Western Conference predictions

[nynj2k]

1. Denver Nuggets - MVP, Murray healthy, main guys returning, improved bench, love this team.
2. Phoenix Suns - the west champs unless CP3 looks like he did in games 3-6, will be contenders again.
3. LA Lakers - huge overhaul, greatly improved on paper, but old and stars health always questionable.
4. Utah Jazz - other than replacing Favors with Pascal, same team, but did they improve enough?
5. Golden State Warriors - healthy they are better than this but how Klay looks determines that.
6. Memphis Grizzlies - love they core Ja a beast, see if trading centers w/OKC will help/hurt team.
7. LA Clippers - Kawhi out for maybe season but PG-13 and this core should be good enough to get in playoffs.
8. Portland Trail Blazers - have done nothing to help Dame, don't know what they are w/Billups.
9. Dallas Mavericks - Jason Kidd to me huge downgrade at coach, Luka/KP beef who knows what to expect.
10. Minnesota T'Wolves - with 2 All-stars KAT & D-Low, the #1 20' pick they need to finally show something.
11. San Antonio Spurs - new era continues they just keep getting younger Pop will keep them in play-ins.
12. New Orleans Pelicans - after Zion and Ingram, another new coach what you got? Next.....
13. Sacramento Kings - real good young backcourt, other than that....lol.
14. Oklahoma City Thunder - SGA is going to keep getting better but it's a long long road.
15. Houston Rockets - same situation as OKC with a $44M past his prime John Wall.

[SUPERVILLAIN]

1. Suns
2. Jazz
3. Lakers
4. Nuggets
5. Warriors
6. Clippers
7. Mavs
8. Blazers
9. Grizzlies
10. Wolves
11. Pelicans
12. Kings
13. Spurs
14. Rockets
15. Thunder

Suns and Jazz at the top because they really are regular season warriors. For me Lakers are the actual best team in the West. But LeBron is a grandpa now. He is going to get more rest than ever before.

[MelTurpin]

1. Lakers
2. Jazz
3. Suns
4. Nuggets (Murray doesn't return until February or March)
5. Warriors
6. Mavs
7. Clippers (Kawhi out indefinitely)
8. Grizzlies
9. Blazers
10. Pelicans
11. Kings
12. Wolves
13. Spurs
14. Rockets
15. Thunder

[SeanieWard]

1. Lakers
2. Suns
3. Nuggets
4. Jazz
5. Warriors
6. Mavs
7. Pelicans
8. Grizzlies

9. Blazers
10. Clippers (assuming Kawhi out for most of the regular season)
11. TWolves
12. Kings
13. Rockets
14. Spurs
15. Thunder

[Mr Puddles]

1. NBA darlings the lovable Phoenix Suns. What a fine collection of young men assembled by one of the best run organizations in the league. Easily the NBA's most dedicated and classiest fanbase too. After a dominant 12-4 run through the western conference, an improved roster, and the internal development of its young core, the mighty Suns should be shining even brighter this year. For fans of basketball played at its purest form, be sure to check out the Phoenix Suns this year. A sight to behold and a delight to the senses!
2. Jazz. Improved an already solid roster. I think Gobert will respond well to struggling against the Clippers' small ball lineup last year.
3. Denver. Young team with lots of potential. Solid core around Jokic, Murray and MPjr.
4. Mavericks. Luka alone is enough to have this team playing in the 4-6 range.
5. The Memphis Grizzlies. Will improve due to their young core getting better. Didn't like their offseason moves, but Adams will still look good on this team.
6. Those pesky Los Angeles Clippers. Had a solid offseason bringing back Reggie Jackson (I thought for sure he would be gone). Would have been higher if it wasn't for the Leonard injury.
7. Golden State Warriors. IMO this team should have gone all in trading away the picks they got from Minny for proven contributors. That being said, if steph and klay can stay healthy this team will be dangerous.
8. Defending play-in champions the Los Angeles Lakers. Will they repeat as play-in champs? That's yet to be seen as they'll face fierce competition from the pelicans and wolves - two teams loaded with young talent going up against the aging and rapidly declining Lakers.
----
9. The Pelicans
10. The Wolves
11. Kings
12. Blazers
13. Spurs
14. Rockets
15. Thunder.

[Optms]

If the Nuggets are healthy they will be the 1 seed. Jazz won't have the same season but will remain a top 4 or 5 seed. Suns will slide to 7 or 8. No way Cp3 stays healthy.

