Western Conference preview

We're starting the preview with the Southwest:

1. San Antonio Spurs- I hate writing about these guys. I mean, what’s to say? They brought back everybody from last year and added Ime Udoka to supplant Bruce Bowen. Are Finley and Horry too old to play another season at a high level? I say no. They can give them another good year. I’m not saying they’ll necessarily win it all again this season cuz they must be tired as hell (especially Parker who played in the Euro tournament) … but they might. They're still the team to beat.

2. Dallas Mavericks – This is the season they unravel. I can just feel it. And it’ll all be for psych reasons. I just don’t see them coming back from all the mental collapses of the past two years.

3. Houston Rockets – Everyone and their brother is expecting them to rise from the West and go to the Conference Finals. Not so fast, guys.
Scola’s and Yao’s game don’t mesh (they both play inside which also doesn’t mesh with Adelman’s uptempo offense), T-Mac has a bad back (no chance of that going away) and Yao’s injury prone (he’s been out with _______ (fill in the body part) for all of his 5 seasons in the NBA).
Then there’s the PG battle with Alston’s average play and recent legal troubles and Steve Francis’ and Mike James’ ball-hogging style of play (both of them being shoot first PGs which also doesn’t mesh with the other players). There’s just too many things that don’t work although I believe Adelman will bring more excitement to their style and possibly a trip all the way to the second round of the play-offs. Hey, they haven't been there recently. Get excited Rockets fans!

4. Memphis Grizzlies – Not a bad team but just an awful place for a franchise. Just like New Orleans and Charlotte. Those teams will never win anything. You can just tell.
Anyways, Gasol and Darko have a chance to be a good frontcourt presence in Iavaroni’s system with Mike Miller and Rudy Gay shooting 3’s and slashing to the basket but they lack depth at Center and PF and have no clear starting PG (Conley and Navarro are rooks, Lowry can’t shoot and Stoudamire looks washed up). Take a closer look:

5 – Pau Gasol, Stromile Swift
4 – Darko Milicic, Brian Cardinal
3 – Rudy Gay, Hakim Warrick
2 – Mike Miller,
1 – Damon Stoudamire, Mike Conley, Navarro, Kyle Lowry

No playoffs for you this season.

New Orleans Hornets – Just not good enough to contend in the West. They’d smash everyone’s brains out in the East though. Just look at ‘em:

1 – Chris Paul, Bobby Jackson,
2 – Mo Pete, Jannero Pargo
3 – Peja Stojakovic, Rasual Butler, Julian Wright
4 – David West, Melvin Ely, Cedric Simmons
5 – Tyson Chandler, Hilton Armstrong

They have one of the best point guards in the league, 2 excellent shooters (Mo Pete and Peja (if he’s healthy enough to play)), a very good frontcourt combo (West and Chandler) and a decent bench. Byron Scott can flat out coach and inspite of all the injuries they sustained last season had them in contention for the 8th playoff spot in the tough Western conference.

It’ll kill ‘em to go back to New Orleans though … and play without the noise of Oklahoma City fans behind them. As I said above this isn’t a good place for a franchise … not enough fan support.