Western Conference Power Rankings

QUICK BULLS UPDATE: The Magic have matched the Bulls offer of $20mm over three years for shooting guard J.J. Redick. Additionally, Shaun Livingston signed with the Bobcats and Raja Bell with the Jazz. The Bulls will either have to think trade or likely go after Ronnie Brewer: an athletic perimeter defender but a weak shooter. Moving on to today's featured topic:

Western Conference Power Rankings:

Some NBA players treat basketball as a job. When they're at work they do their best to earn their paycheck and that is that. Winning is icing on the cake, but ultimately it serves as their employment. On the other hand, some people make it a lifestyle. When they leave practice, they go on a run. They lift at night when everyone else has gone home. They combine work with school adding in homework. No one does this more than Kobe Bryant, and that is why his Lakers sit atop the NBA landscape and these power rankings.

These rankings are brought to you by Aon Hussain, a junior at Tulane University. He is a good buddy and has always been known for controversial views whether it be politics, sports, or anything else. I think you will see that in his rankings. These rankings bring in a lot of good news and free agency updates and serve as a good way to get caught up on what's been going on in the West amidst so much focus on the East in the Lebron sweepstakes. I will say that mapping out the West is more difficult than the East in that after the Lakers things are completely up in the air. In this sense, the rankings are up for much debate. Again, I will post his rankings and than make my changes in the comments section. Closer to the season I will do a full NBA preseason power rankings:

1) Los Angeles Lakers

The champions of the league will remain the champions of the league until they are dethroned. In fact, after the free agency bonanza that took place this year, the Lakers should be the one team expected to outpace everybody else because of one simple reason – Kobe Bryant. How fired up do you think he is after the media and pundits have labeled the Miami Heat the next big thing? The return of the Zen Master was great news to Mr. Buss and Co. and will make the viability of a three-peat more likely. The Lakers have the most dominant player in the league along with the most graceful big man in the league in Pau Gasol, a 22 year old big man that is an automatic double-double if he can remain healthy in Andrew Bynum, and a solid nucleus which should include defensive specialist Ron Artest, jack of all trades Lamar Odom, and floor generals Steve Blake and Derek Fisher. I’m sorry South Beach, but the team from Hollywood should be the favorites to win the championship again.

2) Dallas Mavericks

The knock on the Mavericks has always been that they are too soft. That they are a team more focused on finesse and skill with little regard to defense and physicality. That all changed over the course of the last two years. First of all, Dirk Nowitski stayed loyal to the team that he has played with his entire career and was willing to take 16 million dollars less than the Mavs were willing to offer him. The Flying Deutchman is by far the best shooting big man in the league and can take over the game any time he wants, but his counterpart on the frontcourt was always an overpaid underachiever, Erick Dampier, who was traded to Charlotte during the summer. Now that he has legitimate centers Brandon Haywood and Tyson Chandler locked up to complement him, the Mavericks finally have length and physical players that have honed their careers primarily on defense. When the midseason trade with the Wizards took place, most people expected Caron Butler to be the integral piece of the puzzle that Dallas lacked. But in essence, Haywood was far more important. His defense and post game made the Mavs legitimate title contenders. Include Chandler, and the Mavs have a front court that is capable of rebounding, blocking, and defending. Add in Shawn Marion into that discussion, and this team causes match-up problems for almost every other team. Plus, never discount the offensive pedigree of Caron Butler or Jason Terry and the leadership abilities of Jason Kidd. Depth goes beyond that with second year Frenchman Rodrique Beaubois and little guy Jose Juan Barea. I know Pat Riley will be mentioned for Executive of the Year next year, but Donnie Nelson deserves serious consideration just for last season’s trade and the acquisition of Chandler all the while giving up the horrendous contracts of Matt Carroll, Erick Dampier and Eduardo Najera.

