NBA Western Conference

Wild, wild West.

Southwest Division. Projected order of finish and record.

San Antonio Spurs (60-22)

After playoff disappointments in each of the past two years, the Spurs are back to elite status. Being healthy and having acquired Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess, they are one of two teams, in my opinion, that can win the West.

Their division is a little watered-down, and even though their injury bug might be their biggest foe, going against the Spurs’ veteran group of five and Popovich would be like going against Manu in a flopping competition. Veteran teams are always the most dangerous come playoff time, and with a pedigree like the Spurs, expect big things.

Dallas Mavericks (53-29)

The Mavericks are as talented as they’ve been in years. They add Shawn Marion to Nowitzki, Howard, and Kidd, giving them among the most talented groups in the league.

Their age issues can be a concern, but these were the pressing issues last year as well, and Rick Carlisle’s team proved all the naysayers wrong with a trip to the second round of the playoffs.

As much as their starting five will carry them, their bench is lacking in a pretty big way—one main reason why I can’t consider them among the elite teams in the conference.

New Orleans Hornets (50-32)

It is up for debate whether last year or the season before was the aberration for the Hornets, and I tend to think it was last year.

They finished seventh and were obliterated in the first round, only one season after they exceeded any expectations possible.

Chris Paul has become the clear-cut best point guard in the NBA, and is still complemented by West, and now has a new man in the middle in Emeka Okafor.

They absolutely addressed their depth concerns, but their lack of wing scoring will keep them from being a championship threat.

Houston Rockets (45-37)

The team will struggle at first without Yao, Artest, and McGrady, but as we saw two seasons ago, they can rattle off wins with anyone on the court, as long as proper chemistry is developed.

Their young core is okay, led by Scola, Brooks, and the newly-acquired Ariza, and I still believe they will make the playoffs because there aren’t any teams ready to make the jump into postseason contention.

If they get McGrady, and by a long shot, Yao, back from injury late in the season, they will be a bona fide playoff contender and threat to advance.

Memphis Grizzlies (30-52)

A team stuck in the lower end of NBA mediocrity has certainly made concerted efforts to improve by bringing in Iverson and Randolph, but they may have failed to recognize the fact that their locker room might blow come midseason.

The young core is very good, led by Gay, Mayo, and second overall pick Thabeet, but beyond their top six, the looks aren’t very good, and the team as a whole won’t be any good defensively. Memphis will have four players fighting for one ball, as it is almost certain that disaster will strike here.

Northwest Division

(projected order of finish and record)

Portland Trail Blazers (54-28)

This is the year that the Blazers take the next step.

Their young squad finally made the playoffs last year, and winning this tough division is certainly within reach. Andre Miller is the solid point guard that they could have used for years, and the young nucleus led by Roy, Aldridge, and hopefully healthy Greg Oden, is as formidable as it gets in the Northwest.

They disappointed in their first round playoff series against the Rockets, but a young team led by a good coach will learn from those mistakes and deliver for him this year.

Denver Nuggets (52-30)

Everything broke right for the Nuggets last year as they became one of the most dangerous teams in the league. I’m a little more skeptical that things will go exactly according to plan once again, but the Nuggets have the pieces in place to be very good once again.

They didn’t make any major moves in the offseason, and they won’t get a jolt like they did with the Billups trade as they did last year, but Carmelo has become a true NBA elite, and if their veterans veer from injury problems, they can win the division, but are not quite a title threat.

Utah Jazz (48-34)

Talk about a team that is always in the mix.

They became sloppy down the stretch last year as they fell to the eighth seed and an early playoff exit, but they have to be healthier this season.

Deron Williams and the offensive options at his arsenal cause matchup problems for all opponents, and though the status of Boozer on this team is uncertain, locking up Millsap was a crucial move for Utah.

They have good size and depth, and though by no means are they elite in the conference; they sure as heck will be a playoff team this year.

Oklahoma City Thunder (37-45)

They got off to a dreadful start last season, and after making a coaching change were much improved. There had to be some adjustment period after re-locating and without a doubt I can say the Thunder is not far away from being a good team.

Durant will have a true breakout season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he led the league in scoring. He is surrounded by good, young complements in Green, Westbrook, and Harden, and as long as Oklahoma City can get off to a good start, they will hang around for most of the year.

Minnesota Timberwolves (28-54)

They would obviously be a bigger draw if Rubio was here, and what was with drafting all those point guards this year?

