This week on The Atlantic Files, Mike and Alex welcome the Youtuber Envyerz to the show to talk about the Northwest Division and give some predictions on what they think will happen this season. Since this episode wraps up the Western Conference in the Around the League series, the guys also give their final predictions for the eight seeds in the Western Conference Playoffs.
Last year’s division champ, the Portland Trail Blazers, doesn’t get very much high praise from the guys this year. Their team hasn’t seen much change, and after a sweep at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans last year, there isn’t much evidence to claim their fortunes will change. Does that mean they will finish around the same record or worse though?
The Oklahoma City Thunder seemed to have gained an addition by subtraction. They shed the weight of Carmelo Anthony, however, they don’t really have any shooters on the roster. Everyone knows that Russell Westbrook isn’t the most efficient shooter, so who will he be passing to on kickouts other than Paul George?
Two teams that are high on the guys’ radars are the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz. Not surprising that these two are also the younger ones of the division, therefore deliver the most potential and promise. Does this mean it can give them the edge to win the division?
“I think the Jazz could be a good fit for any star player. Jimmy Butler would be great on Utah.” – Envyerz
Finally, there is the Minnesota Timberwolves who happen to be dealing with all of the Jimmy Butler drama at the moment. There obviously the most difficult team to predict at the moment because there’s no telling what kind of haul they’ll get in return for Butler. It could make the team better in terms of cohesiveness, but it could also make the team worse in terms of talent. Where will they end up when the dust settles?