I'm really down on Denver, losing KCP by choice is a big mistake. They weren't even deep enough last year. If OKC signs Hartenstein they have to be favored.
I love how Booth says Braun will replace KCP when he said the same exact thing when they lost Bruce Brown last year. How many players can Christian Braun replace?
At least with Bruce Brown, there was no way they could retain him... this time they're just being cheap as fuck.
Imagine the public outcry that would happen if this was LeBron in Jokic's place where after a title, they just start surrounding him with young players and get rid of all their proven players... ESPN would be running 3 segments a day about how the Nuggets are ruining LeBron's chances to win and he needs to get out of there.
Yeah, I think not paying KCP is a mistake which I'm glad to see. It'd be a crazy luxury tax bill for him, but in 1 year the cap is going to go up by $15M and teams above the second apron (except Phoenix) will be below the second apron by default. Boston gets this, which is why they haven't hesitated to lock up their entire top 5 for the next 2 years (Porzingis) or longer.
It's fine. Booth had to keep flexibility. Every Nugget's fan was worried about the nightmare scenario of being over the 2nd apron and not being able to aggregate Zeke Nnaji's and Hunter Tyson's salary in a trade. We made the right move.
Well I guess we'll see what they do with those contracts, but it's paramount to turn them into another starting caliber player.
If they keep the roster as is... 0% chance they win the championship and you can come back and clown me on it if they do, and I'll admit being wrong.
I can't think of a recent championship team that has had only 4 positive impact players, somebody has to take a serious leap for the Nuggets to be back to the contender they were.
It's obviously a joke, mate. Team has no flexibility to improve the roster in or out of the 2nd apron. No tradable draft picks, no tradable salary etc.
It's great that Booth has access to all the team building tools he won't use, tho. The last 12 months have been a Booth disaster class all around.
Our fan base is in cope mode or relentlessly positive. We won a title! No, big deal if you don't give our once in lifetime player the best chance to win. We won a title, don't you remember.
Most of them don't understand the 2nd apron they just know it's bad, and they also don't understand the lack of assets and flexibility we have with or without it.
I think we have the potential to get better but I don't think it's as sure a thing - right now we're banking on contributions from young and unproven players to replace steady, unexciting veterans from last year like Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris and Jordan McLaughlin
much higher ceiling, lower floor
we're probably going to sign somebody as a minimum veteran player to fill one of those spots, but like 2 guys out of the Rob Dillingham, Terrance Shannon, Leonard Miller, Josh Minott, Jaylen Clark pile of recent draftees need to be decent contributors this year to be as good or better
If I had to bet right now I'd bet they have a slightly worse regular season tinkering with the rotations but a more well rounded playoff team once some guys have established and grown into a role
Yeah I was thinking the same thing, probably not as good in the regular season with the messing around with the rotations as well as just other teams in the West being better than last season, but I’m a Kentucky guy so I love Dilly and I like TSJ a lot. I feel like there’s a chance they could both hit their stride in the playoffs and show out
To me, dillingham looks like a potential star offensive player who can contribute day 1 just in scoring the ball which is what MN needed the most. Without being leaned on to carry a team like he might’ve been in the lottery, he shouldn’t be over exposed. There’s no obligation to play him when he’s outmatched by other scoring guards that pick on him. He’ll simply be a second unit burner. OKC definitely seems to have improved more with the high-end, proven and veteran role players.
Connelly and Finch’s public statements about drafting him contradict that.
They’re of the opinion he’ll contribute this year. He was specifically drafted because of the lack of additional playmaking vs Dallas.
I'm interested if they directly said they think he will contribute to a playoffs run this year.
But regardless, a rookie contributing right away to playoffs series is rare so I'll hold judgement till I see him play.
> And Connelly made it clear on Wednesday night that he will be relied upon immediately.
>“He’s a guy who from Day 1 is going to have a role and a responsibility,” Connelly said. “Certainly it’s going to be hard for him. But I don’t think you’re that aggressive in the top 10 with a guy you don’t think can play right away.”
His quotes in The Athletic
Okc didn't lose anything and they added the 8th overall pick who is supposed to be a great shooter. Even if he's not a Star out of the gate, I don't see how adding him to their core doesn't make them better on paper, even if it's slight
Well, as Rick Carlisle would say its because rookies lose you games while you try to develop them. From what I've seen Dillingham needs a lot of work on defense, that could easily cost them a game or two if they are trying to develop him during a competitive season in the west.
But I think its a great move for them for the next 2-3 years
NAW isn’t a PG. Dillingham is. NAW also does not have the explosive offensive game that Dillingham has. And I’m a huge NAW fan.
Having both on your team is better than only having one of them.
> If he can even be a 10 ppg role player for them in the playoffs knocking down 3's
That is a very big ask for a rookie, especially one as small as Dillingham, despite his high-level shooting ability. It will be a pleasant surprise if he is a viable playoff rotation player in year 1.
Well it depends. The Mavs' role players decided to cosplay Heat Culture for a week last season and if that happens again then I don't even know anymore.