They have a good and hopefully healthy young core with the return of Al Jefferson and acquisition of Ramon Sessions.

I still don’t think they’ll be worth watching, but they are well on their way to becoming a contender along with a number of other teams in the West.

The Garnett trades set them back 10 years, and still have a lot more work to do before becoming good once again.

Pacific Division

(projected order of finish and record)

Los Angeles Lakers (64-18)

The Lakers are far and away the best team in the West.

The defending champs made some minor changes, with the one major one being Artest for Ariza. They are led by the great duo of Bryant and Gasol, a twosome complemented by secondary players like Bynum and Odom.

The only way I see this team faltering in either the regular season or postseason will be if chemistry is a problem, which is a possibility as long as you have Ron Artest on your team.

Their division is them and a bunch of doggish teams—a big year for the Lake Show.

Phoenix Suns (43-39)

Their style is worn and old, and they don’t have the pieces to run and gun anymore. Some still say that their contention window is still open. I say it shut at least a year ago.

They never won anything of value with this core, but still have a formidable team that could make the playoffs.

Nash and Stoudemire are still a solid duo, but outside of those two, and maybe Jason Richardson, their roster is ghastly.

They haven’t done a great job through the draft, and unless they discover some fresh legs, they won’t be a playoff team this year.

Los Angeles Clippers (40-42)

The Clips are much improved, but still may not be a team suited for playoff basketball.

They have a strong starting five, but injury problems have already struck Blake Griffin, and certainly are not foreign to Davis and Camby.

On paper, they’re actually not too bad, with the exception of short depth in the backcourt. I’d pick the Clippers if they weren’t associated with the franchise name, but it seems too good to be true. They’re still just the Clippers, and though they might be competitive, they won’t make the playoffs.

Golden State Warriors (36-46)

By no means do the Warriors have a subpar collection of players, it just seems like a rather volatile group.

Stephen Jackson already wants out, and others will probably follow his lead. However, their foundation is offensive, and based in their young players, some of whom are good: Randolph, Morrow, and Curry.

The West has too many good proven playoff teams and teams ready to make the playoffs that a team like this with turmoil in the front office doesn’t have much of a prayer of cracking those ever so coveted eight spots.

Sacramento Kings (24-58)

From glory to dread in just five years, the Kings have rather quickly become the NBA’s worst team.

They’ve gutted the roster of veterans and have put their stock in the future. They haven’t wound up with a franchise player, such as a Durant or Griffin, but do have a building block in Evans that they can put a lot of stock in. That lottery pick is complemented by solid players in Martin and Hawes.

They’ll be rebuilding this year and for years to come, as the Kings desperately lack the talent to compete.

All Western-Conference First Team

C-Yao Ming, Houston (injured-foot)
F-Tim Duncan, San Antonio
F-Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
G-Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers
G-Chris Paul, New Orleans

All Western-Conference Second Team

C-Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix
F-Carmelo Anthony, Denver
F-Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City
G-Brandon Roy, Portland
G-Deron Williams, Utah

All Western-Conference Third Team

C-Pau Gasol, LA Lakers
F-David West, New Orleans
F-Rudy Gay, Memphis
G-Chauncey Billups, Denver
G-Tony Parker, San Antonio

The photo to the right shows Chris Paul in a position that the 2008-09 edition of the Hornets could ill-afford him to be in—sitting on the bench.

Last season, when Paul or All-Star teammate David West were either on the bench or having an off-night, the odds were better than even that the Hornets were going to have a rough night.

Coach Byron Scott, being no fool, understood this quite well. As a consequence, Paul averaged 38.5 minutes per game. West averaged about 15 seconds per game fewer than Paul. 

Early last season, the Hornets reaped the benefits of the play of Paul and West, but also paid the price. With less than a month to go in the season, New Orleans appeared to be a strong contender for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference.

However, starting with a loss to the Golden State Warriors on April 3, the Hornets dropped six of their last eight regular-season games, finishing in fourth place in their division. The Hornets looked too old and too tired to finish games in the home stretch.

Following the season-end collapse, was an embarrassing playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. Winning in five games, the Nuggets average point differential was plus-20, including a humiliating 121-63 loss in Game Four.

