When Will the Warriors Lose or the 76ers Win?

The Warriors Continue to Dominate

After beating the Denver Nuggets 118-105, the Golden State Warriors are now 15-0 and have tied the record for the best winning streak to start the season. They will likely set the record against the Lakers tomorrow. The Warriors are still the best team in the NBA, and Stephen Curry is still the MVP.

The Warriors have earned their place in history. They played a few close games, but each time, they managed to stay ahead and seal the victory. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies, a solid team, by 50. They came back from 20 down to beat the Clippers, and they beat the Rockets at home by 20. Seeing as their upcoming schedule isn't very strong, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Warriors stretched their win streak to 20.

What makes the Warriors so dangerous is that their roster is full of so many good players. Curry is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league, and Klay Thompson was an all-star last year. Draymond Green is one of the most versatile players in the NBA. Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala are both good NBA forwards. And the Warriors are even deeper than that. Head Coach Steve Kerr still hasn't returned. The Warriors will obviously lose at some point in the season, but it could take a while.

The 76ers are Still Winless

The Philadelphia 76ers are the opposite of the Warriors. Having just lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-95, the 76ers are 0-15. The Timberwolves held off the Sixers at the end to come away with the win. The Timberwolves hadn't won at home until they hosted the Sixers.

It is unbelievable how utterly pathetic the 76ers are. They have stripped away almost all of their talent and the results have not been surprising. From making the playoffs in 2012 to losing more than 60 games in 2014, their demise has been very rapid. So what could have caused them to fall so quickly?

The terrible Dwight Howard trade in 2012 set the 76ers back immensely. Two of the players they gave away were Andre Iguodala and Nikola Vucevic, and the main piece they got was Andrew Bynum. That didn't work out so well. Bynum left after one season in which he played no games due to injuries. Vucevic has become a solid player for the Orlando Magic, and Iguodala is still playing well in Golden State. But after one bad season, they decided to look towards the future, so they traded nearly everyone good on their roster.

Why are they not trying harder to win sooner? They could end up winning in a few years, but they are destroying a fanbase. They didn't need to trade all of their good players. A couple of smart moves could have made them a good team again.

First Impressions of the 2015-16 NBA Season

The NBA is back! Every team has played so far, and this season looks to be exciting. Some teams and players have especially stood out, in both good and bad ways.

As one of only six undefeated teams remaining, the Pistons have impressed. They could be a surprise playoff team this year, but they also could end up being this year's version of last year's Kings. They have been winning with defense, holding their opponents to under 95 points in each game. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep things up. Their win against the Bulls was an encouraging sign.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have also yet to lose a game, and Karl-Anthony Towns has been a monster, scoring efficiently, rebounding well, and blocking shots. He and Andrew Wiggins might one of the best duos in the league someday.

There are also a lot of teams that still haven't won a game yet. The Rockets and Bucks have stood out in particular. The Bucks have been blown out twice, including a 25 point loss to the Knicks. The Rockets have played terribly, losing all of their games by exactly 20 points. Ouch. Both teams had big offseason acquisitions in Ty Lawson and Greg Monroe. However, they are likely still adjusting to having a new star on the team. The Pelicans are another team that is 0-3, but they had to face the Warriors twice, and Steph Curry scored 93 points in those games.

Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are great players on offense and defense. Both players are working on adding to their offensive skill sets. They have started shooting threes. I personally hope both of them continue to shoot threes and succeed at it so all basketball fans can enjoy the NBA even more.

I am really excited to see how the rest of the NBA season unfolds. We'll find out soon enough how things will shape up.

The Western Conference Keeps Getting Tougher

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Clippers signed Josh Smith, adding another quality rotation player to improve their depth. The Clippers are no longer the same team as they were last year, also having added Paul Pierce to help prevent moments like this:

The Clippers now have solid depth, and are now in the upper tier of contenders in the west. After the Josh Smith signing, it looked like there were going to be only four elite teams in the west next year. San Antonio, Golden State, Oklahoma City, and now the Clippers. That is not the case anymore.

Yesterday, the Houston Rockets agreed to a trade with the Denver Nuggets for Ty Lawson while giving up almost nothing in return. The first round pick next year is nice, but it probably will be in the mid 20s. None of the players the Rockets gave up were rotation players. Nick Johnson might be the best player the Nuggets got.

What the Rockets have really needed the past couple of years was a point guard that could take pressure off of James Harden to run the offense. The Rockets also like to have as many shooters as possible to space the floor. It's safe to say Ty Lawson is a good fit in Houston. His stats show that he is a good NBA point guard offensively. While he isn't an amazing scorer, he can effectively get points inside and outside. He's also an excellent playmaker. Defense might be a problem, but the Rockets have tons of quality defenders to help with that.