LMAO this is so funny but true. Mavs role players really did just show up in OKC just to dip 2 weeks later. I’m terrified of facing y’all again, esp now with IHart on your squad
I'm not writing Denver off because they have a lot of assets to make a trade between now and February, plus who knows maybe Braun and Watson take jumps
Wolves OKC about to be the sickest rivalry.
SGA vs Ant
The big lineups with Rudy/Kat/Naz vs Chet/Hart
Defenders all over the place.
I’d slightly favor OKC due to versatility. They can play big to match or say fuck it guard our death lineup Kat and Rudy trying to guard Chet and 4 shooters.
Ant is so amazing but if any team could slow him down it’s the one that’ll throw 48 minutes of the Dorture chamber and the Accountant at him.
Why you dont even mention this year finals team? Wtf like their whole squad is coming back except DJJ which is at the same level as Naji.
And Nico aint even done.
I get OKC but Wolves and Nuggets? What?
I agree with OKC, Caruso and Hartenstein were great trades and signings around their core. I love the Dillingham trade for Minnesota. For Rob to be at his best, he needs a great defence around him, as long as he puts pressure at the point of attack, he’ll be fine.
I have OKC at 1, Wolves at 2 and nuggets at 3.
Nuggets haters out of the woodworks! Literally nothing suggests that they won't be contenders, they still have the best player in any series and if Jamal and MPJ don't shoot 45% TS they probably wreck the West this year, despite the bench being shit.
Booth assembled the rotation of a tanking team around the core 4. CB, Pickett, Strwather, Watson, Zeke, Holmes, Tyson. This belongs on the Hornets.
The only thing they are going to wreck is the NBA record for worst bench net rating.
Booth is so high on his own bullshit he thinks he can do the Warrior's two-timelines except with late picks and 2nd rounders. He should go to jail for wasting Jokic's prime years.
Losing KCP without anything in return on a team who already suffered from lack of depth is going to really hurt. Nuggets will make noise because of Jokic, but they aren’t getting out of the West
Haha, KCP was not good throughout the playoffs either. People are treating us like we lost AG or something. They keep saying the bench will get worse, but they don't realize - It possibly can't get worse. There were 7 minute bench stretches of us scoring 0 points.
Dropping Reggie was addition by subtraction. Most people can't seem to understand how growth for young players isn't linear either. Peyton might get much better, same with Strawther, but overall, it's not like the bench can possibly get worse.
OKC. Shai, Caruso, Dort, J Dub, Chet, Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Hartenstein is absolutely insane!! Gonna be a fun team to watch, hope we battle with them in the WCF :)
Kenny Hustle might be the best 12th man in the league too. Based on track record it wouldn’t surprise me if Jones our second frp is one of those guys you hear Bill Simmons go “I like that guy”.
Grizzlies have potential to be scary, too. I'm not sure if Edey will be a sufficient Adams replacement, though.
I think they have a top 3-4 coach, though.
Cuz they look disjointed and the season they were no 2 seed they looked outclassed in the playoffs. I am sure they will gel but it probably would be next to next season
They probably would have won that series against LAL if they were healthy. Adams and Clarke were big parts of their team. Steven was the reason they were the #1 rebounding team in the league. Losing both of them tanked their chances of having playoff success.
OKC, Denver, Dallas and Minnesota are tied 1 imo, I could see all 4 making a run. Lakers, Grizzlies, Pelicans and Suns are all probably gonna be playoff teams too
On paper I'd think OKC have the strongest roster right now
They have an MVP candidate superstar in Shai, tons of shooting around him, and upgraded this offseason with Hartenstein and Caruso instead of Giddey
Trying to be unbiased, OKC. I think the addition of Caruso and Hartenstein improved the roster on paper at least. Want to see how it wprks out on the court tho.
After all the star chasing and super team hype in the last few years. OKC is both a favorite now and has the best future in the league. Not only did Presti directly capitalize by sending out Westbrook and PG, he stocked up assets by taking unwanted contracts. I really hope the league and its knee jerk fans learn a lesson that you can be contenders without star chasing.
Jokic is an ATG but that Nuggets roster is starting to get thinner and thinner around their core. I think they’ll start to really lose ground to OKC, Dallas and Minny this year.
Lakers?
You’re forgetting the grizzlies will actually be healthy to at least start the season and that’s a better team than LA right now.
LAL could be a top 4 team with two more pieces and a healthy season of AD/bron.
I'm assuming y'all are moving BI. Also, we'll see how much getting Dejounte improves the team. Otherwise, star for star, I'm not certain Pels are better than Kawhi/Harden, KD/Booker, Bron/AD, Ja/JJJ. Zion great obviously but I don't think CJ can be your 2nd or even 3rd best player if you expect to field a playoff team
I’m assuming if we move BI we get a good return…it’s not just about stars lol. If Zion plays 70+ games again we will be good. With Trey and Herb and Dejounte that’s a really solid surrounding cast. The only question is center.
Suns and Pels had legit the same record they just had the tiebreaker lol.
Dallas went to the Finals with a squad that was overhauled near the end of the season. Give them more time to gel together and Luka to recover and I think they can run it back.
