The leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees, we are about to turn the clocks back, it is getting colder out, Halloween is a couple days away…do you feel it? Yup, it’s that time of year. The NBA season is about to get underway.

What a crazy offseason it has been.

Can’t begin without stating the obvious…Lebron James has changed scenery once again. This time, he’s back where he started and brought another superstar with him in Kevin Love.

We saw one of the most impressively talented NBA drafts in recent history bring in a ton of impact rookies.

Kevin Durant, the reigning MVP won’t be back until December at the earliest after suffering a foot injury.

Paul George, one of the best players in the league, suffered a horrifying injury preparing for the FIBA World Cup this Summer.

Kobe Bryant is finally healthy and ready to get back to where he was before all of his injuries.

Derrick Rose is finally healthy as well and we hope to see him regain his MVP form.

There are so many story lines already, and the season hasn’t even started. This should make for a very exciting season, so let’s get into this and make some predictions and rankings.

The Eastern Conference is still top heavy, and no match for the Western Conference. There are some good teams here and it is improved from last season, but there will be some teams making the playoffs in this conference that wouldn’t stand a chance in the West. Let’s get into the playoff prediction here.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Chicago Bulls

3. Toronto Raptors

4. Charlotte Hornets

5. Washington Wizards

6. New York Knicks

7. Atlanta Hawks

8. Miami Heat

The only teams I left out that may be in this conversation are the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets. I just don’t think the Pacers have enough without Paul George to make much noise. Their offense struggled and to say George carried it is an understatement. The Pistons will be much improved with their young talent getting better and Stan Van Gundy implementing his expertise, but they aren’t there yet. Paul Pierce leaving the Nets was huge for them. This was their clutch leader and without him I can’t trust Deron Williams and Brook Lopez to carry the team.

This conference just isn’t fair. There are so many good teams here. The NBA should eliminate conferences because great teams will not make the playoffs and that just isn’t right. With that being said, I will attempt to pick eight of these teams, but keep in mind how great this really is.

1. Dallas Mavericks

2. Los Angeles Clippers

3. San Antonio Spurs

4. Golden State Warriors

5. Houston Rockets

6. Portland Trail Blazers

7. Oklahoma City Thunder

8. New Orleans Pelicans

Yes, I have the Thunder that far down. I really think it will be a struggle for them without Durant for around two months. This is the main reason I see them this low. Even with Durant, I am not sold on the depth of this team at all and the West is so stacked that the other teams will be far ahead by the time Durant returns. I really wanted to include the Phoenix Suns, but I think Anthony Davis is a top 3 player in the NBA and he will be enough to carry his team to the playoffs. The Pelicans have a talented roster and I think they are ready to make some noise. The Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies are also teams that have the talent to be in the playoffs, but they will fall short in the West. The Suns, Nuggets and Grizzlies would be playoff teams in the East.

Surprising Teams

New Orleans Hornets/ Washington Wizards

The Hornets are for real. Anthony Davis is elite. With Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson, Omer Asik, Eric Gordon and others assisting Davis, this roster is loaded. The only concern I have is health with Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday having a troubling injury history.

The Washington Wizards have young players ready to take the next step. John Wall and Bradley Beal will assert themselves and become one of the best back courts in the NBA. With Paul Pierce joining them, they now have a veteran leader to depend on and take the team to the next level. The Wizards will make some noise in the East, will be a playoff team and have unlimited potential as long as they can gel.

Rookie of the Year

Jabari Parker

While I think Andrew Wiggins is the more complete player, I think it will take time for him to reach his potential. Jabari Parker is NBA ready. He can score the basketball at will and will become the go-to scoring option for the Milwaukee Bucks. He is a deadly shooter and has the size and speed to attack the basket and run the floor. He has to improve on defense, but his stat sheet will be too much to ignore and he should easily take this award home.

MVP

Anthony Davis

Have I mentioned that I like Anthony Davis? Look, this is an elite defender, rebounder, shot blocker and has become a real threat on offense as well. This guy is the full package. With Kevin Durant missing time and Lebron James having to share the ball in Cleveland, Davis will be the most valuable player to his team in the entire league.

Championship Team

Dallas Mavericks

Maybe I am too high on this team. I just have a feeling that this team will get it done this year. They gave the Spurs their toughest challenge in the playoffs and their roster is dramatically improved. With the addition of Chandler Parsons, Tyson Chandler and Jameer Nelson, this is one of the deepest teams in the league. The team has veterans that know how to win and an extremely intelligent coach. It would be hard to find a roster this well-rounded and if they put it all together they are unstoppable.