Who are the ten best teams in the league right now? Based on offseason acquisitions and the play of young players in the summer league, this is what I've come up with. First I’d like to pay respect to some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
The New Orleans Pelicans are a team I really want to see next year mostly because Anthony Davis is a certified beast.
Even the Dallas Mavericks weren’t able to sign DeAndre Jordan they were able to bring in Deron Williams at point guard. They also have two young small forwards in Chandler Parsons and Justin Anderson that have a lot of potential.
Finally the Milwaukee Bucks are a young talented team in a weak conference gives them the opportunity to make a run to the post season. Also with the addition of Greg Monroe and the return of Jabari Parker this team has the start power to get back to the post season and advance.
Top Ten
10. The Miami Heat crack the top ten because of the young talent they've added the last two years. Shabazz Napier was quiet last season but with him more talent around him on the second team it may help him develop. Justice Winslow was the best small forward in the draft and one of the most pro ready prospects. Not to mention the veterans Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Hassan Whitehead and Goran Dragic. This team has the potential to be pretty good this year.
9. The Washington Wizards are knocking on the door to becoming one of the elite teams in the league. John Wall has blossomed into and elite guard, and Bradley Beal has been getting better each year. What really hurts them is injuries and nothing from the bigs. This team is dangerous if they can.
8. The Memphis Grizzlies really took it to the Warriors last year in the playoffs. A healthy Tony Allen may have changed the result of the series. Allen is an outstanding defender and Mike Conley is one of the NBA’s best point guards. They also have a trio of you talented guy in Jordan Adams, Russ Smith, and Andrew Harrison. I'm really excited to see what those young guards can do this season.
7. It's quite simple for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA top 10 countdown. For one you have two of the five best individual offensive weapons of the last couple years. Russell Westbrook is a beast and it's easy money for Kevin Durant. Put them with Serge Ibaka and what team wouldn’t be top 10. The key for them is to see how well they mesh with their new coach.
6. The Chicago Bulls are a deep team that will take advantage of a weak eastern conference. Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler are a great backcourt duo. Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol are a great frontcourt duo. Not to mention all the young talent coming off the bench, this team is loaded in a top-heavy east. If they can stay healthy they can easily be the first or second seed in next years playoffs.
5. The Houston Rockets are another team with a plethora of talent, James Harden is the real MVP, Dwight Howard is a beast, and now they add an elite point guard in Ty Lawson. They also have two small forward with a lot of talent, veteran Trevor Ariza and rookie Sam Dekker. Ariza is still one of the leagues top on ball defenders, and Dekker was one of the best prospects to get drafted this past year. This is a team that has the ability to really score a lot of points next season.
4. The Cleveland Cavaliers…….LeBron James. And really the fact that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have committed to this team long term is a big reason. But honestly it's mostly because the best player in the world is staying in Cleveland.
3. The Golden State Warriors are the defending NBA Champions. Just because they've come in at three doesn’t mean they've got worse, other teams have just added a lot of talent to compete with the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. The Warriors are still deadly and you’ll probably see these guys back in the Western conference finals next season. But talent wise a couple teams have caught up to them.
2. The Los Angeles Clippers have been busy this offseason….very busy. They’ve added a lot of talent like Paul Pierce, Josh Smith, and Lance Stevenson. But the biggest part of the offseason was stealing back DeAndre Jordan from the Mavericks. This team has the potential to be the best team in the league, but they have history not being able to mesh well off the court. Adding hot heads like Stevenson and Smith doesn’t give you a tingly feeling about their team chemistry. But if Chris Paul can bring these guys together, they have the talent to bring home a championship.
1. The San Antonio Spurs have also been busy this offseason and in classic Spurs fashion has the rest of the league shaking their heads. This team is what every owner wants, they have a roster full of players who care more about winning than anything else. Guys sign with them for less and no one ever cries about playing time or not getting enough shots. This culture has attracted big names this offseason like LaMarcus Aldridge and David West. They also sign Jimmer Fredette who will probably transform into the next Steve Kerr. The Spurs have the best culture for winning in the league, and now they have the roster to match it. To me it's a no brainer they have to be the favorite going into next season.