The NBA season is days away and a lot of intrigue going into this season. LeBron in L.A., Kawhi in Toronto, Ayton/Bagley III/Doncic looking to dominate the league and D-Wade's last ride. I will go through each team and give a recap of last season, have a question for each team going into the new season and give my opinion. Also, I did not put stats in, because of the rush on this.

BOSTON CELTICS

The Celtics came that close to making the Finals. And they will be stacked in depth heading into the new season.

Question: Are the Celtics the team to beat in the East?

Answer: They can be, if Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward can be healthy. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Terry Rozier filled in nicely during the playoffs. The Celtics have the riches of depth on their roster.....and Kyrie announced to the Boston crowd that he wants to be there in the long haul. Will it happen?

BROOKLYN NETS

The Nets' season was uneventful. DeAngelo Russell looks like he can be a superstar. Spencer Dinwiddle was a gem for the Nets.

Question: Can the Nets be competitive again?

Answer: Give GM Sean Marks credit. He is assembling a team that could be competitive again. The Kenneth Faried trade was a good trade, because he is an energy player that the Nets needed. They can challenge for the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. That is a big challenge for them.

NEW YORK KNICKS

The Knicks were not good, AGAIN! Porzingis suffered a season ending injury and let Jeff Hornacek go. (Hornacek looked out of place there, my opinion) and hired David Fizdale as coach.

Question: Are the Knicks the laughingstock?

Answer: Not at all. If Porzingis can recover from his injury, he will be fine. I like their young nucleus of Porzingis, Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, and Emmanuel Mudiay. If Fizdale can develop that young talent, the Knicks will be a good young team.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

The 76ers proved that" The Process" finally paid some dividends in beating the Heat in the first round. They did lose to a well stacked Celtics team.

Question: Can the 76ers be a Finals contender?

Answer: They can be......but Joel Embiid, who likes to talk a lot, can be healthy. Ben

Simmons, the ROY, can stay healthy. Markelle Fultz, the #1 pick in the 2017 draft, can be healthy.......and progess.

TORONTO RAPTORS

The Raptors had the best record in the Eastern Conference going into the playoffs. They were swept by the Cavaliers in the second round. Their head coach, Dwayne Casey (who won coach of the year in the NBA) was let go. And they traded their franchise player, DeMar DeRozan to get a disgruntled player in Kawhi Leonard.

Question: Are the Raptors a threat the playoffs?

Answer: They can be. Letting Casey go wasn't the greatest move ever. Kawhi can equal the scoring with defense. Kyle Lowry, Jonas V and Serge Ibaka can create match-up problems for other teams.

CHICAGO BULLS

The Bulls were what we thought were........young, exciting, but not playoff ready yet. Lauri Markkanen made the All-Rookie First Team. Kris Dunn improved a lot and Zach LaVine showed promise. Signing hometown product Jabari Parker and drafting Wendell Carter Jr. adds more young talent onto this roster.

Question: Will the Bulls be a playoff contender?

Answer: Not yet! The matching of the offer sheet for Zach LaVine was awkward, so hopefully both sides can be less awkward for the next four years. Markkanen adds long distance shooting as a 7-footer. Parker could play both forward positions really well, when healthy. Carter Jr. looks promising during Summer League. Coach Fred Hoiberg could be heading into the season on the hot seat, but if the Bulls improve like everyone expects, he should be fine.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

The Cavs made to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season.....with LeBron carrying them and they lost to the Warriors. And LeBron left for L.A. So the Cavs are now Kevin Love's team. But are they really?

Question: Can the Cavs survive without LeBron?

Answer: It could happen, but the salary cap hell that the Cavs are in doesn't do them any favors. Collin Sexton was a genius pick for them, because they needed a point guard to replace Kyrie Irving. Hopefully, the youngsters like Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. can play a role on a team that desperately needs their role players to shine.

DETROIT PISTONS

The Pistons made a bold move in trading for Blake Griffin, but still missed the playoffs. SVG is out and Dwayne Casey is in and can help the team develop.

Question: Are the Pistons in no man's land as everyone would say?

Answer: I think Casey will develop the young players that they have like Luke Kennard and Stanley Johnson. Andre Drummond had a better season than he did in 2016-2017. Having Griffin alongside him could elevate both of their games.

