2014-2015 NBA Prediction Thread

[Grin&MartyBarret]

Less than a week out from opening night, thought it would be interesting to get some predictions in so we can all look back at what idiots we are come June. 
 
Copy and Paste your predictions for the following: 
 
MVP: LeBron James
DPOY: Joakim Noah
ROY: Nerlens Noel
MIP: Jonas Valanciunas
COY: Stan Van Gundy
6th Man: Andre Iguodala
1st Team All NBA: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard
All Defensive Team: Patrick Beverly, Tony Allen, Michael Kidd Gilchrest, Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis
 
Playoff Predictions
 
East:
 
1. Cleveland 4
8. Brooklyn 0
 
4. Toronto 3
5. Washington 4
 
3. Atlanta 4
6. Charlotte 3
 
2. Chicago 4
7. Detroit 1
 
 
Second Round Match-ups: 
 
Cleveland 4
Washington 2
 
Atlanta 3
Chicago 4
 
 
Eastern Conference finals: 
 
Cleveland 4
Chicago 2 
 
West:
 
1. San Antonio 4
8. Portland 2
 
4. Golden State 4
5. Dallas 3
 
3. Oklahoma City 4
6. Memphis 3
 
2. Clippers 4
7. Houston 2
 
Second Round Match-ups: 
 
San Antonio 4
Golden State 2
 
OKC 3
Clippers 4
 
Western Conference Finals: 
 
Clippers 4
San Antonio 2
 
NBA Champions: Cleveland 4 games to 2. 

 

[Kliq]

MVP: Chris Paul-I think Durant's injuries hurt him, and I think LeBron's stats drop just enough for writers to talk themselves into another candidate. If Paul plays 75 games he is as good of a bet as any.
 
DPOY: Anthony Davis- Having more offensive fire power and another banger will free him up to challenge more shots.
 
ROY: Jabari Parker- He will get the necessary reps and his offensive game is NBA ready. 18 ppg should give him this award.
 
MIP: Andre Drummond- Something has to give in Detroit's front line, and whatever happens should free up more space for Drummond, wouldn't be surprised by an 18-14 season or something. Also like Terrence Ross and Enes Kanter.
 
COY: Doc Rivers- Could go with a lot of options here, Doc could take it if his team wins 60. Also like Mike Budenholzer, Steve Kerr and Steve Clifford.
 
6th Man: Isaiah Thomas- Mighty mite should thrive in Phoenix's up-tempo system.
 
1st Team All-NBA- Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Anthony Davis
2nd Team All-NBA- John Wall, James Harden, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Joakim Noah
3rd Team All-NBA- Derrick Rose, Eric Bledsoe, LaMarcus Aldridge, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard
 
1st Team All-Defense- Chris Paul, Tony Allen, LeBron James, Serge Ibaka and Anthony Davis
2nd Team All-Defense- Russell Westbrook, Eric Bledsoe, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan and Joakim Noah
 
East:
1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Toronto
4. Washington
5. Charlotte
6. Miami
7. Atlanta
8. Detroit
9. Indiana
10. Brooklyn
11. New York
12. Orlando
13. Milwaukee
14. Boston
15. Philadelphia
 
Playoffs
Cleveland over Detroit
Chicago over Atlanta
Toronto over Miami
Washington over Charlotte
 
Cleveland over Washington
Chicago over Toronto
 
Chicago over Cleveland
 
West:
1. LA Clippers
2. San Antonio
3. Oklahoma City
4. Portland
5. Memphis
6. Dallas
7. Phoenix
8. Golden State
9. Houston
10. New Orleans
11. Denver
12. Sacramento
13. LA Lakers
14. Minnesota
15. Utah
 
Los Angeles over Golden State
San Antonio over Phoenix
Oklahoma City over Dallas
Portland over Memphis
 
Portland over Los Angeles
San Antonio over Oklahoma City
 
San Antonio over Portland
 
NBA Finals: Spurs over Chicago

 

[Sam Ray Not]

/Homer alert/ 
 
WEST
1. Warriors
2. Spurs
3. Clippers
4. Blazers
5. Pelicans
6. Thunder
7. Grizzlies
8. Rockets
9. Suns
10. Mavericks
11. Nuggets
12. Jazz
13. Kings
14. Wolves
15. Lakers
 
