Quote:
Originally Posted by cneuy3
Which teams would you put ahead on them?
Nets, Lakers, and Bucks were ahead of them in the one I saw out there. Other than that do you really think that there a many teams with a better upside than the Warriors?
It's possible the Warrior team from last year would have given a team like Utah, the 1 seed, a run in the first round for example.
Draymond played elite last year on defense and did his thing to set up the offense. They have alot of young high picks and other role players which haven't played in a Steph and Klay lineup yet. Maybe there is some variance in what you might get with the team this upcoming year compared to other teams but I think their possible ceiling is still very high compared to most teams.
If we then consider the stacked teams at top baring no injury give me a lineup with Steph and others, maybe a 75% Klay everyday at a chance to upset it over the likes of many of those other teams; Utah, Philly, Atl, Phoenix, etc.
Nets/Lakers are big favorites this year, so looking for the 3rd best title odds is almost as much about variance as it is quality.
Utah is more likely to be better than the warriors, and if given the opportunity to bet on their games this year at even $, I'd bet on Utah, but I think there is ~0 chance Utah is elite, whereas there is a small chance GSW could turn out to be (Klay is fully recovered, Steph and Dray are still steph and dray and don't have an old guy falloff, and they get surprising upside development from their young guys)
Philly and Denver are also both good with some real upside vol. I've been a big Ben Simmons defender on here all year, and they were already the 1 seed in the east last year. Some combinations of Ben Simmons learning to shoot even a little, breakout improvements from their young guys, Embiid taking it to the next level, or Simmons getting moved for a great piece could make them elite.
Denver prob isn't there yet and idk how long Murray is out, but they've had a consistently upward trajectory for a couple years now. MPJ making the leap and Murray being 100% by playoffs would make them pretty tough. I assume Jokic is at his peak, but could be wrong there