10 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

8. The New Orleans Pelicans trade DeMarcus Cousins

Don’t get me wrong, I want Boogie and the Brow to work more than anyone. Not only is that a great name for a crappy ’90s sitcom, but it represents a pairing of two potential unicorns in a league that’s getting smaller and smaller.

But as much as everyone wants Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins to become a modern-day Twin Towers, the New Orleans Pelicans (predictably) struggled to put help around them. Last summer’s spending spree on the likes of Solomon Hill and E’Twaun Moore devastated their cap space, especially with Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca still clogging up the books.

The Pellies had to re-sign Jrue Holiday to a “back me into a corner” type of deal, but plan to play him off the ball with Rajon Rondo at the 1. Ian Clark was a good get, as was Lance Stephenson at that stage in free agency, but this team still has major questions outside of its two star players.

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict that in a loaded Western Conference, the Pelicans probably won’t hit the ground running. Boogie is a free agent in 2018, which means when Rondo and company fail to live up to the hype and the season starts heading downhill, frustration and anxiety will set in.

Given Cousins’ reputation, any surliness or on-court behavior problems will only amplify those negative feelings. In that s**t-storm of a perfect storm, the Pelicans will panic and deal Cousins elsewhere rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency.