How the NBA West Will Be Won
The NBA All-Star break gave everyone a chance to catch their breath. The unofficial halfway point of the season does not seem like a quality benchmark for what is to come in this NBA season. The interesting thing will be to see which teams put weight in this NBA season. How can you judge your players on the mayhem of the first two months? Is trying to win a championship this year worth mortgaging for the future? Here’s a look at the Western Conference according to rank.
15. New Orleans Hornets (8-26)
Is David Stern happy? He definitely killed any chance the Hornets had to contend this year and probably into the future. Of course, he owns the team. They apparently are close to finding a new owner. We’ll see. Jarrett Jack, taking over for Chris Paul, leads the team in points and assists.
14. Sacramento Kings (12-22)
Jimmer Ferdette has not been the savior for this team so far, averaging eight points a game. DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans are not having a good time in Sacramento, as the team is struggling once again.
13. Phoenix Suns (14-20)
The team needs to let Steve Nash go- it’s all over. Losing Amare Stoudemire will hurt this team for years to come, but the owners did not address this problem in the lockout.
12. Golden State (13-18)
Golden State must be the all time most irrelevant franchise in the NBA. However, they’re only three games out of the playoffs. Monta Ellis’ 22.5 points a night is helping this franchise stay in the Wild West.
11. Utah Jazz (15-18)
Utah’s core seems to be holding up ok. It will be interesting to see how Jeremy Evans and Alec Burks develop over the next few years. Al Jefferson and Devin Harris are at least giving the Jazz a chance.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (18-17)
Not signing Kevin Love to a long-term deal is going to haunt this team. He’s easily one of the most exciting players in the game. He and Ricky Rubio should allow the Timberwolves to at least compete for a playoff berth
9. Denver Nuggets (18-17)
The third best team in the west to start the season currently finds itself out of the playoffs. Hard to gauge if the Nuggets problems are injury related or lack of talent.
8. Portland Trailblazers (18-16)
The team basketball concept is definitely at play in Portland. The team has regrouped after a slow start with LaMarcus Aldridge leading the way. The Trailblazers are unhappy with Raymond Felton’s lack of production.
7. Memphis Grizzles (19-15)
Next to the Thunder, they are the most exciting team in the west to watch. Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol provide a ton of energy with a bunch of good role players. Will they be able to continue their strong season and compete against the top teams in the west?
6. L.A. Lakers (20-14)
The Lakers are one and a half games behind the Clippers and Hollywood is becoming more silent than the Artist. The Lakers want to make a trade and return to relevance. Kobe Bryant also has a minor concussion from the All-Star game. You might have missed that, since no one watched the game.
5. Houston Rockets (21-14)
I really thought the Rockets were going to be terrible this year. Kevin Martin is leading the Houston surge with Luis Scola proving he’s worth more than the Lakers thought. Imagine what they would look like with Andrew Bynum.
4. Dallas Mavericks (21-14)
In Dallas, “In Dirk We Trust”. Nowitzki’s made up for his out of shape performance earlier this year by turning the Mavericks around. They are not as strong of a team as last year, but if healthy they might be able to compete.
3. Los Angeles Clippers (20-12)
The Clippers season could have come to an end after the loss of their veteran presence Chauncey Billups. But DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are holding down the Staples Center Fort. Will the lack of playoff experience hurt this team down the road?
2. San Antonio Spurs (24-10)
Everyone has expected the Spurs to have their last stand at the Alamo for the last few years. Well Tony Parker may be the best player in the league right now, with Tim Duncan returning to Hall of Fame form. Can the Spurs stay healthy for another playoff run?
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (27-7)
Kevin Duarant and Russell Westbrook are better than last year. The best thing about having young superstars is that they can always get better. I cannot wait to see Durant and Derrick Rose battle in the finals. The lack of experience may also hurt the Thunder.
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