NBA Playoffs 2010: Who'll Rise, Fall, or Stay Put (West Conference)

A breakdown of each individual '09 Playoff teams' chances of getting in the 2010 playoffs, and the teams that could replace them.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Lakers - An obvious choice to stay in the playoffs. The only questionable move was how well Artest will fit in with the team, but the Lakers finally picked up Odom, whom Artest grew up with so he has a person to work with during his transition. The Lakers will be just fine getting into the playoffs.

Nuggets - Surprised a good deal of people when they got the No. 2 seed in the West. But it looks like they're loosing more than they gained, and in a conference where most teams are gaining more than they're loosing, the Nuggets will struggle where they've been the past couple seasons again, fighting for the lower seeds in the conference. They probably got lucky (especially considering the lack of injury last season).

Spurs - Got the steal of the offseason in the 29-year-old offensive threat Richard Jefferson followed by what might be the steal of the draft: drafting DeJuan Blair with the 37th overall pick. Again, a team with no problem going into the playoffs, and will have little to no problem going far into the playoffs, despite last year's humiliation in the first round.

Trail Blazers - Finally got a free agent this offseason, who knows how to function in the playoffs. The team has a four-man lineup of stars finally: Oden, Aldridge, Roy, and Miller. The rest of the team consists of a lot of young talent that will take them to the playoffs but struggled in the playoffs last season... so we'll see about depth in the playoffs, but we'll definitely see them there.

Rockets - Down and out. Yao is down and out. Artest is out. Tracy is down, but not out. Aaron Brooks and the Rockets going into the playoffs? No. Not going to happen. The Rockets are out of the picture completely. This team could use a nice draft pick as they start to rebuild a little bit, and may wind up with a high pick that will bring them back into the playoffs. But that's looking too far into the future. The present team will not make the playoffs. Sorry Texas, root for one of your other two NBA cities.

Mavericks - Obviously trying for that last push with their squad this year, acquiring Shawn Marion. They will make their final push, but who knows how far it will actually take them. They will get into the playoffs Dallas, don't worry. Just don't expect in for three more years....

Hornets - Despite the fact that they were the No. 2 team in 2008, there was one major move that I disagree with. Emeka Okafor is better than Tyson Chandler. Tyson Chandler is better than Emeka Okafor for the Hornets though. Chandler works well with CP3, is taller, and fits in the role they need their center to play more than Okafor does. That trade did nothing for either team, except make things worse. This team is the most likely to slide out of the playoffs without people really seeing it coming.

Jazz - A team that is too hard to rank their offseason, because it's not over yet. The Boozer situation has to be resolved. If he stays, no big problem for the team itself, either he or Millsap will win sixth man of the year, and the Jazz will be a playoff squad still. Make the right move for Carlos, and the Jazz will be a higher seeded team than 2009. We'll see, but more than likely we'll see the Jazz in the playoffs.

So we are left with one team out of the playoffs, and a possible second. So the focus will shift to the teams who could make their way into the playoffs in the West.

Suns - An obvious choice as they were the ninth-seeded team last season. However, not a team that improved during the offseason, only really adding Earl Clark, while loosing Shaq and Matt Barnes. Not likely to make the playoffs, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it did happen.

Clippers - Seemed like a team that could make the playoffs last season before the season started, but injuries set them back a few steps. However, with most of those players back, along with Blake Griffin (and Telfair/Smith/Madsen), the Clippers should do what they set out to do last season; make the playoffs.

Grizzlies - The Grizzlies cut the crap this season, and now have a solid squad that consists of nothing but talent. It may not be quite enough to push them into the Playoffs, but a good bit of luck could bring them into the ninth seed early, and could fluctuate up near the end of the season.

Many people have talked about the Thunder and the Warriors making the playoffs, but personally I don't see it with those teams, and it's my article. Just pointing out that some other opinions have predicted those squads entering the playoff picture.

Without Rubio or a good free agent the Timberwolves have no shot.

The Kings are nowhere close either.

The playoffs should look pretty similar, as the teams with the most immediate improvement came from teams already in the playoffs. Houston is going out, and the Clippers are probably the most likely to get in. The Hornets are close to losing it, and the Grizzlies are close to getting it.