SneakerReporter Top 30 NBA Teams: #12 Portland Trail Blazers

SneakerReporter Top 30 NBA Teams: #12 Portland Trail Blazers

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We’re at 12 days on our countdown to the NBA Season, and today we got a first look at the new Brooklyn Nets square off against the Lakers in China. Staying on track, however, today we’re discussing our twelfth spot on the SneakerReporter Top 30, the Portland Trail Blazers.

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12. Portland Trail Blazers: Can Portland the momentum of last season’s Playoff run to blaze through the competition once again?

Portland is coming off quite an impressive season last year; a season in which they ranked 3rd in the Western Conference with a record of 53-29. They also had an impressive run in the NBA Playoffs, with a convincing 4-1 first round victory over the Thunder, and grueling yet exciting 7-game series against the 2nd seed Denver Nuggets, only falling to the 1st seed Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. The Portland Trail Blazers have solidified themselves as a strong contender in the Western Conference, and they believe that this is the year that they’ll seriously contend for this year’s title.

The Trail Blazers have revamped their roster in hopes of surrounding their core in Lillard and McCollum. They managed to add some very solid players from around the league, most notably Hassan Whiteside, Kent Bazemore, and Pau Gasol. For years the Blazers have been looking for a third scoring option and this year have many different options in terms of scoring the ball. All the additions that the Blazers made are solid offensive options, which is scary for other teams. It was rare for opposing teams to shut down both Lillard and McCollum in the same night, and only to add more options for scoring will make things more difficult for teams on the defensive side of the floor. Speaking of defense, the Blazers have also upgraded on the defensive end of the floor by adding Hassan Whiteside into their rotation. Also adding Pau Gasol and Kent Bazemore, the Portland frontcourt has also become a problem, in addition to their already dangerous backcourt. They’ve added a lot of length and size during their off-season, which is something that the organization had last season as well, but perhaps were seeking to rebuild the supporting cast.

Although this Blazers team appears dangerous on paper, the issue is on the intangibles of the game. They lost 7 players on their roster through trades and signings, and have obtained six new players. Despite acquiring more veteran talent, it still may take some time for this team to truly come together and really make a Playoff push. The Blazers will really have to establish an identity this season, considering that they’ve essentially made a lot of moves to both their starting five and bench players. Realistically, however, it seems that the Blazers, mostly in part by franchise point guard in Damian Lillard, excels in rallying his team together, so there really may not be much to worry about for the Blazers this upcoming season.

Personally, I’m excited to see this team play. This Blazers backcourt has been something to watch ever since they’ve entered the league, and it seems as if they’re only getting better. The team overall has made very big strides in terms of overall ability, but the biggest obstacle lays in front of them, in a very stacked Western Conference. I can’t see the Blazers not making the Playoffs again this season, but it goes without saying that it’ll be even more difficult to get through all the way to the Finals.

 

 

Oct 11, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #14 Indiana Pacers

SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #14 Indiana Pacers

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We’re down to 14 days until the NBA Season officially commences, and we’ve gotten a taste of what some of the NBA teams are capable of during the preseason. Next up, however, at number 14, we’ve gotten the Indiana Pacers.

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14. Indiana Pacers: Will Indiana stay on pace for the NBA Playoffs?

The Pacers last season was a force to be reckoned with. They finished 5th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 48-34, making an early first-round exit to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Playoffs. Over the course of the off-season, the Pacers made a decent amount of roster changes, having players with sign with other teams as well as the announcement of point guard Darren Collison’s retirement.

In regards to the acquisitions the Pacers made over the off-season, they’ve brought on notable players around the league in hopes of filling the voids that were made with those who decide to leave. Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon found himself in Indiana off a sign-and-trade, which really is an upgrade for the Pacers roster. Despite losing Bojan Bogdanovic to the Jazz, they’ve managed to pick up TJ Warren, TJ McConnell, and Jeremy Lamb as well, bolstering the roster with solid guards.

