In the lead-up to the season opener on October 28, pundits, bloggers, and forecasters around the globe will be casting their opinions and projections about what is to come over the next eight months. In that spirit, I too shall join the fray. Keep in mind that these predictions do not reflect those of Hoops Addict as a whole, but my own feeble mindedness. Today, ten (mostly) fearless predictions about what to expect in the Western Conference.

Beginning in the what is hands down the NBA’s most fierce division, the Southwest, the easiest team to gauge might be New Orleans. The Hornets are loaded with talent at every position except shooting guard, and the addition of James Posey to back up Peja Stojakovic not only brings them heightened defensive intensity but winning experience and a champion’s attitude. Their outstanding performance thus far in the preseason speaks to how cohesive they remain as a unit on both ends of the ball.

This season will find the Hornets continuing to build upon the momentum they established last year and rising to the top of their division as well as repeating as the second seed in the conference. It might seem hard to believe, but I also foresee Chris Paul bettering his outrageous 2007-08 season (in which he averaged 21.1ppg and 11.6apg) and capping the season being named MVP.

The other Southwestern team everyone is enraptured with is the Houston Rockets. This lovefest for Houston is not totally without merit, as on paper they have one of the most complete and experienced teams in the West. Yet we seem to go through the same thing with this team every season: they make a seemingly great move during the postseason, they underachieve to begin the year, they then come on strong before Yao Ming gets hurt and ultimately Tracy McGrady fails to lift them out of the first round. This year it will be the same song, just a different chorus as they will continue to underachieve, finishing sixth. The unpredictable Ron Artest is clearly the biggest X-Factor for them, and given how well he played for Rick Adelman in Sacramento, he might work out. No matter what he does though, I doubt its enough to overcome the inevitable injuries to Yao and/or McGrady.

Elsewhere in Texas, I believe Dallas finishes seventh again, officially and resoundingly closing the window of opportunity for their core roster. The offseason storm that swirled around Josh Howard is inconsequential compared to the simple fact that their roster got too old too quickly. Dirk Nowitzki will remain his All-NBA self, but everyone around him has diminished at a stark rate to the point that he will have to carry them for long stretches just to make the postseason. Jason Kidd did nothing during the Olympics to fight off the idea that his game is a ghost of its former self, so perhaps the best they can do is wait until next summer when his contract expires.

While Dallas has the looks of a team on the way down, Portland has the glimmer of a franchise on the rise. They will carry that goodwill and youthful joyousness all the way to the postseason when they supplant Denver as the eight seed. The Blazers are still a few years away from being serious contenders or a threat to Los Angeles or New Orleans, but they have the talent to reach that level in a hurry once they gain more experience playing together.

As for Denver, their trade of Marcus Camby for spare parts this summer basically signaled their concession that the Allen Iverson-Carmelo Anthony experiment was not going to bring them a title (and maybe not even a playoff series win), so it would not be surprising to see them try to trade Iverson and look to rebuild.

Staying in the Northwest division, Utah’s Deron Williams will return to the All-NBA Second Team and the Jazz will cruise to the third seed in the conference. Utah is head-and-shoulders above the rest of what is probably the West’s weakest division, and if it were not for Chris Paul, Williams would already be considered the best point guard alive. His ankle injury doesn’t concern me that much given how incredibly sturdy and durable he has been throughout his career thus far.

What does concern me somewhat is that they are not safeguarded from Carlos Boozer collapsing for long periods again in the playoffs. Rumors have run rampant this summer that he may bolt after this season, potentially for Miami, however he would do well to remember that contracts are earned in May and June, not November. Still, the Jazz have incredible depth in their front court and should return to the second round.

Another team with high hopes is Phoenix, whose slower pace will land them the five seed in the competitive West. The Suns’ starting five is as talented and battle-tested as any in the game, however their advancing age will quickly become a problem given their complete and utter lack of a reliable bench. While Leandro Barbosa might win Sixth Man of the Year, they are very slim in the frontcourt after O’Neal and Stoudemire. They are also asking a lot from Grant Hill to stay healthy in not giving him a solid backup, and while Steve Nash is one of the league’s most clutch performers, it is only a matter of time until his body no longer holds up for him. I realize how different last year’s playoffs might have looked if they had taken that epic Game 1 from San Antonio, but I still believe their window has closed.

Kevin Durant plays for what might be the NBA’s worst team. He is surrounded by talent that could be described as mediocre at best and is suited with a coach that has him playing totally out of position. None of that bodes well for Oklahoma City and the fans of the newly-christened Thunder, however do not think that will hold Durant back individually, as I truly think he might be an All-Star this season as his scoring will soar to 25 a night.

While Durant will be a one-man-show in Oklahoma, Memphis will also have its struggles this year but has a much better situation from which to begin building for the years ahead. The Grizzles have loads of cap space and so long as they are willing to spend some of it they have to try hard to convince people to want to come play with future All-Star OJ Mayo (my pick for Rookie of the Year) and all-world athlete Rudy Gay. The Grizzles will finish last in their division, but they will also lead the league in the coveted category of “Most Sports Centre Highlights Coming During Blowout Losses.”

As for the top of the conference, we will still see the familiar faces of the San Antonio Spurs next spring. After all, it is an odd-numbered year, during which the Spurs have been known win a championship or four. They will quietly remain among the league’s elite for the first few months, never looking overly impressive but always rounding into form. Then following a string in February and March that sees them win 20 of 24 games, they will enter into discussion as one of the West’s prime contenders before cooing somewhat to finish fourth and set up another date with the Suns. Tim Duncan will again be the model of efficiency, and Parker will do just enough heavy lifting in the regular season to let his aging teammates save their energy.

Finally, we reach Los Angeles, home to the conference champion Lakers and reigning MVP Kobe Bryant. The talk around the league this preseason has been how Bryant must effectively engage Lamar Odom to stay committed to this team while also working Andrew Bynum back into the offense. Those are certainly nice problems to have in comparison to where this franchise was a year ago. Bryant’s finger will hold up fine, as will Bynum’s knee, and while the Lakers are unlikely to win the 70-or-so games many experts are suggesting, they are highly likely to repeat as conference champions.

Simply put, no other team in basketball has the talent to match their top seven, and in the closing minutes of a tight game Bryant gives them the ultimate trump card.

We may as well start gearing up for a rematch of Los Angeles against Boston in the NBA Finals.

Photo Credit: ICON Sports Media