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Kory Waldron and Marc Cantave debate the hottest topic around the NBA!
Are the Cavs now favored to win the title?
Marc Cantave:
If you asked me this question on October 24th I would have told you that the Golden State Warriors were the favorites, but now I'm leaning a different way. And yes, that's towards Cleveland. The Warriors have great offensive power, but they struggle defensively and have trouble rebounding. The Cavs don't have that issue. If these teams met up right now, I would give the edge to the Cavs.
So are the Cavs the favorites? I think so, but I don't think it's by a huge margin. If the Warriors defense improves or they pick up some better big men, then it will definitely change. However, right at this moment, the Cavs are the favorites to win the NBA Championship in June.
Kory Waldron:
I don’t feel as if the Cavaliers are favorites for the title. At this point in time they are the better team in comparison to the Golden State Warriors. With that being said, as these Warriors play we’ll see the chemistry grow and see them gel. Defense will be an issue all year, unless like you said a move is made for a better big. I don’t see it though, the scoring on this team will get more lethal, too many weapons on board. Nonetheless at the end of the day the Warriors are still the overall favorites to win it all.
Is the 2021 HOF class the best one ever?
Marc Cantave:
The answer is very simple with this one. YES! With Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen retiring, this class is far superior than the others. When Duncan and Bryant retired, it was debatable with this years' Hall of Fame class with Allen Iverson and Shaq. Once Kevin Garnett retired that debate went right out the window. And then you add the purest shooter of all-time? If this is a debate to you, then you don't know basketball. This is easy. The 2021 is the best Hall of Fame class ever.
Kory Waldron:
I’m right there with you on this one, I think 2009 is probably the closest Hall of Fame class but this one is incredible, you have four all-time greats, I’m not even sure there’s a bad choice of who headlines it. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett made this class the greatest in my eyes and then Ray Allen retired as well. Put a bow on top of this 2021 class we won’t see one this good for years to come.
If the Clippers don’t advance to at least the Western Conference Finals; will Blake Griffin and Chris Paul opt-out?
Kory Waldron:
They’ll walk if the Clippers can’t find success and make a deep playoff run. Chris Paul being 31, he’s now on the backside of his career and he has little to show for it thus far. Time is his enemy. I believe there’s two places he may go, the first being the New York Knicks. Paul could go play with Carmelo Anthony. Plus, Paul’s an actual point guard unlike Rose and I believe stars rather play with Paul than Rose. The real destination for Chris Paul has to be the San Antonio Spurs. How perfect would that be? Chris Paul on the Spurs playing alongside Leonard and Aldridge? Even with Paul on the back side of his career he has more left than a 34 year old Tony Parker. Think about it.
For Blake Griffin, unless the Clippers paid him a ridiculous sum of money, he’s gone, long gone. I think Griffin ends up in Boston. The Boston Celtics are still lacking a scorer, they have a hole at power forward. Signing a player like Griffin would make them contenders in the East right off the bat. This way the C's don’t have to trade away any of their core .
Now of course this is all a big what if, but I just don’t believe the Clippers can ever live up to the hype.
Marc Cantave:
I think Chris Paul will walk for sure regardless of what happens this year. This Clippers team cannot get it done and he needs a change of scenery. Chris Paul is up there in age and he needs to move onto a contender.
Griffin may leave as well, but I could definitely see him staying if the price is right. Between the two, Griffin is more likely to stay and I expect that he will, especially if Chris Paul leaves.
What hot start is more surprising, the Chicago Bulls or Oklahoma City Thunder?
Kory Waldron:
Going into this season ironically enough, I had both of these teams as the eighth seed in their respected conferences. They’re both hot now, but these teams are going to cool off. They won’t be atop the conferences come season end.
With that said, I’d have to go with the Chicago Bulls. I’m a fan of the Rondo/Wade/Butler trio, but I didn’t think they’d gel this quick. They’re playing very good, unselfish ball. The biggest worry I had involved the Bulls bench, I had little faith coming into the year. It’s been a surprise seeing the production from guys such as Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, both averaging 13 points. So they’re my pick. I thought the Thunder would come out the gates hot behind Russell Westbrook; they did just that and they’ll cool down, I don’t believe Westbrook can keep this up all season long.
Marc Cantave:
I am actually shocked that you picked Chicago because this is easily the Thunder. Personally, I picked the Thunder to miss the playoffs so I am shocked at their start. The team is just Russell Westbrook. Their defense has been great, but their offense is bad with Russell on the court and even worse when he’s off the court. They have gone three to four minute stretches where they cannot score and they are struggling with teams that are destined to miss the playoffs. They will come down to earth soon and their record will even out.
The Bulls have Rondo, Wade, and Butler. Their start shouldn’t be that surprising because they have a proven winner in Wade and Rondo. They play good defense and they have players that can distribute, penetrate, and shoot. The only thing surprising about them is the fact the Wade has all of a sudden become a three-point shooter. Other than that, Chicago’s start shouldn’t surprise many.