Watching his predictions in the old NBA previews is really fun. He's great at making content.

and we like that haha

Or, they're good friends, obviously.

Stop being sensible and level headed John.

Yes the only person at the ringer that will call bill out on Bs lol

It looked like Golbert was regressing it was fair he was just hurt

I thought wolves looked toast especially round the Anderson fight. But they had a competitive series with Denver and they were one of the only teams to steal a win from Denver in the playoffs

nuggets arent anywhere nears as good as u think, u will find this out this playoffs, they had the easiest run to a championship arguably ever

lol betting against a team vs the field is like not a brave or prophetic take. There’s been only 3 short eras where certain all time great teams could be counted to win vs the entire field in the last 50 years. This is the same BS Nick Wright did with his Jokic takes. Easy to make a name betting against a player because even Jordan ended his season a loser more often than winning.

​@@OMG-si3wnyou must be embiid or giannis fan, they are that stupid. If you are better watch swimming, basketball is not for you

@@OMG-si3wn I'm coming back to your comment after the playoffs to watch you grovel and cry.

@@Peanutdenverhate to tell u, ur gonna be the one groveling when they dont even make the finals

Agreed. J-Dub scares me more than SGA long term

I’m a Nuggets fan and the Wolves stress me out most in the west. OKC is a close second.

I can't believe you guys have now gone through it 3 times in the past decade. First with KG and Pierce, then the Harden and Kyrie situation, now Simmons.

Why did Brooklyn trade away KD with FOUR YEARS REMAINING?! I haven’t heard a real answer in 2 years!!!

@@THE_BEAR_JEW I dunno man. I'd even take DLo and Kenny Atkinson back, yeah we weren't amazing or even great but we at least had good vibes, this is just depressing

Gobert is in 3rd year of a 5 year contract. That's not bad. Trade KAT at the same time and land some good players. People are going to be lining up to play with Ant. (And though most people don't know it, MIN is cold as hell but actually higher quality of life than most midwestern cities and low cost of living. Take it without hesitation over MIL, CHI, CLE or even PHI, which is not midwest.)

​@@David-iv6jethere's not a single player who would pick Minnesota over Chicago for lifestyle.

​@@David-iv6je its not even that cold anymore. Those 2 week long below zero stretches dont happen often anymore. This year we never really got below zero and there was no snow. Most days had highs in the 30's with a few breakout 50 degree days. Thats not anything at all really.

This is another IN six years team not FOR the next six years team. Ant is realistically 5 years away from being at his peak and another 3 away from his prime. It's a big reason why people didn't really love the Gobert trade. By the time Ant is ready to win a title Rudy will be 36.

@@TS-ce5st I'm just saying it's not the shitty destination many think it is. But you're right, players gonna be players. The MSP downtown is a ghost town. Maybe it depends on if they want to win. Guys who want a hoppin city are less likely to win.

I think denver makes sense cause they may win 2 titles over the next 3 years...okc is next cause they can win the title...the wolves are probably 3rd cause they can win..spurs may make a finals one day over 6 years but a title seems unlikely...they are 4th but if we go 12 years they may be 1st

I'm a Denver fan I agree with you that Memphis has a big upside looking towards the future. My only concern is Ja, will he walk a straight line or is he bound to make some more stupid mistakes off court? I hope it's the former.

Their best player can't get his life together off the court, then comes back and has a season ending injury. SGA, Wemby, Luka and Ant are all better than him long term and don't have injury/off court BS to deal with. Zion and Ingram plus the picks is better than Memphis. Not hard to comprehend. Bill mentioning Houston and Utah over Memphis is a bit wild though

A grown man owning a gun in a country that has more guns than people is an example of someone who can't get his life together off the court?!?!? Jamal Murray tore his ACL and basically missed two playoffs back to back yet he recovered just fine yet Ja hurts his shoulder and it's the first time a player has ever gotten injured?? What would OKC record be right now if SGA only played 9 games this season and also back in January, Jalen Williams had a grade 3 ankle sprain that caused him to miss 2 months, and also two days before Jalen got hurt Lou Dort messed up his finger that caused him to miss the rest of the season? What would OKC's record be right now?!?!?!? 😂😂

@@jonathans8760 I think what he’s referring to with the “get his life together” is that the nba has contract provisions like players can’t ride a motorcycle, go skiing, or, say, flash guns on social media, ja knew that, and broke the rules anyway, even though it cost him hundred of millions of dollars. Plus there’s the whole, beat up at teenager at his house then stuck a gun in his face thing. Don’t want to speak for him though but that would be my assumption. Bane and JJJ are outstanding though and that should have merited more consideration on this list, certainly more than the NOP

And the fact that they've unearthed and secured two gems in Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson for peanuts while also having a lotto pick next season raises their ceiling a lot.