Coach Scott and general manager Jeff Bower performed some major roster surgery in the offseason. The roster at the end of last season was:

Hilton Armstrong	F-C
Ryan Bowen	F
Devin Brown	G
Rasual Butler	G-F
Tyson Chandler	C
Antonio Daniels	G
Melvin Ely	C
Mike James	G
Sean Marks	F-C
Chris Paul	G
Morris Peterson	F
James Posey	F-G
Peja Stojakovic	F-G
David West	F
Julian Wright	F

Gone now are Bowen, Butler, Chandler, Daniels, Ely, and James. When healthy, Chandler added some defense and dunks. Butler was a well-liked player but was a small forward trying to play shooting guard. Other than that, the rest of these players were non-contributors. 

In place of the old Hornets, new players in the backcourt are Bobby Brown, Marcus Thornton, and Darren Collison. In the frontcourt, the Hornets have added Emeka Okafor, Darius Songaila, and Ike Diogu.

On this eve of the Hornets' season opener, all Hornets fans want to know: Are the 2009 Hornets better than the 2008 Hornets?

Without a doubt. There is no question that, as a group, the additions to the roster are better than the subtractions.

The Hornets have what appears to be a legitimate backup point guard in Collison. This should allow Paul to shave a few minutes of playing time each game. Thornton, who right now is a defensive liability, is a fearless slasher that the Hornets have not had since relocating to the Big Easy.

Okafor, Songaila, and Diogu will certainly be more productive than Bowen, Chandler, and Ely. This will provide West with some needed time to catch his breath.

New Orleans is carrying two rookies on its season-opening roster.

This is significant, as no rookie has made the Hornets in the past two seasons. The personnel changes have moved the average age of the Hornets from 29 years, 10 months down to 28 years.

Scott has been accused in the past of not having the patience to develop young, raw talent. Hence the early exit of the likes of players such as Brandon Bass and JR Smith. Hornets fans should keep an eye out for the development of rookies Collison and Thornton.

The Hornets are improved. Will the new team gel and play like a team? That is up to Scott.

Will they have an improved record and go deep into the playoffs? Probably not.

The competition in the Western Conference has not been sitting still watching the Hornets remake its roster. Assuming that he behaves himself, Ron Artest should be a boost for the Lakers.

With the addition of Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, and DeJuan Blair, the San Antonio Spurs could challenge the Lakers for first seed in the conference.

Portland is an enigma but is probably solid as the third-place team in the West.

As shown in the playoffs, the Nuggets are better than the Hornets.

This leaves the Mavericks, Jazz, Hornets, and Suns to battle out for the remaining playoff spots. Before the Blake Griffin injury, I would have included the Clippers in this mix.

The hairline fracture in his kneecap suffered in the last preseason game is supposed to keep him out six weeks. Don't bet on seeing much from Griffin until January, at the earliest.

In my next column, I will take a detailed player-by-player look at the Hornets' new roster and make some evaluations and projections. Stay tuned.

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.

Check out the full article at NBA Primetime by clicking here!

After writing about the NBA Eastern Conference's Three Rising Teams of 2009-10, I have decided to go ahead and give my two cents on the Western Conference and two teams (that did not make the playoffs) that have an opportunity to break into possible contention for the playoffs.

Golden State Warriors

Whaaat? The Warriors? No way, the team that won less than 30 games last season is going to compete for a seed in the postseason this year?

In all honesty, the Warriors do indeed have a chance to make the playoffs this season.

Golden State's core consists of two veterans (Jackson and Maggette) and a vast amount of young potential.

Athletes like rookie Stephen Curry, point guard C.J. Watson, Anthony Morrow, Brandan Wright, and especially Anthony Randolph each have extreme upside to emerge as top-notch players in the game.

Standing 6'10", Randolph finally received the liberty to show his supreme versatility during the second half of last season, posting consistent double-doubles, including an above-average amount of steals and blocks per game.

Aside from the young guns, the Warriors also have trouble-maker Monta Ellis on their squad. Once Ellis puts all his focus back onto his game, he will once again emerge as a top-tier shooting guard in the NBA.

In addition, Golden State also has the Latvian center Andris Biedrins, who enjoyed a breakout season last year by posting career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game and averaged a double-double on the season.

On paper, the Warriors look like a solid team and one that should be able to compete during the upcoming season. If the injury bug avoids their players, Golden State could be in for an exciting and amped-up season.

Los Angeles Clippers

Believe it or not, the Clippers look like a legit team heading into the 2009-10 season. Yes, analysts were stating the same thing last offseason, but this year is completely different.

