Plus he has to prove himself right for sitting out of the playoffs last year even when he was dunking in warmups. Look for him to be a monster. The rest of the team went from being right there when Rose went down to being a tough luck story. They want it back and should be on a mission.
7. Milwaukee is irrelevant
The Bucks can’t buy a break. Aside from being a tough sell to free agents, the incoming commissioner brands their arena as being not up to NBA standards. This is the same building that was described by then-coach Don Nelson as too big to fill when it was built. The reality is that besides winning the Lew Alcindor coin flip in 1969, their history has been pretty mediocre. At various times, Sacramento, Cleveland, Detroit, and Salt Lake City have been desirable places to play. Milwaukee has to figure it out before it’s too late. I wish them luck. They are good people. At least they have original Schlitz back.
8. DeMarcus Cousins will break your heart
Working on his third coach in four years, DeMarcus Cousins feels better about things. He has a new owner, new coach, and a new contract. This is why it’s called the Honeymoon Phase. It’s always great at the beginning. No one has had a fight about anything yet. We need to remember that he is still young. Time will tell if he has made a real change that will carry these good feelings through the down times or if it will be back to the familiar pattern. Remember, last year he was playing for a contract and was on his best behavior. A max deal usually magnifies what is already there. It doesn’t fix anything. Now we will see the real DeMarcus. I wish him luck!
9. The Lakers won’t re-sign Kobe next year
The Lakers will have an impossible choice next year regarding Kobe Bryant. They will decide that he is just too expensive to keep (he is making $30 million this season). Regardless of the fact that he is coming off a major injury and is in the twilight of his career, I wont be surprised by him having a quality year and peaking as the season draws to a close. The better he is, the more difficult he is to bring back. Kobe wants Kobe money and won’t take less to spread money around to allow for other free agent signings. He will want 4 years of guaranteed mega money. It’s not that the Lakers don’t have the money, but they will realize that rebuilding a team with him getting about 50% of the cap is untenable. Right now their luster is dulled a little and they need to make some bold moves to get their groove back. Keeping Kobe will be too restricting to that effort.
10. Adam Silver will be the Wizard of Oz
“Just ignore that man behind the curtain” said the fiery head. I think that sums up Adam Silver replacing David Stern. Adam is the brilliant thinker and policy maker who runs the league with peace and quiet. Respected by all, he has none of the fire-breathing, out-front presence that David Stern had, and I don’t believe will develop it by next February. While the league is in very capable hands and will have a strong leader in the commissioner’s office, don’t look for the big personality that marked Stern’s 30-year reign.
MORE SEASON PREDICTIONS:
CHRIS SHERIDAN | PETER MAY | CHRIS BERNUCCA | MARK HEISLER | JAN HUBBARD
MORE FROM DANNY SCHAYES:
WHEN ROOKIE HAZING WENT UNDERGROUND
CAN CHRIS PAUL LEAD THE NBPA BACK FROM THE DEAD?
ADAM SILVER NEEDS TO EMBRACE THE NBA’S LIVING PIONEERS
THE FRANCHISE PLAYER IS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES
WHY THE CHAMPIONSHIP FORMULA ALWAYS WORKS (UNTIL IT DOESN’T)
HOW DO HEAT COMPARE TO GREATEST TEAMS EVER?
ON NBA COACH OF THE YEAR, AND COACHES IN GENERAL
Danny Schayes is a retired 18-year-veteran of the NBA, a professional broadcaster and soon-to-be-published author now penning NBA columns for SheridanHoops. Follow him on Twitter.
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5. (Jeremy Lin will show everyone how smart he is?) LOL if Lin is the starting PG come season opener Patrick Beverly Looks Better with the 1st team & Lin Is A liabilty On Defensive side RT.. Lin Looks Better as the 6th man on a championship team, with the ball in his hands making decisions he’s dangerous how DTony used him on offense…ohh & now that the Lakers Center Kareem said Dwight Howard has a Low BBall IQ we should all listen lol that couldnt be farther from the truth..Kareem & every Laker fan/player are insulted that D12 Took his talents to Houston TX but the reason Kareem Dissed D12 is BC he didnt want 2 work with him like he does with Hakeem…D12 just never liked DTony & Kobe trying to undermind D12 experience he did take a Magic team to the finals by himself people always forget that RT…Laker players/coach should thank D12 everybody had their best season Because of What D12 brings 2 the table His great Defense (that no player for the lakers has the ability 2 play) ,led the league in rebounds again & the double teams which gives shooters open shots & if u are a nba player u shouldnt be in the nba if u cant make open shots..Kobe had his best FG% ( Which is always terriable every year BC he shoots 7-27 every night, killing the chemistry of the team which why espnnba has the lakers 12th in the west, his FG% is the worst among superstars ), Blake had a career year, & who knows why Pau & D12 were playing at the same time SMH DTony. Who wouldnt want to leave that disaster can’t wait to see Doc & CP3 working together will be special
That looks like my dog ate ten different posts on ten different NBA blogs and threw it all back up.