Cleveland Cavaliers are favorites to win 2015–16 NBA title

Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and Lebron James[photo: Commons Wikimedia/Erik Drost]

Who stands to be the toughest opponent for the Golden State Warriors this season?

There are a lot of teams that have vastly improved, mostly right up the alley of the Warriors' Western Conference. Still and all, the Warriors remain favorites because of an intact lineup and with a working system courtesy of Steve Kerr.

But are they really the favorites to win it all? Not if you ask some National Basketball Association (NBA) general managers whose odds-on-pick are the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Well, that is really a no-brainer. They practically have the same lineup from last season and one of the things that played a crucial role was the injuries to their main stars – Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

This year, however, many feel that the Cavs will finally win their first NBA title. But it all depends on how the Cavs are able to manage their players and ensure that they stay healthy until the NBA postseason comes around.

Besides, one just has to remember Lebron James' stint with the Miami Heat back in 2010. They fell on the first year but came back to win back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. Could this be the same trend for the Cavs?

Apparently, the Cavs stand to grow from that heartbreaking loss, which showed that James couldn't do it all on his own. There is no question he can easily win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) plum/s, but the thing is he cannot win an NBA title all by himself.

Thus, general managers have picked them but with the understanding that the team properly manages its players, particularly Love and Irving. If the two can keep off injuries, the Cavs could win it all this season.

The Cavs will be expected to start it off slow this season and pick it up a notch perhaps after the NBA All-Star Game. The second half of the season is the more important part for a ball club's campaign; apparently, that showed last season.

As long as the Cavs don't lose key players (again), they are undoubtedly a favorite to win it all.