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The Golden State Warriors are one of the most difficult teams to figure out heading into the 2019-20 NBA campaign.
One thing we can probably all agree on is that, for the first time since 2014, they are not title contenders, which sounds strange and almost blasphemous to say.
But with Kevin Durant leaving and Klay Thompson set to miss a huge chunk of the season while he recovers from a torn ACL, it's hard to look at the Warriors and think they have a legitimate shot at a championship this year.
However, some have even gone as far to say that Golden State may not even be a playoff team, which is something I am having a hard time getting on board with.
Westgate currently has the Dubs' over/under set at 48.5 wins, which is probably one of the tougher over/unders to predict. But I am going to lean toward the over.
Even if the Warriors finish with 47 or 48 victories, they'll probably still be in a good position to make the playoffs, even in the Western Conference, but that's not the question here.
It's whether or not I think Golden State will win at least 49 games, and I am hesitantly saying yes.
Look: I know Durant is gone. I know Thompson will be out until at least February. I also understand that the Dubs lost a couple of key veteran contributors in Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston this summer. Heck, you can throw DeMarcus Cousins in there, too.
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But the championship DNA remains.
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green didn't go anywhere. Neither did Steve Kerr.
And while the Warriors may have lost some significant pieces, they also made some nice pivots, like bringing in D'Angelo Russell and role players such as Alec Burks, Willie Cauley-Stein and Glenn Robinson III.
Russell could slide in next to Curry and give the Dubs one of the deadliest one-two backcourt punches in the NBA, and if Thompson can come back and even resemble his old self, suddenly, Golden State will be looking pretty good.
Of course, we don't know exactly how Russell will fit, because he has never been in a real winning situation in his NBA career, and while he had what many considered a breakout year in Brooklyn last season, he wasn't exactly efficient.
Still, I think Curry and Green can essentially get this team to 49 wins on their own so long as they stay healthy, which I completely understand is a rather big question mark.
The Warriors can't absorb injuries this year as they have in years past, so Curry and Green will have to play the majority of the season.
But even with that, I can't bring myself to say that the Warriors are going to win under 49 games. Too much of the championship pedigree is still intact, and if some of these depth pieces fit, Golden State could actually see a bit of a bench revitalization during the 2019-20 campaign.
So, while the Dubs' over/under is not one I would touch, because there is too much uncertainty, I still think that the Warriors will go over and will probably end up winning 50 games.
