Who will make it? The West.

[Dennis]

A full ranking (like I did - explanations are not needed.) will grant you bonus points for scouting some point this season.

Dennis Tipp
#1 Sacramento Kings
Bt has the best starting five in the entire league. I know some might say they need a star to win a ring, but their defensive potential has no limit. They will miss Parsons and need an upgrade at center, but their big four Payton, Porter, Solomon and McLemore is too good. I could see them allowing below 90 points per game, question is if Ben can score enough to make up for their lack of star power.

#2 Houston Rockets
It was crucial for them to resign Young. I hope they will play him more often this season as he is a special talent and can win them a lot games. Maybe finally the season Biz is able to put together the talent he has.

#3 New Orleans Pelicans
The defending champs. A very nice team, but I think it will hurt them that they lost Okaro as he was crucial for their team. However, their depth increased and they are true contender again this year. Also the top 3 teams will all finish with around 55-60 wins and it's hard to predict which one will end up #1.

#4 Utah Jazz
Kevin improved this team a lot and a starting five of Ennis, Exum, Haward, Hickson and Favors is an awesome one. Exum will have a breakout season because of his endurance and Hickson was already very important in Denver's run for the title. However, it has to be questioned if RJ Hunter can handle the much needed scoring off the bench.

#5 Phoenix Suns
The Suns are one year away from being a contender. Wiggins and Wright both need to lose their "rookie tag" and their endurance boost to become the superstars they will be one day. Austin will break out this year and should easily put up 18PPG. Doug will be happy with anohter playoff experience, even if it will be a first round exit.. His young guns will gather further experience which will help them a lot overnext season.

#6 Minnesota Timberwolves
It's rhoxxy.. If he's active, he is one of the best GMs in the league and his team will make the POs.. If he doesnt take care, they could easily end up being a bottom 5 team. Still Westbrook, Napier, Oladipo, Morris, Sanders is a very strong team and Russel will net them the playoffs.
Still, the bench is non-existend and if the injury bug strikes they wont have any chance.

#7 Memphis Grizzlies
Because I love Dragic and Andrei, lol. #6 to #8 is an open race between SA, LAC, OKC, MEM, POR and MIN. Everybody can make it.
However, the game loves dominant guards and Dragic + Conley is a deadly combo.

#8 San Antonio Spurs
Well, they have the potential to be the #8 seed, but everything depends on if Jeff will take care of his team.. At first I wanted to name OKC here, but decided to opt for SA. KD is just too good.

[emplep7]

My Rankings

1. NO - Until someone dethrones them, they are Number 1 in the entire league in my book.
2. Houston - Still a top team out West.
3. Sacramento - 3 and 4 could flip flop as I think they are both very equal.
4. Phoenix - Same as above.
5. OKC - I think they have a very well rounded team, they just need a sniper.
6. Utah - Another solid all around team, but they will need a big season from Exum.
7. Memphis - Losing Al hurts, but they will find a way to make the playoffs.
8. LAC - The talent is there, but I don't know how Smart and Dwight will pair up yet.

[andrei]

1. NOP - still best team in the West
2. HOU - as long as Harden is there, they will be contenders
3. PHO - exceptional team last year is now a year better
4. SAC - will be better than last year's 50+ winning team
5. MEM - I fully expect us to be 5th seed this year. Dragic + Conley + high press + high pace = more wins than last year
6. LAC - loaded team just like last year and Howard is still the best big in the game
7. SAS - KD with Batum and Lin, they'll make the playoffs
8. OKC - intrigued by this team. They have some weaknesses but should make it

[lakeshowak7]

I consider it a curse to be picked to win anything by Dennis so I like my chances.

These will prove to be way off come playoff time.

He's also picking Minnesota to win our division, which, no.

[Marcos_Beck]

1. NOP - Champs gotta be respected
2. HOU - Harden + lots of starting caliber players = contender.
3. SAC - Internal improvements will put them on top. Missing Parsons hurts though.
4. PHO - Doug's team is sensational and internal improvement will also bring them closer to contention.
5. LAC - BI will trade his whole team come midseason and build a talented team that fits.
6. MEM - Dragic + Conley is impressive, and there are some good role players.
7. MIN - WB is crazy good and they have defensive players around him. If Rhox is active they'll make it.
8. SAS - KD is even better and Jeff has pieces to trade for better fit around him (Batum, Lin). Hope they can stay away from KD injuries.

[Myles]

People sleeping on us damn. Nik Lance and Brook gonna show you all

[Rizzo]

1 - NOP
2 - HOU
3 - SAC
4 - LAC
5 - PHO
6 - SAS
7 - DEN
8 - OKC

[GreenBear]

1 - NOP
2 - HOU
3 - SAC
4 - LAC
5 - PHO
6 - SAS
7 - SAS
8 - OKC

Spurs making it as the 6th and 7th seed! Tall order for Jeff to live up to!

