this: with a chance to develop in a low-pressure, media-dilute environment with a point guard’s coach in Steve Clifford, who is mainly responsible for the professional evolution of guards like Kemba Walker, Markelle Fultz is afforded the gift of getting healthy, boosting his confidence and growing into a franchise point guard for an evolving organization that could very well challenge for a consecutive playoff spot in a conference that doesn’t look that threatening.
Also with their backcourt situation: the Magic drafted Auburn Guard Chuma Okeke with the 16th overall pick. A volume scorer whose season ended abruptly with a torn ACL in a national tournament game, Okeke was the diamond in the ruff for the first-time Final Four visitors. He scored 12 points per contest and was a sniper from deep, nearly leading the team in 3pt percentage. The rookie will have to sit out the year and learn the system, but for a team that lacks guard depth, some may feel that the Magic made an unnecessary move of going back to the well in drafting a guard.
Touched on a little bit earlier, the Magic’s core maintained their stability in re-signing the likes of the cleared-for-takeoff Aaron Gordon and second-year man Jonathan Isaac out of Florida State. Gordon has improved his game every year since his rookie season in 2014 and looks to be living up to his four-year, $84 million contract signed just last year. Gordon’s numbers dipped slightly in 2018-19 from his 17.1 ppg standard, but that isn’t a reason to cast away the power forward whose game has expanded from just inside the restricted arc as a dunker to the three-point arc, shooting at a respectable 35 percent from deep with confidence.
If Gordon can take the leap to become an All-Star like his counterpart in Vucevic, the Magic could have one of the most arduous duos in the entire league to guard down low.
The Magic will also bring back the uber-athletic Terrence Ross, who saw a rise in his numbers in a career year as the leader of the second unit. He averaged 15.1 ppg off 42 percent shooting, while also posting the second-best efficiency rating of his tenure as a 2 guard in the NBA. The Magic are still looking to see if the improved games of a previously-conceived-to-be-average Evan Fournier and Jonathan Isaac make the leap to complement their teammates because if they do, the Magic will have more than enough firepower to compete and possibly win the Southeast Division and earn yet another postseason berth.
The Magic are literally the proverbial “what if” team in the Eastern Conference. They play in a division so impacted by free agency and injury and will have every opportunity to snatch the lead of the Southeast from the clutch of the Miami Heat (who, as you know, snagged Jimmy Butler in the offseason).
Some questions for next season: is Markelle Fultz the guy he was championed to be in the draft and can he earn a starting spot? Can Aaron Gordon take the next step to assert himself as an All-Star? Was Jonathan Issac worth a first-round draft pick? Can Mo Bamba flex his 7-foot frame and produce in some valuable minutes all season while staying healthy? Orlando only needs a couple of these things to happen for them to make the playoffs, luckily.
The only negative is that the Magic still don’t have the franchise guard they can trust to run the offense and produce consistently to make the Magic a practical threat in the East. So, worst-case-scenario, the Magic have a plan B in passing off some draft and free agent capital to make some trades.
The Magic will probably be a game better than what they were a season ago, and with the All-Star status of Nikola Vucevic and potential of Aaron Gordon being a multifaceted defender and scorer, the Magic will be able to further solidify their identity as an eventual contender in a weakened East sooner rather than later.
Pistons players fill the practice facility getting ready for photos and media interviews. Detroit seems revitalized with new energy. The Pistons have added great pieces to their roster this offseason in the rookie Sekou Doumbouya from France, former league MVP Derrick Rose, and the reigning big3 league MVP Joe Johnson. The team seems to be optimistic about what they can accomplish with this new Pistons squad.
Players seem to be excited to be playing along side the former league MVP Derrick Rose. Andre Drummond speaks on his new teammate.
“I think he’s better than what he was at and I’m glad he’s on my team.It shows his fight, his mental toughness.He didn’t allow those injuries to get him down. Most people would be really depressed and upset about their situation of not being able to play so long.“
Ed Stefanskialsohad high praises for the veteran point guard:
“Derrick had a terrific year last year, he brings that grit, that grime, he’s been through the wars, he knows what it’s all about“
This has been a big offseason for the All-Star SF Black Griffin also. He’s been training in New Yorkall summer withthe Chris Brickley whoserecognizedasoneof the top NBAtrainers. He’s been working on hisjump-shota lot andI’minterested to see what he puts togetherthisseasoncoming of an All-Star year. Blake Griffin spoke on the Pistons offseason and their newsquad:
“I thought we did an unbelievable job, especially given our circumstances with how our team is structured with the salary cap and restrictions we have.We added some guys who are very good basketball players. Not only Derrick and Tony, but Markieff, Tim, Joe. All these guys are very good basketball players and have been around and understand what it takes to win. I think our depth as a team has grown this year and also our experience.“
Derrick Rose himself seems to be very optimistic about the teams potential. He explained that he has championship aspirations with the Pistons:
“Now I want to win. The only thing on my résumé I’m missing is a championship and being here, seeing what happened last year with the Raptors in (the) East, you never know what can happen.”
Well Pistons fans have a lot to be excited about this season. The Eastern-conference is probably more open than it’s been in years with LeBron in the west, and KD out recovering from an Achilles injury. Pistons have a great chance to take the East by storm.
The 2019 NBA Media Day has officially come and gone and your top sneakerheads in the league did not disappoint with what was on their feet. Established veterans as well as NBA newcomers showed out in sneakers both new and old. There were many fresh faces to be seen in their new team threads. New teams mean new color options when it comes to players looking to match their kicks to their uniforms. Kobe IV Protro PE’s were seen in abundance on players like Anthony Davis, Isaiah Thomas, Devin Booker, and Trevor Ariza. Newly signed brand endorsers Zion Williamson (Jordan Brand), Kyle Kuzma (Puma), Jason Tatum (Jordan Brand), and RJ Barrett (Puma) were seen sporting the latest sneakers their respective companies had to offer. Signature athletes including Steph Curry (Under Armour), Damian Lillard (Adidas), and James Harden (Adidas) were all photographed wearing their brand new silhouettes for the upcoming season. Some players chose to bring it back to classic Nike basketball, sporting some of the brand’s and players’ most memorable signature sneakers – most notably Lebron James and Paul George. Trimming all of the sneakers worn on media day down to just 10 was no easy task. We looked for criteria like wearing something no one has ever seen before, wearing a shoe that is a classic plus has ties to the current team you’re on, originality, creativity, exclusivity, and something no one else would be seen wearing on media day as well. Look below to see the Top 10 Kicks Worn for Media Day and let us know what you think and who got snubbed.
