25-26 NBA Regular Season thread.

[jcardstore]

Interest at an all time low around here but the NBA season starts tomorrow.

I usually hate predictions because they're always so far off but I will throw out some predictions for major individual and team awards.

MVP - Jokic
DPOY - Wemby
6MOY - Anfernee Simons
ROY - Flagg
MIP - Matas

To win the East - Cavs
To win the West - Thunder
To win the title - Thunder

The win less than 15 games award - Nets

my top 5 league pass rankings (Cavs don't count because I can't watch them on league pass)

1. Wizards - Kyshawn George is my main watch but also intrigued to see Tre Johnson.

2. Knicks - My 2nd home team

3. Spurs - Love me some Wemby

4. Rockets - Super fun team, lots of fun players.

5. Nets - It's going to be the worst basketball ever and honestly might end up with the worst record in NBA history but I want to see how all these rookies look.

My top 5 rookie watch rankings (Flagg not included)

1. Kasparas Jakucionas - wildly underrated, perfect spot to develop in Miami

2. Nique Clifford - he fits my years 2-3 upside wing model of player I like to buy in the offseason to flip before a breakout.

3. Egor Demin - Truly no idea what to expect here. High upside guy but also low floor.

4. Tre Johnson - The kid can score and he's gonna get a ton of shots late in the year

5. Jase Richardson - Looked pretty polished and ready to contribute based on the preseason film. Probably not a lot of upside but the Magic are gonna be really good this year

[kipgen]

I'm also a fan of Clifford and interested in Egor Demin

A lot of people were ragging on the Nets because he was considered a reach but if he turns out good there could definitely be some opportunity there especially considering card wise the Nets are an absolutely barren team outside of maybe Cam Thomas but his stuff doesn't go for much and he's not exactly a winning player even if he does stack points

Another guy to watch for me will be VJ Edgecombe, really exciting player and if he comes out a better shooter than expected will be very well rounded

[JustinVerlander07]

As long as one of Chet or JDub stays healthy with Shai seems like they have a lock to win the title this year. Interesting no outcry on how boring the season will be and the 'why bother' like with the Warriors back in the day

I'm very interested to see the Warriors with a (hopefully) full season of Jimmy Butler, and interested to see skinny Zion, skinny Luka and skinny Embiid (assuming his knee doesn't fall apart in a week)

[oldgoldy97]

MVP-Luka
DPOY- Wemby
ROY- Harper
MIP- Jaden McDaniels
6MOY- McCain

East: Knicks
West: Thunder
Champ: Thunder

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

As long as one of Chet or JDub stays healthy with Shai seems like they have a lock to win the title this year. Interesting no outcry on how boring the season will be and the 'why bother' like with the Warriors back in the day

I'm very interested to see the Warriors with a (hopefully) full season of Jimmy Butler, and interested to see skinny Zion, skinny Luka and skinny Embiid (assuming his knee doesn't fall apart in a week)

No outcry, just no interest at all around here lol. At least back in the day people casually watched. Now just crickets.

I see this season is all about unicorns and rainbows for you haha.

I honestly think Embiids career is pretty much over. I can't imagine him playing any meaningful amount of games at this point. I know he's only 31 but he just can't move anymore.

[kingofsnake]

Let's go Warriors.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Celtics are coming out of the East. Tatum is taking over the playoffs when he returns.

[tjforce]

Yes... excitement is low. Here are a few storylines I'm looking at this season *a few hobby related*:

-Does this end up being a farewell tour for LeBron or Steph?
-Is it the year where Wemby truly arrives?
-Do the Cavs reshape their offense to an inside/outside attack or does it continue to be 'Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers' come playoff time
-Is this a fork in the road season regarding the hobby for Luka?

This is Year 8, and to while it's a historic start to his career, 8 years without an MVP or Championship team is almost unprecedented for 'top of the hobby' guys. Would being in LA be enough if MVP and Championship go to another player? Or is it the year he nabs one of the two?

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

No outcry, just no interest at all around here lol. At least back in the day people casually watched. Now just crickets.

I see this season is all about unicorns and rainbows for you haha.

I honestly think Embiids career is pretty much over. I can't imagine him playing any meaningful amount of games at this point. I know he's only 31 but he just can't move anymore.

I'm just surprised to see Embiid got back on the court at all honestly. The East feels like Cleveland, New York, Orlando (maybe), while the other two certainly could choke again, somebody HAS to win the East, they'll get blown out by whoever wins the west (OKC as long as Shai is alive). Just not a ton of early season storylines besides individual teams, and my personal interest in the Warriors (who looked great after getting Jimmy, but are so ridiculously old and brittle)

[yiguiri2002]

Wait, it starts tomorrow? I was just starting to catch up on the offseason

[eastbayak]

Dubs baby!!

[coltsnsox07]

Since the Bucks recently signed a 3rd Antetokounmpo brother just to keep Giannis happy, during the season they'll sign Giannis' second cousin twice removed and his auntie's step son and field an all Antetokounmpo starting lineup.

[Mattsurewood]

MVP--Doncic
DPOY--Wemby
ROY--Flagg
MIP--Matas

Worst Record--Nets

West Finals--Houston OKC
East Finals--Orlando Knicks
Finals --OKC Knicks
Champs--OKC Repeats

1. I threw a few "fun chips" on some Kyshawn George cards like a few others, the Wizards are my local team so I'll be watching them.
2. Will be following "Chinese Jokic" Yang with interest
3. My deep deep rookie sleeper is Tyrese Proctor with Cleveland--Mitchell took him under his wing and supposedly the kid is a sponge and has the will and desire to be good..will see if it translates on the court.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by Mattsurewood

MVP--Doncic
DPOY--Wemby
ROY--Flagg
MIP--Matas

Worst Record--Nets

West Finals--Houston OKC
East Finals--Orlando Knicks
Finals --OKC Knicks
Champs--OKC Repeats

1. I threw a few "fun chips" on some Kyshawn George cards like a few others, the Wizards are my local team so I'll be watching them.
2. Will be following "Chinese Jokic" Yang with interest
3. My deep deep rookie sleeper is Tyrese Proctor with Cleveland--Mitchell took him under his wing and supposedly the kid is a sponge and has the will and desire to be good..will see if it translates on the court.

