Ranking the Western Conference

by coolcatreportdotcom on Jul 27, 2008 2:32 PM PDT Comment 43 comments

HoopsWorld has an article ranking the teams in the Western Conference. They predict that, based on current developments and rosters, the Kings will finish 12th in the West.

Here's their take on the Kings:

12. Sacramento Kings - It wouldn't be surprising to see Ron Artest in another uniform come November, and that's just as well because the Kings won't make the playoffs with him on the roster, anyway. It's time for Sacramento to cut their losses and look to rebuild around Kevin Martin. If the Kings can move Artest and Brad Miller for some combination of salary cap space, draft picks and young talent, this team could be relevant again by 2010.

Here's how they see things going in the West this year (last year's rank in parentheses):

1. Los Angeles Lakers (1).

2. San Antonio Spurs (3).

3. New Orleans Hornets (2).

4. Utah Jazz (4).

5. Houston Rockets (5).

6. Dallas Mavericks (7).

7. Phoenix Suns (6).

8. Denver Nuggets (8).

9. Portland Trail Blazers (10).

10. Los Angeles Clippers (12).

11. Golden State Warriors (9).

12. Sacramento Kings (11).

13. Memphis Grizzlies (14).

14. Minnesota Timberwolves (13).

15. Oklahoma City TBA's (15).

In a way all they've done is pretty much take last season's final standings and tweak them a bit. They only have two teams improving or falling more than one spot from this past season's results.

I may offer my guess at the rankings upon further reflection, but for now I thought I'd just get this out there for you to consider.

(This is a FanPost from a member of the Sactown Royalty community. The views expressed come from the member, and not Sactown Royalty staff.)

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We'll finish 10th to 12th, locked.

I can’t see the first 9 teams falling below us.

The Clippers and the Warriors are a question mark. The Clippers have better players on paper. The Warriors don’t have better individuals but they have a team mentality, a specific way to play and they’re doing it well. It’s going to be hard to beat them, they are really fast and Beno is slower than his shadow. However without Baron, I have no idea

If we finish lower than Memphis, Minny and OKC… man we have to really suck!!

The Spurs, the Suns, the Mavs and the Nuggets are on a downward direction but they’re still very good.

My ranking:

1. Los Angeles Lakers (they had no heart in the finals.. but they have Bynum now)

2. New Orleans Hornets (they can only get better.. maybe 1st who knows)

3. San Antonio Spurs (they only get older)

4. Utah Jazz (same strong team)

5. Portland Trail Blazers (about to explode!)

6. Dallas Mavericks (They will never recover from the 1-4 by the Warriors)

7. Phoenix Suns (Nash and Shaq will play 50-70 games)

8. Houston Rockets (I still believe that last year’s streak was pure luck!)

9. Denver Nuggets (super player, -Camby, bad coach, no team work)

10. Los Angeles Clippers (I can see them fighting for the last seed)

11. Golden State Warriors (Life without Baron, maybe we’ll pass them))

12. Sacramento Kings (Artest story, Hawes/Thompson development, can Beno run the team?)

13. Memphis Grizzlies (Conley, Mayo, Gay and then chaos…)

14. Oklahoma City Durants [Durant, Green will improve, they have to trade one of their 3 nice PGs.. hopefully they’ll give us Ridnour for K9(woof!)]

15. Minnesota Timberwolves (the worst GM in history, a bunch of medium players)

by ZenBaller on Jul 27, 2008 5:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

ZenBaller

I agree that Denver won’t claim the 8 spot. It’s a coin flip for 5 – 8, though my guess is that Phoenix does a little better then you have them. Now, how many games do you see the Kings winning. I say 40. Is that enough to get Reggie an extention? Yes.

by Bluejohn on Jul 27, 2008 7:20 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

40 wins..

That would be great and beyond my expectations. 40 wins would mean that some of our players really played well.

by ZenBaller on Jul 29, 2008 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hrm.

