Results of the annual survey of NBA general managers have been released, and much like the oddsmakers, GMs believe LeBron James will lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first title in franchise history this season.
James is also once again favored to take home his fifth Most Valuable Player award.
Jahlil Okafor remains the top choice to win Rookie of the Year.
From the press release:
NBA general managers predict the Cleveland Cavaliers (53.6% of the vote) will capture their first ever NBA title, based on the results of this year’s NBA.com GM survey. Cleveland’s four-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James received 39.3% of the MVP votes by the league’s general managers. New Orleans Pelicans center/forward Anthony Davis (25%) finished second in the MVP voting, followed by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (10.7%) and Houston Rockets guard James Harden (10.7%), then Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (7.1%) and Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (7.1%).
Davis received an overwhelming 86.2% of the votes from general managers for player they would want to start a franchise with today. Additionally, San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard was tabbed the league’s top defender (27.6%) while San Antonio’s three-time NBA Coach of the Year Gregg Popovich received 93.1% of the votes for the league’s best coach.
Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor received 44.8% for Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, while fellow first-year center, Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns (62.1%), was projected to be the 2015 NBA Draft’s best player five years from now. […] Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (62.1%) was named the league’s top international player, only the second time – also San Antonio guard Tony Parker in 2013-14 – that someone other than Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzkihas held that distinction.
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