While Boston, Cleveland and Orlando are all expected to flex their muscles and make their presence felt in the East, the West is as talented and as ultra-competitive as ever.
The Los Angeles Lakers remain the prohibitive favorites in the West, what with an intact core of veterans and youngsters that bludgeoned the Orlando Magic in the Finals on the way to capturing their 15th league title in the process.
However, the focus of attention isn’t going to be just for the Lakers considering that the Spurs made some off-season moves that brought strength and more talent back to the Texas land in the hope of figuring prominently again in the West.
But then, there remains several Western Conference clubs that have made significant improvements during the off season, hoping to create some noise and figure well come Playoff time.
Now, here are my top three choices to finish among the top 3 in the West.
Bye Ariza, Welcome Artest!
After getting quality defensive presence from youthful swingman Trevor Ariza last season, the Lakers thought they could still get a whole lot more from the free agency market.
And when the mercurial Ron Artest signified his intention to join the Hollywood-outfit, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak wasted no time leaving Ariza to test the free agent market while landing on Artest in the process.
Now, having Artest around, the Lakers are even more fearsome on the defensive end as well as a physical presence that they sorely lacked when ranged against a physical team like the Boston Celtics in the East.
Of course, Kobe Bryant remains the no. 1 scoring option for coach Phil Jackson with guys like Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and even “Bench Mob” members Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, Sasha Vujacic, Josh Powell and even DJ Mbenga providing more support off the bench.
Stirring the Texas Tornado in San Antonio
For the past five years or so, San Antonio has been closely identified to its top three All-Stars—Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
But after spending several years together that produced championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007, the wear and tear as well as the banging the Spurs’ “Big Three” sustained through those years have made them susceptible to injuries.
Which is why after exiting early in the first round last season after bowing to the Dallas Mavericks, the Spurs front office had been busy burning the phone lines in an effort to bring in some help from the talent-rich free agent market.
First to join the Spurs was Richard Jefferson, the athletic swingman, who has a championship experience with him after being part of the New Jersey Nets team that finished runner up twice this decade (2002 and 2005).
Jefferson has a good mid-range jump shot and can readily mix it up against other big guys in the pain, thus, giving the Spurs a ready offense anytime.
Giving additional inside support are Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff, whose wealth of experience are key in preserving Duncan for the Playoffs.
Roger Mason and Michael Finley as well as Matt Bonner could also shoot from beyond the arc, making them a legitimate title contender again.
Young and Upstart Blazers
Though Denver led by Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups gave the Lakers quite a scare during last season’s Western Conference Finals, this season appears to be Portland’s turn to rise to prominence.
The Blazers have a young but reliable leader by the name of Brandon Roy.
Roy, the Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, is undeniably the Blazers’ spiritual leader. Passionate and all-out, Roy nearly led the Blazers to a first-round victory over the Houston Rockets.
But Roy isn’t just the only legit scoring threat considering that Portland has two young, big men to man the slot—Greg Oden and Lamarcus Aldridge, who just signed a new five-year contract extension.
Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez, along with guards Steve Blake and a host of others add more scoring punch.
Here are just three of the top Western teams I think would dominate the West this season. But how they could fair against Boston, Cleveland and Orlando is another story.
Will the Lakers repeat as champions? Will the Celtics reclaim their title? Or will the Spurs say healthy and be back as title contenders?
Which team will be at the top of the heap this 2010?
Photo Source: http://lakers.topbuzz.com/gallery/d/271268-1/Ron+Artest+smiles+in+a+Lakers+jersey.jpg
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