2016/17 NBA Over/Unders: Northwest Division
The 2016/17 NBA regular season will get underway in just over a week, which means it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from offshore betting site Bovada.lv, we’re going to run through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, and have you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic. Having looked at the Atlantic division last Friday, we’re moving on to the Northwest today…
Utah Jazz
- 2015/16 record: 40-42
- Over/under for 2016/17: 49 wins
- Offseason in review: Added George Hill, Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw. Lost Trevor Booker, Trey Burke, Tibor Pleiss.
How many games will the Jazz win?
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Under 49 69% (290)
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Over 49 31% (132)
Total votes: 422
(App users, click here for Jazz poll)
Portland Trail Blazers
- 2015/16 record: 44-38
- Over/under for 2016/17: 45.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Evan Turner, Festus Ezeli. Lost Gerald Henderson, Brian Roberts, Chris Kaman.
How many games will the Trail Blazers win?
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Over 45.5 70% (279)
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Under 45.5 30% (120)
Total votes: 399
(App users, click here for Trail Blazers poll)
Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2015/16 record: 55-27
- Over/under for 2016/17: 43.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Ersan Ilyasova, Alex Abrines, Ronnie Price, Joffrey Lauvergne. Lost Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Dion Waiters, Randy Foye.
How many games will the Thunder win?
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Over 43.5 66% (276)
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Under 43.5 34% (144)
Total votes: 420
(App users, click here for Thunder poll)
Minnesota Timberwolves
- 2015/16 record: 29-53
- Over/under for 2016/17: 40.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Kris Dunn, Cole Aldrich, Jordan Hill, Brandon Rush. Lost Kevin Garnett, Tayshaun Prince, Greg Smith.
How many games will the Timberwolves win?
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Over 40.5 50% (228)
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Under 40.5 50% (227)
Total votes: 455
(App users, click here for Timberwolves poll)
Denver Nuggets
- 2015/16 record: 33-49
- Over/under for 2016/17: 37 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Jamal Murray, Juan Hernangomez, Malik Beasley. Lost D.J. Augustin, Joffrey Lauvergne.
How many games will the Nuggets win?
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Under 37 69% (267)
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Over 37 31% (121)
Total votes: 388
(App users, click here for Nuggets poll)
Previous voting results:
- Boston Celtics (52.5 wins): Under (54.59%)
- Toronto Raptors (50.5 wins): Over (54.63%)
- New York Knicks (38.5 wins): Over (71.41%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (23.5 wins): Under (54.62%)
- Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Under (60.74%)
Poll: Northwest Division Winner
The TrailBlazers are the favorites to win the Northwest division this season, but it’s far from a certain outcome. Just a year ago, Portland was expected to be a lottery team after losing four starters, but the team overachieved, winning 44 games and beating an injury-riddled Clippers squad in the playoffs en route to a second round playoff series loss to the Warriors. Portland aggressively pursued high-priced, impact players in free agency and ended up adding Evan Turner on an expensive, four year, $70MM deal. Turner is a perplexing addition for a team that already had wing depth, but his presence should provide insurance of sorts in case of an injury. Turner will also give the team more flexibility with its line-up decisions, as Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors writes in the team’s Offseason In Review. The Blazers’ depth should keep them from sliding too far down the standings, but they remain a strong candidate to regress.
The Thunder had the worst offseason of any team, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors details in the team’s Offseason In Review. Losing Kevin Durant hurts, but Oklahoma City’s roster is not barren. This team can easily go 10-12 players deep on most nights and Russell Westbrook shifting from running-mate to Commander In Chief with a solid supporting cast should be not only fun to watch, but also enough to keep the team in contention for the division crown.
The Wolves arguably have the best young core in all of basketball. They appear to be a year or two away from making major noise in the conference, as I discussed in the team’s Offseason In Review. However, coach/executive Tom Thibodeau is going to get the most out of this roster and if Kris Dunn is able to hit the ground running, Minnesota could exceed expectations.
