This is a very solid team. Were he not playing behind Donovan Mitchell, Michael Connelly, and Jared Clarkson, (And even Joe Ingles, sort of), Butler might actually merit some Rookie of the Year attention.

He won't, because he does. But the kid is good.

Whiteside is already settling in. He can absorb a couple minutes away from Rudy, to keep Rudy fresh.

Can the Jazz go small? We probably don't know for a while. How do they incorporate Gay? But on paper the possibility is there.

On paper, pundits like the Lakers. I don't like them at all. I see three superstars, the least selfish of which is LeBron. And he's not as unselfish as he used to be. Short of Brooklyn, that might be the most dysfunctional team in the league.

The West remains loaded. It's brutal. Depending on bounces that can be both a good thing or a bad thing. With Kyrie holding on to his principles, you have to think Milwaukee walks to the number one in the East

But are they really that good? If you put Milwaukee in the West, would you see them making the finals?

Even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while. Utah will eventually get their nut because they run a good organization. Color schemes and dot matrix printers aside, Ryan Smith has not shown anything that suggests He's going to be a hindrance.

Why not now?