Post by GP on Mar 20, 2009 18:22:45 GMT -5
BBS Senior Writer
Galo Pesantes[/i]
1- Los Angeles Lakers (Last year’s record: 50-32 | 2020 projected W/L: 56-26)
Nanz captured his second title rather easily against his friend and Yee partner Mark of the NJ Nets last year. Sources indicate the Lakers are not letting up on making repeating a priority this season. Even after a slow start to last season, the Lakers recovered and captured the Pacific division over the Phoenix Suns. This year, expect much of the same with training camps of Max Bates and Phil Sanford leading the way.
2- Phildelphia 76ers (Last year’s record: 54-28 | 2020 projected W/L: 53-29)
Year after year, Maniac has faced disappointment in the playoffs. His teams always seem to not make it out of the first or second rounds of the playoffs even though his roster seems an ideal pick for a championship contender time and time again. This season, the Sixers return their entire squad and bring in the addition of Chandler Maloney who should provide valuable minutes in the backcourt. With DeJuan Blair reupping for a very large contract, time might be fading on the Sixers to finally take that second championship to Philly.
3- Minnesota Timberwolves (Last year’s record: 60-22 | 2020 projected W/L: 54-28)
After stealing Duck-Young Bak in a franchise-revitalizing move, the T-Wolves have been on a roll. A franchise that seemed destined for failure ever since one Youngstabullz took over, Ashes infused life into this dead franchise following the incumbent GM, A2J. Now, the T-Wolves seem to be a lock for another title run even though they had a brutal training camp up in Minneapolis. Still, look to the T-Wolves to have a top 3-5 finish in the West this year.
4- Orlando Magic (Last year’s record: 54-28 | 2020 projected W/L: 53-29)
Following a Finals trip against the Mavs two seasons ago, all the stars seemed to be aligned for the Magic’s playoff run this past postseason. Except the Nets got in their way and somehow made their own magical run to the Finals. Now, the Magic return most of their starting lineup from last season minus most of their depth accumulated. This team seems built for another strong run this year and hopefully not another first round exit.
5- Detroit Pistons (Last year’s record: 54-28 | 2020 projected W/L: 52-30)
GM Justin is beginning to feel a sense of failure every time his club falls just a tad short in the playoffs. Even after rescuing the Detroit franchise from dire straits and reviving into respectability, he’s not satisfied and has made everyone aware of it. His players are often on the block but really never on the move. The result should still be another successful season for the Pistons under Jay’s leadership unless there’s some unforeseen circumstance between now and the start of the season.
6- Seattle Sonics (Last year’s record: 43-39 | 2020 projected W/L: 48-34)
The Sonics have the makings of an offensive dynamo this season. Azoulas Kanauskas and Xavier Henry extended their range and are considered deadly anywhere 15 feet and out. They also brought back Manchu Chau, a critical component of their championship run a few years ago. They’ve also benefited from bringing in Dennis Meyer via the draft and Sven Andersson through free agency. However, they may be kicking themselves after seeing the TCs Ricardinho and Ousmane Sembene had.
7- New Jersey Nets (Last year’s record: 40-42 | 2020 projected W/L: 49-33)
The Nets captivating run last year was interrupted by a sweep from the Lakers. Although, this team showed a lot of heart as the No. 8 seed making it all the way past other formidable opponents en route to the Finals. GM Mark was quoted to be very disappointed in the off-season of the team as the team is so young but yet improved very little in training camp. Still, the team should benefit from UConn acquisitions like Rudy Gay and Jerome Dyson.
8- Dallas Mavericks (Last year’s record: 45-37 | 2020 projected W/L: 47-35)
Dallas was marred by tons of criticism last year. League analysts and GMs across BBS called the Mavs’ championship two seasons ago, “a fluke” and “nothing more than the work of the commissioner.” Now in 2020, GM Christian Martinez is looking to prove all the skeptics wrong. For the next three seasons, he will venture in a head to head matchup against Outlawz’s New York Knicks with the winner getting draft picks. It should be an interesting ride for Dallas from here on out.