3) Oklahoma City Thunder

The surprise team of last year is no longer a surprise. While Lebron James was making plans to appear on television to announce his intention for next year, all Kevin Durant needed was a 140 character tweet that said “Extension for 5 more years wit the #thunder....God Is Great, me and my family came a long way...I love yall man forreal, this a blessing!" Keeping the 22 year old phenom and sure to be future legend locked up was the obvious thing to do for GM Sam Presti. How many times will a 30 point scorer who is barely legal enough to drink alcohol come along? Lest we not forget, this was the only team besides the Celtics that gave the champion Lakers fits during the playoffs. Guard Russell Westbrook still is raw, but held his own against Kobe Bryant in the playoffs. His athleticism and physicality will enable him to control the tempo and guard almost anybody with relative ease. Once his offensive skills improve, he will be a force to be reckoned with. Add in versatile forward Jeff Green and second year lottery pick James Harden, and the Thunder have a solid nucleus. Depth is ensured with guys like Sergei Ibaka, Thabo Sefolosha, and Eric Maynor. Rookie Cole Aldrich will be looked at to provide depth some sort of frontcourt presence, but let’s be honest – the postgame is still the biggest problem for this young squad and that is what keeping them from being higher on this power ranking.

4) Utah Jazz

Say what you say, but losing Carlos Boozer might have turned out to be better for the Jazz after all. Boozer was a 28 year old who had injury problems throughout his career. Newly acquired Al Jefferson has had injury problems of his own, but he is only 25. Plus the fact that he is 6’11 allowed the Jazz get a better deal. When Boozer was gone for much of the season two years ago, Paul Millsap filled in exceptionally. But the difference between the old Jazz and the new Jazz is that Millsap could never be on the court with Boozer due to height and match-up problems, but Millsap can play alongside Jefferson. Along with a healthy Mehmet Okur and an ever improving Kryrylo Fesenko, the Jazz now have a capable front court. Deron Williams is a superstar who is unquestionably one of the best point guards in the league. But the wing situation is a big question mark for this squad. Losing Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver over the course of the season has led the wing positions to become a little thin. Wesley Matthews has signed an offer sheet with the Blazers and if the Jazz decide not to match they’re hoping that lottery pick Gordon Hayward and savvy veteran CJ Miles can fill the wing positions. Even better, maybe Andrei Kerilenko can finally come back to his old all-star form and become a more integral part of this team offensively.

5) Phoenix Suns

Losing Amare Staudemire to free agency was a big loss for this team. But the fact is the Suns couldn’t afford him anymore. The front office decided to put their eggs in the baskets of Robin Lopez, Channing Frye, and Hakim Warrick picking up his slack. The funny this is that this might pay off financially. Lopez is developing and can finally have a more pivotal role on offense. Frye’s shooting capabilities enabled the Suns to spread the floor more successfully. And for what it’s worth, Warick’s been a double digit scorer for most of his career. Sure Steve Nash is the best point guard in the league, but he is 35 years old and he hasn’t discovered the Fountain of Youth yet. Jason Richardson was crucial during the playoffs and hopefully he can imitate that again but I don’t know if he has it in him. But adding Josh Childress and Hedo Turkoglu will be amazing additions for this team and their offensive numbers will flourish in this run and gun offense.

6) Denver Nuggets

Fans in New York are hoping that the Nuggets implode so that they can swoop in on Carmelo Anthony next summer. But wait just a New York minute. The Nuggets are too talented to fail. Anthony is a top five superstar who excels at all facets of the game. Chauncey Billups is one of the best floor generals and is too clutch to let this team quit. Ty Lawson may be less than six feet tall, but he is quick, agile, and athletic and will be a great asset for the future of this organization. JR Smith can dunk and shoot the three, but if he works on his defense and maturity, he could be dominant. And Kenyon Martin and Nene are serviceable in the front court. The recent acquisition of Al Harrington will pay dividends as well. His postgame offense will rejuvenate the squad. But the biggest wild card in this has to be head coach George Karl. Without him last year, the Nuggets were not the same team. His battle against cancer has been a tremendous and uplifting story and hopefully he’s battled it away with success. This organization clearly runs on the genius of this coach and without him, the team won’t be the same.

