Going Upstairs: West Preview

I apologize for the delay in publishing my Western Conference preview. Unfortunately, the season is already two weeks old, but note that these are my thoughts are from before the season started (it's your choice whether or not to believe me).
 

Tier 1

LA Lakers - Let me just say that even if Kobe wins another title, and even if it's against Miami, that still doesn't put him in the conversation with Michael Jordan. Jordan did define much of his career after turning 32, winning titles at age 33, 34, and 35, so one would think Kobe still has time to catch Mike. But at age 32, Kobe has already played 1227 games (including playoffs) in his NBA career, whereas Jordan had only played 850 at that age. Kobe's clock is ticking, however it's time to start appreciating how great of a player he really is.

One of the beautiful faces of the NBA.

Tier 2

Portland - A deep team and a great home crowd will make for a successful season in Portland. Their goal should be to make sure Greg Oden is healthy come playoff time, because it's becoming highly unlikely he'll ever be able to play 82 games consistently. With Oden, the Blazers become the West's best threat to knock off L.A. in a seven game series.

Utah - Al Jefferson gives the Jazz a higher ceiling than they had with Boozer because of his ability to create in the post. Paul Millsap now becomes the pick and roll partner to Deron Williams, and Jerry Sloan always finds a way to fill in the rest.

Oklahoma City - Everybody loves the Thunder, but what do the rest of the teams on this level have in common? They all have quality bigs, and I'm not sure Nenad Krstic, Serge Ibaka, and Cole Aldrich qualify as "quality".

Dallas - Dirk needs a lot more than Rodrigue Beaubois to break through in the Western Conference. I'm not sure I understand all the hype for a guy who averaged 12 minutes in 56 games last season, and only eight minutes per game in the playoffs. But pencil them in for 55 wins and as a popular pick to challenge the Lakers.

San Antonio - The Spurs win totals the last five seasons: 63, 58, 56, 54, 50. Is this the year they drop below 50 wins for the first time since 1997?

Tier 3

LA Clippers - With all the talent they've accumulated, who is their best player? If we don't know that answer, it will be a problem. But if Blake Griffin is the answer, they should be a playoff team.

Houston - The Rockets have a lot of good players, but are without any great players. And in the West, you need a star to get into the playoffs. With all the young assets they've stockpiled, you'd think they are primed to trade for one.

New Orleans - Chris Paul is the best point guard and one of the best five players in the league. That should be good enough to get the Hornets into the playoffs, even without a bench. Again, role players are only as good as the stars and the system that surrounds them, so by season's end we won't be talking about their lack of talent off the pine.

Denver - If they trade Carmelo, do they trade Chauncey Billups too? And where does he go?

Phoenix - The Suns might be the only team in the league that can trot out a legitimate second line, much like a hockey team. Unfortunately, that doesn't work in basketball.

Memphis - Are the Grizzlies just Atlanta West?

Does this jersey make me look fat?

Tier 4

Sacramento - Still a year away from being the NBA's surprise team (as I've written before).

Golden State - The Warriors backcourt averaged 43 points per game last season, almost 10 points better than everyone else (the Lakers were second). Without Don Nelson, there won't be the same offensive output, but there will be more discipline and as a result this team will be competitive. Yes, the Warriors will be competitive.

Tier 5

Minnesota - The only bad team in the Western Conference, but as a testament to how great the NBA is in 2010-2011, they still have two good players worth watching (Love and Beasley). Enjoy the season folks!