The (First) Dime: Quarterly Thoughts on the NBA's Best...er, West

Welcome to the Dime, everybody!

My name’s Jared Wright. I’m a self-described and highly-opinionated sports fanatic…and semi-regular armchair quarterback.

I hope to have this weekly article every Thursday or Friday (depending on the fascistic work schedule of my boss), and I hope you all enjoy it.

Usually I’d point out 10 things of interest around the NBA (winter) or MLB (summer), what I call cents, but I thought I’d instead provide a quarterly analysis of all 30 NBA teams, with stats, what's next on the schedule, and general thoughts on the teams.

Since this article would be much too long if I did all the NBA in one night, I decided to split them by conference, which is more streamlined for you and less midnight-oil burning for me. Good times all around!

The Western Conference is the subject for this week. For those out East, never fear; your teams are coming next week. I’ve listed the teams by their current rank by record, with the Lakers first and the hapless Thunder where they belong—last.

(It should be noted that all stats and records are as of December 4, 2008)

So, without further ado and rambling…

Los Angeles Lakers (15-2, first in the Pacific Division)

Top Scorer: Kobe Bryant, 25.1 PPG (led team in 14 games)

Top Rebounder: Pau Gasol, 9.2 RPG

Top Assists Man: Bryant, 4.1 APG

The skinny: All summer long, people have been saying that this team has the potential to win it all, with an experienced Kobe finally backed by legitimate helpers not named Shaq.

Bryant isn’t playing as many minutes as he did in the old I-gotta-score-40-every-night days, but he’s still getting his points in typical Kobe fashion—every way he can. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum give the Lakers two pieces of seven-foot timber in the lane, and they have a solid bench too.

Upcoming schedule: The Lake Show hasn’t been hitting the road much lately, and that trend will continue with five of their next seven at Staples. After that, they go on a four-game road trip before their much-anticipated throw-down with the Celtics on Christmas Day.

Portland Trail Blazers (14-6, first in the Northwest Division)

Top Scorer: Brandon Roy, 21.1 PPG (led team in 14 games)

Top Rebounder: Joel Pryzbilla, 8.0 RPG

Top Assists Man: Roy, 5.3 APG

The skinny: No one in Portland expected this. The Blazers had arguably the most difficult start to their season in the entire NBA. Their first five games were against teams that won 50 or more games last season and two-thirds of their first 24 games on the road.

Yet, behind the steady play of Brandon Roy, and the solid support of their deep bench, they’ve attained the second-best record in the West at this early stage of the season.

Upcoming schedule: Portland is in the midst of a five-game Eastern swing, but afterwards they get 11 of 14 at the Rose Garden, where they haven’t been beaten in seven games.

Denver Nuggets (13-7, second in the Northwest)

Top Scorer: Carmelo Anthony, 19.8 PPG (led team in seven games)

Top Rebounder: Anthony, 8.1 RPG

Top Assists Man: Chauncey Billups, 7.0 APG

The skinny: I remember several analysts on ESPN saying what a great trade for both teams it was when the Nuggets dealt Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups. This trade will be remembered much more fondly in Denver than in Detroit, I think—especially considering the tear these guys have gone on since then.

Before the season, with the departure of Marcus Camby, I doubted whether the Nuggets could make the playoffs. With Billups, not only will they make the playoffs, but they’ll contend for the Northwest title and make some serious noise in the postseason.

Upcoming schedule: Denver has a pretty even split between home and road games for December. They play a home-and-home, back-to-back with Portland December 22-23—definitely ones to watch.

Houston Rockets (12-7, first in the Southwest Division)

Top Scorer: Yao Ming, 18.2 PPG (led team in seven games)

Top Rebounder: Yao, 9.3 RPG

Top Assists Man: Rafer Alston, 5.0 APG

The skinny: The Rockets haven’t been totally healthy. I know—understatement of the year, right? Pretty much everyone that contributes to this team has had some sort of injury, with Tracy McGrady missing large chunks of time.

However, Rick Adelman is holding these guys together, winning with a good bench and the steady play of Yao Ming and Ron Artest. Adelman should be a Coach of the Year candidate simply for winning 12 of 19 with this collection of glass jaws and creaky joints.

Upcoming schedule: After a nearly-even seven-game stretch, they start a four-game roadie, and then have a three-game homestand. After that, they leave Houston again, this time for five on the road. Not many games of note—they do get Atlanta and New Orleans at home, but they travel to Cleveland on December 23.

Utah Jazz (12-8, third in the Northwest)

Top Scorer: Carlos Boozer, 20.5 PPG (led team in nine games)

Top Rebounder: Boozer, 11.7 RPG

Top Assists Man: Deron Williams, 10.1 APG

The skinny: There can’t be enough great things said about Jerry Sloan. Without his stud point guard (Deron Williams) for much of the season, he’s been able to patch together a successful lineup night in and night out, and stay competitive in the increasingly-tough Northwest.

Now with Williams back, the Jazz look to reassert themselves in the West, and keep some distance between themselves and Phoenix and the other Southwest teams for playoff positioning.

