NBA 2017-2018 Season

[Twist]

Couldn't find a thread for this coming season, so.

I need help. It appears the League Pass option where I could pay relatively little and choose any 8 games a month is gone (boooo). And I don't want to pay £25 a month. So the £15 option is to pick a single team. Thing is I've never really settled on a team to follow/support. So I need to choose a team that's going to be an entertaining watch this year, plenty of exciting/close games. I'd also rather not watch the top few teams spend half the season dominating their opponents.

So who would people advise I consider?

I've thought about the Thunder but not a huge fan of Westbrook, same for the Rockets and Harden. I thought about the Bucks but Giannis doesn't reason enough on his own. Hell, I've considered LAL for the freakin' circus show of it all this year but I just can't.

So who EWB? Who? Please help. Who's going to be a fun team to watch this year?

[Benjamin]

Honestly, the Spurs are not going to do as well as they have the past 15 years this season. This season is going to be a real reckoning for them.

But if not them, the 'Wolves look fun as fuck this year. The Rockets have Harden AND CP3, so that sounds insane. NOL is always fun(ny) to watch. People seem to think the Magic and the Jazz are the ones to always get behind for some ungodly reason.

[JasonM]

I'm going to be following the Mavericks this year, I don't expect them to be contenders in any sort of way. But I feel that compared to last season the roster IS just a bit better than before, especially the talent of Dennis Smith Jr. (picked 9th overall) is exciting, as he has crazy athleticism and looks to be a future Westbrook-esque kind of offensive player.

It's also the first lottery pick for the Mavs since Robert Traylor (traded for Dirk that same draft), and Dirk was also picked 9th overall, so surely that must mean good things!

I think Dirk is still gonna be great, and with Barnes leading the team now he can further hopefully take less on his shoulders with Dennis Smith Jr. being a prospect his draft class proclaimed as 'the most likely to win ROTY'. So who knows what could happen, with a few good runs the Mavs can certainly find themselves near the 8th seed again.

 

[Tyrone]

I see this as a bit of a transition year for the Spurs. I still think they'll win 50+, either 2nd or 3rd seed depending on how Harden and Paul gel. Kawhi will do Kawhi things and be in the MVP running, younger guys will get more playing time and hopefully Rudy Gay will fit right in. I'm just hoping the Aldridge experiment will end and the Spurs can move on.

As for fun/underdog teams to root for, maybe the Nuggets? Millsap is great, Jokic is fun to watch, I can see them fighting for the 8th seed, maybe 7th.

Edited September 21, 2017 by Tyrone

[livid]

Trust me, Giannis IS reason enough himself to follow the Bucks. 

[Your Mom]

So that Durant thing was weird right?

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

@Twist, be a Raptors fan!

[Pooker]

@Twist pick the Jazz. They'll surprise a lot of people this year. Exum, Favors, and Hood will all step up their games with Hayward gone. Rubio is going to be throwing alley oops to Rudy Gobert all season. Mitchell is a rookie of the year contender. If you like defense, the Jazz are the team to watch.

[Benjamin]

4 hours ago, Ms. Canadian Destroyer said:

@Twist, be a Raptors fan!

Yeah, I change my answer, the Raps are the most fun team in the East, and my always go-to team for when the Spurs get knocked out  

[DMN in the House]

You're clearly not ready to be a #BigBaller, @Twist

[Twist]

5 minutes ago, DMN said:

You're clearly not ready to be a #BigBaller, @Twist

You don't need to be a big baller when you've got big balls ... where do I sign up?

[DMN in the House]

4 hours ago, Twist said:

You don't need to be a big baller when you've got big balls ... where do I sign up?

https://bigballerbrand.com/

Alternatively, just accept the Gospel of the Black Mamba, our lord and Savior, Kobe 'Bean' Bryant into your heart.

[Your Mom]

6 minutes ago, DMN said:

https://bigballerbrand.com/

Alternatively, just accept the Gospel of the Black Mamba, our lord and Savior, Kobe 'Bean' Bryant into your heart.

I have to be honest if I didn't worship at the church of MJ that would be a compelling point. Love some Kobe

[JPanare89]

Throwing this prediction out there....

Milwaukee Bucks will be the #1 seed in the East....Boston Celtics will be #8.

 

 

That being said I cannot wait for Cavs-Celtics tip off!

[Pooker]

1 hour ago, JPanare89 said:

Throwing this prediction out there....

Milwaukee Bucks will be the #1 seed in the East....Boston Celtics will be #8.

 

 

That being said I cannot wait for Cavs-Celtics tip off!

No chance. Boston, Cavs, Bucks will be the top three.

[Twist]

10 hours ago, DMN said:

https://bigballerbrand.com/

Alternatively, just accept the Gospel of the Black Mamba, our lord and Savior, Kobe 'Bean' Bryant into your heart.

If Lavar wasn't such a woman hating piece of shit I wouldn't mind the circus of it all. But alas. Also, LA being in the West will make catching games live more difficult for me.

I think I'm sitting on the Raptors or Bucks. How are they both as organisations? Owner wise, reputation, etc. For example, I won't go anywhere near the Magic because of the DeVos family.

Fuck, I'm picky.

[livid]

The Bucks rise has coincided with a new ownership group that kept the team in Milwaukee and got a new arena in the process so those are nice things. They haven't proven to be completely idiotic yet but they did bungle the search for a new GM a bit this summer so there's a little cause for skepticism but overall they've done what they could so far to build around Giannis. The next big step is to get Jabari Parker locked up at hopefully a discounted rate given his injury history but even they have to pay him the max, those 2 should be a solid foundation to build around.

[VerbalPuke]

I think the Pistons could be better. Avery Bradley is a big upgrade over KCP at SG. If Reggie Jackson is healthy that helps a lot. 

But honestly, not expecting big things if Drummond doesn't give consistent effort and if Stanley Johnson doesn't take a big leap.

[Twist]

2 minutes ago, VerBlood Drive said:

I think the Pistons could be better. Avery Bradley is a big upgrade over KCP at SG. If Reggie Jackson is healthy that helps a lot. 

But honestly, not expecting big things if Drummond doesn't give consistent effort and if Stanley Johnson doesn't take a big leap.

I enjoy that last year Bradley said 'fuck this' and decided he was going to rebound some and then doubled his rebound numbers.

[VerbalPuke]

15 minutes ago, Twist said:

I enjoy that last year Bradley said 'fuck this' and decided he was going to rebound some and then doubled his rebound numbers.

He's exactly what the Pistons need, and seems like the type of guy Pistons fans like. Hard worker, great defender, not afraid to do some dirt work. As cliche as it had become in Detroit, we really need more lunch pail guys like we had with our championship teams. 

He could be the start of that, but have to hope he doesn't take off in free agency.