FortsonBass
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After declaring himself the greatest GM ever, Daulten and the Sonics did not repeat as West Champions in 2007. The homegrown Denver Nuggets, led by their donut making GM went to the Finals and were rail roaded by the Miami Heat. This is a sad conference, but I will give a preview of the West of 07-08...
1) Seattle Supersonics (66-16) - Shockingly being upset in the playoffs last season, the Sonics are back for revenge. Daulten retained much of the same roster, but Greg Ostertag left to Sacramento and left a huge void at the PF spot. Daulten has attempted to fill it with the corpse of Theo Ratliff, but will no doubt be forced to play Dirk Nowitzki at the PF spot. Luckily for Daulten, it doesn't really matter because the West is not good. He will coast to 66 wins, and post a meme in the chat for each win.
2) Minnesota Timberwolves (60-22) - They have Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, and made a very underrated move picking up Quentin Richardson. NC is a fantastic GM, and always makes the right moves. There isn't much to write about them in the season preview, but very interested to see how they counter Daulten in the playoffs. Rumor has it Garnett is upset with the player rankings as well, will be interesting to see how he responds.
3) Houston Rockets (58-24) - He may not have broads in Atlanta, but Panda made the splash of the offseason acquiring Kobe Bryant. In a lesser move, he stole Mike Dunleavy from Phoenix and made very crafty FA moves surrounding the young core in Houston. The biggest question mark is Dwight's volume, but Panda is finally going for it and doing it with the best player in the league. There is no doubt the Rockets are not done, and he might be celebrating a West championship at season's end with broads in Atlanta.
4) Los Angeles Clippers (50-32) - In a lesser Miami Heat acquisition, Paul Pierce comes home to Los Angeles a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. There are concerns about teammate Delonte West sleeping with his mother, but there are no concerns about superstar Jason Terry. Donkey has received several threats from fans for starting Delonte over Terry at PG, but he has refuted all seven of the threats by continuing to start Delonte at PG. If the Clippers start Terry at PG, it will be very curious to see how the West playoffs shake up.
5) Denver Nuggets (46-36) - The defending West champions try to build on their success, but are consistently limited by their GM overtrading for meh assets. Do we think Ryan Gomes is a playoff player? Hank thinks Nene is a top 15 player, and a lot of other puzzling things. Nevertheless, they're blessed to be a member of the West and because no one in Denver cares about basketball. Gonutz for Hank's donuts, but not his GM'ing ability.
6) Golden State Warriors (43-39) - Anchored by Brendan Haywood, the Warriors are a difficult team to score on in the interior. On the perimeter, Tony Allen gives opponents fits but lacks in the scoring department. The league is split on if JJ Redick can get Andre Emmett the touches he needs, and even more split on the Warriors' big rotation. The Warriors are not far off from the Nuggets or Clippers, but moving Tony Alllen for a real PG might accelerate that timeline.
7) Dallas Mavericks (42-40) - Led by superstar LeBron James, the Dallas Mavericks are very exciting. Sadly for the fans of Dallas, they have a solid young big three in LeBron, Gilbert Arenas, and Chris Bosh but no other depth around them. Their GM will need to be more active for them to take the next step. Lucky for the Mavs and their GM, they're in the West and have all the time they need for that.
8) Utah Jazz (41-41) - Al Jefferson, Dwyane Wade, and Eddie House are no doubt a solid big 3 but the rest of the roster is not solid. After letting AK47 and Mo Taylor walk, Jazz fans were very frustrated by their offseason. Scott is a great GM, but getting nothing in return for AK is a blow the Jazz could not afford. It probably sets them back a season or two, but the Jazz are okay as they are in the West.
9) Sacramento Kings (36-46) - Not really sure why Sam is making a playoff push, but here we are. Brevin Knight, Greg Ostartag, and Mo Taylor get you to 36 wins but nothing more than that. Kings fans are saying Monta Ellis may already be a bust, and are not much happier with Kyle Lowry. I don't want to waste too many words about the Kings, so there ya go.
The Rest:
San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and Vancouver Grizzlies are tanking. For some of these teams, there is no tanking end in sight. Of the teams mentioned, I am most encouraged for the Spurs and Lakers as their GM's are active and have direction. For the others, there is a lot left to improve.
