Make no mistake about it, the Spurs will be a legitimate threat to the Lakers' supremacy in the West this season. Stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are back with the franchise along with veterans Michael Finley, Roger Mason, and Matt Bonner. The reason for renewed optimism in San Antonio, however, is due to the arrival of Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, and Keith Bogans. These seasoned pros have a high basketball IQ and will provide coach Gregg Popovich with more scoring options, rebounding, shot blocking, and defensive intensity. The rotation will be further bolstered by the lesser known DeJuan Blair, George Hill, Marcus Haislip, Malik Hairston, and Ian Mahinmi. As long as the big three stay healthy, this team is capable of winning it all.
2. Dallas Mavericks (54-28)
The Mavericks, thanks to owner Mark Cuban's burning desire to win, are one of a handful of teams with championship aspirations this season. After suffering early playoff exits the last two years, team management tweaked the roster by bringing in veterans Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden, Tim Thomas, Quinton Ross, and Kris Humphries. They will step in and provide help to mainstays Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Erick Dampier, James Singleton, and Jose Barea. Although Josh Howard is injured and will be out for a while, this remains a very dangerous squad. It is unclear, however, if they will be able to develop the chemistry that is needed to be a legitimate contender. Rest assured, Cuban will do anything he can to get the franchise back to the finals and erase the awful memories from 2006.
3. New Orleans Hornets (50-32)
Last year was a disappointing season for the Hornets, and the only significant move they made in the off-season was to acquire Emeka Okafor from Charlotte for Tyson Chandler. Both players are known for their defense and rebounding, so it will be interesting to see exactly what kind of impact this change has on the franchise. All-Stars Chris Paul and David West will again be asked to carry the load, along with Peja Stojakovic, James Posey, and Morris Peterson. Coach Byron Scott will also count on contributions from Julian Wright, Devin Brown, Bobby Brown, Hilton Armstrong, Earl Barron, Darius Songalia, and Sean Marks. This is a playoff team with an excellent starting line-up, but they lack sufficient talent and depth to compete with the Lakers and Spurs for Western Conference superiority.
4. Memphis Grizzlies (31-51)
The Grizzlies stand no chance of making the playoffs this season. They do have some fine talent in Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Mark Gasol, but team management surprisingly decided to surround their young standouts with veterans Allen Iverson and Zach Randolph, both of whom have shown a lack of discipline in the past. Hopefully AI and Randolph will be a positive influence on teammates Marko Jaric, Mike Conley, Steven Hunter, Darrell Arthur, Marcus Williams, and rookies Hasheem Thabeet and Sam Young. The franchise is still in the rebuilding stages but no doubt headed in the right direction. Patience has to be preached as better things are yet to come for the Grizzlies and their fans.
5. Houston Rockets (28-54)
Optimism was high when the Rockets took the Lakers to seven games in last year's playoffs, but their chances of competing for a title this year all but disappeared with the injury to Yao Ming. The game's second best big man leaves an irreplaceable gap in their lineup. To make matters worse, coach Rick Adelman will be without often injured Tracy McGrady until December. This means that players like Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks, Chuck Hayes, Carl Landry, Brian Cook, Kyle Lowry, and the newly signed Trevor Ariza, David Andersen, Pops-Mensah Bonsu, and Chase Budinger will have to step up and play at an extremely high level just for the Rockets to have a chance to win games.
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