There is nothing like the slow, tortuous sweat of a five-year bet. For all combatants, it begins with the optimism of personal conviction. It progresses into adversities and boons, some unforeseen by the selector, some unexpected by most and many that were predictable to none. Two years in, some bettors will have seen their prospects diminished, through misfortune or mounting evidence their selections were not as astute as they once believed. By the final year of the bet, attrition will reduce the contenders to half or fewer, facilitating an exhilarating climax for a chosen few and a morose gaze to the next bet for the rest. You'll all look back on this summer as the trailhead for your ascent to glory or descent into humiliation.
1. Sigal - 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers just got selected first of all NBA teams to win the most games over the next five years. I say this not to highlight this pick as outlandish, but to note the proof that The Process is complete. The goal was to position the team for sustained winning over a long time period. With this pick, Sigal asserted his belief the Sixers are more poised for this than any other NBA franchise.
At first I was surprised by the pick, but having pondered it some more, I don't have a problem with it. With the first pick, we should be aiming for the highest floor/ceiling combination. While still virgin to upper-echelon success, the Sixers have greater antifragility than their counterparts because they are less reliant on a Batman and/or Robin. Simultaneously, their ceiling is higher than anyone's because the ripening fruits of The Process could develop into Superheroes. Plus they play in the East.
2. Smucker - Bucks
Whether this pick was rooted in provincialism or wisdom, it figures to be an enjoyable ride for the Milwaukeean. As a fan and now investor in the Bucks, Smucker will be sweating the Greek Freak's extension until that giant right hand signs his supermax. But there's no indication Giannis would like to play anywhere but Cream City.
3. Zaxel - Rockets
Houston was a dangerous and fragile choice for the first round, let alone the top half of it. Both their stars will be in their thirties for the duration of this bet and the cupboard is pretty bare behind them. We also have no idea if the two highest-usage players in the league can coexist. Perhaps Zaxel wanted to attach himself to Houston's brilliant and innovative GM, Daryl Morey, but Morey may not survive the Harden/Westbrook experiment if it fails.
4. Kris - Clippers
The 2021 title favorites easily could have gone #1, so I imagine Kris was thrilled to get them here. We'll doubtlessly see Kawhi & PG-13 take about 20% of their games off, but the load management win drop should be mitigated by playoff success. The Clipper lineup is built for late spring savagery.
5. Keith - Nuggets
There are a lot of reasons to like this pick. The Nuggets were the eighth-youngest playoff team in NBA history last season. Their superstar is just 24 years old and cultivates a culture of joy and unselfishness. Their Robin (while admittedly no match for the second bananas of the other contenders) is just 22 years old. Their roster is one of the league's deepest and includes some projects with upside (Michael Porter Jr, Bol Bol). They added another young 3&D piece (Jerami Grant) to the core, which can only help. They won the second-most games in the West last season and will be less susceptible to the load management malaise than the other contenders. Most importantly, they play in the greatest state in the union. Still, there were a lot of teams available at 5 more likely to advance past the second round of the playoffs.
6. Dave - Warriors
I was really curious to see where GSW would wind up. This feels about right. On the plus side, they still have the core of the team that revolutionized the league, plus young gunner D'Angelo Russell. On the other hand, the rest of the league is better and Steph Curry will be 37 when this bet terminates. I don't have a prediction how this will wind up.
7. Dave - Lakers
Dave cemented his status as the Villain with a second straight selection of a high-profile Californian franchise with an aggravating fan base. The Lakers are back in their archetypal antihero role and should remain there as long as Anthony Davis resides there. While I do like the complementary signings the Lakers made after the splashy trade for The Brow, their five-year win total will come down to how many games their two monsters play at peak performance. With LeBron it's a question of age and mileage; with Davis it's a question of sensitivity and petulance.
8. Keith - Blazers
The first clearly fishy pick. Portland appears to be a high-floor franchise with unparalleled stability, having made the playoffs every year of the Lillard/McCollum/Stotts Era. Keith might have interpreted last year's Conference Finals appearance as a sign of upward mobility, but the Blazers were swept by the Durant-less Warriors and only got there because of timing, variance, playoff draw and seven overtimes. The Great Western Arms Race has set the Blazers back to an unimpressive 46.5 Vegas win total. There's little reason to expect that number to increase over the course of the Bet.