How, might you ask, has the team changed from having a 23.2 percent winning percentage from just one season ago to possibly contending for a playoff seed?

Well, the answer is rather simple; it's called gaining more experience and acquiring a player named Blake Griffin.

With a revamped Baron Davis running the point, the Clippers can expect BD to return to his top-five point guard form, if he can stay healthy all year long.

Along with B-Diddy, LA is another team suffocated with young talent. Players like shooting guard Eric Gordon and small forward Al Thornton each proved their worth last season, when they both averaged 16-plus points per game.

Gordon showed excellent shooting consistency, draining 45.6 percent of his shots and 85.4 percent of his free throws while knocking down 131 total three-pointers.

The 6'8" Al Thornton also stepped up his role last season with career numbers: 16.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.5 APG, 44.6% FG%, 37.4 MPG.

Centers Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman are also determined to make a statement this season. After each going down with a nagging injury last year, the big men are out to show that nothing will not prevent them from making a serious impact this season.

Last but not least, the main reason that the Clippers will have any hope in making it to the postseason will be because of rookie forward Blake Griffin.

After seeing Griffin absolutely annihilate every college athlete while playing for Oklahoma, it looks like the young forward is more than ready to step into the starting role for LA.

With his incredible stature and unimaginable mindset, Griffin will look to show the NBA world that he is the real deal.

If the Clippers can keep their heads up high and put in the effort throughout the season, they will be a team that competes for the title during the playoffs.

Check out the full article at NBA Primetime by clicking here!

This is part two of my NBA preview. To see my thoughts on the Eastern Conference, see my previous article: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/233815-joes-eastern-conference-preview-for-20092010.

Though the top teams in the Eastern Conference have improved considerably in the last few years, the West is still the superior conference.

The bottom tier of the West is extremely weak, but it has a healthy second tier of quality teams that would all be a major threat in the east.

Much like my other article, I have included notes on the dividing line for the various tiers of quality within the league.

1) Lakers—This isn't exactly a surprise. Kobe and Gasol is probably the best inside-out combo in the league. Odom and Artest are talented forwards and Andrew Bynum still has significant upside. They can go big or small up front and are generally a tough team to deal with.

2) Spurs—If Ginobili stays healthy, they're a legitimate threat for #1. They need his versatile offensive repertoire and shooting ability to balance the interior dominance of Duncan and the slashing ability of Parker. Jefferson will work as a third option if Manu misses 20 games or so, but they'll need him in the playoffs. Hill, Blair, McDyess, and Mason should let them give their stars some chances to rest.

---Drop-off, though nowhere near as big as the one from 3 to 4 in the East---

3) Nuggets—I think Melo has a much better year on paper this season, and Billups also helps a lot. Their frontcourt is solid but not spectacular with Martin, Nene, and Anderson, and Smith adds an explosive wing scorer. If they have injury issues with any of their starters, they are likely to drop several spots.

4) Trailblazers—I honestly didn't realize they won 54 games last year. They had a quietly successful season despite a somewhat weak supporting cast. Roy was great and Aldridge was solid, but the rest of their roster was average or worse. They have a lot of intriguing players but they don't all produce.

Miller is an upgrade at the point, but I honestly think Hinrich would have been a better fit because he is more capable of playing off the ball and a better outside shooter to capitalize on the attention Roy gets.

They have the potential to blow up as a team if Oden or Fernandez become an above average starter. They'd also be scary if they could get an elite sniping wing like Michael Redd or Kevin Martin, which may be possible given their collection of talented young guys and the general ineptitude of those player's respective teams.

5) Mavericks—They have plenty of shooters with Dirk, Terry, and Howard. Kidd is still relatively effective at the point and Marion is still a solid athlete. However, I can't see them playing enough D to be a real contender. They don't have a true center, and Kidd and Terry can't guard anyone at this point.

I'd feel a lot better about this team if they had another truly elite second scorer instead of two okay ones to complement Dirk, as he hasn't gotten much done when it matters of late.

6) Hornets—The supporting cast was fairly poor last year, but Paul and West are still elite. Okafor gives them a little more scoring inside than Chandler did, but they're still a capable wing short of being really dangerous.

7) Jazz—I'd probably leave them here even if they were to trade Boozer for junk, though I'd also likely drop them below the cut-off. Williams is still one of the best point guards around and they have enough punch inside even without Boozer to stay competitive. I also really like Brewer as a complementary player at the 2.