My Rankings:
1. Lakers
2. Utah
3. Rockets (The Rockets added a couple of quality prospects through the draft and play tough D; the team will be more familiar with Adelman’s system; if T-Mac/Yao are healthy they could win their division outright)
4. Phoenix (I expect Phoenix to post an excellent record; I believe Amare Stoudemire will carry them on his back with an MVP-type season)
5. Hornets (They needed Kurt Thomas, not James Posey)
6. Spurs (Might go as low as 7 or 8; I expect Pop to give his young new additions more burn, earning them experience and the veterans more rest)
7. Clippers (Success will depend on health of Kaveman, Baron, and Camby)
8. Golden State (Success will depend on the Monta-at-pg experiment)
9. Portland (I don’t believe Oden addresses Portland’s real weakness; they lack a low-post scorer, and he’s more Dikembe Mutumbo than Patrick Ewing)
10. Dallas (Tch…this team. Their bench looks awful; do their vets have enough gas in the tank to play big minutes effectively all season long?)
11. Denver (the future is bleak for Denver; they’ll be mired in mediocrity for the duration of the K-Mart/Nene contracts)
12. Minnesota (I don’t believe the hype surrounding Kevin Love)
13. Kings (Would really be better off focusing on developing young talent, chemistry, and an identity instead of winning games. Come away with some hope for the future, some confidence in your prospects, a high lottery pick, and idea of which pieces in free agency are precisely needed to mold this team into the team it wants to become.
14. Memphis (I think they have potential to make a little noise once their team gels; might eventually overtake Minnesota this season)
15. OKC (No interior presence)

"I've hacked into your brain. You're throwing a party and no one's showing up."

by ignign*kt on Jul 27, 2008 7:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Personally

I think the seven teams above us

5. Houston Rockets (5).

6. Dallas Mavericks (7).

7. Phoenix Suns (6).

8. Denver Nuggets (8).

9. Portland Trail Blazers (10).

10. Los Angeles Clippers (12).

11. Golden State Warriors (9).

are overrated here. Portland hasn’t shown anything. Warriors got worse. Clippers lost Brand but picked up Davis, so I don’t see that they’ve improved. Denver? AI is getting old, and Melo hasn’t shown he can carry a team, plus they lost Camby. Phoenix has an old Nash and an ancient Shaq. Amare’s good, but I don’t think they’ll win as many this year as last. Dallas and Houston have aging/injury prone stars who haven’t been able to get it done in the past.

Not saying we’ll finish ahead of all those teams, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them drop off next season. Even San Antonio. So much depends on Duncan’s health with them.

TickTickTickTickTickTick

by LeaguePassAddict on Jul 27, 2008 9:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Brand

was out all last year, so really Clippers got Davis and Camby. I think that’s why they’re picked to improve.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Jul 28, 2008 5:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Makes sense

I forgot they got Camby.

TickTickTickTickTickTick

by LeaguePassAddict on Jul 28, 2008 11:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fine. If I must...

1. Jazz
2. Lakers
3. Spurs
4. Hornets
5. Rockets
6. Suns
7. Blazers
8. Mavs
9. Kings
10. Nuggets
11. Warriors
12. Clippers
13. Grizzlies
14. OKC Should-Be-In-Seattle WTF’s
15. T-Wolves

Wait....Why is everybody clapping? Everyone around me is clapping.... I guess I should be clapping too... GO LAKERS!!! I hate living in So Cal

by 27freethrows on Jul 27, 2008 10:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, once Artest is gone, it will be K-Mart and a bunch of role players really. This year will be pretty tough to watch, and more of a time we can use to gauge whether or not we want to keep guys like Shelden Williams, Francisco, and Douby. I don’t see any problem with giving Hawes and Thompson equitable playing time either. Why not. The worse we play, the better in the long run.

