Shake Up the West

The NBA’s Western Conference has been the most competitive conference in professional basketball history. All eight playoff teams had 50 wins or more and the ninth place team, Golden State, won 49 games, which would have been good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. With this competitiveness one would think that all these teams have a chance to reach the Finals. The truth, however, is that several teams are merely good regular season teams and have little chance to make a dent in the playoffs.

Let’s start with the safe teams (conference rank):
1) LA Lakers - The team showed tremendous progress and will only be better when Andrew Bynum returns healthy. The Pau Gasol trade (or steal) positions them well for the next few years.

2) New Orleans Hornets - The team is gaining playoff experience and are performing well under Coach-of-the-Year Byron Scott. So young and so athletic.

3) San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs are aging and need to add youth but certainly don’t need an overhaul

4) Utah Jazz - The Jazz have a solid foundation, and Boozer and Williams give them a terrific duo to build around for many years

5) Houston - This team is showing great heart but is undermanned without Yao. Next year should be a good one for Houston if they can stay healthy and add a roll player or two.

Now the teams that need to go under the knife (conference rank):
6) Phoenix - The Shaq trade looks like a bust. Steve Kerr may have felt that the team with Shawn Marion had no chance of winning but this team with an over-the-hill Shaq and little perimeter defense also is not able to win a title. The Suns would have been better off with Kurt Thomas and Shawn Marion. In trying to save luxury tax money they ended up spending more money and hamstringing themselves for the next two seasons. The Suns are stuck with Shaq and his huge contract, and the window with an aging Steve Nash is closing. This team needs a shakeup but may not have the flexibility to pull it off.

7) Dallas - The Kidd trade did nothing to address the fact that this team is soft, erratic and never recovered from their 2006 Finals implosion. They we not a point guard away from being an elite team. Avery Johnson is a fiery coach with a defensive mindset. He needs players that match his intensity and philosophy.

8) Denver - The Nuggets are loaded with talent but their utter disregard for defense will relegate them to a fun, entertaining regular season team with no chance in the playoffs. This team needs a new coach, a change in philosophy and a roster overhaul. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony cannot continue to score at will and lead a team that surrenders 107 points a game. The dynamic duo might have to be broken up, and some of the underachievers will have to be dealt if this team wants to contend for a title.