NBA Handicapping Articles

2016 Houston Rockets Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

What a mess last year was for this team. They got Kevin McHale fired early in the season, they limped through the rest of the season, and they barely limped into the postseason. The only aspect of their game that was truly at a high level was the childish whining of the now departed Dwight Howard. Very few guys can make being a giant, delusional baby look as easy as he did last year.

2016 Sacramento Kings Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

The Kings are burdened by a truly awful owner - a guy completely lacking in self awareness and willing to meddle in anything he wants to. He's a disaster, and the revolving door of coaches lately is just one symptom of the issues. Hiring George Karl was a horrible decision, but luckily it didn't last long. Now they have finally made what could be a very good idea. Because the front office in Memphis suffers form their own kind of insanity, they decided to fire a good coach in Dave Joerger.

2016 Dallas Mavericks Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

The Mavericks won a title in 2011. You can never take that away from them. They did it because the great Dirk Nowitzki was their best player, and they had built well around him. Nowitzki has always been a joy to watch, and I'll cherish every chance I get to see him from now until the end of his career.

2016 Denver Nuggets Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

Being a Nuggets fan requires, I'm sure, a lot of patience. At least there is hope, though - something that has been in short supply lately. They have a very solid coach in Mike Malone, a solidly deep frontcourt, some very promising guards, and a generally solid mix of talent. They don't have a superstar at this point, but they have guys with high ceilings and lots of room to improve. They are very, very young, though.

2016 Phoenix Suns Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2016

Last year showed fans of the Suns how dangerous hope can be. Coming into the season it seemed like Phoenix could be poised to take a big step forward and maybe even make a push for the playoffs. They had closed out the last season strong, and they had a good mix of youngsters and veterans with a coach in Jeff Hornacek who seemed dialed in to the needs of the team.

2016 San Antonio Spurs Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/4/2016

It's going to be very odd seeing the Spurs without Tim Duncan in the lineup. He has been wearing that distinctive uniform, and winning titles, for nearly half my life. But now he has moved on. He hasn't been as effective on the court recently as he was in his prime, but he was still more than solid. More significantly, he was the face of the franchise on and off the court. It's definitely not going to be a fatal blow - there is no such thing as a fatal blow for this team as long as Gregg Popovich is still in charge.

2016 Los Angeles Clippers Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/4/2016

The Clippers are the Clippers. Sadly, that's not nearly as good of a thing as it should be. They have had a Big 3 since before that was cool, but they have never been able to seal the deal - or even seriously threaten to seal it, really. They haven't been tough enough mentally or resilient enough physically. Doc Rivers the coach is solid enough, but he should really press ownership to fire Doc Rivers the President of Basketball Operations - that guy's a liability who isn't giving the coach the tools he needs to win.

2016 Golden State Warriors Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/3/2016

The Warriors. A truly great team that had two bad weeks to finish off the playoffs last year. Some teams would regroup, lick their wounds, make some minor tweaks, and hope for better next time out. That's what Cleveland did, and they wound up with a title last year. Not Golden State, though. Not at all. Instead, they went out and added one of the three or four best players in the NBA to what was already the best roster in the league.

2016 New York Knicks Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/30/2016

This, once and for all, is our chance to see if Phil Jackson still has anything left in the tank. He's perhaps the best coach of all time, but his time in New York has left a lot to be desired. It has left everything to be desired, really. He has made a boatload of big moves this summer and really invested in a vision. So, could this all work out great and we could see this team win 55 games and host a playoff series or two? Absolutely. But could they completely self-destruct, win 30-some games, and be thoroughly and utterly embarrassed? No question about it.

2016 Milwaukee Bucks Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/30/2016

Two years ago the Bucks won 41 games and were the sixth seed in the playoffs. It seemed like they were a team on the rise, and they had plenty of momentum heading into last season. Then they crashed into a wall. They won just 33 games last year and spent much of the season floundering. Is it even remotely possible that just maybe having Jason Kidd as your coach isn't a great idea? Who could possibly have seen that coming?

2016 Orlando Magic Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/30/2016

The head coach's office in Orlando surely has a revolving door. If it doesn't then it really should. Up until Feb. 5 of last year Jacque Vaughn was in charge, as he had been for three very unspectacular seasons. When he left, assistant James Borrego was made the interim coach, and eventually given the rest of the year.

2016 Philadelphia 76ers Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/30/2016

Last year this team was tanking. They proved to be very good at it. Few squads have ever been better, really, but then few have ever had so many years to practice. Now they aren't likely to be good, but they are going to be playing at their full capacity, and they are finally clearly building towards something.

2016 Brooklyn Nets Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/30/2016

I checked with my editor, and it turns out I can't get away with an eight-word preview. If I could then it would be easy - The Nets have no talent and no hope. Unfortunately, I need about 100 times more length than that. Here, I go, then, finding ways to stretch out what is inevitable and obvious and hopefully make it somewhat interesting. Rarely has anyone been given a tougher task.

2016 Washington Wizards Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2016

Two years ago the Wizards won 46 games and looked like a team on the rise. They were a No. 5 seed in the playoffs that year, and it was popular to pick them to finish higher than that last year. Things didn't turn out that way at all. They finished .500 - five fewer wins than the year before. More significantly, they just weren't good. Defense was a foreign concept - only the Nets and Sixers allowed more points per game in the East, and those teams were really bad. They were just a mess.

2016 Chicago Bulls Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2016

It wasn't much of a year for the Chicago Bulls last year. They didn't play great, their new coach didn't exactly shine, and they didn't seem to care about their fate. It would have been sad if you were a fan, and it was just annoying if you only care about good basketball. We're not the only ones that noticed, either, because the team dramatically overhauled the roster this offseason. It's a totally different squad that hits the court this fall. But is it any better? And is this version going to play with any more passion than the listless bunch from last year?

2016 Detroit Pistons Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/28/2016

The Detroit Pistons went 44-38 last season. That's hardly anything to get excited about - just three wins better than .500. Unless, of course, you consider that it was the first time the team had managed a winning record since 2008. This team, which was once so dominant and relevant, has contributed nothing to the fabric of basketball for most of a decade.

2016 Charlotte Hornets Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/26/2016

Michael Jordan. Best player ever. Basketball, not baseball. There is no debating that. As an owner, though? I'll generously give him an "incomplete". This is the guy who drafted Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison, and who hasn't done nearly enough to make us forget that just yet. He's also the guy who led his team to a 7-59 record in 2012.

2016 Miami Heat Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/22/2016

It's going to be strange watching the Miami Heat this year. For the first time since 2003, Dwyane Wade isn't at the core of this team. He shocked many by not blinking when the Heat tried to get him to take a cheaper deal than he felt he was deserved. Instead, he headed home to Chicago to presumably finish out his career. The team needs to find a new heart. That's not the only change by any means, which we will address further later on.

2016 Atlanta Hawks Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/22/2016

Times have officially changed in Atlanta. They made a good run the last few years but were never quite good enough. Now Al Horford has bolted in free agency and Jeff Teague has been shipped out of town, so the core of that contender is gone and we are dealing with a whole new team here. It would be tough to argue that this is a better team than they had in their recent glory days. The question, though, is whether this is a good enough team to make the playoffs and potentially do a little damage when they get there.

2016 Boston Celtics Predictions and NBA Futures Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/22/2016

The Celtics have a plan, they are faithfully working that plan, and they are inching closer to elite status. They haven't panicked and made bad moves. They hired a great coach, let him do his thing, built a mostly young team around him, and had the patience to let him develop that team. Now they are no worse than the third best team in the Eastern Conference - though no better than the second best.