9. Kris - Nets
Kris had to be salivating as one Western team after another was selected, ultimately six in a row, allowing him to grab one of the preeminent contenders of the 2020s. We don't know what a mid-30s post-Achilles Kevin Durant will look like, but buying in on the Slim Reaper at this price was well worth the risk. I might also be biased by the presence of my favorite player in ten years as a Colorado Buffaloes season ticket-holder.
10. Zaxel - Pelicans
Speaking of college basketball, Zion is the best college player I've ever seen. I'm looking to make as many Zion/New Orleans futures bets as possible, so I fully support their selection in the first third. It might be aggressive if they only had Zion, but New Orleans has a prime Jrue Holiday, the intrigue of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, a bunch of highly competent vets, Summer League stars and a shitload of picks. This only goes south if Zion does, and I don't see that happening.
11. Smucker - Jazz
Nothing wrong with this choice other than taking the eighth team from the West rather than the fourth team from the East. At some point this becomes a math problem, especially because playoff wins are included. Utah should be in solid standing in the short and long-term.
12. Sigal - Celtics
Where other drafters fell for the fallacy of Upside, Sigal wisely seemed more concerned with Floor. He backed up his Sixers selection with the deceptively-potent Boston Celtics, who might have been taken #1 if this draft was held a year earlier. Boston should be immune to some of the maladies that will sink other squads, like catastrophic injury, Western cannibalism, Load Management, lack of depth and faulty infrastructure.
13. Sigal - Pacers
Taking the snooze-button Pacers here may have taken the Floor concept a bit too far, particularly with the short and long-term health of their one Star in doubt. But the Pacers underscore Sigal's strategy of avoiding landmines and vacuuming up the plankton of the shark-depleted Eastern seas.
14. Dave - Mavericks
Dave executed a trade with Smucker to move up and grab the Mavs here. We'll analyze that trade later; for now, let's acknowledge the upside of their two young Europeans. Doncic cracked $10k on FanDuel as a 20-year-old while Porzingis is a soon-to-be 24 year-old shotblocking/3pt shooting 7'3" unicorn. The surrounding roster is dicey and the West is vicious, but the tantalizing Euro duo (trio if you include Boban!) justifies this mid-draft selection.
15. Zaxel - Raptors
The World Champs may have been the Bet's toughest evaluation. Their win projection for next season is higher than some of the teams taken before them and all of the teams taken after. They've got a top-5 GM and fan base as well as a rising star in Pascal Siakam. The question is how long their older players will stay upright, and more importantly, how long they'll stay in The North. Because Masai Ujiri has the political capital to smack the reset button if he views that as the route back to the top.
16. Kris - Heat
Miami will be defined by how quickly the Jimmy Butler Cancer spreads in the south Florida Heat. Pat Riley seems intent on remaining relevant through his seventies, lessening the chance of a tank-and-rebuild, but Miami doesn't appear anywhere near serious contention. The Heat look like a lower-tier playoff team for a while, making them a reasonable pillar for the mansion of championships Kris seeks.
17. Keith - Spurs
It feels weird to see the Spurs this low. It also feels about right. San Antonio's Batman & Robin are significantly less explosive than those of other teams and one of them just turned 34. While there are a couple intriguing young pieces (Dejounte Murray and Derrick White), the overall roster doesn't inspire excitement. I don't mind betting on a GM/coach at this point, but it's fair to wonder if they'll be around when the bet ends.
18. Smucker - Timberwolves
The Wolves have Towns, but they don't really have anything else and they play in the West, so this pick came a little early. Smucker did live in the TC for a stretch, so perhaps he felt compelled to add another "home team" to his squad.
19. Smucker - Magic
A boring pick and a good pick. Orlando appears intent on a half-decade of average basketball, making them a value at the end of the second third of the draft.
20. Keith - Hawks
Fun pick. I'm not a believer in De'Andre Hunter as anything more than a Danny Green type role player and Cam Reddish as anything more than a bench towel-waiver, but the Hawks still have an entertaining combo of youthful fantasy guys and capable vets. I have no idea if this pick will reap dividends, but they should be a fun follow.
21. Kris - Thunder
The big question is when OKC's record-breaking cache of picks will start translating into wins, but it's not as if this rebuild is starting from the ground. The Thunder still have a respectable collection of professional basketball players who will have trouble losing fifty games this year, even if that's their GM's intention.
22. Zaxel - Pistons
Yawn. Perhaps Detroit will make a playoff appearance or two during the next half-decade, but anything stretching beyond the first round seems implausible. This seems like a floor pick, but there's no guarantee the Pistons won't release the tanking trapdoor at an inopportune time for Zaxelrod.
