2009-10 NBA Season Preview - Western Conference

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You know the drill. Here are my thoughts and predictions on what will go down in the NBA's Western Conference. I'm feeling more confident with my predictions in the West than what I've got for the East. I was tempted to change my Eastern Conference playoff seeding after posting it, but what do I look like to you, a cheat?

Northwest

When looking back at last season's standings, I was somewhat surprised to see that Portland had the same record as Denver. Because the Blazers had a bigger off-season, I'm going to give them the number one spot. It's a tough call though, as I'm still pretty enamored with Denver's roster despite losing Dahntay Jones to Indiana and Linas Kleiza who left for Greece. With the addition of veteran point guard Andre Miller and the continued development of their young core, Portland seems poised for a big year. But then again, Andre Miller might sulk so much that he throws off the team's chemistry. He's like a contestant on one of those competition reality shows that keeps insisting they're just there to win, not to make friends.

It's hard to predict what will happen with the Jazz this season because of the situation with Carlos Boozer. Will Milsap get more minutes than Boozer after having capably filled in for him last season? Will Boozer even be with the team by season's end? Expect the Thunder to improve this season as their young talent grows. The Timberwolves will probably be lottery bound.

Pacific

Obviously no team in this division will even come close to hanging with the Lakers. With the addition of Ron Artest, they could be virtually unstoppable. Should Amare Stoudemire remain healthy and isn't traded, his presence alone should be enough to put the Suns above the rest of
the pack.

I expect the Clippers to improve with #1 pick Blake Griffin contributing immediately (why the hell are they talking about bringing him off the bench?). I also anticipate Baron Davis to bounce back and I think second year guard Eric Gordon could have a big year. Golden State is in an utter mess going into the season and the Kings are pretty much guaranteed to totally suck. Oh wait... that's right. I'm trying to bring the Kings back to Cincinnati as the Royals. Now that I think about it, they're going to be totally great this year. Come back to Cincy already! On the real though, I am excited to watch Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin.

Southwest

The Southwest is by far the hardest division to predict who will come out on top, but I'm going with the well-oiled machine that is the San Antonio Spurs. The trade for Richard Jefferson and the free agency pick-up of Antonio McDyess will bolster both the their offense and defense, respectively, but the health of Duncan and Ginobili is most critical to their success. I hate myself for putting the Mavericks over the Hornets (sorry HAMS), but I just don't like New Orleans roster outside of Chris Paul, David West, and James Posey. I'm also not too sold on Emeka Okafor, who was traded from the Bobcats for Tyson Chandler.

I'm really not sure what to expect from Dallas this year. Shawn Marion could work well in their offense, but missing out on Marcin Gortat in free agency leaves them with Erick Dampier at the 5 for yet another season. I expect Houston to struggle after losing Yao Ming to injury and Artest in free agency. Memphis will be intriguing to watch, but an aged, stubborn Allen Iverson and the troublesome Zach Randolph can't be a good combo to have around their young talent.

Playoff Picture

Yeah, I know, Mustache. I don't have your Thunder in the playoffs. Give 'em a year or two of seasoning, and then we can start talking.