Which good West team off to a bad start do you believe in most: Golden State or Houston?

2. Which good West team off to a bad start do you believe in most: Golden State or Houston?
Uggetti: This is tricky because James Harden could be eating a cheesesteak in Philly hours after I write this. And yet … does it say something about the current state of the Warriors that I might still consider picking the Christian Wood Rockets in the event that Harden is traded? The Warriors’ situation is bleak aside from Stephen Curry and a few tantalizing glimpses of James Wiseman. The Rockets have vets and shooters. I’m sure Steph will go on a fiery run, but for now Golden State looks like it will struggle this season.

Murdock: I’m inclined to pick the Rockets, considering they’re months removed from a postseason berth and still have James Harden doing James Harden things on the floor. But the Warriors have much better chemistry inside their locker room. Plus, James Wiseman seems to be well on his way to Rookie of the Year. I’m going with the Warriors.

Devine: Golden State, if only because I’m still expecting James Harden to get traded at some point this season, and because the Warriors have shown some positive signs after opening the campaign with two blowout losses.

You can’t rely on Andrew Wiggins, but the aggressive version of him that showed up in Chicago and Detroit will help Golden State win some games. Kelly Oubre Jr. won’t keep shooting 21 percent on layups and 4 percent—not a misprint—on jumpers. Draymond Green’s due back soon. And, perhaps most importantly, after years of eschewing the modern game’s most popular play in favor of motion-heavy sets designed to get everybody involved, Steve Kerr has simplified Golden State’s offense by more frequently just giving Stephen Curry the ball and sending him a screener. Curry’s finishing 9.5 possessions per game as the ball handler in the pick-and-roll this season, way up from any of the previous five; those plays have produced a strong 1.13 points per possession. As Steph continues to find his stroke—13-for-38 in his first two games, 20-for-42 in the past two—I’d expect those numbers, and with them Golden State’s offensive efficiency and overall quality, to rise.

Kram: Houston. Over the past two seasons, the Warriors have allowed an average of 124.7 points in the nine games Steph Curry has played. I know Draymond Green will return to the court, and I know Kelly Oubre Jr. won’t shoot like Game 7 John Starks every night, but I can’t trust this team until it demonstrates an ability to guard anyone.

Mahoney: Golden State, if only because we have more reason to expect that its best players will still be on the roster a few weeks from now. Steve Kerr has a lot to work out if he’s going to bring this version of the Warriors to balance, but those designs start with Stephen Curry and the impending return of Draymond Green. Houston, by contrast, orients its offense around a player who wishes not to be a part of it. Until James Harden is eventually moved, everything the Rockets do has to run on a dual track—with one lane serving to maintain Harden’s production (and trade value) and the other nudging the franchise forward. Houston hasn’t even been that bad in its first few games, but its prospects are almost certain to get worse.

Verrier: Houston. If Harden ever bothers to learn his new teammates’ names, he’d be introduced to the most talented big man he’s ever played with in Christian Wood. If John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins prove as useful as they were in preseason when they return from quarantine, it’s hard to see this team being appreciably worse than last season’s above-.600 finish, even with all the Bad Vibes emanating.