NBA All-Around

The Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals. Again. Cleveland got to the championship and lost. Again. However, this time, things are going to be different. This time, LeBron, the king of the Eastern Conference, the man who has won the Eastern Conference Finals 8 straight times, is in his worst situation yet. LeBron is now 33 years of age on a team whose roster is simply laughable, which means its time for a new team to come to power in the East. Enter the Boston Celtics. Boston has the makings of a championship-caliber team already: stellar management and coaching, a strong and talented core, and a superstar to lead them all in Kyrie Irving. However, they're going to be facing the Golden State Warriors, a team with a core of 4 All-Stars (including 2 MVPs) and some amazing role players. Personally, I think they're a piece away from beating this time and I also think that that piece this offseason is either LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, or DeMarcus Cousins. Wit...

Cleveland is in a tough situation right now. Kyrie Irving has demanded a trade ( and more importantly, he unfollowed LeBron on Instagram ).  The Cavaliers signed Derrick Rose, a former MVP, to a 1-year contract. Maybe they signed him to replace Kyrie, maybe it's just because they needed another point guard. In this article, I'm going to be discussing all of the potential roles that Derrick Rose can play for Cleveland, based on how well he performs next season and also on his health. The Alpha Dog The only way this can happen is if LeBron James has a season-ending injury and Rose returns to MVP form. So basically, it's just not going to happen. Probability: 0.001% The Sidekick (The Second Option) For the past few seasons, Kyrie has been the second option for Cleveland after LeBron.  With Kyrie leaving, can Derrick Rose step up as the starting point guard and the second option? This means that Rose will have to step up every time Le...

Kyrie Irving wants a trade. This news caused Twitter to explode with memes, trade scenarios, and complaints from Cavaliers fans.  Nobody really saw this coming. Not even LeBron. Will LeBron leave Cleveland next offseason? Is he going to go to the Lakers? What about Kevin Love? For now, nobody knows the answers to these questions. The only question whose answer we can speculate about is: Where will Kyrie Irving get traded? Let's find out: 1.Philadelphia 76ers: Kyrie Irving Joins the Process *The 76ers would also include their 2018 First Round Pick In this trade, Philadelphia includes two young big men in Saric and Okafor, and throws in a solid role player in Robert Covington, as well as their 2018 First Round Pick in exchange for Kyrie Irving. This would solidify the 76ers as the NBA's next big team (after the Warriors dynasty comes to an end). However, the only way Cleveland would do this is if they know LeBron is going to leave and they...

In 2015, the Warriors won the NBA Finals and took the Larry O'Brien Trophy home to Oakland. In 2016, LeBron James and the Cavaliers came back from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship for the city of Cleveland. In 2017, the third episode of this historic rivalry will begin on June 1st. Will the team led by arguably the best shooter in NBA history (and 2-time MVP) in Stephen Curry and a prolific scorer (and 1-time MVP) in Kevin Durant prevail? Or will they be offset by one of the greatest players of all time (and 4-time MVP) LeBron James and his partner in crime, Kyrie Irving? Let's find out using  WhatIfSports's NBA SimMatchup Basketball Tool , which allows for simulations of real NBA games, with play-by-play summaries of every single one. Note: This simulation is the outcome projected by the NBA SimMatchup Tool, not my predicted outcome. Game 1 (Oracle Arena) This game had many lead changes, with the score being 58-53 at the half. However, Curry and Du...

Kobe Bryant retired on top, scoring 60 points in his final game . Bryant will go down in history as one of the best scorers of all time, and one of the best players of all time in general. Some say he is the greatest basketball player since Michael Jordan, and the proof is obviously there: 5 NBA Championships, 18 All-Star selections, and 1 MVP award. The only other player who can even touch his legacy as the greatest player of the 21st century is, of course, LeBron James. James is also one of the greatest to play the game, accumulating a variety of accolades, most notably: 3 NBA Championships, 3 NBA Finals MVP Awards, and 4 MVP awards. LeBron has said he is aiming to be better than Jordan , and establish himself as the greatest player of all time. So which of these future Hall-of-Famers is truly going to go down as the best player to step foot on a basketball court since Michael Jordan? Let's settle it by having them play each other in a 7 game series, simulated using WhatIfSpo...

