25 questions heading into the 2016-2017 NBA season

Is there any way we can resurrect the 1995-1996 Bulls? Short of that happening, there doesn’t appear to be anyone with the skill players, veteran leadership or experience to figure out this team consistently. The rival Clippers present an interesting matchup but are done in by their injury woes and inability to not punch people.

The only way the Warriors will have any trouble is that there is only one ball to shoot, and they don’t figure out how to play with one another. However, with Steve Kerr, who studied under ego checker Phil Jackson, leading the way, it shouldn't take too long.

Kerr probably has dreams/nightmares (dreightmares?) about how to move the ball with this team. Once the Warriors go to their "Lineup of Death" with Draymond Green at the center position, moving Kevin Durant or Andre Iguodala to power forward, anyone can dribble, pass and shoot.

But who gets the shot? Stephen Curry will need to get his, Kevin Durant is expecting to get his shots and Klay Thompson is one of the best shooters in the game. Someone is going to have to sacrifice some looks, and there will be growing pains figuring that out.

Remember when Goku went super saiyan after Krillin got waxed by Frieza in Dragon Ball Z? Yeah, kind of like that.

Kevin Durant is MUCH better than Krillin, but the metaphor holds up. Westbrook went absolutely bonkers when Kevin Durant was out with injury, scoring seven more points, grabbing nearly two rebounds more and averaging one more assist. Now that Durant is gone, Westbrook is now even more motivated to prove that he can win without him. For better or for worse, Westbrook is going to play like a man on fire for the whole season.

While he is certainly popular in fantasy basketball circles, Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready to take the next step in his development. After the All-Star Break in 2016, the all-around wunderkind averaged 19 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal and two blocks a game. All without a real jump shot.

Now, Jason Kidd is giving him the keys to the offense, most likely making him the primary ball handler for the team. Given the amount of looks he’s going to get with the ball in his hands more, the Greek Freak will blossom into the Greek Star.

The NBA recently has been a league that has given its players freedom to express their opinions on social issues. Adam Silver has never been one to silence a player for his views unless they were blatantly discriminatory.

Given the recent protests during the national anthem in other sports, don't be surprised to see players and entire teams participating in the NBA.

So far, Embiid has been predictably raw after sitting the last two years. Still, there are flashes of brilliance, and he definitely has the tools to be a great player. If you’re expecting him to dominate the league coming out of the gate, you will be sorely disappointed. 

When you are seven feet tall, your feet are just as important as your knees. One bad injury to either foot, and you’re likely going to be dealing with that injury for the rest of your career.

The 76ers will be cautious with the young fellow, but there’s no cure for 250+ pounds on bad feet. The hope is that Embiid will pull through and have a great career, but more than likely, he will miss some time at some point this season.

They've been young and athletic the past two seasons, but now they have some experience and a tough coach who can take them to that next step of being a playoff contender. If only they weren’t in a ridiculously tough conference.

Tom Thibodeau has some juicy athletes to unleash on defense, but that won’t matter much when he’s facing the Warriors or any of the other teams in West that have been playing under the same system with the same players for longer. Maybe next year, Thibs.

His addition is already paying dividends. Gordon Hayward suffered a broken finger on his left hand and will miss six weeks. Joe Johnson can step in to the small forward spot and at least be a competent replacement even in his advanced age.

He may not be the assassin he was before, but he can shoot the ball well and contribute if he buys in to a secondary role.

After a flurry of signings, the Magic find itself upgraded with veteran talent. Now what?

Orlando has a logjam at power forward and center with the additions of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo. Nikola Vucevic is currently holding the starting spot at center. Jeff Green was brought in, which will cut into minutes that may have been designated for the further development of Slam Dunk Contest champ Aaron Gordon. Oh yeah, and last year's lottery pick Mario Hezonja is looking like he’ll be left out in the cold, too. Good luck trying to figure out this enigma, Frank Vogel.

Wade had a good season last year after being written off, but what can he do on a Bulls team that just went through a massive makeover?

He doesn’t need to dominate the ball with Rajon Rondo setting the pace, and he doesn’t even have to be the main scorer with Jimmy Butler showing his ability to fill up last year. All he has to do is pick his spots to drive the lane, hit a clutch shot and not get hurt. It would be a lot better if he could hit a three-point shot, but he doesn’t need to be the man every night to contribute to this team.

As glitzy as New York is, there is nowhere near as much pressure on Rose as there was in his hometown of Chicago. He was supposed to take the Bulls back to the promised land, but bad knees and really bad management by his coaches doomed him to failure.

There won’t be as much expected of him in New York with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis expected to lift a lot of the load. Maybe being just another piece will help Rose find his All-Star form again, provided his pending legal issues don't keep from the court.

He’s ready, but he might not get the chance.

