Every year, I put together a collection of 50 predictions for the upcoming NBA season, and the 2012-13 season is no exception. The following is part one of two (the second chunk will come later in the week) featuring predictions for individuals and teams. Part two will feature predictions for the playoffs, rookies and potential transactions.

As always, these are mostly just wild guesses, but any time a member of the media makes these kinds of predictions, that’s all they are. Your own predictions are just wild guesses, too. Let’s all just admit that and get it out of the way before any of these infuriate somebody.

We’ll come back to these at the end of the season to see how many I got right, but for now, enjoy the first 25 predictions, and feel free to hit up the comment section with more of your own!

Individual Predictions

1. LeBron James will win the MVP award, averaging over 8 rebounds per game (for the first time in his career) in the process.

2. Kevin Durant will lead the league in scoring, besting the second-place scorer by at least 1.5 points per game.

3. Steve Nash will take back the assists crown this year, edging out Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

4. Derrick Rose will return in March and play in at least fifteen regular season games.

5. JaVale McGee will average over 2.5 blocks per game.

6. Andrew Bynum will play in fewer than 62 games this season.

7. After losing out on the accolade last year because of injuries and bad PR, Dwight Howard will win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award in five years.

8. Scott Skiles isn’t going to make it through the year as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

9. Glen Davis will lead the Orlando Magic in scoring this season.

10. Phoenix’s Goran Dragic will keep up the statistical pace he managed as a starter in Houston—at least 18 points, 8 assists and 3 rebounds.

11. James Harden will see an uptick in points per game as Houston’s featured player, but his shooting percentages — both FG% and 3PT% — will decline.

12. Stephen Curry will not play more than 50 games this year due to those nagging ankle injuries, further infuriating his fantasy owners.

13. Even missing a big chunk of the season, Kevin Love has three or more 20-point, 20-rebound games in him this year.

14. Lou Williams and Anthony Morrow will combine for more points than Joe Johnson did last year as an Atlanta Hawk.

15. Kenneth Faried will average a double-double this year for the Denver Nuggets.

Team Predictions

16. The Charlotte Bobcats will have the worst record in the NBA again this season.

17. But they’ll at least double their winning percentage from a year ago.

18. The Chicago Bulls, even without Derrick Rose, will still finish in the top three in the league for points allowed.

19. The New York Knicks will lead the league in team turnovers.

20. The Brooklyn Nets will finish the season with at least seven more wins than the New York Knicks.

21. The Memphis Grizzlies will have a lower winning percentage this year than they did last year.

22. The Oklahoma City Thunder will also have a lower winning percentage this year than they did last year.

23. The Minnesota Timberwolves will not make the playoffs because of how hard it is for a team to dig themselves out of an early-season hole. By the time Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio get back, it will be too late.

24. The Miami HEAT, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics will win their divisions.

25. The San Antonio Spurs, not the L.A. Lakers, will finish with the best regular-season record in the Western Conference.

Check back later in the week for part two, where we’ll post the other 25 predictions. In the meantime, add your own predictions below, or hit me up on Twitter with any disagreements.