23. Dave - Grizzlies
This was the most fun late-round team available. Olde Memphis has transformed into a theme park, with undependable but entertaining dudes like Valanciunas (#11 in PER last season!), Kyle Anderson, Josh Jackson, Bruno Caboclo & Grayson Allen running the rides. Of course, the development of these guys is inconsequential compared to that of Ja Morant into a Westbrook/Wade superhero and JJJ into a Rasheed/KG (who he's training with) monstrosity. We can now evaluate the trade Dave made with Smucker, swapping 14 (Mavs) & 23 (Grizzlies) for 18 (Wolves) & 19 (Magic). Of course, neither trader would have selected the same teams as the other in their spots, so it's a little hard to appraise the actual transaction. We can say that Dave got the sexier duo. My inclination is that duo will win a few more games than Smucker's. Tracking the consequences of this and future trades will be one of the great pleasures of the bet.
24. Sigal - Kings
It seems nutty that an ascending team with a core of talented youngsters who seem to like each other could fall this far, but such is the state of the NBA and the West. Picking anyone else at this spot would have been a grievous error - there's a chasm between SacTown and the final round selections.
25. Dave - Bulls
Sifting through the chaff at the bottom of the NBA barrel couldn't have been a pleasant experience for you guys. Perhaps one of these ugly ducklings will turn into a swan, but it's hard to figure which. The Bulls at least have some young dudes who can score points.
26. Keith - Suns
The case for Phoenix: Booker, Ayton, Bridges, Oubre & Saric are all 25 or younger, they finally circumnavigated their point guard black hole and they improved on their horrible backup bigs with Frank Kaminsky and Aron Baynes. The case against: they're the laughingstock of the league, they've had one good draft since 2006, they're clearly the worst team in the West and their star player is actually just an overqualified 6th man. Probably the right pick at 26.
27. Kris - Wizards
While it wouldn't be surprising to see the Wiz trade Bradley Beal and embark on a complete teardown, Beal's presence is enough to justify them ahead of the subsequent dregs.
28. Zaxel - Knicks
It's easy to make fun of the Knicks, in the midst of perhaps the most disappointing offseason in NBA history. While the Knicks won't be competing for anything more than a playoff berth anytime soon, their roster now at least includes several average NBA players. I think they'll exceed their 27-win over/under next season. Beyond that, who knows, but they're clearly in better shape than the next two fiascos.
29. Smucker - Hornets
Ewww gross. Obviously nobody wanted to have to choose between Charlotte and Cleveland, but I think that choice should have been the Cavs. Both these teams are comically bereft of talent, but at least Cleveland has one good player (even if he is always injured). The best player on the Hornets is literally Terry Rozier.
30. Sigal - Cavaliers
Hey, at least they won a title.
None of these teams are immediate title contenders. None of these teams are likely longterm title contenders. Four of these teams play in the West. Two of these teams are possible grenades. The third-best player on this entire squadron is probably LaMarcus Aldridge. I don't think Keith will get last and I'll stop short of saying he's drawing dead. The beauty of the bet (other than its persistent, epic ups & downs) is the ability to put your money where your mouth is. You guys are the warriors; I'm just the critic. I hope Keith wins, cause that likely means the Nuggets evolved into a superpower. I just don't see it happening.
As a veteran of 1.2 5-year NFL pools, I've learned anchors are as important as shooting stars. The Bucks may win the most games of any of these teams, but that won't be enough to overcome the leper that is the Hornets. I suppose a top-five pick or two could change their prognosis, but there doesn't appear to be a Zionesque talent entering the league next year. The Jazz should win plenty of games but Minnesota and Orlando both look like low-upside sub-par scorers. Smucker has a path to victory, but it's an unlikely parlay of the Greek hoisting multiple championships as the clear best player in the world, Minnesota finding a diamond in the rough and Charlotte finding a messiah to lead them out of the desert.
Sigal and Smucker are walking stride for stride. The Sixers and Bucks are the East's preeminent contenders. The Pacers are the poor man's Jazz, but they play in the East. The Kings might be better than the Magic, but they play in the West. The Cavs look like a red poison pill to be taken along with the blue Hornet one. Sigal gets the nod here cause I'm more bullish on the Celtics than the Wolves.
This team is loaded with downside, from the Harden/Westbrook mad science experiment to the murky future Beyond The Wall to Blake Griffin's knees to James Dolan's ineptitude. It's a squad that seems more likely to finish in last than the teams I've listed so far. But I think any team with James Harden on it will at least be decent. I think Zion will be an All-Star by year three. I think Masai Ujiri will craft a Plan. I'm intrigued to see where these teams reside in a year, in three years, in five years.