Every NBA team has one player who is the icon, the main man, the leader of that team. For the Cavaliers, it's LeBron James. For the Warriors, it's Stephen Curry. For the Thunder, it's Russell Westbrook. However, what if every NBA team's best player was put into a pool, and randomly moved to a different team? Who would be on top? Which team depends most on it's best player? Let's find out. First, let's list the best players on each NBA team (with help provided by Bleacher Report's article ): Atlanta Hawks: Paul Millsap Boston Celtics: Al Horford Brooklyn Nets: Brook Lopez Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker Chicago Bulls: Jimmy Butler Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry Houston Rockets: James Harden Indiana Pacers: Paul George Los Angeles Clippers: Chris Paul Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Ingram Memphis Grizzlies: Mar...

Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City, a move which made the Warriors' fans ecstatic, left Thunder fans devastated, and the rest of the NBA furious. With Durant's departure, people are saying the Thunder have no chance of going to the Finals. However, Russell Westbrook disagrees, and so do I. Here is why I believe Russell Westbrook is going to have the best season of his career and win the MVP award along the way. 1. Westbrook's Mentality Russell Westbrook is known to be one of the most aggresive, reckless players in NBA history. Westbrook is one of the most competitive players of all time, and now, the fire has been ignited. With the pressure to prove that he can succeed without Durant, to prove that he is one of the best players in the NBA, and to prove that the Thunder are more than just a mediocre team, Westbrook will thrive. He will compete like he never has before, and that's scary. Personally, I believe that Westbrook, who is already one of the fiercest players in...

With the addition of Kevin Durant, the Warriors have become a "superteam." They've created one of the best lineups in NBA history, with arguably the two best shooters of all time in the backcourt, a superstar in Kevin Durant at small, and Draymond Green, the triple-double machine, at power forward. Thinking of past superteams, I think of LeBron James and the 2012-13 Miami Heat. Not only was their roster headed by one of the greatest NBA players of all time, they added a superstar Dwyane Wade, as well as the talented Chris Bosh. Not only that, they had Ray Allen coming off the bench, who is also one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. So which superteam wins? The one with potentially the best scoring lineup in NBA history, or the one headed by one of the greatest players of all time, backed up by a strong bench? Let's find out. We will be using  WhatIfSports's NBA SimMatchup Basketball Tool , which allows us to simulate games between NBA teams, also prov...

On June 19th, 2016, history was made. The team with the best regular season record in NBA history lost in the NBA Finals at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, since that day, a lot has changed. Both teams have made moves in the offseason, with the most notable move being the Warriors acquiring superstar Kevin Durant, making them better than ever. If the Warriors and Cavaliers square off in the NBA Finals in 2017, can LeBron James still pull off a victory against Durant and the Warriors? Let's find out. We will be using WhatIfSport's NBA SimMatchup Basketball Tool , which allows us to simulate games between NBA teams. We will simulate a best of 7 series between the Warriors and Cavaliers. I have updated both teams' rosters to resemble their 2016-17 season rosters. Note: This simulation is the outcome projected by the NBA SimMatchup Tool, not my predicted outcome. Game 1 (Oracle Arena) The first game takes place in the Warriors' home ...

Kevin Durant, the #1 free agent this offseason, is a player which every team wants on their roster. This season, Durant averaged 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists a game. Durant is only 27 years old, and these next few years is when his talent will peak. So which team will Durant be on at the beginning of next season? Who will win the Kevin Durant Sweepstakes? Oklahoma City Thunder The Thunder, the team Durant is currently a part of, also want to keep the superstar. If Durant stays with the Thunder, he will make more money than he would with any other team, since the Thunder can offer him a 5-year maximum contract, allowing him to make more than $30,000,000 in each of the last two years of this contract. However, money does not seem to be Durant's priority; winning a championship does. Can the Thunder win a championship? If Durant is there, the answer is yes. Russell Westbrook is an All Star point guard, who almost averaged a triple double (24 points, 10 assists, and 8 reboun...