(Credit to Owen Ache and Brandon Giedroc)

As the NBA season is now underway, it is the time to predict who will win all of the major awards, who will make to the finals, and who will win it all. With that being said, here are my predictions for the upcoming season.

Most Valuable Player:
Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
A year after falling short of winning his third NBA title, Lebron James is back with a vengeance. Using that as motivation, he will be the best player in the league and will look to lead the Cavaliers to that elusive NBA title.

Rookie of the Year:
D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
The rookie from Ohio State University has already shown that he has superstar potential and could be a force to be reckoned with in a few years.

Defensive Player of the Year:
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
At the young age of 22, Davis is already one of the best players in the league. After a season where he averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and nearly 3 blocks a game, Davis will look to have another breakout season and make his defensive presence known every time he steps on the court.

Eastern Conference Team To Watch For:
Milwaukee Bucks
After a season in which the Bucks were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, signs of growth and development were shown. After signing big man John Henson to an extension and picking up Greg Monroe in the offseason, Milwaukee looks to improve on season in which they surprised many people. In addition to that, the return of Jabari Parker will hopefully be beneficial to how successful the Bucks are this season.

Western Conference Team To Watch For:
Los Angeles Clippers
In what was one of the most bizarre turn of events in sports history, center DeAndre Jordan initially signed with the Dallas Mavericks and then at the persuasion of members of the Clippers organization (mainly forward Blake Griffin and guard Chris Paul), decided to stay with the Clippers. In what will be a turning point for the Clippers, they will use what happened this past offseason as a learning experience and make themselves a team to be watched.

Eastern Conference Champion:
Cleveland Cavaliers
In a lackluster Eastern Conference, there are only a few teams that would be considered contenders, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls. Being led by their “Big Three” (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love), the Cavaliers have the upper hand in the Eastern Conference.

Western Conference Champion:
Golden State Warriors
Led by reigning MVP Stephen Curry, the Warriors are coming off a season in which they won 67 games which is tied for the 4th most all-time. Having returned the majority of the team from last season return, the Warriors should be able to return to championship winning form and make themselves a threat in the Western Conference for years to come.

NBA Champion:
Cavaliers in 7 Games
For the Cavaliers, last year’s finals appearance was the Lebron James show. Playing without Kevin Love for the whole series and Kyrie Irving for all but game one, the Cavs had no other true scoring option to look to in the finals other than James. If everyone on the Cavs stays healthy by the time the playoffs come around, there should be no reason why the Cavaliers shouldn’t be able to win the finals.