9- New York Knicks (Last year’s record: 27-55 | 2020 projected W/L: 49-33)
Like many expected, Outlawz reloaded and retooled his roster quickly after getting rid of the likes of Derrick Rose, Derrick Favors and Andrew Bynum. Still, his team has a new identity and a new big man in the middle. Will this young roster full of first and second year players have enough to compete against the best of the East and win the best against Martinez’s Mavs. We shall see.
10- Memphis Grizzlies (Last year’s record: 53-29 | 2020 projected W/L: 46-36)
Many have already seen Skillz transforming back to the Skillz of old. Some of the deals made recently (Karron Johnson for a gloried Johnson in Jatoba) and letting Dexter Strickland go quietly have people wondering what holds in the future of this franchise. For now, Derrick Rose is still part of the franchise and is the hometown hero. However, if this team gets off to rough start or *gulp* has more injury issues, it could be bye-bye Rose.
11- Indiana Pacers (Last year’s record: 51-31 | 2020 projected W/L: 48-34)
GM Nova missed most of the off-season while on vacation in Disneyworld but his team still seems to be in good shape. Lance Stephenson, their big acquisition last season, got even better this season and will be leaning on new guards Tony Wroten and Avery Bradley to carry them to the success of last year. However, they probably won’t have the benefit of the defense they had last year, led by Serge Ibaka and Delvin Roe.
12- Cleveland Cavaliers (Last year’s record: 45-37 | 2020 projected W/L: 46-36)
Since getting through his Contract Year a few seasons ago, Derwin has not been very proactive on the trade market. For the most part, he’s held tight to his collection of talent which include uber-stud Jeremiah Gress, DeMarcus Cousins, Tyler Hansborough and Chris Paul. This team also gave quite a scare to the Sixers in the first round last year’s playoffs so expect them to continue to compete in the East this year for respect.
13- Toronto Raptors (Last year’s record: 37-45 | 2020 projected W/L: 44-38)
It’s a make or break year for DJ’s Raptors. It would be pretty ironic if the man who runs the Contract Year axes its own moderator. Still, this team has enough talent to win but will they find the right depth chart to get everyone touches? Derrick Favors and Kenny Boynton both need the ball in their hands to be effective and they have several point guards that can be rotated regularly. It will be interesting to see how it will play out across the border this year.
14- Miami Heat (Last year’s record: 45-37 | 2020 projected W/L: 43-39)
Is EB done? That’s what a lot of league GMs are wondering right now. The team remains in a hole financially and must get under the salary cap to avoid repercussions. The ideal candidates to get moved are Tahir Carrington and Noah Rose, but is their a real market for these players at this point. Don’t be surprised to see a possible move of Greg Oden or even Ricky Rubio as we creep closer to the 48-hour time limit.
15- Houston Rockets (Last year’s record: 38-44 | 2020 projected W/L: 45-37)
GM Greg has assembled a roster full of proven veterans (Rodrigue Beaubois, Al Jefferson, Thaddeus Young), youth (Anthony Swann, Storm Warren, Dawson Brady_ and a big time All-Star center (Andrew Bynum). Houston usually gets off to a very hot start or somewhere in the middle. It will be interesting to see how this team full of savvy, older players competes in the Western Conference this year.
16- Phoenix Suns (Last year’s record: 50-32 | 2020 projected W/L: 45-37)
Somehow the Suns managed to blow a nice lead over their division rivals, the Lakers and drew a tough loss against the T-Wolves in the second round of the playoffs. Like the Heat, the Suns are managing to field a last roster spot with little depth and talent at the power forward spot. For now, they hope to try out Chris Singleton at power forward and hope for the best from here on out.