EAST
1. Cavs
2. Bulls
3. Raptors
4. Heat
5. Bullets
6. Hawks
7. Hornets
8. Pistons
9. Bucks
10. Nets
11. Pacers
12. Magic
13. Knicks
14. Celtics
15. Sixers
 
Round 1:
Warriors over Rockets
Spurs over Grizzlies
Thunder over Clippers
Blazers over Pelicans
----
Cavs over Pistons
Bulls over Hornets
Raptors over Hawks
Wizards over Heat
 
Round 2:
Warriors over Blazers
Thunder over Spurs
----
Cavs over Wizards
Raptors over Bulls
 
Conference championships:
Warriors over Thunder
Cavs over Raptors
 
Finals:
Warriors over Cavs
 
MVP: Blake Griffin
ROY: Jabari Parker
COY: Steve Kerr
 
All-NBA first team: Westbrook, Curry, James, Griffin, Davis
All-NBA second team: CP3, Harden, Durant, Love, Noah
All-NBA third team: Wall, K. Thompson, Melo, Aldridge, Howard

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Just so you don't think I'm a total homer, the ever-reliable Five Thirty Eight also has the Warriors as the #1 seed:
 
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/2014-nba-preview-the-rise-of-the-warriors/
 

Very few first-time NBA coaches are lucky enough to inherit a team as talented as the one Steve Kerr has in the Golden State Warriors this year. Last year, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson shared one of the most remarkable offensive seasons any starting backcourt has had in the NBA since 2000. Together, they averaged a 55 percent effective field goal percentage10 while combining to take 38 percent of the Warriors’ shots. That is the best eFG percentage for any backcourt that took more than 35 percent of its team’s shots since 2000.
 
Kerr also inherits a defense that finished fourth in the league in defensive efficiency last season.
 

 

[Kliq]

Are we sure the Warriors are that good? I think they are highly overrated and in a brutal west, no fucking way they are the top seed. They are relying on perhaps the most fragile player in the league to protect their rim, and have two horrifically bad defenders playing huge minutes in their starting five. They have a rookie coach who nobody knows if he is any good or not. They are bringing back largely the same team that lost in the first round, and they might not have even taken it to seven games if their other team wasn't going through an ownership crisis. I just don't see how anyone can think they are THAT good.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Not sure about "overrated" -- 538 is the only site I've seen that has put them anywhere near the top. Of course, they may also be the only site that deals primarily in evidence and analysis rather than in hyperbole and repetition of common wisdom.
 
Last year the Warriors' Pythag W-L was 56-26. Five Thirty Eight has them at 56 wins this year. I don't see how that's an unreasonable guesstimate for a really young team with three key core guys who look to have improved (Thompson, Green, Barnes), nobody over 31 (Iguodala is 30, Lee 31), the addition of Livingston, Ezeli, Rush and Barbosa, and no major subtractions.
 
Yeah, last year they barely lost to the Clips in 7 ... playing without Bogut.
 
Bogut's health will always remain a big concern, but "most fragile player in the league" is hyperbolic. (I mean, Oden, Okafor and Bynum, among others, say hi). I don't want to overplay his durability  -- largely for fear of jinxing him -- but he did play 67 healthy games last season (8 more than Marc Gasol) only to be felled by a freak cracked rib two games before the start of the playoffs. That injury is totally healed and he looks totally spry and healthy so far in camp. Again, knocking wood.
 
Meanwhile, with the return of Ezeli, he now has two young, physically imposing backups. (Young 7'-1" Bosnian Ongnjen Kuzmic is the other). Last game v. the Clips Fez and Kuz played 37 minutes mano-a-mano v. DeAndre Jordan and Spencer Hawes, and combined for 18 points on 8-10 fg with 13 boards.
 
However "horrifically bad" Curry and Lee are as defenders (by RAPM Curry at least is closer to neutral) the Warriors had the best defense in the conference last year. And they're adding two very solid defenders in Ezeli and Livingston (losing Jermaine O'Neal, but he was getting old and slow, and only played 880 total minutes anyway).
 
