The Golden State Warriors may have lost Kevin Durant to free agency, and Klay Thompson may miss most of next season with a torn ACL, but that isn't stopping Colin Cowherd from picking them to win the Western Conference:
Kevon Looney back to Warriors. For now we have a clear Western Conference favorite. Steph, Klay by March, Livingston, Russell, D Green, Looney. Arguably best HC/GM in West.
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) July 2, 2019
Remember: the Warriors also traded Andre Iguodala, so that's another significant piece they will be without next year.
I also don't think you can just say “Klay by March,” because while that is the general timetable for a torn ACL, we don't know if Golden State will bring him back by that point, and even if he does return, you can't expect him to be even close to 100 percent.
And sure, the D'Angelo Russell pickup will help, but it remains to be seen what he does outside of Brooklyn in a situation where he is clearly no the No. 1 option.
Look: if Thompson were healthy, the Warriors could potentially still be the favorites out West, but he isn't, and not only that, but Iguodala was such a huge piece of what they have done over the last five years. Losing him is going to hurt, even in his old age.
Plus, we really don't know how the rest of the West is going to shake out. If Kawhi Leonard joins LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers, then the Lakers have to be the clear favorite. If he heads to the Los Angeles Clippers, then the Clippers also have a great shot of going to the finals.
Basically, it's too early to call anyone the favorite.
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