Why? Memphis isn't a destination that free agents want to go and the team doesn't have the best management. Add on Ja's status is kinda up in the air at the moment with his injury.

He does love the game and his conditioning is great so yeah, Jokic is going to age well

@@TheMilapMehta he literally said otherwise

Watch Jokic and MPJ pod. Jokic and the nuggets are addicted to winning. He isn’t going to drop off anytime soon.

​@@imaginezzz2922When?

The caveat is that Jokic can still ball even when out of shape. Obviously better when he’s in top form but he’s going to age like Tim Duncan

2016 2019 2020...they spend

No one wants to play for that owner in that city

@@razkable This. Ant is gonna be a superstar, maybe THE superstar, but who knows if he'll stay. That franchise is so toxic historically and they still have the same douchebag in ownership. He'll find a way to fuck it up. And it ain't like it's in a city that young millionare athletes want to live in...

Couldn’t agree more on the ownership, if anyone can eff up what they have going on it’s Taylor.

They needed to go get Stephen Adams or Andre Drummond

@@thebigwagyu Have you watched them on offense? Those guys don't exactly fit what they do. Adams I like lot more than Drummond. Adams is good enough defensively you could justify moving Chet to the wing to play the Rob Williams role and Adams is such a good and smart screener he'd be able to figure out ways to contribute. If you leave him he's either going to 1) make himself available for a dump off 2) get an offensive rebound or 3) run a handoff for one the guards to get an open three. Plus he's strong enough to guard Jokic and Embiid. But that assumes he can bounce back physically. He may well be a step too slow once we returns. And even if he isn't, he's more of a 20-25 minute guy not a 'one of your five in the last five minutes of game 7' guy. They should try to acquire him if the price is low but they still need a big athletic 6'9" 220 pound wing. Drummond just no. That works on 2k, not irl. He gets in the way on offense and if he were a good enough defender to justify kicking Chet to the wing or could guard wings then Chicago would be a 50 win team. Hard pass

@@michaelahurt I was just talking about a cheap, big body off the bench that could spell Chet over the course of a 7 game series. By no means is Andre Drummond the missing piece to a championship team, but I doubt the asking price would’ve been that much (especially with the embarrassment of riches that OKC has in the draft)

They’re trading for Mikal Bridges this offseason

@@christopheryu1036 Doesn't fix their problem. And Brooklyn isn't trading Bridges. They have no incentive to be bad because they don't own their own picks. It only makes sense to trade him if he demanded a trade. They want to trade for a star to pair WITH Bridges (and Claxton and Cam and DFS.) Imagine that team with Luka. Or even Booker or Mitchell.

If they trade Kat for assets, then they have a shot

Spurs

​@pinbnoarbecue1100 no one wants to pay kat and the wolves owner is an idiot

I can see it for sure. Only 25 years old, prime is 27-32. He has time to get up to 40/10/10 or at least 38/10/12

The picks make you think so. But don't forget the Curse of the Sasquatch. It won't be over until all the former Sonics have retired. KD, Westbrook and Uncle Jeff green. OKC is toast until those guys have all shut it down. Don't blame me. It's the Curse of the Sasquatch.

@@David-iv6je Its not the picks. Everyone keeps saying that. Even if they had zero picks they would have a shot at being 1st in this. This team's core is all 25 and under and they are fighting for 1 seed in a brutal West with 2 of their 3 best players being a rookie and a sophomore. They have a legit big 3 with all of them having legit superstar potential. On top of that they will have 35 million in cap space this summer which is 4th most in the league. Having a million picks is just a cherry on top. Nobody in their right mind should have anyone but OKC 1st in this. I think Simmons is just trolling to get reactions. Having Spurs above them just because of Wembanyama, who by the way is leading them to a worse record than last year, is ludicrous.

​@@David-iv6jeharden

Meh the nuggets may win 2 more titles...okc would be lucky to get 1....jokic is also perfect so...