Despite the additions the Pacers have made, the most important part when talking about this team is the core that they have created in Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, and of course, Victor Oladipo. The Pacers and Pacers fans unfortunately saw Oladipo go down fairly early in the season, to which he would sit-out the year. Despite his absence on the court, the team managed to make the Playoffs, and although they did in fact not get passed the first round, with a healthy Oladipo, the Pacers are set on coming back stronger than years prior. With the core of the team that they have, and the additions of players that can play a good supporting role for the team, the organization is perhaps even scarier than last season.

Having said that however, it’s only right for some sort of skepticism to be had. It is without question that the Pacers have some very good players on their team, but they may be lacking in experience. The Pacers roster is filled with notable names as we’ve previously stated, but these names are also very young, with the oldest player on their team is 30-year old Justin Holiday. We as NBA fans can only speculate at this time, but soon enough we will see how the team stacks up against the rest on October 22nd.

Oct 10, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #13 Toronto Raptors

SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #13 Toronto Raptors

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We’re officially less than two weeks, 13 days, out from the NBA Season and we’ve been getting our fair share of pre-season basketball so far. 10 teams went into battle today in some very exciting games. However, we’re moving onto our 13th spot on the Sneaker Reporter NBA Top 30, the Toronto Raptors.

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13. Toronto Raptors: Can the 6ix reassert themselves as reigning NBA Champions?

 

 

The Toronto Raptors came off a historic season last year, earning their first NBA Championship in league history. The off-season for the Raptors was not as great, however, losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to the Clippers and Lakers, respectively.

Despite having slight roster changes this off-season, it heavily impacts how the roster operates, especially due to the fact the Leonard held the biggest effect on the organization. This does not, however, mean that the Raptors are not in a position to succeed this upcoming season. With a very successful breakout season for Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, there seems to be a lot of potential upside for the organization. Also with the addition of newly acquired players such as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson, the Raptors hope to fill the scoring void with a multitude of different options. Although there seems to be some overhang on the organization of Leonard and Green leaving, most seem to forget that the roster is still very solid without them. Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, and Kyle Lowry are all very good players in their respective roles, and without Leonard in the line-up are given more opportunities to lead their team to victory.

Realistically, it’s hard to replace a franchise player, especially if that player is Kawhi Leonard. His abilities on both ends of the floor is what really separates him from a lot of other players in the league. So although the organization has made many additions in hopes of carrying that load, it’s hard to expect immediate success for this team. Losing Danny Green is a bit of a harsh blow as well, losing efficient scoring off the bench as well as an overall vocal leader for the team. It will be interesting to see, nonetheless, to see who on the Raptors roster steps up to try and fill the shoes of two players anyone would love to have on their respective team.

Looking at the big picture of this entire organization, the Raptors are still a very good team. It goes without saying, however, that their odds in repeating themselves as NBA Champions has decreased a fair amount. It should also be said that this doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s no chance we’ll see the Raptors contending for the title, for it seems almost certain that they can at least make the Playoffs again this year. Whatever the case may be, the Raptors have many young players that they can and should focus on developing if they won’t to put themselves in a similar position as they did in the 2018-2019 season.

Oct 9, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #15 San Antonio Spurs

SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #15 San Antonio Spurs

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We’re officially at the halfway point for the SneakerReporter NBA Top 30, which means we’re 15 days away from the NBA Season kicking off. Next up on our lis, at the halfway point, we have the San Antonio Spurs.

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15. San Antonio Spurs: Can the new era Spurs be just a dominant as the eras of old?

The San Antonio Spurs had themselves a solid season last year, placing 7th in the Western Conference at 48-34. They unfortunately made an early 1st-Round exit in a grueling 7-game series against the Denver Nuggets. The Spurs are hoping to take the motivation of last year and expand on it by building upon their Playoff push.

