NBA 2009: Examining the Best of the West

Can you believe it?

The Season is tipping off in only 12 days.

The thrill, excitement, and highlight reels are back for another season of dramatic affairs and messy divorces.

This year seems a little preset already, and it hasn't even started. We have a pretty good consensus on who's going to be in the Finals, but we still have to play the season out, just for laughs.

I'm going to be taking a look at some of the western conference's top teams so we can have a better understanding at how the season will play out.

First up, we have the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers had a amazing season last year and followed up by winning the championship. Then over the offseason, they traded swing man Trevor Ariza for the veteran defender Ron Artest in a free agent swap. 

The best team in the west got better.

Ariza was a crucial reason to why the Lakers won the championship last season and people believe that because they lost him, the Lakers won't be able to repeat.

In a way, that makes sense, but that's completely disregarding the fact that the Lakers picked up a better, stronger player to take his place.

Artest has the strength and skill to guard the best player on the other team which will alleviate the defensive responsibilities on Kobe Bryant.

Remember last season when Bryant was struggling to guard Carmelo Anthony in the Western Conference Finals?

But he still managed to score crucial points in the final minutes of the games.

What if Kobe doesn't have to guard Carmelo?

He will be even more rested to score those crucial points.

Not only is he a better defensive player than Ariza but his offensive abilities completely out shadows that of Ariza.

He has the ability to be the top offensive player on a team and at 17 PPG, Phil Jackson can run offense around him. He is going to provide that consistent offense that Phil has always wanted from in Lamar Odom.

Oh, did I mention that they still have Lamar Odom?

His versatility allows him to play all five positions and although he is a pass first, shoot later type of player, the Lakers will have arsenal in their bag if either Kobe, Artest and Gasol are off their game.

Expect a big season from the Lakers, and don't be surprised if they hit the 70-win mark.

San Antonio will finish in second place.

They have really been underrated these past couple of years because of the age factor.

After the Lakers knocked them out of the Western Conference Finals in 2008, the Spurs lost all respect, even though they were in the Conference Finals.

People said that they were too old and they needed to bring in younger players, but it was their veteran leadership that won them four championships in less than a decade.

How does Richard Jefferson sound?

They already have Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.

Now they added another player that can score over 20 PPG which will bring in that offense that they desperately needed.

In case one of their top three players goes down with an injury, they'll be covered because Jefferson is an excellent shooter.

They also have a great developing player in Roger Mason Jr.

Mason was a surprise to everyone last year, as he helped the Spurs finish in second place, including some pretty big clutch shots.

He will be an X-factor for them again as they look to win a championship this season.

Not too far behind them are the Denver Nuggets.

I always looked at the Nuggets as an unfortunate team because they really do have a championship contending team but they won't be winning it.

One of the things they're missing in their championship checklist is poise, and as you all clearly saw in last years playoffs, they don't have it.

Poise is one of those things that doesn't come with a player. It comes with experience and chemistry.

As you grow with a team, you'll learn from your mistakes and realize that your reactions are more important than your actions.

When the Nuggets realize this, they will be that much better. But they still won't be winning a championship because they're still better teams out there.

This is unfortunate for them because as these championship contending teams start losing their edge, so will the Nuggets.

But it will allow teams such as the Portland Trailblazers to take over.

I can totally see the Trailblazers winning a championship early in this next decade but not this season.

They are still young and even though they did get better by adding Andre Miller, its not enough, not yet.

They really don't need to add any pieces for them for to win a championship in the future, they just need to wait for their players to grow, especially Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden.

They need a few more playoff losses before they can start seriously contending for the championship but those players should be their nucleus.

They already got Brandon Roy to commit to a long-term deal. With Aldridge and Oden's contract expiring at the end of the season they will look to do the same.

There have been a lot of changes made and there are some new rookies out there that we should keep an eye on but there is one thing that is pretty safe to say. 

We're going to have a pretty fun season coming up.