In the past, as new sports seasons approached, smart money said to bet the champs. Never underestimate the heart of a champion and all that. Sometimes, it paid off. Sometimes, it blew up. You don’t always see it coming. But sometimes, you do.
So while the defending champion Toronto Raptors again will be talented and formidable, few see them as 2019-20 NBA favorites. You lose your very best player, Kawhi Leonard, to free agency and your chances take a Richter scale-like hit. And that is one reason why teams across the NBA landscape are preparing a “Why Not Us?