Futures Picks

Warriors under 67.5 wins (5u)

Chemistry: Although KD has some experience playing with Steph/Klay/Dray on the Olympics/All-Star squad, there will likely still be some growing pains as he adjusts to a fairly different style of offense from OKC a la 2010 Miami Big 3. There's only one ball to go around a team full of talented players, and to me, the Warriors are likely going to be a fade target against the spread early on in the season as they build chemistry while the lines are inflated due to the massive amounts of hype surrounding them.

Depth: Their lack of bench depth, especially on the defensive end, can't be overlooked. I don't think many fans realize how big of a factor the loss of Bogut will have on this team's defensive rotation. Fun fact: Bogut had the highest Defensive RPM in the league last season. They're now replacing Bogut's 21 MPG with Zaza who's comparable to Ezeli, but are left with Varejao, Javale(yikes) and rookie Jones to eat up the rest of the minutes. I think we may all soon realize that this is a bigger issue than it would seem on paper as the season goes.

Fatigue: Let's face it, the Warriors were gassed by the end of their playoff run and it was mainly because they didn't take days off while openly chasing the Bulls' record. Everyone questioned Kerr and his decision to openly chase the record at the expense of giving their tired team, who played an additional two months of playoffs in the previous season as well, some much needed rest. The Dubs learned that lesson the hard way and should be resting most of their key players if/when they clinch the top seed, as well as sporadically throughout the season.


Regular Season MVP: Westbrook +400 (5u) / Harden +1600 (5u)

As long as OKC lands a top 4 seed in the West, this is his award to lose. We should see his already high usage rate (6th in NBA) skyrocket with the departure of KD (9th in NBA). Harden has good value at +1600 with him taking over ball handling duties in Houston to start the season. No value on taking Steph/KD as they'll take votes away from each other, and LeBron won't be used nearly as much as the Cavs prepare for another playoff run. 


2016-17 NBA Champions: Cleveland Cavaliers +300 (5u)

Don't get me wrong, I think the Warriors are the most talented team in the league by a good margin, but there's not enough value taking a team to go all the way as favorites vs the field before the season even begins. I think Cleveland has an easier path to the Finals than the Warriors, which also creates a hedging opportunity for whoever they face