---drop-off---

8) Suns—They'll still score in bunches, but they were horrendous defensively last year and there's no real reason to expect that to improve.

Thanks to cost-cutting measures over the last several years that cost the team Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, and picks that could have brought them guys like Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, Rajon Rondo, or Rudy Fernandez, this team is unfortunately past its peak and no real threat to win anything.

9) Thunder—They should come out on top of a rather uninspiring group of bottom feeders out West. They have a ton of interesting wing players but basically nothing inside, which will prevent them from doing too much in the standings.

For them to win significantly more than 30 games, Durant will have to improve his defense and cut his turnovers or Westbrook will have to make significant strides in becoming a true point guard.

10) Clippers—This may sound weird, but they actually have an interesting collection of talent. Gordon and Griffin are highly talented young players, Davis is one of the better point guards in the league when he wants to be, and when healthy, Kaman and Camby are great at doing the dirty work inside.

They still have no depth, will likely have some chemistry issues, and are highly injury prone, but could be interesting down the road if they move one of their spare big men for something useful.

11) Warriors—This roster looks a lot more interesting on paper than it really is, especially when Nellie is playing the wrong guys. Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette have talent but take way more shots than they should, and Monta Ellis is not a point guard.

They also insist on going incredibly small despite the fact that they have two talented young power forwards, making life extremely difficult for Biedrins.

I'd like this team an awful lot more if they dumped Jackson and Maggette for whatever they could get, picked up a legit passing point guard like Sessions, and played a lineup of Sessions-Ellis-Azubuike-Randolph-Biedrins with Curry, Wright and Morrow coming off the bench.

Then maybe between the slashing of Ellis and the potential development of Randolph and Wright you might have something, instead of a team stuck going nowhere letting talented players rot on the bench because Nelson doesn't like them.

---drop-off to the teams in the race for John Wall---

12) Rockets—This is going to be an ugly year for them. I think on paper you can make a case that they're the worst team in the league, especially while McGrady is hurt.

However, they always seem to out-perform their talent because they have a number of solid, productive role players. They don't have a single player I'd be comfortable having as one of my top-2 scorers, but somehow I think they'll make it work well enough to finish ahead of some more dysfunctional teams.

13) Timberwolves—I love Jefferson, Love is a double-double guy, and Flynn looks like he'll be a legit point, but their wing players are atrocious. You'll probably see a lot of games where Jefferson goes for 25-10 and they still only score 88 points.

That's what happens when you waste the #5 pick on a guy that is going to stay in Europe.

It also doesn't help that Jefferson and Love are average athletes at best and should both be playing PF, which kills their defense. They need a complete overhaul, which is pretty pathetic given how young their roster is.

14) Grizzlies—Zach Randolph? Really? That move made no sense whatsoever. Now they're probably going to play a brutal frontcourt of Randolph and Thabeet regularly while benching the decent but not stellar Marc Gasol, which will probably cost them wins.

Mayo and Gay will spend the entire year trading awful contested shots on the way to another sub-30 win season. It's a shame, because they're both very talented players stuck on a messed up roster, and Conley quietly played well down the stretch as well.

15) Kings—They were the worst team in the league last season, and I don't really see them making major strides.

I really don't like Tyreke Evans as a point guard, and I think forcing him to play there will hurt his efficiency as well as that of his teammates. It's kind of a waste, because Kevin Martin is one of the best scorers in the league when he's healthy and Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes are serviceable big men.

With a pass-first point guard I think they could have had a relatively interesting and entertaining roster.

That said, their other players are simply not very good and their defense is brutal. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they dealt Kevin Martin in a Gasol-like deal to save money.

They're probably already printing up jerseys for guys like John Wall and Derrick Favors.

For a long time, we've heard that the West is the best when it comes to NBA basketball.  The cream of the Western Conference crop was looking to get better this summer, but some of the familiar faces are in jeopardy of falling off.

With the moves the Eastern Conference made (click for conference recap), the teams out West better not get caught looking over their shoulders.

I've beat the draft to death this offseason, and these grades are derived from the outcomes of free-agency and trades.

Who passed the class?  (Click for YouTube recap)

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs were the first to make a splash out West when they landed Richard Jefferson in a trade for Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas.

RJ is a high-teens scorer who shot 39.7 percent from three last season, a giant upgrade in the Spurs starting lineup from Bowen or Michael Finley.

