30 Teams In 30 Tweets: Vol. 2

On the eve of the 2013-2014 season, muddled by all the LeBron 3-peat, Melo-drama, D-Rose/Kobe returns and taking chatter, one major question remains: where is the 30 Teams in 30 Tweets column from Ball So Hard Sports?! Rest easy, kids, all of the projections, predictions and insanity are here and back in full force! This promises to be one of the most entertaining and competitive seasons in recent memory and what better way to lay out predictions than in our favorite 140-character, quick-hit style?

As mentioned last year, of course you can grab your in-depth, put you to sleep analysis of this season at all of those other sites (whom we love dearly and read as well), but in the land of social media dominance, the tweet-length predictions and outlooks for every team will be just what you need to be ready for the opening tip tomorrow.

Without further adieu, here are the Ball So Hard Sports "30 Teams in 30 Tweets" for the 2013-2014 NBA season, followed by our NBA Playoffs and awards predictions as well. Enjoy and let us know whether you agree/disagree in the comments below.

2013-2014 NBA Previews:

Atlanta Hawks:  New season, same outlook, with or without J-Smoove. Bottom-half seed, 1st round exit. Welcome to Atlanta, where mediocre plays. 

Boston Celtics: Hate losing Pierce & KG but business is business. Love the Stevens hire. Don't rush Rondo, take your lumps. The pieces to rebuild are here.

Brooklyn Nets: Stay healthy, raise a banner. League's best starting 5, great bench, 2 hungry new leaders in Pierce & KG. One of the major contenders.

Charlotte Bobcats: They're getting there, slowly but surely. Big Al was a nice signing. Still a lottery team, but at least they seem like it isn't OK anymore.

Chicago Bulls: If D-Rose plays like he has in preseason, all is forgiven. Guys might start tearing ACL's just to come back this strong. Title/MVP possible.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Does Bynum play? Was Bennett #1 worthy? Is this Irving's audition to play with LeBron? A lot of questions, a year away from answers.

Dallas Mavericks: This team just feels like its fallen by the wayside. Window closed, locked and boarded. Time for Cuban to make a splash.

Denver Nuggets: Losing Iggy is a dagger. Needed to get better, took a step back AND traded Karl for a rookie Shaw on the bench. Middle of the pack at best.

Detroit Pistons:  Lots of new pieces in Motown. Jennings and Smith could make the team fun. Looking at a 7/8 seed and a 1st round sweep. Sound familiar, Josh?

Golden State Warriors: The chic pick to win the west. Iggy definitely puts them on the short list. If Curry's ankles are OK, expect big fun and bigger results. 

Houston Rockets: Is the Dwight drama over? Are they a player away? Is Harden OK with dropping back to 2nd fiddle? A year away from knowing, but promising.

Indiana Pacers: They answered the questions last year about being ready. Can they stay at this level and eventually push forward? George & Hibbert = yes.

Los Angeles Clippers: Can Doc work his magic with vets again? If so, they'll go from covering up the other LA team's banners to finally raising one of their own. 

Los Angeles Lakers: Which number is going to be higher: number of games Kobe misses or number of games the Lakers win? Gonna be a long year for the Lake Show.

Memphis Grizzlies: Made noise but fell short late last year. Same old story. Guessing they drop a bit this year before making a charge down the road.

Miami Heat: LeBron's last ride in South Beach or the title that cements his legacy & keeps him in MIA? Too many contenders, prepare for The Decision 2. 

Milwaukee Bucks: One of a handful of teams whose fans will be watching Kansas highlights more than their own team's. Lottery is a necessity for Bucks. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: Can they keep Love healthy and make a playoff run this year? Hopefully, otherwise it may be time to ship Kevin elsewhere.

New Orleans Pelicans: A year older. Tyreke is a nice add. Probably another year away but don't be surprised to see this team in a first-round matchup.

New York Knicks:  Officially NY's "other" team. MeloDrama will distract them all year. Bottom half of the bracket, 1st round exit, chaos when Melo leaves.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Will Westbrook rush back or take the D-Rose route? If he returns stronger like Derrick, this could be KD's turn to take the crown.

