There are currently just a few surefire, no-questions-asked championship contenders in the NBA, but a number of other teams are close to joining that conversation.
In the cases of the teams to follow, the talent is in place but a particular hurdle still stands in the way of serious contention. For example, the Los Angeles Clippers, dangerous as they are, desperately need somebody capable of backing up Blake Griffin.
To be clear, we're not discussing the already established title threats. The San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls are the NBA's elite clubs—or at least we think so now, weeks before training camp opens.
Their championship chances are the best, per Odds Shark, and nobody will be stunned if any member of that quartet hoists that big, heavy trophy in June.
On the other end of the spectrum, you've got teams with no shot whatsoever at contention—your Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic, just to name a few. The list of non-contenders is much longer than that, but we're not concerned with clubs lacking a shot at real success.
Instead, we'll run through the fringe contenders, teams that have many of the required championship ingredients but need a key development in order to lift their profiles.
All of these teams were in the playoffs last year, but none advanced past the conference semifinals. And every one of them hopes to fix a critical flaw that stands between them and the league's truly elite.
//from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1sqv6Mb
via IFTTT September 17, 2014 at 02:32PM
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