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Spurs as a seven seed huh? I think they'd be ok with playing the two seed Mavs in round 1.
Will the West rise again?
Chris McCosky
The West still is the best conference in the NBA and not even the most ardent fan of the East would debate that. But the gap doesn't seem as wide this season compared to past seasons. It makes you wonder if the end of the West's reign is near?
• The Spurs looked tired late last season.
• Shaquille O'Neal and Steve Nash are probably making their last run with the Suns.
• The Jazz could conceivably lose two of their stars after this season.
• The Mavericks are going to make one more stand with Jason Kidd.
• The Nuggets and Warriors, once considered up-and-coming contenders, have taken major steps backwards.
Still, with the Lakers and Hornets looking strong, the star power of Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Deron Williams, Tim Duncan, and talented young blood like Kevin Durant, O.J. Mayo, Greg Oden and others, maybe it's best not bury the West just yet.
Last week, I revealed my preseason rankings in the East. Here is the West:
Contenders
• 1. Lakers: Having Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum together for a full season takes them up a notch, and if Lamar Odom can adapt to playing small forward, that's a pretty formidable frontcourt.
• 2. Mavericks: I think Rick Carlisle is going to get them back on track. He'll let Jason Kidd run the offense, making life easier for Dirk Nowitzki , Jerry Stackhouse and the crew.
• 3. Hornets: Love Chris Paul and David West , but the worry still is the lack of depth. James Posey and Mike James are their two best reserves, but the frontcourt behind Tyson Chandler and West is paper thin.
• 4. Rockets: Adding Ron Artest will either help or kill them, depending on which way his mood swings. But the main worry always is the health of both Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming .
• 5. Jazz: The concern is Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur could both opt out and leave after this season. That could be a motivator or chemistry-killing distraction.
• 6. Trail Blazers: All eyes will be on Greg Oden , who finally makes his NBA debut. If Nate McMillan can fit all his talented pieces together and find the right pace and style of play (can they run with Oden?), the Blazers will be a serious force.
• 7. Spurs: They looked by the end of last season like a former champion who'd taken their final punch. Do Tim Duncan , Manu Ginobili , Tony Parker and Bruce Bowen have one more run in them? They do win every other year.
• 8. Suns: Speaking of aging teams, new coach Terry Porter will try to squeeze one more run out of Shaquille O'Neal , Steve Nash and Grant Hill . Having a seemingly healthy Amare Stoudemire will help.
Pretenders
• 9. Nuggets: With Marcus Camby gone, the league's worst defense got worse. What's left is a trio of gunslingers (Allen Iverson , Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith ). By the trade deadline, George Karl could be fired and Iverson or Anthony (maybe both) could be traded.
• 10. Clippers: A lineup featuring Baron Davis , Al Thornton , Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman is intriguing. If Davis stays healthy and focused, this team may surprise.
• 11. Warriors: Losing Monta Ellis to injury was a killing blow, leaving them with an undisciplined group (Corey Maggette , Al Harrington , Stephen Jackson ) led by an unproven point guard, Marcus Williams .
Lottery lane
• 12. Timberwolves: Al Jefferson is a 20-point, 10-rebound talent, and now, with the additions of Mike Miller and rookie Kevin Love , not to mention Randy Foye , they finally have a foundation.
• 13. Grizzlies: This team, this franchise has been so bland, so boring, you wonder if even a dynamic talent like O.J. Mayo can give it life.
• 14. Kings: How far can you go if your go-to guy is Kevin Martin ? Martin might well average 25 points a game, but then what? John Salmons , Brad Miller and Mikki Moore ?
• 15. Thunder: OKC wanted a pro team and got one -- the worst team in the league. At least fans can watch Kevin Durant .
By the numbers
$8M Amount the Pistons paid Kwame Brown, who has averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds.
$33M : Amount the Mavericks paid to DeSagana Diop, who has averaged 2.1 points and 3.9 rebounds.
20-25: Games Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is expected to miss at the start of the season after offseason ankle surgery.
154 : Hours Thunder center Robert Swift spent covering his body with tattoos.
Spurs as a seven seed huh? I think they'd be ok with playing the two seed Mavs in round 1.
What a shocker the writer of that story Chris McCosky works for a Detroit rag. Sorry Chris the east is just renting the Larry-O.
LOL at Dallas #2, how have they improved at all from last year? Ahead of all those teams? I see it NOT! Are you serious? Damn horrible article, but yes the West will win it again!
i stopped taking this article seriously after i read that mavs are number 2. switch spurs w/ mavs then maybe ill consider it.
Suns should be seeded at least 4th and the Spurs as I predicted will be 7th or 8th.
Stick a fork in ' em
They are DONE!!!!
you keep pretending,
By the end of the season snaq food will be asking the Suns fans "how does my ass taste?".
I stopped taking it seriously when he suggested the gap is closing. The East had one good team last year due to their acquisition of two all-stars from the west. Elton Brand aside, I see no evidence that this year is any different.
will the iq level of sportswriters ever rise?
What do you think about the Rockets' seeding here, Louis?
Dallas a number 2 Seed? Seriously that's some pretty good weed your smoking there lol.
Here's the top 5 seeds Lakers, Jazz, Hornets, Rockets, Spurs. After that you can foggedabout it!
i swear that no sports journalists understand the whole concept of 'pace'. Does anyone realise the Nuggets ranked higher in defensive efficiency than offensive efficiency?
Sure they have some key guys on the team that suck on D but the team D wasn't totally horrible last year, compared to the inefficient O. I know GK wants the Nuggets in the top half of the league for ppg allowed, which of course will translate into more wins assuming the offense picks up.
It's not inconceivable to rank the Mavs #3 behind a healthy Laker squad and an improving Hornets team. If Carlisle gets the same sort of honeymoon time that AJ did where the whole team was busting its ass for him (reasonable enough if the rumors are true that so many wanted AJ gone) then they could definitely put together another 60 win season. But regular seasons have never been the problem for Dallas. If Josh Howard ends up on a milk carton in May AGAIN they're toast.
The Spurs looked tired because of the rigged playoff sceduling.
The west got better. Everyone knows the nuggets,clippers and warriors werent going anywhere. I dont know about records cos noone has played yet. But imo the mavs will be better until Mark slows them down. Like us their core is still there and Rick is a good coach. The suns will finally start playing NBA basketball no more running and gunning. If they start playing the kind of style the spurs play (something all teams are doing), in the end they will be better and more rested. Our division alone is a killer. Unlike most I dont believe Manu is the guy who will make or break us. Its in the paint that will determine who wins HCA, just like last yr. The west will rise, and the east is better as well. The days of the Spurs being the team to beat are long gone. Thou Ill say this, find us one more big who can play along Timmy and we become that team again. And when I say play I dont mean what Fab and Kurt do. They dont play with Timmy, they cant, they are nowhere near his level.
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