Season Preview '12-'13, Western Conference

This season just like every season the Western Conference is going to be deep and every team from the 1 seed to 8 might have 50 plus wins. Will we see OKC finally take the top spot in the west after improving each year since 2008? Or will the Lakers reclaim the west as theirs after grabbing Steve Nash and Dwight in the off season. Don't sleep on the young teams on the rise as well such as the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Golden State Warriors.

Lets Begin with the top 4 seeds in the Western Conference :

1. Los Angeles Lakers - Projected W/L record (63-19)




Kobe Bryant and his All-Star lineup

The Lakers are back ladies and gentlemen, the purple and gold have bolstered their roster with the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. They have also improved their shaky bench with former All-Star Antawn Jamison and sharpshooting Jodie Meeks from Philadelphia. But lets not forget the face of their franchise, the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant who always has the Lakers in contention every year. The Lakers arguably have the best starting five in the league, with Nash, Kobe, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol , and Dwight Howard. With this team GM Mitch Kupchak has put together, the Lakers are a serious favorite to not only win the west but to take the title for their 17th championship. On the other hand I do not expect them to be clicking on all cylinders right away, it will take some games to feel each other out and play as a solid unit.


2. Oklahoma City Thunder - Projected W/L record (60-22)

Durant and Westbrook

The Thunder have came along way since there 08-09 season where they didn't make the playoffs. Each season since 2010 they have improved their record and have earned a higher seed in the playoffs. The Thunder have even improved their already young and talented roster with rookies Perry Jones III and DeAndre Liggins. The Thunder are extremely deep with guard Eric Maynor coming back from injury and the sixth man of the year in James Harden. But the main reason why OKC is so deadly out west is because of their young superstars in 3-Time Scoring Champion Kevin Durant and the ever so explosive Russell Westbrook. These two together make one of the best duos in the entire league. KD and Westbrook can light up any team for a combined 60 points any given night. This is what makes the Thunder so hard to stop. Also watch out for an improved offensive game from Serge Ibaka as well this season.

3. Denver Nuggets - Projected W/L record (55-27)



The New Look Denver Nuggets

Since the departure of Carmelo Anthony, the Denver Nuggets haven't really had a face of the franchise type player. Yes, they were extremely deep and have a lot of great talented players like Ty Lawson , Danilo Galinari, and Wilson Chandler. But the Nuggets were missing that one key player who can take over at any time. Enter Andre Iguodala, an NBA all-star in 2011-2012 and a player who can do it all. Iguodala has the ability to score from different parts of the floor, can get to the line many times in a game, can pass and handle the ball well, and defend the opposing teams best guard or forward. He is a legit All-Star in this league and will make the Nuggets an even better team on the both sides of the floor. The Nuggets also have a plethora of young big men, such as JaVale McGee, Kenneth Faried, Timofey Mozgov, and Anthony Randolph. The Nuggets were first in overall points per game and assists per game last season. I will not be shocked if they continue that this season.

4. San Antonio Spurs - Projected W/L record (52-30)

Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker

The Spurs are one of the most interesting teams in the west this season, they might take a step down from being the one seed in '11-'12 but no one should ever count the big three of Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili out. Coach Gregg Popovich is arguably the best coach in the NBA and knows how to keep his team motivated and hungry for wins night in and night out. Look out for the talented Kawhi Leonard in his second season as he could make the jump from defensive stopper to all around player. The Spurs are loaded from top to bottom with shooters and great role players. They could easily make another run to the top of the western conference. The only thing holding the Spurs back is father time, future hall of famer Tim Duncan is entering his 15th season and at age 36 lets see what he has left in the tank. The Spurs are destined to make a run for not only a top 4 seed but maybe even a top 2 seed.

Let's continue with the bottom 4 seeds in the Western Conference:

5. Los Angeles Clippers - Projected W/L record (50-32)

Lob City is Back

Lob City aka the Los Angeles Clippers made a huge splash in the west last season with the additions of All-Star point guard Chris Paul, Mr.Big Shot Chauncey Billups, and one of the most underrated players in the league Caron Butler. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and are finally contending for a Pacific Division title. This upcoming season the Clips have added even more fire power to their squad by grabbing former sixth man of the year and former Clipper Lamar Odom, Grant Hill , Matt Barnes, and Jamal Crawford. To top all of that off they still have one of the leagues most feared and exciting players to watch Blake Griffin. Although Griffin is coming off of  meniscus surgery, The Clippers have enough talent to make a run at the a Pacific Division crown and possibly a spot in the Western Conference Finals.

6. Memphis Grizzlies - Projected W/L record (48-34)





Memphis is ready to contend with Rudy Gay and Z-Bo
 

The Grizz are another one of those high flying young teams in the western conference that can potentially make another run at a top 4 seed as they did last season. With emerging superstars Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies have enough fire power to score with any team in the league. I also believe that guard Mike Conley Jr. will take a big step forward for Memphis as well. Memphis did lose their main scorer off the bench in O.J. Mayo but did pick up Jerryd Bayless from the Raptors who can fill that void. The Grizzlies also drafted 19 year old Tony Wroten Jr. from Washington, with Conley, Wroten, and the summer league Co-MVP Josh Selby the Grizzlies are loaded with exciting point guards that teams will have trouble matching up with. Memphis also has one of the best defenses in the league last season allowing just under 93.0 ppg (5th in the NBA). With Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol controlling the paint, I don't see why they couldn't be a top 5 defense this season as well.

7. Dallas Mavericks - Projected W/L record (44-38)



New Faces in Dallas with Mayo, Collison and Kaman

The Mavericks made a lot of under the radar moves in the off-season, by letting go of veterans Jason Kidd and Jason Terry, and replacing them with young athletic players such as O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison. The Mavs are an interesting team this season, they will be missing their number one option and superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki for 3-6 weeks because of knee surgery. But they do have a deep team that can still get W's. With Dirk out, the Mavericks will turn to former Sixer Elton Brand to fill Nowitzki's spot at the four. Once Dirk gets back to full-strength this season they will get back to being one of the best scoring and 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. A key player to watch for from the Dallas Mavericks this season will be Rodrigue Beaubois also known Roddie Buckets. I believe he will finally break out this season and be a pivotal role player for the Mavericks offense. You can never count the Mavs out at not only making the playoffs but also making a deep run as well. They are so well coached by Rick Carlisle and have that championship experience that which could be useful vs the youthful teams.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves - Projected W/L record (42-40)

The T'Wolves Big 3, Love, Rubio, and Derrick Williams

Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio headline one of the youngest and talented starting fives in the NBA. The Wolves also added some veteran leadership with guard Brandon Roy and Andrei Kirilenko. Before Ricky Rubios knee injury last season, the Wolves were on pace to take the 8th seed, since the dynamic point guard went down, so did Minnesota's season. The key to the Timberwolves making a playoff appearance is the health of Rubio along with improvement to last seasons 2nd overall pick Derrick Williams. Kevin Love is still the Double-Double rebounding monster that he is and if Rubio and Williams play up to their expectations look for Minnesota to take the 8th spot in the west.


Sleeper teams to contend for the 8th spot - Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Portland Trailblazers, and the Golden State Warriors.







All Pictures belong to google.com, I do not own any of these images, all stats are from ESPN.com