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Washington Wizards Preview: Bradley Beal & John Wall Have to Get Along
The Washington Wizards are coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs, haven’t really improved their roster, and it seems like their two best players, Bradley Beal and John Wall, really don’t like each other.
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Utah Jazz Preview: Playoffs or Bust
After four consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs, including one very close call in 2016, the Utah Jazz did the necessary changes in the offseason to put the team in an even better position to compete, adding Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw and George Hill to their core of Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors.
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Toronto Raptors Season Preview: DeMar DeRozan & Kyle Lowry Trying to Win an Unlikely Championship
After making the franchise’s first ever conference finals, there’s only one step further for the Toronto Raptors, hoping that the team built around DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, with all of the financial limitations it presents, can actually change what seems to be impossible to alter in the East.
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San Antonio Spurs Season Preview: Kawhi Leonard Taking Over Completely
Last season, the San Antonio Spurs did everything right, and still ended up with nothing. It could very well happen this year, although an improved Kawhi Leonard, a more comfortable LaMarcus Aldridge and the addition of Pau Gasol will hopefully prevent another early playoff exit at the hands of an inferior team.
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Sacramento Kings Season Preview: DeMarcus Cousins Stuck in No Man’s Land
The Sacramento Kings enter another season with no apparent plan, or at least not the right kind of players to execute their long term strategy. There’s DeMarcus Cousins, who is probably the only player on this roster the Kings know they want for the long run. Or maybe they want to trade him?
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Portland Trail Blazers Season Preview: Riding the Lillard-McCollum Train in Full Force
The Portland Trail Blazers did a remarkable job of bouncing back after losing all but Damian Lillard from their starting lineup, promoting the more than ready C.J. McCollum, and surrounding them with players who complement their strengths and weaknesses. Can you make a championship team out of this?
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Phoenix Suns Season Preview: The Point Guard Abundance Problem
As the Phoenix Suns enter the new season, it seems difficult to define what they want from this season. Devin Booker, Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight give them a terrific backcourt to rely on, while Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss are the frontcourt hopefuls they’ll try and develop. But what’s the short term goal here?
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Philadelphia 76ers Season Preview: Drowning in Big Men, Considering Tanking Again
Two questions need answering by the Philadelphia 76ers as the head into the 2016-2017 NBA Season: Should tanking continue to be their strategy, and out of their big men crop that includes Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Dario Saric, who should stay and who should leave?
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Oklahoma City Thunder Season Preview: Russell Westbrook Saving Franchise From Rebuilding
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened the offseason with a huge blow, losing the franchise’s best player since moving from Seattle. Russell Westbrook not demanding a trade and extending his contract saved the team from beginning a rebuilding process.
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Orlando Magic Season Preview: Trying to Finish the Endless Rebuilding Era
It seems that the Orlando Magic have been rebuilding since Dwight Howard left the team four years ago. This season, with Serge Ibaka arriving alongside Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green, joining the likes of Evan Fournier and Elfrid Payton, the goal has to be about more than improving on the win column.