The Big Three's 2008-2009 NBA Preview: Western Conference

4. Utah Jazz (52-30, Northwest Division Champion)- The Jazz have a chance to go as high as 2nd or 3rd seed in my opinion, as they didn’t have the injury issues last year that a couple of the teams ahead of them could have this season. Their starting five of Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko, and Ronnie Brewer all played in 72 games or more, and if they’re able to stay healthy that consistently again this coming season (and hopefully have Kirilenko return to his old self, or at least closer to his old self) then I think they’ve got a chance to get home court advantage in the first or possibly even second round of the playoffs this upcoming season. They’ve got the inside-out combination of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer to be successful, and a solid supporting cast around them as well. Kyle Korver looks to be a big part of their rotation coming off the bench, and his shooting ability could give the Jazz the spark they need to once again win 50+ games and get a top 5 seed in the West.

5. Phoenix Suns (51-31, 2nd Place Pacific Division)- The Shaquille O’Neal trade could hurt the Suns next season, and I doubt he’s able to play over 60 games next year. He should make another drop in production next year, and with the loss of coach Mike D’Antoni, the Sun in Phoenix could finally be setting. They have a talented rotation, led by two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash and All-Star power forward Amare Stoudemire, but if injuries hit the team, the depth looks bleak. Grant Hill and Shaquille O’Neal could take big hits in production this upcoming season, and I don’t think both will be able to play over 60 games. This isn’t the team of the past few years, with the fun run & gun style preferred by D’Antoni, and new head coach Terry Porter could make some changes with the offensive system this coming season. They’re no longer going to dominate the regular season; in fact, I see winning a little less than 50 games a real possibility for the upcoming season. The Suns are no longer an elite team in the Western Conference, and their title hopes are likely vanquished unless they can manage to stay healthy a full season and have enough left in the tank for the playoffs, and by some miracle knock out three top Western Conference opponents, which I don’t see possible.

6. San Antonio Spurs (50-32, 3rd Place Southwest Division)- The main reason I have San Antonio ranked so low is that the Spurs are not a regular season team anymore, and though they managed to pull of 56 wins last season I have some concerns as to whether they will be able to handle losing one of the big three for an extended period of time, and though they have inserted some youth this coming season, rookie George Hill and the young Ian Mahinmi will need some developing to do, and if one of the big three drop, I see the team going on a losing streak. The Spurs should still be happy with a 49-win season, and this doesn’t mean I’m excluding them from the possibility of winning a championship, but I think the Western Conference has gotten so strong that it will be tough for them to finish with a record like they did last season, but they will definitely bring their all come playoff time. I hope they prove me wrong, but I’m thinking they won’t be in the top three again next season.

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