NBA Preview

    The 2015-16 NBA season is upon us and there are many questions to be answered.  Will Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors repeat as champions or will LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers win the title?  Will new additions to the aging San Antonio Spurs help the team return to the playoffs?  Will Karl Anthony-Towns, the first pick in last year’s NBA draft, lift the Minnesota Timberwolves out of last place?  And will the Clippers again defeat the Lakers in the battle for Los Angeles?

The Golden State Warriors finished in first place last season and won the title.  Leading the Warriors to the championship were Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, and Andrew Bogut.  The Warriors have a strong chance to finish high in the standings again this season and repeat as the NBA champions.  The Cleveland Cavaliers were last season’s runners-up and appear to be the Warriors biggest threat again this season.  If LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving can all stay healthy, this could the year that Cleveland wins the championship.

The San Antonio Spurs are old!  They are currently the oldest team in the NBA with an average age of 30.8 years and have the second oldest player, Tim Duncan, who is 39 years old.  For this season they have added All Star LaMarcus Aldridge to their core of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard.  Even though they are old, the Spurs have a phenomenal team and a very good chance of winning the title.

The future looks bright for the Minnesota Timberwolves.  The team finished dead last in 2014-15 but were rewarded with the first pick in the summer draft.  The Timberwolves selected center Karl Anthony-Towns from the University of Kentucky.  Towns led his team to last season’s college basketball championship and actually has an imaginary friend named Karlito.  Towns should average about 3 blocks per game and give the Timberwolves an edge on defense this year.  The team is young but can now pair Towns with last season’s Rookie of the Year, Andrew Wiggins.  Playmaker Ricky Rubio and veteran Kevin Garnett round out the Timberwolves.

Los Angeles’ local teams are going in the opposite directions.  The Clippers currently have a record of 4 wins and 0 losses while the Lakers have a record of 0 wins and 4 losses.  The Clippers are currently tied for first place in the Western Conference and feature All Stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin as well as center DeAndre Jordan.  The Lakers are currently tied for last place in the Western Conference and feature 20-year veteran Kobe Bryant, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and rookie D’Angelo Russell.  The Clippers have a chance to be this season’s best team while the Lakers have a chance to be this season’s worst.