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ESPN Releases Projected Records For The 2019 NBA Season

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ESPN Pegs Golden State as Consensus No.1, Boston Not far Behind

In what may come as a surprise to nobody, the Golden State Warriors are projected to win 53.8 games this season. ESPN had recently dropped their projected win totals for all 30 NBA teams. Rounding out the top 3 for the Western Conference is the Houston Rockets, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Eastern Conference shows little surprise as well. The Boston Celtics earned a projected 51.1 wins. With Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving ready to rumble, this team is finally back to full strength. This Celtics team can and will give the Warriors a huge run for their money this season.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors round out the top 3. Both teams are great second tier talents. They just do not have enough to keep up with this dangerous and versatile Celtics roster.

The 2019 NBA Draft Could be Boom or Bust for Boston

One of the biggest implications towards next year’s draft would be the projected record of the Sacramento Kings. They owe Boston their first round pick( number 1 protected) which means that we own the pick as long as it doesn’t land number 1 overall. Sacramento is going in no apparent direction at the moment and appears in all likelihood to be the worst team in the league this year. ESPN has their projected win total set at a league low 25.4 wins. Under the new lottery rules if Sacramento finishes the season with the worst record the No.1 pick would land in the hands of the 76ers. That would be a disastrous outcome for Boston.

This is a stacked draft class this year, as some pretty good freshman can go one and done. Zion Williamson, Rj Barrett, Nassir Little, Cam Reddish, and Bol Bol are all great talents. There are a lot of guys from Duke this year.   Not to mention the Celtics can also take the Memphis Grizzlies’ first rounder as long as it falls outside the top 8. Boston could have as many as four first rounders this year. If disaster strikes they could be handing over their golden pick to the rival 76ers. We shall see in due time.

While this season can and will be something to watch for Boston fans, we still have teams to keep an eye on throughout the season. Be sure to root for Sacramento to be bad, but not THAT bad. Let’s hope Memphis can land somewhere in the back half of the bottom 10 teams. The future of this team looks bright.

LeBron James Set to Meet with Celtics

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Earlier today Stephen A. Smith stated on ESPN First Take that LeBron James will meet with seven teams this summer. One of these teams are the Boston Celtics, a franchise LeBron has routinely terrorized in his distinguished career.

The Top Contenders

The end of LeBron James’s tenure in Cleveland is drawing closer by the day. It is widely speculated that after the conclusion of the NBA Finals this year LeBron will join a new team to finish out his career. The most widely speculated belief is that he will make his way to the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. There he can work under Magic Johnson as a member of one of the league’s most historic franchises. He’d be able to pursue his post-NBA career business endeavors while attracting other stars to LA to continue chasing rings.

The Philadelphia 76ers are another team that have a good shot at employing the king’s services. While the Lakers are situated in the Western Conference among the likes of the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, the 76ers remain in the East with fewer powerhouse teams to threaten LeBron in the playoffs. He is known to be a big fan of ‘the process’, and is close with rookie Ben Simmons. He see’s a lot of himself in the self-proclaimed ‘prince’ of the league. James even believes Simmons has a chance to be better than him.

“You have an opportunity,” James told Simmons early on, “to be better than me. But you can’t skip steps. You have to do the work.”

With LeBron at the helm and so much young talent behind him, he could make a strong run at the title during his final twilight years in the NBA.

Boston

To be clear- the chances of Boston actually signing LeBron are slim to none. However, Danny Ainge having a chance to sit down with James and make his case is a thrilling opportunity.

Financially it would be a very difficult situation to work out. The Celtics are already set to breach the luxury tax for the 2019 season, and currently have two players on max contracts. The team is set to owe Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Al Horford $76 million combined next season. Boston will be $15 million over the cap limit next year, even if they decide to re-sign Smart. In order for a LeBron signing to be feasible, the team would have to re-allocate integral pieces on the bench.

Even if LeBron agrees to take a pay cut, Boston would likely need to shed one of their three major contracts. Meaning either Horford, Irving, or Hayward would have to be moved.

Danny Ainge and the Celtics management group would have to be very creative to make such a contract work financially. It is not impossible, but it is unlikely.

Would Signing LeBron be Worth It?

LeBron James is still the most dominant player in the game today. He is 33 years old and has been in the league for 15 years. In 2018 he averaged some of the best numbers of his career with 27.5 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game. He has three championship rings, three finals MVPs, four MVPs (finalist for MVP this season), and is a 14-time All-Star. The debate has already been going on for years about whether or not he is the greatest to ever play the game.

Adding LeBron James to a team that was one win away from the NBA Finals in a season without two of their All-Stars would undoubtedly make the Celtics front-runners for the championship. He would bring veteran leadership along with other-worldly talent to a roster already bursting at the seams with young potential. Championship aspirations in Boston would be a constant until the end of LeBron’s career.

Given the bright future in store for two of Boston’s younger pieces in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have a unique opportunity to pull off a huge signing and still be set up for long-term success. Add in the draft pick stockpile the team has built, and Boston could find themselves competing for championships long after LeBron retires.

Will LeBron Sign?

Odds are LeBron will not sign with the Celtics this summer. It is a complex situation financially, and no one knows how much interest James has in joining the team. That being said, in the NBA anything is possible. Just getting an opportunity to meet with LeBron is a big step in pulling off what would be the greatest free agency signing the city of Boston has ever seen.

Buckle up Celtics fans, this summer is going to be a wild one.

Boston Celtics: The New Favorites?

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From Ashes to New

The Boston Celtics have overcome adversity with great defense and rebounding. Is this enough for them to be called title contenders?

Just five minutes into the season, All-Star Gordon Hayward went down with a potential season ending injury. The Boston Celtics fought hard against the Cavs in their first game but lost by three. Then they lost the subsequent game to the Milwaukee Bucks. It looked like it was going to be a long season, then something sparked. The team didn’t lose another game after that until November 20th.

As the Celtics went on a sixteen game win streak, their notable weaknesses from last season withered away. Rebounding and defense. As last season limped to an end, centers Al Horford and Amir Johnson were struggling to grab more than six boards a game. It feels like Hayward’s injury forced the team to mesh together quickly. There are only four players from last year’s squad in addition to all these new guys that have helped the Celtics grow stronger. They are playing younger and quicker basketball.

Before the season started, the Celtics were tied for the third best chance to make an appearance in the Finals along with the San Antonio Spurs at 12/1. Since then they have fluctuated, but the odds have gone towards their favor at 10/1. You can follow along with the Celtics odds, as well as betting on the team here.

The Competition

Per usual the Western Conference appears stacked this season. The Golden State Warriors have some competition with the Houston Rockets and potentially the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs might be able to make their usual run as long as the injury bug leaves them alone in the second half of the season. The Eastern Conference looks like a dog fight for second place. For the first time in almost a decade LeBron James’s team is closer to ninth place than first. The Cavs are currently third in the East but are riding six games behind first place. They are also ranked almost last in defense efficiency at twenty-eighth. No team has made the playoffs with a ranking as poor as that.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Eastern Conference is shaping up to be as expected. Teams like Toronto, Washington, and Milwaukee are all within contention of making playoffs. Adversely basement dwellers like New York, Chicago, and Brooklyn are not surprising anyone.

With the All-Star break and trade deadline quickly approaching the Celtics have room to improve. With the disabled player exception under Danny Ainge’s belt this team has options. They could trade for a player or sit comfortably until the buyout deadline. No matter what moves are or aren’t made, this team is a favorite to win the 2018 NBA Finals.