The Rockets and Clippers might not improve too much on their win totals from last year because the other top contenders will be as good or better next year. However, both teams have helped turn the west into a race with five teams that have a legitimate shot of winning. The Spurs, Warriors, Thunder, Clippers, and Rockets form an exciting group of teams that should make the regular season and playoffs very interesting to follow. It's hard to leave out the Grizzlies, but they haven't addressed their needs very well. Unless Vince Carter has a good bounce-back year and their big three improves next season, it's hard to see Memphis being one of the elite teams in the west.

The NBA definitely needs to change the playoff format more than just seeding teams 1-8 regardless of division leaders. Seed the teams 1-16 based on record, regardless of conference. Or at least something close to that. Do we really need crappy teams in the playoffs? Two excellent teams will face each other in the first round in the Western Conference next season. In the Eastern Conference, there likely won't be more than five teams that win 50 games.

It'll be fun to see how the west unfolds. It might be like last season, with four teams fighting for home court on the last day of the regular season. The east will be more competitive this year, but it still falls short compared to the west.

NBA Free Agency: Worst Signings

At this point in free agency, there probably won't be any more new contracts worth over $10 million a year. Plenty have been handed out, but some were questionable.

ESPN free agent tracker

Amir Johnson to the Celtics, 2 years/$24 million

I don't really see why Amir Johnson is worth an eight-figure salary. He isn't a great scorer and doesn't grab tons of rebounds. He's a solid defender, but there still isn't much to like about this deal.

Iman Shumpert re-signs with the Cavaliers, 4 years/$40 million

It seems like the Cavaliers love Shumpert's potential, because his stats aren't very impressive. He's a good defender but doesn't have much offensive value.

Brook Lopez re-signs with the Nets, 3 years/$60 million

Lopez is skilled offensively and solid defensively, but is not a good rebounder. If he stays healthy, this could be a decent signing, but he has had two season ending injuries in the past four seasons.

Thaddeus Young re-signs with the Nets, 4 years/$50 million

While Young is a talented offensive player, he's a below average shooter and rebounder. He is good at getting steals, however, and might provide good value on defense.

Brandon Knight re-signs with the Suns, 5 years/$70 million

The Suns paid Brandon Knight like Eric Bledsoe, but Knight is clearly worse. He's a good scorer but not a great playmaker, and his defense is worse than Bledsoe's.

Lou Williams to the Lakers, 3 years/$21 million

This wasn't a big overpay, but the Lakers signed another volume shooter in Lou Williams to go along with Nick Young and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers will have to trade Williams or Young, or else it'll hinder the development of Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell.

Reggie Jackson re-signs with the Pistons, 5 years/$80 million

Jackson can pass very well, but he'll need to improve his defense and outside shooting to justify his new deal. He might not play well with Brandon Jennings, which could be a big problem.

NBA Free Agency: Biggest Signings

The NBA free agency period began on July 1st. Many of the biggest names have already agreed to new deals. Some of the best players available switched teams. I've provided a link to ESPN's free agent tracker down below.

ESPN free agent tracker

The following big-name players stayed with their current teams for a reasonable price:
Paul Millsap, 3 years/$59 million
Khris Middleton, 5 years/$70 million
Goran Dragic, 5 years/$90 million
Kawhi Leonard, 5 years/$90 million
Danny Green, 4 years/$45 million
Jimmy Butler, 5 years/$90 million
Kevin Love, 5 years/$110 million
Draymond Green, 5 years/$85 million
Dwyane Wade, 1 year/$20 million
Marc Gasol, 5 years/$110 million
Damian Lillard, 5 years/$120 million extension
Anthony Davis, 5 years/$145 million extension

These notable players agreed to a reasonable contract with a new team:

DeMarre Carroll to the Raptors, 4 years/$60 million
The Raptors will have to spend a lot of money to get DeMarre Carroll, but he's a very valuable player that can shoot and defend well. He might get good minutes at both forward spots.

Tyson Chandler to the Suns, 4 years/$52 million
Tyson Chandler will help a team that should contend for a playoff spot next season. Markieff Morris could be traded, so the Suns will have to get another power forward that can shoot to play alongside Chandler.

Paul Pierce to the Clippers, 3 years/$10.5 million
The Clippers now have a player in Pierce that is good in crunch time and has championship experience. A good bargain for the Clippers.

Arron Afflalo to the Knicks, 2 years/$16 million
Afflalo is a quality shooting guard that will help the Knicks a lot. He's one of many new players that look to help New York make the playoffs.

Monta Ellis to the Pacers, 4 years/$44 million
Ellis is a volume scorer but also a very good passer and playmaker. He'll provide a lot of offense to a team that needs it.

Greg Monroe to the Bucks, 3 years/$50 million
The Bucks now have a good center who plays well on offense. Monroe isn't a great defender, but there will be a lot of good defenders around him.

