NBA GMs' 2016-17 Season Predictions Revealed in Survey

General managers from around the NBA are confident the league is heading for a championship rubber match between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, as revealed in the annual GM survey results Tuesday.

John Schuhmann of NBA.com provided the voting details from the 48-question preseason outlook, which showed 69 percent of GMs believe the Warriors will capture the 2016-17 title, while the remaining 31 percent voted for the Cavs.

Golden State won the initial NBA Finals matchup between the powerhouse squads two seasons ago. Cleveland responded by fighting back from a 3-1 deficit in last season's rematch as LeBron James brought a title home to Ohio.

A third straight meeting feels almost like a fait accompli, even though the regular season hasn't started yet. Odds Shark noted the teams are both heavy favorites in their respective conferences, with the Warriors sporting 5-13 odds to win the West and the Cavaliers at 20-37 to win the East.

The general managers were more mixed in their selections for Most Valuable Player. James, a four-time winner of the top individual honor, was the most popular selection at 46.7 percent, per NBA.com. He was followed by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook at 23.3 percent.

Golden State's Stephen Curry and Houston Rockets superstar James Harden tied for third at 10 percent apiece. Curry's new teammate, Kevin Durant, rounded out the top five at 6.7 percent. The Warriors have so much star power it may be difficult for any single player to shine enough to win MVP, however.

Meanwhile, reigning Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves was the runaway winner for the player GMs would most like to start their team with today.

Here are the survey's results for the best player at each position:

Position	Player	Team	Vote %
PG	Stephen Curry	GSW	63.3
SG	James Harden	HOU	56.7
SF	LeBron James	CLE	76.8
PF	Anthony Davis	NO	29.0
C	DeAndre Jordan	LAC	33.3

Among the other results, the Warriors got the nod the offseason's biggest winner thanks to Durant's arrival. Eighty percent of voters picked him as the top acquisition, and 83.3 percent picked Golden State as having made the best moves.

Timberwolves guard Kris Dunn was the top choice for Rookie of the Year, though 70 percent believe Ben Simmons will be the best player from the group in five years. A foot injury that could keep him out until January hurt his ROY chances, though.

Finally, the San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard was chosen as the top defender, and the Spurs' Gregg Popovich was voted top coach by a whopping 83.3 percent of GMs.

San Antonio is one of the teams with an outside shot of breaking up the string of Finals clashes between the Warriors and Cavaliers. Along with Leonard, the starting lineup features Tony Parker, Danny Green, LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol, who will replace the retired Tim Duncan.

The league's general managers aren't convinced it will be enough, though. All signs point to another meeting between Golden State and Cleveland in June.