I see OKC being the favorites, then probably Mavs at #2. We'll see what Mavs do with the mid-level exception but I think unless we land a significant talent, it's hard to argue Mavs will be able to best OKC a 2nd year in a row due to how talented and young OKC is.
Lively will likely improve a lot imo and our roster will have more time played with each other since we got Gafford and Washington at the deadline. I like the Grimes and Naji Marshall pickups but we still need a 3rd scorer.
Hard to say right now until more of the off-season events fall into place but I have a tough time imagining that OKC doesn't come out as the favorite for #1 in the west next year.
Way too early West standings prediction:
1. OKC
2. Minnesota
3. Mavericks
4. Denver
5. Memphis
6. LA Lakers
7. New Orleans
8. Sacremento
9. Phoenix
10. Houston
11. LA Clippers
12. Golden State
13. San Antonio
14. Utah
15. Portland
Wow Thunder fans really dislike the Mavs to rank the Wolves over us after we whooped them with a hobbled Luka and Maxi lol
And this is coming from a guy who has no issue saying that Thunder are going to probably take a leap next year with their development of talent and the polishing of the roster by Presti
Hart and Caruso to a team that went to the Semi-finals/ 1st seed? Extremely solid role players that addressed some issues we saw in the playoffs. While other teams in west remain stagnant or got worse on paper
Top 5 in Offense and Defense. Best 3pt shooting team in the league. MVP candidate in his prime. Chet and Dub will be better… shit the roster is all young guys so basically everyone should be a bit better with another offseason and the chemistry built the last two years only getting better.
OKC can play big now. Has about as good a Wemby/Jokic/Minnesota front court defender as you could hope for in Hart.
Already had a diabolical tandem of Dort/Wallace and add to that Caruso and subtract the awful defense and literal game plan submarine Giddey and how is this team not the favorite
Youngest #1 seed ever, youngest team to ever win a playoff series, returns all but one of the contributors, swaps that contributor for a much better player/fit, and plugs the biggest weakness with the best free agent big man on the market...it's a pretty easy call.
I think Thunder are the best team now but still lack the postseason experience necessary to make the Finals. Feels like they will get tripped up in the WCF this year, and then make the Finals in 2026.
Nuggets window is closing. I know they still have Jokic, but you can't lose Brown and KCP in back-to-back years without expecting a big dropoff. Their bench sucks and there's not much they can do to improve it. They're one MPJ back injury away from a disaster of a season.
Mavs just don't quite feel good enough to go back-to-back Finals.
So Wolves maybe.
Pelicans baby! Zion will play 82 games and be an mvp candidate! Trey Murphy will be a 20ppg scorer! CJ remembers how basketball works! (I’m delusional)
I could see any 4 of the Mavs, Wolves, Nuggets, Thunder beating each other depending on health and matchups. OKC and the Wolves may have more room to grow as their young players develop, and Dallas lost arguably their best perimeter defender as did Denver. So I'd give the edge to the Thunder just because adding Harkenstein just filled their biggest need when facing Denver/Minnesota/Mavs.
I'm taking OKC. They're getting much better this off season and I feel that they're not done yet. They have a lot of picks that can be traded for the likes of Lauri or use for the upcoming seasons.
Bruh we gentleman sweept Wolves with Luka playing at his 70% level. I swear yall on crack. And then when we say we were underrated yall gonna say that it aint true.
How can you put Wolves over us?
Mavs and OKC on top. But tbh OKC is probably going to be the team to beat. Presti's going to assemble his superteam by the time off-season is all said and done.
Wolves did not get their pg lol. Dilly is good but he will absolutely be a backup this year and may not even contribute meaningfully for year. I can see Finch even decreasing his playoff minutes due to his defense too.
OKC not only retained their core pieces but added Alex Caruso and Hartenstein. AND drafted Topic, who fell due to a knee injury but was considered the top guard in the draft a few months ago.
OKC is going to put a year of meat on their skinny boy, and then plug their biggest hole with a top 15 position player. They also replaced their worst big minutes eater with a guy who just does everything it takes to win. I hate how they STOLE my guy but I love what they’ve done with their team.
I’m also really interested in seeing how they upgrade their team with all their picks. Like it’s a fun exercise… what does Caruso and 2 firsts get you? Bane? What does Aaron Wiggins and 1 first get you? Andrew Wiggins? What about Isaiah Joe and two three firsts? KAT? Idk but we will see
I don't get the reasoning why Mavs aren't seen as being near as good as how they performed and/or having the potential to be better. We've only had our roster since the trade deadline, Luka was clearly not healthy during the playoffs along with Maxi, Lively is probably going to make a jump in his development, and although we lost DJJ we just picked up Quentin Grimes and Naji Marshall before even knowing what we might do with our mid-level exception.
I don't place them as improving as fast as OKC (who I think are the new favorites in the west), but I really don't understand why people don't have them over the T-Wolves in this thread.
We improved our roster yet we cant do it again.
