G9.
Pistons GM
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Divisional Preview
Midwest
2021
Dallas Mavericks
GM: G9.
2018-19: 27-55
2019-20: 21-61
2020-21*: 39-43
The Dallas Mavericks enter 2020 with their most talented roster since the 2017-18 season. GM G9. has made numerous moves to redefine the franchise, and now possesses a clear franchise centerpiece in C Vernon Carey. Expect G9. to hold on to Vernon and continue to build the roster around him. He's generally not too fond of the balanced focus Vernon will require to succeed in, but it'll be interesting to experiment with. The Mavericks should look to upgrade their backcourt, both shooting guard and point guard. A true facilitator similar to Lonzo Ball or Ben Simmons would mesh well with Vernon Carey. A two-guard capable of scoring in a balanced fashion similar to Donovan Mitchell or Jarrett Culver would also look good next to Vern. The Dallas Mavericks current roster is quite the assortment of misfits, players that never really found a true calling elsewhere. With a little DC experimentation and the current weakness of the West, the Mavericks should be able to push for the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs, despite what I imagine will be a losing record.
Current Starters:
C Vernon Carey
PF Bruno Fernando
SF De'Andre Hunter
SG Malik Monk
PG Jalen Brunson
Looking Ahead:
The Dallas Mavericks are still without their 2021 and 2023 1st round draft picks. Both picks were dealt in the Kristaps Porzingis deal in 2018. The Mavericks do own their 2022, 2024, 2025, etc. first rounders, as well as 2022 1st rounders from the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Atlanta Hawks. The Mavericks also own the 2024 Milwaukee Bucks first rounder. G9. hopes to continue to build the roster through the 2022 and 2024 NBA Draft, and improve through free agency and trades in 2021 and 2023. He would've preferred to do a full rebuild, but can't quite do that without two of his future picks.
Denver Nuggets
GM: Greeme
2018-19: 58-24
2019-20: 59-23
2020-21*: 60-22
Expect Greeme to milk the production of PG Stephen Curry for as long as he can. At 33-years-old Curry showed a slight decline inside following 2020's NBA Training Camps. Despite this, his outside game and ball handling remain as sharp as ever. Curry impressed in Preseason and should continue to play well into the regular season. Additions of E.J. Montgomery and Luguentz Dort can be expected to immediately contribute more than those they replaced, PF Andrew Bogut and PG Avery Bradley. The Nuggets also added big-men Enes Kanter and Nerlens Noel during the 2020 NBA Off-season. These additions, as well as the insertion of Luguentz Dort into the depth chart, will help the Nuggets improve their win record for the second consecutive season. Greeme banters about trading Stephen Curry, but I don't expect it to happen anytime soon. The value he places on Curry far outweighs the downsides of his age and contract in the eyes of most GM's. Besides, Curry fits great in Denver. Denver could use an upgrade at Small Forward, but MKG's ability to remove himself from the offense results in higher usage by Denver's superstar players. So, despite MKG appearing useless, Greeme is making the most of his uselessness for now.
Current Roster:
C DeAndre Jordan
PF Mitchell Robinson
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
SG Gary Harris
PG Stephen Curry
Looking Ahead:
Denver does not remain in possession of their 2021 first-round pick, it is currently owed to the Golden State Warriors. In 2022 the Nuggets owe the Los Angeles Clippers the right to swap, and in 2023 the Nuggets owe the Knicks their first-round pick, outright. This puts the next three seasons of Nuggets first-rounders in the hands of three different GM's, making it hard to get them all back. Expect Greeme to continue competing while Stephen Curry's output remains this high. It may be wise to hold onto the rest of the future picks Denver currently has, they may need to go full rebuild following Steph and DeAndre's departure.
