Playoff Teams:
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Is Ron Artest really an upgrade over Trevor Ariza? Only time will tell. The Lakers will only be able to repeat as champions if Andrew Bynum continues to improve and Kobe and Artest can keep from squabbling, as they have before they became teammates this offseason.
2. San Antonio Spurs
Getting Manu Ginobili back from injury and signing Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess should give the Spurs a good chance to challenge the Lakers in the West. Underrated backups George Hill and Roger Mason, Jr., combine with Ginobili to form one of the best second-unit backcourts in the league.
3. New Orleans Hornets
Chris Paul will look to recreate the chemistry he had with departed center Tyson Chandler with new center Emeka Okafor, who is an upgrade defensively but comparable offensively. David West will again prove he is one of the most overlooked scoring power forwards out there.
4. Denver Nuggets
Although starting shooting guard J.R. Smith will miss 7 games due to suspension for pleading guilty to reckless driving, rookie Ty Lawson will be able to help pick up the slack in the backcourt early in the year. Nene, Kenyon Martin, and backup Chris Andersen form perhaps the most rugged frontcourt in the West.
5. Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers have perhaps the best young team in the Association. With budding superstar Brandon Roy, and quickly improving big men LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, the Blazers, in a best-case scenario, could easily pass the Nuggets and even the Hornets for a 3rd or 4th seed in the playoffs.
6. Phoenix Suns
With the failed Shaq experiment finally behind them, the Suns look to return to their run-and-gun ways of two or three years ago. Amaré Stoudemire returns from numerous eye injuries to run with Steve Nash, Grant Hill, and Jason Richardson again. If this team can successfully perfect the fast break, as they did under former coach Mike D’Antoni, they too could easily eclipse this prediction and jump a few teams for a higher playoff seed.
7. Dallas Mavericks
Will Shawn Marion regain his old form? That is the main question heading into the season for the Mavericks. Jason Kidd is still effective, but seems to be (almost) over the hill. Erick Dampier is still one of the biggest stiffs in the league at center, and the ceiling for this team with he, Kidd, and Quinton Ross all starters seems to be relatively low.
8. Utah Jazz
Deron Williams is one of the league’s best point guards, and he and Carlos Boozer, when healthy, always give the Jazz a chance to win. Despite stellar home records, they have finished with road records of 17-24 the last two years, which they need to improve upon if they want to leapfrog the other elite teams in the West.
Outside Looking In:
9. Golden State Warriors
Besides the Blazers, the Warriors may have the best young talent in the NBA. Rookie of the Year candidate Stephen Curry joins fellow talented youngsters Monta Ellis, Anthony Randolph, Anthony Morrow, and Brandan Wright. If veterans Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette can minimize their diva ways and bad shots, the Warriors could sneak into the playoffs.
10. Houston Rockets
Even if Tracy McGrady returns in November as some have forecast, how effective can he be at age 30 with his history of knee injuries? Yao Ming likely missing the entire season will also hurt the Rockets’ chances. New swingman Trevor Ariza hopes to prove he was worth the 5-year, $34 million deal he signed in the offseason.
11. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers were in disbelief when first overall pick Blake Griffin went down on the eve of the season with a broken kneecap. Although he’ll miss at least six weeks, the Clippers are much better off than they have been in years past, with one of the best guard tandems in the West in Baron Davis and Eric Gordon. Al Thornton, Deandre Jordan, and Craig Smith are young, talented forwards who continue to improve every year.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are another candidate for “Most Talented Young Team.” Kevin Durant will be a superstar in the near future, and his young running mates Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden all arguably have All-Star potential.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves
Rookie guards Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington will join power forward Al Jefferson as the Wolves’ rebuilding effort tries to pick up steam. The realistic ceiling for this team is probably 10th or so in the West this season.
14. Sacramento Kings
Tyreke Evans has already been handed the reins as a rookie; it worked when he was a freshman at Memphis last year, but it will be harder in the NBA’s stacked Western Conference. Shooting guard Kevin Martin is one of the best players you’ve never seen play.
15. Memphis Grizzlies
Not much good can be said of this team; although they do have some young talent in swingmen O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay, they picked up controversial free agents Allen Iverson and Zach Randolph this summer. Was either move really a wise one? Probably not, given Iverson’s age and Randolph’s history of off-the-court trouble.
Western Conference Finals:
Los Angeles Lakers over San Antonio Spurs in six games.
NBA Finals:
Cleveland Cavaliers over Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
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