The NBA season is approaching, and it is time to make predictions on the Western Conference standings. Who will make it to the playoffs this season? Which teams will dethrone the NBA champions San Antonio Spurs? Here we go.
1. San Antonio Spurs – No matter what, the San Antonio Spurs always come back to top the Western Conference. No matter how old they get, they just have excellent chemistry and fantastic offensive execution. It’s hard to derail the Spurs out of the number one spot. Even if Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are aging, Kawhi Leonard is developing into a star at the same time. They have brought back the same exact team and are poised for another title run.
2. Los Angeles Clippers – The Clippers added one important piece this offseason; Spencer Hawes. They have never had a big man off the bench who could stretch the floor, defend, rebound, and pass. In addition, they shored up their small forward position and replaced Darren Collison with Jordan Farmar. The Clippers bench looks better than ever and with Kevin Durant out for a few weeks for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles could prevail and take the second seed from them.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant’s health is the biggest issue facing this team right now. Durant could miss around 15-20 games early in the season, which could see the Thunder get off to a very slow start. That will inevitably hurt their chances of obtaining a higher seed this season. Besides, the Thunder lost a lot of their bench depth this offseason and did not do much to replace those players, aside from signing Anthony Morrow. So even with a healthy Durant, this team does not look as good as last season. Russell Westbrook and Durant will have to carry a heavier load this season for them to succeed.
4. Dallas Mavericks – Chandler Parsons was a pricy, but incredibly solid pickup for the Mavericks. He could defend, play make, attack the rim, and shoot. He is young and only getting better. He will improve the Mavericks this season. Additionally, the Mavericks added some great pieces to strengthen their bench. The most important thing is that their defensive anchor is back. Tyson Chandler was a large part of their success in 2011, and he flourishes under Rick Carlisle. Lastly, the addition of Jameer Nelson puts the finishing touches to a team that was already a dangerous opponent last season.
5. Portland Trail Blazers – Despite adding Chris Kaman to solidify their center position, the Blazers are likely to end up in the same seed as last season. Surely Damian Lillard is going to continue to improve, but the Western Conference is tough, and the Blazers did not make any significant changes to improve their stance. Nonetheless, they will still be a strong first-round team and could surprise some teams in the playoffs.
6. Golden State Warriors – The Warriors are another team who haven’t made any significant moves to improve their seeding. They did add Shaun Livingston and reacquired Brandon Rush, but those two are not going to change the atmosphere of the team. The one bright spot this season could be Klay Thompson, who is bound to have an outstanding season.
7. Houston Rockets – The Rockets lost Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin, and Omer Asik this offseason. They will now have to count heavily on Dwight Howard and James Harden. This is a team that was thrown out of the playoffs in the first-round last season. With a decrease in talent to their roster, the Rockets are bound to fall off in the standings. The only significant piece they signed this summer was Trevor Ariza. Other than that, they have lost major pieces from last season’s bench.
8. Memphis Grizzlies – The Grizzlies added Vince Carter who will provide some scoring and veteran leadership, but this team still lacks legitimate offensive weapons. They will still be great defensively, but their lack of offense will see them capture the eighth seed this year. They have returned with the same core players and will still not get too far in the playoffs.
9. Phoenix Suns – It is so difficult to leave the Suns out of the top eight. They have so many terrific young players and were a huge surprise last season. They have added Isaiah Thomas to their bench, which should mold well for them. But, in a tough Western Conference, they still don’t have enough to grasp a playoff position. However, we could expect another 48 wins or more from this team.
10. New Orleans Pelicans – The addition of Omer Asik is going to make life easier for Anthony Davis on the defensive end. This season, we could also expect Davis to cultivate into the best power forward in the league and a possible MVP candidate. The Pelicans bench is deeper, but their small forward position is still weak. That is something they did not address during the offseason. However, if they could remain healthy, they should have a better record than last season.
11. Denver Nuggets – This team made very little moves during the offseason, but they are finally healthy. Nate Robinson and Danilo Gallinari should certainly help them in the scoring department. Meanwhile, Timofey Mozgov continues to establish his game, and Kenneth Faried, who gained great knowledge and experience playing for Team USA, should have a more consistent year. Though, the Nuggets lack a true all-star and will not be able to compete for a playoff spot in a tough Western Conference.
12. Los Angeles Lakers – Naturally, you wouldn’t want to count out Kobe Bryant and his ability to carry a team but at age 36 and a shortage of talent on the roster, it is going to be a difficult task for the Black Mamba to carry this team to the playoffs. What’s more, the injury bug from last season has already returned but even if the Lakers are to be fully healthy, they just don’t have enough to compete. At least if they had Pau Gasol, maybe he could have helped Kobe, who seems to be playing at a high level again, but Gasol is long gone.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves – The Timberwolves did a good job of squeezing out as much talent as they could have from the Kevin Love deal. They have a handful of young players with bright futures, but those guys are not going to blossom into superstars just yet. Thus, they will struggle one or two more seasons, but look out for this team in the near future.
14. Utah Jazz – The Jazz are playing wonderful basketball during the preseason, but it’s only the preseason. They are another team that is rebuilding and are headed the right direction, but they don’t have enough established talent to claw their way to a higher seeding. However, Rudy Gobert has come along really nicely and could possibly have a breakout season.
15. Sacramento Kings – This team did not believe in Isaiah Thomas, who was one of their best players last season. They let him walk in costless agency, only to replace him with Darren Collison. Although Ramon Sessions was a nice pickup, the Kings are still going to struggle mightily. That doesn’t mean DeMarcus Cousins cannot put up monster numbers again.