17- Denver Nuggets (Last year’s record: 37-45 | 2020 projected W/L: 44-38)
There have been rumors circulating that Ducky passed on one of the better players in the game (Kevin Durant) for former Villanova guard Corey Fisher. While Ducky does not deny the rumors, he felt at the time Durant would not be much of a help while injured and could benefit more with a player like Fisher. Such is the case, the Nuggets enter the season needing a lot of help to get past their contract year. They hope their new forward, Karron Johnson could be the difference they are looking for over Bobo, who went to Vegas.
18- Atlanta Hawks (Last year’s record: 36-46 | 2020 projected W/L: 42-40)
Hawks management has done a fine job taking over for the mess former GM JB left in Atlanta. He’s managed to trade (dealing Hahn Owens for Braden Issel), draft (getting Shelley Cruise) and develop (Leo Tate) effectively and continues to run a top grade franchise in the East. It will be interesting to see how well his team will fare this season after coming so close the playoffs this past year.
19- Boston Celtics (Last year’s record: 40-42 | 2020 projected W/L: 41-41)
The Celtics averted the Contract Year only to fall to the Pistons four games to one in the first round of the playoffs. They have a team led by LeBron James, who is still effective even at 35. The C’s also have one of the best young point guards east of the Mississippi River in Myles Taylor who is only 24 years old. Although this team has depth and some good balance, it probably won’t last past this season.
20- Las Vegas Rebels (Last year’s record: 35-47 | 2020 projected W/L: 42-40)
GM Play finally let go of his affixation with Kenny Boynton (although he still has his signature) last season with the deal that sent him to Toronto. The Rebels probably benefited anyway when they stole Bobo Bareagua from the Nuggets and drafted Kenny Hardaway with their lotto pick. Las Vegas is also counting on third year forward Marcus Bigelow, who is expected to put up career high numbers in his contract year. If he chooses to test the free agent waters next off-season as expected, a ton of teams could be looking to nab him.
21- Los Angeles Clippers (Last year’s record: 30-52 | 2020 projected W/L: 40-42)
The Clippers started off to a decent start in the first half of the season and just collapsed in the second half. Still, they managed to utilize their five draft picks in the 2020 draft, one which was used to acquire Brandon Jennings last season to bolster their roster. Through some lotto luck, they got number one overall pick and after much though and time decided on Jamal Jenkins out of Oral Roberts. He joins other rookies like Sam Hyde, Darius Hamilton and Stephon McXavier in trying to turn this roster into a playoff contender.
22- Portland Trail Blazers (Last year’s record: 44-38 | 2020 projected W/L: 38-44)
GM Dan got into hot water earlier today when dealing with pal and Jazz GM Andrew Scott. Apparently, the Blazers were under the impression they would be under the hard cap with the proposed deal which meant giving a valuable Miami future 1st rounder to the Jazz for bad value in return. Still, the Blazers managed to rework their deal and get under the cap. They enter the season riding high on their success of last season and hoping their first round pick Abdul Denton is not as turnover prone as seen in the pre-season.
23- San Antonio Spurs (Last year’s record: 40-42 | 2020 projected W/L: 35-47)
All-Star is good in spurts but maybe not very good when he’s fully active? Somehow his team crept from the cellar to the No. 8 seed in the playoffs without their GM being very aggressive on the trade front or with any personnel moves. This season, they come in with a very similar roster and a young rookie by the name of Ryan Jackson. Although, he seems to be the next coming of Ron Artest without the offense, the Spurs might not enjoy the success of last season even with Jackson and fellow rookie, David Abernathy.
24- Washington Wizards (Last year’s record: 38-44 | 2020 projected W/L: 32-50)
For whatever reason, Jah’s teams seem to always be vying for that seventh or eighth seed in the East every season. This year, expect more of the same and perhaps worse. After losing Paul Harris to free agency, the Wizards have to fill his vacancy with the raw and untested Kenny Irish, their No. 1 pick this year. Point guard John Manning didn’t have the greatest training camp so it might be a tough season for D.C. fans this year.
