The deepest and most talented conference in the NBA is also the most wide-open. The top two teams, Dallas and San Antonio, are widely expected to finish 1 and 2 (though the order is anyone's guess), while the much improved rockets and the chris paul-led hornets battle it out for 3rd, or perhaps higher if everything goes well for them. the memphis grizzlies are looking like they will struggle for a while with paul gasol hurt, as he provided almost everything for them production-wise and with leadership. some of their young athletic guys better step up and they have to keep their other players healthy because even though mike miller is a great shooter and talented overall offensive player he's not the type of guy to carry a team on the offensive end because he is too soft. last year memphis had a great regular season but were probably the worst team in the playoffs after getting spanked by the dallas mavericks. pau gasol had a huge regular season and fought back the criticisms that he was too soft and more of a finesse guy and finally came out as a star player. i dont see how you could see this guy's beard and call him a softie after that. the grizz were a great defensive team last season, definitly one of the best in league, and they played a really tough and scrappy style to win games. they didnt have a lot of athleticism or young talent, but they've really tried to change that now. without pau gasol, however, i just dont see how they can win, he was the center of everything they did and not only their main rebounder but also one of the team's best passers. he brought an intensity and energy every night that they don't seem to have right now. they also lost their ultimate role player and the league's best glue guy, shane battier, to the rockets. that's basically all their leadership right there and a whole lot of their toughness and energy. mike miller can stroke it and has an improved post-up game but can't take over games like pau did, and if they think they're gonna solve their center problems with career underacheiver stromile swift and average greek guy jake tsakalidis then they are very mistaken. hakim warrick has major hops and athleticism with potential as a slasher but he has to show an improved offensive game and be a main scorer now, as well as talented rookie rudy gay, who has all the nba tangibles but disappeared in game during college and doesn't seem to have the right mindset or work ethic to be a superstar. they should hang with teams because they have a good coach and will play stingy defense, but they will have trouble scoring and matching up with some of the league's better big men since they lack much of anything at center. someone needs to establish themself as a point guard as well, hopefully damon stoudemire will play well coming off a major injury, and they need their young athletes to step up their scoring (because this team has a lot of vets and is pretty old) if they wanna have a chance to hang in there with the rest of their division until their star comes back.

the new orleans hornets made an amazing turnaround last year with basically the same average crew, plus one name: chris paul. chris paul is the best young point guard in the league and one of the best period in the league, 2nd only to steve nash in my opinion until he gets a three point shot and surpasses him. paul is the single reason for the hornets being anything resembling a contender and he makes a huge impact on his teammates, makes them a lot better. this is the same crew that finished worst in the league two years ago, pretty average and no-name, but paul's up-tempo playing style and outstanding court vision made them all look like most improved player candidates, none more so than power forward david west. west was a hard-nosed forward who really went after the ball and was a good rebounder and mid-range shooter but he evolved into a star with some impressive numbers last season. paul also got him the ball in key situations and made west a clutch player after all those big shots he made. chris is fast and very well-rounded, a great finisher and a great teammate who gets the ball to his crew in spots where they can be effective, really the ultimate playmaker and leader and still so young as well, i cannot say enough about him. the main issues they had last season, besides lacking overall talent compared to other squads in the deep west, was the lack of a real big man or scoring center they could build their offense around and not enough shooters to thrive off paul's drive-and-kicking. they got rid of immature underachiever jr smith in the offseason, he really wasn't doin much or getting along with coach byron, and also traded pj brown, who's offensive skill has declined considerably but who's leadership, experience, and toughness is impossible to measure in stats. they picked up well-known sharpshooter peja stojakovic, a star in sacremento for many years but hes been in a shooting slump for a while now, and grabbed bobby jackson for some instant scoring off the bench. for big men they grabbed tyson chandler from the bulls, a long and lean athletic player who has almost no offensive game but has talent as a shot blocker and offensive rebounder and might thrive in the up-tempo offense of new orleans as a finisher on the break. they also grabbed two raw rookie big men who could help them considerably down the line, physical shot-swatter hilton armstrong, who was unheard of before last season at uconn, and nc state forward cedric simmons, a long and athletic player with good instincts and defensive ability but who has a long way to go in fine-tuning his game. key guys returning are the athletic slasher desmond mason, a great finisher for paul, sweet shooting rasual butler, known for his range and streakiness, and of course west, who's become one of the best complementary players in the league. it will be a fight for the hornets to make the playoffs because this conference is so competitive but with paul anything is possible, and he does have improved pieces around him. the team just has to jell and get off to another hot start to build that confidence back up, i just don't know if they have the overall talent and depth to bring it every night and compete with the best in the west.