Houston Rockets
GM: DwightCoward
2018-19: 58-24
2019-20: 54-28
2020-21*: 25-57
The Rockets recently picked up a handful of subpar players in RFA to fill out their rotation. After a few seasons of competing with SG James Harden and PG Chris Paul, GM DwightCoward took it upon himself to completely transform this Houston Rockets roster. Along with the departure of Harden and Paul, C Clint Capela and SF P.J. Tucker were traded. Lastly, SF Eric Gordon left Houston via Free Agency. This accounts for the loss of four out of five 2019 Houston Rockets starters. The last remaining starter is 34-year-old James Johnson, who is expected to hang around Houston for one final season and mentor the young squad that now surrounds him. DwightCoward added numerous key young pieces through the 2020 NBA Draft, Free Agency, and off-season trades. The NBA Draft welcomed SF Samuell Williamson and PG Arnas Velicka to Houston. Williamson still appears incredibly raw defensively but he remains eligible for half a season in the D-League and coaching. The Houston Rockets recently signed Head Coach Nate McMillan, so look for them to also add 2 attribute points to some aspect of Williamson's defense. PG Arnas Velicka has absolutely taken the league by storm in Preseason. Velicka remains eligible for coaching, a full season in the D-League, and sophomore Summer League boosts. The Rockets need to invest heavily in Velicka as he appears to possess the skill set and potential to become a game-changing point guard. As for this season, expect the Rockets to experiment with their other young additions in SF Kevin Knox (trade) and SG Jamal Murray (free agency) as they ultimately tank the season for another high draft pick.
Current Starters:
C Sekou Doumbouya
PF James Johnson
SF Kevin Knox
SG Jamal Murray
PG Jaylen Hands
Looking Ahead:
Houston's pick situation is in a fantastic spot. In the years ahead Houston remains in possession of all of their first-round draft picks. In addition to their own picks, the Rockets own the rights to one additional first in 2024 (Washington), and three additional firsts in 2026 (Milwaukee, Chicago, Washington). The Rockets roster doesn't currently have a guaranteed future hall-of-famer, but expect them to get their hands on one shortly. A few more seasons of tanking and Houston is expected to come back strong. I expect that by 2024 and 2026 the Rockets will be in serious contention and look to trade their additional firsts for players who can immediately contribute. Dwight has this team's future in a good spot.
Minnesota Timberwolves
GM: mngopher35
2018-19: 49-33
2019-20: 40-42
2020-21*: 42-40
The Minnesota Timberwolves spent a few seasons trying to hang around with the top-dogs in the Western Conference before ultimately deciding to set their eyes on a focused tank. Or so we thought. The Timberwolves shipped out numerous aging assets over the past two seasons, including C Hassan Whiteside, PG Mike Conley, PF Tristan Thompson, and PG Patrick Beverly. All of these assets and more are players who may have contributed significantly to winning efforts in Minnesota. Despite this, mngopher has consistently shaken the roster up. As it stands the constant shaking and reforming of the roster has put Minnesota in a good spot. The oldest player on the roster is superstar C Karl-Anthony Towns at 25 years old. Towns is surrounded by a youthful squad that's ceiling is a dynasty. Good contract management, drafting, and free agency signings should push this Minnesota team over the top eventually. As it stands this young roster will put together a winning season in the weak Western Conference, but don't expect much from them in the playoffs.
Current Starters:
C Karl-Anthony Towns
PF Jarrett Allen
SF Keita Bates-Diop
SG Jaylen Brown
PG Coby White
Looking Ahead:
Minnesota remains in possession of their 2021 1st round draft pick. Expect them to add another potential starter with this draft pick. In 2022 the Timberwolves first rounder is owed to the Miami Heat. In 2023 the Timberwolves owe the Warriors a right to swap. In all other years, the Timberwolves remain in possession of their first-round selections, as well as the rights to numerous first-rounders from other teams. These rights include a 2023 Indiana Pacers 1st rounder, a 2024 New York Knicks 1st rounder, a 2025 Indiana Pacers 1st rounder, and a 2026 New Orleans Pelicans 1st rounder. Expect mngopher to continue making trades and experimenting with this young squad as he tries to build a championship roster around C Karl-Anthony Towns. He's got loads of assets to cash in on the road ahead.
San Antonio Spurs
GM: Daulten
2018-19: 27-55
2019-20: 39-43
2020-21*: 48-34
A bit of lottery luck in the 2019 NBA Draft landed the San Antonio Spurs PF/SF Zion Williamson at #2 overall. Zion led the Spurs to an improved record in 2019, as the Spurs narrowly missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. San Antonio added a handful of significant contributors in the 2020 NBA off-season as they look to improve their record yet again and earn a playoff berth. San Antonio added C Hassan Whiteside, a league-leading rebounder, via trade. They bolstered their back-court with additions of PG John Wall and PG Kyle Lowry via Free Agency. Daulten may find it wise to move Zion Williamson back to PF and hope that C Hassan Whiteside and Zion can dominate opposing front-courts. Their depth chart is rounded out well with shooters and facilitators, expect Daulten to experiment heavily as there exists a number of rotations he can run.
