I think the Knicks will outperform his current ranking. I think this team has some things going for it that will push them ahead of many of the teams in the middle of the pack from 16 to 25. I think the Defense and Rebounding should improve significantly. The offense will of course be better with Melo and some decent additions. I'm not expecting an offensive explosion, but a decent improvement should help a lot. It looks like this team is going to be scoring more in he paint and drawing more fouls. This Knicks team is actually going to be one of the BEEFIER teams now. I expect to be able to pound the ball inside a bit more. That said, the main thing is going to be how this team can defend and rebound.
16 Utah 38-44
The Jazz are oft-mentioned as a prime candidate to make the leap into the West's top eight, which isn't the craziest idea once you remember how close they actually came last season at 38-44. The key, besides Utah's Rudy Gobert-anchored D, might well be whether Alec Burks' return can offset the loss of Dante Exum.17 Detroit 32-50
I'm reasonably sure Detroit won't start 5-23 again. I'm not nearly as confident Reggie Jackson, freshly furnished with an $80 million contract, is a top-15 PG. Have to give it up, though, to Stan Van Gundy, who does everything with conviction and sure didn't lack for self-belief in his recent podcast visit with Zach Lowe.
18 Dallas 50-32
Dirk Nowitzki is 478 points shy of passing Shaquille O'Neal for sixth place on the all-time scoring list. Anything else good for the Mavs in the wake of L'Affaire DeAndre depends on fast returns to health for Chandler Parsons and Wes Matthews. And a Deron Williams renaissance. And a successful center-by-committee.
19 Indiana 38-44
Maybe I need to ease up on the East some. With Miami, Milwaukee and the makeover Indiana is trying, it should be, at worst, more of a watchable conference than it's been lately. The small and fast Pacers? Not sure if Paul George will warm to power forward or click with Monta Ellis, but it should be good theatre.
20 Charlotte 33-49
In: Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb, Spencer Hawes and, of course, Frank Kaminsky have all been imported since we last saw Michael Jordan's Hornets. Out: Lance Stephenson. So, yes, I'd say they knew they needed more shooting and, with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at the front of the line, have tried to address that.
21 Sacramento 29-53
Gotta go back to 2007-08 for their last 30-win season, but you're starting to hear some "watch out for the Kings" chatter out there. And the edgy nature of the group, with summer signee Rajon Rondo launched into the mix, makes it feel like George Karl's kind of team ... despite some of the legit question marks about fit.
22 Phoenix 39-43
Found it one of the more surprising results from #ESPNForecast: Phoenix did not so much as place in the top five in our Team Turmoil survey. Say what? Markieff Morris is openly pushing for a trade ... and Jeff Hornacek is coaching as a lame duck because the Suns refused to extend his contract. Sounds a bit bumpy, no?
23 Orlando 25-57
Simply hiring Scott Skiles won't instantly transform Orlando into this season's Milwaukee. Immediate improvement is certainly expected, just knowing the impact Skiles is sure to have defensively, but a playoff berth -- even in the East -- is a lot to ask in Year 1 unless Orlando's bevy of Team USA invitees all take a real step.
24 Minnesota 16-66
Comparisons are already in circulation linking these young Wolves, with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, to OKC in its KD-and-Russ infancy. I want to watch Kevin Garnett's swansong as much as anything we see from Sota's long list of intriguing kids, but well-wishes for Flip Saunders are all that matter right now.
9/25/2015 11:21 AM
