Ed Andaya posted: " By Ed Andaya THE 2021-22 NBA season scheduled Oct. 19 is still two months away but the excitement is now almost fever-high following several interesting moves by top-tier teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences during summer. With th"
THE 2021-22 NBA season scheduled Oct. 19 is still two months away but the excitement is now almost fever-high following several interesting moves by top-tier teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences during summer. With the NBA planning to return to a full 82-game regular season schedule, expect teams to go all-out for the championship in the league's 76th season. The biggest buzz in the entire basketball universe, however, comes from the Los Angeles Lakers and their impressive haul in the offseason that includes Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony. If the NBA season started today, here are the teams to watch:
Eastern Conference Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will surely be looking to repeat as NBA champions despite frantic efforts of the rest of the league to bolster their lineups in time for the new season. Antetokounmpo, the "Greek Freak", is doing it all for Milwaukee. In the Bucks' championship season, he elevated his game to all-time great level as he averaged 28.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 61 ganes. Except for losing veteran P.J. Tucker in free agency, the Bucks have also kept the championshio core that include Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez. The Bucks should be ready to rock and roll again by October.
Brooklyn Nets If they're healthy, the Nets' "Fearsome Foursome" of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Blake Griffin should be ready to compete for the championship again. Despite the wave of injuries that kept their stars out for extended period of time, the Nets battled hard and came close to beating Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in the battle for the East last season. Durant, who signed a multi-year contract extension recently, should be ready to take the Nets to new heights a few months after leading the United States to the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics and becoming the all-time leading scorer on the American team. Veterans Patty Mills and James Johnson should also be nice additions for the Nets, who lost Jeff Green (signed with Denver Nuggets) Landry Shamet (traded to Phoenix Suns) and Spencer Dinwiddie (traded to Washington Wizards). Most NBA experts now claim the 2021-22 NBA title is Brooklyn's to lose.
Chicago Bulls The entry of DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball could provide the missing links that Chicago needed to become a legitimate threat in the East again. DeRozan, a four-time All-Star with eight straight seasons averaging more than 20 points for the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs, and Ball, the No. 2 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 draft, will join the formidable duo of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Coach Billy Donovan is banking on DeRozan's shooting prowess, Ball's much-improved playmaking skills with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Tokyo Olympics experiences of both LaVine and Vucevic to give the Bulls a fighting chance. Rhe addition of former Lakers favorite Alex Caruso is another big plus for Chicago. After finishing 11th last season and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year, the Bulls are hungry -- and dangerous.
Philadelphia 76ers Despite the uncertainty facing disgruntled star Ben Simmons, the 76ers remain solid playoff team with Joel Embiid still leading the charge. After a shock upset loss at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the playoffs, Embiid and the 76ers should be ready to move forward and complete their unfinished business. Surrounding the 7-0 Embiid with dependable veteran players, such as Tobias Harris, Danny Green, Seth Curry and even Andre Drummond should help boost the 76ers' chances. The possibility of acquiring the high-scoring CJ McCollum of Portland in exchange for Simmons could also help shake things up for the 76ers.
Miami Heat The biggest question now among avid Miami fans ia whether or not Kyle Lowry can lift the Heat back into title contention. The 35-year-old Lowry will join Jmmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in Miami's frontcourt after taking the place of Goran Dragic. One NBA analyst suggested that Lowry is a "a more accurate and prolific 3-point shooter and a much stronger defender" than Dragic. The Heat now hope Lowry can dominate games with his scoring the same way Dragic did in Miami's first-round sweep over the Indiana Pacers in 2020.
The rest of the usual title contenders -- Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers -- hardly made any noise during the offseason. The Hawks lost Tony Shell (to Portland) and Kris Dunn and Bruno Fernando (to Boston) but gained Delon Wright (from Sacamento). The Celtics ,on the other hand, lost Kemba Walker, TristanThompson and three others, but added Dennis Schroder and Enes Kanter.
NOTES -- Happy birthday to my pamangkin Jude Dominic Ypil, who celebrated on August 16.
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