by Myles Nelson » Fri Dec 02, 2011 3:00 pm
After our previous look at the Eastern Conference, let's see how the Western Conference teams stack up.
Dallas Mavericks
Key Players: Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood
New Additions: No notable players.
This is another team who's window is closing. With 7 rotation players the wrong side of 30, they don't have a long window of opportunity. However, they are extremely talented and have a PG in Brooks who can take over for Kidd this year or next year.
Denver Nuggets
Key Players: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Quincy Pondexter, Udonis Haslem, Mike Conley
New Additions: Haslem, Tracy McGrady
The Nuggets are not as good as they used to be. Melo, Billups and Conley will produce, but no one else is really capable of stepping up and filling the void for this team that sorely lacks defense and depth.
Golden State Warriors
Key Players: Steph Curry, Monta Ellis, Reggie Williams, Derrick Favors
New Additions: Nick Young
Curry and Ellis will carry this team to however many victories they get this year, as they are far and away the best players on this team. Williams will contribute, and Favors is coming along nicely (10 ppg 6 rpg 2 bpg last season), and this young team needs to keep its core together and continue to grow.
Houston Rockets
Key Players: Kevin Martin, Yao Ming, Brandon Rush
New Additions: Rush, DeMar DeRozan, Charlie Villanueva
The Rockets are a really strange bunch. They trade away their PG of the future, Osei Bedard, to get an athletic guard who hasn't lived up to his potential yet and will be blocked by Kevin Martin. They also traded away starting SF Trevor Ariza for PF Villanueva at a position where they already have two other rotation players. This team has been making all the wrong moves.
Los Angeles Clippers
Key Players: Blake Griffin, Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Paul George
New Additions: Marcus Camby
Griffin has emerged as a legitimate all-star, but his supporting cast is less than stellar. Davis is a good floor general, Kaman has a nice post game, but this team sorely lacks a perimeter threat. George hasn't gotten there offensively yet and this team has not a single shooting guard.
Los Angeles Lakers
Key Players: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest, Tayshaun Prince
New Additions: Michael Redd
The one thing this team lacks is a PG who can run an offense. Artest and Prince are the weak links in this offensive juggernaut, and when the 6'7" pest Prince is the PG, other teams will have fits running their offense. Lakers will continue to contend with a roster this strong, but they may not be able to win it all without a true PG.
Memphis Grizzlies
Key Players: Rudy Gay, Andre Iguodala, Ekpe Udoh, Tyson Chandler
New Additions: Iguodala
Adding Iguodala gave this horrific team some talent to work with, but it still won't be enough. Without a PG or a post scorer, this team will not do enough damage offensively to win games. They can defend, sure, but that won't do them any good if they can't score.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Key Players: Ricky Rubio, Joe Johnson, Luis Scola, Al Jefferson, Wes Johnson
New Additions: Scola
While Rubio has overachieved as a scorer, his passing ability has not been as good as advertised. Only averaging 6 assists a game from a PG heralded as the next Steve Nash will not be good enough if this team wants to contend. They lost Love, but Scola will help ease the pain from losing yet another franchise PF. This team could get over the hump finally and have a winning season.
New Orleans Hornets
Key Players: Chris Paul, Darren Collison, Al Horford, Troy Murphy, Gordon Hayward
New Additions: Michael Dunleavy, Larry Hughes
While CP3 and Collison create the most formidable backcourt in the NBA, having a solid front line like Murphy, Emeka Okafor, and Horford allow the Hornets to dominate the league. The growth of young players Hayward and C Tim Thompson could help decide whether this team will remain a dynasty for years to come.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Key Players: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Rodney Stuckey, Jeff Green
New Additions: Josh Howard Raja Bell
The big addition is the re-emergence of DeMarcus Cousins, coming back from a torn MCL. It remains to be seen how well Cousins can recover from that, though Chuck Hayes and Daniel Orton stepped up in Cousins' absence. With Durant, the backcourt of Stuckey/Westbrook, and Cousins coming back, this Thunder team could win a title this year.
Phoenix Suns
Key Players: Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer
New Additions: Love
Adding Love to the already potent frontcourt of Beasley and Noah gives this Suns team a bit more talent than last year. However, they lost PG Steve Nash and are handing the keys of the offense to rookie Kevin Reid. How well he does will determine how well the Suns do this year.
Portland Trail Blazers
Key Players: Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, Eric Gordon, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Crawford
New Additions: Gordon
This team is deep. Gordon, Earl Watson, and Crawford are the 6-8th men. While their post depth isn't that great, which might hurt since Oden isn't very durable, they have too much talent to not be a contending team.
Sacramento Kings
Key Players: Tyreke Evans, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Thompson, Beno Udrih, Carl Landry
New Additions: No notable players.
This talented team will need more growth from Evans, Thompson and Al-Farouq Aminu if they want to move up from low-level playoff team to serious contenders. This is a good young team, but they need to keep growing and moving forward.
San Antonio Spurs
Key Players: Tiago Splitter, OJ Mayo, Manu Ginobili, Marcus Thornton, Tony Parker
New Additions: Mayo
This ridiculously balanced squad has more outside scoring options than down low, but that's okay because Serge Ibaka steps up as a post defender and DeJuan Blair will get a starting role with Tim Duncan gone now. These Spurs will not underperform like they did last year, they will be serious contenders.
Utah Jazz
Key Players: Deron Williams, Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, AK-47
New Additions: Randolph
Trading away Carlos Boozer for Zach Randolph may be a mistake for these Jazz, but something needed to change after missing the playoffs last year. Williams is one of the best PGs in the league, Crawford is an explosive scorer, and nobody defends better than Kirilenko. This team may miss out on the playoffs again, but it really falls on the shoulders of Randolph here.