Gosh there's a lot of talent here. Some of it is a little too old, some of it a little too young, some of it a little too brittle, but it's a provocative collection. Hoedy's crew would be #1 on this list if everyone played in one big conference, but that's not how the NBA is structured. The squad shrinks up when you realize Dave has just one Eastern team and it's a crappy one.
This fleet emanates strength through its top, middle and bottom. While two of the team's priciest players (Kevin Durant & John Wall) likely won't see the court next season, Kris has the Vegas favorite and highest win total team to keep the ship afloat in the short-term. By 2021, Team Kris may be spearheaded by the favorites in both conferences, with an adequate phalanx of infantry. It may take a couple years, but this team has the horses to surge to the forefront of the bet as the 2020s progress.
The Draft
1. Sigal - 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers just got selected first of all NBA teams to win the most games over the next five years. I say this not to highlight this pick as outlandish, but to note the proof that The Process is complete. The goal was to position the team for sustained winning over a long time period. With this pick, Sigal asserted his belief the Sixers are more poised for this than any other NBA franchise.
At first I was surprised by the pick, but having pondered it some more, I don't have a problem with it. With the first pick, we should be aiming for the highest floor/ceiling combination. While still virgin to upper-echelon success, the Sixers have greater antifragility than their counterparts because they are less reliant on a Batman and/or Robin. Simultaneously, their ceiling is higher than anyone's because the ripening fruits of The Process could develop into Superheroes. Plus they play in the East.
2. Smucker - Bucks
Whether this pick was rooted in provincialism or wisdom, it figures to be an enjoyable ride for the Milwaukeean. As a fan and now investor in the Bucks, Smucker will be sweating the Greek Freak's extension until that giant right hand signs his supermax. But there's no indication Giannis would like to play anywhere but Cream City.
3. Zaxel - Rockets
Houston was a dangerous and fragile choice for the first round, let alone the top half of it. Both their stars will be in their thirties for the duration of this bet and the cupboard is pretty bare behind them. We also have no idea if the two highest-usage players in the league can coexist. Perhaps Zaxel wanted to attach himself to Houston's brilliant and innovative GM, Daryl Morey, but Morey may not survive the Harden/Westbrook experiment if it fails.
4. Kris - Clippers
The 2021 title favorites easily could have gone #1, so I imagine Kris was thrilled to get them here. We'll doubtlessly see Kawhi & PG-13 take about 20% of their games off, but the load management win drop should be mitigated by playoff success. The Clipper lineup is built for late spring savagery.
5. Keith - Nuggets
6. Dave - Warriors
I was really curious to see where GSW would wind up. This feels about right. On the plus side, they still have the core of the team that revolutionized the league, plus young gunner D'Angelo Russell. On the other hand, the rest of the league is better and Steph Curry will be 37 when this bet terminates. I don't have a prediction how this will wind up.
7. Dave - Lakers
Dave cemented his status as the Villain with a second straight selection of a high-profile Californian franchise with an aggravating fan base. The Lakers are back in their archetypal antihero role and should remain there as long as Anthony Davis resides there. While I do like the complementary signings the Lakers made after the splashy trade for The Brow, their five-year win total will come down to how many games their two monsters play at peak performance. With LeBron it's a question of age and mileage; with Davis it's a question of sensitivity and petulance.
8. Keith - Blazers
The first clearly fishy pick. Portland appears to be a high-floor franchise with unparalleled stability, having made the playoffs every year of the Lillard/McCollum/Stotts Era. Keith might have interpreted last year's Conference Finals appearance as a sign of upward mobility, but the Blazers were swept by the Durant-less Warriors and only got there because of timing, variance, playoff draw and seven overtimes. The Great Western Arms Race has set the Blazers back to an unimpressive 46.5 Vegas win total. There's little reason to expect that number to increase over the course of the Bet.
9. Kris - Nets
Kris had to be salivating as one Western team after another was selected, ultimately six in a row, allowing him to grab one of the preeminent contenders of the 2020s. We don't know what a mid-30s post-Achilles Kevin Durant will look like, but buying in on the Slim Reaper at this price was well worth the risk. I might also be biased by the presence of my favorite player in ten years as a Colorado Buffaloes season ticket-holder.