[GreenBear]

Suns' meaningless playoff predictors:

1. New Orleans: Best team in the CSL last year and I think they got better. AD is pretty much unstoppable. An improved Cotton is scary. Beverley and Thomas coming off the bench... ugh
2. Houston: Barely lost out to the Pelicans last year in 7 games. They have the talent to meet them in the conference finals again this year. I'm excited to see what they do to take down the Pelicans.
3. Sacramento: They had our number last year, and they got very hot down the stretch before a tough exit against the Grizzlies in 7 games. They should win the division again this year.
4. Phoenix: A step below the top 3, but another year experience for this young team along with the addition of some 3-point shooters should get them in the mix. Will probably end up as the 5th seed again due to division winner rules.
5. Los Angeles (C): Best center in the West now that Big Al got shipped East. High Scoring duo of Smart/Wade in the backcourt will be fun to watch.
6. Memphis: Conley and Dragic are going to terrorize teams all season long. Underrated center in Daniel Miller is better than people realize.
7. Oklahoma City: Added Rondo to give them a true PG, and Butler is a good player to have come off the bench. They played much better down the stretch after the new GM took over. I give them the slight inside track to win the NorthWest.
8. Minnesota: With Larry Sanders back, look for the Wolves to challenge for the NorthWest crown. They have a gluttony of guards between WB, Oladipo, Napier and Stockton, so I expect them to use that to give Sanders some front court help.

Absolutely no disrespect intended for the teams I left off. This was a lot tougher to put together than I thought it would be. Dallas, San Antonio, Utah and Portland are all right there. Not much separating the 4-12 teams. I actually expect at least 2 of those teams (no idea which ones) to make it over the top 8 that I listed. But then again, I don't think anyone can predict who the top 8 will be. It's going to be a dogfight. Injuries and mid-season trades will play a big factor.

[blackice]

Original post has us missing the playoffs which is...let's say surprising...but it's all good. Games need to be played and records have to be earned.

[Ocons]

This is great motivation. No offense taken by those who left us off as it's understandable. I think we'll surprise some people. Only thing that could hurt is the lack of true size but I think we'll be okay and will be active if we're not.

I'd venture to guess but that's all it would be really. Don't have enough experience to really know who will be any good. For example, I don't understand why the Pelicans are so good when looking at their roster but I guess that's why they play the games and I've always been a middle of the road team in sim leagues.

[Jestor]

The West is such a tough conference.

[Sun Scorched]

#1 – Houston Rockets – In my mind, they are still a better team. I don’t like their frontcourt as much and think that’s part of why we were able to squeak out a Game 7 victory, but there is absolutely no answer for Harden. None. Half of our off-season was to game-plan around one player.

#2 – New Orleans Pelicans – I think we got deeper, for sure. It’s nice to know we can more appropriately weather the storm were an injury to occur. Beverley was a direct response to how abused Cotton got with some of the more aggressive combo guards (Wall, Westrbook, Harden, etc). We are thing at SF though, so we’ll see if I can’t figure that out mid-season.

#3 – Sacramento Kings – Unquestioned #3 in my book. BT doesn’t normally trade but it wouldn’t shock me to see a competitive move with all of the depth and assets he has at his disposal. I think center is a focus, though I would simply start Solomon there. These guys are a defensive juggernaut.

#4 – Phoenix Suns – These guys are also young and feisty. Depending on the match-up, I could see them also getting all the way to the WCF – something true of any of these top-4 squads. Can’t wait to see what Austin does this season. Similar to SAC, needs a true low-post anchor.

#5 – Portland Trailblazers – Have no idea why people are sleeping on this team. I get the fit argument, though I don’t subscribe to it. Golden State had a playoff caliber roster and missed the prior season simply because of injuries and this last season because of … something … that I’m sure everyone is still confused about. When you have two unstoppable offensive weapons on the same team (and, split between front and back court – which I love), you’re a lock for the postseason, in my opinion.

#6 – Memphis Grizzlies – I know Andrei will find a way. And I absolutely love the Conley/Dragic pairing. If he can limp his frontcourt along or improve it at some point this season, he can have a pretty comfortable jaunt into the post-season.

#7 – Los Angeles Clippers – The talent is quite clearly there, just perhaps not the fit. I thought Wade and Howard could co-exist, especially with a PG that would defer and hit from deep, but now it seems like one too many cooks. Still, their lack of shooting from range may be counteracted by their ability to get to the line – and teams in foul trouble will hate losing their starting front court to the bench if their depth sucks. (this was my strategy in oCSL with the Bobcats, so I am interested to see how LAC does this season).

#8 – Really a toss-up and although we’ll see some fluctuation in the top 7, this spot will change various times throughout the season. To pick one though, Denver. I know we’ve all forgotten about Griffin and that he’s injured for 50 +/- days, but I think a frontcourt powerhouse is essential to any type of success in the post season. Denver is my dark horse.