Denver lurks as a potential playoff team this season. The Nuggets’ success hinges on Emmanuel Mudiay taking the next step and proving he can be a franchise point guard. The franchise is likely a season away from reaching its playoff goal, as Scarito writes in the team’s Offseason In Review. Nevertheless, this team will be frisky on a nightly basis with its depth giving opposing teams trouble.
The Jazz are in position to take a major step forward. The addition of George Hill is an underrated move and his presence, along with 35-year-old Joe Johnson and 34-year-old Boris Diaw, will provide this team with veteran leadership, as Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors notes in the team’s Offseason in Review. The Jazz have the talent to compete with any team in the league and they are my personal pick to win this division. Despite the injury to Gordon Hayward, I envision this team winning over 50 games and earning a top-4 seed in the Western Conference.
Do you think the Jazz will be atop this division at the end of the season or will another team take home the crown? Don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say!
Who wins the Northwest Division?
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Blazers 33% (228)
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Jazz 22% (154)
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Thunder 21% (146)
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Wolves 19% (131)
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Nuggets 4% (29)
Total votes: 688
Nuggets May Start Two 7-Footers
- While the rest of the league is getting smaller, the Nuggets may start two 7-footers on opening night, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Jusuf Nurkic appears to have played well enough in preseason to earn the starting center job, with Nikola Jokic sliding over to power forward and Kenneth Faried moving to the bench. “It definitely is a herd mentality type of league,” said coach Michael Malone. “We’ve started two bigs together in (three) of our preseason games. We think that they can play well together because they are so skilled.”
Nuggets Depth Could Become An Issue
- The Nuggets‘ impressive depth at multiple positions could end up being problematic, given the lack of minutes and numerous players deserving of playing time whose development may be stunted as a result, Keith P. Smith of RealGM.com opines in his analysis of the team. The scribe notes that Denver desperately needs to make a trade to consolidate that depth and land a star player to build around, which is also something that I noted previously in my look back at the Nuggets’ offseason.
Nuggets Waive Kennedy, Sampson, Toupane
The Nuggets have officially waived guard D.J. Kennedy, forward JaKarr Sampson and forward Axel Toupane, the team announced via press release. The moves pare down the team’s preseason roster to 17 players, which is two above the regular season maximum. The only one of the trio with any guaranteed salary is Kennedy ($50K), and that amount will remain on Denver’s cap for the season unless he is claimed off waivers by another team.
Kennedy appeared in one preseason game for the Nuggets, posting four points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals in 12 minutes of play. His NBA regular season experience consists of two games with the Cavaliers during the 2011/12 campaign where he averaged 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.5 minutes per outing. Kennedy has split the remainder of his playing career thus far between the NBA D-League and overseas. He spent the 2015/16 campaign with the Russian club Enisey Krasnoyarsk, appearing in 40 games and averaging 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Kennedy’s shooting line on the year was .451/.287/.809.
Sampson was originally inked by Denver this past February and played in the final 26 games (22 starts) of the 2015/16 season, averaging 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.0 minutes. He has appeared in one preseason contest this year, notching 10 points, three rebounds, one steal and one block in 20 minutes.
Toupane signed with the Nuggets in March of this year and averaged 3.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 14.5 minutes over the final 21 games of the 2015/16 campaign. He has appeared in one game this preseason, scoring 11 points, snagging seven rebounds and dishing out three assists in 19 total minutes.
Harris Nearing Return From Injury
Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris, who is making his way back from a groin strain he suffered during the team’s first preseason game, has resumed light basketball activities, which is good news for Denver, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “That was the most I’ve done in a while,” Harris said. “Really haven’t tried anything [until today]. Just tried to be cautious with it, make sure everything is cool. Don’t want to re-aggravate it and make sure I’m feeling nothing when I’m doing things. Right there I felt fine, didn’t feel anything. So as long as we keep doing that, don’t want to push it too much.”