Upcoming schedule: The Jazz get no immediate favors. After Utah plays their next three games, they host Portland and Orlando, and then go on a five-game Eastern road trip, beginning at Boston.

Phoenix Suns (11-9, second in the Pacific)

Top Scorer: Amare Stoudemire, 22.4 PPG (led team in 10 games)

Top Rebounder: Shaquille O’Neal, 8.3 RPG

Top Assists Man: Steve Nash, 8.2 APG

The skinny: Under Mike D’Antoni, the Suns were high-flyin’, stylin’-and-profilin’, runnin’-and-gunnin’ machines—and Amare Stoudemire wants that all back. Phoenix’s main man has repeatedly whined about wanting to be the main man again. This while Steve Nash is shivering from the flu, Shaq is resting his aging bones, and the Suns are losers of four straight.

Memo to Amare: stop your bellyaching, trust Terry Porter and buy into his system. It might not get you a championship—but then again, your old coach’s run-and-gun gimmicks didn’t either.

Upcoming schedule: Phoenix gets served a helping heap of home cooking, with six of their next eight and 10 of 13 at home. They play Utah, the Lakers, and Orlando within the next eight days.

New Orleans Hornets (10-6, second in the Southwest)

Top Scorer: Chris Paul, 20.6 PPG (led team in six games)

Top Rebounder: Tyson Chandler, 8.0 RPG

Top Assists Man: Paul, 11.8 APG

The skinny: If there’s one team in the NBA that has had a pretty solid, pedestrian start, it’s New Orleans. The Hornets are right in the thick of it, currently led by the best point guard in the NBA. Chris Paul and his trusty mates (David West, Tyson Chandler, and James Posey) are always dangerous, very exciting to watch, and have had a taste of playoff success.

The little birds online have been talking about these guys potentially making a run at the Finals—somewhat premature I think, but he who doubts CP3 would do better to place his doubt elsewhere.

Upcoming schedule: After two games at home against cupcakes, they get a couple of three-game roadies sandwiching a three-game home stretch, beginning with Boston. N’awlins also plays the Lakers, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando in that span.

Dallas Mavericks (10-8, tied for third in the Southwest)

Top Scorer: Dirk Nowitzki, 25.1 PPG (led team in 10 games)

Top Rebounder: Nowitzki, 8.9 RPG

Top Assists Man: Jason Kidd, 8.5 APG

The skinny: I dare you to find a hotter team than Dallas right now not named L.A. or Boston. After dropping seven of their first nine, the Mavs have since won eight of their last nine games.

Dirk Nowitzki dropped 39 points on the Suns in securing their latest win, which puts them right in the thick of things in the West. If they want to keep this momentum going through the New Year, Jason Terry will need to continue providing scoring support.

Upcoming schedule: Dallas is currently homestanding for seven games. After that, they leave for a three-game Eastern trip before playing Memphis at American Airlines Center. They play the Trail Blazers on Christmas Day.

San Antonio Spurs (10-8,  tied for third in the Southwest)

Top Scorer: Tony Parker, 23.0 PPG (led team in four games)

Top Rebounder: Tim Duncan, 10.3 RPG

Top Assists Man: Parker, 6.2 APG

The skinny: It’s safe to say these old fogies had a rough start. Without Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker for lengths of time, the Spurs have been far from extraordinary.

However, all San Antonio has to do is hang around and get healthy until the fast starts of teams like Portland and Denver sputter and even out, then go on their own run—usually during the Rodeo Road Trip. It isn’t how you start, chaps and chicks, it’s how you finish.

Upcoming schedule: The Spurs have an even mix of road and home games. Looking at the schedule, no single game really jumped out at me—meaning San Antonio should have a good month.

Golden State Warriors (5-13, third in the Pacific)

Top Scorer: Jamal Crawford, 20.3 PPG (most with NYK)

Top Rebounder: Andris Biedrins, 12.4 RPG

Top Assists Man: Stephen Jackson, 6.6 APG

The skinny: Golden State should never have let Baron Davis go. Sure, the former guard for the Warriors got hurt quite a bit, but when he was around, he was the sole reason the Warriors went on those great runs. In short, he made them relevant.

Now with Davis languishing playing for L.A.’s stepchild team, the Warriors again have slipped into their ancestral losing ways, dropping seven straight games. No amount of Don Nelson’s magic can turn their season around, I’m afraid, even though Golden State gave him a nice new contract.

Upcoming schedule: It doesn’t get any easier for the Warriors—10 of their next 14 are on the road, including games against Atlanta, Houston, the Lakers, Denver, and Orlando. Oh yeah—Boston comes calling, too.

Minnesota Timberwolves (Record: 4-13, fourth in the Northwest)

Top Scorer: Al Jefferson, 21.2 PPG (led team in 10 games)

Top Rebounder: Jefferson, 10.1 RPG

Top Assists Man: Randy Foye, 5.7 APG

The skinny: One positive for the T’Wolves—Al Jefferson is a total beast. Anyone that averages a double-double per game is worth building a team around.

Unfortunately, Kevin McHale hasn’t done much building lately—Minnesota will regret not keeping Brandon Roy for quite a while to come…at least, if I have anything to say about it.

With Corey Brewer out for the year and several other youngsters still learning the game, this will continue to be a learning year for Randy Whitman’s crew.

Upcoming schedule: Minnesota’s schedule is no place to be right now—after playing New Jersey and the Clippers, their next opponents in order are: Utah, at Denver, San Antonio, at Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento, Cleveland, Houston, and a second time against the Spurs. It’s hard to see the Wolves making much progress against that lineup.

Sacramento Kings (5-15, fourth in the Pacific)

Top Scorer: Kevin Martin, 22.4 PPG (led team in five games)

Top Rebounder: Brad Miller, 8.0 RPG

Top Assists Man: Beno Udrih, 5.3 APG

The skinny: Before the season started, there weren’t many people that gave the Kings a chance in the deeper-than-deep Western Conference. Most thought the Kings’ lack of overall talent, plus the loss of Ron Artest, would mean a decline in performance.

But with Kevin Martin hurt for much of the year, they’ve been downright stinky. They’ve lost their last seven games, and have been consistently overmatched.

Reggie Theus’ job is in constant danger—it’s only a matter of time before the Maloof brothers, the guys that own the Kings, give Reggie the axe—and much of this isn’t even Theus’ fault.

Upcoming schedule: After a five-game stretch that includes a home-and-home against the Lakers, Sacramento hits the road to play Portland, Houston, New Orleans and San Antonio.  This isn’t going to help with Theus’ job security.

Memphis Grizzlies (4-14, fifth in the Southwest)

Top Scorer: O.J. Mayo, 21.3 PPG (led team in nine games)

Top Rebounder: Marc Gasol, 6.9 RPG

Top Assists Man: Mike Conley Jr., 4.0 APG

The skinny: What people have to remember when discussing the Grizzlies is that they’re very young and raw. The guys above—O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol, and Mike Conley, along with Rudy Gay—have the makings of a very firm foundation for Memphis.

I’m reminded of the Trail Blazers of a few years back. They had just drafted Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, and were in the process of trading the chaff so they could let the wheat ferment in peace. It’s not the same situation in Memphis, but the message is the same for fans of the Grizz, all eight of you—be patient.

Upcoming schedule: The Grizzlies have seven of their next nine games at home, which should help a young team like theirs. During this stretch, they play New Orleans both at home and on the road, host Houston, and host the Lakers.

Los Angeles Clippers (3-15, fifth in the Pacific)

Top Scorer: Zach Randolph, 21.0 PPG (most w/ NYK)

Top Rebounder: Marcus Camby, 10.5 RPG

Top Assists Man: Baron Davis, 8.1 APG

The skinny: The Los Angeles Clippers have what I like to call “Detroit Lions Syndrome”—no matter what free agent they sign, no matter what touted draft pick they bring in, no matter who their coach is, they always find a way to totally stink up a joint.

Winning seasons for L.A.’s stepchild are as rare as warm weather in Alaska. They have a logjam at both the four and five positions (though Chris Kaman’s injury should ease the pressure there for a bit), they have an okay coach who also is a bad GM (Mike Dunleavy), and they have a prodigal son in Baron Davis, who can’t do for the Clippers what he did for the Warriors.

Maybe if Donald Sterling sold the team to Starbucks, and they shipped them up to Seattle, and renamed them the Seattle SuperSonics—maybe, just maybe, the bad Clipper mojo would end.

Maybe.

Upcoming schedule: The schedule gods are kind to the Stepchildren for a while, as the only tough games during this stretch of seven out of nine on the road are against Portland, Houston and Orlando—and they get the latter two in the Lakers’ building, as well.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2-17, fifth in the Northwest)

Top Scorer: Kevin Durant, 22.3 PPG (led team in 15 games)

Top Rebounder: Robert Swift, 6.3RPG

Top Assists Man: Earl Watson, 5.8 APG

The skinny: Whatever Clay Bennett envisioned after he stole the Sonics and moved them to Oklahoma City; it sure as hell wasn’t this. A 13-game losing streak, a head coach getting fired, and the one-man team of Kevin Durant are all the newly-christened Thunder have to show up for their inaugural campaign so far. I don’t think Seattle is going to miss this bunch.

Fair warning to whoever gets the sad-sack job of coaching this sorry lot—it will be a while before Oklahoma City is competitive, and your boss will have a short leash on you.

Upcoming schedule: Out of the Thunder’s next 16 games, the only ones that can give real cause for worry are roadies at Orlando, Dallas, and San Antonio. Okie City residents will be treated to a real show when LeBron shows up and outscores the whole Thunder team sans Durant.

Whew! Glad that’s over…What!? I have to do the Eastern Conference next week!? Oh well…*sigh*

Till then, may the Thunder never strike you twice (they certainly won’t beat you twice).