Western Conference predictions

[TwoStarz]

Finnthehuman with some great takes.

[Golden Knight]

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

Lakers are probaly the favorite the win the WC Finals for me, but I see the Jazz and Suns better in the regular season. I feel a bit bad about the Nuggets pick, but that's the West. Blazers are hard to predict.

I don't get the rationale behind Mavs and Warriors improving this much in the RS compared to last year.

And how did Mavs improve exactly? Reggie Bullock instead of JRich is that meaningful?

Mavs did not improve much but it's worth noting that the team got decimated by Covid in January.

Kleber missed 11 games, Finney-Smith missed 9 games, Richardson missed 9 games, Powell missed 8 and Brunson missed 4.

Porzingis also missed the first 9 games of last season.

Mavs started 8-13 because of Covid. They finished the season 34-17.

[jkvonny]

Mid-season progress report.
Bump!

[laronprofit9]

Lakers coming into the season sitting comfortably at the 3 seed

Now sitting at the 9th. Being closer to the 11th seed than the 8th seed

[Dacost]

Pretty funny to see this predictions like most had the Grizz in the 9th/11th area.

So basically flip the Grizz with the lakers and a lot of this predictions are about right.

[JXL]

Some of these posts are turning into cold takes. If anyone had the Grizzlies in top 4, congrats.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

[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.)

I underestimated the Suns (I thought CP might fall off a bit) and way underestimated the Grizzlies.
Jazz had a rash of injuries at the same time covid hit.
I didn't think the Lakers would be THIS bad.
Clippers would be a solid team if PG could play.
Didn't expect the Blazers to implode. First, CJ has a collapsed lung, then Dame sits out half the season.
Pels doing well considering that Zion never showed up.
Kings fell apart. Shouldn't be surprised.

[giberish]

This thread highlights that while everyone hates what the Lakers did last offseason now, at the time there was a lot more support for those moves.

And Memphis really can claim that no one saw them coming.

[laronprofit9]

This thread highlights that while everyone hates what the Lakers did last offseason now, at the time there was a lot more support for those moves.

And Memphis really can claim that no one saw them coming.

Just goes to show how easily people get swayed. Many people thought the Lakers were the favorites coming out of the west. They actually thought the big three was actually a good move

Compare that to now where the lakers are in danger of not even making the play-in and everyone pointing fingers at Pelinka, Buss, Westbrook, Lebron, Vogel.

Tell people in August 2021 that the Lakers would be 6 games under .500 and the 9th seed 60 games into the season no one would have believed you

[Catchall]

This thread highlights that while everyone hates what the Lakers did last offseason now, at the time there was a lot more support for those moves.

And Memphis really can claim that no one saw them coming.

Just goes to show how easily people get swayed. Many people thought the Lakers were the favorites coming out of the west. They actually thought the big three was actually a good move

Compare that to now where the lakers are in danger of not even making the play-in and everyone pointing fingers at Pelinka, Buss, Westbrook, Lebron, Vogel.

Tell people in August 2021 that the Lakers would be 6 games under .500 and the 9th seed 60 games into the season no one would have believed you

Lebron is still putting up good numbers, but he's not as dominant as he's been in years past. He can't just carry this Lakers team. That's part of the story.

[Mr Puddles]

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.

Where you at Worthy? Show me them giggles and pearly whites again

[Mr Puddles]

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

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.

Aren you 2 crazy???
6 HoF players
shooters everywhere
Young and talented players like THT and Nunn...
Seriously WTF are u talking about???

Those are what we call weak trolling jobs. Don't worry they'll get some therapy and more troll training and they'll be fine.

Just wondering if you have an update on when my therapy and troll training (whatever that is) is supposed to start.

[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.

I can't imagine how bad your ratings are when you think the Grizz are going to be 5th and the Blazers 12th. Betting against Dame on missing the playoffs is a bad thing to do, unless you think Dame is leaving.

At full strength Blazers > Grizz.

Dame has missed the playoffs once in his career and it was when he was a rookie.

Looks pretty good to me now.

[Mr Puddles]

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

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.

Aren you 2 crazy???
6 HoF players
shooters everywhere
Young and talented players like THT and Nunn...
Seriously WTF are u talking about???

It's not that people on GB are crazy, it's that they display a frightening lack of basketball knowledge/intelligence. It takes a whole new level of stupid to actually believe the Lakers won't make the playoffs or end up an 8 seed.

Please feel free to enlighten us simpletons on the General Board more often with your keen basketball insights oh sage professor.

