NBA Preview: Part II (Western Conference)

To continue my season preview, I will now take the mighty giant known as the Western Conference. This conference is also known as the "Spurs and then some teams that aren't very good Conference." The second best team in the West is Dallas. The Mavericks need to patch up their defense to contend with the Spurs, but otherwise, I don't think the Spurs have much competition to get back to the Finals. Nonetheless, to wit:

Northwest Division

Utah: Who is Keith McLeod? Anyway, Deron Williams will develop throughout the season, and probably become the reliable point that scouts said he would be. If Kirilenko stays healthy and the Jazz get more out of Carlos Boozer, they might be a tough team. Mehmet Okur is better than people think but the bench is thin in Salt Lake City and that will be problematic. I think the Jazz will find themselves battling for third in their division this year, and continue to improve into next year.
Final Record: 38-44

Minnesota: It's hard to imagine Kevin Garnett allowing his team to miss the playoffs two years in a row. KG and Wally Szczerbiak need to get along, and Mario Jaric needs to produce at the point for the T'Wolves to be successful. If Rashad McCants develops into a viable bench option and Eddie Griffin stays out of the trouble, combining those two with Trenton Hassell and Nikoloz Tskitishvili makes the T'Wolves very solid. I like their chances in this division, and I see them battling the Nuggets for the title.
Final Record: 48-34

Denver: I don't understand why the Nuggets brought in Earl Watson, but I still like the chances for Denver to win their division. Carmelo Anthony, Andre Miller, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, and even Voshon Lenard form a formidable starting lineup, and Earl Boykins provides that exciting spark off the bench that playoff teams need. If the Nuggets can prevent allowing Nene's injury to hurt them in the post, they will be the best team in the Northwest Division.
Final Record: 49-33

Seattle: The Sonics aren't bad. Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis make one of the best 1-2 punches in the league, and Luke Ridnour developed into a nice point last season. If they can avoid a letdown after last year's overachieving, this year will be another season that the Sonics will compete for a playoff spot. I think the Northwest Division will put three teams in the playoffs, and the Sonics are included in that group.
Final Record: 45-37

Portland: The Blazers love getting in trouble. I don't think they can compete with Telfair running the point. He will good in the future, but this year will feature some growing pains moments, and maybe some in-fighting. Zach Randolph is good, but he has motivation issues and Darius Miles has never developed into the player scouts thought he might be. In fact, Darius Miles is terrible. I like Theo Ratliff, Joel Przybilla, Ruben Patterson, and Juan Dixon off the bench, but I still think the Blazers will have lots of off-court issues that prevent their making the playoffs.
Final Record: 30-52

Pacific Division

LA Clippers: What is with people criticizing the Clippers off-season? Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley are very good guards, and the frontcourt of Kaman, Brand, and Maggette will be tough on any opponent. I think the Clippers will shed their "Bad News Bears" reputation and make the playoffs. I don't think chemistry will be an issue as Elton Brand is a quiet star, Sam Cassell is in a contract year, and Corey Maggette will get plenty of touches. This team has a strong bench and will contend.
Final Record: 45-37

LA Lakers: As much as Kobe Bryant has duped the media and sports minds alike into thinking he is a superstar, he is not. When you shoot 30 times a game to score 25 points, don't rebound or pass, and cause all sorts of chemistry problems, you are not an MJ-prototype. Lamar Odom looked like he had gotten things turned around in Miami, and then he came to LA, and he is back to being his old self. He doesn't touch the ball enough, and the rest of the Lakers roster isn't going to help things. Devean George's return will help the Lakers, but it'll be fun to see if Phil Jackson can be a good coach without the talent. Jackson is a guy who has found himself in very good situations with Michael Jordon and Shaq and Kobe, so let's see if he's actually a good coach or not.
Final Record: 36-46

Golden State: The Warriors have good guard play, and should be a tough team to play for many Western Conference foes. Injury problems worry me as Baron Davis consistently lands on the Injured Reserve, so hopefully this year he can stay healthy and be the great player he can be. Jason Richardson is amazing, and one more year of adding talent, and the Warriors will be a playoff team. This year will be an experience, and it will not end nicely.
Final Record: 38-44

Phoenix: Without Amare Stoudamire, the Suns are missing the integral post player that helped them make the Western Conference Finals last year. Shawn Marion and Steve Nash will need to play bigger roles this year, and they will get some quality help from Raja Bell and James Jones. I like the Suns philosophy, and I think they will be tough again this year. They will need to stay in contention until February, and then things will take off when Stoudamire returns. This team will win the division.
Final Record: 48-34

