What team do you expect to defy expectations the most?

[76ciology]

Yeah, I hope Nets won't be that bad for the sake of the sanity of their fans who's morale seems to be at the ultimate low right now.

[snoopdogg88]

At the risk of sounding like a homer - Sixers

People still have us pegged as the worst team in the league. I could see 30 wins.

[3baller9]

I'm glad you brought that Suns team into a conversation. To me the best comparison to that Dragic team is this year's Dragic team. For the first time since his arrival in Miami he will have all the freedom in the world.

The starting five of Whiteside IMO 5 Center, Winslow who even this early in his career is one of the best wing defenders and was better (at defense) than Deng was last year for the Heat, Richardson another great defender one of the best shot blocking guards who in 29 games led the league in 3pt% after the all star break (53,3% on 3.1 attempts) and with Dragic running the show this team could win 45 games this season.

Even if Bosh doesn't play this team has enough capable players to put around those 4.

Babbitt- averaged 10ppg after the all star break (at 27 he could find his spot in the league as a stretch 4)
Tyler Johnson - tough hard working kid who really wants to prove to the world he is worth that contract he just signed, will probably play as a backup PG/SG
Waiters- was a 6th men on a team that almost played in the finals
James Johnson - started 32 games on a 56 wins team and was starting during Torontos largest 11 games winning streak
Williams- in 80 games for the Knicks played 18mpg and averaged 9.3ppg (like Babbitt he was allways a tweener but in this small ball NBA he could become a solid player)
McRoberts- was a starter in Charlotte when they won 43 games and played well for the Heat before he got hurt but could not find his shooting stroke last season
Ellington- veteran shooter
Reed- very good shot blocker and rebounder should prove to be a solid backup
Udrih- veteran PG

After Cleveland Toronto and Boston the East is wide open and this Miami team could surprise alot of people.

[bwgood77]

I'm glad you brought that Suns team into a conversation. To me the best comparison to that Dragic team is this year's Dragic team. For the first time since his arrival in Miami he will have all the freedom in the world.

The starting five of Whiteside IMO 5 Center, Winslow who even this early in his career is one of the best wing defenders and was better (at defense) than Deng was last year for the Heat, Richardson another great defender one of the best shot blocking guards who in 29 games led the league in 3pt% after the all star break (53,3% on 3.1 attempts) and with Dragic running the show this team could win 45 games this season.

Even if Bosh doesn't play this team has enough capable players to put around those 4.

Babbitt- averaged 10ppg after the all star break (at 27 he could find his spot in the league as a stretch 4)
Tyler Johnson - tough hard working kid who really wants to prove to the world he is worth that contract he just signed, will probably play as a backup PG/SG
Waiters- was a 6th men on a team that almost played in the finals
James Johnson - started 32 games on a 56 wins team and was starting during Torontos largest 11 games winning streak
Williams- in 80 games for the Knicks played 18mpg and averaged 9.3ppg (like Babbitt he was allways a tweener but in this small ball NBA he could become a solid player)
McRoberts- was a starter in Charlotte when they won 43 games and played well for the Heat before he got hurt but could not find his shooting stroke last season
Ellington- veteran shooter
Reed- very good shot blocker and rebounder should prove to be a solid backup
Udrih- veteran PG

After Cleveland Toronto and Boston the East is wide open and this Miami team could surprise alot of people.

Yes, the Suns were a huge surprise, but like I said with the Knicks, that Heat team has far better players (other than Bledsoe) around Dragic than the Suns did...Whiteside far better than Plumlee and makes up for half season of Bledsoe, Winslow probably as good as Tucker this year and perhaps much better, and Richardson better than Green. If you DID have Bosh, he's like Frye on steroids, and the perfect type of player for Dragic to play with being the primary ball handler. McRoberts could probably do basically the same thing Frye did...then you throw in Waiters as sixth man they could be in the mix...most teams in the east can make some sort of case.

[Prokorov]

I think Chicago is a playoff team which many don't. I also don't think the Hawks fall as far as a lot of people have them, I still think they're 5th seed at worst.

i think most people have chicago as a top 4 seed. id be suprised if they fell short of 50 wins

[j-ragg]

At what point do we stop the annual saying of "if Derrick Rose can even get to some part of his talent from 2011" ... He isn't that player anymore.

As for a team to do better than people expect I'll say Dallas. Everyone seems to be dismissing them. But I think it was Chuck said it best. He said we don't go to the playoff every year because of our youth or talent, it's because we have vets who know how to win.

Which I guess also explains why people don't pick them a lot. Not the sexy pick to make it in but I think they will.

[j-ragg]

I think Chicago is a playoff team which many don't. I also don't think the Hawks fall as far as a lot of people have them, I still think they're 5th seed at worst.

i think most people have chicago as a top 4 seed. id be suprised if they fell short of 50 wins

I disagree I think most I've seen have the Bulls a really low seed or missing the playoffs.

[Nowitness]

Minnesota has arguably the most young talent in the league and a coach that's never won less than 45 games in a season, wouldn't shock me if they actually made the playoffs.

[Def Swami]

OKC and Miami if Bosh plays the full season.

[bwgood77]

OKC and Miami if Bosh plays the full season.

I wonder if it is announced that Bosh will come back to start the season, how much that would impact the Over/Under Win Total line? What do you think? 10 games? Like 38 to 48?

[Quotatious]

I think Chicago is a playoff team which many don't. I also don't think the Hawks fall as far as a lot of people have them, I still think they're 5th seed at worst.

