05-01-2026, 07:21 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-01-2026, 07:31 AM by HoosierDaddyKid.)
(05-01-2026, 07:03 AM)Smitty Wrote: Not just perception, but the reality. I say it all the time, but things change quickly in the NBA. That's why the doom and gloom of '28 and '30 pick swaps with the powerful Spurs and Thunder is over the top IMO. Nobody knows how good any team will be years from now. Injuries, aprons, and player movement make it unpredictable. Sure, there's a decent chance the Spurs are still better than the Mavs two years from now, or the Thunder four years from now... But having Coop in the fold just changed those odds considerably. Give it another year and maybe everyone changes their firm opinions on that one...
As for Denver, they have some work to do this offseason and their financial picture will make it difficult. It's hard to bet against Joker though, so I won't be one of the ones saying their window is closed.
Having Coop is a great start to build around, but everything is contingent on who's in charge of roster construction and whether they make the right moves in trades and drafting. Mavs don't even know yet who their GM/POBO is going to be. A few bad decisions can set a franchise back years, so I think it's safe to say that OKC and SA are currently the class of the West and have set themselves up for future success, barring any catastrophic injuries in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. Denver has some roster work to do. Jokic is the foundation, but he didn't have an MVP-type playoff run. Gobert neutralized him to a degree. And what about Murray (he slumped badly in the playoffs)? AG seems to be injury-prone now. Will they resign Payton Watson? They don't have the depth they had when they won it all just 3 years ago.