Current Starters:
C Hassan Whiteside
PF Serge Ibaka
SF Zion Williamson
SG John Wall
PG Kyle Lowry
Looking Ahead:
Daulten moved an abundance of first-round picks to bring in the likes of C Hassan Whiteside and PF Serge Ibaka, BUT, none of these traded picks were those originally owned by San Antonio. So while they beefed up their roster heavily this most recent off-season, they still remain entirely in control of their future. Expect Daulten to try and have some fun with this roster as he figures out what to do to give future super-star Zion Williamson a ring.
Utah Jazz
GM: notail
2018-19: 43-39
2019-20: 39-43
2020-21*: 43-39
In this most recent off-season, the Utah Jazz upgraded at the SG position, moving veteran SG Lou Williams to a bench position and filling his starting spot with young sharpshooting SG Buddy Hield. They lost significant contributors PF Derrick Favors and PG Ricky Rubio, but they expect their roles to be filled by both free agent signings and training camp show-outs. Free Agency signings C Javale McGee and Buddy Hield will push this team to more wins than they achieved last season, but the roster is still full of holes. They should seek to upgrade their big-man rotation big-time, seeing as Rudy Gobert is the only truly serviceable big on the roster. SF Rui Hachimura showcased vast improvement in his scoring ability during 2020's NBA Training Camp but so far it hasn't translated to the court. Keep an eye out for notail on the trade market as he looks to upgrade at back-up C, starting PF, starting SF, and bench SF. *They recently picked up C/PF Kyle O'Quinn via trade, look for him to hit the court in a Jazz uniform immediately and earn a starting spot. Notail appears to be trying to experiment with Lou Williams at PG. This gives them three capable scorers around Rudy Gobert's All-League Defense.
Current Starters:
C Rudy Gobert
PF Kyle O'Quinn
SF Donovan Mitchell
SG Buddy Hield
PG Lou Williams
Looking Ahead:
Utah remains in possession of all of their future first-round draft picks. They have not traded any picks or traded for any picks. This always bodes well for a teams future, as they remain in complete control of what lies ahead. It's of my personal opinion that this team needs to go all-in one way or the other. Notail needs to move his liquid assets for upgrades and contend for a championship, OR he needs to trade his current assets for future ones.
New Orleans Pelicans
GM: TheGodfather
2018-19: 55-27
2019-20: 52-30
2020-21*: 55-27
Expect the reigning BSL Champions to improve upon their regular season win total from last year. The Pelicans will be propelled to this increase in wins via the luxury of having Rudy Gay in the lineup for an entire season. Last year the Pelicans only had the opportunity to utilize Gay's talents during the latter-half of the season, including his epic playoff run. Expect the veteran SF/SG to aid PF Anthony Davis in another successful season. The Pelicans did regress at one notable position, point guard, after opting to trade Jrue Holiday for a more future-minded package. In return the Pelicans received three first-round picks and SG/PG Josh Richardson. Godfather hopes Richardson at point guard pays off and he serves as a solid stopgap point guard until he finds a more suitable long-term replacement. PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to improve defensively, but struggles to find his groove offensively at the NBA level. Expect Shai to continue playing an impactful role off the bench, but he's not the long-term answer at point. Godfather also experimented a bit with PG's Dennis Smith Jr. and recent draftee Anthony Edwards in Preseason. Neither one of them performed particularly well, so expect the Pelicans to be active on the trade market as they look for the real answer.
Current Starters:
C Goga Bitadze
PF Anthony Davis
SF Robert Covington
SG Rudy Gay
PG Josh Richardson
Looking Ahead:
The Pelicans remain in possession of all draft picks until the 2025 NBA Draft in which a series of owed picks and owed pick swaps begins. This limits the Pelicans ability to continue adding assets to help the team now. They do currently have quite the assortment of contributing players at nearly every position. So while they do not have the luxury of having future picks to trade, they may seek to package lesser players for a more significant starter. Anthony Davis is a great headliner, but the Pelicans need to support him with starters a bit more effective at scoring than Robert Covington is.
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