Alright, thankfully, the Eastern Conference did most of my work for me by being so mediocre it's not worth expounding on the way I'm going to with the Western Conference. Know that anything of the NBA Championship discussion should only revolve around two teams in the East...Boston and Orlando. That's IT. Sure, you'll hear Cleveland mentioned but as Joe Pesci said in My Cousin Vinny...

"Everything that guy said is bullshit. Thank you."

Alright, let's get down to it shall we? There's a hiearchy established in the West, we know this. There's the Lakers and Spurs, the only two teams this decade to hoist that trophy beyond the Celts, Heat & Pistons. (Wow, think about that for a minute. In a 10 year span, we've had the title go between five different teams and two of those have had it for about half of this DECADE. More than half if you're the Lakers.) So in a matter of wrestling speak, the Lakers are the Triple H of this thing and the Spurs are Randy Orton. (I say this because almost every attempt they've had at repeating have ended at the hands of the Lakers. Orton's title reigns with the exception of his most recent one, have ended at the hands of Triple H.) So let's get to the proceedings this evening, shall we? In keeping with my schedule, I'm giving you the rest of the West picture as it fills out behind the Spurs and Lake Show. Those two teams will be spoken on in length in my final preview piece. Today, I cover the other six teams and possible sleepers to watch for. Firstly, last year's playoff teams...

Nuggets, Rockets, Trail Blazers, Jazz, Mavericks, Hornets

Sorry, but the Rockets won't be back unless they have a SERIOUS 'we're more than Artest & Yao' move. The division's tough at the top and I'm not sold that they survive without Artest as their main option in absence of Yao. But what about Trevor Ariza? Well, what about him? He channeled a late postseason charge into a big payday. I've been alive many a year and seen this done many times. See, folks make the mistake of thinking you need to have a big regular season to get paid in a contract year. That's half of it. If you're a mediocre player, turn it all the way up come playoff time for a championship team and BOOM. You too, can get overpaid for talent you really don't have. If Yao were healthy, I'd say Ariza makes sense for Houston. I'm not sold he's what everyone thinks he is.

The Hornets...I dunno. Losing Chandler hurts them, but I think Okafor might actually be better for them in that he's healthy and he's a guaranteed double-double. They lose the shot-blocking presence that Chandler brought, but I think this will work even if I can't feasibly explain HOW now.

So why are the others locked in within my mind? Let's go team by team shall we?


Portland
- One of the youngest, most talented teams in the league. They're deep, they're young at almost every position. They've got a brilliant GM who has made his peers look like they're GMing at a 3rd grade level while he's polishing his BA and Associate's degrees. They've added a veteran in Andre Miller who I THINK will help them come playoff time...but not much. If they hit a Denveresque type of swing where everything under the sun goes right and you CAN quote me here...

These are your 2009-10 Western Conference Champions. Possibly NBA Champions. Sky's the limit for these youngsters.

Denver
- Amazing how the one year I don't see much for Melo, they shock me. Oh and allow me to educate you all on why resigning early helps your team. Let's say Melo does what LeBron, Wade and Bosh have done. Procrastinate on signing long term and keep management twisting in the wind. Know what that does? It hampers the franchise's ability to make it appealing to others to want to come here. Now sure, Cleveland got Shaq but he's on his last year too along with LeBron. If the year goes bust, they're both gone. Wade's different, in that he has a ring on his finger and ground to stand on as it were. Melo, in resigning made it easy for management to go out and get Chauncey from Detroit for Iverson. Armed with the point guard he has never had (I don't even think Melo had this at Syracuse), the Nuggets were a step away from getting to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Unfortunately for Denver, I don't see that happening again. I believe a HUGE part of their postseason run was the fact that San Antonio was nowhere to be found. Carmelo in his career has yet to overcome the Spurs in the playoffs. With the addition of Jefferson and their draft day fleecing of DeJuan Blair, I'm not sold it's going to happen this year. (For one other reason I will cover in my finale too...I just don't see it happening this year for Denver.)

Dallas
- Kidd, Marion, Dirk Diggler, Josh Howard, Jason Terry. Damn. Anyone remember how old Dallas looked compared to Denver in the West Semis last year? Put them opposite of Portland in the first round and you're going to see something so much worse. Chris Sheridan was being overly nice when he said possible second round of the playoffs for this team as the potential ceiling. If they're up against a Portland, Denver, hell...even another shot at San Antonio, they're done. This is an 82 game team and nothing more.

Oh and on a personal note, I love how you're going to rot in mediocrity for the remainder of your career J-Kidd. RIP pimp.

Utah
- The more and more I look at this team, the more and more I'm convinced Utah's going to figure out a way to force its way into that Laker/Spur discussion the way Orlando did a year ago. They were supposed to be done when Boozer went down, but Millsap emerged and now, Boozer's back but in a contract year. If he's not moved and stays healthy, combined with Millsap's evolution as a big on the block...Utah WILL be a legitimate title threat in the West. However, their problem is two-fold.

A) Can this team win on the road, since having homecourt after the first round will figure to be difficult if both the Lakers and Spurs stay healthy all year? Utah's virtually unstoppable in Salt Lake City, but they've been horrid on the road.
B) Can they beat the Lakers or Spurs when it counts?

So we've got two spots open at the table, since I'm not entirely sold New Orleans will be back for this season's playoff run. One team is indeed going to shock folks and ya know what? I'm gonna get it out of the way NOW.

Los Angeles Clippers
- Yeah, it's the Clip Show. But Len, they're the CLIPPERS!!! They don't win shit. They haven't been shit. Well, let's call it the Arizona Cardinal Principle which states that just cause you've been crap, doesn't mean you'll stay that way. Of course, this does not apply to the Browns or Cavs, which fall under the Cleveland Theory. Anyway...

The Clips had injuries hit almost all at once last year, which crippled them significantly. I saw them when healthy play against the Cavs in mid to late March and for about three quarters or so, they were damned impressive. (Inability to apply the knockout blow cost them the game, but I came away from it convinced they weren't as bad as their record indicated.) They sent Randolph packing who was their leading scorer and rebounder a year ago, they drafted Blake Griffin and all signs show that Baron's back in a major way. Their frontcourt's deeper than most think, come to think of it, their team's about as stacked as any other you can think of (and moreso than some on certain levels). Mock me, clown me all you want. But if they're healthy for 82 games and Baron's ruly and truly as motivated as I've read, the Clippers are making the playoffs. Which brings me to the last team which makes it...

Oklahoma City Thunder
- One reason I write this and possibly one reason alone.

Kevin Durant.

He's the Best Player Nobody Knows About. Yes, I'm giving him that title officially. Know how nobody really knows how great USC is because they're only nationally televised twice, if that all year? Say the same about Durant, only the fact that he's in a college based state (and there's only a handful of states in the Union where college teams draw more interest than the pro teams) and out West does him no favors. He's one of the best players in the league, but he doesn't have that sex appeal or allure that LeBron had, so national television appearances for him will only come IF they make the playoffs. Which they shall this year.

There are very few teams that I look at and can say without hesitation, these boys are going to be a threat for years to come. Portland's one, Utah's another, I'm really on board the Clips bandwagon and I shall be the first onboard OKC's. Durant, Westbrook, Green and Harden will be formidable for years to come. While a part of me feels bad that this team isn't in Seattle anymore, Oklahoma fans can rejoice because while the Sooners are being read their last rites since Bradford's done for the year and the Cowboys were probably overranked to begin with...the Thunder's coming. It's going to be loud and yes, it's going to be brutal. They'll probably be fodder for San Antonio or Los Angeles in the first round, but ya know what? Watching them you're going to get the same thought that popped in your head watching a Cena or Randy Orton starting their career...

They're going to be around for a while and they're going to be great.

So, who are my sleeper teams this year? I've got two out West. The Clips and Thunder. In the East, well, I guess...nobody. I'd say Washington, but I'm set on the belief that LeBron killed that team three years ago in the playoffs and they haven't been the same since. Upon realizing that Detroit's frontcourt consists of Kwame Brown, a Grandfather Clock and Charlie Villanueva...I'm just shaken in a bad way. If Charlie Vee goes down, these guys are through. Cleveland might just sleepwalk to the Central crown again. I honestly look at the East and think they're the cure for insomnia, because there aren't many good teams in that conference. There just aren't. I think the toughest part of Opening Night for me will be listening to these clowns verbally fallatio Cleveland as being among one of the league's elite. In any event, I smile because I'm on schedule and more than likely either tomorrow or Monday, you'll get Len's picks for the Finals and which teams have the best shot to get it done this year. Or something along those lines...so as always remember this one thing for sure and two things for certain.

I tell it like it is, because nobody else will.