The most important stat for Jefferson is that he's played 164 games the past two years, in other words: He has played in all of them.  It's an understated achievement today in the NBA and it gives Coach Popovich an opportunity to limit Manu Ginobili's minutes.

Another first time Spur is Antonio McDyess, a 4-5 big man who will play along-side or in replacement of Tim Duncan. 

Dyess has developed a knock-down jumper over the years and he will approach ten rebounds per game if he plays over thirty minutes minutes. 

The Spurs did not add a true center to their roster, which is the only thing holding them back from a perfect 4.0.

Final Grade: A-

Dallas Mavericks

The most important move Dallas made all summer was re-signing Jason Kidd, establishing that they are still dedicated to pursuing the NBA title.

On the wing, Dallas added a player who complements Kidd's style of perfect play. 

Shawn Marion is still a high-flyer in the NBA and best on the break.  With Marion and Josh Howard on the wings, Dallas is putting out one of the biggest starting fives in the NBA and they should generate many steals, blocks, and rebounds.

Dallas could not set the price high enough to woo Marcin Gortat from the Magic, and Orlando also took Brandon Bass out of the Mavs' frontcourt.

Without these two bigs Dallas will be thinner down low, but Marion gives them a better than average off-season.

Final Grade: B-

Phoenix Suns

The Suns traded Shaq to save some dough, but also traded away their most efficient scorer from last year. 

Even if Shaq didn't fit the Suns' system, replacing O'Neal with Channing Frye will always be frowned upon.

Phoenix did make a statement to Amar'e Stoudemire by locking up Steve Nash and Grant Hill, but they were already on the roster.

Frye and Robin Lopez couldn't equal Shaq's presence if they were both on the court together the entire game.

Final Grade: D+

Houston Rockets

Houston, we have a problem.  Yao Ming is going to miss the entire season and Tracy McGrady will be out until February at the latest—making his switch to the No. 3 rather irrelevant.

With the key loss of Ron Artest, Houston has tried to slow the bleeding by signing Trevor Ariza, a player with similar stopper qualities to Artest but he's half the scorer.

Ariza feels he can play the two in Houston which, to me, is rather absurd for a guy who shot 31.9 percent on primarily open threes last year and 46.0 percent from the field.

Houston did a noble job of picking Chase Budinger and Jermaine Taylor in the second round, but the real concern is size.

No Yao, and Mutombo retired, it looks like Luis Scola and the Houston Rockets,if ABC really markets them like that, are in limbo between contention and rebuilding.

Expect Houston to flunk out of the playoff hunt in 2010.

Final Grade: F


Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers seriously upgraded themselves at the forward position when they acquired Ron Artest, the former Rocket.

Artest shot 39.9 percent from three last season and will thrive with all of the open looks Kobe Bryant will create.

Finally when teams try to get tough with Kobe and the Lakers, LA has a player who can get tough back.  Kobe may still deliver a few cheap shots, but don't expect as many to come the Lakers' way this season.

The only think keeping LA from having a potential A of an off-season is Lamar Odom's situation.

It seemed as if the Lakers and Odom were on the same page, until the initial contract offer was pulled off the table and Miami and Dallas entered the mix.

If Los Angles wants to remain at the head of the class out West, they must bring back Odom, just look at his lines from when Andrew Bynum is injured. As a starter he averaged 14.0 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.5 BPG.

Final Grade: Incomplete

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Questions? Send them to iwantstats@iwantstats.com for the mail bag or Tweet me @JohnLorge.
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I guess it’s over. Wrap it up. Place your bets. Just go ahead and slate the Los Angeles Lakers in for a spot in next year’s Finals.

I wouldn’t blame you. With last week’s verbal agreement by the Lakers and Ron Artest to join an already stout roster, barring injury, the Lakers will have no choice but to repeat as Western Conference Champions for a third straight year.

If it was already a nation of Laker Haters, then President Obama is going to have to do something about border control because the addition of Artest is going to mean several more anti-L.Aians jumping the fence, standing in line to kick rocks at the purple and gold.

Even though former outcast turned superstar Trevor Ariza split title town and agreed to join forces with the Houston Rockets, the Lakers didn’t sweat it, they just went ahead and added a better piece to their puzzle in Artest.

While Artest may not be the up-and-coming uber athletic defender that Ariza is, he’s still one of the premier locksmiths in the league with a better all around offensive game.