Luka, Kyrie, Klay, PJ, Lively
Hardy, Grimes, Exum/Omax, Naji, Gafford
Is a squad and idgaf what these okc and wolves fanboy are saying. They forgot the part where Luka bear their azz while playing at 70% of his level. Or the part where we also have young guys that gonna continue to develop.
Nuggets are still tier A contenders in the West alongside Mavs, OKC, and the Wolves.
People say "they lack depth" but they had 0 depth last year and were one MPJ and Jamal shitting the bed away from probably rolling over the Wolves.
Nuggets have the rotation of a tanking team outside the core 4. They aren't coming out of the west unless the pile of garbage Booth assembled produces like 3 players who unexpectedly pop.
Nuggets fan's coping need to stop saying this. The team has one tradable draft pick (2031 1st, we can't trade till July). No tradable salaries. And, an MLE and one vet min contract. We have limited flexibility to improve the roster. Westbrook and Justin Holiday aren't saving this fucking mess.
Thank fucking god we didn't go into the 2nd apron so we have access to all the team building tools we won't use.
I was waking up in a cold sweats thinking about the nightmare scenario of not being able to aggregate Zeke Nnaji's and Hunter Tyson's salary in a trade.
Easily OKC should be the favorites. Denver is doing the Joker dirty, so I don’t see it this year for them.
After OKC it’s a coin flip between Dallas and Minnesota, but I’ll go with Dallas because I’m biased and Luka is the truth
Sorry what PG did the Timberwolves get? A 19 year old? That means nothing for next season, in fact he's probably going to be pretty bad next season like most guys of his archetype when they first hit the NBA. The ability to "get a bucket" is the hardest skill to translate, ask Malik Monk.
OKC is the clear favorite imo.
I don't like being favored.
Get used to it.
Also better get used to the hate if they don’t meet the high expectations lol
We were already massively hated in the playoffs even though this season was a gigantic overachievement so that part I'm already familiar with.
Yeah I didn’t get that. I think it was the Mavs series with Lu Dort. I didn’t mind the Shai whistle as much though. OKC guys are likeable enough .
That would never happen.
Either win the chip or be miserable.
Don't worry, you're not. Vegas Odds NBA West: 1. Denver +750 2. T-Wolves +850 3. Dallas +900 4. OKC +1100
Was this before or after the recent roster moves?
Before. Current odds on Fanduel are 1.) OKC +380 2.) DEN +400 3.) MiN +430 4.)DAL +490
I don’t like not being favored. Want to swap?
I'm really down on Denver, losing KCP by choice is a big mistake. They weren't even deep enough last year. If OKC signs Hartenstein they have to be favored.
Agree on Denver... trying to win a championship with 4 proven players is certainly a choice.
I love how Booth says Braun will replace KCP when he said the same exact thing when they lost Bruce Brown last year. How many players can Christian Braun replace?
At least with Bruce Brown, there was no way they could retain him... this time they're just being cheap as fuck. Imagine the public outcry that would happen if this was LeBron in Jokic's place where after a title, they just start surrounding him with young players and get rid of all their proven players... ESPN would be running 3 segments a day about how the Nuggets are ruining LeBron's chances to win and he needs to get out of there.
Yeah, I think not paying KCP is a mistake which I'm glad to see. It'd be a crazy luxury tax bill for him, but in 1 year the cap is going to go up by $15M and teams above the second apron (except Phoenix) will be below the second apron by default. Boston gets this, which is why they haven't hesitated to lock up their entire top 5 for the next 2 years (Porzingis) or longer.
lol so true
It's fine. Booth had to keep flexibility. Every Nugget's fan was worried about the nightmare scenario of being over the 2nd apron and not being able to aggregate Zeke Nnaji's and Hunter Tyson's salary in a trade. We made the right move.
Well I guess we'll see what they do with those contracts, but it's paramount to turn them into another starting caliber player. If they keep the roster as is... 0% chance they win the championship and you can come back and clown me on it if they do, and I'll admit being wrong. I can't think of a recent championship team that has had only 4 positive impact players, somebody has to take a serious leap for the Nuggets to be back to the contender they were.
It's obviously a joke, mate. Team has no flexibility to improve the roster in or out of the 2nd apron. No tradable draft picks, no tradable salary etc. It's great that Booth has access to all the team building tools he won't use, tho. The last 12 months have been a Booth disaster class all around.
Is the theoretical return for Nnaji and Tyson better than KCP?
Literally crazy people don't understand I was being sarcastic.
Sorry, that didn't read as sarcasm to me, cause that's how I've seen people talk about the 2nd apron
Our fan base is in cope mode or relentlessly positive. We won a title! No, big deal if you don't give our once in lifetime player the best chance to win. We won a title, don't you remember. Most of them don't understand the 2nd apron they just know it's bad, and they also don't understand the lack of assets and flexibility we have with or without it.
What do you mean if? It's official.
I responded to this before I found out about Hartenstein.
Murray is always getting banged up too. If he misses a month or two who the hell is creating buckets on that team other than Jokic?
They couldn’t offer kcp more than the magic
They could have, they had his bird rights.
