NBA Analysis: The Wild, Wild Western Conference

The West was much better than the East going into the season and, with many of the top teams making moves to get even better, it's almost impossible to tell who will come out of the conference on top.

With every game like a playoff game, each team knows that a single win could guarantee them a spot, while a single loss could plummet them out of contention.

Note: The order in which I list these teams is not representative of how I think they will finish. That would spoil the fun of you reading this. Instead, I'll make my prediction for Western Conference champion at the end of the article.

Without further ado, let's get started:

L.A. Lakers (43-18)

The Lakers have been stellar this year with the emergence of the young Andrew Bynum helping to take some pressure off of Kobe Bryant's shoulders.

But one other player Bynum has affected—possibly more than Kobe—is Lamar Odom.

Odom is a terrific athlete, easily capable of playing both forward positions, but the Lakers have had to rely on Odom for a back-to-the-basket presence for quite a while since they have not a had a true post player.

Bynum fixed that this season. This year, Odom is averaging the highest field goal percentage of his career at 50.4 percent. He is also averaging a double-double with 13.6 PPG and 10.1 RPG.

When Bynum went down, L.A. traded for Pau Gasol. Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak should be charged with grand theft after getting Gasol for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, and two first-round picks. Gasol is currently filling in for Bynum as the Lakers sole post presence, but will slide to power forward when Bynum comes back, giving the Lakers the tallest front court in the NBA with Odom (6'10"), Gasol (7'0"), and Bynum (7'0").

Wow, imagine the possibilities.

Phoenix Suns (40-21)

When the Suns announced that Grant Hill would be their starting small forward at the beginning of the season I almost pulled my hair out, partially because I thought he couldn't handle the load at his age, but also because I felt Boris Diaw got absolutely shafted in the deal.

Well, it turns out the Suns knew what they were doing...of course.

Hill has averaged 14.5 PPG and is shooting 34.1 percent from 3-point range in 32.6 minutes per game this season. Not too shabby for a 12-year veteran who made a miraculous recovery from major ankle surgery and a near-fatal staph infection.

How can I talk about the Suns without mentioning Shaquille O'Neal? The "Big Cactus" is in Phoenix, and it's been very hard to tell so far if the Suns made a good decision or a bad decision in trading for him.

As a Sun, O'Neal has averaged 10.0 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 29.3 minutes per game. Not bad stats for O'Neal, but the Suns' stats tell a different story.

In the eight games Shaq has played in a Phoenix uniform the Suns are 3-5. While Shaq gives them an undeniable physical presence down low to go along with Amare Stoudamire, the poor record is going to give new life to the questions about whether or not Shaq fits in with the run 'n gun system that Phoenix uses.

Shaq always seems to have a rebirth in the playoffs though, so watch out for him when April rolls around.

San Antonio Spurs (42-17)

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