Without further adu here are my Western Conference predictions for the upcoming NBA season
No. 15: Minnesota Timberwolves: The Minnesota Timberwolves aren't going to be a terrible team this season. They just have the misfortune of playing in the Western Conference, as almost every team in the conference is going to be at least decent. Minnesota has an insane amount of talent on their squad. It just won't all come together this season. Kevin Love is an established star, but Michael Beasley, Derrick Williams and the rest of the forwards have a long ways to go to realize their true potential. Ricky Rubio is the other big addition to the team, but he's basically going to be a much worse version of Rajon Rondo this season. He can't shoot at all and his passing is magical. He's just not as developed and his defense is much worse. The Timberwolves are going to be fun to watch for brief spurts, but they won't win many games.
2011-2012 Prediction: 17-49
No. 14: Sacramento Kings: The Sacramento Kings are much like the Minnesota Timberwolves. They have a lot of young talent that hasn't reached its full potential quite yet. But the Kings are just a little bit further along than the Wolves. DeMarcus Cousins could turn into a star this season. I'm fully expecting for him to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game if he can keep his head on straight. The former Kentucky Wildcat has a ridiculous amount of skill. At the point guard position, Tyreke Evans is going to be looking to rebound from a disappointing sophomore campaign, one plagued by injury. If he regains his 20-point, five-rebound, five-assist form from his rookie season, the Kings could exceed these expectations. Marcus Thornton is an underrated scorer, J.J. Hickson and Donte Greene are intriguing young pieces and Jimmer Fredette could be a terrific rookie. He could also be a huge bust. We're just not sure yet.
2011-2012 Prediction: 21-45
No. 13: Phoenix Suns: It's a shame that Steve Nash is too good a person to demand a trade. Instead, he'll suffer through his last productive season with an untalented Phoenix Suns team. Sure, Grant Hill is returning, but the 39-year-old is no longer an impact player. Marcin Gortat is going to break out in terms of national recognition this year and average a double-double, but he's not a true difference maker. The biggest additions of the offseason were...wait for it...Shannon Brown, Sebastian Telfair and Ronnie Price. It's safe to say that the Suns are on the decline.
2011-2012 Prediction: 23-43
No. 12: Denver Nuggets: The Denver Nuggets may have been just fine without Carmelo Anthony for the end of last season, but it's going to be tougher to survive a full season with the services of one of the premier players in the NBA. This is especially true when half of last year's roster will be playing in China. If Arron Afflalo re-signs with the team, they'll be in better shape. That's just not a guarantee quite yet. Somewhat surprisingly, Nene Hilario will be returning to the Mile High City and he's a player that the Nuggets couldn't afford to have lost. Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari are also brimming over with potential. There no true alpha dog in Denver this season and that's going to come back to bite them.
2011-2012 Prediction: 24-42
No. 11: Utah Jazz: The Utah Jazz are finally going to feel the repercussions of no Deron Williams for an entire season. They'll have to make do with a backcourt of Devin Harris and C.J. Miles with Raja Bells and talented rookie Alec Burks coming off the bench. It's the frontcourt that makes the Jazz. Gordon Hayward is going to break out this season, and Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson are already established big men for the team. If Derrick Favors improves dramatically and Enes Kanter makes good on his draft position, there could be a big competition for playing time in Utah. I have to find one negative here though and that's the loss of Andrei Kirilenko. AK47 is going to show just how valuable he was to the team as the Jazz struggle in his absence.
2011-2012 Prediction: 27-39
No. 10: Golden State Warriors: I have a lot of confidence in Mark Jackson, the new head coach of the Golden State Warriors. He should finally be able to bring some sort of defensive attitude to a team that has previously struggled to understand what the concept actually means. There isn't a single player in the fourth decade of his life, making Kwame Brown and Louis Almundson the two oldest players on the roster. As expected, the offense is going to be stellar once more. Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis form one of the premier backcourts in the NBA and Dorell Wright can knock down any and all three-point shots. A healthy David Lee only adds to the versatility of this offense. They'll win games thanks to their offense and young legs, an invaluable asset as the condensed season proceeds.
2011-2012 Prediction: 30-36
No. 9: New Orleans Hornets: There's going to be a drop-off in New Orleans after the loss of Chris Paul, the best point guard in the NBA. But the Hornets are still going to be a sneakily good team in the Western Conference, hallenging for a playoff spot all season long. They'll also get to wait and have a high pick in the loaded 2012 NBA Draft, thanks to the unprotected Minnesota Timberwolves pick they got from the Los Angeles Clippers. Jarret Jack will take over from CP3 and show once more why he's one of the more underrated floor generals in the league. Without David West, Eric Gordon will have to shoulder the scoring load, and he'll have an even easier time breaking out to the extent that people were expecting even when he was still in L.A.