[dautjazz]

1. NBA darlings the lovable Phoenix Suns. What a fine collection of young men assembled by one of the best run organizations in the league. Easily the NBA's most dedicated and classiest fanbase too. After a dominant 12-4 run through the western conference, an improved roster, and the internal development of its young core, the mighty Suns should be shining even brighter this year. For fans of basketball played at its purest form, be sure to check out the Phoenix Suns this year. A sight to behold and a delight to the senses!
2. Jazz. Improved an already solid roster. I think Gobert will respond well to struggling against the Clippers' small ball lineup last year.
3. Denver. Young team with lots of potential. Solid core around Jokic, Murray and MPjr.
4. Mavericks. Luka alone is enough to have this team playing in the 4-6 range.
5. The Memphis Grizzlies. Will improve due to their young core getting better. Didn't like their offseason moves, but Adams will still look good on this team.
6. Those pesky Los Angeles Clippers. Had a solid offseason bringing back Reggie Jackson (I thought for sure he would be gone). Would have been higher if it wasn't for the Leonard injury.
7. Golden State Warriors. IMO this team should have gone all in trading away the picks they got from Minny for proven contributors. That being said, if steph and klay can stay healthy this team will be dangerous.
8. Defending play-in champions the Los Angeles Lakers. Will they repeat as play-in champs? That's yet to be seen as they'll face fierce competition from the pelicans and wolves - two teams loaded with young talent going up against the aging and rapidly declining Lakers.
----
9. The Pelicans
10. The Wolves
11. Kings
12. Blazers
13. Spurs
14. Rockets
15. Thunder.

Lakers 8th? I'm sorry but they can do better than 8th even if one of their big three went out of the year.

[LAL1947]

1. Suns
2. Lakers
3. Warriors
4. Jazz
5. Nuggets
6. Mavs
7. Blazers
8. Clippers
9. Grizzlies
10. Kings
11. Pelicans
12. Wolves
13. Spurs
14. Rockets
15. Thunder

[Mr Puddles]

1. NBA darlings the lovable Phoenix Suns. What a fine collection of young men assembled by one of the best run organizations in the league. Easily the NBA's most dedicated and classiest fanbase too. After a dominant 12-4 run through the western conference, an improved roster, and the internal development of its young core, the mighty Suns should be shining even brighter this year. For fans of basketball played at its purest form, be sure to check out the Phoenix Suns this year. A sight to behold and a delight to the senses!
2. Jazz. Improved an already solid roster. I think Gobert will respond well to struggling against the Clippers' small ball lineup last year.
3. Denver. Young team with lots of potential. Solid core around Jokic, Murray and MPjr.
4. Mavericks. Luka alone is enough to have this team playing in the 4-6 range.
5. The Memphis Grizzlies. Will improve due to their young core getting better. Didn't like their offseason moves, but Adams will still look good on this team.
6. Those pesky Los Angeles Clippers. Had a solid offseason bringing back Reggie Jackson (I thought for sure he would be gone). Would have been higher if it wasn't for the Leonard injury.
7. Golden State Warriors. IMO this team should have gone all in trading away the picks they got from Minny for proven contributors. That being said, if steph and klay can stay healthy this team will be dangerous.
8. Defending play-in champions the Los Angeles Lakers. Will they repeat as play-in champs? That's yet to be seen as they'll face fierce competition from the pelicans and wolves - two teams loaded with young talent going up against the aging and rapidly declining Lakers.
----
9. The Pelicans
10. The Wolves
11. Kings
12. Blazers
13. Spurs
14. Rockets
15. Thunder.

Lakers 8th? I'm sorry but they can do better than 8th even if one of their big three went out of the year.

I just don't see the Lakers being on the same level as teams like the Grizzlies and Mavericks, so the highest I can put LAL is 8th.

Trust me, buddy, I know basketball.

[pace31]

I feel like this year is really damn hard to predict. Jazz won't sneak up on the standings this time, CP3's health always a factor, and if things fall correct for the Lakers it could be an amazing team or it could laughably blow up in their faces.

