NBA Preview: In the End, the Sun Sets in the West
By JORDAN IKEDA
RAFU STAFF WRITER
Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008

Associated Press
Kobe will have to keep all his fingers in good working order to have another
MVP season. Look for the Lakers to win the West and vie for another title.

With new kicks, polished floors, and shiny gold medals for the league’s elite, the NBA season kicked off last week with last year’s number one pick, Greg Oden of the Blazers facing off against the Lakers’ Andrew Bynum in a battle of the new-school giants.
I don’t know about you, but I’m stoked about the upcoming season. So many great teams, so many great storylines.

The following is a brief summation of each team in the West.

Los Angeles Lakers
Positive spin: Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol blend perfectly and lighten Kobe’s scoring load so he can concentrate on defense (defensive player of the year maybe?). Lakers defense ascends to the top of the league (thanks Trevor Ariza) and Jordan Farmar wins most improved player.
Negative spin: The injury bug plagues the team with Kobe’s pinkie, Bynum’s knee, Pau’s balky back, and/or any part of Odom’s entire body. Kobe gets booed for not living up to MJ and decides to play in Europe for $40 million.
What I think: Lakers are deeeeeeeeeep. They can withstand injuries, although, not too major. Lakers win the west and challenge for another title.

Utah Jazz
Positive spin: A young team matures and gets better. Deron Williams challenges for the MVP and Jerry Sloan finally wins his first and much deserved coach of the year award. Andrei Kirilenko embraces his role of bench guy and wins sixth man of the year.
Negative spin: Deron’s injured ankle lingers and the team starts off slowly again. With 8 contracts set to expire, the team panics and devolves into selfish play (I’m talking to you Calros Boozer).
What I think: Jazz will be right at the top of the west, will easily win their division and will give the Lakers a scare at some point, whether it’s the second round or the Western Conference Finals.

Houston Rockets
Positive spin: Ron Artest comes in, blends perfectly with Yao and TMac (who both stay healthy) and helps transform the West’s best defensive team last season, into the league’s best defense this season. T-Mac gets out of the first round.
Negative spin: T-Mac’s back causes him to miss extended time yet again. Yao’s long summer causes him to get hurt yet again. Artest sees a sinking ship and quits the team cutting a rap album with backup vocals from Beyonce.
What I think: Somewhere in between that. Yao or T-Mac will get hurt, but the team is so deep that an injury to either or won’t really affect it that much. They are strong enough to prevail without one or the other, but not without both. Second round ousted. Oh, and Ron Ron might drop a mixtape with Young Jeezy.

Portland Trail Blazers
Positive spin: Greg Oden wins rookie of the year thanks to his dominating defense. Brandon Roy stays healthy thanks to the Blazers deep bench. Rudy Fernandez gets strong considerations for rookie of the year with stellar all around play.
Negative spin: Roy gets hurt and misses a lot of time. Oden plays the way he looks, like Lebron’s grandfather. The Blazers return to the lottery to amass more talent. (Wait that’s not negative...)
What I think: Nate McMillan will finally be playing with a full deck of cards and will get this team to overachieve expectations. Riding high a wave of newfound fanfare and momentum, they’ll make the playoffs but get bounced by a more experienced and veteran savvy Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix Suns
Positive spin: Amare Stoudemire will dominate on defense like he dominates on offense and win the MVP award. Steve Nash, Shaq and Grant Hill will make it through an entire season thanks to a bench that will finally be utilized.
Negative spin: Amare doesn’t play defense despite what he’s said. Shaq gets hurt. Nash gets hurt. Hill gets hurt. The Suns miss the playoffs and Phoenix fans look to bury the “idiot” Steve Kerr in the Arizona desert while Shawn Marion makes the playoffs with the Heat.
What I think: They will struggle to find an identify on offense, especially early on when Porter’s playing the whole roster. The Suns won’t stay healthy, but they will still contend because their bench will have gained experience. First or second round. 

San Antonio Spurs
Positive spin: The ancient roster finds the fountain of youth and staves off decline for one more season, playing classic San Antonio ball: Great defense and a slowed-down, but highly efficient offense. They break their “odd year” curse and win in ’09 thus giving Duncan one more ring than Shaq.
Negative spin: They play old. They can’t find enough offense. Tony Parker, EA’s cover boy for NBA Live 2009, finds married life more fun and plays as his virtual self on his Xbox 360, trading virtual Tony to the Lakers and winning another ring.
What I think: The Spurs will be the Spurs will be the Spurs will be the Spurs. They’ll make the playoffs and regardless of where they finish, they’ll scare the beejeezus out of whoever they play.

