Predicted Western Conference Standings- 2012/13

[Attila The Hun]

Barring minor tweaks (or by some miracle the Dwight Howard saga finally playing out), the team rosters seem pretty much set for the coming season.

So, I'm interested to see how people foresee the West playing out? Whereabouts do you place our (very) young but exciting team in among the combatants?

The playoff teams in the West last season were as follows:

1) San Antonio
2) OKC
3) LA Lakers
4) Memphis
5) LA Clippers
6) Denver
7) Dallas
8) Utah

My honest opinion is that it's hard to see many of those teams dropping out- the top 5 will almost certainly be contending again.

Denver looks likely to be exciting again, although they can't afford too many injuries. Dallas seemed likely candidates to drop out at one point, but managed to salvage their off-season with some smart veteran signings. Utah is actually a reasonably young team still, have managed to make some decent additions and have young players who should develop.

Golden State is the team I see as most likely to jump up into the playoffs. Most teams in the West should actually be pretty competitive next season- on paper there looks to be only one probable straggler.

So, how do you predict teams will finish, 1-15 in the West this season?

[BP225]

My honest opinion is that it's hard to see many of those teams dropping out- the top 5 will almost certainly be contending again.

I agree. It would probably take everything going right for the Hornets and several other teams having injury issues for the Hornets to make the playoffs. They'll make the playoffs when both Davis AND Rivers become reliable contributors.

[PennStatePelican]

1. OKC
2. San Antonio
3. Lakers
4. Clippers
5. Memphis
6. Golden State
7. Minnesota
8. Denver

Just barely missing out are Utah and Dallas. So, after the top 8 I'd say the remaining teams are:

9. Utah
10. Dallas
11. Portland
12. New Orleans
13. Houston
14. Phoenix
15. Sacramento

Honestly, the last 4 are interchangeable in my view. I don't see us breaking the top 10 this season.

[Unknown Poster]

I can see the Hornets finishing in the 10-12 range. Maybe they get the 8th seed with lights out/flawless play, no injuries, and injuries to other teams.

[iNolaNightmare]

Why are both Louisiana sports teams in the hardest conferences?

[Attila The Hun]

My own prediction..

1-5 San Antonio, OKC, Lakers, Clippers and Memphis- all teams with high pay-rolls who are built to contend now. None have lost any players of real significance, Memphis did pretty well to replace Mayo with Bayless for cheap.

6) Denver I think they're building a team that suits their unique home advantage and George Karl's style- McGee and Faried over the course of a full season will be an interesting combination. They have some depth too (Miller, Chandler, Harrington, Brewer).

7) Utah Adding Mo Williams, Foye and Marvin Williams were underrated moves in my eyes- they needed better perimeter players and 3Pt-shooting badly. Favors, Kanter, Hayward and Burks should develop further, and they still have Jefferson and Millsap- giving them strong frontcourt depth. I really can't envision them missing the playoffs.

8-9) Dallas and Golden State A bit of unknown with both these teams- their rosters have changed a lot in the last 18 months. Dallas managed to get Collison, Mayo, Brand and Kaman for cheap (without hurting their budget next year), so with Nowitzki, Marion, West and Wright still around, they probably won't fall far. The Warriors actually have scary depth now- their 'second 5' now goes Jack-Rush-Jefferson-Landry-Tyler, plus they drafted Harrison Barnes and may (finally) have a decent center. I think they can win 45 games..

10-14) Minnesota, Portland, New Orleans, Phoenix and Sacramento Out of this group, I think Minnesota is most likely to challenge for a playoff spot- it will depend on how their new pieces (Kirilenko, Roy, Budinger, Shved) fit. If Rubio plays a significant amount of games, if Derrick Williams improves a little and they stay healthy, I think they're a .500 team.

Portland and Phoenix are tough to get a read on. Portland's roster feels a little uneven- their starting five is decent (don't know what they'll do at center), but their bench is very young an unproven. If Aldridge stays healthy, Lillard produces, Batum repays their faith and Mathews and Hickson are consistent, then they might push .500- but if Aldridge goes down, they're in trouble. Phoenix has actually amassed a roster with some interesting pieces and some depth- don't know how they'll fare defensively though. If Dragic shines and Scola and Gortat mesh well, they'll probably be in the 35-40 win range- they'll certainly be competitive.