[monopoman]

Yeah Blazers are only as low as they are due to injuries and trading away their older players. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, he also vastly underrated the Warriors who will likely finish with a top 2 record in the West.

Trying to claim that he knew Dame would end up injured all year nearly before the season began is beyond ridiculous.

[laronprofit9]

This thread highlights that while everyone hates what the Lakers did last offseason now, at the time there was a lot more support for those moves.

And Memphis really can claim that no one saw them coming.

Just goes to show how easily people get swayed. Many people thought the Lakers were the favorites coming out of the west. They actually thought the big three was actually a good move

Compare that to now where the lakers are in danger of not even making the play-in and everyone pointing fingers at Pelinka, Buss, Westbrook, Lebron, Vogel.

Tell people in August 2021 that the Lakers would be 6 games under .500 and the 9th seed 60 games into the season no one would have believed you

Lebron is still putting up good numbers, but he's not as dominant as he's been in years past. He can't just carry this Lakers team. That's part of the story.

Not saying he deserves the blame, but I’m just seeing people (including here on realgm) are directing blame at him.

Truth of the matter is many people in the laker organization deserve blame. Lebron probably deserves a little bit of the blame too along with others such as the front office, ownership, players, coaches, etc

[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

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.

Aren you 2 crazy???
6 HoF players
shooters everywhere
Young and talented players like THT and Nunn...
Seriously WTF are u talking about???

I said it's a team hard to predict. The Lakers can be the best team or the eighth because of the "healthy factor". I may have put the Lakers in the eighth season because I am root against The Lakers. I had to guess a position. I could not give a range of positions that The Lakers will probably end the season.

The Lakers will rely more on Anthony Davis's condition. Lebron should get a lot of load management or he will probably miss a lot of time due to injuries again. WB and LeBron are not a great pairing. Both need the ball all time. The lack of space can be a problem.

WB is a 2 edged sword. He is a wonderful playmaker and rebounder but he is a kind of chucker. In Houston and Wizards, he started the season very slow and he got more efficient only at the second half of the season. Besides he is not so durable as once he was. And his style of game relies on athleticism and is injury-risky.

Do you still think about Melo, Gasol, and Howard as Hall of Fame players?

Melo is a shadow of himself and a liability on the defensive end.

Gasol cant get healthy and he averages less than 20 minutes.

Howard can only play 15 minutes a game and he is more interested in trash-talking opponents than playing the game.

Ellington is not a reliable shooter. He was very bad in the Knicks 2 years ago. His accuracy can drop if the team lacks spacing.

Baze was not very useful to the Warriors last year. Although GSW had a bad roster full of raw rookies, he averaged less than 20 minutes a game. Weird situation.

Ariza is 36 years old and shoots below average from deep. He was not a key rotation guy for Miami last season.

Monk never started a game after 4 seasons playing for The Hornets. Only the last season he shot above average from deep.

THT is a good player. But he is not a shooter. An awful compliment to a team that is full of no-shooters. WB, LeBron and Howard.

Lakers need another Center. Due to health and stamina factors, I bet Gasol and Howard's cant play the majority of the games. They need another Center who may be the main Center for the season. If they move AD to the Center spot, they dont have anyone to play PF besides Melo.

My analysis at the time was not wrong...

[Mr Puddles]

Yeah Blazers are only as low as they are due to injuries and trading away their older players. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, he also vastly underrated the Warriors who will likely finish with a top 2 record in the West.

Trying to claim that he knew Dame would end up injured all year nearly before the season began is beyond ridiculous.

Good point. Except of course that in response to your post at the time I literally said that I anticipated that the Blazers would be hitting the reset button this season, and that the Grizzlies would be better than portland regardless of if they had Lillard or not. Thus I factored into my rankings that Lillard / McCollum would no longer be on the team.

Fact of the matter is that I predicted the Blazers would be the 12th seed - they're the 11th seed. You replied by saying 'can't imagine how bad your take is when you have the Blazers as the 12th seed, and the Grizzlies as the 5th seed" - you were wrong.

Rather than doubling down on your bad take, you can just give credit where credit is due. No shame in admitting you were wrong.

[AussieCeltic]

My boy Mr Puddles taking names!!

You’ve got to love prediction threads when people get so upset about something that hasn’t happened and then they get proven wrong later.

[shangrila]

No one eating crow on the Wolves?

I know it’s probably more of an appetiser than the full course, but come on. Majority of people had us 12 or lower and yet we’re a solid 7 seed.