1. Spurs-I think this is going to be a very tight race all season long, but Manu Ginobili has already said he feels great. And as long as he stays healthy this team will win and win and win. I think 66 wins is in play for them. They are just loaded, I don't think there is a better top 9 in the league than what the Spurs throw out there every night. Kudos to upper management for continuing to show the league how a franchise should be run.
2. Lakers-They will still win sixty games, but this year that will only be good enough for 2nd place out west. I think Artest will fit in fine, I just don't think he is as good a player as Ariza. Ariza is quick and long and fits today's style of game better, whereas Artest is old, bulky and slow. He was much more effective 5 years ago when the league wasn't so uptempo and more contact was allowed. So no shame in second in the West, but home court is going to be huge in the playoffs for the Spurs. By the way, these are the only two teams that have any shot out west, everyone else is playing for third place.
3 thru 8 is going to be separated by like four games, so this is really a toss up. But, at the end of the day here is how I think it will play out.
3. Nuggets-They got to the conference finals last year and choked, it's essentially the same team and as long as George Karl stays interested I think this will be a tough team to beat all year long. Plus, believe it or not, I think Carmelo gets his scroing back up around 25ppg. Everything I've read said he is working and motivated and blah blah blah. So that can only help this team.
4. Jazz-Carlos Boozer in a contract year, a healthy Deron Williams, and one of the all time great coaches in Jerry Sloan. What's not to like here? I think Denver, Utah and Portland battle all season for the division crown, and at the end of the day it will come down to tie breakers for the Nuggets and Jazz with the Blazers finishing just a game or two behind. This could be the toughest division in the league.
5. Blazers-A lot of Writers and Sportscasters are predicting them to win the division and finish third behind the Lakers and Spurs. I just don't see it. They play way to slow, Aldridge isn't physical enough down low, Oden isn't going to be the second coming of Bill Russell, and Andre Miller will be wishing he stayed in Philly by the all-star break after averaging only 25 minutes per game coming off the bench. The one thing that could change is if they make a trade. The Blazers still have waaay too many players and not enough minutes. Jerryd Bayless and Nicolas Batum both appear to be in mop up duty, so if they make a move things could change.
6. Mavericks-I like what the Mavs did in the offseason, they are basically going for it. Unfortunately for them, this team is no where near good enough to compete with the Spurs and Lakers. They could however sneak into that three spot. When you look at the roster it's pretty loaded: Dirk, Kidd, Marion, and Terry, but I have always said this team goes as Josh Howard Goes. And he just doesn't seem right and is already banged up with an ankle injury that kept him out of the opener. Since their championship run he has been the do it all guy that holds everything together, and without him playing like he did circa '06, they are pretty much screwed.
7. Hornets-I don't like this team at all. They have three good players in Chris Paul, David West and Emeka Okafor...AND THAT's IT! Chris Paul's greatness will get them into the playoffs, but just barely. Hell they could end up the 8 seed.
8. Suns-Did you know the Suns averaged 117ppg after Alvin Gentry took over last year? I didn't know that. I expect that trend to continue this season and I see the Suns winning and losing a lot of games in the 120s. I think with Nash, Jason Richardson, and Amar'e they have just enough to get into the playoffs. I think it will be one of the most exciting teams to watch, but sadly they don't have the depth or the interior defense to do anything but lose in the first round of the playoffs!
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