Winners of the 2018 Off-Season

Training camp for most teams is right around the corner, and players are rounding into shape with a greater frequency of gatherings for open runs in various cities. All this means that, yes, it is almost that time of the year again. Only 41 days until tip-off on the new season!

Small tweaks like the free reign of creativity allowing colorways of any shoe to be worn on court during games along with the new NBA partnership with Beats audio should make this season even more fun for players and fans alike.

This summer saw plenty of rumors and movement that undoubtedly made the anticipation for the upcoming season skyrocket. Some teams greatly benefitted from these changes, others took a hit and might not be looking forward to this season the way us fans are. Nonetheless, here are the teams I feel benefitted most from what all transpired over this off-season thus far.

The Biggest Winners

The Eastern Conference

It could go without saying that the Eastern Conference collectively took one deep sigh in relief on July 1st when LeBron's decision on the upcoming season became official. Not only did he leave Cleveland (again) but this time he left the entire conference. James had a stranglehold on the conference as evident by his ever-present presence representing the conference in the NBA Finals each of last eight seasons. EIGHT SEASONS! That is absurd! He has broken up potential dynasty's, been the reason coaches have been fired, and single-handedly been responsible for how teams have approached each season in that conference. With him signing to the Los Angeles Lakers for 4yr/$154 M, he is finally out of the way for franchises like Boston, and Toronto to potentially reach the Finals. Those teams, along with Philadelphia, Washington, Miami, and even teams like they up and coming Bulls and Knicks feel an undeniable breath of fresh air. Every franchise out East feels they have new life since LeBron made his decision, and rightfully so. The Conference as a whole should be more competitive as they all should feel they have a legit chance moving forward.

The Los Angeles Lakers

Welcome back to contention Lakers Nation. The Lakers quite easily won the off-season as they won the LeBron sweepstakes. They got their primary target, and catapulted to borderline-contender status with that move alone. It remains to be seen exactly how effective the parts around LeBron will be (Rondo, Beasley, Stephenson, and McGee) in combination with the assemblage of youth the Lakers have added to their roster in Ball, Kuzma, and Ingram. The aforementioned players plus The King will likely be the eight-man rotation to garner the most minutes if the season were to start today. Seemingly, inept of shooting and floor spacing at the moment (along with questionable IQ and ego combinations), the Lakers are very much a question mark of ambiguity going into the 2018-2019 season. However, acquiring LeBron James is enough to drown out that noise and allow for the franchise to bask in the glory or acquiring one of the best players ever. The last two seasons, the Lakers won both 26 and 35 games. For a team full of inexperience and youth, that 9 game jump was a sign of progress. However, acquiring the talent that is the King, they should be penciled in for 45-50 wins this season in the gauntlet that is the Western Conference. However, as we all know, that guarantees nothing but that they will be in the flux that is the middle tier of the Conference. Last season, the only teams in the west to win 50+ games were the Rockets (65-17) and the Warriors (58-24). It will be an uphill climb to solidify a spot in the playoffs, a scenario LeBron is foreign to, but given his track record, they will be in the playoffs. Just a matter of exactly where they will be placed.

The Dallas Mavericks

Last season the Mavericks were a rather interesting looking team on paper. They had an electrifying top flight rookie point guard in Dennis Smith Jr., who was learning his way and was able to put up 15.2 ppg with 5.2 apg and 3.8 rpg. He helped fill the seats at the American Airlines Center (Including the occasional appearance of friend/mentor J. Cole on the sidelines at home and road games). His growth and ascension will be a big factor in the teams potential this season. Along with Smith Jr., the Mavericks sport a cast of proven and experienced talent. Of course, although in spurts now, Dirk is still Dirk and his veteran presence is one that is practically unparalleled. They also have Wes Matthews and Harrison Barnes who are solid options on the wing. However, the move that should tilt the scale for them is the acquisition of DeAndre Jordan. For all the flaws in his game, he will be rejuvenated playing for the team he almost chose last time he was a free agent (before Chris Paul and company made one last pitch to get him to stay in Los Angeles). One thing that is certain is that Jordan will provide an elite anchoring of the defense along with elite rebounding and elite rim protection. All of which will be essential if they feel Dirk can play a significant role in their efforts to make the playoffs. The Mavericks also drafted Luka Doncic who received much attention for his efforts overseas for the last few seasons. If his play can translate to the NBA against higher competition, their small ball line-ups with him and Smith Jr. in the backcourt could be rather deadly. That remains to be seen, but head coach Rick Carlisle, who is still one of the best in the league, will undoubtedly have his team ready to reach their potential. They will be in the thick of things around the end of the season in the Western Conference. Expect for them to be active in the trade/buyout market to better their roster ahead of March and April.

The "Others" who capitalized

The Denver Nuggets (the addition of Michael Porter Jr. via the draft and Isaiah Thomas off their bench along with a fully healthy Millsap) and Golden State (the addition of Demarcus Cousins) also made the strongest leaps in progression this off season.

Time will tell for each of these instances, but all three individually will be among the situations I will keep tabs on throughout the season. It is almost that time of the year again. NBA 2k19 comes out this Friday and shortly there after, preseason will be here. Get ready!

All stats mentioned come directly from http://www.basketball-reference.com, http://www.stats.nba.com, or http://www.nbamath.com unless otherwise attributed.