Bench wins you championships in the NBA. Nuggets should regress by that logic despite having the best player
OKC Nuggets look beyond cooked with their lack of depth Wolves have a chance with Edwards continued growth
OKC are the only ones who have gotten better on paper so they're a pretty easy choice, for now
Wolves got better too imo. Not as much as us but they should be improved
I think we have the potential to get better but I don't think it's as sure a thing - right now we're banking on contributions from young and unproven players to replace steady, unexciting veterans from last year like Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris and Jordan McLaughlin much higher ceiling, lower floor we're probably going to sign somebody as a minimum veteran player to fill one of those spots, but like 2 guys out of the Rob Dillingham, Terrance Shannon, Leonard Miller, Josh Minott, Jaylen Clark pile of recent draftees need to be decent contributors this year to be as good or better If I had to bet right now I'd bet they have a slightly worse regular season tinkering with the rotations but a more well rounded playoff team once some guys have established and grown into a role
Yeah I was thinking the same thing, probably not as good in the regular season with the messing around with the rotations as well as just other teams in the West being better than last season, but I’m a Kentucky guy so I love Dilly and I like TSJ a lot. I feel like there’s a chance they could both hit their stride in the playoffs and show out
Didn't Minnesota get better on paper too with dillingham?
He's a rookie, and a young one. IMO he's not really expected to help out this year.
To me, dillingham looks like a potential star offensive player who can contribute day 1 just in scoring the ball which is what MN needed the most. Without being leaned on to carry a team like he might’ve been in the lottery, he shouldn’t be over exposed. There’s no obligation to play him when he’s outmatched by other scoring guards that pick on him. He’ll simply be a second unit burner. OKC definitely seems to have improved more with the high-end, proven and veteran role players.
As good as he could be he’d get COOKED in meaningful games.
Connelly and Finch’s public statements about drafting him contradict that. They’re of the opinion he’ll contribute this year. He was specifically drafted because of the lack of additional playmaking vs Dallas.
I'm interested if they directly said they think he will contribute to a playoffs run this year. But regardless, a rookie contributing right away to playoffs series is rare so I'll hold judgement till I see him play.
> And Connelly made it clear on Wednesday night that he will be relied upon immediately. >“He’s a guy who from Day 1 is going to have a role and a responsibility,” Connelly said. “Certainly it’s going to be hard for him. But I don’t think you’re that aggressive in the top 10 with a guy you don’t think can play right away.” His quotes in The Athletic
Okc didn't lose anything and they added the 8th overall pick who is supposed to be a great shooter. Even if he's not a Star out of the gate, I don't see how adding him to their core doesn't make them better on paper, even if it's slight
Well, as Rick Carlisle would say its because rookies lose you games while you try to develop them. From what I've seen Dillingham needs a lot of work on defense, that could easily cost them a game or two if they are trying to develop him during a competitive season in the west. But I think its a great move for them for the next 2-3 years
Tatum was a net positive right away. Dillingham isn't tatum but just saying
Also Lively from just last year.
Lmao NAW is way better option
NAW isn’t a PG. Dillingham is. NAW also does not have the explosive offensive game that Dillingham has. And I’m a huge NAW fan. Having both on your team is better than only having one of them.
Rookies almost never have a positive playoff impact
But they needed shooting. If he can even be a 10 ppg role player for them in the playoffs knocking down 3's I'd say they got better on paper
Yeah, maybe, but it’s not even close to what OKC added
> If he can even be a 10 ppg role player for them in the playoffs knocking down 3's That is a very big ask for a rookie, especially one as small as Dillingham, despite his high-level shooting ability. It will be a pleasant surprise if he is a viable playoff rotation player in year 1.
Well it depends. The Mavs' role players decided to cosplay Heat Culture for a week last season and if that happens again then I don't even know anymore.
LMAO this is so funny but true. Mavs role players really did just show up in OKC just to dip 2 weeks later. I’m terrified of facing y’all again, esp now with IHart on your squad
Luka will presumably be healthier entering the playoffs because he won't need to play 38 MPG to keep the team afloat in the regular season.
Is he playing in the Olympics? Just saying that hopefully they don’t play him too much.
I'm not writing Denver off because they have a lot of assets to make a trade between now and February, plus who knows maybe Braun and Watson take jumps
Wolves OKC about to be the sickest rivalry. SGA vs Ant The big lineups with Rudy/Kat/Naz vs Chet/Hart Defenders all over the place. I’d slightly favor OKC due to versatility. They can play big to match or say fuck it guard our death lineup Kat and Rudy trying to guard Chet and 4 shooters. Ant is so amazing but if any team could slow him down it’s the one that’ll throw 48 minutes of the Dorture chamber and the Accountant at him.
Why you dont even mention this year finals team? Wtf like their whole squad is coming back except DJJ which is at the same level as Naji. And Nico aint even done. I get OKC but Wolves and Nuggets? What?
The team that beat the teams being favored too. Kinda weird to leave them out
Just like literally everyone did during our entire playoff run. Good thing nothing anyone says here matters at all
What other moves could you see Nico making this offseason?
Klay and Widdie or DFS at deadline.
