Western Conference Predictions

[rh0xxy]

Alright, here we go with my Western Conference Prediction. This is basically from my own point of view so feel free to criticize lol

1. Phoenix - No doubt the best team out West from last season and continuing it this season. The addition of former Champ GM Marcos as Assistant makes it more scary for the West. I expect this team to be the overall top team to end the regular season.
Projected Starters: Harrison - Taylor - Crowder - White - Qi

2. Houston - Another contender here in the Rockets. They are coming back intact and ready to correct what they have done wrong last season. Perhaps one more piece to solve the puzzle but definitely a strong contender out West.
Projected Starter: Walker - Monk - Bender - Winslow - Towns

3. Denver - Another year of experience for Tatum means trouble for the rest of the league. This could be an MVP type year for him especially since he is in his final year of his contract. This could be the last hurrah for John Wall as well so there could be something special.
Projected Starter: Guler - Wall - Tatum - Capela - Drummond

4. San Antonio - Respect for the reigning West Champs. I think they are raring to duplicate what was an inspiring last season for them and prove everyone that it was not a fluke. They added some more defense during the Off Season so i expect them to be better than before.
Projected Starter: Ntilikina - Rozier - Adams - Harrell - Cauley-Stein

5. Sacramento - The Perennial contender's bold move by trading Porter during the Offseason could ignite a rebuilding route for the proud Franchise. But i'm not resting my laurels just yet as GM BT always find ways regardless of what they have. As long as he's still active, expect nothing less but a competing team unless he calls otherwise.
Projected Starter: Cousins - Adams - Inglis - Solomon - Nurkic

6. Utah - Despite the not-so-lucky Offseason for the Jazz, this team is still capable of making the Playoffs and could surprise once again. The addition of MKG made them more potent defensively but the best signing imo (though a bit pricey) was the Josh Jackson's acquisition as he brings two way play for the team.
Projected Starter: Jackson - Hamilton - Jackson - Kidd-Gilchrist - Porzingis

7. Golden State - I expect this team to do better from last season so i'm going to put them in this place. A relatively quiet Offseason for them but they actually did their homework much earlier so there's no need for more activity the rest of the way. Perhaps more understanding of the engine could spell difference from the previous season.
Projected Starter: White - Dozier - Layman - Chriss - Noel

8. Portland - This team is proven and still has the tools to make it to the Playoffs but GM's inexperience could dampen their chances to move deeper. With a lot of teams out West still in rebuilding mode though, there's a good chance they'll be in the Playoffs once more.
Projected Starter: Clarkson - Smart - Ingles - Mirotic - Tavares

On the radar: Pelicans and Mavs

[Flaming Homer]

I mostly agree with this rankings. Phoenix got stronger this off-season with small but smart moves.
Houston is right there and just needs a bit more luck with injuries.

Denver is the only team I can't really place right now. Tatum is the guy who can bring them long ways, but Myles need 2 more other players to really step up.

[KW]

Good predictions. Mine are pretty close.

We will be starting Monk/Dipo/Bender/Winslow/Towns to start the season, the same team that went on a streak after the deadline.

1) Phoenix (near lock for the top spot- I think they're a step ahead of everyone else here)
Playoff Locks:
2) Denver
3) Houston
4) Sacramento
5) San Antonio
6) Utah
In the mix:
7) Portland
8) New Orleans
9) Dallas
10) Memphis
Rebuilding but not horrible:
11) Golden State
12) Minnesota
Tank City:
13) LA Lakers
14) LA Clippers
15) OKC

[Ramcus]

I think San Antonio are going to struggle out of the gate, but before the trade deadline they'll have their stuff figured out and know how to move forward. They lost an important player in Jordan Bell, but I wouldn't lean too much into that. They successfully replaced the man defense and rebounding, just not the passing.

The Utah Jazz will make the playoffs just purely off the talent of Porzingis, MKG, and Hamilton. Throw in Jackson and Diallo, and it doesn't look like a bad team. The problem is, they have no starting point guard. At least, nobody knows who they're going to start. They're projected to start De'Anthony Melton, but he's honestly nowhere near good enough. Neither is Joe Jackson, nor Hamidou Diallo. Because of that, I can't see the Utah Jazz going deep in the playoffs. But they will probably make the playoffs off the backs of pure talent.

Somehow, the Portland Trailblazers aren't bad this season. They retained Jordan Clarkson and signed Grant Williams. Other than that, the core of the team is largely the same. But I wonder if the ages of Clarkson, Ingles, and Tavares means that they take the season to hit the reset button. It could work out that way, but if not, these guys are probably doing exactly what they did last season.

