1. The Heat and Thunder will be the top seeds heading into the playoffs
Sorry to start the list off with this one, guys, it's pretty boring. The Heat and Thunder have been the class of their respective conferences for a couple years now, and I really don't see that changing. The Heat will almost certainly be wire-to-wire winners of the East, while the Thunder may have to fight it out with the Spurs and Clippers. Still, I expect Kevin Durant and co. to end up as the number 1 seed in the West going into the playoffs.
2. LeBron James will win another MVP Award
My notes for this list actually had "Durant as MVP", but the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that LeBron will take home the hardware. He's the best player in the world, he's putting up ridiculous numbers and his team hasn't played their best ball yet. Watch LeBron improve his game as the playoff push heats up, and watch him run away with the MVP votes.
3. Damian Lillard will win the Rookie of the Year Award
One of my few pre-season predictions that actually looks good at this point. Lillard has seamlessly transitioned to the NBA, has shown a great ability to run the pick-and-roll and as of today has the Blazers in the playoff picture. Not bad for a guy who was suiting up for Weber State last year. Anthony Davis missed a chunk of time early in the year, essentially handing over top-billing for this award. I say Lillard holds on and wins it.
4. The league is WAY better with Rasheed Wallace around
This one's pretty simple: Rasheed Wallace is super entertaining. I'm sure you've seen this, but Sheed's reaction to the missed free-throw is just too good. You're right, Rasheed, the ball indeed don't lie.
5. The Washington Wizards will end up with the worst record in the league
They stink. Even when they get John Wall back, they'll still stink.
6. Rudy Gay will be traded
Boy, Rudy Gay sure has been in the news a lot. There's this whole Suns business. Then there's the Kings thing. And for good measure, the Raps are even mixing it up. I don't know where he'll end up, but it sure seems like the Grizzlies want to move him, and I tend to agree with Memphis' thinking. Gay is a nice player, but he is due a ton of money over the next couple seasons, and Memphis sorely lacks outside shooting. The 'when' and 'who' are still big questions, but it seems certain Gay will be moved.
7. Andrew Bynum is the all-time most entertaining player to never play a minute
I've never said this about a player before, but at this point I hope Andrew Bynum misses the whole season. Not because I dislike him or anything, but because if he ends up not playing a single minute, he will sit through one of the most ridiculous regular seasons a player has ever had. Of course, there's the whole bowling injury thing, which was weird enough. But where Bynum has really excelled in 2012-13 is his hair game. Enjoy the following pics:
Unparalleled, Andrew.
8. The Utah Jazz will make the playoffs, while the Portland Trail Blazers will fall out of contention
This is based purely on my distrust of the Blazers. I just plain don't like this Portland team, and—while I'm not in love with the Jazz either—someone has to take their spot in the playoff mix. Up until recently I thought the Lakers would still make the playoffs, but I'm starting to worry about them. So, I'll take the safer bet, and take the Jazz over the Lakers for the 8th spot in the West (never thought I'd write that sentence this season...).
9. The Los Angeles Clippers will not make the Western Conference finals
The Clippers are a really good team. They have depth, athleticism in the post, and an unbelievable point guard. But the West is just so damn good. I mean would you pick them in a 7-game series against the Spurs? The Thunder? The Grizzlies even? They'll have to make it through at least one of those teams to make it to the conference finals, and I'm just not sure they can.
10. The Pacers will make a run at the Eastern Conference finals*
This one comes with a caveat, as evidenced by the use of "...will make a run", and the use of the asterisk. The Pacers are really good, albeit boring, and match up well against pretty much any team in the East. I think they can do some damage, but here's the big thing for them: if they can avoid Miami in the first few rounds, I think they'll make the conference finals; otherwise, they'll be bounced early. Kind of a weak one to end the list on, I know, but how many other people are (kind of) picking Indiana to go that far, huh?
LeBron getting better as he heads into the playoffs? That certainly wasn't the case in the past, but we can hope that he has matured to the point that he can carry the team when it needs it most.
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