25- Milwaukee Bucks (Last year’s record: 27-55 | 2020 projected W/L: 24-58)
Jordan is finally starting to come around after the strife of losing Bak last year. They managed to resign their stud guards, Iarere Ballantyne and Bishop Daniels to a mult-year deals and picked up a number of rookies like LaDon Wachter, Araki Chib, Alan Maddux and Eric Stoner in the draft. Look for the Bucks to spend another year rebuilding with this roster.
26- Golden State Warriors (Last year’s record: 38-44 | 2020 projected W/L: 25-57)
Pig needs to lose this year in hopes to get his top-6 protected pick this year. The good news is that Bobby Hill pretty much took the off-season off to go hunt some bears and his game suffered because of it. Russian Ivan Chiriaev seemed to be on the same boat as his game dropped dramatically along with point guard’s, Rajon Rondo. Expect the Warriors to spend the year in scraps for the most part.
27- Utah Jazz (Last year’s record: 23-59 | 2020 projected W/L: 20-62)
Andrew made it a point to get the No. 1 pick last year and still dropped to the number three slot in the lotto. They picked up Dmitri Maximov, another sharpshooter to add to the nucleus of Taven Whitehorse and Julio Mann. The Jazz are really looking to be bad again this year and would probably be looking to move Luol Deng with compensation in order to achieve that feat.
28- Chicago Bulls (Last year’s record: 26-56 | 2020 projected W/L: 18-64)
Many suspected Andy had one of the best drafts in the league but his training camp didn’t reflect it too much. Forwards Diego Alvarez, Brynn Marshall and Eddie Lewis seem to be the only bright spots for a team that is expected to be in the slums of the East once again this season. However, Andy is already putting his own personal touch on the team and should be in contention in the next 2-3 seasons.
29- New Orleans Hornets (Last year’s record: 29-53 | This year’s W/L: 16-66)
Idle has to be commended for a strong job in getting back his next two picks. He’s had the misfortune of getting a very bare roster with little talent and not a lot of luck. Still, optimism is still in there that they can get their stuff together and make the playoffs once again, which would be only their third time in the postseason.
Galo Pesantes[/i]
1- Los Angeles Lakers (Last year’s record: 50-32 | 2020 projected W/L: 56-26)
Nanz captured his second title rather easily against his friend and Yee partner Mark of the NJ Nets last year. Sources indicate the Lakers are not letting up on making repeating a priority this season. Even after a slow start to last season, the Lakers recovered and captured the Pacific division over the Phoenix Suns. This year, expect much of the same with training camps of Max Bates and Phil Sanford leading the way.
2- Phildelphia 76ers (Last year’s record: 54-28 | 2020 projected W/L: 53-29)
Year after year, Maniac has faced disappointment in the playoffs. His teams always seem to not make it out of the first or second rounds of the playoffs even though his roster seems an ideal pick for a championship contender time and time again. This season, the Sixers return their entire squad and bring in the addition of Chandler Maloney who should provide valuable minutes in the backcourt. With DeJuan Blair reupping for a very large contract, time might be fading on the Sixers to finally take that second championship to Philly.
3- Minnesota Timberwolves (Last year’s record: 60-22 | 2020 projected W/L: 54-28)
After stealing Duck-Young Bak in a franchise-revitalizing move, the T-Wolves have been on a roll. A franchise that seemed destined for failure ever since one Youngstabullz took over, Ashes infused life into this dead franchise following the incumbent GM, A2J. Now, the T-Wolves seem to be a lock for another title run even though they had a brutal training camp up in Minneapolis. Still, look to the T-Wolves to have a top 3-5 finish in the West this year.
4- Orlando Magic (Last year’s record: 54-28 | 2020 projected W/L: 53-29)
Following a Finals trip against the Mavs two seasons ago, all the stars seemed to be aligned for the Magic’s playoff run this past postseason. Except the Nets got in their way and somehow made their own magical run to the Finals. Now, the Magic return most of their starting lineup from last season minus most of their depth accumulated. This team seems built for another strong run this year and hopefully not another first round exit.