Orlando Magic: Enjoy Victor Oladipo, Magic fans. Then hope you can pair him with Wiggins next season. 

Philadelphia 76ers: Nice youth movement in Philly, even if it meant a step back. Stash Noel away, maybe win the lottery, be a major player in a few years. 

Phoenix Suns: Last year: at least they weren't the Bobcats. This year, before the first tip, it is safe to say that the Phoenix Suns are on the clock...

Portland Trailblazers: Do they keep Aldridge? They are a borderline playoff team either way. With a loaded draft & Lillard, a step away isn't a bad move long term.

Sacramento Kings: Sacramento won the battle to keep their Kings. Neither will win much else this year. The #1 pick would be nice karma and best case scenario.

San Antonio Spurs: Can they follow up last year's epic run with another? Kawhi needs to step up for it to happen. Never count Pop, Duncan & Parker out. 

Toronto Raptors: An intriguing squad this season. Ujiri is doing things right and should sneak into the playoffs. Will be fun to see if they make it.

Utah Jazz: Lottery seems inevitable but there's a young Thunder feel to their rebuild. You never know with bigs like theirs, but 2-3 years to be sure. 

Washington Wizards: It is time for John Wall to rise to the occasion. Playoffs or bust for WAS and they should do just enough to squeak in to a bottom 3 seed. 

Playoff Predictions:

Eastern Conference Playoff Teams: 1. Chicago 2. Brooklyn 3. Miami 4. Indiana 5. New York 6. Detroit 7. Washington 8. Atlanta 

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

Eastern Conference Finals: Brooklyn over Chicago. After dethroning the Heat I'm the Conference Semis, Brooklyn will follow Boston's 2008 blueprint into the NBA Finals with KG and Pierce, leaving D-Rose just shy of a storybook comeback.

Western Conference Finals: LA Clippers over Golden St. I really wanted to pick the Warriors here. Love the Iggy signing and think they can go all the way, but probably 1 year away. With Kobe down & out for a year, this is the Clippers' time to make a run. 

NBA Finals: Brooklyn over LA Clippers. If you told me last October that Doc, KG and Paul Pierce would be in the Finals, I'd have been thrilled. Cut to a year later and they very well could be, but as opponents. Doc does wonders with a vet ball club and the Dynamic Duo knows they have 1 or 2 shots at another ring. I think they meet up with their old coach in June and reach their goal of retiring as champions.

Awards Predictions:

MVP: Derrick Rose. I've seen all I needed to this preseason. He's back. Sorry LeBron.

6th Man: Andrei Kirilenko. The only issue is if Jason Terry is really the BK 6th man.

Coach: Erik Spoelstra. The kid will get his due this year. After 2 titles, he will have to keep this team hungry and focused with all the "will he/won't he" LeBron distraction.

Rookie: Kelly Olynyk. A silver lining in this Celtics season. He'll have plenty of minutes and a chance to shine.

Defensive POY: LeBron. He wanted it last year. He'll make sure he gets it this year.

There you have it. Outlooks for all 30 teams, ranked playoff predictions and award projections for the 2013-2014 season. As always, let's hear it in the comments if you agree or disagree and we'd love to hear your predictions as well. Happy Hoops Season, everyone!

Back To School

Well...seeing that the last blog was for March Madness, I'm either approaching Bill Simmons status or just completely neglected blogging for the summer. Regardless, it is time to get back in the game and keep this up. If you have topics you want to hear about, be sure to hit us up in the comments or on Twitter, @ballsohardblog or #ballsohardblog with your ideas.

Now, with many kids heading back to school today, or already there in some parts of the country, I thought I'd take a little bit of a "Back To School"/Superlative feel to today's blog, quick hitting some of the summer's hottest topics with my favorite reply: the Twitter 140 characters or less answer. Want to hear more on one or more of these, just let me know. With that, here we go:

Johnny Football: Class Clown. Johnny, all you have to do is be a kid and play ball for ONE more year and then you can screw up all you want. Don't blow it.

A-Rod: Class Gossip. Should have been gone for life. Stop fighting it/lying. But, since you're here...you better contribute.

Nets Moves: Boldest. Brooklyn, we go hard. 2 shots at most. Best starting 5, maybe ever. Rookie coach could be downfall if health isn't.