Sacramento: The Kings look pretty good this year. Peja Stojakovic is the best shooter in the NBA when he is healthy, and Mike Bibby is a superstar. If Brad Miller and Kenny Thomas stay healthy, the Kings will compete for the playoffs. I like their bench, with Kevin Martin, Jason Hart, Corliss Williamson, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but I think they have too much competition for the playoffs in the West. Call it a ninth place finish.
Final Record: 44-38

Southwest Division

San Antonio: What else is there to be said about the Spurs other than that they are a well-oiled machine. Tim Duncan is the best big man in the NBA, and the guard combo of Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Michael Finley gives them three scoring options to complement Duncan. Adding Nick Van Exel and Finley give them more depth than they had last year, and the Spurs will easily get back to the Finals.
Final Record: 68-14

Dallas: The Mavericks are the Spurs' best competition for the West. If Dirk Nowitzki can get his teammates involved more, and Avery Johnson gets his team to play some defense, the Mavs will be tough. Jason Terry did not crumble under the pressure of playoff basketball, and Nowitzki exploded last year statistically. I like the Mavs' chances, but the problem is, regardless of how they finish, be it first or second in the division, they will inevitably meet the Spurs in the second round of the playoffs. That makes it tough to pick them to get through the second round. Another frustrating postseason lies ahead of the Mavs.
Final Record: 55-27

Houston: I like the Rockets and I think they will be the third best team in the West, record-wise. T-Mac and Yao worked well together at the end of last season, and Stromile Swift adds a more athletic post presence to complement Yao Ming. I think that Rafer Alston will still be productive, and his guard companions, Derek Anderson and David Wesley, should help provide backcourt depth. If Jeff Van Gundy allows his team to open up more offensively, the Rockets might blossom into a dangerous team. I think this year will be kind to them.
Final Record: 50-32

Memphis: As much as I like the Grizzlies' lineup, I don't think it's talented enough to make the playoffs. Eddie Jones proved last season that he cannot be relied on, and Damon Stoudamire has plenty of issues off the court to deal with. Pau Gasol is a good player, but he isn't the type of guy that can emotionally lead his team to success. He will put up numbers, but he doesn't seem to really have the presence of a Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett, and that's what separates those two from Gasol. I see the Grizzles missing the playoffs this year.
Final Record: 43-39

New Orleans/Oklahoma City: The development of Chris Paul will help this team improve this year. JR Smith, Desmond Mason, and Speedy Claxton add some depth to the backcourt, but the frontcourt lacks any solidity. PJ Brown isn't as good as he was three years ago, and David West is still learning the ins-and-outs of the league. I think the Hornets will improve from last year, but they still have some personnel issues to work on.
Final Record: 29-53

PLAYOFFS

With my incredibly accurate predictions, the standings look like this:

1. San Antonio
2. Denver
3. Phoenix
4. Dallas
5. Houston
6. Minnesota
7. LA Clippers
8. Seattle

With matchups looking like this:

San Antonio vs. Seattle
Denver vs. LA Clippers
Phoenix vs. Minnesota
Dallas vs. Houston

There are three very interesting series listed above. I think there is a good chance that we will see an upset if those matchups occur. The Spurs will sweep the Sonics, and easily move on. I think Denver might struggle with the Clippers, but eventually win in six. The Suns are my upset special, as I'm picking the T'Wolves to beat the Suns in seven and move on. I'll take Houston over Dallas this year, providing a nice encore to last year's fantastic first round series with a seven game battle.

That leaves us with San Antonio-Houston and Minnesota-Denver. I like the Spurs in the former series mentioned, although the Rockets will fight hard. If the Rockets really work at it, they can push the Spurs deep into a series. I think that series would be seven, with the Spurs letting Duncan carry them into the Western Conference Finals. Minnesota would be a tough matchup for Denver, who will need to struggle to win this series. Can Carmelo carry a team to greater success? We saw him do it in college, but on this level, can he? I think he will get them into the Western Conference Finals, with the help of Andre Miller and Kenyon Martin. That being said, we are left with the Spurs and Nuggets squaring off in the Western Conference Finals.

The Spurs are the best team in the NBA, and this year's team will be remembered as one of the best of recent times. They will handle the Nuggets despite being tired, as we saw them do last year. I'll take them in five. The Nuggets just don't have the experience and firepower to keep up with the Spurs. The Spurs have so much going for them, both in the frontcourt and backcourt, that they control their own destiny. The Spurs are my pick to win the NBA Championship, repeating and winning their fourth title in seven years.