I think there are 4 real title contenders this year. Bucks and Celtics from the east and Nuggets and Suns from the west. Every other team is at least a tier lower.
Heat - Had a nice Cinderella story last year but with the upgrades that the bucks and celtics made, they wont be close this year.
Sixers - Can God even get them out of the 2nd round?
Lakers- still no where near the nuggets and barely beat a hobbled Suns. They have 0 chance
Clippers - always a threat IF they can stay healthy which is basically no chance.
warriors - too old and small
Mavs- Kyrie will mess things up somehow
Pelicans - always looks good on paper but never works out
Kings - Probably make some noise but not really a threat
4 real title contenders (2 from each conference) is great parity. I think we will see a bucks vs nuggets finals.
Way too early to tell. We won’t know how the top 6-7 teams will look until around January, excluding the nuggets since we know what they are. Injuries will also play a huge factor with certain teams