Shoot me now but I agree. Until someone knocks them off the Warriors are the champions and the balance of power league-wide has shifted substantially eastward. I would put Milwaukee, Boston, and Brooklyn over every team in the West. All those other Western contenders outside the bay area - Memphis, Denver, Clippers, Phoenix...trust/respect is earned, not given.
And it cannot be emphasized enough that it is still pretty early in the season and things can change on a dime. Just a month ago, Rockets fans were thinking they would have not 1 but 2 lottery picks and now that pick is going to be in the mid 20s.
Most importantly, that franchise has been there/done that over the past 8 years. The veterans on the team don't care if they finish 1st, 4th, or 8th as long as they get in and I'm sure sometime around February or March Golden State will start trying again if there is any doubt that they will miss the playoffs. I remember about 5-6 years ago Lebron (as the Cavs were sleepwalking through the regular season) was asked about playoff seeding and what seed he would like the team to be once the playoffs start. He simply said "top 8." He simply didn't care about regular season wins/losses as long as he got into the playoffs (perhaps in part because he knew the East was pretty bad all decade long). And I'm pretty sure GS shares this nonchalant attitude towards playoff seeeding and regular season games, especially December regular season games.
So while GS is certainly more vulnerable than in seasons past, I trust them more than any other team in the West.