My NBA preview: 30 teams, five different objectives (one is not good)

Two days!

That's how close we are to the dawning of another NBA season. And the storylines abound.

Can the Heat three-peat? Can the geriatric Nets stay healthy enough to make their luxury-tax-paying Russian oligarch look smart? Can the 76ers avoid breaking their own record for futility? Can LeBron be any better? Can KD be any better? When will Kobe come back?

The list goes on and on.

But for the sake of simplification — and because this is a blog; not a book or a Bill Simmons blog — I'm going to jump right into my NBA preview by breaking up the teams (listed in the order I think they'll finish in their conference) by their objectives for the season.

It might be the easy way out, but, hey, isn't that what a handful of teams will be doing when they sit their top players come March and April with "back stiffness?"

See below.

Categories

• Playing to win (PW): Teams that are in this thing to win the NBA 'ship in June.
• Playing for the playoffs (PP): Teams that just want to make the postseason, where they won't last long. In many cases, these teams have GMs who won't be around next year if their teams don't qualify for the postseason.
• Playing for Wiggins: Simple. Teams that will be horrible and hope to win out at the draft lottery and get the No. 1 pick to (most likely) select Andrew Wiggins.
• Playing for LeBron: Teams whose prime objective this season will be to make themselves look good enough and appealing enough to attract the world's best player during free agency.
• Shit, I don't know (SIDK): Teams that aren't making much sense with their personnel moves and will be irrelevant for most of the season.

Eastern Conference

1) Miami Heat: Two storylines to watch before the playoffs — can LeBron be even better? And can Greg Oden stay healthy and be a factor. PW

2) Chicago Bulls: Yep, 95 percent of America was wrong. What's new? Derrick Rose knew what was best for him despite the intense criticism, and now he's fully healed. Watch out, East. PW

3) Indiana Pacers: So what's new for the team that came within a game of taking down the mighty Heat? Well, they get back a healthy Danny Granger and swapped Tyler Hansbrough for Luis Scola. I'd call that a productive offseason. PW

4) New Jersey Nets: A couple thoughts — their backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson is overrated; their frontcourt of old guys KG and Paul Pierce plus Brook Lopez is underrated. PW

5) New York Knicks: They'll finish in the middle of the East and maybe even win a playoff series. That, however, doesn't mean they have a clue what they're doing long-term besides hoping for LeBron. SIDK, PFL

6) Atlanta Hawks: Of all the coaching changes this offseason (quick, name two!), this one is so under-the-radar, I bet most Hawks fans don't know the guy. But Gregg Popovich disciple Mike Budenholzer will keep the team a reach-the-playoffs-and-lose-early-every-year outfit. PP

7) Detroit Pistons: If the Pistons don't make the playoffs after acquiring Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings, Joe Dumars is done as GM. Pressure's on. PP

8) Washington Wizards: The Wizards are in the same boat. The late acquisition of Marcin Gortat should get them to the postseason if they can stay relatively healthy, which was their undoing last season. PP

9) Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavaliers' main goal under Mike Brown (hey, welcome back!) is for the young nucleus to learn how to play defense and to look good enough to bring back another former Cav next summer... PFL

10) Toronto Raptors: Assuming no move is made involving Rudy "I like to shoot a low percentage" Gay, Toronto — and its awesome fan base — will push for a playoff spot and come up just short. PP

11) Charlotte Bobcats: I'm sorry, but Michael Jordan is as bad at being a GM as he was good/great/legendary at playing. He's terrible (see Jefferson, Al; Gordon, Ben; Zeller, Cody). Charlotte will be just good/bad enough not to make the playoffs OR give itself a decent shot at Wiggins. SIDK

12) Milwaukee Bucks: Milwaukee was smart to rid itself of Brandon Jennings and let Monta Ellis go shoot a lot and play no defense for Dallas. Still, the Bucks aren't attracting any free agents beyond O.J. Mayo and have pieces that don't fit. Maybe a draft pick could help... PFW