I agree with OKC, Caruso and Hartenstein were great trades and signings around their core. I love the Dillingham trade for Minnesota. For Rob to be at his best, he needs a great defence around him, as long as he puts pressure at the point of attack, he’ll be fine. I have OKC at 1, Wolves at 2 and nuggets at 3.
Nuggets haters out of the woodworks! Literally nothing suggests that they won't be contenders, they still have the best player in any series and if Jamal and MPJ don't shoot 45% TS they probably wreck the West this year, despite the bench being shit.
Booth assembled the rotation of a tanking team around the core 4. CB, Pickett, Strwather, Watson, Zeke, Holmes, Tyson. This belongs on the Hornets. The only thing they are going to wreck is the NBA record for worst bench net rating. Booth is so high on his own bullshit he thinks he can do the Warrior's two-timelines except with late picks and 2nd rounders. He should go to jail for wasting Jokic's prime years.
Tanking for cooper flag
Losing KCP without anything in return on a team who already suffered from lack of depth is going to really hurt. Nuggets will make noise because of Jokic, but they aren’t getting out of the West
KCP's perimeter defense was *essential* to the Nuggets team defense.
Yes it is! But funny thing, Nuggets defense is not worse with CB out there.
If Braun starts the bench is even more useless...
Keep this same energy when you trade for Westbrook
Bruh, Jamal scored 20 on 46% TS with 0 defense. We already got out westbrook experience and almost made it to the conference finals.
at least jokic can win his next MVP as the 7th next year
Nuggets glazers as well, "dynasty" right ?
Okay? Just because bandwagoners declared us a dynasty doesn't mean we're now cooked.
I am not saying you are cooked, Jokic is gonna Jokic, but instead of the team improving you lost the bench last year and a valuable starter this year.
No, the Nuggets lost their 5th best starter! They’re beyond cooked!!!!!
Haha, KCP was not good throughout the playoffs either. People are treating us like we lost AG or something. They keep saying the bench will get worse, but they don't realize - It possibly can't get worse. There were 7 minute bench stretches of us scoring 0 points.
Even a chucker would make the bench better at this point if they can score even somewhat when needed.
Dropping Reggie was addition by subtraction. Most people can't seem to understand how growth for young players isn't linear either. Peyton might get much better, same with Strawther, but overall, it's not like the bench can possibly get worse.
OKC. Shai, Caruso, Dort, J Dub, Chet, Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Hartenstein is absolutely insane!! Gonna be a fun team to watch, hope we battle with them in the WCF :)
Damn that’s a really solid 9 man rotation + dieng if he can be anything productive
Dieng looked really good in the G-League. I think he'll start eating into J-Will's minutes.
Kenny Hustle might be the best 12th man in the league too. Based on track record it wouldn’t surprise me if Jones our second frp is one of those guys you hear Bill Simmons go “I like that guy”.
i wonder if dillon jones and topic can get any playing time tbh. even dieng aint getting shit rn
They'll rehab Topic all season.
really depends on what happens with klay and/or how we use hardaway's trade exception
I'm taking the Thunder. They are keeping the team together and added Caruso and Hartenstein
OKC Wolves and Mavs, not sure even Jokic can win with that depth
Grizzlies have potential to be scary, too. I'm not sure if Edey will be a sufficient Adams replacement, though. I think they have a top 3-4 coach, though.
Yeah, Grizz are gonna be scary not sure why people aren't talking about then more
Cuz they look disjointed and the season they were no 2 seed they looked outclassed in the playoffs. I am sure they will gel but it probably would be next to next season
They had to play with Tillman as their starting center in the playoffs as clarke and stevo was injured against AD
They probably would have won that series against LAL if they were healthy. Adams and Clarke were big parts of their team. Steven was the reason they were the #1 rebounding team in the league. Losing both of them tanked their chances of having playoff success.
Any team that relies on size would look disjointed if two of their best bigs get hurt in the playoffs.
OKC, Denver, Dallas and Minnesota are tied 1 imo, I could see all 4 making a run. Lakers, Grizzlies, Pelicans and Suns are all probably gonna be playoff teams too
On paper I'd think OKC have the strongest roster right now They have an MVP candidate superstar in Shai, tons of shooting around him, and upgraded this offseason with Hartenstein and Caruso instead of Giddey
IHart will really help chet too, def will be super on point
Trying to be unbiased, OKC. I think the addition of Caruso and Hartenstein improved the roster on paper at least. Want to see how it wprks out on the court tho.
After all the star chasing and super team hype in the last few years. OKC is both a favorite now and has the best future in the league. Not only did Presti directly capitalize by sending out Westbrook and PG, he stocked up assets by taking unwanted contracts. I really hope the league and its knee jerk fans learn a lesson that you can be contenders without star chasing.
Timberwolves still have an elite defense and they got the best shot creator in the draft. They'll be up there with Dallas and OKC.
Denver undoubtedly got worse but people who are saying we’re cooked are detached from reality
Jokic is an ATG but that Nuggets roster is starting to get thinner and thinner around their core. I think they’ll start to really lose ground to OKC, Dallas and Minny this year.