New Orleans Hornets Positive spin: Chris Paul improves on last year (the best statistical year by a point guard in NBA history) and wins his first MVP. James Posey puts the team over the top and cements himself as the 3-ringed Robert Horry.
Negative spin: The team’s dearth of quality backup big men becomes shockingly apparent when David West goes through his every-other-year routine and gets hurt. His injury will occur when he flashes one of his “shocked-that-wasn’t-a-foul-face” which results in his eyes popping out of his head.
What I think: The lack of bigs will hurt the team, but not to the extent where they don’t make the playoffs. But they won’t be best in the west either as many have predicted. A first round ousting to the Utah Jazz quiets the “Paul is waaaay better than Williams” crowd.

Los Angeles Clippers
Positive spin: Baron Davis works his magic like he did two seasons ago with the Warriors and Marcus Camby solidifies the Clips as one of the best defensive teams in the Association.
Negative spin: Ricky Davis wilds out. Baron gets sick of Mike Dunleavy and focuses on moviemaking. Camby gets hurt. Rookie Eric Gordon gets hurt. Chris Kaman gets hurt. Corey Maggette, now on the Warriors, laughs and says, “I told you so.” Clips go back to being the Clips.
What I think: Clippers defense does ascend to the top of the L, but due to the fact that basically the whole team is different, they will struggle to find an identify on offense. Their defense, however, will carry them into the postseason.

Dallas Mavericks
Positive spin: J-Kidd plays like it’s 1998-99. He revs up the Mavericks’ motor and gets Dirk Nowitzki back in the MVP discussion. Two-time dunk champ, Gerald Green, starts living up to his talent (most improved player anyone?)
Negative spin: J-Kidd plays like it’s 2008-09. The Mavs, with a roster full of redundant players and no superstars outside of Dirk, falls out of the playoffs for the first time this decade. Avery Johnson sits back on TNT and nods his head.
What I think: Kidd will play like it’s 2005 or thereabouts. He’ll shoot horribly, but he’ll add a few more triple doubles to his career total. The Mavs will have the talent to make it in the final two spots of the playoffs, but will get trounced in the first round.

Denver Nuggets
Positive spin: Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith torch the league and become an unstoppable trio on offense. Add in Nene’s resurgence, and the Nugs lead the league in points per game and shoot their way into the playoffs.
Negative spin: George Karl doesn’t coach any differently. AI, Melo, J.R. Smith, and Kenyon Martin don’t play any differently which, because they no longer have Camby, will be to the lottery.
What I think: AI, Smith and Melo will be the league’s leading scoring trio, and they’ll have enough firepower to blast into the playoffs, but a lot has to go right for that to happen. Even if they do, they are one and done...again.

Minnesota Timberwolves
Positive spin: Al Jefferson makes the all-star team. Kevin Love proves he can play in the NBA. The T-Wolves claw their way into the playoffs due to some misfortune befalling the teams ahead of them.
Negative spin: Love learns he’s too slow for the NBA. Randy Foye learns he’s not a point guard. Rashad McCants learns nothing.
What I think: The T-Wolves, with Mike Miller and Jefferson, will be a legit team, but not legit enough to get out of the lottery.

Golden State Warriors
Positive spin: Don Nelson will work his mojo and get this group of very young, but very talented players to follow Stephen Jackson into the playoffs.
Negative spin: Monta Ellis will return, only to, a week later, injure his other leg driving a scooter.
What I think: Corey Maggette will challenge to lead the league in scoring and possibly make the all-star team. Marcus Williams won’t only NOT start, he’ll be cut.

Sacramento Kings
Positive spin: Kevin Martin, the new-school Reggie Miller, will make the all-star team.
Negative spin: Martin won’t make all-star. Brad Miller will smoke more pot. Jason Thompson will play like a very long stretch as a lottery pick.
What I think: The Kings will try out their young squad. Martin will challenge for the scoring title and will make the all-star team.

Memphis Grizzlies
Positive spin: O.J. Mayo will win rookie of the year and Mike Conley will justify his draft position. The team will be exciting and Rudy Gay will make the all-star team.
Negative spin: The glut of guards will cause none of them to play well. Darko Milicic will continue to be bad. Marc Gasol’s beard will get tangled with Robin Lopez’s fro (Suns) and they’ll get in a fight and both be suspended.
What will happen: They’ll be fun to watch. That’s about it.

Oklahoma City Thunder
Positive spin: Kevin Durant improves on last season. Has an outside shot of making the all-star team. Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green play well too.
Negative spin: Jeff Green continues to turn the ball over. Durant doesn’t learn how to pass. Westbrook’s a bust.
What will happen: They’ll still be called that same crappy name and their record will reflect it 110 percent.
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The views in expressed are not necessarily those of the Rafu Shimpo. For more NBA stuff by Jordan Ikeda, visit www.westcoastslant.blogspot.com and feel free to comment.