13) Boston Celtics: If Rajon Rondo isn't traded and plays a healthy season, combined with Brad Stevens on the sideline, they might not be as bad as they should be. That, of course, isn't what the fan base wants. PFW

14) Orlando Magic: You know what would be fun — Victor Oladipo paired up with a certain college freshman next season. PFW

15) Philadelphia 76ers: No team is more transparent about its goals. GM and analytics guru Sam Hinkie ditched Jrue Holiday, traded for a rookie who's out for the year  (Nerlens Noel) and has a lineup that includes Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes. Yeesh... PFW

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Western Conference

1) L.A. Clippers: This squad could be the paradigm of the "Can a much better coach make a difference?" test, with Doc Rivers taking over for Vinny Del Negro. If Doc can turn DeAndre Jordan into a serviceable free-throw shooter in addition to being a dominant defender, watch out. PW

2) Oklahoma City Thunder: If healthy, this team will be playing in the Western Conference Finals. Its objectives are clear. PW

3) San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs and St. Louis Cardinals are the two most well-run organizations in American professional sports. Don't expect that to change for the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard — the face of the future — this year. PW

4) Golden State Warriors: Their only problem is they've got six guys who should be starting. Harrison Barnes was an effective post-up guy in the playoffs, but he might be stuck on the bench. Expect a potential move during the season. PW

5) Memphis Grizzlies: People are down on the Grizz, saying they had their chance last year (helped by the Westbrook injury), but I love their core, Mike Conley just gets better and stats guru John Hollinger in the GM seat won't make any dumb, rash moves. PW

6) Houston Rockets: Prove me wrong, Dwight Howard. Prove that you can be a winner on a team that's not all about you. Prove that you can shoot better than 50 percent on free throws. If you do, you might help James Harden take this team very far. PW

7) Minnesota Timberwolves: Did you know that no team has had a longer playoff drought than Minny? Yeah, I was surprised, too, that 2004 was the last time the T-Wolves — led by a KG character — made the postseason. It's time to return, even if to get swept in the first round. PP

8) Dallas Mavericks: Mark Cuban has publicly said Dirk is ending his career as a Maverick, so there will be no rebuilding. Instead, he'll add pieces like Jose Calderon and Ellis and see what happens. PP

9) L.A. Lakers: I'm only putting them this high because of Kobe "Bean" Bryant, easily the most competitive player in the league. He'll return from that Achilles earlier than anyone expects, hit some game-winners, and make the case for a certain someone joining him and Pau Gasol in the summer (even though he'll be 36). PFL

10) Denver Nuggets: How do you go from a No. 3 seed to a team just fighting for a playoff spot? You lose your Executive of the Year (Masai Ujiri), fire your coach of the year (George Karl), and let your defensive cornerstone (Andre Iguodala) bolt for Golden State. SIDK

11) Portland Trail Blazers: I actually like this team and what they're doing. Unfortunately, with rookie C.J. McCollum out six weeks and living in the crazy-competitive West, they'll end up short of their playoff dream — and end up in the Wiggins sweepstakes. PP (but PFW by happenstance)

12) New Orleans Pelicans: I'm sorry, but any team that puts effort into acquiring Tyreke Evans and believes Eric Gordon will actually be healthy doesn't know what it's doing. It's sad, too, because Anthony Davis is special and Monty Williams knows how to coach. SIDK

13) Sacramento Kings: This team won't necessarily tank. It will just be really bad, especially if Boogie Cousins has more meltdowns. That means lots of lottery balls. PFW

14) Utah Jazz: Similar to the 76ers, if scaled-down a bit, the Jazz have a plan. Their hope is for youngsters Enes Kanter (21), Derrick Favors (22), Gordon Hayward (23) and rookie Trey Burke (20) to grow and improve together. And if a No. 1 picks comes along, well even better. PFW

15) Phoenix Suns: Phoenix has finally come to terms with the the fact it's a really bad basketball team and execs need to stop watching Steve Nash highlight films. Unloading Marcin Gortat was a start. Goran Dragic should be next to go, which would give Eric Bledsoe free reign over a team of nobodies. PFW

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Playoff predictions

EAST: Miami Heat def. Chicago Bulls (7 games) — I really want to take the Bulls and possible MVP Rose. But this will clearly be the Heat's last hurrah with their Big Three, and LeBron will be transcendent in this series.