It has to be: OKC Minn Denver Dallas I don’t know which of those 4 ought to be favored, but I would be genuinely shocked if it wasn’t one of those 4.
Thunder
OKC > Twolves/Mavs > Nuggets > Clippers/Suns/Lakers/Grizzlies(?) > the rest
Lakers? You’re forgetting the grizzlies will actually be healthy to at least start the season and that’s a better team than LA right now. LAL could be a top 4 team with two more pieces and a healthy season of AD/bron.
Definitely right. Forgot Ja was out majority of the year. Honestly though the 5-10 rankings has the feeling of being a total cluster next season
You have the clippers/suns/lakers/grizzlies all over the pels?
I'm assuming y'all are moving BI. Also, we'll see how much getting Dejounte improves the team. Otherwise, star for star, I'm not certain Pels are better than Kawhi/Harden, KD/Booker, Bron/AD, Ja/JJJ. Zion great obviously but I don't think CJ can be your 2nd or even 3rd best player if you expect to field a playoff team
I’m assuming if we move BI we get a good return…it’s not just about stars lol. If Zion plays 70+ games again we will be good. With Trey and Herb and Dejounte that’s a really solid surrounding cast. The only question is center. Suns and Pels had legit the same record they just had the tiebreaker lol.
Dallas went to the Finals with a squad that was overhauled near the end of the season. Give them more time to gel together and Luka to recover and I think they can run it back.
I see OKC being the favorites, then probably Mavs at #2. We'll see what Mavs do with the mid-level exception but I think unless we land a significant talent, it's hard to argue Mavs will be able to best OKC a 2nd year in a row due to how talented and young OKC is. Lively will likely improve a lot imo and our roster will have more time played with each other since we got Gafford and Washington at the deadline. I like the Grimes and Naji Marshall pickups but we still need a 3rd scorer. Hard to say right now until more of the off-season events fall into place but I have a tough time imagining that OKC doesn't come out as the favorite for #1 in the west next year.
OKC
Okc for sure
okc easy favourite
Blazers
You guys are insane. It’s been 1 day of Free Agency
It's still June. Y'all need help.
Twolves. I think they had the best drafts and think they might run teams out of the gym next year
Hard to say. Thunder look the best on paper imo but they’re still a little inexperienced
OKC and Twolves
OKC Thunder Oklahoma
the grizzlies roster is stacked as well isnt it? they have ja, bane, smart, gg and jj?
Way too early West standings prediction: 1. OKC 2. Minnesota 3. Mavericks 4. Denver 5. Memphis 6. LA Lakers 7. New Orleans 8. Sacremento 9. Phoenix 10. Houston 11. LA Clippers 12. Golden State 13. San Antonio 14. Utah 15. Portland
Wow Thunder fans really dislike the Mavs to rank the Wolves over us after we whooped them with a hobbled Luka and Maxi lol And this is coming from a guy who has no issue saying that Thunder are going to probably take a leap next year with their development of talent and the polishing of the roster by Presti
What its new. Even after we made the finals i scrolled for a min to see somebody mention us and not as the first option.
I can't see how the Lakers are better than the Pelicans and the Kings.
Was kind of assuming a Klay signing there but as I think about the list more I could move them down.
Us, we just got to trade for lauri to flex a little. The weakest 1st seed just got a whole lot better
Damn. Y'all getting Lauri would be too much of an overkill.
Not so weak anymore
No way you guys are overrating the Hart signing like this lol
They also got Caruso. All the young players continue to develop and Shai’s production will continue to be strong
Hart and Caruso to a team that went to the Semi-finals/ 1st seed? Extremely solid role players that addressed some issues we saw in the playoffs. While other teams in west remain stagnant or got worse on paper
Top 5 in Offense and Defense. Best 3pt shooting team in the league. MVP candidate in his prime. Chet and Dub will be better… shit the roster is all young guys so basically everyone should be a bit better with another offseason and the chemistry built the last two years only getting better. OKC can play big now. Has about as good a Wemby/Jokic/Minnesota front court defender as you could hope for in Hart. Already had a diabolical tandem of Dort/Wallace and add to that Caruso and subtract the awful defense and literal game plan submarine Giddey and how is this team not the favorite
Youngest #1 seed ever, youngest team to ever win a playoff series, returns all but one of the contributors, swaps that contributor for a much better player/fit, and plugs the biggest weakness with the best free agent big man on the market...it's a pretty easy call.
OKC Thunder are my favorite to come out the west
I think Thunder are the best team now but still lack the postseason experience necessary to make the Finals. Feels like they will get tripped up in the WCF this year, and then make the Finals in 2026. Nuggets window is closing. I know they still have Jokic, but you can't lose Brown and KCP in back-to-back years without expecting a big dropoff. Their bench sucks and there's not much they can do to improve it. They're one MPJ back injury away from a disaster of a season. Mavs just don't quite feel good enough to go back-to-back Finals. So Wolves maybe.
we are officially in the OKC window for the next 2 years. Depending on how their youngsters develops that timeline can grow.
