Denver Nuggets
2011-2012 Record: 38-28
Place in Division: 2nd
Head Coach: George Karl
Key Additions: Andre Iguodala
Prediction: 45-37
Scoop: It's amazing how George Karl always manages to get his Nuggets teams into a competitive spot in the Western Conference. After averaging the most points and assists per game in the NBA last season, the Nuggets should see this trend continue. Andre Iguodala is a tremendous addition to this team. He will definitely help this defense that finished next to last in points per game with 101.2 He has the ability to do many different things as he proved to be one of the more versatile players on the U.S. Olympic team. Ty Lawson will be better, Kenneth Faried has only tapped into his potential, and the size is there to keep them in the top ten in rebounding. Look for the Nuggets to have another nice season.
Minnesota Timberwolves
2011-2012 Record: 26-40
Place in Division: 5th (last)
Head Coach: Rick Adelman
Key Additions: Brandon Roy, Greg Steimsma, Andrei Kirilenko
Prediction: 31-51
Scoop: Having their two best players injured to start the season is deflating to the Timberwolves. Without Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, where do they go from here? JJ Barea is a nice player, but is he supposed to be their best player for the time being? And what about the recently-unretired Brandon Roy. Will his knees be able to withstand an 82 game season? Andrei Kirilenko and Derrick Williams are good players, but who else do they have? This is not a very deep team that Rick Adelman has been given.
Utah Jazz
2011-2012 Record: 36-30
Place in Division: 3rd
Head Coach: Tyrone Corbin
Key Additions: Mo Williams, Randy Foye, Earl Watson
Prediction: 41-41
Scoop: The Jazz are a good team. They are sold up and down the roster. No one really stands out, and they have a lot of players that do a lot of things very well. Al Jefferson, Derrick Favors, and Paul Millsap are their building blocks -- and very nice fantasy players I may add -- and Mo Williams is a nice scoring punch for a team that was fourth in the league in points per game with 99.7. The only question with this team is defense: where will that come from?
Portland Trail Blazers
2011-2012 Record: 28-38
Place in Division: 4th
Head Coach: Terry Stotts
Key Additions: Jared Jeffries
Prediction:
Scoop: The lasting image I have of the 2011-2012 Trail Blazers is their embarrassing loss in Boston on March 9. They looked lifeless, players just acting miserable and going through the motions. It's sad because Portland used to be such a big basketball town. Now, it's the closed off, lonely upper-corner of the basketball world. Nicolas Batum is solid, but can he step it up? LaMarcus Aldridge is the real deal and is a proven star in this league. It reminds me of another big talent in the Northwest in the MLB: Felix Hernandez, a guy whose talents are being wasted on a losing team and the entire country is missing out on what each guy has to offer on a bigger stage. Things look bleak for Portland.
Oklahoma City Thunder
2011-2012 Record: 47-19
Place in Division: 1st
Head Coach: Scott Brooks
Key Additions: Perry Jones
Prediction: 61-21
Scoop: This was a very tough call, but after much thought and looking over their respective schedules and rosters, I believe Oklahoma City will finish with a better record than the Lakers in the regular season. This is not to say that the Thunder will go further; this is just a regular season prediction. However, you have to look at what Scott Brooks and Sam Presti have built in Oklahoma. They have their superstar in Kevin Durant, an All-Star point guard in Russell Westbrook, and a perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate in James Harden. This core group has been together longer, they are selfless, and they have the best home-court advantage in the league in the rowdy Chesapeake Energy Arena. They have gotten better and better each season, starting by advancing to the Western Conference semis in 2010, the conference finals in 2011, and the NBA Finals in 2012. The next logical step would be for them to win the whole thing, right?
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