NBA Continued

OK, so now let's look at the NBA's Western Conference.

It looks like it'll be a race between San Antonio, Dallas, and Phoenix again for the Western Conference. But let me thrown in a sleeper pick. The Houston Rockets have made quite a few moves in the offseason and have assembled quite a team to go along with new coach Rick Adelman. The Rockets picked up European star Luis Scola, a 6-9 245 pound forward from Argentina from San Antonio who drafted him five years ago but never could lure him to the States. Scola could be the missing link for the Rockets; a guy who can bang and clean up the boards so Yao can focus on being an offensive force. The Rockets also added Steve Francis and Mike James to the mix as well as rookies Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry. Brooks is an exciting player who can get to the basket or shoot the 3. Landry is a hustle player who led the Boilers in points and boards his senior year. If, and it's a big IF, McGrady can stay healthy, the Rockets should be in the mix in the West.

With that said, I still think the Spurs are the cream of the crop in the West. While they are a year older, they still have the talent and of course one of the best players in the NBA in Tim Duncan. They added a couple of players in the draft who may or may not help them this year and didn't really do much in the free agent market except keep their own players. But how can you bet against them when their track record shows they are always competitive and near the top of their conference?

The Mavericks thought last year was their year but they were knocked out in the first round. They've added veteran (in this case is it a nice way of saying old man?) Eddie Jones to the mix this year and traded for defensive stalwart Trenton Hassell. The Mavs should definitely be in the mix but they always seem to find a way to lose in the playoffs. Can Avery Johnson get them over the hump?

Latly, the Phoenix Suns have a new GM in Steve Kerr and a new starter in Grant Hill. While I'm not convinced with the Hill acquisition, I really like Steve Kerr at the helm. Kerr had no previous front office experience but he's been around the league for a long time and was part of winning teams in Chicago with the Bulls. He had a nice draft this year with DJ Strawberry and Alando Tucker. Tucker is a bit undersized but he's relentless. He was THE guy at Wisconsin for the last three years, everyone knew it, and still no one could stop him. Strawberry (yes, he's the son of that Strawberry) is a good perimeter defender who supposedly has improved his ballhandling and decision making. And of course the Suns still have Nash who is beyond comparisons, Bell, Stoudemire, and Marion. Marion made some trade demands early in the offseason but they don't seem to be affecting him in the pre-season. Stoudemire had surprise knee surgery in early October but it was supposedly just to clean out a "loose body" in his right knee, which is not the one that had microfracture surgery a few years ago. He's due back around the time the season opens which may set the Suns back a few weeks in their chemistry. But these guys will be exciting to watch and barring injury may push the older Spurs for the Western Conference title.

I'm not so confident in any other team in the West to mention them here. The Lakers did nothing to help Kobe who may now be looking to leave tinseltown (hello GMs around the league, are you listening?). Utah was the other big player in last year's playoffs but even though he didn't do much for them last year, I think it'll hurt them if they lose Andrei Kirilenko. Deron Williams a beast (and of course he's from my alma mater Illinois) but I'm not convinced they have a team that can compare to the others in the West. I really like the Suns if they can get healthy and stay healthy. The Spurs have to get old at some point right but if nobody steps up, I think the Spurs will be there at the end again.