Kobe Bryant and the defending champion Lakers will be back better than ever this season. L.A. made only one significant change this summer by replacing defensive specialist Trevor Ariza with volatile swingman Ron Artest, giving the Lakers another lock-down defender and proficient scorer. Along with the all-world Bryant, Phil Jackson will count on the continued presence of Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Josh Powell, D.J. Mbenga, and the sparsely used Adam Morrison. As long as this group remains injury free and Artest keeps his head on straight, there is very good reason to believe that they will be in the finals once again competing for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
2. Phoenix Suns (43-39)
Phoenix is a team heading in the wrong direction. After having the league's best record in 2005, Suns' management has made several changes over the past couple of seasons, taking the franchise from a championship contender to a playoff hopeful. They seem to be content with that as they were not an active player in the free-agent market this past summer. They re-signed Steve Nash and Grant Hill, acquired Channing Frye, and will be relying heavily on veterans Amar'e Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, and Leandro Barbosa. They will also be expecting contributions from reserves Jarron Collins, Robin Lopez, Alando Tucker, Louis Amundson, Goran Dragic, Jared Dudley, Earl Clark, and Taylor Griffin. The bottom line is that the Suns do not have enough firepower to compete with the top teams in the talent-rich Western Conference.
3. Los Angeles Clippers (35-47)
After a dismal 19 wins last season, coach/GM Mike Dunleavy was hoping that Blake Griffin's arrival would revitalize the franchise. Unfortunately the Clipper curse has struck again as Griffin, the number one overall choice in the 2009 draft, suffered a stress fracture in his kneecap and will miss the first month or two of the season. To win, the "other" team that occupies the Staples Center will need retuning players Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Ricky Davis, Brian Skinner, Mardy Collins, and DeAndre Jordan to step up their game and jell with the recently acquired Rasual Butler, Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair, and Kareem Rush. This squad does have a lot of individual talent, but changing the fortunes of the franchise will require everybody to sacrifice themselves for the common good, and I just don't see that happening.
4. Golden State Warriors (25-57)
The Warriors magical season two years ago is long forgotten. Coach Don Nelson is now leading a group that has absolutely no chance of making the playoffs. Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, Andris Biedrins, Kelenna Azubulke, Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Morrow, Brandan Wright, Anthony Randolph, and C.J. Watson are back with the franchise. They will be joined by free-agent signees Speedy Claxton, Devean George, Mikki Moore, Acie Law, and rookie Stephen Curry. The Warriors perimeter players are very hard to guard but they are lacking an inside game. Due to this, they will press, trap, try to create turnovers, and look to run at every opportunity. This will not be enough, however, as they will find themselves on the wrong end of high-scoring shootouts time and time again.
5. Sacramento Kings (18-64)
No franchise won fewer games last year or drew fewer fans. The Kings, winners of only 17 games, are going to struggle mightily again this season. New coach Paul Westphal simply does not have enough talent at his disposal for his team to be a factor. Several players will be back from last year, including Kevin Martin, Andres Nocioni, Beno Udrih, Kenny Thomas, Francisco Garcia (out for 4 months), Spencer Hawes, Donte Green, and Jason Thompson. They will be joined by rookies Tyreke Evans, Jon Brockman, and Omri Casspi, along with the recently obtained Desmond Mason, Sean May, and Sergio Rodriguez. This group will be outmatched nearly every night they take the floor. They will win a few simply because it is impossible to lose them all.
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