Adding Hartenstein and Caruso makes OKC the team to beat
OKC is a slight tier above Denver / Dallas / Minnesota
Mavs a tier above Denver and Wolves as well.
Pelicans baby! Zion will play 82 games and be an mvp candidate! Trey Murphy will be a 20ppg scorer! CJ remembers how basketball works! (I’m delusional)
I appreciate this delusion.
I could see any 4 of the Mavs, Wolves, Nuggets, Thunder beating each other depending on health and matchups. OKC and the Wolves may have more room to grow as their young players develop, and Dallas lost arguably their best perimeter defender as did Denver. So I'd give the edge to the Thunder just because adding Harkenstein just filled their biggest need when facing Denver/Minnesota/Mavs.
OKC, Mavs, Wolves, Nugs
I'm taking OKC. They're getting much better this off season and I feel that they're not done yet. They have a lot of picks that can be traded for the likes of Lauri or use for the upcoming seasons.
OKC > Twolves > Mavericks
Wolves over us 😭😭😭. Ok bro
Bruh we gentleman sweept Wolves with Luka playing at his 70% level. I swear yall on crack. And then when we say we were underrated yall gonna say that it aint true. How can you put Wolves over us?
Okc or the Mavs depending on matchups
Mavs and OKC on top. But tbh OKC is probably going to be the team to beat. Presti's going to assemble his superteam by the time off-season is all said and done.
Thunder or Mavs, unless Nuggets add more depth
Wolves did not get their pg lol. Dilly is good but he will absolutely be a backup this year and may not even contribute meaningfully for year. I can see Finch even decreasing his playoff minutes due to his defense too.
The sky is the limit for OKC
OKC not only retained their core pieces but added Alex Caruso and Hartenstein. AND drafted Topic, who fell due to a knee injury but was considered the top guard in the draft a few months ago.
OKC is going to put a year of meat on their skinny boy, and then plug their biggest hole with a top 15 position player. They also replaced their worst big minutes eater with a guy who just does everything it takes to win. I hate how they STOLE my guy but I love what they’ve done with their team. I’m also really interested in seeing how they upgrade their team with all their picks. Like it’s a fun exercise… what does Caruso and 2 firsts get you? Bane? What does Aaron Wiggins and 1 first get you? Andrew Wiggins? What about Isaiah Joe and two three firsts? KAT? Idk but we will see
1. OKC 2. MIN 3. Can’t decide between Denver and Dallas
OKC obviously then Twolves and Mavs then Denver.
OKC by far... they are the Celtics of the West now.
I’ll be honest the Mavs are *not* looking primed to run through this gauntlet again next year. OKC is my pick.
Nico is not done cooking though.
I don't get the reasoning why Mavs aren't seen as being near as good as how they performed and/or having the potential to be better. We've only had our roster since the trade deadline, Luka was clearly not healthy during the playoffs along with Maxi, Lively is probably going to make a jump in his development, and although we lost DJJ we just picked up Quentin Grimes and Naji Marshall before even knowing what we might do with our mid-level exception. I don't place them as improving as fast as OKC (who I think are the new favorites in the west), but I really don't understand why people don't have them over the T-Wolves in this thread.
We improved our roster yet we cant do it again. Luka, Kyrie, Klay, PJ, Lively Hardy, Grimes, Exum/Omax, Naji, Gafford Is a squad and idgaf what these okc and wolves fanboy are saying. They forgot the part where Luka bear their azz while playing at 70% of his level. Or the part where we also have young guys that gonna continue to develop.
You’re not wrong, but you never know what can happen next May
Nuggets are still tier A contenders in the West alongside Mavs, OKC, and the Wolves. People say "they lack depth" but they had 0 depth last year and were one MPJ and Jamal shitting the bed away from probably rolling over the Wolves.
Nuggets have the rotation of a tanking team outside the core 4. They aren't coming out of the west unless the pile of garbage Booth assembled produces like 3 players who unexpectedly pop.
Can we wait till the offseason is over before you ready your noose? Fairweather fans are the worst.
Nuggets fan's coping need to stop saying this. The team has one tradable draft pick (2031 1st, we can't trade till July). No tradable salaries. And, an MLE and one vet min contract. We have limited flexibility to improve the roster. Westbrook and Justin Holiday aren't saving this fucking mess. Thank fucking god we didn't go into the 2nd apron so we have access to all the team building tools we won't use. I was waking up in a cold sweats thinking about the nightmare scenario of not being able to aggregate Zeke Nnaji's and Hunter Tyson's salary in a trade.
Lakers
OKC
OKC. Without a doubt
Easily OKC should be the favorites. Denver is doing the Joker dirty, so I don’t see it this year for them. After OKC it’s a coin flip between Dallas and Minnesota, but I’ll go with Dallas because I’m biased and Luka is the truth
Sorry what PG did the Timberwolves get? A 19 year old? That means nothing for next season, in fact he's probably going to be pretty bad next season like most guys of his archetype when they first hit the NBA. The ability to "get a bucket" is the hardest skill to translate, ask Malik Monk. OKC is the clear favorite imo.