I think at this point, the Kings are better than OKC, Memphis, and the T-Wolves. At least I’ll get to see some games this year.

by LiquidPolio on Jul 27, 2008 11:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't agree

SA – They’re aging and on a downward slope. I don’t see them improving.
Warriors/Denver – Warriors just lost their star player. Denver traded off one of the most dominant defensive Centers in the league.
Suns – An aging Shaq…they aren’t going to get anywhere.
Mavs – They’re on their way out, too.

My rankings:
1. Hornets – They were just one game shy last year and Chris Paul WILL improve. They have such a star-studded, with a big depth of younger talent that they’ll rank 1st.
2. Lakers – I’m ranking them 2 here, because Bynum still is a big question mark, they just lost Turiaf, and I’d imagine Kobe’s numbers might start to dip a bit, since he’s getting old.
3. Rockets – The only reason they were outed so fast in the playoffs was due to Ming not being there. Factor him into the equation, along with their huge winning streak last year = success.
4. Jazz – Williams is only going to improve and they’ll still have their same, solid base of big-men.
5. Spurs – Duncan is getting old and a lot slower, plus it’s the same-ol’ line-up. No real changes, just the team’s getting old. This team will start to drop, ala The Pistons.
6. Mavs – Kidd might have a few years left in him, but he’s been slowing down a lot these past few years. Kidd mixing in with the team during training camp might help.
7. Clippers – They’ll make the playoffs. Camby/Kamen duo + Baron Davis + an improved Al Thornton = playoff bound.
8. Suns – They’ll barely make the playoffs, edging out Portland barely. Shaq is big, old and slow. Only real stars on this team are Nash and Stoudemire. Within 1 or 2 years, they’ll be a lottery bound team.
9. Blazers – They’ll make a push for the playoffs, but I project that they’ll start out a bit slow in the season, due to the slow process of phasing Oden into the NBA and their line-up.
10. Nuggets – AI/Melo not good enough to make the playoffs in this deep western race. they also just signed Chris Anderson to fill in their Center void. When Camby was traded for nothing, it was clear that the Nuggets are now salary dumping and in rebuilding mode.
11. Kings – Artest is still a big question mark on the Kings. Hawes/Thompson are still a very young duo and I don’t expect Miller/Moore to really bring the Kings anywhere. The only way I see the Kings making a push is if Beno drastically shows improvement, Thompson shows he’s NBA ready, if Hawes can hold his own, and if Theus works on getting the team to work like one unit, rather than a bunch of guys hogging the ball. Also, if Artest is still here, I expect him to play his butt off to land a fat contract. So, I expect the season to start off slow and see the Kings making a bit of a push a little too late.
12. OKC – Durant will improve, as well as their young core, but they still have a lot of holes to fill.
13. Warriors – They just lost their all-star player. It’s now Ellis, Jackson…and then? Randolph needs to develop and they don’t really have much after that.
14. Grizzlies – Love, Greene, Marc Gasol. A nice young team, but still have a ways to go.
15. Minnesota – Mayo and Chalmers will add a bit of depth, but they’re new talent. On the old Atlanta Hawks of the West.

by CloudyEyes on Jul 27, 2008 11:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm pretty sure

Love is in Minny, and Mayo in Memphis

by eduardo_m7 on Jul 28, 2008 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No ESPN is just clouding the truth

They wanted Mayo in Memphis so they conjured up a fancy trade rumor putting him there.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Jul 28, 2008 12:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

what?

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Jul 28, 2008 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

ESPN has secretly acquired a mind altering trick from the Orient

They blare the same things over & over (like the Mayo trade) until the masses believe it. Then they convince team executives to do this. ESPN is the reason the Lakers lost in the Finals; ESPN is the reason Pau Gasol is in LA. It’s all ESPN’s fault. Blame ESPN. It’s all ESPN’s fault.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Jul 28, 2008 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

lay off the shrooms, dude.

Media is a reflection of the material collective, not it’s muse.