5- Detroit Pistons (Last year’s record: 54-28 | 2020 projected W/L: 52-30)
GM Justin is beginning to feel a sense of failure every time his club falls just a tad short in the playoffs. Even after rescuing the Detroit franchise from dire straits and reviving into respectability, he’s not satisfied and has made everyone aware of it. His players are often on the block but really never on the move. The result should still be another successful season for the Pistons under Jay’s leadership unless there’s some unforeseen circumstance between now and the start of the season.
6- Seattle Sonics (Last year’s record: 43-39 | 2020 projected W/L: 48-34)
The Sonics have the makings of an offensive dynamo this season. Azoulas Kanauskas and Xavier Henry extended their range and are considered deadly anywhere 15 feet and out. They also brought back Manchu Chau, a critical component of their championship run a few years ago. They’ve also benefited from bringing in Dennis Meyer via the draft and Sven Andersson through free agency. However, they may be kicking themselves after seeing the TCs Ricardinho and Ousmane Sembene had.
7- New Jersey Nets (Last year’s record: 40-42 | 2020 projected W/L: 49-33)
The Nets captivating run last year was interrupted by a sweep from the Lakers. Although, this team showed a lot of heart as the No. 8 seed making it all the way past other formidable opponents en route to the Finals. GM Mark was quoted to be very disappointed in the off-season of the team as the team is so young but yet improved very little in training camp. Still, the team should benefit from UConn acquisitions like Rudy Gay and Jerome Dyson.
8- Dallas Mavericks (Last year’s record: 45-37 | 2020 projected W/L: 47-35)
Dallas was marred by tons of criticism last year. League analysts and GMs across BBS called the Mavs’ championship two seasons ago, “a fluke” and “nothing more than the work of the commissioner.” Now in 2020, GM Christian Martinez is looking to prove all the skeptics wrong. For the next three seasons, he will venture in a head to head matchup against Outlawz’s New York Knicks with the winner getting draft picks. It should be an interesting ride for Dallas from here on out.
9- New York Knicks (Last year’s record: 27-55 | 2020 projected W/L: 49-33)
Like many expected, Outlawz reloaded and retooled his roster quickly after getting rid of the likes of Derrick Rose, Derrick Favors and Andrew Bynum. Still, his team has a new identity and a new big man in the middle. Will this young roster full of first and second year players have enough to compete against the best of the East and win the best against Martinez’s Mavs. We shall see.
10- Memphis Grizzlies (Last year’s record: 53-29 | 2020 projected W/L: 46-36)
Many have already seen Skillz transforming back to the Skillz of old. Some of the deals made recently (Karron Johnson for a gloried Johnson in Jatoba) and letting Dexter Strickland go quietly have people wondering what holds in the future of this franchise. For now, Derrick Rose is still part of the franchise and is the hometown hero. However, if this team gets off to rough start or *gulp* has more injury issues, it could be bye-bye Rose.
11- Indiana Pacers (Last year’s record: 51-31 | 2020 projected W/L: 48-34)
GM Nova missed most of the off-season while on vacation in Disneyworld but his team still seems to be in good shape. Lance Stephenson, their big acquisition last season, got even better this season and will be leaning on new guards Tony Wroten and Avery Bradley to carry them to the success of last year. However, they probably won’t have the benefit of the defense they had last year, led by Serge Ibaka and Delvin Roe.
12- Cleveland Cavaliers (Last year’s record: 45-37 | 2020 projected W/L: 46-36)
Since getting through his Contract Year a few seasons ago, Derwin has not been very proactive on the trade market. For the most part, he’s held tight to his collection of talent which include uber-stud Jeremiah Gress, DeMarcus Cousins, Tyler Hansborough and Chris Paul. This team also gave quite a scare to the Sixers in the first round last year’s playoffs so expect them to continue to compete in the East this year for respect.
