Make or Break:These NBA teams need to be in Win Now mode for the 2020-21 Season

 

    It's no secret in the sports world that the NBA has some of the most cutthroat, hard to please fans.

    Outside of Peyton vs. Brady in the 2000s, no sports debaters get more heated over topics than those from the NBA. Most notably, who is the best player in the league? For the last two decades, it has been impossible to find a unanimous winner of this coveted title. The closest we likely got was LeBron in the late 2000s to mid-2010s, when he won 3 NBA titles and 4 MVPs between 2009 and 2016. Although even then, some still point to Stephen Curry with his back-to-back MVPs as having ascended to be the best player in at least part of that time period.

    However, as we start a new decade of basketball, the question looms less and less about who the cream of the crop is in terms of NBA stars. Not because there is even a clear-cut name (although there probably is for many people), but because there is an even bigger question looming: who needs to win, and win now? With star players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, and James Harden all searching for a ring to cement their status as generational players, GMs are scrambling to form teams for them that are capable of winning these star players a title. In many cases, they are also seeking to make a case to keep these All-NBA level stars on the team they are trying so hard to build. So without further ado, these are the 5 teams that need to have their GMs going all out for this season.

5. Brooklyn Nets

    I see so many of you clicking off this article already. "Kyrie and KD are around for 3 more seasons, no way they HAVE to win this season." I see you grumble. Hear me out for a moment. Yes the Nets will have more chances to win after this season. They will have two more seasons with their two huge signings from  last offseason. Both players have also won rings in the past, so there's definitely a lack of monkeys on their backs. Or is there?

    The narrative for both of these players has been that they couldn't get the job done on their own, or at least without sharing top billing. Durant fell short numerous times with a star-studded OKC roster before jumping ship for Golden State and winning two Finals in dominant fashion over the LeBron James-led Cavaliers. Irving was part of a miraculous comeback effort over the Pre-KD, but still very dominant, Warrior lineup that won an NBA record 73 games as a member of those same Cleveland Cavaliers. 

    The three combined rings these two All-Stars have continued to depreciate from an already low value. The cloud remains above their heads that they couldn't get the job done in already more than ideal situations. Although both have gone down very different paths the past few seasons, a lot remains to be desired of them. Would a ring together result in these clouds lifting? They're two of the best in the game, would winning a title as teammates be any more meaningful for the NBA pundits? I think so. Even adding a third superstar in James Harden could still lead to a more legitimate ring in the eyes of fans everywhere. No it's not 100% urgent to win right this second. But a Finals run would be a major point in favor of the cases of all 3 stars to be heading up to Springfield to be enshrined as Basketball Hall of Famers.

4. Philadelphia 76ers

    Maybe I'm biased and that's why I put them so low on this list. On the other hand, maybe I'm putting too much importance on an upcoming championship for the team I root for. Either way, I still feel like they belong on this list. This team survived at least a decent amount of scrutiny by at least winning playoff series in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019, something they hadn't accomplished since Allen Iverson was their marquee player in the early 2000s. 2020, however, has left doubts, anxiety, and a bad taste for basketball fans all across Philly. 

    A first-round exit was one thing, being that they were the 6 seed facing a top 5 team in the league in the Celtics, but being dominated in a sweep by your biggest rival and thorn in the side of the team is absolutely unacceptable for a team that has been building for a title since "The Process" began around 2013, with the trading of solid players and the tanking of the team began. Joel Embiid was drafted third overall in 2014, and was viewed as a future star for the team, despite missing two full seasons and a decent amount of a third before truly becoming a cornerstone big man. Adding Ben Simmons two years later also provided hope for a franchise starved of true success for well over a decade at that point.

    The team looked poised to finally make, at the very least, a run to the conference finals in the 2019-20 season. Even after the departure of Jimmy Butler, signing Al Horford, bringing on Josh Richardson in the Butler sign-and-trade, and extending other 2019 trade chip Tobias Harris made the Sixers look like an exciting potential candidate to represent the East in the NBA Finals. What a smoke screen that was.

    Injuries to Ben Simmons and underperformance from just about everyone else led to an incredibly disappointing finish to season that looked like it would end with a whimper at most. Coach Brett Brown was finally given the axe after previous grumblings of doing so. Doc Rivers was brought in to right the ship after dealing with his own disappointing end with the Clippers. With Horford's contract unloaded, other smaller deals being made, and the team being tossed as a trade partner for James Harden, the team from The City of Brotherly Love needs to give the town a reason to love them again. With the Eagles and Phillies disappointing their fans, this is the time for the Sixers to do what they've been expected to do for a while. As Adrian told Rocky from her hospital bed, "Win". 

3. Los Angeles Clippers

    Now we are entering more obvious territory. How do you add two top 10 players to your roster (that stay healthy all year, unlike the previously mentioned Nets acquisitions) and fall so short in crunch time? This was not a slightly disappointing finish, like a hard-fought loss to whoever wound up being their Conference Semis opponent or a meager effort in a dominant sweep by their much more successful SoCal counterparts, the Lakers. The team had a 3-1 lead against a Nuggets team that was almost universally agreed to be inferior to the star-studded Clippers team. Despite previous shortfalls with the team, Doc Rivers was looked to as the right man to continue to helm the roster and finally break through like he did in Boston. So what the hell happened?

