Warriors Title Defense and Steph Curry MVP Encore
At this point, Steph Curry is the best player in the world. Sorry Lebron. His shooting ability from anywhere on the floor, coupled with insane ball handling skills is just incredible. And I'm sure Chris Paul hates him. Through the first 9 games of the season, it seems as if Curry has gotten better and more lethal from behind the arc, if that was possible. The entire team seems hungrier than ever to win another and that's great to watch!
New Look T-Wolves
I know, I know, maybe I'm crazy but I love this new Timberwolves squad. Saddening that Flip Saunders passed away prior to the season starting. On another note, my favorite thing about this team is the presence of Kevin Garnett. With a roster full of young players, KG is the perfect veteran to get their two recent number 1 picks to play with an attitude at all times. Wiggins is in his second season and has improved tremendously (coming off a ROY season) and Karl Anthony Towns was 2 wins away from a NCAA championship last year. Maybe they don't make the playoffs this year, but they can only get better and it will be exciting to watch that transition from endless years of lottery picks into a playoff berth somewhere down the road.
Russ and KD back together
Self explanatory. Who doesn't want to see the most formidable duo in the NBA back together for an entire season. They've both shown what they can do without the other when Durant won MVP and Westbrook with 11 triple doubles last season. Playing under a new head coach in back to back NCAA champion Billy Donovan, OKC should definitely be a contender when the postseason comes.
Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls
I'm personally excited to see what The Mayor of Ames, IA can do for Chicago this season. In anticlimactic fashion, the Bulls were destroyed by the Cavs last year in the playoffs so I'm hoping he can make the necessary changes to get them over the hump. I enjoyed seeing what Hoiberg did with a virtually unknown Iowa State team over the last several seasons and I hope that success continues in the NBA. Chicago definitely has the talent to make some noise but we'll have to wait and see how they mesh with the new coaching philosophies.
Rondo
In my opinion, Rondo was the best PG in the league at one point due to his playmaking abilities. He racks up triple doubles when playing consistently at a high level and now he's back at the helm of team in need of a veteran presence. Rondo will be able to help Demarcus Cousins and a struggling Kings franchise gain some sort of momentum, but they won't make the playoffs. He hasn't really played well since his ACL injury a few seasons ago so it'll good to see if he can get back to the 10 points, 15 dimes, and 12 boards Rondo of old.
Honorable Mentions
Cavs and Lebron's quest to win a championship in Cleveland, Kobe's farewell tour, Melo and the Phil Jackson Knicks, and a deeper LA Clippers team.
