With the picks being officially decided during the NBA Draft Lottery last night, it will be interesting to see just how this year's draft will play out. While it was a tense night for the likes of Magic Johnson, whose Lakers were at risk of losing their lottery pick to the Philadelphia 76ers if they had not landed a top three pick, there weren't many surprises or major franchise altering bounces of the ball. There are, however a few aspects that do need to be discussed when it comes to this year's draft lottery. Celtics To start off, the Boston Celtics (whom of which are currently in the Eastern Conference Finals preparing to face the Cavaliers) managed to pull of the unthinkable by landing the first overall pick for the 2017 NBA Draft. This gives the Celtics a multitude of options from now until draft day. They essentially have the ability to draft any player they see fit within this year's draft pool, which is very guard heavy with the few exception...

           After the dominating performance of the Cleveland Cavaliers spear-headed by Lebron James' 36 PPG, 8.3 TRB, and 5.3 AST onslaught, there are many concerns as to what will be the fate of this current Raptors roster. Even with the mid-February acquisition of Serge Ibaka from the Orlando Magic, the boosted defensive presence at the rim seemed to be a downgrade from the efforts of Bismack Biyombo in their prior playoff run. With the Raptors GM Masai Ujiri recently mentioning the need for a "culture reset", this upcoming off-season could shape the future of the Eastern Conference. This all ultimately boils down to one question: Who's on the chopping block? The mention of a change in the culture within an organization usually points towards the coaching staff, which paints both the picture of success and inconsistency. Raptors' head coach Dwane Casey has helped turn a struggling Toronto franchise into a top contender in the East, boasting a 50-pl...

        Coming into this match up, the hype of the former OKC dynamic duo battling it out at the Oracle Center seemed like a set of events that would only expand the silent feud for the next three seasonal games to come. The constant comments from Durant on his former team's play style, the early struggles of his newly hashed super team, as well as Westbrook's record setting performances in the first four games of the season have all lead to a game that many have been waiting for since early July. With all this being said, did this duel live up to the hype?         From the beginning of this game there was a heavy layer of awkwardness on the court that I haven't really felt in an NBA game. After everyone's pregame routines, no one from opposite ends communicated (including Westbrook and KD). The vibes of a playoff game surrounded this early season game. After what seemed like hours, Sabonis grabs the ball after the tip off to start the game...

        Looking at the Miami roster as it is, there are a ton of reasons why fans would be hopeful of a potential deep playoff run. With 10-time All-Star Chris Bosh (4yr/ $98.06M), three-time NBA Champion Dwyane Wade (1yr/ $20M), the "Dragon", Goran Dragic (5yr/ $85M), NBA sensation and 2k addict Hassan Whiteside (1yr/ $981K), and veteran swingman Luol Deng (1yr/ $10.1M), this squad looks surprisingly impressive for a team that refused to take the rebuilding route and instead built on their star pieces. To add on to this solid starting group, the recent acquisition of former Knicks star Amar'e Stoudemire (1yr/ $1.49M) and the steal of a draft in Justice Winslow makes an already solid bench a lot more versatile. There are, however, many issues that can come with this current Heat roster. Last season was unfortunately a perfect example of why some have the right to not gush over this team just yet, whether it was the blood-clot that Bosh suffered from or the sud...

        There's a point where too much of a good thing can become toxic and it's currently happening during the off-season for the Cavaliers.  With the resigning of Lebron James (2yr/ $46.9M), Kevin Love (5yr/ $113.2M), and Iman Shumpert (4yr/ $40M), it's obvious how tight the money's starting to get on this current roster. Add that with Kyrie Irving's extension coming into play this season, $94.3M for 5 years, and it becomes pretty clear as to why they're having trouble signing other key players. Being deep in luxury tax isn't exactly a dream situation, but potentially losing J.R Smith and Tristan Thompson leaves Cleveland in a tough spot. With the lack of cap flexibility, it doesn't seem that there's much that can be done without literally breaking the bank. There's a pretty good chance that the Cavs may end up in the NBA Finals once again, but with the struggles involving injuries and cap space, it might not be as surefire as it's bee...