@@razkable Harden was drafted by OKC. Not subject to the Curse of the Sasquatch.

Not really but they can win multiple more rings over 6 years...maybe 3....okc ain't doing it neither is san antonio...it should be after this year going forward the next 7 years maybe then it's a real debate

You don't understand how much SA loves Wemby. Luka is a great individual talent but his heliocentric style doesn't translate to wins and the Spurs roster is absolute shit--Luka would not fit at all in an ass rebuilding situation. If you asked everyone in the Spurs organization, I don't think a single person would pick Luka over Wemby. Wemby could be the best player of his generation like Jordan or LeBron. Peak Luka right now isn't even a top 3 MVP candidate.

@@slightexagThe Spurs would immediately take Luka, it is an obvious choice. You still have the "helocentric" offense stuck in your mind, even though that immediately stopped once Luka had better pieces around him since the deadline, it was a necassity, not who Luka is. Sure, Wemby could be the best player in his generation, if he stays healthy (which is still unlikely) and manages to develop into an efficient offensive player. Luka already is clearly the best player from his generation and still has a legitimate shot to become at least a top 5 player of all time, especially if you consider that his ceiling is propably a 40/10/10 season, which never happened in history. Luka is not a top 3 MVP candidate because the standings play a much bigger role in that regard than they used to, it has become a team award to some extend. That does not change the fact that Luka has pretty clearly been the best player in the NBA this season, there might be an argument for Jokic, but nobody can seriously argue that SGA or Giannis came close to Luka this season.

@@slightexag Luka would actually be in a better situation if he was with a team with a ton of future picks. I did say that I think they would not accept the trade so chill.

@@cadrollhunting3564no chance SA takes Luka. that's a presentism bias. the team is in a rebuild. why would you want an established, ball-dominant star? He can barely lead a mediocre team to the playoffs; why would him having a worse cast around him be good for anyone? Wemby for Luka makes no sense and overstates Luka's value compared to Wemby's potential. Wemby's offensive and defensive potential over the course of 10 years gives me and literally everyone in SA more hope than Luka's present game.

@@slightexagPotential is one thing, but can that potential be fullfilled, especially with the huge health issues players of that seize usually have? As much as Wemby has shown defensively, i think we can at least agree that Luka has a much higher offensive ceiling than Wemby does. Luka also took a terrible team to the WCF in 2022, that team was not much better than what wemby has around him now. I get that Wemby would be the pick if everything goes ideally, but it usually does not, Luka though will be at least a top 5 player consistently for the next 10ish seasons.

They don't get the benefit of the doubt anymore haha

Ja is an issue but top 6 is fair for them....they have been out of sight this year and injuries can ruin a run

Not.

Celts gon take it

They don't like luka...

❤

Is it disrespect? Everything you’ve said about the Mavs upside of this roster is true. And yet the future for all these teams that Russillo and Bill listed is equally bright. Hard to argue the others don’t have a better upside for the next six years when you consider that (aside from SAS) they are all already ahead of Dallas (at least standings-wise) and all have more draft capital other than Minnesota who have similar. Mavs have no tradeable picks to speak of. They’re already all in with this squad and aren’t a top 4 seed Like things change from year to year so this could be immediately wrong. But as it stands it’s not an obvious case of “disrespect” Aside from the Spurs where I think Bill is putting way too much faith in one single guy and some hope I dunno who else you could make the case for as definitely objectively have a worse outlook than Dallas. You can easily make the case for MIN, OKC, DEN, NO

@@jamespratt7526I am especially struggling with the MIN take. Other than ANT and maybe mcdaniels, there is just not much long term upside. Rudy works better than expected, but he is still massively overpaid and almost 32. KAT is the bigger problem here as his contract will be a serious roadblock. It is one of, if not the worst contract in the league that will be very hard to move and without moving that contract there is almost no path to improvement.

⁠@@cadrollhunting3564I don’t know…the wolves had been the 1 seed most of the year until their second All Star went out with an injury. The top 6 (maybe 7?) are under contract for this year and the following 2 years. I think (and un-objectively hope, I admit) that good teams with continuity can be good for years. I think they belong near the top of the list, probably behind Denver.

Utterly delusional. The Spurs would laugh and hang up the phone. Wemby was made for the Spurs.