Really excited to see how the Lakers and Warriors play out. The Lakers got a really good point guard in Ky Bowman, and their team no longer looks like a group of newborns trying to flail around. They look like a serious young core looking to make a name for themselves.
The Warriors too, they didn't change much, but they got better overall. Excited to see the growth of Coby White and Zhaire Smith.

[Marcos_Beck]

There’s a lot to figure out in Phoenix, specially with Austin’s deal in place. I mean, there are lots of wings, lots of defensive players, and we still have to make them fit.

But I believe I can say this for both me and Doug, we’re extremely excited to work on lineups and tactics while he teaches me more about the engine.
And there are many assets and trade options to work with also and improve the team if needed.

I won’t say if Phoenix is above everyone else like Kyrus said because I wasn’t here last year to see how each Western contender played. But I’m for sure excited about what this team has to offer, specially on defense, which surely wins championships.

[GreenBear]

The field is much weaker than the East, but as we saw in last year's playoffs, anyone that makes the playoffs can make a run.

We've introduced a few new players that we're going to have to play around with some different lineups to see what works best. I don't even know what my starting lineup is going to be yet. We typically do better when expectations are lower, so I thought trading Austin away would do that for us, but I guess not

Houston is right up there with us in terms of talent. They usually throw some games away experimenting things, but don't let their end-of-season record fool you. Then you got Den, Sac and SAS that should all be right there. If Portland's GM can figure the engine out, they shouldn't be far behind either. Utah... who knows? Depends on if Kevin decides to be active or not. Then I think GSW, NOP and Memphis will be battling for the last couple playoff spots.

[Ocons]

Hard to stay motivated and active in the ClownShowLeague.

Can't really evaluate anyone else but would say that any admins, current or former, should finish in the top 4 or so of each conference. The rest is a crapshoot.

We don't have a PG or much depth so our season could go a couple different directions.

[Dennis]

No idea if it’s only me, I always have fun when Kevin goes Kevin. But lately he sounds like trump 2.0 repeating stuff over and over again.

[blackice]

I'd actually take UTA as my dark-horse team, I don't think people realize how potent their top 4 is and they're a solid PG away from being a very interesting team. They need bench depth though.

I like the order here and I agree that PHX is the class of the West. That said, HOU is always dangerous and I love Monk so we'll see how it pans out.

[cb4raptorscb4]

Nice writeup! Phoenix in the #1 spot has certainly been earned by them.

I expect us to be in the playoffs mix again with a year of growth and our midseason acquisitions last year starting the season with us.

[Stockton12]

Good write up I agree with most of the selections here .

What I don’t agree with is kyrus calling us tank city lol

[Stockton12]

I think San Antonio are going to struggle out of the gate, but before the trade deadline they'll have their stuff figured out and know how to move forward. They lost an important player in Jordan Bell, but I wouldn't lean too much into that. They successfully replaced the man defense and rebounding, just not the passing.

The Utah Jazz will make the playoffs just purely off the talent of Porzingis, MKG, and Hamilton. Throw in Jackson and Diallo, and it doesn't look like a bad team. The problem is, they have no starting point guard. At least, nobody knows who they're going to start. They're projected to start De'Anthony Melton, but he's honestly nowhere near good enough. Neither is Joe Jackson, nor Hamidou Diallo. Because of that, I can't see the Utah Jazz going deep in the playoffs. But they will probably make the playoffs off the backs of pure talent.

Somehow, the Portland Trailblazers aren't bad this season. They retained Jordan Clarkson and signed Grant Williams. Other than that, the core of the team is largely the same. But I wonder if the ages of Clarkson, Ingles, and Tavares means that they take the season to hit the reset button. It could work out that way, but if not, these guys are probably doing exactly what they did last season.

Really excited to see how the Lakers and Warriors play out. The Lakers got a really good point guard in Ky Bowman, and their team no longer looks like a group of newborns trying to flail around. They look like a serious young core looking to make a name for themselves.
The Warriors too, they didn't change much, but they got better overall. Excited to see the growth of Coby White and Zhaire Smith.

Thanks mate but got to work out lineups first .excited to for bowman

[bt]

Clear top two for mine in Houston and Phoenix here. I feel like they're two completely different teams though with fit, chemistry and all that with the Suns but overall talent when it comes to the Rockets.

Throw a blanket over the next 5-6 teams including the Spurs, Nuggets, Blazers, Jazz and I'd even have the Warriors there. The rest probably fighting it out with a few rebuilders.

Vastly different conference compared to when it was considered the strong one.

[hardenwithnod]

While the West is not nearly as deep, they still have some very strong teams at the top. I am really curious to see what the Kings will do, as they can go either direction.

[drumr]

On point.

[mgtr81]

Never overlook the Sacramento Kings. Nice article, by the way.