2. Dallas Mavericks (26-14) The Mavericks are once again being led by Dirk Nowitzki, the best foreign-born player ever to play in the NBA, night after night. They don't have as much talent or depth as LA, but Rick Carlisle has his squad playing some pretty good basketball. Dallas will make the playoffs, but the reality is that they could finish anywhere from second to eighth in the conference.
3. Denver Nuggets (25-14) Denver showed last year that they are a very dangerous team. They have an elite scorer in Carmelo Anthony, a heady point guard in Chauncey Billups, and one of the most athletic and talented rosters in the entire league. If they can stay committed to the defensive end, they can cause problems for any team in the league, simply because they have so much offensive firepower. I doubted this group last year in the playoffs, but they may very well be the best team in the West next to the Lakers.
4. San Antonio Spurs (24-15) I thought that the Spurs would be winning games on a more consistent basis this season. They did add a lot of talent in the off-season, but they do not have much size and this has been difficult for them to overcome on some nights. In addition, it recently became clear that superstar Tim Duncan will be resting more on back-to-back game nights, thus making it much more difficult for the Spurs to win those games. Coach Gregg Popovich is coaching a bunch of wily veterans and he wants his guys to be fresh for the playoffs. I am eager to see how his strategy plays out in the coming months.
5. Portland Trailblazers (25-16) The Trailblazers have been absolutely amazing this year. In addition to losing centers Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla to injury for the season, forwards Travis Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez have missed significant time as well. Despite having an entirely depleted roster, Coach Nate McMillan is still managing to find ways to win games. He has done a fantastic job of dealing with this tremendous adversity. Let's see how long he and his players can keep it up.
6. Phoenix Suns (24-17) The Suns started out incredibly hot this season and have since cooled off a bit. Steve Nash is showing no signs of slowing down, Amare Stoudemire is doing his thing, and new addition Channing Frye has demonstrated that he is an excellent three-point shooter. Phoenix is at their best when they are running and the decision to get rid of the aging Shaquille O'Neal was a good one. If Leandro Barbosa can stay healthy and get back to form, the Suns could compete with everybody in the conference but the Lakers.
7. Utah Jazz (23-17) I think that Utah has more talent than their record indicates. A lot of controversy has surrounded what seems to be the imminent departure of Carlos Boozer, but this "distraction" should not be an issue to seasoned pros. The fact of the matter is that the Jazz have not played up to their potential thus far. I look for coach Jerry Sloan to get more out of his guys in the second half of the season and the Jazz to climb up the rungs of the extremely competitive Western Conference.
8. Houston Rockets (22-18) Houston has been a huge surprise to me this season. They have continued to stay above .500 despite playing without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. It looks like McGrady may be moved as he no longer is being counted on to perform for the franchise. If they can get something of value in return, it will do nothing but make them more dangerous than they already are. This team has a ton of heart, and that is a testament to coach Rick Adelman and his ability to get the best out of his players every single night.
9. Oklahoma City Thunder (22-18) Oklahoma City is another team that has been an incredible surprise to me. Coach Scott Brooks has a young, athletic squad on his hands and he has shown that he knows how to put his players in a position to succeed. The Thunder pose a lot of match-up problems to their competition, mainly due to the presence of Kevin Durant. Durant is an extraordinary talent and if he continues to improve he could be one of the best of all time....really. Nobody will want to face this group if they can manage to secure a playoff spot.
10. Memphis Grizzlies (21-18) I cannot say enough good things about the Grizzlies. Management did a marvelous job of handling the departure of Allen Iverson and this is one big reason for their success. They took what could have been an incredibly negative situation and turned it into something positive. I tip my hat to the front office, coaching staff, and players for performing their jobs and staying committed to the task at hand. Ever since AI left, coach Lionel Hollins has had his men playing hard and acting as one cohesive unit. It will be interesting to see how they finish up, but the future doesn't look so bleak based on what they have done so far.
11. New Orleans Hornets (21-18) The Hornets have underachieved based on the results they achieved the last two seasons. In a move that reeked of desperation, upper management decided to shake things up by firing coach Byron Scott early on in the season. Not long thereafter, All-Star Chris Paul missed some games due to injury. The drop off in production from Peja Stojakovic has not helped the cause either. It is quite possible that owner George Shinn will look to move some players in order to cut costs. Time will tell.
12. Los Angeles Clippers (17-22) Unfortunately the Clippers will not be able to count on the services of Blake Griffin as he will be having season-ending knee surgery next week. Despite his absence, LA has been playing some competitive basketball this season. They have shown that they can knock off the top teams in the league, including the arch-rival Lakers. The Clippers are not a threat to make the playoffs but they will continue to win some games that they shouldn't.
13. Sacramento Kings (15-24) The Kings were 13-14 and then fell apart. They are facing an uphill battle because they are outmatched in the talent department nearly every night take the court. Super scorer Kevin Martin has only played in seven games this season, but rookie Tyreke Evans has emerged as an amazing all-around threat, averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Coach Paul Westphal does have some young talent at his disposal, so it is very important for those players to get as much experience as they can. Maybe this group will be more competitive in a year or two.
14. Golden State Warriors (11-27) Coach Don Nelson really has no hope of winning consistently given the talent (or lack thereof) that he has on his roster. It has been a rocky ride from outset as the Warriors shipped out disgruntled swingman Stephen Jackson and Acie Law for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic less than three weeks into the season. The Warriors are capable of putting a lot of points up on the board, but the problem is that they cannot stop their opponents from doing the same. This may be Nellie's last year at the helm of the franchise.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-33) Kurt Rambis wanted to be in this situation and a lot of people are wondering why. The bottom line is that he was ready to be a head coach and Minnesota provided him with that opportunity. There is no doubt that the Wolves will continue to struggle mightily in the near future due to the lack of talent they have on the roster. That said, Rambis' job will not be in jeopardy anytime soon simply because he made it clear that he is committed to the long-term success of the franchise.
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