        Is it fair to say that the Pelicans are not improving? Even with the contract extension that New Orleans has signed Anthony Davis to, worth $145 million dollars for five years, it still begs the question of what is capable with their current set of contracts. With Jrue Holiday ( 4yr/ $41M), Tyreke Evans (4yr/ $44M), former Clippers standout Eric Gordon (4yr/ $58M, ends next season) and big man Omer Asik (4yr/ $57.9M), this team looks pretty good on paper. The reality, however, is far from a contending team or even a stable one at that. The mixture of injuries, laziness, and over inflated contracts this team has shows the layers of flaws that this current roster is built off of. And with the length of most of these contracts, it isn't going to improve anytime soon.         Lets start off with what's right with the New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis. There is not enough that you can say about this 22 year old power forward witho...

        Just when you think the Spurs' dynasty has come to an end, they keep kicking. They also flash the money as has been shown with this off-season's two biggest signings for the Spurs, Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard (5yr/ $94.3M) and former Trail Blazer star LaMarcus Aldridge (4yr/ $84M). The Spurs don't usually break the bank like this, especially not for a player that they themselves didn't develop, which is why it's odd to see them over the luxury tax threshold. What has helped soften the blow is how the three veterans Tim Duncan (2yr/ $10.85M), Tony Parker (3yr/ $43M), and Manu Ginobili (2yr/ $5.83M) have for the most part taken cuts with the exception of Parker, which isn't really a problem considering how underpaid Tony has been throughout his career with San Antonio. Bringing back their starting shooting guard Danny Green (4yr/ $40M) is also a great sign. Besides Tiago Splitter, who the Spurs traded to the Hawks in exchange for a futu...

        The Orlando Magic really have something great going for them with their current roster. The combination of Nikola Vucevic (4yr /$48M), Tobias Harris (4yr/ 64M), 2014-2015 rookie standout Elfrid Payton (2yr/ $4.9M with a team option on the proceeding two), Victor Oladipo (3yr/ $14.9M), and the Croatian rookie Mario Hezonja (2yr/ $7.6M) makes this young crew look extremely impressive and may even exceed the potential that the Josh Smith-era Hawks had. With only 4 players with +5 years of NBA experience on the roster, as well as how much each individual player is improving year to year, this team can become a power house in a couple years as long as everything goes right.         The obvious proof of how well Orlando's rebuilding process is currently going is shown in the big man Nikola Vucevic. While he doesn't get much mention media-wise, this Swiss-born center has grown immensely throughout his four year NBA career. He's consta...

        Where do I start with this? It's really been a train wreck for the Trail Blazers this off season and to be completely honest, I don't see Portland getting back to the top of the Northwest division anytime soon. Losing Lamarcus Aldridge  to the Spurs, Matthews to the Mavs, Afflalo and Lopez to the Knicks, as well as the questionable trade of Nicolas Batum to the Hornets mid-season brings what was once a young upcoming squad back down to one of the worst teams in the league. The Trail Blazers have only managed to give Damian Lillard a huge contract extension worth $120.5M for 5 years, which is risky yet appropriate considering the constant growth that Lillard has had during his first 3 years in the league. There are, however, quite a few positives that can be dragged out of this whole debacle.         While losing Lemarcus Aldridge to San Antonio isn't exactly the most ideal situation for Rip City, having players like C.J McCo...

        To be completely honest I'm a bit stumped by Phil's plans for the Knicks. The recent acquisitions of Robin Lopez (4yr/ $54.01M), Aaron Afflalo (2yr/ $16M), Derrick Williams (2yr/ $8.8M), and Kyle O'Quinn (4yr/16.01M) makes this current roster seem pretty deep with not only starting big men but young talent coming off of the bench as well. The chance of Afflalo, a once perennial starter, possibly being used at the sixth man will bring additional offense and take at least some of the load off of Carmelo Anthony's back. Add that with the 2015 Draft Pick Kristaps Porzingis, and you have enough potential to get a spot in the playoffs. But what about a ring?         It's obvious that this team doesn't have much chemistry at the moment besides the Porzingis-Grant duo that surprised the NBA Summer League, which is expected and is almost a non-problem. Players will not mesh in a day especially when they haven't played a single game with each...