My guess is if we have full health and our rookies are about as expected, 46 wins. We have so much more depth, I don't think our starters will fade like they did at the end of the year. Our reserves also won't lose leads like they did last year. Bottom line, I think there are going to be a higher beta in records this year, with some teams doing the full tank and others really competing. If we really compete, we'll be pretty good.
I think the big 3 big weaknesses from last year (pts allowed in the paint, depth, rebounding) will still be weak spots this year, just maybe not as bad. I'll go with 43 wins
I think this season will haves many teams in tank fest mode. I think there will be more wins to go around.
49 wins. Last year we were on pace for 47 wins after the first 35 games. With Hickson being the only key loss, a number of good additions, younger players likely improving, and no declining old veterans I'm very positive with this team. I think we can make the step golden state made last year going from 23 to 47 wins. If we have some good health I can easily see this team getting over 50 wins. But a few big injuries and we could drop below .500.
It's really too early to speculate on something like this. The "fun" part of free agency and the offseason is over, but realistically, there are roughly four more months left for teams to make moves. A lot of teams made "big splashes" in the the offseason, thus far, but let's see what the rest of July, August, September, and October bring. They'll be a lot of slow weeks in the NBA, but all it takes if for one team to make a bold move to dramatically shift the landscape. You have to expect that a team like the Mavericks or Lakers will make a big move between now and the opening tip. Point is... let's restart this thread in October.
The thought of Dame taking a leap makes me giddy. I had so much fun watching him last year that I cant even imagine what it would be like if we have Dame+ .... I cant freaking wait for this season.