After all the movement, is any team ready to stop Golden State?
There was a great shuffle in the NBA this summer, with 16 players owning a combined 76 all-star appearances changing teams.
Some of those players are clearly past their prime, like ex-Bull Dwyane Wade and 40-year-old Vince Carter, who joined the Sacramento Kings.
But there also were some earthshaking moves, such as Chris Paul to Houston, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to Boston, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City.
When the music stopped and everyone took a seat on their new benches, the NBA's essential issue was unchanged.
No team has the firepower to dethrone the Golden State Warriors.
There will be some interesting twists and turns along the way, but unless a couple of Warriors collide and injure each other, the 2017-18 season will end with Golden State's third title in four years.
Bulls swingman Justin Holiday was a Warriors bench player when they won their 2015 championship. He was asked Tuesday if there's any way the Warriors don't win.
“Is there any way? I mean, they play us,” Holiday said with a laugh. “I don't know. Obviously, they have the best chance right now. I think teams are going to challenge them. Yes, they have a great team, but the rest of us are not just going to lie down.”
There are several reasons to believe Golden State will face few obstacles beyond untimely injuries.
Coach Steve Kerr has said this is the Warriors' deepest roster of the past four years and, yes, that includes power forward Jordan Bell, the player they took in the second round with a pick bought from the Bulls for $3.5 million.
Another factor is that Kevin Durant's comfort level could soar in Year 2. Last year he was dealing with the controversy of leaving Oklahoma City and was new to the Warriors' system. This time the ride is smoother.
“He looked so relaxed and confident (in training camp),” Kerr said, according to the East Bay Times. “Last year he was trying to decipher what we were doing. This year he just did it.”
But the biggest plus for the Warriors is an obvious, but unlikely trait — their defense. While possessing one of the most powerful offenses in league history, Golden State led the NBA last season in defensive field-goal percentage.
What makes the Warriors impossible to match is they can deliver that firepower with three elite defenders on the floor in Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala.
Durant is a good defender, able to use those long arms to contest shots. And Steph Curry isn't a bad defender at all.
“They bought into what the coach asked and they all looked out for each other and helped each other defensively,” Holiday said. “Getting the stops were just as important as scoring the basketball.”
The two biggest challengers in the West will be interesting to watch. The Thunder will deliver this year's Big Three of George, Anthony and reigning MVP Russell Westbrook.
That has a chance to work if Anthony accepts the role of spot-up shooter, something OKC has lacked.
Paul and James Harden qualify as one of the most accomplished backcourts in NBA history. The Rockets are loaded with outside shooters, and Paul should be just the guy to find them all — in theory, anyway.
The East appears to be another two-team race.
Cleveland added some depth but lost a clutch shooter when Irving demanded a trade and went to Boston. Will Isaiah Thomas provide late-game playoff heroics after he recovers from a hip injury?
The Celtics are set up for a long run of title contention, but this season could be a little dicey.
Boston has newcomers who need to build chemistry, and they'll be counting on a couple of young guys in second-year Jaylen Brown and rookie Jayson Tatum.
Asked about the NBA's great summer shift, Bulls center Robin Lopez reacted like a regular sub 7-footer sitting on a couch.
“It's fairly unprecedented. It was pretty exciting as a fan of basketball,” he said. “There are some intriguing matchups and really good teams I can't wait to play against.”
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