Who are we worried about in the West?

[JStockLivesOn]

So, it's a given that the Lakers will be in the thick of things at the top of the conference, and will likely finish 1st or 2nd.

Beyond that, though, things are pretty fluid. Who of the other teams are we worried about leapfrogging us?

I'm not particularly concerned about Phoenix. Shaq's career is in its twilight and Nash is slowing down. Amare is still an absolute animal and one of the most dominant big men in the game, but he can't do it by himself. Their record is very good right now, and they're not to be taken lightly, but I don't see them as an elite team out west.

It's too early to tell what level New Orleans is at right now. They've been a lot healthier than us so far, but lost to Charlotte, as we did. Three of their four wins, though, came against Phoenix, Cleveland and Portland, which isn't unimpressive. Paul has had a very good start to the season and, provided he isn't injured, will remain a constant. He may get dominated by Deron when we play them, but he doesn't get dominated by the majority of the league.

Houston has looked very good so far, and they have a good team on paper. But McGrady is already injured again, something which will continue to haunt them all season, and it's only a matter of time until Yao goes down for a stretch too. They're a strong team when healthy, but will they actually be healthy for more than a handful of games at a time?

Denver got a huge upgrade to their team chemistry in Billups, and it shows. They're 5-1 since his arrival and, in the few snippets I've seen, look to have a different attitude about defense already. I wasn't concerned by them in the slightest before this trade, but I think they could be formidable opponents for the division title now.

I still think Portland is too young to challenge the elite powers this year, and I'm worried for them that Oden might be Ralph Sampson II.

Golden State, Dallas, and Memphis are going nowhere, in my opinion, and will miss the playoffs by a decent margin.

And then there's San Antonio. Every year, I say they're done, and then they prove me wrong, so I'll be reticent on that front this year. They're only 5-5 right now, but Ginobli is yet to play this season, and Parker has missed half their games. Duncan is still going strong and Roger Mason has come out of nowhere to play quite well. They've won three straight, one coming against Houston.

I guess we'll have to see where things are with SA when they're healthy.

So, those are some of my observations. Who are you guys worried about?

[carrottop12]

Lakers will be the top team unless they get injured. Then I fully expect the Jazz to be the #2 team. I think Terry Porter will struggle with that lockerroom full of volatile attitudes, especially if they start losing.

San Anotonio will make a strong push after Ginobili gets back and should likely be a top 4 team again. Good to see Denver playing well also, I would rather them be competing for a 5-6 spot then just hoping to hold onto the 8th seed. Don't ask me why.

[FJS]

Too early to say.
We have to evaluate our team with all pieces togheter.
Some teams looks good.... but we have to realise if we are better or not.
7-4 with all our injuries says a lot of our depth.

[GP]

We are worried about any team that can beat us come playoff time. That list would be as follows:

Lakers-
they seem to be much improved from last year with the addition of a healthy bynum, we would definitely want to avoid them as much as possible in the playoffs.

San Ant-
we still haven't beaten them in SA for around the past decade and a half. They're always written off and come playoff time do well.

New Orleans-
CP is nearly living up to his hype and is a legit MVP candidate, they could be dangerous as well.

[fivas14]

The Lakers are the only team that worries me.

[Ming Kong!]

The Lakers are the only team that worries me.

+1

Maybe the Celtics too.

[Sloanfeld]

Lakers, obviously, and SA when they get healthy. How much would it suck if we got the 2 seed and SA got the 7 seed with a healthy team??????? Obviously, I like our chances better this year than the last two. Who else is fired up about Friday's game @ SA???????????

[mrce23]

1. The Refs
2. The Lakers

[tylero87]

1. The Refs
2. The Lakers

LOL a combination of both would spell disaster in the playoffs. WE NEED HOME COURT ADVANTAGE!

[kerplunk]

David Stern!

[Ern III]

Los Angeles Lakers.

[Duiz]

It's an odd numbered year. Nuff said.

[Soul Patch]

Lakers and the Spurs, though I am less afraid of the Spurs this year than years past. Denver did get better but I think they'll match up with us better now, before they killed us on the fast break and they've seemed to slow down a little bit. I honestly think we can beat any team in the league in a seven game series, except for maybe the knicks.

[erudite23]

The Lakers are the only team in the West that has done enough to earn any "worrying" to this point. Every other team, us included, has shown enough warts to build a strong case as to why they aren't legit. I thought this exact thing would happen, actually, before the season, except I thought the Jazz would be on the Lakers' side of things, looking down, rather than caught in the muddle looking up. NO has no bench and lacks the versatility on offense for me to take them serious, and they have been surprisingly bad on D as well so far. Houston's pieces don't really fit well together, imo, and thier health concerns are serious enough to prohibit ANYONE from making a legit case for them until they [i]show[i] that they can stay healthy. Portland is too young and unorganized. Denver looks much, much better now, but still lacks the pieces to be taken seriously, not to mention their own health concerns. SA is cooked. There, I said it. They might make a run at the playoffs, and even make some regular season noise, but they are no longer viable contenders. Manu or no Manu. Dallas is awful.

Which leaves Phoenix. They are the one team that has a decent shot, imo, at making a run at the 'chip. They have everything that you want in a contender, though there are some serious concerns there, too. But if Shaq (a big if) can keep playing like he has been thus far, and they can avoid any unusual injury to a key player, I see them as having enough there to possibly emerge as a real player down the stretch. They still aren't there right now, though.


So, yes, LA is the only team that I worry about at this point. NO, HOU and Pho might eventually do enough to be there, too. The rest are far too unlikely to be taken serious at this point.