[Rizzo]

Spurs making it as the 6th and 7th seed! Tall order for Jeff to live up to!

LMAO! Welp it's been a long day. My post has been edited to correct that mistake lol.

[KW]

Voted for NO, HOU, OKC, UTA, POR, SAC, PHX, LAC - order and explanations coming later

[8timechamp]

1 - NOP - defending champs. Hard to argue otherwise. Kept same roster + more
2 - HOU - harden harden harden and more harden. Plus side role players. Could have won the title last year
3 - SAC - really liking this team. Young but so much talent on the roster.
4 - PHO - another young team. I feel like this is Wiggins year to shine at 18-20ppg. Add that to the existing roster and this team might have too much young talent haha
5 - OKC - not biased. Just like my roster for reasons I stated before. Thunder actually have a gm this season
6 - LAC - Dwight Wade and Smart. Add some depth and here they are. Wade is an little older and I have no idea how he will be this year, that's why they are here and not #5.
7 - Por - You have Lillard and Cousins. Will it work? But if it does watch out, they could be even better than the #7 seed but not enough depth imo
8 - Memphis - I just don't see where they upgraded much this off season. Still Conley and Dragic are good enough to land them here

[lakeshowak7]

Yeah, not seeing the Memphis love either. They are going to take a step back, IMO.

As for picking the Thunder over the Blazers...you might want to put your money elsewhere. We are going to sweep them.

[8timechamp]

Yeah, not seeing the Memphis love either. They are going to take a step back, IMO.

As for picking the Thunder over the Blazers...you might want to put your money elsewhere. We are going to sweep them.

you're a funny guy

[KW]

Might as well rank all of the teams

1) NOP - they are the defending champions and have the best player in the CSL. They improved at center and point guard, and didn't lose much on the wings. Scary team.

2) HOU - we could probably land the top spot if we were really gunning for it. We're deeper than ever and don't want to risk injury in the regular season. Doubt anybody plays more than 32mpg and we will be experimenting a lot of different lineups.

3) SAC - stupidly deep. This could be the first team ever with 7 players AVERAGING double-digit points. Lack of a star is this team's only "weakness". They can hang in there with anyone.

4) UTA - this is my sleeper pick to really make waves around the CSL. They had an unbelievable offseason, and are legitimately 10-deep with players that could start for several teams.

5) PHX - they'll be a handful, and probably one of the best 5-seeds you'll ever see. Another team in the Utah mold that has some star talent and is seriously deep.

6) LAC - 2 1/2 years of Dwight constantly getting injured at the wrong times has scarred me, but there's no denying the talent he flashed as the #1 guy. Spacing is an issue with all these ball-dominant combo guards that can't shoot, but you know BI is going to turn it into something good.

7) OKC - that Rondo/Butler/MKG trio is one of the craziest things I've seen. The impenetrable defense in the backcourt will overshadow the offensive shortcomings of that group, but spacing is a definite concern for this group.

8) POR - There are legitimate concerns with the Cousins/Lillard trio after the failed experiment in Golden State. But this team is deep and has multiple contributors at every position.

--

9) MEM - Conley/Dragic is great and easily a top 3 backcourt duo in the league, but this team has nothing else going for it. Would have been at least 3 spots higher had they not made the Jefferson/Dragic trade. The frontcourt is going to get battered against a lot of teams.

10) MIN - Westbrook/Dipo/Sanders is a great trio, but the bench is really lacking and Stockton appears to be a good bit away from being a good PG. (Also Whiteman is a fake player and should be removed from the roster).

11) SAS - still likely a well-above .500 team, led by Kevin Durant. I love the Batum acquisition, but it's very tough to put them above more than two of the 10 teams listed above. They're the biggest victims of a stacked conference.

12) DAL - a developing team that will sneak up on some teams. If the West wasn't so stacked, they'd be a playoff threat, but constantly going up against the above 11 teams will prove to be too much. There is probably a ten-game gap between them and the Spurs.

13) LAL - the Lakers have gotten a lot of mid-tier talent. That's not going to win a lot of games out here. It will be a couple years until the Lakers are in the playoff hunt.

14) DEN - even if Blake was healthy all year (he'll miss over a month), the team simply isn't strong enough to compete out here. By midseason, I would be surprised if they weren't trading away some vets for cap space and picks, and attempting a quick 1-year rebuild to get some pieces around Blake.

15) GSW - after a disappointing season, the Warriors tore it down and rebuilt around Curry. Embiid is a VERY long way away from being a good player, and unless he has an unprecedented uptick during training camp, it's going to be extremely tough for the Warriors to extricate themselves from the cellar of the league. I could see 25-30 wins with this team, and that could still put them dead last in the conference. Unbelievable.

[KW]

Yup, this is easily the most stacked conference I've ever seen.