WEST: L.A. Clippers def. Oklahoma City Thunder (6 games) — Call me crazy, but I think Doc can take a team that got run off the court in the first round in 2012-13 and lead it to the finals. The additions of J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley will help on the offensive end. Jordan will be the ringleader on the other end. And I didn't even mention Chris Paul.

FINALS: Miami def. L.A. (6 games) — Matt Barnes will do all he can to get under LeBron's skin, but James will be too much for the Clippers. Throw in the clutch shooting of Ray Allen and Greg Oden providing that big body to contest Blake Griffin and Jordan, and the Heat will take home their third title in a row.

Of course, the real drama will have played out weeks before when the PFW is decided by ping-pong balls. ENJOY!

For my basketball insights, follow me on Twitter @jakelam2116

The origins of my Detroit Tigers fandom and why the losses sting so much

The hat.

I feel the need to write. I feel compelled to log my thoughts, my emotions — as silly as they may be — here. I'm now maybe 90 minutes removed from another crushing Tigers loss, 1-0 to the Red Sox.

Less than 48 hours ago, my favorite baseball team seemed well on its way to a 2-0 series lead in the ALCS. Not only that, but they would then board a plane for Detroit, where Mr. Scoreless Innings Justin Verlander and 43,000-plus screaming supporters awaited.

Now?

They're down 2-1. They haven't scored a run in 12 innings. Even potential back-to-back MVP Miguel Cabrera couldn't punch a ball into the outfield with runners on the corners and just one out in the bottom of the eighth. And I feel like the streak of the Tigers not winning a World Series since I was a nine-month-old in diapers is going to continue.

That's why I'm down in the dumps. That's why I called my Mom on a Tuesday night to vent. I usually wait until Sunday. And that's why I can't even muster the excitement to begin the third season of one of the best TV shows of all time, Breaking Bad.

Yes, it's that bad.

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For a variety of reasons, I'm not as fanatical as I once was.

I'm two months shy of 30; I've viewed sports through the lens of a journalist since I took newspaper writing for the first time as a junior at Pioneer High School; and, frankly, I'm annoyed by most sports fans, their machismo, and their ignorance (especially in the Internet age).

But there are two teams I remain an ardent supporter of, a pair of teams that I follow closely and, come the end of their seasons, base my schedule around.

Michigan basketball.

Detroit Tigers baseball.

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I spelled out my passion for Michigan hoops in a column I wrote the weekend of their amazing Final Four run last season. And with the upcoming campaign just two weeks away, I'll save my words about the program for down the road.

I'll just say this, because it relates to why the Tigers mean so much to me: I've been invested in Wolverines basketball because of the program's hardships and how low it sunk. Watching its revival under John Beilein has been the most satisfying thing I've ever experienced as a sports fan. Ever.

With Mom at a Tigers-Orioles game in 2011.

My Tigers fandom is similar, but it goes back further.

I was a diehard as a kid, baseball my first love. We didn't have a TV at our old house on Pontiac Trail in Ann Arbor, so I'd listen to every game on the radio. It didn't matter whether I was in the basement working with Dad on a project, in the driveway washing the old Honda, or in the kitchen helping the parents prepare their annual batch of homemade pesto — the radio was tuned to WJR-760.

Some years, the iconic Ernie Harwell was on the call. Other years, it was Frank Beckman. Harwell was a legend, but I enjoyed whoever delivered the call. I remember one year sending a letter to the Tigers broadcasting team, thanking them for bringing me Tigers games every day.

As long as I had Tigers baseball, my world was complete. I revered the likes of Cecil Fielder, Alan Trammell and Lout Whitaker. I even had a soft spot for Tony Philips. On the rare days when Harwell's or Beckman's smooth voice wasn't quite enough for me, I walked through our large backyard to neighbor Nelly's house. The old, black lady was the nicest person in the world and a huge sports fan. She'd let me in and we'd watch together. I'll never forget my times with Nelly.

