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Wild, wild West.
Southwest Division. Projected order of finish and record.
San Antonio Spurs (60-22)
After playoff disappointments in each of the past two years, the Spurs are back to elite status. Being healthy and having acquired Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess, they are one of two teams, in my opinion, that can win the West.
Their division is a little watered-down, and even though their injury bug might be their biggest foe, going against the Spurs’ veteran group of five and Popovich would be like going against Manu in a flopping competition. Veteran teams are always the most dangerous come playoff time, and with a pedigree like the Spurs, expect big things.
Dallas Mavericks (53-29)
The Mavericks are as talented as they’ve been in years. They add Shawn Marion to Nowitzki, Howard, and Kidd, giving them among the most talented groups in the league.
Their age issues can be a concern, but these were the pressing issues last year as well, and Rick Carlisle’s team proved all the naysayers wrong with a trip to the second round of the playoffs.
As much as their starting five will carry them, their bench is lacking in a pretty big way—one main reason why I can’t consider them among the elite teams in the conference.
New Orleans Hornets (50-32)
It is up for debate whether last year or the season before was the aberration for the Hornets, and I tend to think it was last year.
They finished seventh and were obliterated in the first round, only one season after they exceeded any expectations possible.
Chris Paul has become the clear-cut best point guard in the NBA, and is still complemented by West, and now has a new man in the middle in Emeka Okafor.
They absolutely addressed their depth concerns, but their lack of wing scoring will keep them from being a championship threat.
Houston Rockets (45-37)
The team will struggle at first without Yao, Artest, and McGrady, but as we saw two seasons ago, they can rattle off wins with anyone on the court, as long as proper chemistry is developed.
Their young core is okay, led by Scola, Brooks, and the newly-acquired Ariza, and I still believe they will make the playoffs because there aren’t any teams ready to make the jump into postseason contention.
If they get McGrady, and by a long shot, Yao, back from injury late in the season, they will be a bona fide playoff contender and threat to advance.
Memphis Grizzlies (30-52)
A team stuck in the lower end of NBA mediocrity has certainly made concerted efforts to improve by bringing in Iverson and Randolph, but they may have failed to recognize the fact that their locker room might blow come midseason.
The young core is very good, led by Gay, Mayo, and second overall pick Thabeet, but beyond their top six, the looks aren’t very good, and the team as a whole won’t be any good defensively. Memphis will have four players fighting for one ball, as it is almost certain that disaster will strike here.
Northwest Division
(projected order of finish and record)
Portland Trail Blazers (54-28)
This is the year that the Blazers take the next step.
Their young squad finally made the playoffs last year, and winning this tough division is certainly within reach. Andre Miller is the solid point guard that they could have used for years, and the young nucleus led by Roy, Aldridge, and hopefully healthy Greg Oden, is as formidable as it gets in the Northwest.
They disappointed in their first round playoff series against the Rockets, but a young team led by a good coach will learn from those mistakes and deliver for him this year.
Denver Nuggets (52-30)
Everything broke right for the Nuggets last year as they became one of the most dangerous teams in the league. I’m a little more skeptical that things will go exactly according to plan once again, but the Nuggets have the pieces in place to be very good once again.
They didn’t make any major moves in the offseason, and they won’t get a jolt like they did with the Billups trade as they did last year, but Carmelo has become a true NBA elite, and if their veterans veer from injury problems, they can win the division, but are not quite a title threat.
Utah Jazz (48-34)
Talk about a team that is always in the mix.
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