10. Zaxel - Pelicans
Speaking of college basketball, Zion is the best college player I've ever seen. I'm looking to make as many Zion/New Orleans futures bets as possible, so I fully support their selection in the first third. It might be aggressive if they only had Zion, but New Orleans has a prime Jrue Holiday, the intrigue of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, a bunch of highly competent vets, Summer League stars and a shitload of picks. This only goes south if Zion does, and I don't see that happening. 11. Smucker - Jazz
Nothing wrong with this choice other than taking the eighth team from the West rather than the fourth team from the East. At some point this becomes a math problem, especially because playoff wins are included. Utah should be in solid standing in the short and long-term.
12. Sigal - Celtics
Where other drafters fell for the fallacy of Upside, Sigal wisely seemed more concerned with Floor. He backed up his Sixers selection with the deceptively-potent Boston Celtics, who might have been taken #1 if this draft was held a year earlier. Boston should be immune to some of the maladies that will sink other squads, like catastrophic injury, Western cannibalism, Load Management, lack of depth and faulty infrastructure.
13. Sigal - Pacers
Taking the snooze-button Pacers here may have taken the Floor concept a bit too far, particularly with the short and long-term health of their one Star in doubt. But the Pacers underscore Sigal's strategy of avoiding landmines and vacuuming up the plankton of the shark-depleted Eastern seas.
14. Dave - Mavericks
Dave executed a trade with Smucker to move up and grab the Mavs here. We'll analyze that trade later; for now, let's acknowledge the upside of their two young Europeans. Doncic cracked $10k on FanDuel as a 20-year-old while Porzingis is a soon-to-be 24 year-old shotblocking/3pt shooting 7'3" unicorn. The surrounding roster is dicey and the West is vicious, but the tantalizing Euro duo (trio if you include Boban!) justifies this mid-draft selection.
15. Zaxel - Raptors
The World Champs may have been the Bet's toughest evaluation. Their win projection for next season is higher than some of the teams taken before them and all of the teams taken after. They've got a top-5 GM and fan base as well as a rising star in Pascal Siakam. The question is how long their older players will stay upright, and more importantly, how long they'll stay in The North. Because Masai Ujiri has the political capital to smack the reset button if he views that as the route back to the top.
16. Kris - Heat
Miami will be defined by how quickly the Jimmy Butler Cancer spreads in the south Florida Heat. Pat Riley seems intent on remaining relevant through his seventies, lessening the chance of a tank-and-rebuild, but Miami doesn't appear anywhere near serious contention. The Heat look like a lower-tier playoff team for a while, making them a reasonable pillar for the mansion of championships Kris seeks.
17. Keith - Spurs
It feels weird to see the Spurs this low. It also feels about right. San Antonio's Batman & Robin are significantly less explosive than those of other teams and one of them just turned 34. While there are a couple intriguing young pieces (Dejounte Murray and Derrick White), the overall roster doesn't inspire excitement. I don't mind betting on a GM/coach at this point, but it's fair to wonder if they'll be around when the bet ends.
18. Smucker - Timberwolves
The Wolves have Towns, but they don't really have anything else and they play in the West, so this pick came a little early. Smucker did live in the TC for a stretch, so perhaps he felt compelled to add another "home team" to his squad.
19. Smucker - Magic
A boring pick and a good pick. Orlando appears intent on a half-decade of average basketball, making them a value at the end of the second third of the draft.
20. Keith - Hawks
Fun pick. I'm not a believer in De'Andre Hunter as anything more than a Danny Green type role player and Cam Reddish as anything more than a bench towel-waiver, but the Hawks still have an entertaining combo of youthful fantasy guys and capable vets. I have no idea if this pick will reap dividends, but they should be a fun follow.
21. Kris - Thunder
The big question is when OKC's record-breaking cache of picks will start translating into wins, but it's not as if this rebuild is starting from the ground. The Thunder still have a respectable collection of professional basketball players who will have trouble losing fifty games this year, even if that's their GM's intention.
22. Zaxel - Pistons
Yawn. Perhaps Detroit will make a playoff appearance or two during the next half-decade, but anything stretching beyond the first round seems implausible. This seems like a floor pick, but there's no guarantee the Pistons won't release the tanking trapdoor at an inopportune time for Zaxelrod.
23. Dave - Grizzlies
24. Sigal - Kings
It seems nutty that an ascending team with a core of talented youngsters who seem to like each other could fall this far, but such is the state of the NBA and the West. Picking anyone else at this spot would have been a grievous error - there's a chasm between SacTown and the final round selections.