Of course, the Tigers stunk. They put together just two winning seasons during my formative years. The season spanning the end of high school and beginning of college, they bottomed out — just barely avoiding MLB infamy with 119 losses in 2003.

As I started studies that August at Albion College an hour west of Ann Arbor, I was as uninterested in the Tigers as I'd been 19 years prior when they won the World Series and I couldn't utter a word to celebrate.


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It was 1:30pm on an October Saturday afternoon in Byron Bay, Australia, and I couldn't believe what I was watching. On a small TV in a small room attached to the hostel, Magglio Ordonez had just sent shivers down my spine and goose bumps all over.

"The Tigers are going to the World Series! Three. Run. Walkoff. Home. Run."

I've since listened to the Dan Dickerson radio call dozens of times. The chills return with each re-run. 

I wanted to celebrate, I wanted to hug everyone in sight, but only a few people at the hostel even knew the rules of baseball. So I joined my spring break pal and Albion classmate Michael for a hike overlooking the Pacific Ocean, thinking about the Tigers 9,182 miles away.

Just days earlier, I had convinced my new friend Cheryl to accompany me at 3:30am to the only bar open within a mile of our Sydney hotel so I could watch Justin Verlander stifle the mighty Yankees in the Division series. 

In the 2006 World Series, all the games were at a saner 12pm in Sydney. 

I wish they hadn't been. All the momentum that the Tigers had from their sweep of the A's? All the positive feelings and optimism? It all disappeared, vanished with each error committed by a Detroit pitcher during the series against the Cardinals. Five games. Five errors.

At the time, I had just gotten into sports blogging. Here are two excerpts from my posts as a college senior studying in Sydney:

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After they lost Game 4, falling behind 3-1 in the Series:

OK,
... there comes a time in one's life when the most important thing happening is 5,000 miles away. That time is now. And it is not easy. I've watched every Tigers' playoff game except two. I've scouted out bars in which to watch the Tigs, I've woken up at 6 in the morning to watch 'em. I scheduled my work week perfectly so I could be off this morning to watch Game 4 of the WS.

And what do they give me? Another throwin' error by a pitcher? More missed opportunities with runners in scoring position? Man, I am dying now. But I'm not giving up on the Tigs. Mark my words: if Verlander finds a way to get the Tigers through Game 5, they WILL WIN THE WORLD SERIES. And I'll watch every remaining game in its entirety. 'Cuz, frankly, watching my team in the WS is far more important than touring some obscure Sydney suburb right now. And what would I usually be doing between 10:30 and 2 anyway? Probably just reading a basketball book (fun fact of my time here: I've already read 4 books for fun and just bought 3 more the other day - Moms would be proud).

Anyway, when you're watching Game 5 tomorrow, don't think you're all alone. I'll be watching, too, rooting on those mercurial Tigs, not giving up hope. After all, it makes me proud to say that two years ago I predicted a Red Sox comeback after that disastrous Game 3 loss. This situation for the Tigers is easier. Three wins in Three nights.

So while I'm attending my first Opera House concert tomorrow and tasting some fine Aussie cuisine, the only indicator of whether it'll be a good weekend is this: will the Tigers win 3 or lose 1?

jake

After the Game 5, series-ending loss

I know I should put it in perspective. I do. I really, really do. After all, I was one of the thousands who picked them to finish fourth in the division, just a dozen victories above the abysmal Royals.

So, as a journalist, I know my job: put it in perspective. But not now. Not yet. Maybe by the end of this column. We'll see.

I can't do it because of the way the Tigers lost in this World Series to the Cardinals. The Cardinals did not win this series. Mark it down. The Tigers lost the series. The Tigers beat themselves. Plain and simple.

