Predicting Western Conference Playoff Seeds

[SoCal4Pels]

Who do you guys have? Here's what I think, and for me, it's gonna be a battle between us and Dallas (Luka and Porzingis should be a fun tandem to watch for years to come) and a mostly Klay-less Golden State for the 7 and 8-seeds unless one of the other seven teams has an injury to one of their stars:

1. Clippers - amazing on O and D, DEEEP
2. Denver - gritty, solid team
3. Portland - same as above
4. Houston - possibly a little high, but their offense should still be great. I always want them to lose.
5. Utah - they seem kinda perpetually stuck around this position
6. Lakers - so shallow, missing AD or Lebron due to injury for any length of time and they might miss the PO completely... and it will be hilarious if AD leaves next year due to a shallow team and aging Lebron, with zero future for the team. Keep your eye on them, the pressure on the Lakers is insane; they will get very (read: even more) dysfunctional very quickly if too many losses start stacking up.
7. Golden State - I see them making a push after Klay gets back and D-Russel doing a decent job of holding down the fort until then
8. New Orleans - If we can play the defense I think we are capable of, I think we might even get the 7 seed. Our team is deep, and I will already predict a 4-6 seed for next year
*9. Dallas - Not sure they have he depth or chemistry yet, but they will be competing for sure for the 7 and 8 spots

[Pelicanidae]

I did my predictions pre-season, so I'll just post them here as they were then. I've actually changed my mind on some of them based on some further thought and watching them through the first few games, but this is how I have it:

1) Denver Nuggets - Highest quality depth in the NBA imo. Jokic is a master. Really this depends on what version of Jamal Murray we see this year, but I don't really predict them to do much with rest or load management so they're my pick for the Number 1 seed despite not being my pick for championship.
2) Utah Jazz - Similar principle as the above. Slightly less depth, but they have very good quality pieces and I don't expect them to do much rest or load management either. I could easily see them being one of those ''tons of wins but no real shot at the ring'' teams, a la the old Hawks.
3) Clippers - Best team in the NBA, will be my favourites for championships, but due to PG13 missing a while at the start of the year and the probability of Kawhi sitting at least 10 games due to load management, I feel like they'll leave some on the board in the regular season.
4) Houston Rockets - Same as you basically. Hate them, sure, and I feel like the playoffs are basically designed to turn Harden and Westbrook into the worst versions of themselves, but neither of those guys really miss games and that alone will make them win a lot of games.
5) Lakers - Difficult pick for me. Honestly couldn't really see them higher, and I could easily see them lower. Like you said, one major injury and they're a lottery team.
6) Golden State - This is one I've already changed my mind on. I thought they'd be anywhere from 4-6 really, but they've been just horrible early on and I can't see a way for massive improvement. Could easily see them dropping out of the playoffs
7) New Orleans Pelicans - This could be just optimism, but I think this is actually very realistic. I made the pick before Zion's injury, so maybe that will push us more towards 8, but I think we have the depth to sustain it.
8) San Antonio Spurs - Another one I've already begun to doubt a little. I put them in at 8 basically just because it's the Spurs and they always make the playoffs, but at this point having watched them in practice and truly seen how ramshackle this roster is, I just don't know if the wheels can stay on another year.

Obviously the missing team is Portland, and I could easily see them replacing San Antonio or Golden State based on those doubts that I have a few weeks after making this initial prediction, but I just don't feel hot on them. They've always been one of the least deep teams in the east, and I honestly think they've gotten worse. Whiteside is not that good, they gave away Mo Harkless for nothing despite having a permanent wing-problem like we have in the past, and they're relying on a lot of not-that-awesome rookies and sophomores to make a real impact. So I could be completely blown back and they could make the playoffs as a solid 4 seed, but I doubt them a little.

[UNO Gracias]

The Mavs will be playing in April and possibly May. They have 2 stars and a star coach.

[Pelicanidae]

The Mavs will be playing in April and possibly May. They have 2 stars and a star coach.

And absolutely nothing else. Also one of their stars is made of silly string and hope, so I wouldn't bet on him staying healthy for a full year, which they would very much need him to.

[UNO Gracias]

And absolutely nothing else. Also one of their stars is made of silly string and hope, so I wouldn't bet on him staying healthy for a full year, which they would very much need him to.

2 stars, a head coach who can out coach a YMCA rec league coach, and depth. They have talent on that team, we saw that tonight.

[RhythmNathan]

Come on guys this team isn’t making the playoffs. We can’t defend the perimeter or at the rim. You gotta be able to do one of those in this league.

[PaKwAn]

Clips
Denver
Lakers
Rockets
Jazz
Blazers
Spurs?
Warriors?

Those are the top 8 teams for me and the top 6 teams seems a lock to make it in... im iffy with the spurs but then again, they really are built as a regular season team... the warriors for me are the most vulnerable of the 8 i listed..that team lacks depth or even quality players other than the stars they have... warriors mavs kings and nola will fight it out for the last spot.

[13 - 3]

Suns! Yes the Suns will make the playoffs!

Clips

Rockets

Lakers

Spurs

Nuggets

Blazers

Suns

Warriors