30 Teams in 30 Tweets: Volume 4

Man, a whole year has gone by since we wondered if LeBron could make his homecoming one for the ages...and so much has changed. Steph Curry ascended to the throne, taking the MVP and the Larry O'Brien trophies home with him to the Bay. James Harden took the mantle from Steve Francis and was truly "Franchise like a Houston Rocket", just missing the MVP himself. Russell Westbrook matched his crazy threads with a crazy scoring streak, and we lost HOF caliber guys like Durant and Bosh for way too long during the year.

So here we sit, the dawn of the 2015-2016 NBA season and there are, as always, more questions than answers...and we'll enjoy every minute from now til June as we get those answers. Until that time though, let's revisit the annual Ball So Hard tradition - 30 Teams in 30 Tweets.

As always, feel free to leave your feedback in the comments and Happy NBA Season to all!

Atlanta Hawks:  Big surprise with Budenholzer. East's  #1 seed? Doubtful, but another deep run makes sense.

Boston Celtics: Best coach in NBA after Pop. Stevens will get everything out of this deep, star-less roster. Atlantic title isn't as crazy as it sounds.

Brooklyn Nets: The Pierce/KG trade is looking really good for Boston - Brooklyn is destined to watch the ping pong balls this May.

Charlotte Hornets: When the highlight of your season is Frank Kaminsky's roster photo, join the Nets in your Lottery excitement. 

Chicago Bulls: Can D-Rose stay healthy? I wrote this last year. And the year before. If he does, they're playing late into June. 

Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron might finally understand saving himself, and a healthy roster, will get him and Cleveland that title. Watch out.

Dallas Mavericks: The team that lost DeAndre Jordan. Losing will be a theme. All. Year. Long. 

Denver Nuggets: Could be a tough year for the Nugs. Mudiay is interesting and will be fun to watch. Sneaky 8 seed at best. 

Detroit Pistons:  Stan has done work in Detroit, and quickly. This team will be a bit better than expected and could see a Round 1 playoff series. 

Golden State Warriors: Repeating is tough. The pressure is already on. Be happy everything lined up last year, Dubs fans, won't happen this year. 

Houston Rockets: They got close last year. They should again. Deep roster and Harden has something to prove - he wants that MVP.

Indiana Pacers: The East gives them the chance to bounce right back into the mix. They won't. Hickory uniforms will be their season highlight. 

Los Angeles Clippers: The uniforms are horrible. The roster is not. Doc won't have to worry about covering LAL banners after this year, they'll have their own. 

Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe is back. The Lakers...not so much. Russell and Randle are a nice start though. They are LA's "other" team now. 

Memphis Grizzlies: Always expect them to drop, and they always hang around. Still a mid-seed and capable of a surprise. West just seems too tough to tame. 

Miami Heat: Winslow was a huge draft day steal. Bosh back healthy will be big. They are much better than last year. 

Milwaukee Bucks: Parker will be back. Kidd was impressive. This team came out of nowhere. Will they live up to higher expectations or take a step back? 

Minnesota Timberwolves: #RIPFlip - sad start to the year. KG has a star to mentor and now he'll play even more inspired. Sentimental playoff pick. 

New Orleans Pelicans: Playoffs were a nice bonus for a young team with a budding superstar. Davis will make MVP noise, but team still feels a year out. 

New York Knicks:  This team is becoming a circus on and off the court, beginning with their head coach. Porzingas could be really good - the Knicks won't. 

Oklahoma City Thunder: KD's last stand? Westbrook's year to claim OKC as "his" team? They should be playing in June. But we say that every year. 

Orlando Magic: This is the team that could do what the Bucks did last year. Don't be surprised if they're a high seed in the East.

Philadelphia 76ers: RT from 2014: Year 2 (now 3) of Tankapalooza. They’ve got some pieces and potential, but its going to be ugly this year. 

Phoenix Suns: I just can't figure this team out. They look like they might sneak in, then they fall off. I am sticking with lottery for PHX this year. 

Portland Trailblazers: Losing Aldridge hurts. Lillard is a star, but can he be THE star? Might be a bit of a drop off, which is death in the West. 

Sacramento Kings: Cousins. Rondo. Karl. What could go wrong? One of those 3 won't last the season. Easily the most dysfunctional team in the league. 

San Antonio Spurs: Too easy to pick them. They have reloaded without ever having to rebuild. Won't be a shock if they win it all, but just short seems right. 

Toronto Raptors: The good news is they don't have to play Paul Pierce until the Finals. The bad news is they'll never get there. 

