NBA Western Conference Projected Standings: Does Houston Even Make The Playoffs?

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Here is part two of the projected standings for the upcoming season and why not a better time to conclude right after the Kevin Love trade is officially completed. Here is my projected standings for a cutthroat war that is the Western Conference; projecting the last three spots is near impossible and is most likely going to come down to what team stays healthy. The Western Conference projected standings are as follows:

(Remember, these are just projections, I am just predicting where the teams will finish and what their record might be).

1. San Antonio Spurs 60-22

Many people including I  have been doubting the Spurs for years, and this year I won’t be one of them. The reigning champs return the same team and should expect Kawhi Leonard to improve even more; they also added an offensive weapon in rookie point-forward Kyle Anderson.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder 56-26

Even though the Thunder Front Office never make any significant moves to improve the team in the offseason, they still have the reigning MVP, Kevin Durant as well as Serge Ibaka and a scary Russell Westbrook.  Those three and an improved Reggie Jackson can still carry the team to a great regular season record. The playoffs though, will be a whole different question.

3. Los Angeles Clippers 55-27

I’m not sure what the Clippers are doing either. The Spencer Hawes add was decent since the Clips have never had a good backup big man, but the rest of their moves are questionable. They drafted Reggie Bullock in the first round in the 2013 and Draft rarely played him. They then drafted a similar player this year in C.J. Wilcox.  They also have Jared Dudley who did not play well last year and a downgrade to backup Chris Paul as Jordan Farmar will replace Darren Collison. It doesn’t seem like the roster is balanced enough to make a huge run

4. Golden State Warriors 54-28

I expect the Golden State Warriors to make that jump to the West’s elite this year. When the Dubs were fully healthy last year, they pulled off a 10-game win streak.  They added more depth with Festus Ezeli returning to backup Bogut, and upgraded their bench with Shaun Livingston as the backup point guard.  Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will bring leadership they learned from Team USA and hopefully they get something more from Andre Igoudala and Harrison Barnes.

5. Memphis Grizzlies 51-31

Another team that battled a lot of injuries last year is the Memphis Grizzlies. They lost Quincy Pondexter early in the season and didn’t have Zach Randolph or Marc Gasol for some time during the year as well. After all that, this team still found their way to make it to the postseason and almost upset the Thunder. Look to see this team bounce back in a big way.

6. Dallas Mavericks 50-32

The Mavericks brought back Tyson Chandler and added Chandler Parsons as well.  Those are two solid starters added to make their rotation even stronger. Add Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis into the mix and they are definitely slated to improve from last year. Who knows maybe Jameer Nelson can contribute to his new team too.

7. Portland Trail Blazers 48-34

Portland had such a great year last season but it was more of a fluke than something that was stable. The Trail Blazers started the season 22-4 but only finished as the fifth seed. They also needed a total mental collapse by the Houston Rockets and gigantic heroic efforts by their two stars for them to advance to the next round before they got embarrassed by the Spurs. They might have the best starting five in all the league, but after that who can help them?

8. Houston Rockets 47-35

If you are more than a casual NBA fan you have probably heard rumblings about James Harden and Dwight Howard separating themselves from the team by making dumb comments and supposedly eating apart from the rest of the team. With less talent now without Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik, and Parsons you would think the team would desperately need to improve their chemistry to remain competitive. Ultimately, the Rockets still have some decent players with Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, as well as the mature rookie in Nick Johnson. I really did not want to add the Rockets into the playoffs, but I just cant see James Harden and Dwight Howard let that happen. They make the playoffs barely this year.

9. Phoenix Suns 46-36

It’s looking like the Phoenix Suns are unluckily on the outside looking in once again. It’s not that they aren’t good enough, it’s just that teams such as the Mavericks improved more. The additions of Isaiah Thomas and T.J. Warren are looking like a steal, but they still don’t have any inside threat on offense to carry their team.

10. New Orleans Pelicans 39-43

The Pelicans will be better team with a healthy Ryan Anderson, Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis. Although they are better than some of the teams above them, injuries will keep them from landing in the playoffs.

11. Denver Nuggets 36-46

The Denver Nuggets should be a more competitive team now with Nate Robinson, JaVale McGee and Danilo Gallinari healthy. The Aaron Afflalo trade should help them improve too. This team can very well make a playoff run if all the cards play fall into place, but it is riding on too much luck for that to happen.

12. Sacramento Kings 31-51

Nobody knows what the Sacramento Front Office is trying to do in the present or the future but they do have DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay which will amount to some wins.  If they can get Ben Mclemore or Nik Stauskas to play well, they will be able to win some more games than last year, even without Isaiah Thomas. There is a lot of pressure riding on Darren Collison as the starting point guard though.

13. Los Angeles Lakers 29-51

All due respect to Kobe Bryant, but he can’t carry this team. Pau Gasol is a bigger loss than people realize. Steve Nash will probably not play well, struggling with injuries yet again. At least they will still be entertaining with Julius Randle, Nick Young, and Kobe all playing together. A far-cry from the Shaq days.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves 27-55

The T-wolves might not win too many games but they seem like a team that will challenge you every night. A starting five of Rubio, Kevin Martin, Wiggins, Thaddeus Young, and Nikola Pekovic doesn’t seem bad .

15. Utah Jazz 23-59

The Jazz’s roster is a mess of young talent. But it is a good problem to have. This season will be focused on which young talent is kept to build around and which ones are to be moved. A Trey Burke and Dante Exum backcourt seems intriguing.