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Jul 28, 2008 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dude Yosemite is Black Highlights

And has Purple Highlights. And thinks Tim Donaghy threw game 6. And, and, and, man, shit I give up.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Jul 28, 2008 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ah crap

Forgot about that trade. Still, that doesn’t really change my rankings at all.

by CloudyEyes on Jul 28, 2008 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh my

I think there are a LOT of question marks in the West suddenly.

Sooooo

DIVISION WINNERS
1) New Orleans
2) Lakers
3) Utah

I think a biiig drop off after that, no 50 win nonsense to get into the playoffs, that was an abberation. 46-47 gets the 7th-8th seeds in. Thats going to make it Tight! Tiebreakers may come into play.

One ++of the teams not named Denver that made the playoffs last year fall out. Who? My guess is one of Dallas, Phx or SA for one or a combination of reasons. All are getting older and have had almost no sig injuries the last year or so. The odds say that will change.

Teams falling off:
SA: Old, an injury to Parker or Ginobli early and they might not make the playoffs.
Otherwise, they taper down. Just not enough legs and scoring options.

Dallas: Don’t see how this team is put together correctly anymore, they struggle
(for them) make the playoffs.

PHX: The Shaq trade was a trainwreck that will continue in slow motion, Nash is a year older… they could fall off a lot and possibly fall a Looong way. Only about a .500 team after the Shaq trade.(?) Never the best locker room for some reason.

Rockets: Can Yao and McGrady ever stay healthy? Real questions on both D and scoring if history repeats early. Can’t count on long winning streaks to get you through. A playoff team though unless total disaster strikes (not that impossible).

BUBBLES:

Blazers: Once again, a long winning streak kept/put this team in playoff contention. Always a lot of question marks with that many young players. My guess is they continue to show flashes but are nowhere near putting things together. May make the playoffs if some of teams mentioned above fall off.

Denver: I don’t see the ‘team’ here – but they can score. Likely to make the playoffs if healthy and some of the other teams fall off as I think.

Clippers: Have some very good starters. Do they have the depth/health to survive a long season? I doubt it.

GS: I have no idea what this team will do exactly – but they’re not as good a team (without BDavis) as they were before (or VERY different). Not sure I see the run and gun working very well with those personnel changes – but I really have no idea. Don’t make the playoffs again?

So: I’ll call the 4th, 5th and 6th seeds in no particular order, Teams that I think will make it short of disaster striking.
Houston
SA
DALLAS

The last two spots are open for luck, grit and suprise.

(But I don’t think the Kings are in the Mix at this point, lets see if the Artest/other deals change things)

Other teams out are of course MINN., OklA, Memphis. The Kings finish above all those somewhere in the 9th-11th spot.
I’ll guess also over GS (no BDavis?) and the Clips ‘maybe’ (no depth), right there with Portland as an also-ran on the rise.

eternal skeptical optimist

by lietothegirls on Jul 28, 2008 10:45 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

BUT!

Its a little early, I don’t think the final rosters/Moves are done for several teams…

eternal skeptical optimist

by lietothegirls on Jul 28, 2008 10:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Sorry!

One more comment.

Wouldn’t it just be like SA to have an injury or something, miss the playoffs (If Duncan, Parker or Ginobli were hurt?) and win the lottery?

Isn’t it that time again?

eternal skeptical optimist

by lietothegirls on Jul 28, 2008 10:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'd really like to see

More teams have the kind of paralyzing injury problems we’ve had in years past.

TickTickTickTickTickTick

by LeaguePassAddict on Jul 28, 2008 12:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

really.

Health. ‘Tis fickle.

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Jul 28, 2008 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Honestly

Ricky Rubio and Ginobli would make such a sexy pairing. Though the Spurs’d probably look for a big man.

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Jul 28, 2008 12:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Soooo early

I need to wait at least until camp opens.

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Jul 28, 2008 12:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

sanity in this darklit hour?

Really though, if the difference between 1st and 8th is going to be ten games again…. does it really matter how well you can “predict” the rankings…. it’s all a crapshoot as far as I’m concerned.

