The Northwest Division should once again be ruled by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who, of course, retain their young nucleus of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka. Westbrook won’t be available for the first few weeks due to injury, but he does have a reliable backup in Reggie Jackson. First-round pick Steven Adams should be someone to watch, though it won’t be surprising if the Thunder brings him along slowly. At second place, the Portland Trail Blazers shouldn’t be that far behind, as they’ve got the criminally underrated LaMarcus Aldridge getting fed by 2012-13 Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard, and capable wing players in Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum.
As for our third place team, we’re inclined on picking the Minnesota Timberwolves, provided both Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio remain healthy. The addition of Kevin Martin at off-guard should give the Wolves a deadly outside shooter and scorer, while Corey Brewer’s defensive performance would have to catch up with his defensive stats and potential if he wants to make an impact on the wings. Fourth place could go to the Denver Nuggets, who shall be debuting a new coach (Brian Shaw) and dealing with the loss of Andre Iguodala to the Golden State Warriors. The Utah Jazz seem destined to finish in the cellar, with youngsters Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Gordon Hayward, and (first-rounder) Trey Burke all expected to get huge minutes.
SOUTHWEST DIVISION
The San Antonio Spurs will give us more of the same in 2013-14 – precise fundamental basketball, Tony Parker quietly staking his claim as one of the NBA’s best pure point guards, and a seemingly ageless Tim Duncan starring at power forward and, on occasion, center. But we should also see more improvement from the Spurs’ youngsters, such as Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Even with Duncan and Manu Ginobili now on the wrong side of 30, they still look likely to edge the Houston Rockets, who upgraded their defense by signing Dwight Howard from the Los Angeles Lakers. Look for more double-doubles from Dwight, while James Harden lights it up in the backcourt, Chandler Parsons shows his versatility at the three, and Jeremy Lin runs things at the point. The Memphis Grizzlies, led by top defenders Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, will continue grinding it out on “D”, even with young coach Dave Joerger replacing Lionel Hollins.
The Dallas Mavericks got a bit younger by adding Monta Ellis, but coach Rick Carlisle’s options on offense are limited outside of him and the slightly aging Dirk Nowitzki. They may finish fourth, but don’t be surprised if the New Orleans Pelicans, led by last year’s top pick Anthony Davis and new additions Tyreke Evans (ex-Kings) and Jrue Holiday (ex-76ers), escape the cellar.
PACIFIC DIVISION
There doesn’t seem to be any question here – the Los Angeles Clippers should take this one, with the nucleus of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin returning, DeAndre Jordan remaining dominant on defense (though often useless on offense), and J.J. Redick stepping in as a much-needed threat from outside. They’ll likely be followed at second place by the Golden State Warriors, who add versatile defensive stopper Andre Iguodala to a lineup that already has Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, and the oft-injured Andrew Bogut. These guys can score, but Iguodala’s addition ensures they’ll do what they could to shut down the other team. And while we pick the Los Angeles Lakers at third, there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to make the playoffs, what with Pau Gasol surrounded by a rather underwhelming supporting cast and Kobe Bryant out indefinitely due to injury. The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings look to finish fourth and fifth respectively, and even if they don’t win too many games, they’ll likely be exciting to watch – as long as they’re not your home team.