New Orleans and Sacramento will be interesting this season- I'm not sure anyone knows quite what to expect, there's a lot of young talent on each team. Our Hornets can boast the best player (Gordon) and the best prospect (Davis), but the Kings probably have more depth at this point. Outside of Gordon (injuries aside) and Anderson, we can't be 100% sure of what Vasquez, Aminu, Rivers, Lopez and (to a lesser extent- due to age) Davis will produce for this season. Our bench still looks a little thin, and very young too. Sac-town managed to add Robinson in the draft, and picked up Aaron Brooks which might be interesting. They'll need to figure out how to juggle Brooks, Thomas, Thornton, Evans and their plethora of small forwards.. they do have an intriguing frontline (Cousins, Robinson, Thompson) on paper. I think they'll be under pressure to improve. I think both teams will be in the 30-35 win range.

15) Houston The only team in the West that is CLEARLY going to decline this season- who knows how many wins they'll cobble together? They might be doing the right thing in the long run- 3 first rounders this year, presumably a top-5 pick next year, and cap-room to sign at least one star- of course a star will need to actually want to play in Houston, but if the plan works, they might rebuild quickly.

[glepurple]

My own prediction..

1-5 San Antonio, OKC, Lakers, Clippers and Memphis- all teams with high pay-rolls who are built to contend now. None have lost any players of real significance, Memphis did pretty well to replace Mayo with Bayless for cheap.

6) Denver I think they're building a team that suits their unique home advantage and George Karl's style- McGee and Faried over the course of a full season will be an interesting combination. They have some depth too (Miller, Chandler, Harrington, Brewer).

7) Utah Adding Mo Williams, Foye and Marvin Williams were underrated moves in my eyes- they needed better perimeter players and 3Pt-shooting badly. Favors, Kanter, Hayward and Burks should develop further, and they still have Jefferson and Millsap- giving them strong frontcourt depth. I really can't envision them missing the playoffs.

8-9) Dallas and Golden State A bit of unknown with both these teams- their rosters have changed a lot in the last 18 months. Dallas managed to get Collison, Mayo, Brand and Kaman for cheap (without hurting their budget next year), so with Nowitzki, Marion, West and Wright still around, they probably won't fall far. The Warriors actually have scary depth now- their 'second 5' now goes Jack-Rush-Jefferson-Landry-Tyler, plus they drafted Harrison Barnes and may (finally) have a decent center. I think they can win 45 games..

10-14) Minnesota, Portland, New Orleans, Phoenix and Sacramento Out of this group, I think Minnesota is most likely to challenge for a playoff spot- it will depend on how their new pieces (Kirilenko, Roy, Budinger, Shved) fit. If Rubio plays a significant amount of games, if Derrick Williams improves a little and they stay healthy, I think they're a .500 team.

Portland and Phoenix are tough to get a read on. Portland's roster feels a little uneven- their starting five is decent (don't know what they'll do at center), but their bench is very young an unproven. If Aldridge stays healthy, Lillard produces, Batum repays their faith and Mathews and Hickson are consistent, then they might push .500- but if Aldridge goes down, they're in trouble. Phoenix has actually amassed a roster with some interesting pieces and some depth- don't know how they'll fare defensively though. If Dragic shines and Scola and Gortat mesh well, they'll probably be in the 35-40 win range- they'll certainly be competitive.

New Orleans and Sacramento will be interesting this season- I'm not sure anyone knows quite what to expect, there's a lot of young talent on each team. Our Hornets can boast the best player (Gordon) and the best prospect (Davis), but the Kings probably have more depth at this point. Outside of Gordon (injuries aside) and Anderson, we can't be 100% sure of what Vasquez, Aminu, Rivers, Lopez and (to a lesser extent- due to age) Davis will produce for this season. Our bench still looks a little thin, and very young too. Sac-town managed to add Robinson in the draft, and picked up Aaron Brooks which might be interesting. They'll need to figure out how to juggle Brooks, Thomas, Thornton, Evans and their plethora of small forwards.. they do have an intriguing frontline (Cousins, Robinson, Thompson) on paper. I think they'll be under pressure to improve. I think both teams will be in the 30-35 win range.

