West

1-Lakers-This team in a sneaky way is really stacked..even more so than Boston..Andrew Bynum comes back from his knee injury....I think the hype was a little too loud last year about Bynum..but I do think he'll help the other players on defense.Odom and Gasol are back and shifted to their natural positions and 3 and 4...even though Odom seems to get alot of criticism lately..even more so than Gasol.Regardless Farmar,Luke,Ariza,Vlad,Sasha are all coming off the bench..geez..and you know..they have that Kobe guy...who from what I've heard is really good.

2-Hornets-This is the Steve Nash effect 2.0...everything will go based on Chris Paul...the guy is a monster, averaging 21 pts,11 asts,4 rebs and a shade under 3 steals....wow..add to that valuable playoff experience..I think this might be the team that will have the best chance to beat LA.Down low they have all star(yeah?) David West, who is still grossly underrated...as well as Tyson Chandler who was left for dead by Chicago..he was allowed to be himself again and it shows..he averaged about 12 pts and 12 rebs along with a block.The wing spot is a little weak..the shooting guards are Posey and Mo Pete with Peja playing opposite to them...I see those first 2 as bandaids until they find a real shooting guard somewhere..but Peja is still one of the best shooters on the planet.The bench is a little thin..other than Posey and maybe Julian Wright it gets really bare at the bottom..but I feel that they could mask that.

3-Jazz-This team is the wildcard..they have it all...superstar point guard(Williams) dirty work guys(Boozer,Kirilenko,Millsap) shooters(Okur,Korver) young guys who can run and jump(Brewer and CJ Miles) vets to fill in(Harpring and Knight) so whats the problem?....they've been the subject of alot of bad matchups at the wing position..the last few years the Jazz have been bounced by teams with really good wing players(Kobe-LA,Ginobili-SA) and they dont have alot they can do about those players and it really hurts them.Its one thing to guard these players ineffectively,its another to not be aggressive and not make those players work on the other end..in which I dont think they have yet.They'll be in the mix..but they need a break.

4-Spurs-This team is on a quiet slide as of late..but they'll always be in the mix as well.Duncan and Parker will have to do a little extra to get the scoring load sustained while Ginobili is recovering from ankle surgery.It will depend on the combination of Mike Finley, Roger Mason and bits from Ime Udoka(yes who?) to chip in from the off guard spots to help Parker and Duncan.You pretty much know what you are getting from this team as long as they defend(why wouldnt they?) so yeah..another postseason trip is coming.

5-Suns-I'm still down on this team because they broke up the fun,run and gun Suns...well they still have Amare and Nash which are always nice pieces to have in trying for a championship...Shaq is still there making $20 mil this year...ew..for small spurts he's decent..but I think other than that he's just a slow,plotting center.Robin Lopez is a nice backup center who blocks shots and rebounds so expect to see a good amount of him this year.The wings are a little older but yet still effective.Raja Bell,Grant Hill and Barbosa with new guy Matt Barnes should help score in theory..even thought Barnes has never had 10 points(close) in a season.I feel that this team will be depending on the health of Nash and Amare..which is funny because neither of them have been that in preseason...uh oh.

6-Rockets-This is another wildcard team....this team could be in the top 3 if they stay healthy..and by they I mean Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming....which I can go ahead and throw out because neither one of them has done that in recent years...so I'll just act like one of them is in and the other isnt most of the year...The addition of Ron Artest will help alot if(sorry when) Tracy is out..he's a legit 20 point scorer himself...the talent is there...I just need for them to be playing and using that talent.

7-Mavs-I for one think Avery Johnson held them back offensively..the defense was never really there like it should be...and you should be who you are...a high scoring team.And I think they can get back to that..a full year of Jason Kidd will help Dirk alot..as well as gelling with Jason Terry and Josh Howard...and they better..because if it isnt coming from those 3 as well as Stackhouse...its not coming at all...I think they sneak into the playoffs and get bounced 1st round..