Robin Lopez to the Knicks, 4 years/$54 million
The Knicks gave a lot of money to Lopez, but he's valuable on both offense and defense. I expect the Knicks to win a lot more games next year.

Wesley Matthews to the Mavericks, 4 years
3-and-D players are valued very highly now in the NBA, and Matthews is one of the best of them. The Mavs will have to pay him lots of money, but he should be a great replacement for Monta Ellis.

Rajon Rondo to the Kings, 1 year/$9.5 million
I wouldn't be surprised to see Rondo leave after one season in Sacramento. If he does well next year, he could earn himself a big contract. The Kings probably won't be contending for the playoffs next year.

DeAndre Jordan to the Mavericks, 4 years/$80 million
The Mavericks found a fantastic replacement for Tyson Chandler. However, he'll need playmakers around him to succeed. Dallas will have to find another point guard.

LaMarcus Aldridge to the Spurs, 4 years/$80 million
The Spurs just became much stronger and scarier with the addition of Aldridge. He will become the new franchise centerpiece along with Kawhi Leonard to begin a new era with the Spurs.

David West to the Spurs, 1 year/$1.5 million
The Spurs didn't stop with Aldridge. They got David West, a solid veteran, to help them for next season. San Antonio has made sure that it will stay in the race for the championship.

NBA Draft Recap

Yesterday, 60 young and talented basketball players heard their names called by Commissioner Adam Silver during the NBA Draft. As always, there were some surprises. Here are my thoughts on some of the first round picks:

1. Minnesota Timberwolves select PF Karl-Anthony Towns

This was the obvious choice, as Towns has potential to be a dominant two-way player for years to come. Minnesota could be a really fun team to watch in the next few years, with Andrew Wiggins as well.

2. Los Angeles Lakers select PG D'Angelo Russell

D'Angelo Russell was a bit of a shocker, but I think it was the right move. Kobe will retire soon, so it's a good idea to find his possible replacement now. And the Lakers can also pair Russell with Jordan Clarkson.

3. Philadelphia 76ers select C Jahlil Okafor

Jahlil Okafor was the best player left, so it wasn't a bad idea to take him. But it creates a problem because the 76ers will have to trade at least one of Okafor, Joel Embiid, and Nerlens Noel. The Phoenix Suns' three point guard experiment only lasted half of the season.

4. New York Knicks select PF Kristaps Porzingis

Knicks fans were so rude when they booed Porzingis' name being called. This guy could be a real stud for many years. However, he's more of a project than an immediate contributor.

5. Orlando Magic select SG Mario Hezonja
The Magic made a good pick with Hezonja, because he is a great shooter, and at 6'8", can play small forward. If Tobias Harris can shift to power forward if he stays, or Aaron Gordon can play the 4 if Harris leaves. Either way, the Magic have improved a very solid core.

6. Sacramento Kings select C Willie Cauley-Stein
This was not a good pick. Emmanuel Mudiay was available, and they went for Cauley-Stein. He's not a bad player, but he's a bad fit with DeMarcus Cousins. As a great defensive player, he'll help, but he won't provide much offensive value unless he develops a jumper. The Kings could trade Cousins, though.

7. Denver Nuggets select PG Emmanuel Mudiay
The Nuggets found their point guard of the future. Ty Lawson should be headed to another team, so this pick is great. Mudiay's jump shot needs to improve, but he'll provide value anyways.

8. Detroit Pistons select SF Stanley Johnson
The Pistons could've opted for Justise Winslow, but Johnson is a better shooter, which explains the decision. Johnson doesn't have much downside and will be a good starter.
Stan Van Gundy might regret not taking Winslow if Johnson doesn't pan out as well.

9. Charlotte Hornets select PF Frank Kaminsky
Drafting Kaminsky was another strange pick. Charlotte likely would have been able to trade down to get him, and they probably shouldn't have taken him in the first place. They needed a wing player who can shoot, and Devin Booker and Justise Winslow were available. The Hornets also recently traded for Spencer Hawes, who does a lot of the same things as Kaminsky.

10. Miami Heat select SF Justise Winslow
This was a fantastic pick. He's a high-upside, athletic defensive player. If the Heat can keep Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic, they should be able to make the playoffs, possibly with home court advantage. I was very surprised Winslow fell to number 10.

11. Indiana Pacers select C Myles Turner
Myles Turner will be a very good starting center if his positives outweigh the negatives. Roy Hibbert needs a change of scenery, so Turner is a good replacement. However, there is some risk attached, and he could be a big bust.

12. Utah Jazz select PF Trey Lyles
The Jazz made a good choice by taking Trey Lyles. He doesn't knock down treys yet, but is a solid mid range shooter. He is a very good fit with Utah.