15) Houston The only team in the West that is CLEARLY going to decline this season- who knows how many wins they'll cobble together? They might be doing the right thing in the long run- 3 first rounders this year, presumably a top-5 pick next year, and cap-room to sign at least one star- of course a star will need to actually want to play in Houston, but if the plan works, they might rebuild quickly.

real good post

[AD23]

My own prediction..

1-5 San Antonio, OKC, Lakers, Clippers and Memphis- all teams with high pay-rolls who are built to contend now. None have lost any players of real significance, Memphis did pretty well to replace Mayo with Bayless for cheap.

6) Denver I think they're building a team that suits their unique home advantage and George Karl's style- McGee and Faried over the course of a full season will be an interesting combination. They have some depth too (Miller, Chandler, Harrington, Brewer).

7) Utah Adding Mo Williams, Foye and Marvin Williams were underrated moves in my eyes- they needed better perimeter players and 3Pt-shooting badly. Favors, Kanter, Hayward and Burks should develop further, and they still have Jefferson and Millsap- giving them strong frontcourt depth. I really can't envision them missing the playoffs.

8-9) Dallas and Golden State A bit of unknown with both these teams- their rosters have changed a lot in the last 18 months. Dallas managed to get Collison, Mayo, Brand and Kaman for cheap (without hurting their budget next year), so with Nowitzki, Marion, West and Wright still around, they probably won't fall far. The Warriors actually have scary depth now- their 'second 5' now goes Jack-Rush-Jefferson-Landry-Tyler, plus they drafted Harrison Barnes and may (finally) have a decent center. I think they can win 45 games..

10-14) Minnesota, Portland, New Orleans, Phoenix and Sacramento Out of this group, I think Minnesota is most likely to challenge for a playoff spot- it will depend on how their new pieces (Kirilenko, Roy, Budinger, Shved) fit. If Rubio plays a significant amount of games, if Derrick Williams improves a little and they stay healthy, I think they're a .500 team.

Portland and Phoenix are tough to get a read on. Portland's roster feels a little uneven- their starting five is decent (don't know what they'll do at center), but their bench is very young an unproven. If Aldridge stays healthy, Lillard produces, Batum repays their faith and Mathews and Hickson are consistent, then they might push .500- but if Aldridge goes down, they're in trouble. Phoenix has actually amassed a roster with some interesting pieces and some depth- don't know how they'll fare defensively though. If Dragic shines and Scola and Gortat mesh well, they'll probably be in the 35-40 win range- they'll certainly be competitive.

New Orleans and Sacramento will be interesting this season- I'm not sure anyone knows quite what to expect, there's a lot of young talent on each team. Our Hornets can boast the best player (Gordon) and the best prospect (Davis), but the Kings probably have more depth at this point. Outside of Gordon (injuries aside) and Anderson, we can't be 100% sure of what Vasquez, Aminu, Rivers, Lopez and (to a lesser extent- due to age) Davis will produce for this season. Our bench still looks a little thin, and very young too. Sac-town managed to add Robinson in the draft, and picked up Aaron Brooks which might be interesting. They'll need to figure out how to juggle Brooks, Thomas, Thornton, Evans and their plethora of small forwards.. they do have an intriguing frontline (Cousins, Robinson, Thompson) on paper. I think they'll be under pressure to improve. I think both teams will be in the 30-35 win range.

15) Houston The only team in the West that is CLEARLY going to decline this season- who knows how many wins they'll cobble together? They might be doing the right thing in the long run- 3 first rounders this year, presumably a top-5 pick next year, and cap-room to sign at least one star- of course a star will need to actually want to play in Houston, but if the plan works, they might rebuild quickly.

Great post, agree with this. GS, Minny, PHX and Portland could all be tight for that 8 spot, and us and Sacramento have a slim chance, but I really doubt we make it

1. OKC
2. Lakers
3. Spurs
4. LAC
5. Grizzlies
6. Nuggets
7. Mavs
8. Golden State if healthy
9. T-Wolves
10. Jazz
11. Suns
12. Blazers
13. Hornets
14. Kings
15. Rockets

[PennStatePelican]

You might want to contact Joe and the gang about writing for hornets247. Very well written post and analysis of the western conference this season.