Acclimation to Kerr was a big concern of mine going into pre-season, but with the guidance of Adams and Gentry, the system seems to have taken much faster than I expected it to. Ball movement in pre-season has been far crisper and more Spurs-like than at any point during the Jackson era. With Bogut and Lee flashing their ace passing skills and the two best three-point shooters of all-time* getting tons of clean looks, they've been blowing teams of the floor.
 
The West is brutal, yes, but it's equally brutal for everyone. Someone's got to come out of it, even if they only do so with 55-56 wins. With Durant out a couple of months, Duncan and Manu now 38/37, and the Clips severely lacking anything resembling a competent two-sided wing player, I give the Warriors as solid a shot as anyone -- again, health permitting, knocking wood, etc.
 
*All time NBA leaders in 3FG% (min. 4.5 attempts per game)
 
1. S. Curry .440
2. K. Thompson .410
3. P. Stojakovic .401
4. R. Allen .400
5. D. Scott .397
6. B. Beal .396
7. R. Miller .395
8. W. Matthews .394
9. C. Billups .387
10. R. Anderson .386

 

[Kliq]

I didn't know Thompson and Curry were good at shooting threes, thanks for pointing that out. And hey, who cares about Bogut playing in 45% of all possible games (111-246) over the last three seasons when you have Festus Ezeli backing him up! When push came to shove, you can score on the Warriors because of their obvious weaknesses on the defensive end. LA hung 110ppg during their series against Golden State, granted they didn't have Bogut, but odds lean to them not having Bogut in the future.
 
Anyone not picking the Spurs to win the West is kind of insane, imo. They just rattled off one of the best seasons in NBA history, and people STILL think they are going to lose it. Duncan is the smartest player in league history, and Manu is a wizard so I'm not really bothered with the age question. Kyle Anderson has looked very good as a rookie, they kept all the key role players, and Kawhi can only really get better.
 
I like the Warriors, they are a fun exciting team to watch and their players and their coach all seem likeable. I just don't believe in them having enough grit and toughness to run the gauntlet this year. I could see them coming out and playing a good frantic defense, getting better possessions on offense and improving on their 2014 season, but I could also see Kerr struggling during his first year as head coach, Curry and Thompson both dipping down in 3pts as teams adapt to defending them better, and the frontcourt turning into a layup line. I wouldn't be surprised to see them finish anywhere from 4th to 10th in the West this season.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

I didn't know Thompson and Curry were good at shooting threes, thanks for pointing that out.

Well, sure. But did you (or anyone else here) know they were by far the two best three-point shooters (above a reasonable volume) in NBA history? Be honest. That's not something any other team can remotely claim; and it's a pretty big deal in an era in which the three is an increasingly huge weapon. You know which NBA team shot the best from three last season? You got it -- the Spurs. The season before the Heat were #2.
 

And hey, who cares about Bogut playing in 45% of all possible games (111-246) over the last three seasons when you have Festus Ezeli backing him up!
 

I care; I said as much. But there's a difference between worrying about injuries and thinking it's likely that he'll once again break a bone right before the playoffs. The two injuries that caused him to miss those games were unrelated traumatic events: one a fractured ankle and the other a hairline fracture in his rib from a Faried elbow. We're not talking, say, chronic knee issues as with Oden or Bynum, or even Derrick Rose. But sure, guys that big with injury histories are always worrisome; and if you want to point to Bogut's injury risk as the biggest reason not to bet on the Warriors, I can totally buy that. But I don't know why you would count on it with any measure of certainty. Injuries are inherently unpredictable. Durant was the most durable player in the league before he went down to a scary Yao-Ming-type stress fracture. Steph Curry two years ago was Mr. Glass Jaw till he went and put up two straight seasons of nearly 3,000 minutes played. Etc.
 

When push came to shove, you can score on the Warriors because of their obvious weaknesses on the defensive end.
 

I think being #1 in defensive efficiency in the conference suggests otherwise. I feel like their D often gets overlooked due to the years -- nay decades -- when they were a soft, offensive-minded team, even when they were good. But this is not your grandfather's Warriors. I don't think there's a team in the league with the Warriors' defensive skill and toughness on the wing. Iguodala, Thompson, Green, Barnes, Livingston? Yeesh, the Clips would kill for any one of those guys. That's the core of a great D in today's perimeter-oriented NBA. (It was also the core of the Jordan/Pippen Bulls' great D.) Yeah, the interior D is a little thin after Bogut, but now we're back on the Bogut topic. The Grizzlies' interior D is pretty bad without Marc Gasol.
 

