Division Preview – Northwest Division

 

Western Conference Bias is already in full force. The latest Poll on the website barely even acknowledging the East exists. So, what better way to steer into the skid than start off with a West Division Preview.

The Northwest is the big dog of divisions. Don’t believe me? Just ask any GM that’s in it. They will tell you how good they are. If Joel hasn’t slid into your DM’s and told you how much Portland rock then you must not have Facebook. Wiz is always great at this. Tim too. Digeze has experience under his belt and is always dangerous and unfortunately, I don’t know who Ethan is. But I’m sure he is a nice fella.

The thing that stands out to me straight away from this Division is big names with big injuries. Steph (season, most likely) Klay (Season) Boogie (Season) and recently Hayward (undetermined, but maybe 8-12 weeks) and Middleton. I think it’s safe to say at full strength this would be the best and most competitive division. It still probably will be. Nelson would disagree, but Nelson is a clown, so who cares.

 

Here we go...

Denver. When they drafted their team, Digez would have been pretty happy. Unfortunately Klay went down with a season ending injury. They lose their key piece. One of the best two way players in the game. They still have some nice pieces. Turner is showing out this year, when healthy. Millsap and Dragic are still great 2K pieces if not slightly declining in the NBA. Coby White is an exciting young rookie and Porter Jnr is well touted. This whole thing might have worked nicely with Klay. But with him out for the year, in this tough division, it might be difficult for Denver to really sink their teeth in.

Portland. Everyone’s unanimous consensus for Title Favourite. Absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t win it. All the pressure in the world is on them. You can see why. Harden is the best offensive player in the game. Joel has also managed to put a really nice roster around him including some depth. Harden can’t be stopped. A failed bid at Butler was a tough pill to swallow. But I am sure something will be worked out in 4 weeks’ time. Bogdanovic, Capela, Gay, Gasol are all awesome 2K pieces. His balance of attack and defence is great too. This ones a wrap. Blazers win the title. Don’t even bother simming The West.

I am sure no one is Surprised Brian has put together a great squad over at OKC. Is a 2K Vet. This team is really really good. Injuries to Hayward and Middleton in the last 48 hours really hurt. This team had the makings to mix it with anyone. He has an absolutely enormous Lux Bill at the moment, But I am sure he has plans to work that out. TT, Hayward, Middleton, Fox, Lamb, Teague, Lauri is an amazing core. Throw in Jones, Temple, Carter-Williams, Hezonja, Reddish and Taj as depth. This team is stacked with two way talent. Unfortunately, I already handed the title to Joel just above. So sorry Wiz. But if this team can all be healthy at the right time. Look out!!

Darko quit on Minny on the eve of the season. Shame. So, we welcome in Ethan. We don’t know much about him and he has been relatively quiet so far. I am sure he is keen to get his fingerprints on this team. Steph being out for what looks like the season now sucks. Steph with Buddy Hield and Steven Adams is a very competitive First 3. Only 3 players over 80 and your 95 overall stud out. It is going to be a tough initiation for Ethan in this strong division. Pieces like Forbes and Nance and Ingles are solid in 2K and would have created a nice amount of depth. But with the Chef out of the kitchen they will need to step up. By far not the worst side on paper, but it is going to be all hands-on deck for The Wolves to make something happen.

Finally, we have Tim. One of the masterminds behind the whole breakaway and we are so thankful to have him working for The Rebellion and not The Empire. The Jazz are another strong squad. Would have loved to have Boogie as well. Especially on that cheap deal. Not to be. Love, Lowry, Butler and the Impressive Rookie Rui Hachimura is a nice core. After that it is a lot of role players who will fill specific needs. Did I mention how good Boogie would have been for this team? This is a team that in the pathetic East (West Bias) would be able to make a deep run. However in a stacked west and in a division where they will have to play a lot of good teams a lot. It is going to be tough. They are a playoff team. But will they be more??

There you have it. My preview of the toughest Division in Basketball. My predictions are as follows.

Portland

OKC

Utah

Denver

Minny