As I said in yesterday's post, I'll be doing an NBA preview this month leading up to the start of the season. Today is my Western Conference Overview, and I'll be doing individual posts for each of the Western Conference teams over the next few weeks.

Western Conference

Frontrunner

1) San Antonio Spurs - I think you have to consider the Spurs as far-and-away the favorite to win the title this year. They're better than they've ever been, they return their entire team, Tony Parker made "The Leap" in the Finals, and they heard a lot of people at the end of last year say that they can't be considered a dynasty until they win back-to-back titles. Now, does this mean I'd take the Spurs against the field? Probably not, but they're extremely talented, they have the game's best coach, and they'll be motivated.

Championship Contenders

2) Phoenix Suns - I still think they should've moved Stat for KG over the summer, but that is neither here nor there. As it stands, losing Kurt Thomas is a big blow to their defense, and it puts even more pressure on an unhappy Shawn Marion to make a difference on that end. Lots of questions on this team, but the addition of Grant Hill to the nucleus of Nash, Marion, and Stat means this team is still the biggest threat to a Spurs repeat.

3) Houston Rockets - It's all about health for the Rockets. They added a great PF in Luis Scola, and they improved their PG spot by leaps and bounds by adding Mike James, Steve Francis and draft pick Aaron Brooks, but it won't matter one bit unless T-Mac and Yao can stay healthy. If they stay healthy, nobody can match that top two and the Rockets' depth of talent, but if either of those guys goes down, it's over.

4) Dallas Mavericks - Say what you want about how Golden State was a bad matchup and how Dallas won more games than anyone and whatever else you want to say, I'm not sold on them. You can't discount the effect of two postseason letdowns like the ones that they've suffered.

5) Denver Nuggets - Maybe the most interesting team this year outside of Boston. Their season was so chaotic last year that you hardly know what to make of them. I don't know what will happen to them this year, but I do know that they have all the pieces needed to win the title. They've got a great defensive center (Camby), a legendary veteran hungry for a ring (AI), and a budding young star who was an MVP candidate before being suspended last year (Melo). Health and chemistry are all issues, but they've got tons of talent on that team.

6) Utah Jazz - This team would be the favorite in the East, but in the West, they're 4th at best. In my opinion, they're a very good team, but not a great team. They lack that dynamic superstar who scares you to death at the end of the game, but I could very easily see Deron Williams becoming that guy this season.

Dark Horse

7) Memphis Grizzlies - Honestly, I just really like the way this Grizzlies team is being built. They may not end up here at the end of the season, but I bet they'll be in contention for a playoff berth all year long. Remember, the Grizzlies were a playoff team two years ago, but just folded after Gasol went down for over 20 games at the beginning of the season. Marc Iavaroni is a very good coach, and there's a ton of talent on this team.

Other Playoff Potentials

8) New Orleans Hornets - No team in the West was as decimated by injuries as the Hornets were, and they still were only 3 games out of the playoffs. I still think Chris Paul is the best young point guard in the NBA, and they have a solid post scorer in David West, a dominant defensive presence in Tyson Chandler, and a great shooter in Peja if he can stay moderately healthy.

9) Los Angeles Lakers - Reasons why they'll contend for a playoff spot: Kobe. Reasons why they won't get real far: Everyone else. Any questions?

10) Golden State Warriors - Sure, they had a great run last year, but it was also the perfect storm of circumstances. Baron Davis has never been the picture of perfect health, and you never know what might happen with Steven Jackson in the fold. Could they get into the playoffs? Sure, and they'll be the team nobody wants to play if they get there, but they aren't built for the regular season, and they outplayed their expected W/L in order to make the playoffs.

The Young Nothwesterners

11) Portland Trailblazers - You've gotta feel for Blazers fans, who win the biggest draft lottery in the last decade only to watch Greg Oden fall to the curse of the Blazer big men. For the sake of mental health of every basketball fan in Portland, you've gotta hope Oden recovers. In the meantime, the first-name-for-a-last-name backcourt of Jack, Roy, and Blake will keep the ship afloat.

12) Seattle Supersonics - Ladies and gentlemen, your 2007-08 NBA Rookie of the Year!!! I think these guys will be fun to watch, and they have enough young talent and spunk to win more games than everyone expects. They're like the anti-Sacramento.

The Hopeless Ones

13) Sacramento Kings - When you're an aging team that won 33 games and your big offseason signing is Mikki Moore, you're probably in a bit of trouble. Over-Under on games it takes before Artest completely loses it on such a bad team? I'm going with 45 games.

14) Minnesota Timberwolves - The future is brighter now that KG is gone, with Foye, Brewer and Jefferson forming the nucleus and Green, Gomes, Smith and Richard as potentially good complementary players. However, the present is a bit bleaker. Life after KG will be pretty rough with Sebastian Telfair as the only true point guard on the roster.

15) Los Angeles Clippers - Few players represent the heart and soul of their team as much as Elton Brand does for the Clippers. With him, they're a playoff contender. Without him, they're terrible. Unless Sam Cassell turns the clock back 10 years and Chris Kaman suddenly and inexplicably morphs into the second coming of Kareem, it's gonna be a long season.

Best in the West

PG - Steve Nash
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Tim Duncan
C - Yao Ming

I know, I'm not exactly going out on a limb with any of those guys, but that's just how it goes. Three of these guys are easily the best player in the entire NBA at their respective positions, and Yao is as well when he's healthy.

Rooks to Look For

Al Thornton, SF, Clippers - As a diehard ACC fan, I've watched Thornton work his magic for a while, and the guy is a human highlight reel on a bad team. That's a recipe for a pretty darn good rookie year. Thornton compares very favorably with Shawn Marion, you'll be seeing him on Sportscenter some this year.

D.J. Strawberry, PG/SG, Suns - Another ACC guy. Strawberry is a GREAT defender and a freakish athlete (he rated as the best athlete at the pre-draft combine) who should thrive in an up-tempo offense and should steal a few minutes in Phoenix to give Nash a breather.

Ian Mahinmi, PF, Spurs - Now, odds are that Mahinmi isn't going to get a lot of burn this season, but the Spurs are great evaluators of international talent, and they spent a first round pick on this guy back in 2005. He's an extremely athletic 6-10 post, and there's got to be some reason that they brought him over this year. It may be that he plays most of the season in the NBDL, and we're talking about him next year the same way we're currently talking about Amir Johnson. Keep an eye on him.

Morris Almond, SG, Jazz - If you're looking for the Hornacek to go with Williams and Boozer's Stockton and Malone, look no further. Almond was the best shooter in the draft, and he should get plenty of burn sinking wide-open jumpers off of pick and roll kickouts.

There you go, your Western Conference overview. Feel free to tell me how much a moron I am with my preview. You're entitled to your opinion, as long as you don't mind being wrong :P. Anyway, keep checking back over the next month as I look at each team individually, starting with Dallas tomorrow.