8-Blazers-The dynasty starts here lol...no no...but you need that one playoff run where you give a team a little scare before you get sent home..I think this is that year...Brandon Roy is the household name everyone will get familar with(if you arent already) meanwhile Greg Oden will get adjusted to the NBA quickly at center...LaMarcus Aldridge is the power forward and the other forward has been given yet..but they have some really nice options.Anytime primetime players like rookies Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless as well as Travis Outlaw dont start...you are officially stacked.This is the team of the future if everything goes right.

9-Clippers-On paper(see what I did there..paper..clips?) this team is a pretty random collection of talent.They were really scrambling after the Elton Brand thing...so in comes Baron Davis and Marcus Camby..both are really good players,but come in with some injury concerns...and look...they are already living up to that billing already.Anyways Chris Kaman is an underrated quality center...Al Thornton is a really nice young swingman who got overlooked last year because they were terrible(so was Durant's team but no matter) the combination of Cuttino Mobley,Ricky Davis and rook Eric Gordon make a nice rotation of 2-guards..and Tim"paycheck" Thomas is still around doing whatever it is he does...but other than those 6 or 7 players...those other guys could be on a D-League team..and I'm being completely serious.They could be way lower than 9th.

10-Nuggets-This team is in cut cost mode...Camby was traded for a bag of balls(and not even Spalding ones) meanwhile players like Nene and Kenyon Martin are high priced injury risks...AI and Carmelo will have to do the bulk of the scoring again..and JR Smith will chip in when he gets off the bench(I dont understand still)...the big difference will be the defense...they werent very good prior to Camby leaving..now they should be on doormat status and you dont even have 5 quality scorers to compensate.The bench is another D-League team..so dont look for much from this team.

11-Warriors-This team would be a slight bit higher if Monta Ellis wasnt hurt..but even then his point guard sklls were questionable anyways....but yes..this team is stock full of swingmen...Corey Maggette and Steven Jackson are the notable players on this team...Al Harrington and Andris Biedrins are pretty effective at what they do and Ronny Turiaf should add some depth at both spots which is a nice move.Brandan Wright and Kelenna Azubukie are nice option guys..but the real reason they will be bad,again..is the point guard spot..Ellis is out...CJ Watson(who?) is out..and for some reason(unknown to me) Marcus Williams isnt getting a fair shot at it..so enter DeMarcus Nelson..I cant see it working..but just you wait to confirm it.

12-T'Wolves-Al Jefferson and Mike Miller are the dependables....other than that?....you arent really sure..is Kevin Love ready for the NBA?..is Randy Foye a good point guard?....how is Corey Brewer coming along on his offensive game?...Where does Ryan Gomes play?...what about Rashad McCants?....I dont know many of these questions..and thats why they're here.

13-Kings-Let the Kevin Martin era begin....no seriously..the guy can score..he's like Mitch Richmond 2.0..the talent is a little bare here...Brad Miller can still play...Francisco Garcia and John Salmons are nice players coming into their own..Beno Udrih is...solid? and Spencer Hawes is coming along quite nicely..but..this isnt a defensive team..and offense isnt guarnteed other from Martin..so wait a few more years.

14-Grizzlies-The backcourt is pretty solid with the trio of Mike Conley,Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo holding it down...they have some depth at those spots too with Marko Jaric and Kyle Lowry but upfront is where they will have the most issue...Hakim Warrick is a decent option at the 4 and I like Mark Gasol..but the players like Darko who have to play alot I cant get behind.Darrell Arthur could be a solid option..but you never know..this team would have to play real uptempo to have a fighting chance...

15-Thunder-My last time referencing this team..they were really bad last year...they added Russell Westbrook who is in the combo guard mold..will help shoulder some of the offensive load off of Kevin Durant...who I feel will be really really good this year...but I dont think the other spots will be able to contribute like they should.Collison and Wilcox are okay,but not every night options and neither is Jeff Green(yet)...they need a real post player bad.