NBA 2008-9 Preview: Western Conference

15. Minnesota Timberwolves
2007-8 Record: 22-60
Projected Record: 21-61
Notes: Meh.

14. Memphis Grizzlies
2007-8 Record: 22-60
Projected Record: 22-60
Notes: Meh.

13. Oklahoma City Thunder
2007-8 Record: 20-62
Projected Record: 23-59
Notes: They should have won 15 games last season considering their scoring margin, but Kevin Durant's maturation should account for a few wins.

12. Denver Nuggets
2007-8 Record: 50-32
Projected Record: 24-58
Notes: Marcus Camby was the deodorant that covered up their otherwise stinky defense the past few seasons. This year, they are going to blow ass. Also, I think this will be the year Allen Iverson's age finally catches up to him. He's 33.

11. Sacramento Kings
2007-8 Record: 38-44
Projected Record: 26-56
Notes: A franchise that's going nowhere fast. Did you know that Kevin Martin led the league in free throws made per game last season? That he shot .456/.402/.869 and averaged 23.7 points?

10. Los Angeles Clippers
2007-8 Record: 23-59
Projected Record: 32-50
Notes: They won 23 games last season without Brand (who only played the last eight, when they were tanking anyway.) They added Baron Davis.

9. Golden State Warriors
2007-8 Record: 48-34
Projected Record: 35-47
Notes: They lost Baron Davis, around whom the team ran. Stephen Jackson is probably underrated, but Monta Ellis is equally overrated.

8. Dallas Mavericks
2007-8 Record: 51-31
Projected Record: 44-38
Notes: Their championship window officially closed some time last season. Dirk Nowitzki must be so deflated. After almost having a 3-0 lead in the 2006 Finals, winning 67 games in 2007 only to lose in the first round, and now his team looks like a 40's win team for the next few years. He'll be 30 this year. Supposedly, Jason Kidd bristled under Avery Johnson's micromanagement, but Rick Carlisle is in a similar mold as Avery.

7. Phoenix Suns
2007-8 Record: 55-27
Projected Record: 47-35
Notes: The Suns were 24-14 (58-24) before the Shaq trade, and 21-13 (51-31) after it. Most of the key players are really really old: Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, and Shaquille O'neal will be 35, 32, 36, and 37 years old, respectively, at the end of the season. Shaq is not motivated to turn a 47 win team into a 50+ win team. Amare Stoudemire is a bigger cancer than Suns fans will admit. Boris Diaw suffers from what Dr. Basketbawful calls vaginaitis. At least they have Rudy Fernandez, who looked pretty good in the Olympics and tore up the Spanish league last season. Oh, wait.

6. Portland Trailblazers
2007-8 Record: 41-41
Projected Record: 50-32
Notes: Last season, they were the youngest team in the NBA, the third youngest team ever, and yet they won 41 games. Granted, they won a disproportionate amount of close games last season, and they went on a 17-1 run (including a 13-0 run), mostly under the radar. This year, there's been a lot of hype, and teams will be prepared for them. They are a good chemistry team already, and Greg Oden will only help in that regard. I don't think they're quite ready to be serious contenders for the Finals, but next year, and the next 12 years after that, they will be.

5. San Antonio Spurs
2007-8 Record: 56-26
Projected Record: 52-30
Notes: They're old. They'll coast through the season. They'll be better in the playoffs than in the regular season, but there are too many good teams in the West and they're not quite a championship contender.

4. Utah Jazz
2007-8 Record: 54-28
Projected Record: 56-26
Notes: Pick and roll. Deron Williams. Carlos Boozer. Jerry Sloan.

3. Houston Rockets
2007-8 Record: 55-27
Projected Record: 57-25
Notes: They added Ron Artest, who is a great small forward defender and will be taking minutes from Shane Battier, a great small forward defender. While he should help the Rockets, he's not the missing piece that will push them into championship contention. They were already a very good defensive team last season, so they won't be getting a lot better. Fun fact: Tracy Mcgrady, despite being a very talented player, and despite having played in the NBA for many years, has not won a playoff series.

2. New Orleans Hornets
2007-8 Record: 56-26
Projected Record: 58-24
Notes: The big move for them was signing James Posey the archetype of the X-factor who can swing a championship from one team to another. He plays good defense, hits threes.

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2007-8 Record: 57-25
Projected Record: 62-20
Notes: They should have won last season, but they choked a little in the finals. If they do win, Kobe will become even more overrated. Andrew Bynum is really good and will be 21 years old all season. Bynum's per 40 min stats over his first three seasons, in points and rebounds: 8.8/9.5, 14.2/10.8, 18.2/14.1.