@@cadrollhunting3564 Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander Walker are both young ascending talents under team friendly deals. Between those two and the two you state (Jaden and Ant) there is still upside and improvement from four key contributors in MIN. Dallas have less “upside” from talent improvement. Luka is unquestionably the best talent between the two rosters but it’s hard to see his talent taking too much more of a leap. He’s close to already at the best version of himself. Really we’re talking about Lively as the best “talent” upside and then upside from Gafford better learning the system. In summary, I think they have more upside from organic growth. RE: KAT. Last year, coming off injury, he was probably at rock bottom for trade value. They were not getting a haul for him. But this year he was returned to All-Star form (based, importantly, on coach not fan voting). He absolutely has real trade value if the Wolves need to move on from him for cap reasons (it won’t be a Gobert/Durant type haul but I think they could get similar to Lillard who is also on a super bad contract and much much older and close to the end than KAT). And so even if you don’t like KAT, I’d argue they have better assets than Dallas - they are already ahead standings and eyeball test and could recoup some draft picks from jettisoning KAT

And a lottery pick next season

There are plenty of teams with a young core including OKC, Minnesota, Houston, Utah, and San Antonio. Right now Memphis has no cap space, uncertainty with their best player and are trending downwards. Denver is an established contender, and OKC + Minnesota are young teams who are in much better shape. Factor in that San Antonio + Dallas have generational stars in Wemby and Luka and it makes no sense to include Memphis in this conversation.

Yeahhh I was waiting for Memphis to be named :/

Ok boomer

Mavs have Luka

The Pistons got to be on your top worst list, as a pistons fan who watches night in and night out, (seen better Junior High basketball) Cades a bust, Ivey is average, might have something with Duran but he’s no Jokic, bottom 3 record for next 6 years from Detroit.

You forgot that Washington DC has an NBA team? Understandable but still....

If you swap Memphis and the Mavs in your two lists, they would actually be somewhat decent :)

Lakers always get stars.

Must not have watched many games then.

Kobe wade jordan magic west parker barry all did it stupid...

Simple...whatever teams giannis and tatum are on...

I would have walked him out the door over a couple hundred bucks.

Nope.

He'll be alright

People like you are always pushing the goal post. I bet at the beginning of the season it was slow your roll until they get into playoffs, now it’s first round, what’s next? Slow your roll until you see a finals? Just let fans enjoy their team being good

True...they haven't won a playoff game since the bubble ...and a series since kd...

10 I might say san antonio...12 for sure spurs

Denver you mean

@@razkable okc has a young talented team with a ridiculous amount of picks

​@@AnthonySamson-wl3gwdenver wins titles...okc won't win more than 1 with this core if that

As a Pels fan, unless Zion is consistent with his fitness and develops a jumpshot he won’t be very good at 29 years old. But between Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, and Jordan Hawkins we have a baseline for true superstars to thrive in imo. BI would be 32 at that point no idea if he stays that consistent that long

maybe next year mate, its nuggy time 😈

I don’t trust pressey for going all in

New cba might screw them

Still the same organisation that gave away Harden for pennies on a dollar and couldn't keep Durant! Until I see the owners giving the green light for some expensive extension, I don't trust this team!

Boston is #1.

OKC in the wrong era with new CBA salary rules. OKC owners chose not to keep Kd, Russ n Harden, what gonna be diff now?

They traded Harden because they didn't want to Amnesty Kendrick Perkins. They wouldn't have even had to pay the Luxury Tax. Presti and their coach are amazing, but the Owners are some of the worst in the NBA.

they're in the East

Was OKC tanking when they were one win away from the finals in 2015-16? They were also in the playoffs the following four seasons after that.

For San Antonio, they were in the finals in 13-14 season and were in the playoffs the following five seasons

Do you watch the games? Mpj has gotten way better. Jokic glazing is deserved. Maybe if you understand basketball you'd see why he's the best player in the world.