Anyone not picking the Spurs to win the West is kind of insane, imo.

You mean, like, you?  (Clips #1, Spurs #2). We're talking about the grabbing #1 seed here, not winning the conference championship. I think I agree with you that come playoff time, the Spurs will probably be the team to beat, assuming the Big Three are healthy and well-rested. During the season, I'm far less convinced. Patty Mills is out for a few months. Pop has already made noises about not going all out to win the regular season. Duncan (38) and Manu (37) are seriously pushing the envelope in terms of continuing to play in the NBA at peak level, and will almost certainly need a ton of rest to have any hopes of maintaining that level. Even "young" Tony Parker is a year older than Lee and Barbosa, the oldest guys on the Warriors. Kawhi is young and a stud, but has some weird eye infection that threatens to keep him out of the opener; and as great as he is, he's not LeBron or even Paul George in terms of his ability to put a team on his back. I could easily see them slipping to 55 wins (as 538 predicts) or even a bit lower if Father Time starts catching up to Duncan and Manu the way it catches to everyone.
 

I wouldn't be surprised to see them finish anywhere from 4th to 10th in the West this season.
 

Well, I'd say more #1 to #10, but I think we're not too far off. I think we agree that they could be a great team with a totally healthy Bogut, a playoff bubble team if he misses 50-60+ games, or somewhere in between if he's somewhere in between.

 

[cardiacs]

I knew Curry close to the top in 3pt FG%, but I had no idea he was smoking the competition. I wonder how he compares to the other guys through x years played. 
 
I suck at spelling. 

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Well, to be clear, Curry smokes the competition if you allow for a minimum volume. If you take off the volume filter, you get a bunch of spot-up, low-volume role players, and some guy named Steve Kerr with 1.8 attempts per game is actually #1 at .454. (Of course, he also played a few years with the shorter 3 pt line).
 
But 4.5 attempts is not totally arbitrary: that's the minimum # of attempts where Ray Allen and Reggie Miller appear in the Top 10, and I think everyone agrees that they should be in any list of top 3 pt shooters.
 
The fact that Curry is
 
• 30 points ahead of anyone (and 40 points ahead of anyone he doesn't set up himself)
• The only guy on the list other than possibly Billups who creates most of his shots on his own, off the dribble
 
Is fairly insane.
 
(Sorry, guys, I guess this should be in the "Warriors come out and play" thread, but the action seems to be in here).

 

[ElUno20]

My clipps, the bulls, and the Warriors. So tired of hearing how great they're going to be this year. Regular season wins mean sht. You have to win in the playoffs and i doubt either west squads could beat the spurs or thunder.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

MVP: [SIZE=12.7272720336914px]LeBron James[/SIZE]
DPOY: Joakim Noah
ROY: Jabari Parker
COY: [SIZE=12.7272720336914px]Steve Kerr[/SIZE]
6th Man: Isaiah Thomas
1st Team All NBA: LeBron James, LeMarcus Aldridge, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis
All Defensive Team: Klay Thompson, Tony Allen, Marcus Smart, Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis
 
Playoff Predictions
 
East:
1.  Cleveland
2.  Washington
3.  Chicago
4. Toronto
5. Charlotte
6.  Miami
7. Indiana
8.  Atlanta
 
West:
 
1.  Golden State
2.  San Antonio
3.  OKC
4.  LAC
5.  Portland
6.  Grizzlies
7.  Houston
8.  Phoenix
 
NBA Champions: Cleveland over Golden State 4-2
 
Btw, I am with Sam Ray Not here - I am a Warriors homer but nobody is as deep one to five as Golden State this season (David Lee doesn't get nearly enough love for his offensive game).  Bogut, as has been pointed out, is truly the key.  If they can keep him protected until April/May, they are going to surprise a lot of people.  Their bench is very good too - maybe one of the best save for another big man.
 
Other thoughts - the Clippers are everyone's favorite out of the West if San Antonio ages and OKC stumbles without Durant.  I think they are going to take a huge step back as CP3 hasn't played more than 70 games in four seasons.  He is just as fragile, if not more, than Andrew Bogut.
 