1 - Jazz (everyone back and replacing Favors / Niang with Gay / Whiteside / Pashcal)
2 - Lakers (can easily stay afloat if 2/3 stars are out there, I expect a big rebound year from AD)
3 - Suns (will be great again, but maybe some more CP3 nagging injuries creep up)
4 - Nuggets (even without Murray still think they'll be right there)
5 - Clips (same as Nuggets, even without Kawhi I think the rest will be solid, expect a big year from PG)
6 - Warriors (could jump a lot higher, but Steph playing at an MVP level last year couldn't get them to the playoffs so I still have my doubts)
7 - Mavs (still don't care for what they've surrounded Luka with)
8 - Wolves (if KAT and Russell can stay out there I wouldn't be surprised to see them better than this, they were solid last year when they played)
9 - Grizzlies (Morant and Brooks will still improve and some nice young pieces, but still feel like they're a couple seasons out)
10 - Kings (think Mitchell will be solid along with Fox and we start seeing SOME light at the end of the tunnel here)
11 - Pelicans (nothing much exciting, Zion will beast of course, but feel like they'll just hang around most the season)
12 - Spurs (still think they'll be typical Spurs and outperform what the roster looks like on paper, but still not good)
13 - Blazers (I'm seeing a mid-season blow up, not a contentious one like it was with the Rockets, but I'm kind of expecting a similar result)
14 - Rockets (they hit the bottom like they wanted, but it's up from here. A long ways to go, but I like where they're heading)
15 - Thunder (still looking like the bottom for the Thunder, SGA is awesome and picks galore for what seems like forever, hopefully they actually make some moves to try to get competitive soon)

[Wargreymon]

1. Nuggets
2. Suns
3. Lakers
4. Jazz
5. Mavericks
6. Warriors
7. Grizzlies
8. Blazers
9. Clippers
10. Kings
11. Pelicans
12. Timberwolves
13. Spurs
14. Rockets
15. Thunder

[Catchall]

1 Jazz (They would have won the WC by 5 or 6 games last year if it weren't for injuries in the last 6 weeks. Their defense/rebounding is improved with Gay/Whiteside. Expect them to be top 5 in both offense and defense again.)
2 Suns (They're good. Get used to it. Chris Paul is 36, but they found their groove as a team, and Ayton is still improving.)
3 Lakers (Not sure how they mesh, but they have to load manage and go easy on Davis during the season. Their defense looks like it will be down a notch, and their half-court scoring is still a question mark. Two weeks into the season, it will become obvious that Marc Gasol can no longer play effectively and Dwight has to start or Davis needs to move to the 5.)
4 Nuggets (Murray may come back by the end of the season. They may very well pass the Lakers in the regular season standings.)
5 Warriors (Back in the thick of the playoffs, but not dominant. Depth is an issue, but the rookies look playable.)
6 Mavericks (This is their spot every year, it seems.)
7 Clippers (They're still a playoff team without Kawhi.)
8 Blazers (Same ole, same ole. New coach, maybe they'll defend this year. Not much roster improvement, but Powell is back.)
9 Memphis (Roster shakeup, but some nice young talent growing with Ja.)
10 Pels (They could be a surprise team this year and be better than this if things start to gel.)
11 Kings (Their guard rotation is really becoming legit. Richaun Holmes is back. They could make the play-in.)
12 T'wolves (They have good, young athletes next to KAT. Ant should take a step forward. They have to start winning at some point.)
13 Spurs (I always underestimate them, and they always find wins.)
14 Thunder (Still building through the draft.)
15 Rockets (Just too young to win, but I doubt they tank for 20 straight losses.)

[Richard4444]

1- Jazz - They have an excelent regular season team and improved their bench. However, the aging of a great part of the players (Conley, Bojan, Ingles, Gay, Whiteside) brings some question marks.
2 - Denver - Jamal will return eventually. They have a solid team.
3 - Suns - I think they will increase CP3 load management to get him stronger to the playoffs. But the roster is solid.
4 - Mavs - I am guessing they will bring some other player like Dragic or Lowry to improve the roster. Bullock is a solid addition to their Doncic + shooters style of play.
5 - LAC - It's a good roster even without Kawhi.
6 - GSW - It would be weird chemistry with win-now players with 5 win-now players (Curry, Klay, Wiggins, Dray, and Otto) sharing minutes with raw rookies and sophomores. If it does not work, I believe in midseason trades.
7 - Portland - At long last, we maybe have a healthy season with Lillard/CJ/Norman/RoCo/Nukic team. It's a pity the reserve unit is still very weak. Zeller is a nice addition. But not enough. They might all-in in midseason trades if things dont work out.
8 - LAL - It's a team difficult to predict due to the aging of the roster. I anticipate a lot of loading management. And keep the team to the playoffs will be the main goal.
9 - Pelicans - They will have one of the stronger Frontcourt of the NBA - Ingram/Zion/JV. The average backcourt could fit better than the previous year with Sato/Graham/Kira/NAW and maybe Hart.
10 -Wolves - They have 3 great young offensive players in Dlo/Edwards/Towns. The roster is not deep and experienced enough to get better results.
11 - Memphis - The young core is really exciting. But I think they are too green to compete.
12 - Kings - Its difficult to predict if they will focus on development or trying to compete.
13 - Spurs
14 - Houston
15 - OKC