25. Dave - Bulls
Sifting through the chaff at the bottom of the NBA barrel couldn't have been a pleasant experience for you guys. Perhaps one of these ugly ducklings will turn into a swan, but it's hard to figure which. The Bulls at least have some young dudes who can score points.
26. Keith - Suns
The case for Phoenix: Booker, Ayton, Bridges, Oubre & Saric are all 25 or younger, they finally circumnavigated their point guard black hole and they improved on their horrible backup bigs with Frank Kaminsky and Aron Baynes. The case against: they're the laughingstock of the league, they've had one good draft since 2006, they're clearly the worst team in the West and their star player is actually just an overqualified 6th man. Probably the right pick at 26.
27. Kris - Wizards
While it wouldn't be surprising to see the Wiz trade Bradley Beal and embark on a complete teardown, Beal's presence is enough to justify them ahead of the subsequent dregs.
28. Zaxel - Knicks
It's easy to make fun of the Knicks, in the midst of perhaps the most disappointing offseason in NBA history. While the Knicks won't be competing for anything more than a playoff berth anytime soon, their roster now at least includes several average NBA players. I think they'll exceed their 27-win over/under next season. Beyond that, who knows, but they're clearly in better shape than the next two fiascos.
29. Smucker - Hornets
30. Sigal - Cavaliers
Hey, at least they won a title.
Power Rankings
6. Team Keith: Nuggets, Spurs, Blazers, Hawks, Suns
None of these teams are immediate title contenders. None of these teams are likely longterm title contenders. Four of these teams play in the West. Two of these teams are possible grenades. The third-best player on this entire squadron is probably LaMarcus Aldridge. I don't think Keith will get last and I'll stop short of saying he's drawing dead. The beauty of the bet (other than its persistent, epic ups & downs) is the ability to put your money where your mouth is. You guys are the warriors; I'm just the critic. I hope Keith wins, cause that likely means the Nuggets evolved into a superpower. I just don't see it happening.
5. Team Smucker: Bucks, Jazz, Wolves, Magic, Hornets
As a veteran of 1.2 5-year NFL pools, I've learned anchors are as important as shooting stars. The Bucks may win the most games of any of these teams, but that won't be enough to overcome the leper that is the Hornets. I suppose a top-five pick or two could change their prognosis, but there doesn't appear to be a Zionesque talent entering the league next year. The Jazz should win plenty of games but Minnesota and Orlando both look like low-upside sub-par scorers. Smucker has a path to victory, but it's an unlikely parlay of the Greek hoisting multiple championships as the clear best player in the world, Minnesota finding a diamond in the rough and Charlotte finding a messiah to lead them out of the desert.
4. Team Sigal: Sixers, Pacers, Celtics, Kings, Cavs
Sigal and Smucker are walking stride for stride. The Sixers and Bucks are the East's preeminent contenders. The Pacers are the poor man's Jazz, but they play in the East. The Kings might be better than the Magic, but they play in the West. The Cavs look like a red poison pill to be taken along with the blue Hornet one. Sigal gets the nod here cause I'm more bullish on the Celtics than the Wolves.
3. Team Zaxel: Rockets, Pelicans, Raptors, Pistons, Knicks
This team is loaded with downside, from the Harden/Westbrook mad science experiment to the murky future Beyond The Wall to Blake Griffin's knees to James Dolan's ineptitude. It's a squad that seems more likely to finish in last than the teams I've listed so far. But I think any team with James Harden on it will at least be decent. I think Zion will be an All-Star by year three. I think Masai Ujiri will craft a Plan. I'm intrigued to see where these teams reside in a year, in three years, in five years.
2. Team Hoedy: Warriors, Lakers, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Bulls
Gosh there's a lot of talent here. Some of it is a little too old, some of it a little too young, some of it a little too brittle, but it's a provocative collection. Hoedy's crew would be #1 on this list if everyone played in one big conference, but that's not how the NBA is structured. The squad shrinks up when you realize Dave has just one Eastern team and it's a crappy one.
1. Team Kris: Clippers, Nets, Heat, Thunder, Wizards
This fleet emanates strength through its top, middle and bottom. While two of the team's priciest players (Kevin Durant & John Wall) likely won't see the court next season, Kris has the Vegas favorite and highest win total team to keep the ship afloat in the short-term. By 2021, Team Kris may be spearheaded by the favorites in both conferences, with an adequate phalanx of infantry. It may take a couple years, but this team has the horses to surge to the forefront of the bet as the 2020s progress.
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