    It goes without saying that a playoff-long run of disappointment for Paul George was the key f***-up in a postseason run full of them. After being the key piece to a scrappy Pacers team that repeatedly gave LeBron hell in the playoffs, and joining forces with Russell Westbrook in OKC, George averaged his lowest playoff PPG since 2013, which was the first time his Indiana team truly broke through in a then tough Eastern Conference. His lowest mark in the previous four playoffs was 24.7 PPG in 2018, on an OKC team that disappointed with a first round exit anyway. It was a pretty steep drop to go down to just over 20 PPG against a still inexperienced Mavericks squad and a middle of the pack Denver Nuggets team, who many have been constantly counting out from making a deep run in a loaded Western Conference. The two playoff series from this past season included four, yes FOUR, performances of 11 points or less. For a 6-time all-star and frequent playoff participant, that is beyond pitiful.

    PG has become the main scapegoat for the Clippers and deservedly so. While there are trade grumblings throughout the Twitter-verse, I believe Paul George will likely remain in LA for at least this season. In a league with so many stars without a ring, Paul George makes a strong case to be the most needy of one. Should he remain teamed up with Kawhi Leonard, who is already a 2 time Finals MVP with little left to prove, he needs to crank the urgency up to 11 this year. Should he not, he should start packing his bags and hope the weather is nice in Sacramento when he has to fly up there.

2. Houston Rockets

    The Clippers were the huge disappointment of the playoffs last season. The Houston Rockets appreciated that opportunity to avoid major scrutiny and that same title. Even in the tougher of the two conferences, the Rockets always seem to be looked at as the red-headed stepchild of the contending teams. They've had numerous superstars over the last 5 years including Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook. All 3 have left the team now without even a finals appearance. In the wake of the 2017 Astros scandal, the entirety of Texas's largest city is desperate for a legitimate title from any of it's pro teams. The Texans are all but eliminated in this season, and their outlook is mostly bleak for the time being, even with Deshaun Watson running over just about everyone. The Astros likely have more than a couple of years before being able to win a ring that will not be viewed as tainted. That leaves the Houston Rockets as the lone team to win for the Space City. 

    Westbrook is gone, but has been replaced with John Wall. The former #1 overall pick also has a chip on his shoulder. He has talent in his own rite, and may even be a better partner for top scorer James Harden. With GM Daryl Morey and Head Coach Mike D'Antoni having departed, the Rockets will almost certainly have a new identity. The one they had embodied for the previous few seasons had not resulted in the success they so desired, so that may not be a bad thing. The effect of the departure of Clint Capela also remain to be seen. James Harden is reportedly very unhappy and would love nothing more than to team up with the aforementioned Brooklyn Nets. The Rockets aren't likely to give into his demands just yet, but barring a storybook season capped with Harden lifting the Larry O' Brien trophy, the team may have no choice to but to oblige. The city of Houston wouldn't be able to stomach more disappointment, and just about every Rockets player will be either hated or forgotten in a less than stellar season. Time to prove yourselves.

1. Milwaukee Bucks

    You know how I Said there was no consensus best player in the NBA right now? Well, a lot of people dispute that. Even I do, I was just trying to be non-controversial. The Greek Freak is not only the best player in the NBA right now, he's the best story as well. The 15th overall pick in 2013 has been making the teams who passed on him rethink everything and regret the massive mistake of not picking him. Sure hindsight is 20/20, but imagine the Cavaliers picking Giannis Antetokounmpo over Anthony Bennett and teaming him up with you know who when he returned to the city by Lake Erie. Yes, much of his improvement has occurred over the last two or three seasons, but he's been good enough over that time frame to truly put other GMs from 2013 on suicide watch. 

    The Bucks have been a truly puzzling team despite the presence of a generational talent, however. It's hard to fault them for their Conference Finals loss to a Raptors team with 3 of my top 25 players in the league. Yet, you could also argue numerous reasons they could have beaten Toronto and went on to face the powerhouse Warriors in the 2019 Finals. Slightly less controversial was their loss to the Miami Heat in last season's Conference Semis. The winningest team in the NBA was absolutely crushed by a young, unproven Miami team led by Jimmy Butler, whose acquisition was considered to either the best or worst move the Heat could've made that offseason depending on who you asked. I'd say it's a bit more clear cut more than a year later. The Bucks looked far worse than they did on paper, or even in previous playoff matchups. Their only win against the 5 seed Heat was a close OT win in game 4 to stave off elimination for just two more days. The ultimately ended pretty unspectacularly, losing game 5 103-94. 

    The Heat would advance to the Finals, losing to the team headed by a superstar that won two titles for South Florida. They were, however, able to instill hope in a fanbase already already spoiled with arguably the most success of any team in the East over the last 15 years. Jimmy Butler silenced the haters, and Erik Spoelstra continued to build on a Hall of Fame case he's been working on since becoming Head Coach at just 38 years old. This breakthrough season which answered a lot of questions in Miami added a lot more doubt to the team that was #1 in the conference in back to back years. Antetokounmpo is obviously dissatisfied and nothing will keep him from heading to Miami or the Bay Area other than a championship. Milwaukee has never exactly been free agent central, but the team has made moves to build a core capable of finally breaking through. It remains to be seen if the move for Jrue Holiday will result in anything but misery for the team. If they don't win this year, it will be a bleak outlook for a team that hasn't even made the finals in over 45 years. We're looking at you Milwaukee. The time to change the narrative is now, and the window of opportunity won't be open much longer. 

    With the start of the season less than a month away, all of the questions posed here are close to being answered. It will be a season unlike any other, and not just because of the pandemic. I'm ready for an exciting year, and I'm sure basketball fans everywhere are as well. Godspeed, sports fans.