Russell Westbrook definitely has a chance for an even more stratospheric season in terms of statistics and is mentally prepared to lead the franchise on his own. The first season since Kevin Durant left for Oakland, the Thunder executives have sought to compensate for the loss of their star, as much as possible. They’re weak in defense and in points in paint, which does not bode well for the team this season. Cliff Alexander (Orlando), Gerald Henderson (Philadelphia) and Chris Kaman are leaving, while Festus Ezeli (Golden State), Shabazz Napier (Orlando), Greg Stiemsma and Evan Turner (Boston) will wear Oregon’s jersey. Since they are too dependent on their star point guard, Damian Lillard, and guard CJ Collum, the Blazers have been fairly active in trades. They’ll make the playoffs and could aspire to be one of the four best teams. We are expecting a lot from their stronger team, in a conference where every game is a battle. Trevor Booker (Brooklyn) and Trey Burke (Washington) are their biggest losses. To boost their fight for the playoffs, the Salt Lake City team has added top-notch veterans like Boris Diaw (San Antonio), George Hill (Indiana) and Joe Johnson (Miami). The Jazz have a starting lineup including a trio of tall players (Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert), who are not only talented, but who still have their best days before them. They will have a tough time making the playoffs. ![]() Veteran players (Gallinari, Faried and Chandler) will have to carry the weight of the game with talented young players Emmanuel Mudiay, Jusuf Nurkic and especially, Nikola Jokic expected to grow. They’ll need to keep injuries at bay and find a spot for Murray and Beasley in the rotation. The top new players came from the draft, with Jamal Murray (Kentucky), Malik Beasley (Florida State) and former student Juancho Hernángomez. Only DJ Augustin (Orlando) and Joffrey Lauvergne (Oklahoma City) left. The Colorado team held onto the core of its roster. Now veteran player Ricky Rubio will have a litmus test to see if apart from his assists and steals, he’s capable of improving his shooting, which hasn’t measured up since he started in the league. ![]() The Timberwolves will have to compensate for the offensively young team with the experience of its two stars, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. In their place are Cole Aldrich (LA Clippers), Jordan Hill (Indiana), Brandon Rush (Golden State) and rookie Kris Dunn (Providence). ![]() The Minneapolis team has seen little change over the summer break, although they did lose legendary Kevin Garnett, who retired, as well as Damjan Rudez (Orlando) and Tayshaun Prince, among others. Will the Cleveland Cavaliers repeat as champions this season? We’ll have to wait for the answer to this and many other questions during this exciting season. Here at we will go over the changes in the teams from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, as well as their outlook for the season. So much so that the 30 franchises are now deeply immersed in the 2016/2017 preseason.
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