Also, don't sleep on Phoenix.  Goran Dragic is, perhaps, the most underrated player in the NBA.   I don't know how they will play him with Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas altogether but I want to see it like nobody's business.  Finally, my dark horse out of the West is Portland.  LaMarcus Aldridge and Lillard are otherworldly, their rotation is very good and their coach is great.  Don't sleep on this team either.

 

[TroyOLeary]

MVP: [SIZE=12.7272720336914px]LeBron James[/SIZE]
DPOY: Anthony Davis
ROY: Jabari Parker
COY: [SIZE=12.7272720336914px]Mike Budenholzer[/SIZE]
MIP: Jeff Teague
6th Man: Taj Gibson
1st Team All NBA: Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis
All Defensive Team: Patrick Beverley, Andre Iguodala, Lebron James, Joakim Noah, Anthony Davis
 
East:
1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Atlanta
4. Toronto
5. Washington
6. Charlotte
7. Miami
8. Detroit
 
West:
 
1.  LA Clippers
2.  San Antonio
3.  Golden State
4.  OKC
5.  Portland
6.  Dallas
7.  Memphis
8.  Houston
 
NBA Champions: LA Clippers over Chicago 4-2

 

[TheDeuce222]

MVP: LeBron James
DPOY: Anthony Davis
ROY: Jabari Parker
MIP: Anthony Davis
COY: David Blatt
6th Man: Isaiah Thomas
1st Team All NBA: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin
All Defensive Team: Avery Bradley, Lebron James, Michael Kidd Gilchrist, Joakim Noah, Anthony Davis
 
Playoff Predictions
 
East:
 
1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Toronto
4. Washington
5. Charlotte
6. Miami
7. Atlanta
8. Boston
9. Detroit
10. New York
11. Brooklyn
12. Indiana
13. Milwaukee
14. Orlando
15. Philadelphia 
 
West:
 
1. LA Clippers
2. San Antonio
3. Golden State
4. OKC
5. Dallas
6. Houston
7. Portland
8. Memphis
9. Phoenix
10. New Orleans
11. Denver
12. Utah
13. Sacramento
14. LA Lakers
15. Minnesota
 
East Playoffs:
 
(1) Cleveland over (8) Boston 4-0
(2) Chicago over (7) Atlanta 4-2
(3) Toronto over (6) Miami 4-3
(4) Washington over (5) Charlotte 4-3
 
(1) Cleveland over (4) Washington 4-1
(2) Chicago over (3) Toronto 4-2
 
(1) Cleveland over (2) Chicago 4-2
 
West Playoffs:
 
(1) Clippers over (8) Memphis 4-3
(2) Spurs over (7) Portland 4-2
(3) Golden State over (6) Houston 4-1
(4) OKC over (5) Dallas 4-3
 
(4) OKC over (1) Clippers 4-3
(3) Golden State over (2) Spurs 4-2
 
(3) Golden State over (4) OKC 4-2
 
NBA Champions: Golden State 4 games to 3 over Cleveland
 
So I'm the only moron predicting any sort of improvement for the Celtics it looks like.  I know I'm absolutely nuts, but I think teams 7-15 in the East are going to be absolutely terrible, and the Celts will scrape their way to 38 wins and an absolute 4-0 slaughter by the Cavs.  As opposed to last year, I'm really excited to watch this year's Celtics.  I'm sure that will change when they're 4-10 on December 1, but alas, hope springs eternal.  
 
I obviously think Kerr helps Golden State tremendously and if they get healthy seasons out of Livingston and Bogut, they can and will win it all with a greatly improved bench.   

 

[Kliq]

 
 I think they are going to take a huge step back as CP3 hasn't played more than 70 games in four seasons.  He is just as fragile, if not more, than Andrew Bogut.
 
 
 

 
Andrew Bogut has played in 45% of the possible regular season games over the past four seasons. Chris Paul has played in 82% of them.
 
