NEWSLETTER
It’s official: Kevin Durant isn’t going anywhere ( … for now).
After months of keeping NBA fans on the edge of their seats, news broke earlier this week that Durant and the Brooklyn Nets worked out their differences. The superstar is now expected to continue to collaborate with management to bring home a Larry O’Brien Trophy – a task that he just made that much more difficult for every other team in the Eastern Conference.
Durant staying put means the Nets remain arguably the NBA’s most notable sleeping giant. Not only does any team with Durant have an extremely high ceiling, but this team also has All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, both of whom are anticipated to return to the floor on a consistent basis this year (keyword: “anticipated”). Throw in solid role players like the recently traded-for Royce O’Neale, free-agent T.J. Warren, and deadline-acquisition Seth Curry, and the Nets have one of the league’s more competitive teams on paper.
Indeed, the sportsbooks have already made adjustments to Brooklyn’s 2022-23 regular season projections. Ceaser’s Illinois Sportsbook has adjusted the team’s NBA Championship line from 18-1 to 9-1, per ESPN. Meanwhile, the DraftKings Illinois Sportsbook has put the Nets’ O/U win total at 51.5 after previously having it set at 45.5 last week.
To be sure, the Nets’ 45.5 mark on DraftKings was already a hair-over where the Bulls were projected to finish at 43.5, but it’s now clear that the oddsmakers expect the Nets to finish with an even fluffier cushion. Executives around the league appear to be back on the Brooklyn hype train, too, as multiple told HoopsHype that they foresee the Nets finishing inside the conference’s top-4.
ESPN also rewarded the Nets with a bump in their most recent power rankings. Durant and Co. now find themselves at No. 11-overall, which has them as the 5th-best team in the Eastern Conference.
In other words, a team that previously felt surmountable in the quest for a top-6 seed is now widely considered a top-6 lock. And that’s just rough news for a Bulls team hoping to build on last season.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Brooklyn Nets – on paper – appear a tier above where the Bulls currently stand. Assuming those five teams can secure a first-round series, that leaves just one top-6 spot left for several capable teams. More specifically, the Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, and Cleveland Cavaliers all fought for a playoff spot last season alongside Chicago, and each is expected to do so again this year.
From a pure numbers standpoint, it just feels like we’re looking at more truly competitive teams in the East than we’ve had in quite some time. And while I love that for the NBA, I absolutely hate it for a Bulls team that has finally put together a roster worth celebrating. We already know this group has a relatively small margin for error after last season’s staggering second-half drop-off, and I hate to say that it feels like that margin for error has only shrunk thanks to the improvement of other teams.
YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST TO BE THE BEST!
IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO COME EASY!
IF THEY’RE GOOD, THEY’LL TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS!
BENNY THE BULL RULES, AND BANGO DROOLS!
Look, all of that is true. The Bulls have to play the cards they’ve been dealt, and no one is going to feel sorry for them if they can’t improve on last season’s success. But we’d be lying to ourselves if we didn’t admit that there is a notable luck factor in sports. Whether it be key injuries or big feet on 3-point lines, things can happen that propel another team forward. The more teams there are in the mix, however, the less luck there is to go around.
And I sure wouldn’t mind seeing the Bulls get lucky one of these years.
