NBA: Predicting every team’s win total in the Western Confernece

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 26: Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls and Paul George #13 of the Indiana Pacers chase down a loose ball at the United Center on December 26, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 26: Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls and Paul George #13 of the Indiana Pacers chase down a loose ball at the United Center on December 26, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 26: Jimmy Butler
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 26: Jimmy Butler

Predicting win totals for every Western Conference team after NBA Free Agency

Thank God at least one NBA All-Star free agent went East. The apparently inseparable Paul George and Jimmy Butler were traded to the same division, within the Western Conference (the Pacers and Bulls are also division rivals), bolstering the foundation of teams with previously modest expectations, and leaving the East even more barren.

Of course, superstars can only do so much without strong supporting casts, and this article places strong emphasis on strategic acquisitions of role players and draft picks.

Resisting my perfectionistic tendancy to split hairs, these win totals have been rounded up or down to the nearest five wins. Without any further ado, here are my predictions for the Western Conference studs and duds, beginning with the duds.