INDIANA PACERS

The Pacers were the surprise team in the NBA last season. The Paul George trade went in their favor, in my opinion. Victor Oladipo became a star and Myles Turner continues to improve into one of the best young centers in the league. They made the playoffs, only to be bounced by the Cavs in the first round, but the future looks bright in Indiana.

Question: Is Indiana a playoff team or was last season a mirage?

Answer: I think the Pacers can continue their progression as a playoff team. Oladipo, Turner, Domantas

Sabonis, Aaron Holiday and T.J. Leaf make up a good young core for the Pacers' future. Signing Tyreke Evans could be a game changer for the Pacers.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

The Bucks were a middle-of-the-pack team that could something special Giannis Antetokounmpo continues his rise as an MVP candidate, that needs more from his teammates. Mike Budenholzer is in as head coach, which should be an upgrade. The Bucks should be in the top of the Eastern Conference with an energized roster, a new coach and a spanking new arena, the Fiserv Forum.

Question: Will the Bucks be near the top of the Eastern Conference, as you slightly stated up above?

Answer: It could happen. Giannis will continue to improve. Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon are not superstars, but good complimentary pieces for the Bucks. Thon Maker has shown flashes of his potential and the drafting of Donte DiVincenzo adds a scoring punch that the Bucks seem to lack off the bench. All in all, the Bucks have that potential to overtake Boston and Philadelphia as the top team in the East.

ATLANTA HAWKS

The Hawks were bad as expected. There were even times that Commissioner Adam Silver actually warned the team about tanking. Mike Budenholzer is gone as head coach. Their point guard of the future, Dennis Schroder, is now in OKC. The Hawks did make a splash in the draft acquiring Trae Young......which leads us to this question.

Question: Is Trae Young the franchise player the Hawks are looking for?

Answer: They obviously think so. Young does have a flair for the dramatic and surprised everyone in college basketball last season with his historic lone season at Oklahoma. He is the franchise player by default, because the Hawks really don't have anyone else. John Collins and Taurean Prince are good young pieces and hopefully, Alex Len can finally develop into a solid center that everyone hoped for.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS

The Hornets, again, on paper looked like a playoff contender. The Hornets, again, underachieved and missed the playoffs. This caused owner Michael Jordan to clean house in the GM and head coaching positions. Trading for Miles Bridges in the draft might be a genius move for them. And Tony Parker will definitely freak everyone out by just wearing a uniform that doesn't say SPURS on it.

Question: Should the Hornets just blown up the roster when they had the chance?

Answer: Honestly, yeah. I mean, if your roster can't improve during a couple seasons, you would have to make some changes. Kemba Walker is their biggest star with Nic Batum and Jeremy Lamb as his more capable scoring teammates. The rest of the roster, again, looks promising, but I've been saying that for three seasons now.

MIAMI HEAT

The Heat made the playoffs with the return of the prodigal son, Dwyane Wade. Unfortunately, Hassan Whiteside did a disappearing act during the first round and the Heat were bounced. Wade has come back for one last hurrah and the Heat look to send him off with a championship run. I was being serious about that that last statement.

Question: Are the Heat an in-between team?

Answer: This team will be fired up for D-Wade, meaning that they are a playoff team. Their young core of Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo can develop into solid role players and hopefully, Whiteside's issues during that series are resolved.

ORLANDO MAGIC

For the sixth straight season, the Magic failed to make the playoffs. This caused Frank Vogel to get the axe as head coach as Orlando continues to recover from the uninspiring Rob Hennigan era.

Question: Is there any hope for the Magic?

Answer: Oh, there is hope. Evan Fournier is turning into a capable scorer for them. Locking up Aaron Gordon was a must, considering Gordon was in the conversation for Most Improved Player. Drafting Mo Bamba is promising as he had the biggest upside entering the draft. Jonathan Isaac also has upside, but needs to improve his shooting. The rest of the roster is not that promising. Looks like another long year is ahead for the Magic.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

The Wizards took a step back last season, in my opinion. John Wall and Bradley Beal are still one of the best backcourts in the NBA. The Wizards added Dwight Howard to man the center position and traded for Austin Rivers for some needed scoring. This team is another bubble team, if you will. Hopefully, these acquisitions can improve this once flourishing squad.

Question: Is the door closing on the Wizards?

Answer: Again, hopefully Howard and Rivers can be instant help for them. I think they need a third scorer to go alongside Wall and Beal. Otto Porter is good, but not $22 million per year good. The rest of the roster really isn't that stacked, so Washington will again be a bubble team.

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