The summer of 2010 is supposed to be the Y2K of the NBA. The year when systems go haywire, fantasy leagues turn upside down, and more money gets dished out than a Vegas upset payout.

But the summer of 2009 is becoming more and more exciting by the week.

Jefferson moved to San Antonio, Shaq joined forces with LeBron and Carter went back home to Florida.

You can argue that each name on that list is probably a bigger name than Artest’s is right now, but none of which was a bigger addition than the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Artest, Bryant, Gasol and Bynum is more size, skill, and length than what any competitor in the West or the East has to offer right now.

And if Odom renews his vows to team, Los Angeles may take a run at the 72 mark that Jordan’s Bulls put up back in 95.

No joke, I can really see a possible run at the NBA record for the Lakers. They finished last year at 65 wins without even trying and does anybody remember the last time some media labeled defensive nut joined forces with the best player in basketball?

Yup, the year was 95, Clinton had the country on cruise control, music was actually likeable and Dennis Rodman was running the court with good ole 23 to a tune of 72-10.

No wonder Phil Jackson announced his plans to return for next season.

I mean after all, the Zen Master was controlling the reigns for the Bulls that season and Artest’s announcement probably made coaching away games next year appear less of a daunting task for the aging Hall of Famer.

And it was title shifting announcement I must say. When rumors leaked out that Artest was being pursued by Cleveland, a possible combination of the original Superman, “The King” and the “Tru Warier” would’ve been an impressive trio.

Factor in Mo Williams, Delonte West and Zydrunas Illgauskus and the Cavs would’ve been a tough out for any ballclub.

Ah well, guess we don’t have to worry about that.

Artest is headed for Hollywood and the only thing us non-Laker fans can do about it is just sit here with our mouths wide open praying that Odom doesn’t resign.

Man oh man, Odom resigning would not only be a definite menace to the league but a crushing blow to my online subscription for NBA 2K10 on Xbox.

I can see the cheaters now, putting Kobe and Artest in the backcourt, running Odom, Gasol and Bynum up front. I’m shaking my head just thinking about it.

Even with all that firepower, it still wouldn’t be enough to keep me from playing my favorite game and I’m sure Artest’s announcement won’t keep the hundreds of professionals in the league from playing their favorite game as well.

No way is some verbal agreement or some possible resigning going to keep us all from playing the video game or the sport we love.

Now winning? Well…… that’s another story.

Do you see the look in Kobe Bryant's eyes?

If you watched Game One of the Finals on Thursday, you had to have seen this look because of the announcer's constant references to "how much he wants this championship."

While I was watching the game with a few friends, this sparked up the newest great debate between almost all NBA fans.  "Who's better, LeBron or Kobe?"

Now, of course as a LIFE-LONG Cleveland fan—not one of those Cavs fans since 2003 that you see everywhere for some reason—I am going to side with LeBron on this one.  This of course got me riddled with question after question from my friends, almost all of whom were on the Kobe side.

I will say that right now, if I have to pick between Kobe or LeBron to lead my team to a championship, I will take Kobe because of the fact that he's just a more experienced player and he has been there.  But, other than the experience factor, three other things were thrown out as to why Kobe is a better player than "The King."

REASON No. 1:  The Jumper

I have to give the point on this one to Bryant.  Hands down, if I need someone to hit a jump shot or somebody to go to the foul line, even though James hit two of the most clutch free throws I have ever seen in Game Four of the Orlando series, I'm definitely taking Kobe.

Over his career, he has built himself as a great shooter that can hit from just about anywhere pretty consistently.  Whereas consistency is the one thing that Bron can't quite find when he's shooting, whether it be mid range shots or foul shots.  It's just not his strong point yet.

I do think that given time, he will develop a more consistent shooting game and will end up being a good shooter because of the steady increase that he has already shown throughout his career.

REASON No. 2:  The Killer Instinct

This was something that I was a little on the fence before choosing a side.  The first thing that they said was that LeBron is afraid to take big shots and passes to his teammates, whereas Kobe would take it because he is not afraid to do it. 

Just because of the fact that LeBron is more unselfish than Kobe doesn't necessarily mean that he has no killer instinct. 

Take Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals for example.  When LeBron makes the pass to a wide-open Delonte West instead of taking it up for a tough shot, Kobe would've taken that shot. 

