Brooklyn Nets: No one in the NBA has as much talent
Now, the question is whether or not Kyrie Irving is going to play at all for them this year. If he does, they become a pretty clear championship favorite. If he doesn’t, well, they still might be the championship favorite.
Brooklyn was a Kevin Durant big toe away from beating the eventual champs in game 7 last season and that was with about 40 percent of James Harden and no Kyrie Irving. If they have even two out of their three stars healthy, they’ll be one of the two or three best teams in the NBA.
Philadelphia 76ers: Something has to change, right?
Ben Simmons appears to be back in Philly and getting ready to play out the season after attempts to trade him during the offseason were unsuccessful. That doesn’t mean he’s going to play the full season as a Sixer, though.
The best thing for Ben Simmons’ value might be to just play and allow people to remember how good he really is. And I know it’s the last thing Sixers fans want to hear after their playoff exit, but even if they can’t find a trade partner for Simmons – they were one of the best teams in the NBA with him last year.