Chinese jokic is being blocked by Donovan Clingan, who actually had a solid preseason.

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by Mattsurewood

MVP--Doncic
DPOY--Wemby
ROY--Flagg
MIP--Matas

Worst Record--Nets

West Finals--Houston OKC
East Finals--Orlando Knicks
Finals --OKC Knicks
Champs--OKC Repeats

1. I threw a few "fun chips" on some Kyshawn George cards like a few others, the Wizards are my local team so I'll be watching them.
2. Will be following "Chinese Jokic" Yang with interest
3. My deep deep rookie sleeper is Tyrese Proctor with Cleveland--Mitchell took him under his wing and supposedly the kid is a sponge and has the will and desire to be good..will see if it translates on the court.

He is a flamethrower. He's a pure scorer and a good one. The problem for now is that he's buried on Cleveland and I expect him to play most of the year in the g league.

I think there's a hobby future for sure.

[BMc5280]

MVP: Jokic (Cade fun choice)
DPOY: Wemby (Dyson Daniels fun choice)
ROY: Flagg (Edgecomb fun choice)
MIP: Ausar Thompson (Deni fun choice)

East: Cavs
West: Nuggets
Champs: Nuggets

Things I'm excited for:

1. Nuggets with depth: I think this team is better then their championship team and if they stay healthy I think they have a real shot at winning and cementing Joker's legacy as a Top 10 all time player

2. The Magic: Team I'm most excited to watch outside the Nuggets, excited to see if Paolo makes the leap, if Franz turns into a championship caliber #2 and if Bane can help with their offensive woes, I think they are a real contender in the East

3. Blazers: So much young talent, does it start to come together? I think Camara is a dark Horse for DPOY, Hansen is exciting but Clingan looks good if he can stay healthy, does Scoot make any progress and now that Sharpe has the keys what can he do? Should be a fun team to follow

4. Rockets: They went all in, does it work? Their team comp is still weird but they have so many pieces, curious who the alpha emerges to be, does KD come in and take it right away, does Amen take the next step especially offensively or does Sengun become Jokic-lite as a focal point

[JustinVerlander07]

Dyson Daniels extension 4/100 is a bargain.

[yiguiri2002]

Christian Braun getting 5/125, same as Dyson Daniels but with an extra year.

Joker should be the MVP just because of that.

[spurs50fan]

Dyson well deserved. I missed on that one but glad he's found a home. Still looks like MJ Thriller imo

I'm looking at the Pelicans to make some noise early but trail off mid season. Hawks are my Eastern Conf team so hoping JJ comes back as advertised.

Homer pick is Wemby for DPOY but if the Spurs are 4-6, he could very well pull the MVP as well

I'm surprised there's not a lot of debate vs OKC to repeat. They played well and healthy throughout which was key. Most of teams they faced were in flux. Still see it continuing this year except those teams have the season to flush out the new personnel, coaching changes, injuries, etc.

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by spurs50fan

Dyson well deserved. I missed on that one but glad he's found a home. Still looks like MJ Thriller imo

I'm looking at the Pelicans to make some noise early but trail off mid season. Hawks are my Eastern Conf team so hoping JJ comes back as advertised.

Homer pick is Wemby for DPOY but if the Spurs are 4-6, he could very well pull the MVP as well

I'm surprised there's not a lot of debate vs OKC to repeat. They played well and healthy throughout which was key. Most of teams they faced were in flux. Still see it continuing this year except those teams have the season to flush out the new personnel, coaching changes, injuries, etc.

They (OKC) spent most of the regular season with various injuries to Chet/Caruso/Hartenstein etc and still won 68 games. Pretty ridiculous.

Also not a homer take at all on your part to pick Wemby for DPOY. He'll be the favorite for the next decade if he's healthy.

[asujbl]

Cavs in 7

Write it down

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by asujbl

Cavs in 7

Write it down

I see what you did there and I like it.

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by spurs50fan

Dyson well deserved. I missed on that one but glad he's found a home. Still looks like MJ Thriller imo

I'm looking at the Pelicans to make some noise early but trail off mid season. Hawks are my Eastern Conf team so hoping JJ comes back as advertised.

Homer pick is Wemby for DPOY but if the Spurs are 4-6, he could very well pull the MVP as well

I'm surprised there's not a lot of debate vs OKC to repeat. They played well and healthy throughout which was key. Most of teams they faced were in flux. Still see it continuing this year except those teams have the season to flush out the new personnel, coaching changes, injuries, etc.

OKC vs the field would be a reasonable debate, but I'm not sure there's one team that stands out as "Oh, they are better than them". A healthy, drama free OKC team brings more to the table than anyone else.

[yiguiri2002]

The thing about OKC is that they lose more games than they should in the playoffs and that makes them vulnerable. Neither the Nuggets nor the Pacers series should have gone to 7.

[rhigh2390]

Originally Posted by yiguiri2002

The thing about OKC is that they lose more games than they should in the playoffs and that makes them vulnerable. Neither the Nuggets nor the Pacers series should have gone to 7.

Agreed. If I had to pick one team, it would be OKC, but I definitely don't think they are close to untouchable.