13- Toronto Raptors (Last year’s record: 37-45 | 2020 projected W/L: 44-38)
It’s a make or break year for DJ’s Raptors. It would be pretty ironic if the man who runs the Contract Year axes its own moderator. Still, this team has enough talent to win but will they find the right depth chart to get everyone touches? Derrick Favors and Kenny Boynton both need the ball in their hands to be effective and they have several point guards that can be rotated regularly. It will be interesting to see how it will play out across the border this year.
14- Miami Heat (Last year’s record: 45-37 | 2020 projected W/L: 43-39)
Is EB done? That’s what a lot of league GMs are wondering right now. The team remains in a hole financially and must get under the salary cap to avoid repercussions. The ideal candidates to get moved are Tahir Carrington and Noah Rose, but is their a real market for these players at this point. Don’t be surprised to see a possible move of Greg Oden or even Ricky Rubio as we creep closer to the 48-hour time limit.
15- Houston Rockets (Last year’s record: 38-44 | 2020 projected W/L: 45-37)
GM Greg has assembled a roster full of proven veterans (Rodrigue Beaubois, Al Jefferson, Thaddeus Young), youth (Anthony Swann, Storm Warren, Dawson Brady_ and a big time All-Star center (Andrew Bynum). Houston usually gets off to a very hot start or somewhere in the middle. It will be interesting to see how this team full of savvy, older players competes in the Western Conference this year.
16- Phoenix Suns (Last year’s record: 50-32 | 2020 projected W/L: 45-37)
Somehow the Suns managed to blow a nice lead over their division rivals, the Lakers and drew a tough loss against the T-Wolves in the second round of the playoffs. Like the Heat, the Suns are managing to field a last roster spot with little depth and talent at the power forward spot. For now, they hope to try out Chris Singleton at power forward and hope for the best from here on out.
17- Denver Nuggets (Last year’s record: 37-45 | 2020 projected W/L: 44-38)
There have been rumors circulating that Ducky passed on one of the better players in the game (Kevin Durant) for former Villanova guard Corey Fisher. While Ducky does not deny the rumors, he felt at the time Durant would not be much of a help while injured and could benefit more with a player like Fisher. Such is the case, the Nuggets enter the season needing a lot of help to get past their contract year. They hope their new forward, Karron Johnson could be the difference they are looking for over Bobo, who went to Vegas.
18- Atlanta Hawks (Last year’s record: 36-46 | 2020 projected W/L: 42-40)
Hawks management has done a fine job taking over for the mess former GM JB left in Atlanta. He’s managed to trade (dealing Hahn Owens for Braden Issel), draft (getting Shelley Cruise) and develop (Leo Tate) effectively and continues to run a top grade franchise in the East. It will be interesting to see how well his team will fare this season after coming so close the playoffs this past year.
19- Boston Celtics (Last year’s record: 40-42 | 2020 projected W/L: 41-41)
The Celtics averted the Contract Year only to fall to the Pistons four games to one in the first round of the playoffs. They have a team led by LeBron James, who is still effective even at 35. The C’s also have one of the best young point guards east of the Mississippi River in Myles Taylor who is only 24 years old. Although this team has depth and some good balance, it probably won’t last past this season.
20- Las Vegas Rebels (Last year’s record: 35-47 | 2020 projected W/L: 42-40)
GM Play finally let go of his affixation with Kenny Boynton (although he still has his signature) last season with the deal that sent him to Toronto. The Rebels probably benefited anyway when they stole Bobo Bareagua from the Nuggets and drafted Kenny Hardaway with their lotto pick. Las Vegas is also counting on third year forward Marcus Bigelow, who is expected to put up career high numbers in his contract year. If he chooses to test the free agent waters next off-season as expected, a ton of teams could be looking to nab him.
