The Sports Cult

Southwest

1. Memphis – Losing O.J. Mayo was addition by subtraction, and bringing in Jerryd Bayless gives them a nice one-two punch at the point with Mike Conley. The frontline is nasty, and Zach Randolph figures to be even more productive now that he is healthy. Rudy Gay can shoot them out of games, but his talent is undeniaable. The bench isn’t great, but Lionel Hollins is one of the best coaches in the league. The division will come down to the wire, and the Grizz will edge out the Spurs by a couple of games.

2. San Antonio – Status quo for Pop’s crew, as they return the big 3 plus important role players Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. But it’s too much to expect Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, both in their mid 30s, to play 70 games and be fresh enough in the playoffs to beat other elite (and younger) teams in a (more…)