For the most part, the Spurs roster has fairly remained the same. The organization has made minor additions such as Demarre Carroll from the Brooklyn Nets, alongside a other names such as Trey Lyles, Luka Samanic, and Quinndary Weatherspoon. Despite not having the biggest names on their roster other than the obvious DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rudy Gay (to name a few), the Spurs are well-known for fitting players into their scheme, maximizing their styles of play within the offense. These veteran names that have been stated are expected and more than likely to do well this upcoming season, all the while the Spurs are hoping for more breakout seasons for their younger players such as Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker, and Derrick White.

As previously stated, the Spurs are hoping for their newly acquired players to fit into their scheme to ultimately make the Playoffs once against this upcoming season. One thing me personally, and most NBA fans, are interested in seeing is how Tim Duncan impacts the team as an Assistant Coach, particularly for the Spurs’ bigs, specifically LaMarcus Aldridge. There is potential for Duncan to help expand on Aldridge’s already decently all-around game. With Duncan’s help, we as NBA fans could be seeing a new form of the Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan trio in Mills, DeRozan, and Aldridge, with Gay on top of it. If the team happens to really mesh well this season, Spurs fans should have much to be excited about for the season to come.

If this season goes as the Spurs and Spurs fans want it to go, there’s a strong chance that we’ll see the Spurs as one of the middle seeds in the Western Conference for the NBA Playoffs, perhaps reaching another 50-win season. This would very much be an impressive feat for a team that is located in a very stacked Western Conference. We’ll all be excited to see how the season unfolds for Gregg Popovich and San Antonio.

Oct 9, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #16 Dallas Mavericks

SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #16 Dallas Mavericks

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We’ve approached the Sweet 16 of the SneakerReporter NBA Top 30, and with that we’re 16 days out from the NBA season. Today we’ve witnessed the Los Angeles Clippers face off against the Shanghai Sharks, in a convincing 40-point win by the Clippers. Without going too into those teams however. we’d like to focus on today’s topic of discussion, coming in at number 16, the Dallas Mavericks.

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16. Dallas Mavericks: With the Mavs be able to trample the competition with their new core?

The Dallas Mavericks have turned the page on the Dirk Nowitzki era (this, like Dwayne Wade, still hurts me too), and have found their new core in 2nd year player Luka Doncic and the previous 4th pick in 2015, the Unicorn himself, Kristaps Porzingis. The organization has made small (for lack of a better word) changes in the roster by adding players such as the two 7 foot 3 inch bigs in Porzingis and Boban Marjanovic. The Mavericks went 33-49 last season as the 14th seed in the Western Conference during what became to be the Dirk Nowitzki Farewell Tour. There were no real hopes to make the Playoffs for the organization last season but are hoping for that to change as they’re shifting focus to their young European duo.

Looking at the Mavericks roster, they have a very strong core with solid role players that surround them. Tim Hardaway Jr. has seemed to find a place for himself after leaving New York, alongside other notable guards J.J. Barea and Seth Curry. It goes without saying that this team should have no issues on the offensive end, and are hoping to make themselves more sound defensively from this point on. This is where Boban Marjanovic comes in. Marjanovic has bounced around the league during his 5 year stint so far, and is hoping to make an impact for the Mavericks roster in the paint. Boban has been one of the more physically imposing players we’ve seen in this league for quite some time now, and is hoping to let that be known this upcoming season, crashing the boards and running to the rim off screens. The game plan for this roster can and may just be as simply as letting the guards and wings shoot and have your two bigs, whether it be those stated or Kleber and Powell, crash the boards. Doncic and Porzingis both seem to be very excited to get the season started, as they should be. The two are expected to great things together, and with the pieces that they have surrounding them, they might just be able to do so.

Like most teams that are ranked in the middle of our list, I see the Mavericks in the Playoff race this upcoming season, fighting for position until the very last game. The main thing that keeps them from making the Playoffs, however, is the quality of play the Mavericks will have when the starters are not on the floor, which will only be known over the course of the season. Although Mavericks fans surely feel a void within themselves by not seeing #41 on the floor every night, they have much to look forward to come October 22nd.

Oct 7, 2019 No Comments