theGreatRC wrote:Teams clearly better than us as it stands:
Warriors
Blazers
Nuggets
Rockets
Jazz
Spurs
Clippers
Thunder
Warriors could lose KD, Boogie & maybe a less than 10% chance they lose Thompson, but will still be better than us.
Blazers will probably keep the same core roster + Nurk might not be back until later next year
Nuggets will probably get even better next year.
Rockets might not be as good, everyone is getting older, but they will still likely be better than us
Jazz are looking for a new PG, they have Donavon, Gobert & Ingles are core pieces and might move on from Favors if they decline his team option..they could be better than us next year depending on draft + FA moves/trades.
Spurs - Getting Dejounte Murray back, but might lose Gay in FA..Aldridge is turning 34 next season and who knows if DeRozan can carry..might not be better than us next year depending on what they do.
Clippers..could be way better than us if they land a big time FA..they could also strike out and remain the same team.
Thunder..idk where they really go from where they are right now unless they get a good trade going or hit on their draft pick.
Not to mention the Lakers are absolutely going to do everything in their power to make the playoffs next season, so they have a good chance of being better than us as well.
Dallas looks to be a player too in having a nice roster for next year.
Kings exceeded expectations as well last year and are probably hungry to make the POs.
Memphis & Phoenix are young and don't really have that superstar piece that they can build around. Booker is a high level player, but he's like a Zach Lavine and is better as the 2 or 3 guy on a really nasty team..
Every team in the west is loaded, but just like the Bucks & Nuggets, sometimes a team can come out of nowhere and look completely different than the last year, Wolves can make those strides if Gersson and the rest of the management can put solid competitive pieces on the squad for next year
I disagree with that list.
Teams that will clearly be better next season: Warriors, Rockets, Blazers, Nuggets
Teams in the same tier the Wolves should be next year:
-Spurs: An old team with a veteran allstar (Aldridge), an ineffient wing (Derozan) and a couple of youngster and average players. Good, well organised franchise.
-Jazz: They have a not enought good (for now) shooting guard and a center who struggles a bit in playoffs due to his lack of offensive talent. The rest of the roster is pretty undertalented. Very good coaching though.
-Thunder: I think that Westbrook is a very overrated player. I don´t think he makes his teammates better. They have a great wing (Paul George) and center (Aquaman). The rest of the roster is nothing special, and the coaching level doesn´t seem to be high.
-Wolves: Have more talent than the Spurs and the Jazz. The Wolves are in dissadvantage when it comes to coaching, but considering the changes that are happening in the coaching staff, that dissadvantage might dissapear this season.
-Clippers and Lakers: It has yet to be seen what they sign in the freeagents market.
Kings, Dallas, Memphis, Phoenix. Are clearly worse teams.
So, the Wolves should be in the mix to get a 5-8 playffs seed next season, unless injuries or something strange happen. Of course, rosters can change a lot during summer. But, right now, this is how I see the west conference.