Also, for everyone picking GS to win it all: Show me the last team that won the NBA championship with a roster that had never played in a conference finals before, without significant roster turnover (so the '08 Celtics don't count). You won't really be able to, since it hasn't happened since the shot clock was invented. You need to really taste defeat before you can have victory; it's true.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

 
Andrew Bogut has played in 45% of the possible regular season games over the past four seasons. Chris Paul has played in 82% of them.

This is true.


And last season Paul missed 25% of his team's games. Bogut played five more games than Paul. Paul's age and style of play are catching up to him. My predictions are factoring that in while yours aren't.

Feel free to point out that I was wrong when the season is over if Paul doesn't miss many games with an injury. I will admit I was off.

 

[Nomar813]

MVP: LeBron James
DPOY: Joakim Noah
ROY: Jabari Parker
MIP: Anthony Bennett
COY: Tom Thibodeau
6th Man: Isaiah Thomas
1st Team All NBA: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis
All Defensive Team: Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Joakim Noah
 
Playoff Predictions
 
East:
 
[SIZE=12.7272720336914px]1. Cleveland[/SIZE]
8. Detroit
 
2. Toronto
7. Miami
 
3. Washington
6. Atlanta
 
4. Chicago
5. Charlotte
 
Second Round Match-ups: 
 
Cleveland
Charlotte
 
Toronto
Washington
 
Eastern Conference finals: 
 
Cleveland
Toronto 
 
West:
 
1. San Antonio
8. New Orleans
 
2. Oklahoma City
7. Houston
 
3. LA Clippers
6. Portland
 
4. Golden State
5. Memphis
 
Second Round Match-ups: 
 
San Antonio
Memphis
 
Oklahoma City
LA Clippers
 
Western Conference Finals: 
 
San Antonio
Oklahoma City
 
NBA Champions: San Antonio over Cleveland

 

[nighthob]

MVP: Steph Curry
DPOY: Joey Noah
ROY: Jabari Parker
MIP: Gordy Dieng
COY: Tom Thibodeau
6th Man: Lil' Zeke in a runaway
1st Team All NBA: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh
All Defensive Team: Chris Paul, Avery Bradley, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Joakim Noah
All Rookie Team: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Nerlens Noel, Marcus Smart, Elfrid Payton

 

[HomeRunBaker]

 
Andrew Bogut has played in 45% of the possible regular season games over the past four seasons. Chris Paul has played in 82% of them.
 
Also, for everyone picking GS to win it all: Show me the last team that won the NBA championship with a roster that had never played in a conference finals before, without significant roster turnover (so the '08 Celtics don't count). You won't really be able to, since it hasn't happened since the shot clock was invented. You need to really taste defeat before you can have victory; it's true.

My only Andrew Bogut prediction is that he continues channeling his inner Chuck Knoblauch, tosses up b2b airballs from the line at least once in the first month of the season and continues rendering himself useless on the Warriors bench in the 4th quarter.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

My only Andrew Bogut prediction is that he continues channeling his inner Chuck Knoblauch, tosses up b2b airballs from the line at least once in the first month of the season and continues rendering himself useless on the Warriors bench in the 4th quarter.

 
Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Death, taxes and Bogut bricking FTs.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

This preseason he's been shooting most of his FTs left-handed. No, seriously. He's pretty ambidextrous to begin with (like David Lee) and since he mangled his right arm a couple years ago, he says his left-handed stroke feels much smoother.
 
The less depressing news about Bogut from pre-season is that they've frequently been running the offense through him in the high post, and he's been flashing mad passing skills -- a LeBron-like 7.1 assists per 36 minutes. 

 

[HomeRunBaker]

This preseason he's been shooting most of his FTs left-handed. No, seriously. He's pretty ambidextrous to begin with (like David Lee) and since he mangled his right arm a couple years ago, he says his left-handed stroke feels much smoother.
 
The less depressing news about Bogut from pre-season is that they've frequently been running the offense through him in the high post, and he's been flashing mad passing skills -- a LeBron-like 7.1 assists per 36 minutes. 

Bogut shot 34% from the line last year which may or may not be the lowest in the history of the game for a player with that many attempts.......damn, i sure hope it feels smoother from the left. I'd have to research Chris Dudley, DeAndre Jordan, and Ben Wallace to see if they qualify as other renowned bricklayers such as Adonal Foyle, Reggie Evans and Biedrins likely didn't have enough attempts.