You want numbers? You want evidence? I got it. How about five errors by the Tigers' pitching staff - all of them leading to unearned runs for the Cardinals. Even before rook Justin Verlander threw away an easy toss to third last night - costing the Tigers two runs (yes, equaling the final margin of the Cards' victory) - the Tigs had set a record for errors made in a World Series with four.

Ouch. Here, Fernando Rodney can pinpoint a nasty slider on the outside corner, but he can't put the ball near Placido Polanco's glove from 20 feet away in Game 4, costing the Tigers - who actually hit that game - a golden chance to even the series.

Here, Tigers wouldn't have won Game 3 anyway, but Joel Zumaya could have made it interesting for all of us watching at work by throwing to Brandon Inge at third and not five feet out of his reach.

Oh, well, it allowed me to get more work done.

Are you kidding me? The Tigers made Paris Hilton look flawless. I know the cliche's getting old, but it still holds.

Everyone was favoring the Tigers entering the Series; had a feeling that might be a poor harbinger. A team that had been under the microscope all year, doubted by the experts until the eve of the Series, suddenly weighed down by the pressure of people actually pickin you?

It's like your boys expecting you to get the gorgeous girl's number? If it don't happen you're in the dogouse and your confidence is shot. That's what happened to the Tigers.

They lost this series; Cards didn't win. Yes, the record books will show the Cards winning their 10th World Series, second all time to those Yanks. But those who actually watched the five games will know that the Cards were dealt a great dose of serendipity.

From their friends, the Tigers.

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My first Tigers playoff game: ALDS Game 3, 2011.

I'm older now (obvious statement of this column). I like to think I'm wiser, with better perspective than a college kid. But with heavier expectations comes greater disappointment. That magical '06 season made every long-suffering Tigers fan believe that a World Series was not just possible, but imminent. 

I haven't followed the team more closely than I did when they were terrible (although the Internet and the Twitter age help with that, especially living 500 miles from Detroit), but I've expected more. As the payroll's increased and the prognosticators have picked the Tigers, each lost season has been tougher to take. 

If this series ends the way it's heading, the number of seasons without a World Series will equal my age. I know that means nothing to Cubs and Indians fans — or Cleveland fans of any sport from my generation, for that matter — but we all live in our personal sports fandom bubbles. 

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Why do I root so hard? Why do I insist on wearing my torn-to-shreds Tigers hat that I bought at a mall in Philly 15 years ago and won't give up until they win a World Series? Why do I wake up neighbors with my yells of exasperation? 

It's simple, really. When you've never experienced something but have come so close to it, when you feel like it's not far from your fingertips, it's the most tantalizing. That's how last year's run to the national championship game felt for Michigan. And that's why I follow, so closely, each pitch thrown by or swung at (or, more likely, through) by the Tigers.

If and when that championship happens, things will change for me. I'm certain of that. I'll still be a Tigers fan, of course. I'll still watch the occasional regular season game. I'll still join Dad for our annual drive to Detroit, where we park in the abandoned old theater for $6 and walk a few blocks to the ballpark. Those traditions will never change. 

But life as a fan is different when you've tasted the pinnacle of your team's success. I don't think that can be denied.

I used to be a huge Michigan football fan. But then the Wolverines won the national title in 1997, and my interest has slowly waned (note: my overall separation from football over the past year due to all the research that's come out regarding concussions and CTE has also contributed). 

I was a gigantic Pistons fan, and I still follow the team somewhat closely. But no championship could create as much joy for me as the 2004 beatdown of the high and mighty Lakers provided. 

Those teams reached the summits of their sports while I was a fan. I no longer care nearly as much. I watch more through my usual viewing glasses — objectively, as a sports journalist. 

The Tigers and the basketball Wolverines have not gained that summit of success. They've both come from extremely low points to the precipice of championship status. And that makes each crushing loss just sting more.

Tomorrow night, I'll grab the ragged hat again and hope for a different result and a tied series. I'll probably try some reverse jinxing with Facebook posts and Twitter updates (it can work!). 

Whatever the final score, I'll call it a night knowing that the day when my fandom wanes will be when the last game of the season is a win.

Go Tigers!

— Jake