Al-Farouq Aminu has a lot of potential and Chris Kaman will be a solid, although unspectacular center for the Hornets. If anything, the Hornets got better than they would have been without trading away Paul.
2011-2012 Prediction: 31-35
No. 8: Houston Rockets: Even without Yao Ming on the squad, the Houston Rockets are going to be a solid team that should back its way into the postseason. Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic are going to form a great rotation at point guard, a job made much simpler by the presence of the incredible scoring talent known as Kevin Martin. Luis Scola is a top-notch player as well, and will likely perform well in obscurity for yet another season. With the addition of Chandler Parsons and Marcus Morris, as well as the expected breakout of Chase Budinger, the Rockets could be quite good. They won't be fun to watch and there won't be any All-Stars on this squad, but they'll win games.
2011-2012 Prediction: 32-34
No. 7: Memphis Grizzlies: The Memphis Grizzlies were a force to be reckoned with in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, even without the services of their injured best player, small forward Rudy Gay. Gay is back in business and ready to pick up where he left off as one of the elite young players in the NBA. Other than that, the Grizzlies didn't really lose or pick up anyone worth mentioning.
2011-2012 Prediction: 34-32
No. 6: Portland Trail Blazers: The recent addition of Jamal Crawford was the good news that the Portland Trail Blazers so sorely needed. Other than that, this offseason was terrible for the Blazers. They had to deal with the unexpectedly early retirement of Brandon Roy and his degenerate knees. That had to get excited about the possibility of a healthy Greg Oden before learning that he had suffered a setback and would miss the entire season. They even had to learn that LaMarcus Aldridge had health problems and would need to miss training camp until the start of the regular season. Despite all of those problems, the Blazers are going to be a very solid team. Aldridge is a legitimate star, and Gerald Wallace is not too far behind. Wesley Matthews is going to be absolutely incredible without Roy blocking his path. Raymond Felton and Nicolas Batum are going to be solid players, and Nolan Smith will contribute during his rookie season. The Blazers are going to be contenders in the West all season long.
2011-2012 Prediction: 38-28
No. 5: Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin is really good. DeAndre Jordan could be really good. Chauncey Billups could remain really good. And oh yeah, the Los Angeles Clippers got Chris Paul. I'll be honest here, I'm just guessing at this record. The Clippers could be way better than the fifth-best team in the Western Conference but they could also fail to make the playoffs yet again.
2011-2012 Prediction: 39-27
No. 4: Los Angeles Lakers: The discontent in Los Angeles after the failed Chris Paul trade may end up causing the Lakers not to have quite as much chemistry and not win as many games.
Besides Kobe Bryant and the rest of the starting lineup, there's no one good on the Lakers. Do you really want to count on Josh McRoberts as your best bench player? Yikes.
2011-2012 Prediction: 43-23
No. 3: Dallas Mavericks: The Dallas Mavericks may be the reigning world champions, but Mark Cuban is going to have to deal with a few depressing realities. First of all, the Mavs are old. Every member of the starting lineup is over 30 years old and that's going to hurt them as the games start to pile up. There's no telling how long Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Shawn Marion, and Brendan Haywood can continue to play at the same level. I'm excluding Dirk Nowitzki from that because he's still going to be absolutely incredible. The acquisition of Lamar Odom is going to help, but it won't mitigate the effects of age and the losses of Caron Butler, Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea.
2011-2012 Prediction: 44-22
No. 2: San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are almost to the AARP point of their careers, but they're still going to be productive players. The same can be said about Tony Parker (the productive part, not the AARP part). Kawhi Leonard is going to have to play at an All-Star level though if the San Antonio Spurs are going to remain at the top of the Western Conference. No offense to the former San Diego State standout, but that's probably not going to happen during his rookie season. There are quite a few young players on this squad, but they won't be making enough of an impact to give the Spurs a No. 1 seed.
2011-2012 Prediction: 45-21
No. 1: Oklahoma City Thunder: With the duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant lining up for the Oklahoma City Thunder, this squad has to be the favorite in the Western Conference. Westbrook is one of the top point guards in the NBA, and Durant is one of the top contenders for a third straight scoring title. As good as this team was last season, just imagine how incredible they're going to be if Serge Ibaka and his new mid-range jump shot breaks out and becomes as good on offense as defense. Just imagine how incredible they will be if James Harden's on-court greatness can match his beard. This team, complete with the new slim-n-trim Kendrick Perkins, is not only going to be fun to watch, but they're also going to be incredibly good.
2011-2012 Prediction: 49-17 with this team representating the Western Conference in the 2012 NBA finals.
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