1. Denver Nuggets

They boast one of the best rosters in the league. There’s no doubt that they are contenders.

2. Portland Trail Blazers

When Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are clicking they are just about unstoppable.

3. Utah Jazz

Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert aren’t going anywhere. That means Utah will continue to be a playoff team.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves

Is this going to be Karl-Anthony Towns’ team, D’Angelo Russell’s or Anthony Edwards? All three were top-two picks with Russell being selected #2 by another team.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

With the amount of assets they have, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them become instant contenders sooner rather than later. Continue reading →

1. Denver Nuggets

They boast the same team with a couple additions that should contribute immediately.

2. Portland Trail Blazers

They aren’t playing around and are going for it this season with the moves they made in the offseason.

3. Utah Jazz

Expectations fell short for them last year, but adding Mike Conley should raise those expectations again.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

Realizing they were in a lose-lose situation, they maximized their assets in dealing Russell Westbrook and Paul George in separate deals.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

They could be a sneaky good team, but there are too many questions surrounding the supporting cast around Karl-Anthony Towns. Continue reading →

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Russell Westbrook has a full commitment from Paul George. Now let’s see how this will play out.

2. Utah Jazz

They have a star in Donovan Mitchell and they will take advantage of his talents.

3. Denver Nuggets

As long as Nikola Jokic continues to improve they should have no problems getting to the playoffs this year.

4. Portland Trail Blazers

There’s no reason to think they’ll be in playoff contention, but this conference is stacked.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

An offseason with a trade demand from Jimmy Butler only adds to the dysfunction in the organization. Continue reading →