Eric Bledsoe is the Suns' best player right now, but he can’t stay on the court long enough to help the team. Booker looked like a stud last year, and the preseason has only shown his continued development. The only thing stopping him from showing out will be splitting minutes with Brandon Knight and Tyler Ulis, but if anyone goes down look for Booker to shine.

Any other year, Cleveland bringing back mostly the entire team would have been a great sign. Then again, it's not every year the team that had a 3-1 series lead in the Finals before losing in seven gets one of the greatest scorers of all time.

The Cavs basically stayed the same, but the Warriors upgraded like Ciara from Future to Russell Wilson. It’s going to be an uphill battle for King James and Kyrie Irving to get back to the top of the mountain.

Boston got a really good look at what Al Horford could do last year when it faced him and Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs. I guess he left an impression.

Horford is one of the more complete power forwards in the game, able to rebound, finish inside and extended his range beyond the three-point line. His passing ability will fit right in with Brad Stevens’ system and give Boston the inside-outside threat it desperately needed.

Here is a team that has players who are either too young to win and too old to bang like they used to. So what can Luke Walton to do with that roster? Have fun, it seems.

In the preseason, the Lakers have been playing freer than they ever did under the watchful eye of Byron Scott. Basketball looks like it's fun again in Los Angeles. Players have commented on the genius of the timeout plays and details that Walton brings to the team. That being said, they are still a couple years from developing into anything formidable, so I say 30 wins.

I don’t know what’s worse for (non-bandwagon) Clippers fans: being a punch line in every NBA joke like they were 20 years ago or being teased with a good team that can’t seem to get over the hump.

Injuries have really prevented this team from contending for a title. Whether it’s Chris Paul leaving at the most inopportune time or Blake Griffin breaking his hand on someone’s face, they can’t seem to catch a break. The team has two-years left with the Paul-Griffin-DeAndre Jordan trio, so the Clips have some time. Just not a lot.

Will he win games? Yes. Will he win a championship like he did with Duncan? Probably not.

As good as Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge are, they don’t bring the consistent play on both sides of the floor like Duncan did. Gasol in his prime locked people up when it counted, but those days have long passed, and Aldridge doesn’t bang like Duncan. Kawhi Leonard is a legitimate star, but it is yet to be seen whether he can carry a team to the top. If the Spurs have to lean on him to win, he may take a couple of tumbles before he is successful.

In the East, anything is possible. But with a backcourt like Bradley Beal and John Wall, it certainly makes things easier. Washington was one of the best running teams in league, leaning on its ability to speed up the opponent offensively to create turnovers and fast break opportunities. Halfcourt offense was a foreign concept. It will continue to be with Scott Brooks at the helm.

To Brooks’ credit, he did make it to the NBA Finals basically running isolations for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. So a playoff run with two good isolation players in Wall and Bradley Beal isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

With Jrue Holiday gone indefinitely to tend to his wife, who is having brain surgery, Tyreke Evans is the only proven scorer on the New Orleans roster aside from Davis.

The Brow will have to carry this team, but he is coming off two operations: one to his knee and one on his shoulders. Even before that, he never played a full 82-game schedule without an ailment knocking him out. Chances are, with him being the focal point, he will go down at some point this year.

No.

Remember when I said that Anthony Davis had no choice but to carry the Pelicans because he had no one else around him? That also allows Buddy Hield to step in and contribute right away. And boy can he contribute.

Hield was a natural scorer at Oklahoma, and with scorers a rarity in New Orleans right no,w he can step in and show off his skills immediately. While teams are double teaming Anthony Davis, look for Hield spotting up or driving the lane.

As talented as Faried is, no one wants to take him from the Denver Nuggets. His bloated contract with over $38.5 million left is understandably scaring a lot of teams away, but who doesn’t want an offensive rebounding machine who doesn’t need a play drawn for him to score?

As undeveloped as his offensive game is, there are far worse options to have at the power forward position. Denver has no space for him, and teams are always looking to improve with hustle players. He will find a new home before the trade deadline.

If there was anywhere that Dwight Howard was going to stay, it would be his hometown of Atlanta. Howard fled Houston to play for the Hawks this offseason, but I wouldn’t be too sure that this is his final stop.

While he's never developed a consistent offensive game, he has always been a defensive monster, a strength that will be needed for a team that lost its All-Star in Al Horford. However, he has found a way to get under the skin of every fan base and team he has ever played for. While he has the hometown crowd on his side, there is a good chance that if he doesn’t perform up to par offensively, fans may grow frustrated with him.

No one knows it, but the Utah Jazz is going to be a good team this year, even in a stacked Western Conference. Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors are entering their primes; Rudy Golbert and Dante Exum will continue to develop; and Utah brought in talented veterans like George Hill, Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson to help guide the team.

Slowly, the Jazz has become one of the scarier teams in the West. After barely missing the playoffs last year, Utah will be a force to be reckoned with this year.