Celtics: Most Changed Since Frosh Yr. (08) Hard to let PP/KG go but had to. Love Stevens. Be patient, C's fans, the reward could be great in a few.

Aaron Hernandez: Sloppiest. How NOT To Commit Murder: 101. Apparently the Patriot Way & attention to detail didn't resonate off the field for 81.

Wes Welker: Most Talkative. See ya, Wes. Just go play football, stop talking about the Pats & BB. Oh, and be ready for a crack across the middle in Nov.

Dwight Howard: Biggest Flirt. He's like a serial dater. Wanted more in ORL, got it in LA and failed, hinted at EVERYWHERE but picked HOU. Good luck.

Bruins & The Cup: Cutest Couple That Never Was. Hell of an entertaining run that inspired Boston after the bombings. Fell short but fun to watch.

Tim Tebow: Most School Spirit. Have to give it to him, he never quits, even when he should. Not a QB. Either accept a FB/TE role or get in the booth.

Yasiel Puig: Most Likely To Succeed. A breath of fresh air in MLB. Should have been All-Star. Rough cut, but got me back watching & made LA a contender.

There you have it. 10 stories from the summer. Think I'm off base on any of them? Did I miss something? Leave it in the comments below.

Cleaning Out THE INBOX

It has been a fun week for the Ball So Hard Sports re-launch...thank you to everyone for checking out the blog and for passing it along on Twitter and Facebook. It only gets better from here! While we wait to see if my Heisman pick pans out, there were so many topics that came through on Twitter and via email that I decided to drop some quick hits on them instead of longer posts. I got pretty into this, so I think it will become a weekly segment for BSHS. With that, here we go with the inaugural session of THE INBOX:


Who has your ROY vote as the top rookie QB this season: Luck, RGIII or Wilson?
-Bob, Washington, D.C.

This one seems to be debated everywhere right now. I love what Wilson and Seattle are doing right now and who knows with this year's NFC, but I think the 2012 draft will always be remembered for Luck vs. RGIII. Luck has jumped in and led an inspired team into a playoff position with 4 weeks left. RGIII has electrified fans and proven that NFC East teams are going to hate seeing the Skins on the schedule for years to come. I feel like this answer isn't final until the season is over, but right now, I give the nod to RGIII.

We keep hearing about an NFL team in Los Angeles sooner rather than later. Who do you think is the prime candidate for relocation?
-ZW, Minneapolis

I think the usual suspects are always going to be brought up here: Chargers, Jaguars, Vikings and Raiders. My guess is it will be one of those 4. Nobody else is going to move. I think the new Jax ownership team would have announced it sooner if they intended to go, so let's say they're out. Minnesota having their team ripped away would be worse than Seattle in the NBA, so I say no to them too. I could see Oakland doing it, especially if the Gruden Returns rumor had any legs, but since it doesn't, they're out too. The most logical is San Diego. They can't get a stadium built, for starters. The fact that they're not good enough to crack the BCS this year means everyone is at the beach or the zoo instead and won't even notice when Mr. Spanos gets rid of Norv, AJ and ultimately, San Diego too.

Speaking of relocated teams, how bout those New Orleans Pelicans?
-Tom, Louisiana

I hate it. I get it, but I hate it. Me personally, I'm going with New Orleans Krewe if I'm re-branding the team. There isn't anything cool or intimidating about a pelican. The logical thing to do is give Hornets back to Charlotte, give Jazz back to New Orleans and let's have Utah pick a new name. I'd go with Saints (Salt Lake City is the City of the Saints) and it would bring this whole ridiculous thing full circle back to New Orleans and their football squad.

What's your take on the Jovan Belcher situation in Kansas City?
-John, @johnhorsenunes

I personally feel like this is a tough topic to tackle. Let's focus on the tragedy involved: a 3-month old baby will never know her parents, 2 coaches and a GM watched a man kill himself and couldn't do anything to stop him and a woman lost her life to domestic violence. To me its not a gun issue, a football player issue or any of that. Its a horrible, horrible event. The positive I took from it was listening to Brady Quinn after the game talk about communication. As he said, when you ask someone how they are doing, are you really asking? Are you really listening? When they ask, are you telling them the truth? We all need to get off our phones and out of our constant fogs and interact with people and be real with each other. Period.