21- Los Angeles Clippers (Last year’s record: 30-52 | 2020 projected W/L: 40-42)
The Clippers started off to a decent start in the first half of the season and just collapsed in the second half. Still, they managed to utilize their five draft picks in the 2020 draft, one which was used to acquire Brandon Jennings last season to bolster their roster. Through some lotto luck, they got number one overall pick and after much though and time decided on Jamal Jenkins out of Oral Roberts. He joins other rookies like Sam Hyde, Darius Hamilton and Stephon McXavier in trying to turn this roster into a playoff contender.
22- Portland Trail Blazers (Last year’s record: 44-38 | 2020 projected W/L: 38-44)
GM Dan got into hot water earlier today when dealing with pal and Jazz GM Andrew Scott. Apparently, the Blazers were under the impression they would be under the hard cap with the proposed deal which meant giving a valuable Miami future 1st rounder to the Jazz for bad value in return. Still, the Blazers managed to rework their deal and get under the cap. They enter the season riding high on their success of last season and hoping their first round pick Abdul Denton is not as turnover prone as seen in the pre-season.
23- San Antonio Spurs (Last year’s record: 40-42 | 2020 projected W/L: 35-47)
All-Star is good in spurts but maybe not very good when he’s fully active? Somehow his team crept from the cellar to the No. 8 seed in the playoffs without their GM being very aggressive on the trade front or with any personnel moves. This season, they come in with a very similar roster and a young rookie by the name of Ryan Jackson. Although, he seems to be the next coming of Ron Artest without the offense, the Spurs might not enjoy the success of last season even with Jackson and fellow rookie, David Abernathy.
24- Washington Wizards (Last year’s record: 38-44 | 2020 projected W/L: 32-50)
For whatever reason, Jah’s teams seem to always be vying for that seventh or eighth seed in the East every season. This year, expect more of the same and perhaps worse. After losing Paul Harris to free agency, the Wizards have to fill his vacancy with the raw and untested Kenny Irish, their No. 1 pick this year. Point guard John Manning didn’t have the greatest training camp so it might be a tough season for D.C. fans this year.
25- Milwaukee Bucks (Last year’s record: 27-55 | 2020 projected W/L: 24-58)
Jordan is finally starting to come around after the strife of losing Bak last year. They managed to resign their stud guards, Iarere Ballantyne and Bishop Daniels to a mult-year deals and picked up a number of rookies like LaDon Wachter, Araki Chib, Alan Maddux and Eric Stoner in the draft. Look for the Bucks to spend another year rebuilding with this roster.
26- Golden State Warriors (Last year’s record: 38-44 | 2020 projected W/L: 25-57)
Pig needs to lose this year in hopes to get his top-6 protected pick this year. The good news is that Bobby Hill pretty much took the off-season off to go hunt some bears and his game suffered because of it. Russian Ivan Chiriaev seemed to be on the same boat as his game dropped dramatically along with point guard’s, Rajon Rondo. Expect the Warriors to spend the year in scraps for the most part.
27- Utah Jazz (Last year’s record: 23-59 | 2020 projected W/L: 20-62)
Andrew made it a point to get the No. 1 pick last year and still dropped to the number three slot in the lotto. They picked up Dmitri Maximov, another sharpshooter to add to the nucleus of Taven Whitehorse and Julio Mann. The Jazz are really looking to be bad again this year and would probably be looking to move Luol Deng with compensation in order to achieve that feat.
28- Chicago Bulls (Last year’s record: 26-56 | 2020 projected W/L: 18-64)
Many suspected Andy had one of the best drafts in the league but his training camp didn’t reflect it too much. Forwards Diego Alvarez, Brynn Marshall and Eddie Lewis seem to be the only bright spots for a team that is expected to be in the slums of the East once again this season. However, Andy is already putting his own personal touch on the team and should be in contention in the next 2-3 seasons.
29- New Orleans Hornets (Last year’s record: 29-53 | This year’s W/L: 16-66)
Idle has to be commended for a strong job in getting back his next two picks. He’s had the misfortune of getting a very bare roster with little talent and not a lot of luck. Still, optimism is still in there that they can get their stuff together and make the playoffs once again, which would be only their third time in the postseason.