the rockets are much improved depth-wise over last year, but a major injury to either one of the stars (yao and tracy) would still be devastating and strongly hurt our playoff chances. im not not buyin all this title talk with my rockets until they prove they can get past the 1st round of the playoffs either, but this season they have the talent to do so and more. our star inside-outside combo rivals any in the league and is enough to make us a good playoff team in itself, but since we cannot rely on both injury-prone players to make it through the season the management picked up some nice role players in the off-season. van gundy teams always play fantastic defense, especially in the paint, and make it tough for opponents to get their shots off. van gundy's offenses always rely around the big man and are never explosive or fastbreaking, but since he has the weapons to do both now you'll see him be a little more open with his offense this year than in seasons past. don't get me wrong though, yao is still the center of the offense and rightfully so seeing as he is the only dominate big man still playing in the nba, which is shifting very rapidly towards a fast-paced small ball movement. you cant tell me shaq is still a dominate player, maybe with his size but his speed, conditioning, and offensive skill have declined rapidly and he is essentially used as a special role player, whose job is to draw a bunch of attention in the post and pass out of double teams so his 'mates can get good looks. yao came on to end last season and finally put his height and offensive skill to use by aggressively attacking the basket and becoming virtually unstoppable, but the return of tmac makes it uncertain if yao can keep up that production. van gundy is no idiot, so i say yes. i wish i could say the same for tmac, whose back injuries look to affect him long-term. he is still a great scorer and dangerous shooter rising above the defense, but his driving ability and explosiveness is fading fast and he cannot rely on taking tough jump shots over the defense every game to get his buckets. we should be good as long as these two remain (mostly) healthy, as our role players are much improved. we got guys who can hit open shots, a problem last year, and a bunch of "good guys" who fit in with the good guy personas of yao and tracy and players who play the hard-nosed defense-1st style that pleases van gundy, like shane battier. shane might not have the athleticism or star potential of rudy gay, who we traded in the draft to get battier, but shane is the league's ultimate role player who does all the little things coaches love, is a suffocating defender, and he hits the opens shots. he basically does everything that will make van gundy happy and he is a great fit for us with his versatility. we picked up kirk snyder, who injects the backcourt with hops and athleticism, excellent at driving to the basket. other new players are greek point guard vassillis spanoulis, an aggressive and high energy playmaker who lacks much of a consistent jumpshot but who loves to attack the defense, and bonzi wells, a late signing and a major steal if wells ever gets healthy. bonzi can score in the post and rebound like a beast against taller opponents, it's just a matter of keeping him motivated and getting him playing time. we should make the playoffs in the deep west because we have a great mismash of talent, we just need to get good chemistry and get the players playin together, and if our stars are healthy much more is possible.

The spurs are experienced and balanced and built for a title with all the right pieces, plus they will have major motivation after their defeat at the hands of the mavs in last year's playoffs. they gotta stay healthy, especially tim duncan, because they don't have the elite depth or athleticism of other western teams. dallas probably has the deepest and most versatile roster in the league, plenty of athletes and talented offensive weapons and guys who play multiple positions. they have stepped up their defensive discipline for coach avery and their offense is potent as usual, the only problem with it is that everything they do on offense ends up 1 on 1, which bogs things down and really disrupts the flow of the game if the shots aren't falling. the spurs still ride the ultimate fundamentally sound big man, tim duncan, for their offense and he still delivers. he should be back to his old form after suffering through foot injuries last season and career lows in production, even though he still had a great year. tony parker is still improving and is only 24, and w/ his quickness defenses cannot stop him from getting to the basket. manu ginobli is talentwise and athletically up there with some of the elite guys in the nba, but the way he recklessly throws his body around on his drives will eventually lead to him breaking down and suffering some chronic injuries, and his out of control style cannot last forever. he hits open threes as well and should have major motivation after his bad foul on dirk in game 7 of their playoff series against the mavs last year. there isnt a whole lot of depth and the team is the nba's oldest, but they have plenty of experience and veteran leadership and they know how to win. they really need to establish a center or low post threat opposite duncan as well and i dont think fabricio oberto is the guy to do it, but the plodding rasho nesterovic and nazr mohammed sure werent the right guys either. the mavs have the unguardable sharpshooter dirk nowitzki on their side and he should be angry about his passive performances in the final 4 games of the nba finals last year, and he always finds ways to improve his game and his aggressiveness each year. josh howard is a versatile athlete who can guard a bunch of positions and score in a variety of ways, and is a great glue player. jason terry is an explosive scorer and dangerous shooter who has a rep as a stud in the clutch after last year. they got a lot more depth in the backcourt and guys who can come in and do a lot of things, like anthony johnson, who can score and play good defense. and of course there's the lightning quick devin harris, who changes games with his penetration, but he needs to work on his j to keep defenses honest and staying under control. their posts don't give them any inside offense, but desagana diop is a quick and and long-armed impact defender while erik dampier can be a beast inside, especially on d and w/ the boards, if he can ever show a little heart. both these teams are major title contenders and have plenty of playoff experience and some of the top stars and coaches in the league, and should be competing for the division title all year long.