Who gets your vote as the best defensive player from the 2011 NFL Draft?
-Mike, @mtaylorj1

This is one similar to the ROY question that I think needs some time to have a definite answer. Had you asked me coming out of high school, I'd have said Da'Quan Bowers. Heading into the draft I'd have said Nick Fairley or Von Miller was going to be your guy. During the first season it was Aldon Smith or Patrick Peterson (but not as much for D as special teams) and this year, its JJ Watt, hands down, although Mr. Miller may fight me on that. The man they call JJ Swat is having a tremendous year and he could be the guy. I really like Von Miller and they are having success and there are worse jobs in the NFL than being LB-mates with Patrick Willis, so Aldon Smith isn't going away quietly. I'm giving the 2012 award to Watt, but my vote for best of 2011 when it is all said & done is Miller.

The Winter Meetings and the moves beforehand have changed the landscape for a lot of teams. What do you think about the moves and the 2013 outlook for the key players?
-Every concerned fan, Boston & New York

I don't think the Sox have done enough. Hamilton won't put them over the top either. It is going to be a long road back, especially with what Toronto has done, Tampa reloading a bit and Baltimore getting a year of experience and confidence. New York is relying on ancient Andy Pettitte, banking on Mo being healthy and no idea what the SS/3B situation is going to look like for a good portion of the season. I personally like the idea of Youk in pinstripes as a half-year fill-in for A-Rod and a 3B/1B/DH/PH option afterwards. Toronto will either be really good or the Canadian version of the Marlins. Until we see where Hamilton and Greinke go and if the Mets deal Dickey, everyone has an incomplete. I'm a little let down there weren't more fireworks out of Nashville.

Kentucky went from preseason title favorite to out of the rankings by December. Thoughts?
-John, Kentucky

First off, we know how hard it is to repeat, especially in the one-and-done world. There's no need to panic in Big Blue Nation yet. I think the drop out of the rankings is an overreaction, possibly a way for voters to stick it to Coach Cal. They will be fine. 24-6 and probably winning the SEC will be enough to get them a top 2 or 3 seed and then we'll see what they have in March. I don't know that they'll be cutting nets down at a regional, let alone the Final Four, but we're not in danger of an NIT berth for the Cats. Its a new squad, high expectations and a typical case of post-title loss of hunger. I'm willing to bet Calipari has instilled it back in his troops.

Who is your pick at this point for NFL MVP?
-Billy L, Woodsboro

Again, I hate predicting a race like this 3/4 through the season but here goes: Matt Ryan had it early and lost it. Peyton has staked his claim to it but may not hold onto it. Brady and Rodgers are coming for it. JJ Watt might have a shot but I don't think a defender gets it. Adrian Peterson should win it, but I think the Vikings have to finish strong for him to do so. Heading into Week 14, I give it to Peterson or Manning, but I think in 4 weeks time it is Brady who dukes it out with Peyton for the nod.

Fine, you hate predicting things that have weeks to go. What about this weekend...who ya got?
-Joe, @joetheshow16

Much better. No spreads this week, just winners. Here we go:
Broncos, Bills, Falcons, Bengals, Browns, Colts, Jags, Bears, Steelers, Bucs, Ravens, 49ers, Seahawks, Packers and I'm pleading the 5th on Texans/Pats right now. I'm torn.


Please discuss Dwight Howard's headband...is it the worst accessory in history?
-Jason, @yayadadude

It is pretty ridiculous. I really don't get it. It definitely isn't helping him or the Lakers (more on them next week...they deserve the full-post treatment). We know why LeBron wears the headband, his hairline demands it. But Dwight? Come on, man! I have to say it is the worst accessory since Britney Spears wore tube socks as gloves at the Super Bowl.


There's gotta be something worse than Dwight's Headband besides Britney's sock gloves, right?
-Jason, again

You're right. LMFAO got a Grammy nomination.

Until next week kids, The Inbox is cleaned out! If you have questions you want answered here, be sure to Tweet them or email us @ ballsohardsportsblog@gmail.com.