Western conference standings

1. Lakers. No explanation required. Kobe/Artest/Gasol is absolutely diabolical. Artest is an upgraded version of Ariza, truth be told. Bynum will get 70+ games in, and the Lakers will now approach 70 wins. If only they could give Jordan Farmar the start. I really do despise Derek Fisher. Sue me.

2. Spurs. RJ is the least of their additions. DeJuan Blair, Antonio McDyess, a healthy Manu....well, RJ's pretty good. The Spurs are set to do some damage, and Tim Duncan, as always, is set to lead the Spurs close to the promised land. Manu's the definition of per minute efficiency. TP will health up before the season starts, no doubt. This is the same team that won two championships in the past five years, but better.

3. Nuggets. I like this team because I like Chauncey Billups. That said, JR Smith, for all his explosive talent, is not mature enough to start on an NBA team, far more so than Mike Beasley. Kenyon Martin is quickly fading. Carmelo can't play defense to save a family member's life. This is a great team, but they won't be better than last year: they'll be a tad worse.

4. Mavs. Dirk and Kidd are an incredible pair, and whoever you surround them with is the only thing that determines whether they win a championship or one playoff game. They've been surrounded with top notch talent this time around including Josh Howard, and more recently Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden, and very likely Stephen Jackson or Monta Ellis. Rodrigue Beaubois is even a great talent for a rookie, as we saw at Summer League. I just love this team's depth and solid mixture of offense and defense.

5. Blaze. This was a good team last year, and it's better with Andre Miller. It's better with an improved Greg Oden. It's better with an improved Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. It's better because of all of those people. Not that much better. The West just got too good for the Blazers, and Andre Miller does not cut it as the answer.

6. Hornets. Emeka Okafor is a serious offensive threat in that system. That's the biggest improvement. Chris Paul is still Chris Paul, David West is still David West. Emeka Okafor is a serious offensive boost from Tyson Chandler, and a more consistent one if Tyson Chandler fails to fully recover from the toe ordeal.

7. Clippers. Ooh, do I love this year's Clippers. I think Baron Davis and Mike Dunleavy are going to figure it out. I think Eric Gordon is going to destroy people and possibly headline the steals category across the league. I think Al Thornton is going to be very Alex English-y. I think Marcus Camby will continue to do what he does best. Most importantly, I think Blake Griffin is going to destroy people very early in his career. 20/11/1 block/1 steal. He will shut people down, he will tear it up. Add a couple more young pieces and this team will soar. I also love their depth, as it stands. Telfair, Craig Smith, Rasual Butler are for real.

8. Thunder. Durant is the future. Durant is....so good it's scary. 30 ppg next year, almost without question. The reason they make the playoffs is because Russell Westbrook is primed for a breakout, because James Harden is going to complement Durant very well, Jeff Green is, as always, going to complement Kevin Durant well, etc. They're young, they're very talented, and they have Kevin Durant. And the Suns and Jazz stink, anyway.

9. Suns. The Suns have always held a special place in my heart. But they stink. They're making all the wrong moves. No one plays defense. Amare Stoudemire is a beast, J-Rich scores like a manic, Steve Nash is the greatest passer in the game, Earl Clark is a bright spot if I've ever seen one. Doesn't matter. Defense must be played. The offense will get them to the brink of the playoffs, but that's that.

10. Jazz. They haven't changed. They're paying a lot money for a very decent group. That's that. Paul Millsap is re-signed, but he doesn't have the starting job. Mehmet Okur is not going to keep up last year's excellence forever. Deron is, of course, nasty, but that's that. The pick they're getting from New York will help. I think Evan Turner has potential, if they use that pick on him. Otherwise, don't expect any more than the usual.

11. T-Wolves. As we explained, Kevin Love is the future. Al Jefferson is beast. That, enough, is enough for some serious damage. Jonny Flynn is ROTY sleeper material, just for his incredible playmaking and penetration. That's serious damage, but that's all. Their starting 2 is Bobby Brown. Ryan Gomes will get better. That's all. It's not enough, but it's a weak bottom of the West. They're at least better than the Warriors, Rockets, Kings and Grizzlies.

12. Grizzlies. Allen Iverson is a great addition, but to a very bad team. Would they be worse than the Kings without him? Maybe. Are they at the bottom of the Western Conference with him? Sure. Iverson and Mayo are very reminiscent of each other, which is redundancy, which never works. Conley has a tiny bit of future. Randolph and Thabeet are wastes. Gay is going to improve. At 6'8", 240, and with a down year last year, he's destined to have a good year. His teammates? Substandard. We'll see how it turns out, but don't expect anything from this team but a high pick.

13. Warriors. Stephen Curry is the man. He's very unfortunate to be in Golden State. Like in Phoenix, no one plays defense. The offense is ballin'. As it stands, they're set to start Corey Maggette at PF and leave Tony Randolph on the bench. Don Nelson doesn't understand how to play his players, and he never has. The Warriors have great talent, but they stink. It happens.

14. Rockets. Oy, what a fall. Yao's out, T-Mac's out, Artest is gone. Brooks and Ariza are your main offensive options. Pathetic. Pray for John Wall.

15. Kings. They don't deserve a sentenc