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Jul 28, 2008 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

As far as I'm concerned

The Clippers and the Blazers are both the dark-horses here. It’ll be a tight race between 1st to 10th.

by CloudyEyes on Jul 28, 2008 5:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

good point

which means my point is even more important

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Jul 28, 2008 5:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

not to be even more cocky

That sounded very dickwad…. your exemplification rings true, and thanks for making me sound more like I know what I’m saying when I’m not saying much worth saying.

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Jul 28, 2008 5:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Copying you is copying me is copying him is copying her is copying the copy's copy....

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Jul 28, 2008 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And since you agree with my point, my point even becomes greater

by CloudyEyes on Jul 28, 2008 7:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd like to wait to know what players are on each roster first jeesh

Is that too much to ask?

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Jul 28, 2008 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

After all

that crap i wrote, i backed up and said the same thing!

eternal skeptical optimist

by lietothegirls on Jul 29, 2008 12:23 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

But I stand

by my assertion that one of Phx, DAL, SA or Houston drop out for one reason or another…
by a tight margin.

eternal skeptical optimist

by lietothegirls on Jul 29, 2008 12:27 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ron to Houston...

RE-RANK!!!

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Jul 29, 2008 7:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Ron Ron

Means Houston knocks the Spurs down notch or two, it moves them to at least 4th I think – maybe higher.

A lot depends on Health (many teams are due some sig. lost games to injury)

I think they’re right there with LA and NOrleans.

eternal skeptical optimist

by lietothegirls on Jul 30, 2008 12:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Blazers finish in the top 5

book it. Those who doubt Oden will live in shame.

Oden/Pryz
LMA/Frye
WebFoot/Trout
Roy/Rudy
Blake/Bayless
**Champs 08-09**

by BigCelPhone on Aug 1, 2008 2:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Bold

I think that I would still take the Lakers, Hornets, Rockets, Jazz, Suns, Spurs and Mavs over Portland next year. They’ll have to vault three of those teams to be top five. I sure like them as a top five team in a year or two, though.

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Aug 1, 2008 8:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry

his leash broke

"If I was in anyway unclear(,) I am implying that Dave is a serial murder(er)."
---jonestr on Aug 3, 2008 12:25 AM PDT

by ptwnblzr on Aug 3, 2008 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

BLAZERS WILL RULE..... eventually

1 lakers
2 rockets
3 jazz
4 hornets
5 spurs
6 blazers
7 suns
8 dal

by KObeHater on Aug 1, 2008 11:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

dont we have a sight to just talk about the blazers?

"If I was in anyway unclear(,) I am implying that Dave is a serial murder(er)."
---jonestr on Aug 3, 2008 12:25 AM PDT

by ptwnblzr on Aug 3, 2008 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll take them

over the Suns and Mavs right now. Two teams on their way down if you ask me. If Portland doesn’t completely stink in the first half of the year they’ll overtake them.

Oden/Pryz
LMA/Frye
WebFoot/Trout
Roy/Rudy
Blake/Bayless
**Champs 08-09**

by BigCelPhone on Aug 2, 2008 2:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

so since we are on the kings sight

what insight would offer to the conversation, about artest, there new relience on martin, or maybee even the topic, how the kings will stack up in this years ever changing western conference

"If I was in anyway unclear(,) I am implying that Dave is a serial murder(er)."
---jonestr on Aug 3, 2008 12:25 AM PDT

by ptwnblzr on Aug 3, 2008 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK, what the hell

1. Rockets
2. Hornets
3. Jazz
4. Spurs
5. Lakers
6. Suns
7. Blazers
8. Clippers
9. Mavs
10. Nuggets
11. Warriors
12. Kings
13. Minnesota
14. Okie City
15. Memphis

I really think you could take 6-11, throw them up in the air, and put down whatever order comes up. It could be competitive for those bottom spots.

by coolcatreportdotcom on Aug 2, 2008 12:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs