NBA Western Conference Preview

As promised here is the NBA Western Conference Preview. Almost always the stronger conference, the West will again be dominant in 2011-12 and that's because of veteran teams like the Spurs and Lakers that are experienced in the playoffs and young teams such as the Thunder and Clippers that demand viewers' attention. Also, let us not forget that the Dallas Mavericks have assembled a team that could have the potential to repeat. I would say there is no clear cut favorite out West and as many as five or six teams have a legitimate shot to represent the conference in the Finals. Here are my picks:

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

2. Dallas Mavericks

3. Los Angeles Lakers

4. Denver Nuggets

5. San Antonio Spurs

6. Los Angeles Clippers

7. Portland Trail Blazers

8. Memphis Grizzlies

9. Utah Jazz

10. Golden State Warriors

11. Minnesota Timberwolves

12. Houston Rockets

13. Phoenix Suns

14. New Orleans Hornets
15. Sacramento Kings

Teams to Watch

Dallas Mavericks: Always keep an eye on the defending champs in any sports and the Mavs are no different. They lost some pieces to the puzzle from a season ago such as J.J. Barea, Caron Butler and Tyson Chandler but they were able to add Lamar Odom, Vince Carter and Delonte West. The supporting cast is what will propel the Mavs through the playoffs. Carter, West, Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood all bring experience and multiple talents to a deep roster. Dirk Nowitzki had a fabulous playoffs and if he, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry don't show their age this year, Mark Cuban and the Mavs could be hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy again.

Los Angeles Clippers: This is new territory for the Clippers franchise. They are actually a hyped up team with tremendous expectations. And why not? They made the HUGE trade that brought the best point guard in the league, Chris Paul, to LA and signed two veteran role players with Finals experience in Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler. Throw in the freakishly athletic inside duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan and "Lob City" might be the most exciting television this season. Still, how high can expectations be for a franchise that has never been a winner? In their preseason games the Clips looked good but they aren't deep in the post and their bench is very young. Either way the Clippers are finally relevant and that will create some exciting storylines throughout the season.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Maybe the T'Wolves won't receive that much press, but mark my words, they will be a contender in a few short years. Start with Kevin Love, a double-double machine. He is the star this organization needs and he is consistent. Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams (2nd overall pick) will also be in the frontcourt. If Darko Milicic and Brad Miller can just give Minnesota steady play they will be fine. Gone is Jonny Flynn and in is Ricky Rubio at point. The T'Wolves finally got their man and America will soon find out if he is all he's hyped up to be. He and Wes Johnson will team up in the backcourt and J.J. Barea and Wayne Ellington will come off the bench. This team has serious potential but won't win quite yet due to youth. However, don't sleep on them.

Los Angeles Lakers: Everyone is down on the Lake Show after the Chris Paul trade fiasco that ended up with Lamar Odom in Dallas and Paul in the wrong locker room at the Staples Center. Now, LA will have to move on with it's core group of stars led by Kobe Bryant. Pau Gasol, who was nearly dealt to Houston, is back in a Lakers uniform and says he is fine, despite the trade rumors. LA needs Gasol to have a monster year with no Odom and little production expected from the bench. Maybe even more important will be the play of Andrew Bynum. His potential is great but his knees have to hold up for LA to play deep into the playoffs. I expect the Lakers to still be a good team but don't be surprised if they drop off a little bit.

Players to Watch

Paul (center) with new teammates Griffin and Billups

Chris Paul: The man who has caused the most commotion this offseason will finally be able to just play ball on Christmas Day. He should have a terrific year, benefitting from the athleticism of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan along with the veteran play of Chauncey Billups. CP3 is the best point guard in the league and continues to prove it. This year he could put up his best numbers yet and people are expecting something great from him in LA.

Kevin Durant: Here is my pick for the MVP this season. The Durantula has emerged as the best scorer in the NBA and he should lead his team to a Western Conference championship for the first time. He has talented teammates at every position which allows him to do his thing without double teams coming his way every night. He has already been a scoring champion and I expect he will be again this season. With his size and his ability to shoot he may be the hardest to guard in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant: For the first time in a long time Kobe Bryant isn't the most talked about basketball player in Los Angeles, California. People seem to have pushed the Lakers and Bryant to the side for Chris Paul and the Clippers but don't forget about Kobe. He is the best player in the league and for those who say he is too old to be the "old Kobe" why don't you check his numbers from last season. His 25, 5, 4 averages match his career numbers and indicates that we haven't seen the last of Kobe.

Western Conference Rookies to Watch
Derrick Williams, forward, Minnesota Timberwolves (2nd overall pick)

Enes Kanter, forward, Utah Jazz (3rd overall)

Jimmer Fredette, guard, Sacramento Kings (10th overall)

The West is always deep and this year is no different. I will predict the Oklahoma City Thunder to defeat the Dallas Mavericks for the Western crown but, in reality, there are six teams that have the potential to play in the Finals. It all starts tomorrow and the NBA is right in saying that we should expect BIG things.

Jimmer-Mania Hits New Orleans

He started out as an unknown his freshman and sophomore year, then people began to recognize his name after a clutch performance in the NCAA first round last season and now he is the hottest topic in college basketball. Jimmer Fredette, the 6'2" shooting guard for Brigham Young University, has wowed the crowds all year long with his 30-foot three pointers and night in, night out he makes plays that leave opposing players shaking their heads in disbelief. Now, he leads BYU into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981 where they will meet the Florida Gators, a team they defeated last year in the first round of the tournament in double overtime. The Cougars have relied on Fredette more and more since the dismissal of forward, Brandon Davies, but he has responded with some of his best games (hope nobody missed that 52-point outburst in the MWC Tournament). However, rarely does one man carry a team all the way to the Final Four and Jimmer will need to find help against a loaded Gators squad.

If defending Fredette is a problem, and let's face it, it has been for every single team this year, then Florida is in deep trouble. Here’s why: point guard, Kenny Boynton, sprained his ankle in the second round victory over UCLA but hopes to be 100% come Thursday. He better be if he is going to try and stop college basketball's leading scorer and Florida coach, Billy Donovan, will no doubt throw several different looks at Fredette. However, the game plan for Florida is really this simple: try to contain Jimmer but keep everyone else below their average. BYU has lost four games this season and in every loss, but one, Fredette has scored at least 30 points. Holding him below 25 is going to be very hard, but what Florida needs to focus on is stopping BYU's role players, most notably, Jackson Emery and Noah Hartsock. In almost every loss both players were below their average in points and Fredette, despite his efforts, could not shoulder the burden alone. If Florida is to move on to the Elite 8 that is how they will most likely have to attack the Cougars on the defensive end.

Offensively, the Gators have a serious advantage in the post with Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin. Hartsock will have to be amazing on the defensive end to stop those two and, as stated before, must chip in on offense. After a strong finish to the regular season, Chandler Parsons has cooled off and only scored 17 points in Florida’s two tournament games. An all-around effort from him will also give the Gators an edge over BYU. They are more athletic than their Mountain West counterpart and have the advantage of playing much closer to home but, then again, they don’t have the kid named Jimmer.

What Fredette has done in this tournament so far is something special and if a man calls himself a college basketball fan then he should make time in his schedule to watch the BYU-Florida game at 7:27 ET on Thursday night. There have been few players who have come through the NCAA Tournament and performed so magnificently that they carry their mid-major team to new heights. In 2009 Stephen Curry did the unthinkable when he led Davidson to the Elite 8 after upsets over 7th-seeded Gonzaga, 2nd-seeded Georgetown and 3rd-seeded Wisconsin. Last year Gordon Hayward took Butler where no mid-major had been since Utah in 1998, the national championship game. Both of those players went on to be lottery picks the year after. A similar fate may await Fredette should he impress in the Big Easy.