Perry Jones Drawing NBA Interest?
Russian team BC Khimki announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve used their option to release Perry Jones from their roster, making him a free agent able to sign with any team. Jones joined the club in August, and played in just one regular-season game before he was cut.
A former first-round pick, Jones spent three seasons with the Thunder from 2012 to 2015, averaging 3.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 143 regular-season contests. Oklahoma City sent him to the Celtics in a trade last July, but Boston waived him prior to the regular season. The 6’11” forward ultimately landed with the D-League’s Iowa Energy, but only appeared in five games for the team, recording 13.2 PPG and 7.4 RPG in those contests.
While Jones’ NBA track record wasn’t great, he has reportedly drawn some interest from clubs around the league. Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net reports (via Twitter) that several teams, including the Nuggets, have been in touch with Jones’ agent. With the regular season just two weeks away, those clubs are likely just checking in on Jones’ health and perhaps his willingness to play for a D-League affiliate.
As Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor tweets, the Iowa Energy still hold Jones’ D-League rights — Iowa is the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate.
Nurkic Playing His Way Into Starting Lineup
- Jusuf Nurkic has been so impressive this preseason that he is practically forcing Nuggets coach Michael Malone to name him the opening-night starter at center, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Nurkic has played with determination in the preseason, Dempsey notes, while averaging 18.0 points and 13.3 rebounds. If Nurkic continues to play this way, Malone’s biggest decision will be to choose between Nikola Jokic and Kenneth Faried as the starting power forward, Dempsey adds.
Nuggets Continue To Dangle Kenneth Faried
Kenneth Faried has been dangled in trade talks by the Nuggets “off and on for three years,” Zach Lowe writes in his annual League Pass rankings piece for ESPN.com. According to Lowe, the Nuggets continue to dangle Faried even now.
The news that Faried remains on the trade block in Denver doesn’t come as a real surprise. A report in June suggested the veteran power forward wouldn’t be opposed to being moved, and Lowe himself reported in July that the Nuggets had been readying a package that included Faried when it appeared the Hawks might be leaning toward Paul Millsap. In August, we heard that the Thunder and Pelicans were among the teams to have expressed interest in the Nuggets big man.
Faried, who turns 27 next month, has been steady and productive for the Nuggets for the last several years, averaging between 11.5 and 13.7 PPG, and between 8.6 and 9.2 RPG in each of his last four seasons. His relative youth and his team-friendly contract also make him an interesting trade chip — Faried is under contract for three more years, and will make about $38.76MM during that stretch. If he were a free agent, he’d easily surpass that figure.
The Nuggets also have a few other options at power forward, including Darrell Arthur, plus Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari, who can also play the three. According to Lowe, Denver’s front office “feels some regret” for turning down trade offers for Gallinari last year. The Italian forward is coming off a career year, but he’s also eligible for free agency in 2017, which limits his trade value.
While the Nuggets aren’t likely to make a major splash before the season, the team will certainly be one to watch in the months leading up to the deadline. If Denver isn’t in playoff contention, the club may decide it makes sense to move veterans like Faried and Gallinari in order to clear the way for younger prospects to play more.
Gary Harris Likely To Miss Start Of Season
Gary Harris suffered a partially torn groin muscle and is expected to miss four to six weeks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). The injury occurred on Monday night during the Nuggets’ first preseason game.
Denver has several options to replace Harris’ production in the starting lineup. Will Barton unexpectedly excelled last season off the bench and coach Mike Malone could insert him into the starting lineup to begin the year. While Barton is certainly qualified to be the team’s starting shooting guard, I’ll speculate that 2016 No. 7 overall pick Jamal Murray gets the nod. Malik Beasley is an excellent shooter and lurks as a candidate to see increased minutes should Harris’ injury linger.
The Bulls selected Harris with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2014 draft and subsequently dealt him to the Nuggets in the Doug McDermott draft night trade. He averaged 8.5 points in 24.1 minutes per game over the last two seasons.