[aas3452]

SAS
OKC
LAC
LAL
MEM
DEN
UTA
MIN
------------------
Everyone else

This is my regular season prediction. If the clippers stay healthy, I expect them in the west finals against OKC.

[HornetsFan1]

1)OKC
2)SA
3)LAL
4)LAC
5)DEN
6)MEM
7)DAL
8)UTA or MIN (Healthy Rubio)
----------------------
9)UTA or MIN
10)GLD
11)NOH
12)PHX
13)HOU
14)POR
15)SAC

EDIT: Switch HOU and PHX and i can see GLD getting a playoff spot.

[joetzeng]

Hornets were 6-3 with Eric Gordon even there wasnt too much talent around him, with the addition of Anderson, Davis, and Rivers, I feel like the bar is set too low by some Hornets fans... I'm expecting 6-10 seed.

[PelsFan2313]

1. San Antonio
2. OKC
3. LA Lakers
4. LA Clippers
5. Memphis
6. Denver
7. Golden State
8. Minnesota

[glepurple]

Hornets were 6-3 with Eric Gordon, I feel like the bar is set too low by some Hornets fans... I'm expecting 6-8 seed.

I thought that way early on...but I think our core have a lot of maturing to do before we can honestly claim a playoff spot. Rivers has a lot of improving to do and is learning a new position on the fly. We have to pray that gordon plays majority of the season for us to have a chance at the playoffs and his history doesn't make that a guarantee. Also aminu would have to improve a lot as a shooter and defender to take that next step. Also i think we need better players off the bench. We don't have any proven scoring coming off the bench unless anderson is gonna be our sixth man. So I think we might compete night in and out but we will miss out on the playoffs.

[HornetsFan1]

Hornets were 6-3 with Eric Gordon even there wasnt too much talent around him, with the addition of Anderson, Davis, and Rivers, I feel like the bar is set too low by some Hornets fans... I'm expecting 6-10 seed.

I think Monty makes them tank out of the playoffs one more year

[Hornets2013]

Do we really prefer a quick first round playoff series at eighth seed, over a lottery pick for a solid big in next year's draft?

[Pelicans78]

Dallas improved this offseason a bit.

1. OKC
2. SA
3. LA
4. LAC
5. MEM
6. DAL
7. DEN
8. NO.

[neitzelbaby12]

Dallas improved this offseason a bit.

1. OKC
2. SA
3. LA
4. LAC
5. MEM
6. DAL
7. DEN
8. NO.

THIS

[Silverfoxx]

1. OKC
2. San Antonio
3. Lakers
4. Clippers
5. Memphis
6. Golden State
7. Minnesota
8. Denver

Just barely missing out are Utah and Dallas. So, after the top 8 I'd say the remaining teams are:

9. Utah
10. Dallas
11. Portland
12. New Orleans
13. Houston
14. Phoenix
15. Sacramento

Honestly, the last 4 are interchangeable in my view. I don't see us breaking the top 10 this season.

haha @ your sig!

[Silverfoxx]

1. OKC
2. San Antonio
3. Lakers
4. Clippers
5. Portland
6. Hornets
7. Minnesota
8. Denver

9. Utah
10. Dallas
11. Warriors
12. Memphis
13. Sacramento
14. Houston
15. Phoenix

[Silverfoxx]

Hornets were 6-3 with Eric Gordon even there wasnt too much talent around him, with the addition of Anderson, Davis, and Rivers, I feel like the bar is set too low by some Hornets fans... I'm expecting 6-10 seed.

This. Im not a person who is very unrealistic but i feel the Hornets will surprise alot of people this year, including their own fans.


And why the *bleep* is Memphis soooooo high own people lists? If anything Minny or Portland should their spots!

[PennStatePelican]

haha @ your sig!

I've been looking for a good sig, and might as well have one that is both funny and true (fingers crossed). Glad you don't mind that I used it

[joetzeng]

I think Monty makes them tank out of the playoffs one more year

It was all luck that we got Anthony Davis. Monty coaches to win, he does not tank. Remember how he was pissing all of us off late in the season last year?

[Silverfoxx]

I've been looking for a good sig, and might as well have one that is both funny and true (fingers crossed). Glad you don't mind that I used it

haha naw bro to be quite honest im flattered

[carpo_07]

I reckon the Hornets will finish in the position indicated on Rafael Addison's jersey....