Utah Jazz: One of those years where you just want to see some positive steps forward while you wait out the big guns and rise in the West. 

Washington Wizards: This could be Beal's breakout year. Probably staying in the playoff mix, but expectations are lower. 

Playoff Predictions:

Eastern Conference Playoff Teams: 1. Chicago 2. Cleveland 3. Atlanta 4. Boston 5. Miami 6. Orlando 7. Toronto 8. Washington

Western Conference Playoff Teams: 1. San Antonio 2. Oklahoma City 3. LA Clippers 4. Golden State 5. Houston 6. Memphis 7. New Orleans 8. LA Lakers

ECF: Cleveland over Chicago - There's just too much talent on that Cavs roster if they're healthy. And if LeBron doesn't have to do everything himself, they're going back to the Finals.

WCF: LA Clippers over San Antonio - Kills me to have OKC on the outside looking in here, but it is the Clippers time. Plus, we get the Spurs/Clips series we all want.

NBA Finals: LA Clippers over Cleveland - Sorry, Bron Bron. You're a bridesmaid again. Its time for the other LA squad to get their banner. With the vet leadership of Paul Pierce, just like in 2008, Doc is getting a ring. 

Awards:

MVP: Russell Westbrook

6th Man: Isaiah Thomas

Def. POY: Kawhi Leonard

Coach: Brad Stevens

Rookie: DeAngelo Russell

Giving Restgate A Rest

Who knew that 3 DNP-CD's would set off a week's worth of argument and debate among the NBA players, coaches, owners and analysts. San Antonio Spurs HC Gregg Popovich decided that as part of a 4 game in 5 night road trip and with the Western Conference leading Grizzlies coming to down in 2 days, he would give his Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker the night off against the Miami Heat. The trio would fly home a day early and get rest for an early season battle. Those that follow the NBA know that Pop has done this plenty, especially last year in the shortened season. Of course, because it was against the NBA, err, Miami Heat, the Commish didn't like the move and threatened "serious sanctions" against the team. As we learned a day later, the sanctions were a hefty $250k fine and days of debate among sports fans and media alike.

Let me start off by saying you'll never confuse me for a Spurs fan. Having fellow Aztec alum Kawhi Leonard has given them a few points but I am not a fan of Parker/Ginobili and every time I hear the name Tim Duncan, this song seems to stream in the background (yes, Celtics fans are bitter...deal with it!) and I lose any chance of being unbiased.

With that being said, you can't be a hoops fan and not respect the franchise. They've done it the right way for years, won rings and reload year after year. Popovich is in my opinion right there with Phil, Doc and Doug Collins as the guys I'd choose from if I was running a team (listening, Team USA and Mr. Colangelo? More on you another day...) and needed a coach. Pop knows what he's doing, the players respect the hell out of him and he manages those players perfectly to maximize results. He knows when to push, when to rest and you really can't argue with his methods...unless you're David Stern. Or Mark Cuban.

Stern and Cuban didn't approve of the unscheduled mass day off for the Spurs, citing the TV deals the league has and it being a national TV game and the only trip the team makes to Miami, robbing local Spurs fans of seeing their team. I get that. TV money is what makes the league run. Plus, if I made the 2-hour trip to Orlando to see the C's and Pierce, Rondo and KG were DNP-CD's I'd be bent. But I'd also trade a November win for fresh legs in May and June. Again, I trust Pop just like I'd trust Doc.

Here's my list of questions...would anyone care as much if this was late April and the Spurs were locked into a playoff position? What about if the trip was in reverse order and the night off was against the Wizards? Did everyone miss Pop doing this twice last year when it cost his team 11-game win streaks? The answer to all: NO.

Stern didn't like a light schedule night getting even lighter on the national stage. Ironically, the game was great and the Spurs hung till the very end (would the fine have come if they won? add that to my list) before falling short. Cuban took an opportunity to jab an in-state rival. Typical.

My take: 

Relax. It was a night off. There are 82 games. These guys are not young. Missing 20 games to have legs for the playoffs is important. I'm surprised more teams don't do it. Could Pop rest 1 guy a night over 3 games, sure. But why put yourself in a vulnerable spot nightly when you just take your lumps once every few weeks? I personally like the move. I get the TV deals and the respect the teams need to have, but if the ownership didn't bark at Pop, maybe Stern should have backed down, especially seeing there were no warnings in the past. My guess is it will happen again and you'll see more teams doing it. Who knows...maybe its what leads to a shorter schedule with more rest, something that isn't the worst idea in the world. Regardless, it is time to give Restgate a rest and focus on who is playing, not sitting!