2016-2017 NBA Previews – Northwest Division Odds
Looking for 2016 NBA Northwest Division Predictions? We’ve got your back. The Northwest Division has seen quite a shakeup entering the 2016-17 season, thanks in large part to the Oklahoma City Thunder. More specifically, thanks almost exclusively to the departure of former MVP Kevin Durant.
Northwest Division Season Preview
Division Favorite: Oklahoma City Thunder +250
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Although Durant’s decision to take his talents to the Golden State Warriors sent shock waves across Thunder Nation, Vegas still has OKC as the favorite to win this division. Although that outcome won’t be decided until the end of the regular season, one thing is sure now: The Northwest Division is going to be one of the most intriguing to watch during the 2016-17 campaign.
Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Northwest Division Prediction
Head Coach: Billy Donovan
2015-16 Record: 55-27
Odds To Win Division: +250
Odds To Win Conference: +2000
Odds To Win NBA Championship: +4000
Vegas hasn’t given up hopes on the Oklahoma City Thunder. With both Durant and Serge Ibaka gone from last year’s roster, why have so much faith in this group as is?
One answer.
Russell Westbrook.
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Westbrook has been one of the NBA’s most expressive players in recent history, and that fact has never been more apparent than when he’s been especially motivated. Already a triple-double, stat-stuffing machine, Westbrook has the most motivation he’s ever had this season with vengeance on his mind and anger in his heart after Durant joined the Golden State Warriors.
As much as Westbrook is going to do for this franchise in 2016-17 (he’s the consensus MVP favorite entering the year), there are certainly questions that come with placing your money on this team. For starters, who is going to make up the scoring difference with Durant — a near-guaranteed 20-points-per-game scorer — off the roster?
You also have to wonder what the offense is going to look like in Year 2 under Donovan. It was as stale as ever a year ago despite the assumption it wouldn’t be with Scott Brooks out the door. Is Donovan struggling with creativity at the NBA level? Or will he finally have room to experiment with only one No. 1 option to appease?
Portland Trail Blazers NBA Northwest Division Prediction
Head Coach: Terry Stotts
2015-16 Record: 44-38
Odds To Win Division: +260
Odds To Win Conference: +5000
Odds To Win NBA Championship: +7500
The Portland Trail Blazers were pegged by most major outlets as one of the worst teams in the Western Conference last season. Vegas set their over/under at 26.5, yet they found a way to win 44 contests and put up a fight in the second round against the eventual conference champion Warriors.
This season, Portland isn’t catching anybody by surprise. The question is: Did they overachieve and are now set to take a step back, or were they simply ahead of schedule and are now a step closer to becoming a true contender?
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The Blazers, led by Damian Lillard, should look about the same this season as they did last year. They’ve added Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli to the mix without any significant subtractions, but it’s difficult to imagine those guys making this team a contender right away.
Look for the Blazers to be one of the most exciting teams in the league to watch with a young core led by Lillard and CJ McCollum, but don’t be shocked when they have growing pains and rotational experiments throughout the year with both youth and depth defining their 2016-17 campaign.
Utah Jazz NBA Northwest Division Prediction
Head Coach: Quin Snyder
2015-16 Record: 40-42
Odds To Win Division: +260
Odds To Win Conference: +5000
Odds To Win NBA Championship: +10000
If there’s one team in the NBA who’s the sexy pick to take the next step toward contention, it’s the Utah Jazz. This group has been one of the best defensive teams in the league since the post-All-Star half of the 2014-15 campaign, and the only thing it’s been missing is a true point guard, shooting and health.
As far as health is concerned, Utah isn’t off to a great start. Consensus No. 1 option Gordon Hayward is out 4-6 weeks with a broken finger. When he comes back, however, the other areas have seemingly already been addressed.
The Jazz added shooting this summer with veterans Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw. The fact that they are veterans can’t be overlooked, either, as this young core has needed that in the recent past.
At point guard, Utah has added George Hill to the mix.
Many people have picked the Jazz to win the Northwest Division this season, so keep an eye on them once Hayward returns to the lineup.
Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Northwest Division Prediction
Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau
2015-16 Record: 29-53
Odds To Win Division: +333
Odds To Win Conference: +3300
Odds To Win NBA Championship: +6600
The future is now for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Or maybe it’s a year or two away.
This has been the sentiment for the Wolves over the past two season.
The truth is that an accurate assessment can be found somewhere in between. In terms of the future being now, Karl-Anthony Towns is already a legitimate top-three center in this league. As ridiculous as it sounds, the 20-year-old dominated both ends of the floor last season and made a name for himself as a one-and-done rookie.
The catch is that the rest of the youth on the roster — and there’s plenty of it — falls into that “step away” category.
When this team finally clicks, with guys such as Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine running the show, it’s going to be dangerous out West. Keep an eye on this group to see if it’s exceeding expectations by the All-Star break.
Denver Nuggets NBA Northwest Division Prediction
Head Coach: Michael Malone
2015-16 Record: 33-49
Odds To Win Division: +3000
Odds To Win Conference: +15000
Odds To Win NBA Championship: + 50000
There’s one consensus worst team int the Northwest Division, and it’s the Denver Nuggets.
Although this team has plenty of young, talented players to build around (Emmanuel Mudiay, Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris, Jamal Murray), as well as a veteran presence to complement (Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari, Jameer Nelson), this team is still plagued by the same thing it’s struggled with since trading Carmelo Anthony.
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No star power.
This team needs to find a star before it can become a contender, and at this point, you have to imagine it’s more than a year or two away.
NBA Northwest Division Prediction
The Northwest Division looks like a three-team race. Denver is out, Minnesota is likely a year away, leaving Portland, Utah and OKC to battle.
Although Utah is the popular pick in many circles, it seems as if too many things would have to go right. Health would need to be on its side, and the offense would likely need to take a step forward it may or may not be ready to take.
OKC, although the favorite, is a dangerous pick considering it just lost one of the best players in the game this summer. That said, we’re giving Westbrook a lot of credit here and assume he’ll put this team on his shoulders all season.
Keep an eye on Portland and Utah, but if OKC has things figured out by All-Star Weekend, the rest of the division is in trouble.
2016 NBA Gambling
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