With the 2009-10 NBA season getting started tomorrow night, and tons of new faces in new places, it’s time to predict which teams will finish where once the regular season is done.
As always, the Western Conference is expected to be ultra-competitive, with up to 11 teams having somewhat legitimate aspirations of appearing in the postseason.
Let’s run down who I think will finish in the top eight.
Surprise!
While I don’t think the Lakers did all that much to improve over the summer, they probably didn’t really need to.
Ron Artest has the potential to be an upgrade over Trevor Ariza, but there’s just as much potential for him to “go all Artest on them” and perhaps hinder the team’s chemistry.
I think the Lakers’ best offseason move was the decision to re-sign guard Shannon Brown.
Brown, a throw-in in the Vladimir Radmanovic trade last season, provided the Lakers with a great spark off the bench, especially throughout the playoffs.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Brown shows enough this season to supplant Jordan Farmar as LA’s point guard of the future.
Barring any major injuries, the Lakers will pick up right where they left off last season.
Apparently the first-round loss at the hands of the Mavericks was enough to get GM RC Buford to do some wheeling-and-dealing this summer.
The Spurs, believe it or not, could be the NBA’s most improved team this season, after picking up Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, and DeJuan Blair during the offseason.
However, the biggest change from last season to this one could be the return of Manu Ginobili.
Ginobili missed a huge chunk of last season with an ankle injury, and it was clear how much San Antonio missed his perimeter scoring presence.
Assuming they’ll be able to stay relatively healthy, the Spurs are a team certainly capable of getting back into championship contention.
I, for one, don’t believe last year’s Nuggets were a one-year-wonder.
While they certainly have a few volatile personalities, I think the taste of success last season along with solid veteran leaders should help keep Denver focused on the ultimate goal.
The acquisition of Chauncey Billups last season was the best move any team made all year, and his presence is one of the major reasons the Nuggets aren’t going to go away.
Carmelo Anthony is a bona fide superstar, and his combination of size and strength makes him a near impossible matchup for most small forwards.
The attitude and play of JR Smith, once again, will be a key to Denver’s success.
If he can keep it together and harness all of his talent effectively, he’s one of the most dangerous players in the league
He’s a dead-eye shooter with the ability to take it to the rim, seemingly at will.
Last year’s Nuggets proved that they were capable of big things, and I expect them to continue that in 2009-10.
Much like their in-state rivals, the Spurs, the Mavs were extremely active this summer.
While they didn’t land prized center Marcin Gortat, Dallas was still able to re-sign Jason Kidd, as well as pick up Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden, among others.
Dallas opened up some eyes in the playoffs last year when they defeated San Antonio, and Mark Cuban clearly still wants to win a championship with Dirk Nowitzki as the team’s centerpiece.
The 31-year-old Nowitzki had a stellar under-the-radar season last year, averaging 26 points and about eight rebounds per game for the Mavs.
Marion looked phenomenal in his preseason appearances with the Mavericks, and their up-tempo style of play may be just what the doctor ordered for the Matrix to revive his career.
The addition of Gooden gives Dallas its first real post scoring threat to pair with Dirk, and he’s another player that looked solid during the preseason.
Expectations are high once again for the Mavericks, and I think they’ll be right in the thick of things in the West.
The Blazers have been hearing about how they’re “the next big thing” for a while now, and this will be an important year for them.
After their first taste of the playoffs last season (where they were defeated by Houston), how will Brandon Roy and company respond?
Much of Portland’s success hinges on center Greg Oden.
Oden had a largely underwhelming “rookie” season last year, but has shown strong signs of promise so far in the preseason.
In seven preseason games, Oden averaged about 14 points, nine rebounds, and almost two blocks per game in just 22 minutes.
If he can start looking like the force Portland expected him to be out of college, the Blazers will have one of the best, young frontcourts in the league, when he’ll be paired with LaMarcus Aldridge.
Portland’s signing of point guard Andre Miller over the summer raised a few questions, and continues to do so.
Miller, 33, who signed a three-year, $21 million contract with Portland, has already complained about the notion of potentially coming off the bench.
All potential issues aside, Portland clearly has plenty of firepower to make more noise in the Western Conference this season.
Brandon Roy is an MVP-type player, and, if the Blazers can keep everything together, he’s certainly capable of leading them to exactly where they want to go.
6. Utah Jazz
The Jazz enter this season with one of the more awkward storylines of the season: the Carlos Boozer fiasco.
If they keep him on board this season, they have plenty of talent to be a sleeper in the West.
If they trade him, depending on what they would get for him, of course, their formidability could take a hit.
Deron Williams is healthy entering the season, and should help Utah avoid a slow start like the one they experienced last season.
Williams, who I believe to be the league’s second-best point guard, has yet to make an All-Star team.
I think that will change this year, and the Jazz should be able to run with the middle of the pack in the West.
New Orleans made one of the more surprising moves of the summer by adding the salary of center Emeka Okafor.
To get Okafor, the Hornets had to trade Tyson Chandler to Charlotte.
While the fan-favorite alley-oop play may have to be tossed out, Chris Paul and the Hornets should benefit from having Okafor on the block opposite David West.
Okafor has proven to be much more durable in recent years than Chandler, and he also has much more of an offensive repertoire.
Paul put up staggering numbers last season, averaging 23 points, 11 assists, and almost three steals per game.
Just 24-years-old, Paul should continue to thrive and put up spectacular numbers.
While their record took a hit last season from 2007, I think the Hornets will benefit greatly from Okafor’s presence down low, and may actually finish higher than this.
Sorry, Suns fans.
I think the injury-depleted Rockets really will have what it takes to sneak into the playoffs.
While it’s difficult to predict what the team’s identity will be, this team has shown that they have too much heart to just roll over and die when adversity is staring them in the face.
Without Yao at the end of the second-round series against the Lakers last season, the Rockets were still able to take two of the final four games, and were the only team to take the eventual-champions to seven games.
Point guard Aaron Brooks now has full control of the team, and is the team’s most potent scoring threat.
While Trevor Ariza won’t be the scorer that Ron Artest was, he definitely will fit in better with what Houston is trying to do.
He’s a tenacious defender, and is big and athletic enough to defend both guards and forwards.
Luis Scola will be the Rockets’ primary low post threat, and he’s shown in his two years in the league that he’s capable of picking up some of the slack.
This article was written by Taylor Smith for our partner site, Roberts Roundball Report, where you can regularly find more excellent NBA news and insight.