7) Portland Trail Blazers

The most idiotic decision of the offseason was definitely when Blazers owner Paul Allen fired GM Kevin Pritchard. Pritchard built the team into a formidable power in the Western Conference, and the fact that the team was able to perform so well with a slew of injuries was a testament to how talented this team is. Nonetheless, the team that Pritchard built will be just as if not more dominant than ever before. Brandon Roy is a superstar who when healthy is capable of being unstoppable on the court. And depth was never a problem for this team. Andre Miller, Lamarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless, and Joel Pryzbilla are all a solid supporting cast. But what will take this team over the top is whether or not Greg Oden can stay healthy. While people are quick to label him a bust, the fact is he is only 22 years old. There is still plenty of time for him to resurrect his career so long as he can stay healthy. It’s not necessary for him to be playing at a superstar level. All he needs to do is provide good defense and score efficiently on a consistent basis. If he can muster enough good fortune to do that, then the Blazers will be competitive and better than years before.

8) Memphis Grizzlies

When the Grizzlies traded away Paul Gasol, this team was projected to just fall to the bottom and never recuperate. But the Grizzlies have been improving steadily and this is the year where they could seriously contend. In fact they retained everybody from last year’s squad and added some new talent which should theoretically improve their win total. Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph are a nucleus that at first glance might not wow you, but at the end of the day are extremely talented. What will be the biggest factor in the emergence of this team will be the point guard play and bench. Can Mike Conley lead this team? He doesn’t need to score, just spread the ball around and run the floor. If so, then the Grizzlies are playoff worthy. When it comes to the bench, Memphis is counting on the draft classes of the last couple of years. Greivis Vasquez, Xavier Henry, Demarre Carroll, Sam Young and Hasheem Thabeet are a young and inexperienced second unit, but if they accomplish even a quarter of what they did in college, then that’s solid.

9) Houston Rockets

Yao Ming is finally healthy, and the Rockets will finally be able to utilize the 7’6 behemoth on whom they pinned their entire franchise around a couple of years ago. But Yao finally has a core around him that he did not have the luxury of playing around since his days teaming up with Tracy McGrady pre-injury. Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin are a backcourt that can score in bunches and often. Shane Battier is still Shane Battier meaning he will defend with a tremendous amount of vigor and be the ultimate glue guy. But if they lose Luis Scola to free agency, they will have problems when it comes to size. For a minute, it seemed as if Patrick Patterson and Jordan Hill would be thrown into the wolves and do what Scola quietly accomplished which would’ve been a tall task at hand. But the Argentinean is coming back after inking a four year deal and will help Yao in the post while pushing for a playoff spot.

10) Los Angeles Clippers

How can a Donald Sterling owned team be ranked higher than the Spurs? I might be an idiot for giving into this temptation, but I see the Clippers steadily rising and see the Spurs just declining. The Clippers have a top 6 point guard in Baron Davis, a great center in Chris Kaman, an offensive specialist in Eric Gordon and my personal favorite to win Rookie of the Year in Blake Griffin (even though he was drafted two years ago, he qualifies for the award because he never really played a game last year). The small forward position is still questionable and there’s a chance that rookie Al-Farouq Aminu might be the opening day starter. If not, there are even reports that former all-star Tracy McGrady is working out for them. If the Clippers can pull that off, then that might be a bargain that will benefit them in ticket sales and on the court. There’s a chance that the Clippers might actually might fight for the playoffs this year. I can’t believe I just said that. I looked outside and didn’t see any meteors, so I guess this isn’t a sign of the apocalypse.

11) San Antonio Spurs

Never discount a Gregg Popovich coached team. But Former MVP Tim Duncan will have to carry the load for this team once again. With the emergence of George Hill, the trading of Tony Parker seems sensible and more likely and maybe the Spurs can improve their depth with such a trade. But I’m writing for this blog with the assumption that the Spurs will have Tony Parker. Mr. Eva Longoria is still a legit player but the combination of him and Duncan still isn’t good enough for the Spurs to merit a spot in the playoffs. Why? Depth is a big question mark for this team. Manu Ginobili is 33 years old, injury prone, and isn’t as aggressive as he used to be. Sure Hill, Dejuan Blair, and former Brazilian first round pick and rookie Tiago Splitter can be serviceable back-ups but who comes in after that? And who knows where free agent Richard Jefferson will end up, which brings me up to another unrelated point. Jefferson opting out of 15 million dollars to become a free agent might be the stupidest financial decision of all time in line with investing in Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme or buying stock in Bear Stearns on the advice of Jim Kramer.

