The Mogul’s Insight : NBA Season Preview 2014/15

By Juice Ndlovu on October 27, 2014 in NBA

With the recent conclusion of the Basketball National League, fans of the game across the continent have been looking forward to the return of the game they love to their screens. To this end, SupersportTV has been showing some classic NBA games as part of their countdown to the new season. In addition to that, the Turkish Airlines Euro League has made a return to our screen and we have been fortunate enough in the last 2 weeks to catch a glimpse of a number of NBA teams who have taken part in the NBA global games in countries such as Germany, Turkey, Brazil and Shanghai.

We are now less than 10 days away from the much anticipated tipoff of the NBA’s 2014/15 season and we have already seen some renewed rivalries from some of the pre-season matchups. There will definitely be some talking points and headlines from some of the major moves from the off-season where teams will want to bring in their new rosters and look forward to fruitful campaigns. The Cleveland Cavaliers were definitely the biggest movers and shakers, with moves that instantly put them on top of the Eastern Conference power rankings; they will of course have 82 games to prove their worth for this. Suppose the return of LeBron James to the roster puts them in a great position and the friends he brought to his kingdom will definitely gain him a lot of love in his city. There is also the return of a number of superstars to action after missing great lengths of the season due to injury; Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose are 2 which will be watched with bated breath by all fans of the game. 10 year veteran will also be making a welcomed return to action for the Denver Nuggets after successful achillies surgery.

While some teams are happy to welcome back their stars, some will be looking to make early season adjustments forced by the loss of theirs. Teams like the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma Thunder will begin the season without the services of Rajan Rondo and Kevin Durant; who recently sustained injuries that will have them miss the season’s tipoff. Of course the biggest, or worse, injury is that of Paul George which he sustained during an exhibition game for team USA before the world cup. The season-ending injury which shook the basketball world has been part of a lot much conversations about how it will affect his career from here on-wards. Recent reports are that he is now able to shoot jumpers and rehab is going well after surgery. It will be interesting to see how the Indiana Pacers gear up for the season with the recent departure of Lance Stephenson, and now the loss of their superstar. Perhaps a strong-will from guys like George Hill and David West will allow the team to put a good performance similar to that of the Chicago Bulls who were able to make the Playoffs for 2 seasons without their number 1. The champion San Antonio Spurs will once again be worth the watch; they have been able to put together a great show of consistency which had them perform great in the regular season so it will be interesting to keep a stakeout on them in their pursuit of a repeat. The LA Clippers are now officially in the post-Donald Sterling era, and will look to put all their focus and energy on the hardwood with new owner Steve Ballmer at the helm. The question remains to be answered for the other team in the city of Angels.

Regardless of what team you support, there is no denying that we are in for yet another great season of NBA Basketball. The rookie class promises to be 1 of the best classes we’ve seen in a while, which is going to be part of a great story of careers jumping off, while others are steadily approaching their curtain call. Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts because we are in for a spectacular dose of the game.