He just has that feeling that when he gets in the zone nobody is going to stop him from doing whatever he wants to do when he gets the ball, and LeBron will be like this, if you just give him time.  He is already starting to develop that mindset, but he is still in that phase where if he sees somebody that could have an open look, he'll let them shine.

But, when "The Black Mamba" gets that look in his eyes, he's going to make sure no one is stopping him, and everyone knows that.  Just ask Courtney Lee.

REASON No. 3:  The Rings

I absolutely cannot stand when somebody brings this up.  The fact that people think that since Kobe has three championships means he is a better player than LeBron is crazy.  The one word that makes this fact completely absurd to me is...SHAQ.

Ever since LeBron has been in the league, the closest things he has had to a dominant second option have been Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Maurice Williams.

Neither of these two can even hold a candle to the way that Shaquille O'Neal helped Kobe win three NBA Finals.  Shaq was even so good that it was Kobe that was the Mo Williams to O'Neal's James in those three Finals.

The fact that Kobe had another superstar to help him win those championships is the main reason that I am not giving Kobe a point in this debate.  LeBron has gotten his team to the Finals once, along with a trip to the Conference Finals with virtually no help compared to what Bryant got those three seasons.

I took Kobe's best of his three championship seasons (2001) and compared the stats of him and Shaq to those of LeBron and Williams from this season's playoffs.

That season Kobe averaged 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game; which resembles LeBron's 35.3, 9.1, 7.3 line this season.  But, the difference was that Mo logged in 16.3, 3.2, and 4.1 a night, compared to Shaq's gaudy 30.4, 15.4, and 3.2.

Tell you the truth, I have a feeling that if you give LeBron James the best big man in the league (we'll say Dwight Howard), he would have a couple of rings on his finger right now, and would be on his way to beating Kobe for another one.

Another Carvelli's Corner coming up next week, any thoughts feel free to e-mail me at MCarWV@aol.com.

Kobe Bryant is the man in L.A.

As such, he will be the one taking the brunt of media and fan displeasure for the Lakers' lackluster playoff performances, even though the future Hall of Famer has put up at least 32 points in four of the five games against the Nuggets.

We've all watched the games.  Kobe shows up when he has to and even then, the Lakers tend to play with a lot less fire than one would expect.

The Lakers' struggles really have nothing to do with L.A.'s main man. 

Though the blame can be distributed equally among Derek Fisher, who has lost his shot almost entirely, Andrew Bynum, who has had a hard time returning to late-season form, and the bench play in general, I see one glaring weakness with this Laker team.

Lamar Odom.

Odom, at 6'10", 230 pounds, is physically imposing and just looks like a guy born to play the game. 

He can play the power forward position with his size, or he can step out and play at small forward with his ability to stretch a defense with his three-point shooting.

Next to Kobe, Lamar Odom may very well be the most physically gifted player on the Lakers' roster.

He provides the ultimate mismatch for smaller, less agile forwards.  With the double and triple teaming Kobe is seeing, this guy should be mauling the Nuggets' defense.

It hasn't really panned out that way.

Apart from a Game Five performance, in which Odom finally showed signs of life, he has been a disappointment this postseason, especially in the Rockets and Nuggets series.

In 12 games, Odom has put up double digits only four times. 

That's amazing, considering the guy plays around 31 minutes a game.

Odom is shooting 38 percent in the Denver series, hitting only 17 of 44 shots from the floor.  That's inexcusable for a man of his size and talent.

He's only taken seven three-point shots in five games and made just three.  I don't think the Denver defense is too afraid of him when he plays on the perimeter.

The 63 percent free-throw shooting doesn't help matters, though Phil Jackson has learned to live with it.

Chris Andersen, Nene, and Kenyon Martin have beaten up on Odom down low all series long.

The fact of the matter is that Odom has underachieved.  Big-time.

Instead of being a compliment to the likes of Bryant and Pau Gasol, he has often been a liablility.

Sure he has done his rebounding, but his shot hasn't been there and he hasn't been the aggressive Lamar Odom Laker fans have come to know.

The Lakers won game five because Odom decided to play (19 points, 14 rebounds). 

In fact, when Odom has scored in double figures this postseason, the Lakers are 7-2.

If the L.A. is to avoid yet another close call, Odom has to show up every night and be a productive member of the rotation.

The Lakers desperately need Odom to regain his fire and swagger, or else they will face elimination sooner rather than later.