12) Sacramento Kings

There is hope in Sacramento. No, it isn’t because the horrendous California state legislature finally fixed all its fiscal problems and managed to dig itself out of its 26 billion dollar deficit. Rather it is because the Kings might finally be Kings and not in the infamous words of Shaq the “Sacramento Queens”. Reigning rookie of the year Tyreke Evans played amazing last year, but at times looked too selfish on the court. But he might finally have players around him that he can trust passing the ball too. Israeli import Omri Casspi was a bright spot for the team last year and will be looked at to improve this year. Rookie Demarcus Cousins could be the best player to come out of this year’s draft depending on whether he could keep a sensible head in pros. New center Samuel Dalembert will be a solid defensive addition. Jason Thompson is a young stud who could be a double-double guy if he ever gets the ball. And veterans Carl Landry, Fransisco Garcia, and Beno Udrih provide a gritty and rugged attitude to this team.

13) Golden State Warriors

Oracle founder Larry Ellison is rumored to be in the process of purchasing this franchise for a price tag of potentially 400 million dollars. This might be a solid business venture on his part. This is a franchise in one of the top ten television markets and this is a team with very loyal fans. Business wise it’s a smart venture, but as a fan Ellison should have buyer’s remorse. That’s not to say the Warriors stink. Overall, I liked what the Warriors did this summer. Trading away Corey Maggete’s horrendous contract was smart. But now the Warriors have a thin bench with a bunch of players who are overpaid with prime examples being Dan Gadzuric and Vladimir Radmonovic. But there is optimism in the Bay. What do Kevin Durant, Lebron James and Monta Ellis have in common? They are the only players who are 25 years old or below that were in the top ten in scoring last year. That’s good company for Ellis. Nonetheless, Monta chucks the ball up in the air too much and needs to mature a bit. If he’s able to do that, then the future is bright. Stephen Curry was also an amazing pick up for this squad last year. He flourishes in Don Nelson’s system and his shot is probably one of the most pure in the entire league. Trading for David Lee will prove to be advantageous in the short run. Curry, Ellis and Lee will thrive in the Warriors system offensively. But years from now the Lee trade might prove to be a bust because Anthony Randolph can be a stud. But from today’s perspective, the trade was sensible. Defense will be addressed with guys like Devean George, rookie Ekpe Udoh and Andres Biedrens. But after these players, there is a major drop off in talent and that’s why the Warriors will be mired in the bottom half of the conference.

14) New Orleans Hornets

There is not an NBA franchise in bigger flux than the Hornets. They barely sell out their seats. They’ve been on sale for a while but can’t close the deal. They were spurned by their top choices for head coach. Their GM just resigned. And biggest of all, their star player, Chris Paul, is disappointed with the direction of this franchise. Let’s be honest. This team is three million dollars away from the luxury tax, yet the talent on this team is questionable. David West, Emeka Okafor, and Peja Stojacovic are good, but they’re all overpaid. Sure Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton are both bright spots for this squad, but there is very little depth on this squad. With all these ugly contracts on this team, the Hornets are bound to stink for a long time and it’s sensible to break this team up immediately. Maybe they can start that by trading away Chris Paul for younger pieces who are more valuable down the line. Break ups are hard, but sometimes relationships aren’t compatible and right now the marriage between Paul and New Orleans just isn’t worthy enough.

15) Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves received a 14 million dollar trade exception for Al Jefferson. Couple that with the rights to Ricky Rubio, and the Timberwolves have some legitimate trade bait for bigger pieces. But this team is still years away from being playoff worthy. Johnny Flynn and Kevin Love provide a good young foundation, but will Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson take them over the top? A few years from now, maybe. But definitely not now. This team will sulk in the bottom tier of the NBA for a while.