13. Phoenix Suns select SG Devin Booker
The Suns could use more shooting, and Devin Booker will give them that. He isn't a high upside player, but he is a solid pick for Phoenix.

14. Oklahoma City Thunder select PG Cameron Payne
Cameron Payne could be OKC's next Reggie Jackson. He isn't as athletic as Jackson, but is a better shooter. He should be able to contribute to a contending team.

16. Boston Celtics select PG Terry Rozier
The Celtics messed up. Rozier likely would have been available at 28 or 33, and the selection just doesn't make sense. He's good defender, but not a good shooter or playmaker. They already have Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart, so why did they take Rozier?

18. Houston Rockets select SF Sam Dekker
Dekker could be a steal for the Rockets. The only problem is that they already have a lot of talented forwards that could hinder his development. They could have taken a backup point guard such as Jerian Grant, but trading away players is an option.

22. Chicago Bulls select PF Bobby Portis
This was another possible steal, but just like the Rockets, the Bulls will need to find minutes for him. He's tall and spaces the floor with shooting, and is also a solid defender.

23. Portland Trail Blazers select SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (traded to Brooklyn Nets)
If he can develop a solid jump shot, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will be an excellent player. He does lots of things very well and could be one of the biggest steals of the draft.

28. Boston Celtics select SG R.J. Hunter
While Terry Rozier was a bad pick, R.J. Hunter was an excellent pick for the Celtics. He's an incredible shooter who's tall, but needs to get stronger and might not be a great defender. However, he has a lot of potential.

30. Golden State Warriors select PF Kevon Looney
The Warriors didn't need someone who can contribute now, so Kevon Looney is a good pick. Like R.J. Hunter, he needs to get stronger, but is a great rebounder and has lots of potential as a stretch 4.

NBA Draft Preview

The NBA draft is only five days away. It will be interesting to see what happens, but right now, it's all speculation. Here is my lottery mock draft:

1: Minnesota Timberwolves select C Karl-Anthony Towns
The Minnesota Timberwolves will most likely either Towns or Jahlil Okafor. Towns has more two-way potential, which is why Minnesota should take him. He can also play power forward, which is another plus.

2: Los Angeles Lakers select C Jahlil Okafor
The Lakers have always won with big men, from George Mikan to Pau Gasol. Okafor gives the Lakers a center they can pair with Julius Randle. The big question with them is whether they will be able to defend and space the floor with good jump shooting.

3: Philadelphia 76ers select PG D'Angelo Russell
D'Angelo Russell is someone that the 76ers might actually keep. He is a great shooter and passer, and definitely has potential to be one of the best guards in the league.

4: New York Knicks select PF Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis is a power forward that can shoot threes, a play style that fits very well in today's game. He probably won't be the next Darko Milicic, who shot under 60% from the free throw line and attempted six threes in his career.

5: Orlando Magic select SF Justise Winslow
Tobias Harris is the team's current starting small forward, but he's also a restricted free agent, and could leave in the summer. Winslow is a solid shooter and very athletic. He is a good defender, and very capable of replacing Harris.

6: Sacramento Kings select PG Emmanuel Mudiay
The Kings don't have a big hole at point guard, but Mudiay is better than Darren Collison. Mudiay needs to work on his shot, but he should still be a good player.

7: Denver Nuggets select SG Mario Hezonja
Shooting guard is currently the weakest position the Nuggets have. Hezonja is a great shooter with lots of confidence and potential, and would help the Nuggets a lot.

8: Detroit Pistons select SF Stanley Johnson
Team president Stan Van Gundy loves shooters, and Johnson is solid at that. He's an athletic player that could start next year.

9: Charlotte Hornets select SG Devin Booker
The Hornets desperately need three-point shooting. Devin Booker is a three-point specialist but doesn't do too much else. With Lance Stephenson gone, he'll either start or back up Gerald Henderson.

10: Miami Heat select C Willie Cauley-Stein
The Heat need depth, and adding Cauley-Stein helps. If Hassan Whiteside leaves in a couple years, Cauley-Stein would be a good replacement.

11: Indiana Pacers select PG Cameron Payne
The main thing the Pacers need is scoring. Payne is a good scorer, shooter, and playmaker. He can provide a lot of help to an Indiana team looking to make the playoffs.

12: Utah Jazz select PF Frank Kaminsky
Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are excellent defensive players, but neither is a good shooter. Kaminsky has a great shot and post game and would likely succeed in Utah.

13: Phoenix Suns select C Myles Turner
The Suns could use a center, and Myles Turner has potential to be a good starter if he pans out. He's a good midrange shooter that provides value offensively.

14: Oklahoma City Thunder select SF Sam Dekker
Already a title contender, the Thunder need someone who can contribute right away. Dekker is a big wing player that can score very well inside the three-point arc. His biggest issues are inconsistent shooting and inability to create shots, but he's a smart player.