NBA Offseason: SCIC Roundtable – Part 4

May 2, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard

(11) reacts to his team taking the lead against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Ellis leads with 29 points. The Mavericks defeated the Spurs 113-111. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Who is the one team who can come out of nowhere and compete for the title?

Michael Saenz: This doesn’t generally happen in the NBA. But, if I had to pick a team to “come out of nowhere,” I guess I’d go with the Washington Wizards. I absolutely love what they did late in the season last year. They beat the “team no one wanted to face” in the playoffs and played the Indiana Pacers better than most originally believed they would.

The addition of Paul Pierce could be the veteran force that this team needs. Bradley Beal and John Wall are going to continue to get better, and so will the Wizards. They’re probably still a few years away, but you never know.

John Armstrong: New Orleans. If not this year, then very soon. Anthony Davis is already establishing himself as a top-tier talent and it won’t be long before he’s a perennial First Team All-NBA performer as well as an MVP candidate. A healthy Jrue Holiday–Eric Gordon–Tyreke Evans combination would give them a solid perimeter, as well as Omer Asik beefing up their interior, allowing Davis to return to his natural power forward position. They’ll turn a lot of heads the next couple of seasons.

Morten Jensen: Golden State, though I’m not sure if they qualify as “coming out of nowhere”. Stephen Curry is nearing that stage of his impressive career, where it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he garnered a bit of the MVP buzz. Alongside him is Klay Thompson who is developing rapidly, and Harrison Barnes who will enter his third season, usually a make-or-break year. Now, David Lee is getting older, and his defensive efficiency remains horrific, but overall these Warriors have a core who’s been together for a while now and should, under the leadership of Steve Kerr, come together as a unit more so than they did under Mark Jackson. Whether that’ll be enough remains to be seen, but I wouldn’t write them off.

George Middleton: The Cleveland Cavaliers went 33-49 last season and will be the only non playoff team from last season that will be an instant contender. The additions of LeBron James and Kevin Love will make anyone a contender especially on a team that already has Kyrie Irving.

Bryce Olin: Realistically, I think the safest choice would be Dallas. Dallas upgraded their roster substantially this offseason. If they can put it all together with Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler, I really like their chances against pretty much anyone in the West. I’m not saying they’re the favorite or anything close, but they’ll be tough for anyone to beat four out of seven times.

David Ramil: Uh…none? This doesn’t really happen, where a team unexpectedly makes it to the top. Let’s say the Eastern Conference is all but locked up, with the Cavs building an All-Star team that can top 60 regular-season wins. Out West, it might be more open although much more competitive on a nightly basis. I’d say Memphis can resume their annual position as the team that can advance but falls short – maybe this will be there year where the pieces in place all click simultaneously.

Brandon Osborne: The Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas had a tremendous offseason bringing in Chandler Parsons, Jameer Nelson and Tyson Chandler; among others. With an improved team and one of the best coaches in the NBA (Rick Carlisle), the Mavericks should be a contender.