LarBrd33 - just out of curiosity, which teams in the league right now do you believe are bad enough to finish worse than the Nets?
Going off win record, the Nets (2-9 / 0.182) are currently the third worst team in the NBA behind Philly (0-11 / 0.00) and New Orleans (1-10 / .090).
Out of those three teams, the odd one out (to me) is New Orleans, since they have a potential top 5 talent on their team (Anthony Davis) and who have been playing without one of their top three players (Tyreke). Our of the three shockingly bad teams, they have the best change of improving later in the season.
The 4th worst is the Lakers (2-9 / .182 / -6.1) who IMHO have significantly more depth, talent and potential than the Nets - and hence a greater chance of improving as the season goes along. Plus they have Kobe who could return to form any time, and will never intentionally lose a game (no matter how much his team wants to).
The 5th worst team has been Houston (4-7 / 0.364 /-7.7), who is IMHO unlikely to remain as bad as they have been over the course of a whole season, simply because they have far too much talent.
The 6th worst team is Sacramento (4-7 / .364 / -4.1) but only because they have gone 0-4 in games where DeMarcus Cousins didn't play. When he has played they have gone 4-3, with the three losses coming against the Spurs, Clippers and Clippers.
Portland have been bad too (4-8 / 0.333 / -2.5) but their point differential is 7th best in the West..which suggests they are nowhere near as bad as their record indicates.
So how many of these teams can possibly finish worst than the Nets?!?!?!
I can see the Sixers as the obvious one. The Lakers and Pelicans maybe. The Blazers have an outside chance. I really don't see anybody else who is anywhere near bad enough (and lacking in talent enough) to finish below the nets. That puts the Nets at a bottom 4 finish, worst case.
Anyway please allow me to remind everybody that the Philadephia 76ers (yeah THOSE guys) won 18 games last year and finished 3rd last, despite the fact that they started the season 0-18.
The Timberwolves started their season 3-7 over their first 10 games (0.300) and then went 13-59 over their remaining 72 games to secure the worst spot in the league.
Brooklyn went 1-9 over their first 10. Just because they have won two games in their first 11, doesn't mean they won't go on to finish with a bottom 3 record.
After all, they are still yet to win a single game against a decent and healthy team.
Despite no Klay Thompson GSW's are no joke.
Wow..I didn't even know that the 'competitive game' against the Warriors was without Klay Thompson.
That's a very, very different Warriors team.