2014-15 NBA SEASON PREVIEW CONTENT LIST
Atlantic: Celtics | Nets | Knicks | 76ers | Raptors |Division Preview
Central: Bulls | Cavaliers | Pistons | Pacers | Bucks | Division Preview
Southeast: Hawks | Hornets | Heat | Magic | Wizards | Division Preview
Pacific: Warriors | Clippers | Lakers | Suns | Kings | Division Preview
Northwest: Nuggets | Timberwolves | Thunder | Trail Blazers | Jazz | Division Preview
Southwest: Mavericks | Rockets | Grizzlies | Pelicans | Spurs | Division Preview
Top 10 by Position: PG | SG | SF | PF | C
Top 10 Lists: Sixth Men | Sophomores | X-Factors | Rookies | Games to Watch | Comeback | Contenders | Breakouts
Articles: Assessing the Cavaliers Trio | Important Season for James Harden | Return of Paul George? | Trading Rajon Rondo | Are the Nuggets This Season’s Suns? | NBA’s Best Starting Five | NBA’s Worst Starting Five | Now or Never for Durant and Thunder After Injury
Fantasy Basketball: Top 10 PGs | Top 10 SGs | Top 10 SFs | Top 10 PFs | Top 10 Cs | Sleepers, Studs, and Sinkholes | Analyzing the Schedule | BMF Mock Draft | Cavs and Cav-Nots | Like A Bosh | Rajon Injury Impact
Media Day: Clippers | Hawks | Kings | Knicks | Magic | Mavericks | Nets
Image courtesy of Keith Allison/Flickr.
10. Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls
Moving to Chicago will benefit Pau Gasol very much this season. Playing alongside Joakim Noah will help him very much as the Bulls now have one of the best frontcourts in all of basketball. Gasol will also benefit with a healthy Derrick Rose as his point guard because he’ll spread the floor and allow Gasol to get open in the paint. Gasol is also a very good passer and his assist totals should go up this season with a much better supporting cast in Chicago compared to the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
9. Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks
Millsap had a career year last season after signing a two-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks. A key to his improvement was his three-point shooting after he shot a solid .358 from beyond the arc. Another huge benefit that Millsap possesses is his ability to stay healthy. Millsap rarely misses games and would be a steady starting power forward for any team.
8. Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
Serge Ibaka has continued to improve year after year. His defensive abilities have never been questioned, as he is a great rebounder and one of the best shot blockers in the league. In just five NBA seasons, Ibaka has already been named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team three times and will most likely continue to receive this honor for years to come. With career highs in points (15.1 PPG) and rebounds (8.8 RPG) last season, Ibaka could be en route to another career year.
7. Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
Bosh is going to be called upon to be the man for the Miami Heat this season. The subtraction of LeBron James and the assumption of Dwayne Wade getting hurt in some capacity will mean that Bosh is going to have carry much of the offensive load. Individually, I believe that Bosh will have a big season this year and showed that he could be the best player on his team when he played with the Toronto Raptors. Bosh’s statistics should improve this season, but he’s still not a player who is going to win a playoff series on his own.
6. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
It doesn’t get much prettier than watching Disco Dirk drain a one-legged fadeaway bucket. The 36-year-old has been doing it his entire career and could probably play in the NBA until he is 50 as a knockdown shooter. Nowitzki is going to continue to shoot the three-ball at a high percentage and will continue to be a great stretch-4 once again this season.
5. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Until he retires, Tim Duncan will always be on the list for the top 10 power forwards in the league. He may not play as many minutes as some of the other 4s, but he is incredibly effective when he is on the court. Per 36 minutes , he is still averaging a double-double (18.7 points, 12.0 rebounds last season) and he will continue to do so this season. Despite his tender age of 38, The Big Fundamental is still a stud.
4. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers
Aldridge really stepped up his game last season and was the main reason Portland was able to make the playoffs and advance into the second round. Aldridge averaged a career-high 23.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game last season, but more importantly played great when it counted in the playoffs. In Game 1 of the first round, Aldridge scored 46 points and added 18 rebounds, then followed it up with a 43-point performance in Game 2. Aldridge doesn’t have much of a three-point shot like some other power forwards, but his mid-range jumper is deadly.
3. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
His rookie season was great, averaging 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, and his career has yet to blossom, as everyone is already considering him to be the next superstar in the league. Not only is Davis great offensively, but his defensive ability is just as good, if not better, as he registered some ridiculous stat lines last year. In a game against the Utah Jazz, Davis recorded 22 points, 9 rebounds, 8 blocks, and 4 assists. Yes, I wrote that correctly. Davis is not only a shot-blocking king, but he’s also very versatile as his ability to run the floor is better than most power forwards in the NBA. Davis is a very special player and his amazing basketball abilities are finally making the unibrow cool.
2. Blake Griffin, Los Angles Clippers
In terms of top players in the league to watch play, Griffin is right up there in excitement and amazement. His acrobatic dunks devastate the rim every night and the addition of Chris Paul really elevated his game. If Griffin can start knocking down the corner three that he’s supposedly been working on this summer, the Clippers might be on their way to a championship.
1. Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
He was the best power forward in the league before he got traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and will only improve playing alongside LeBron James. He’s an excellent passer, can shoot the three-ball, and led his position with 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game last season. Love is going to have a monster season this year in Cleveland.
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