The NBA playoffs are always incredibly entertaining. The great teams rise to the top, and end up trotting out some unreal series every season. This year will be no exception. I mean, who doesn’t want to watch Kobe, Steve Nash and Dwight Howard take on Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in a 7 game series, am I right? A revenge-fuelled Celtics team squaring off against LeBron and the defending champs? Yes, please.
But it’s not just the deep-end of the playoffs that make for entertaining basketball in the NBA. Every year, there are some bad teams, some teams that never threaten to make it particularly deep in the playoffs that end up being super-fun to watch. Here’s a break-down of 5 squads that could emerge as 2012-2013’s top not-great-but-entertaining team.
New Orleans Hornets
Key Additions: Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon
Why they’ll be entertaining:
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| Eric Gordon makes the 2012-13 Hornets way more watchable |
I included Gordon on the key additions list because he played in only 9 games last year. Simply by having him healthy, this team becomes way more fun to watch. Gordon can both hit from range, and slash to the rim with the best of them. Add to that Ryan Anderson (who will hit a ton of 3s) and Anthony Davis (who will take his first steps towards super-stardom) and this team has the potential to score both from the wing, and in the post. I’m most interested in Rivers though. Duke tried to run him at point guard last year for a while, to little success. The Hornets may also give him some looks at point, and if he can learn to facilitate—and in doing so stop focusing on creating shots for himself—the Hornets could bring some life to some otherwise bad-sounding regular season games. Oh, and Anthony Davis should get a bunch of big swats... and that’s always entertaining.
Why they could just be bad:
Davis’ offensive game is a work-in-progress, according to just about everybody. The Hornets will definitely try to get him involved, and if he struggles for extensive periods of the year, the team could really stall. Likewise, Rivers could revert to his old ways, and slow the entire offense down if he focuses on creating his own shot.
How they’ll end up:
They won’t make the playoffs, but there’s a great amount of young talent here. I’m worried about Davis’ offense, but there have been some good results in the preseason. If he continues to score as we get to the regular season, the Hornets could end up being a good watch more often than not.
Milwaukee Bucks
Key Additions: Doron Lamb, Monta Ellis
Why they’ll be entertaining:
I have some hopes for Doron Lamb this year. He’s a bit of an underrated facilitator, and could end up playing a relatively big role for the Bucks, after a nice collegiate career at Kentucky. Like the Hornets’ Gordon, Ellis is still considered a new addition in my books because he played in only a handful of games with the Bucks last year. Ellis and incumbent point/ shooting guard Brandon Jennings are both shoot-first combo guards, and Ellis is playing in a contract year. In their short amount of playing time together last year, Ellis and Jennings were the highest scoring pair of guards in the league. Sounds promising. Both should provide their fair share of highlights, with an emphasis on wild drives towards the rim, and deep 3s. Meanwhile, Ersan Ilyasova plays a role seen on a handful of other teams in the league: the tall, white, European deep threat.
Why they could just be bad:
Outside of Ellis, Jennings and Ilyasova—and maybe Lamb—the Bucks really don’t bring that much excitement to the table. The potential Samuel Dalembert/ Drew Gooden/ Joel Przybilla rotation down low, for example, really doesn’t sound that dazzling.
How they’ll end up:
This is a tough one to call. They’ll probably end up fighting for one of the last couple playoff spots in the East. They'll be fun. First-round playoff exit, at best.
Philadelphia 76ers
Key Additions: Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson, Nick Young
Why they’ll be entertaining:
Bynum is the best back-to-the-basket scorer in the game. Even if the low-post game isn’t your favorite thing to watch, Bynum makes it look good. As for Richardson, you know what you’re going to get at this point in his career: 3s, and the occasional awesome dunk. That’s definitely entertaining. Young should provide some great out-of-control jumpers, which are always good, but the most interesting player on the 76ers might be Evan Turner. Turner will be trying to replace Andre Iguodala in a lot of ways, and his scoring will come down to his jump shot, and how much he developed it this summer. He’s a talented slasher, and if he can consistently hit the mid-range jumper, he’s a great compliment to Bynum.
Why they could just be bad:
These guys probably won’t be bad, but they definitely won’t compete for the championship. They’ll probably end up in the playoffs, but their success depends on Bynum’s health. He’s coming off of his healthiest season, sure, but there are already health concerns. Also, they acquired Kwame Brown, which is never good.
How they’ll end up:
First or second-round playoff exit.
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| Evan Turner should play a big role with the 76ers this year |
Golden State Warriors
Key Additions: Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Richard Jefferson, Carl Landry
Why they’ll be entertaining:
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| The Warriors are hoping to avoid this scene |
Bogut was part of the Monta Ellis trade, and didn’t play a minute for the Warriors last year. While not particularly exciting per se, Bogut at least ads a tiny bit of name recognition, and some defense. Name recognition is all you get from Richard Jefferson at this point in his career, though. Carl Landry is interesting, based on potential, and, while he has been underwhelming so far in the preseason, Harrison Barnes’ game may end up translating better to the NBA than it did to the college game. David Lee is also fun to watch, as he’s got that undersized low-post thing going for him. But—and you’ve heard this a thousand times—Golden Sate’s success rides on the health of guard Steph Curry. If he’s healthy, the Warriors will rely heavily on his silky-smooth jump shot, which is just beautiful to watch.
Why they could just be bad:
As mentioned, Curry’s health is a big question mark (he’s already been shut down for the rest of the preseason, for precautionary reasons), and if he misses a chunk of the season, this team really suffers. And I mean suffers both in terms of the standings, and in sheer watchability.
How they’ll end up:
The West is so deep, it’s hard to imagine the Warriors can keep pace with everyone and make the playoffs. If Curry plays the majority of the year, they have a shot at the postseason; if not, they could be headed for the draft lottery.
Atlanta Hawks
Key Additions: Lou Williams, Devin Harris, Kyle Korver, Anthony Morrow
Why they’ll be entertaining:
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| Lay-up! |
A lot of people will see that they lost Joe Johnson, and write this team off a bit. But, this Hawks core went 15-10 without Johnson, so it’s not like they’re going to be terrible. Josh Smith is in a contract year, and that usually mean a big season. He’s coming off a career-best 18.8 points-per-game and will provide his fair share of huge dunks this year. Devin Harris is also in a contract year, and while he’s declined the last couple seasons, he’s only 3 seasons removed from averaging 21.3 per. Harris and fellow new addition Lou Williams will try to provide scoring from the guard positions. Meanwhile, Korver will certainly shoot a lot of triples.
Why they could just be bad:
Al Horford is primed to take on a bigger role this year. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice player, but he has mid-range, 6’10 center-type game. Which is to say, he plays away from the basket, below the rim, is fairly slow, and is just not overly entertaining. Not to mention, he’s coming off a season in which he only managed to suit up in 11 regular-season games.
How they’ll end up:
I think the Hawks will be a playoff team, but not one that goes very far. They have a good enough team to finish in the top-8, but not to compete with the best in the Eastern Conference.
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