Don't Sleep

NOTE: Hey guys. I apologize for the lack of content over the last month or so, it has been very hard to balance my social life and school and I have not had any good content to write about. I am all about quality over quantity so that is another reason I haven’t just put out an boring bad article every week. Thanks to the loyal readers who have still been visiting the site.

    The NBA season is upon us and year by year there are teams that come out of nowhere and shock the world. Whether it is just making the playoffs, knocking off a top seed, or perhaps making a run for the title, a sleeper team is one that captures the interest of basketball fans everywhere. That leaves us with the question, who are these years sleepers in the Western Conference?

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves come into the 2016-17 season with high hopes, expectations, and potential that I am almost certain they will live up to. They are not a sleeper to me because lots of people have the Wolves in the playoffs, but I have them competing for a title this season. With the progression of Karl-Anthony Towns staying on track, he can become one of the NBA’s truly premier players with another stellar year in his sophomore campaign. For the rest of the team, I feel that the Timberwolves got a total steal with Kris Dunn at the number 5 overall pick in this years draft, he is going to be a major difference maker for this team. Also, expect a big jump in the production of Zach LaVine who I really think will start to blossom as a super solid player.

Prediction: Timberwolves earn 5th seed, defeat Clippers in 7 games, lose to Warriors in 6 in the semifinals.

Utah Jazz

 George Hill is going to have way way way bigger of an impact with this Jazz team than anyone would’ve thought. The Jazz last season were derailed by injuries in one hand, and the lack of veteran leadership in the other. George Hill doesn’t just bring that leadership to help mentor players like Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert, but he is also maybe the most underrated player in the entire NBA. But less on George Hill, this is a complete team in Salt Lake City. Expect Gordon Hayward to be top 10 in scoring this year, which will give the Jazz a go-to guy, they have an defensive stopper and inside presence in Rudy Gobert, a very good all-around big in Derrick Favors, a good point guard in George Hill, the James Harden remix in Rodney Hood, and don’t forget maybe the best bench in the league and a great coach in Quin Snyder. This Jazz team has a chance to be special.

Prediction: Jazz earn the 3 seed, take down the Blazers in 5, shock the Spurs in 7, and lose to the Warriors in 6 in the Western Conference Finals.

Dallas Mavericks

    Never count out Dirk and crew. Most people are coming into this season under the assumption that the Mavericks are too old and don’t have enough talent to make it to the playoffs, however, I’d beg to differ. Harrison Barnes is going to consistently be cast under the pall created by his miserable performance in the 2016 NBA Finals, but expect a fresh start for Barnes, where he will average north of 20 PPG as he finds himself and Dirk being the go-to guys in Dallas. Also, you can’t ignore Andrew Bogut, whose playmaking abilities and defense makes him very valuable to this team.   

Prediction: Mavs get the 8 seed, however get swept by the Warriors.

Come back next week for the Eastern Conference!