The NBA teams make big changes
In past years, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has changed a lot, with different teams rising to the top every couple years. This year especially, some new players and the choices that some players have made have left many fans hopeful and some raging.
Some players will be deeply missed in coming years. Former Lakers player Kobe Bryant (38) and former Spurs player Tim Duncan (40) both retired last season. Both players had won five championships with their teams, the Lakers and the Spurs, respectively.
During the off-season, a lot of players were either traded from their original team or left by choice. Timofey Mozgov, formerly on the Cleveland Cavaliers, signed on with the Lakers. Luol Deng also switched to the Lakers from the Miami Heat. The Bulls traded their recently injured MVP, Derrick Rose, to the Knicks for a second round pick. But the Bulls also picked up point guard Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade, but lost Pau Gasol to the Spurs. Lebron James signed a huge deal of $100 million for three years with the Cavaliers. And arguably the most enraging change, or the best for some, was Kevin Durant switching from the Thunder to the Golden State Warriors.
The preseason gave us a taste of what these new teams were like. Most of them performed as expected. The Cavaliers and the Warriors were as good as last season, if not better. The Lakers performed better than last season but they still aren’t as good as they used to be years ago. The new Bulls team performed much better than last year with their new team. However, it was only the preseason, so no team was giving it their all.
During the first games of the regular season, we got a real idea of how these teams played. The Warriors choked in their first game and lost to the Spurs, and recently also lost to the Lakers as well. The Cavaliers were originally undefeated, as expected, but recently lost 2 games.
In the Western Conference, the Warriors and Clippers are at the top with the Spurs and Trail Blazers behind them and the Thunder, Jazz, and Lakers after them. In the Eastern Conference, the Hawks are at the top. The Cavaliers have the same record, with the Raptors and Hornets below them, followed by the Pistons, Bulls, and Celtics. These are just the highlights as we progress into the main season.