[Beethoven]

If the Nuggets are healthy they will be the 1 seed. Jazz won't have the same season but will remain a top 4 or 5 seed. Suns will slide to 7 or 8. No way Cp3 stays healthy.

Agreed but Lakers 1 seed. Everything else true. suns had their 15 mins.

[druggas]

1. Lakers will run away with it.

2. Who cares...........................................etc.

[giberish]

Regular season tiers:

55 (or so) wins: Utah, Phoenix, Dallas

50 (or so) wins: Denver (Murray isn't healthy), LAL (Westbrook takes as much as he gives and a min salary depth)

45 (or so) wins: GSW, Portland, LAC

40 (or so) wins: NO, Memphis

30-35 wins with upside if things come together: Sacramento, Minny

Under 30: SAS, OKC, Houston

[iamworthy]

1. NBA darlings the lovable Phoenix Suns. What a fine collection of young men assembled by one of the best run organizations in the league. Easily the NBA's most dedicated and classiest fanbase too. After a dominant 12-4 run through the western conference, an improved roster, and the internal development of its young core, the mighty Suns should be shining even brighter this year. For fans of basketball played at its purest form, be sure to check out the Phoenix Suns this year. A sight to behold and a delight to the senses!
2. Jazz. Improved an already solid roster. I think Gobert will respond well to struggling against the Clippers' small ball lineup last year.
3. Denver. Young team with lots of potential. Solid core around Jokic, Murray and MPjr.
4. Mavericks. Luka alone is enough to have this team playing in the 4-6 range.
5. The Memphis Grizzlies. Will improve due to their young core getting better. Didn't like their offseason moves, but Adams will still look good on this team.
6. Those pesky Los Angeles Clippers. Had a solid offseason bringing back Reggie Jackson (I thought for sure he would be gone). Would have been higher if it wasn't for the Leonard injury.
7. Golden State Warriors. IMO this team should have gone all in trading away the picks they got from Minny for proven contributors. That being said, if steph and klay can stay healthy this team will be dangerous.
8. Defending play-in champions the Los Angeles Lakers. Will they repeat as play-in champs? That's yet to be seen as they'll face fierce competition from the pelicans and wolves - two teams loaded with young talent going up against the aging and rapidly declining Lakers.
----
9. The Pelicans
10. The Wolves
11. Kings
12. Blazers
13. Spurs
14. Rockets
15. Thunder.

Lakers 8th? I'm sorry but they can do better than 8th even if one of their big three went out of the year.

I just don't see the Lakers being on the same level as teams like the Grizzlies and Mavericks, so the highest I can put LAL is 8th.

Trust me, buddy, I know basketball.

[Wolves21]

Lakers
Jazz
Suns
Timberwolves
Nuggets
Warriors
Clippers
Mavericks


I know crazy to have the Wolves top four in the West but with injuries to Kawhi,Murray and go only know what a in his early 30s coming off two major issues and two plus years Thompson will look like.

Think Lakers,Jazz,Suns are the top dogs in the West and after that kind of up for grabs with good teams having their co star players injuried and returning during the season.

[pr0wler]

Lakers
Jazz
Suns
Timberwolves
Nuggets
Warriors
Clippers
Mavericks


I know crazy to have the Wolves top four in the West but with injuries to Kawhi,Murray and go only know what a in his early 30s coming off two major issues and two plus years Thompson will look like.

Think Lakers,Jazz,Suns are the top dogs in the West and after that kind of up for grabs with good teams having their co star players injuried and returning during the season.

The T-Wolves will be lucky to make the playoffs.

[WestbrookGOATed]

Lakers
Suns
Jazz
Nuggets
Warriors
Clippers
Mavericks
Trailblazers
Grizzlies
Timberwolves
Pelicans
Thunder
Spurs
Kings
Rockets