Rockets, Suns sleepers in the West Before we begin this whole exercise, let's start with a question. Should we even bother breaking down the West? The truth is that there are 11 teams in the East that could realistically make some noise in the playoffs, but only eight playoff berths. With the Lakers, Kings, Mavs and Spurs ruling the West, do sleepers even matter? No one's pretending the East has anything on the top four teams out West. The Kings-Lakers rivalry is brewing into one of the best the NBA has seen in years. The Mavs continue to be the most entertaining basketball team in the league and the Spurs sport the league's MVP and a young international backcourt to die for. Lock the top four seeds away. It's Nos. 5-8 that have the potential to be interesting this year. Logic says that despite the Blazers' chemistry issues and weekly parole hearings, they'll be a playoff team — probably the fifth seed. But the last three slots are really up for grabs. Last year the T-Wolves, Sonics and Jazz locked up the last three slots in the West. Of those three teams, the Sonics have the best chance of making it back. Calvin Booth is healthy, Kenny Anderson gives them some flexibility in the backcourt and Desmond Mason, Rashard Lewis and Vladimir Radmanovic all should improve. And you can never discount the positive effect the subtraction of Vin Baker will have on the squad. The T-Wolves and Jazz? They're in more trouble, as you'll read below. They'll face a serious challenge from the Rockets, Suns and Clippers for those final two spots. As for the rest of the West — the Warriors, Grizzlies and Nuggets — forget about it. All three teams are moving in the right direction, but none of them is there yet. The Warriors will be a much more dangerous team this year under the leadership of Eric Musselman, but they still are too young to make much of a dent. Jerry West will field the deepest Grizzlies team ever, but it will be a losing battle for a few more years. As for the Nuggets, look for them to move into the sleeper category next season after they add a top draft pick and a couple of top-flight free agents. Today we'll take a look at three Western Conference sleepers and two Western Conference teams that give us the jitters. SLEEPERS Houston Rockets: If you believe owner Les Alexander, the Rockets are destined to be one of the greatest teams of all time. Les gets carried away, but can you blame him? His team, racked with injuries last season, is finally healthy, added the No. 1 pick in the draft and has several young players ready to break out. Everyone wants to start with Yao Ming, but he really isn't the key to the season. Truth is, anyone with a pulse is an upgrade over Kelvin Cato. If Yao can't step over that bar, he'll be on the low road back to China quicker than we can say "bust" in Mandrian. The key for the Rockets will be the play of veterans Glen Rice and Maurice Taylor and second-year player Eddie Griffin. Both Rice and Taylor are coming off major injuries but still have the skills to make a major impact on the team. Rice, along with rookie Bostjan Nachbar, gives the Rockets a perimeter presence they lacked last season. Taylor can be a major force in the post offensively, but he'll need to rebound and play defense if he's going to hold off Griffin. Griffin is one of those freak players who can play just about any position on the floor. But his rebounding and shot blocking are what the Rockets need. If he continues to impress and Steve Francis stays migraine free, the Rockets have the talent to play with just about anyone. Phoenix Suns: The Suns are a bit of a reach after last season's miserable finish. But there's hope in Phoenix this year. Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion are the team's two unquestioned stars, but several other young players are poised to have a major impact. Second-year guard Joe Johnson had a strong summer and training camp. Rookie Amare Stoudemire is the dominating low-post presence the team has lacked since it lost Antonio McDyess. And center Jake Tsakalidis continues to get rave reviews over his progress over the summer. But it's three Suns veterans who will determine the fate of the team. Forward Tom Gugliotta is healthy for the first time in two years. While he'll never return to All-Star form, Suns sources say he's playing well enough to give the Suns 16 points and 8 boards a night. That's a huge upgrade in the post for Phoenix. Penny Hardaway may have lost his starting job to Johnson, but the word out of camp is that he's healthy (he missed only one game last season), is in good shape and has come into the preseason with a better attitude. And then there's veteran Scott Williams. He won't fill up the boxscore, but has the experience and leadership qualities that the Suns have lacked for some time. If he can give them a solid 20 minutes a night in the middle, the Suns will be rising in Phoenix. Los Angeles Clippers: It's tough to think of the Clippers as a sleeper when they're brimming with talent. Their starting five of Andre Miller, Quentin Richardson, Lamar Odom, Elton Brand and Michael Olowokandi is one of the most talented, versatile lineups in the league. On paper, this team is probably a sixth seed in the West. But trouble is already brewing in L.A. Acrimonious contract negotiations with Olowokandi and Brand went nowhere this summer, and with the Clippers' top seven players heading into contract years, bad blood is brewing in the locker room. No one knows for sure what owner Donald Sterling will do next season. Veteran players would take the opportunity to rally around one good shot at doing something special. Young players rally around the boxscore, trying to improve their numbers so they can fatten their paychecks. If this team sticks together and stays on the same page, it's extremely dangerous. If it can't — the Clippers will implode.
This was from ESPN. No link. The key for the Rockets will be the play of veterans Glen Rice and Maurice Taylor and second-year player Eddie Griffin. Both Rice and Taylor are coming off major injuries but still have the skills to make a major impact on the team. Rice, along with rookie Bostjan Nachbar, gives the Rockets a perimeter presence they lacked last season. Taylor can be a major force in the post offensively, but he'll need to rebound and play defense if he's going to hold off Griffin. Griffin is one of those freak players who can play just about any position on the floor. But his rebounding and shot blocking are what the Rockets need. If he continues to impress and Steve Francis stays migraine free, the Rockets have the talent to play with just about anyone. Not surprisingly they left out Tmo, or just the depth factor.
You know what they say about 10,000 French men! Chad Ford is easily the most in-tuned guy on the major sports website. His work with the draft and free agency was top notch.
I do like Chad Ford. He takes his analysis an extra step. I hate it when draft experts refer to players as the next so and so cause they might have similar skills to the person that they are being compared to. If you look at history, no one NBA great was like another. They were all different. Chad Ford never really does that.
DearRock, It is a tragedy that there are "analysts" with preseason breakdowns all over the place that completely suck - that look like they were written after watching a summer's worth of "Inside Stuff" & checking out whose in the latest Gatorade commercial while you have presented that great analysis above FOR FREE. After only a short time here, I realize that the legend that is "Clutch City" is well deserved.