I agree about both. Bulls have very poor spacing on the perimeter, on paper, but I think Wade is still good, I'm higher on current Rondo than most people are, and Butler is a borderline top 10 player in the league, he's still young, still has room for improvement. Robin Lopez is a solid center, and Mirotic should be improved. I think they'll win 47-48 games if they stay relatively healthy. Should be on a similar level to Miami and Atlanta last year.

Hawks will be fine, too. I actually like Howard/Millsap duo more than Horford/Millsap, I just think Dwight and Paul should have more synergy than Al and Paul, their skill-set is a more natural fit, and Howard will probably be sort of revitalized, better than he was his last two seasons in Houston. I don't think Schroeder's potential is lower than Teague's, it'll be a downgrade this season (probably not a huge downgrade, though), but in terms of long-term potential, Schroeder is just as good as Teague, IMO. No doubt the Hawks will still be a playoff team, around 45 wins.

I think Indiana will be much improved. I'm very high on Myles Turner, Paul George is one of the best two-way players in the league, and Teague is a quality PG. I would say the Pacers will win 52-53 games and they would be my pick for ECF opponent for Cleveland.

[LloydFree]

Teams that will exceed expectations:
Houston - They have a very underrated roster
Memphis - IF they could ever stay healthy, they can beat anyone in the West

Teams that will be worse than expected:
Miami - They will finish with one of the 3 worst records in the East. Mostly on merit, some from tanking.
Portland - Fool's Gold, lightning in a bottle... Nothing good comes from paying Evan Turner and Maurice Harkless 112 million over 4 years.

[Def Swami]

OKC and Miami if Bosh plays the full season.

I wonder if it is announced that Bosh will come back to start the season, how much that would impact the Over/Under Win Total line? What do you think? 10 games? Like 38 to 48?

I'd imagine so. Folks seem to be really down on Miami, but I actually think they could be better than they were last year if Bosh plays the full season and they fully commit themselves to playing at a faster pace, which Wade wasn't always the most conducive to doing. Without Bosh, they're more likely in the low 30's IMHO. With him, high 40's and maybe even 50 is real.

[bwgood77]

OKC and Miami if Bosh plays the full season.

I wonder if it is announced that Bosh will come back to start the season, how much that would impact the Over/Under Win Total line? What do you think? 10 games? Like 38 to 48?

I'd imagine so. Folks seem to be really down on Miami, but I actually think they could be better than they were last year if Bosh plays the full season and they fully commit themselves to playing at a faster pace, which Wade wasn't always the most conducive to doing. Without Bosh, they're more likely in the low 30's IMHO. With him, high 40's and maybe even 50 is real.

I agree, as good as Wade is, it kind of hurt Dragic to play with another ball dominant guard. When Dragic was third team all nba, he played his best after Bledsoe went down and was playing with Green, and he can strictly do his damage as the sole ball handler and masterful pick n roll/pop game with Bosh (or McRoberts or whoever).

They will in some ways be more fun (at least for me) to watch than with Wade AND Dragic, as crazy as that sounds as they will probably spread the floor better and if that happens, Dragic will play at an all star level, particularly if Bosh plays.

[zeebneeb]

This is a thread to bookmark for sure.

Team I'm expecting to exceed expectations in each conference;

Denver-They could still be a year or two off, but the expectations are low. They could defy those.

Washington-They missed the playoffs last year, and media reports of in-fighting may be exaggerated. No one expects then to do anything. I think they bounce back.

[xNewYorkMadex]

Grizzlies.

Love the Parsons acquisition. Could be an under the radar signing if he stays healthy and continues to produce well. They really needed a swingman that can score, and Parsons can provide that. Conley is obviously severely overpaid, but hes not some type of scrub. He should do better than he did last season. Z-Bo on the decline, but its not like he ever relied on his athleticism. Should still be able to average 15/8 at least. Im also assuming Gasol will be healthy to start the season, and you always know the type of production he will provide. I like their well rounded starting 5. They really need Conley and Parsons to be more aggressive than they normally on offensively though.

OKC is another pick of mine. I expect Westbrook to have a big year. At least top 3 MVP. I also believe Oladipo can get about 19-20 PPG providing solid defense, which would be huge. Im not sure who they have penciled in at SF, but they should look to acquire a 3 and D SF like Trevor Ariza.

Homer pick, but the Knicks as well. Forget about D-Rose returning to all-star form. If he can give us what he averaged last season with better efficiency/consistency and much better defense, I would be ecstatic with that. If KP can average 18 PPG with 8-9 boards with similar stats that Towns put up last season, I do believe the Knicks will be a top 4-5 team. KP and the defese Noah provides will determine how good the Knicks will be.

[Capn'O]

I think Chicago is a playoff team which many don't. I also don't think the Hawks fall as far as a lot of people have them, I still think they're 5th seed at worst.

Hawks are a good one. I think Howard is a much better fit there with Schoeder's readiness being the biggest question.

[og15]

Memphis if healthier will likely be better then many people are thinking because people have probably forgotten about the injury factor. I don't know what the general consensus is about them, but I'm assuming most people don't expect them to be a 50+ win team which they should be.

Houston might not be too bad, I think they might be better then people are thinking at least during the regular season. I don't know what the current expectations are, but I can see them winning about 47 games on the back of their offense.

I don't really know what the general expectations are for teams to necessarily say who will defy them, so I'd need to get a better gauge of that first too.

[nbafan38]

How about the Spurs? They seem to be very under the radar.

[og15]

How about the Spurs? They seem to be very under the radar.

Under the radar maybe, but with very high expectations. Many expect them second or third in the West with at the least 55 range in wins and many expecting another 60+ win season. They are thought to be a solid contender against GS, so I don't know how they would defy those expectations....