@@Joemama72096 I watch and thats why I know Jokic sucks at defense. And MPJ is not better (maybe at team defense). I already said interestings things (about the future, so those are opinions, not facts) while you wasted time just to say "you dont know ball" in too many words, which is typically what gamers that watch 1 game a month but play 300 online, say. Congrats

​@@Edd-zd5wbDenver had a 111 defensive rating in the playoffs last year. They were 15th in defense last year, 10th this year. When you have the best playoff offense that is plenty good enough Jokic is a limited defender, not a bad defender. There's a difference. Because of their scheme, coaching, length/size and collective intelligence they can (and do) protect him. Plus he's the best rebounder in the NBA which helps their defense, he doesn't foul, he gets back as well as any center in the NBA and he uses kicked balls to avoid giving up the most dangerous passes. And he's on his way to being the best offensive player of all time so the glazing is kind of deserved. If you double him, it's an open three or layup and if you play straight up he scores 65% of the time. He's unstoppable. Murray has been healthy for two years now. He had one bad injury. This isn't an Embiid situation where he's hurt every single spring and is injury prone. And how is Chet any different? He can't stay healthy when young so you can you expect him to stay healthy moving forward, right? (And a lisfranc injury for a 7'1" guy actually is more concerning long term than an ACL for a guy who isn't particularly explosive and relies on craft and skill to score over athleticism. Though I wouldn't consider either player high risk.) Porter IS an injury risk but they are probably going to trade him in the next two years. They already have a Gordon replacement in Watson. Replacing KCP is a question but he's the kind of guy who will be good until he's 35 because he's in such good shape. In six years you'd bet on OKC, but FOR the next six years? Denver is a title favorite *today* OKC still needs to find a fifth starter; has real roster construction issues (they can't rebound and their best wing defender is 6'5"); and a huge part of what makes them good is their turnover margin, but that advantage shrinks as you play better teams. OKC is like a really nice forgery at the moment. The closer you look, the more there is not to like. Of course they are also 1-2 trades away from being an inner circle contender and have the assets to make those trades. Picking OKC over Denver is like when all the GM's picked KAT over AD

@@michaelahurt not reading all that. To clarify. Jokic is on a GOAT path. And if I exagerate a bit with his defense is to contrast the absurd "numbers say hes actually positive, so he is" idiocy. He has quick hands, amazing def IQ (well, IQ) and hes strong and in great shape. But considering the absurd media (and fanboys) glazing about how good he is, I go a bit harder than I should.

@@Edd-zd5wb Agree. The people who actually try to say he's as impactful as Wemby, AD, Giannis, etc. -- those people need serious help.

They haven't made a conference finals in the Ja Era. How can they be top 3 no question? Denver has actually won a title, OKC + Minnesota have young cores with more talent, and Wemby + Luka are generational talents you can't count out. Memphis is 6th at best.

No. Not in the West

Okay and? Jokic is the best player in the world

@@skylertaylor7283Without Murray they aren't going anywhere, they need Murray to return to allstar form to be relevant.

​​@@4evahodlingdoge226 ??? He already did. You're acting like he tore his ACL 3 weeks ago not 3 years ago. Did you watch a different playoffs than the rest of us last year?

You can't polish a turd

Talk yo shit...

What's wrong with that? Younger players are expected to get better. Older players don't often bounce back when they start to slip.

You do realize that every team in the nba gets to play those teams we just played them later and you do realize we were down 4 rotational players

I agree...rockets are old now and spent money and zion is a fraud

It's because of the big ole women in san antonio

White, Murray and Johnson were all 29th picks.

I wouldn't want to stay in SAS either, they will nickle and dime you into taking less + they're anti star building, they want a quiet guy to stfu and play team ball and go under the radar.

@@4evahodlingdoge226 The ugly secret no one wants to talk about is no African American players like Pop...

Then they don't get wemby..glad they let murray go...

Had to post here because only on podcast right now..come on Bill, I know he’s your boy, and he’s great, love his content, but that take is ignorant…Bird passed, played defense, drove hard and finished fancy with a French lick. Van that ish is sloppy. Get real.

He's had a great month

If Luka does ever get traded I think Denver the front runner to land him. He has pretty good friendship with Jokic and says his favorite place in the world is some ski resort in Italy. Seems like a good match.

Spurs not trading wemby for luka. Stop it. Very delusional to even think such a thing

@@jwordxyz why? Luka has proven himself. Wemby has shown flashes but he hasn't proven anything yet and certainly not in the playoffs

I might trade giannis for luka...probably not jokic but wemby for sure is more valuable than luka going forward due to age...keep wemby

​@@jwordxyzthe Dallas teams hate each other as well....

They’re talking the next 6 years. Did you miss that?