The West's Second Tier

A top four has developed in the West this year. The Spurs and Thunder are there again and the Grizzlies and Clippers have climbed into that mix too. If the Lakers can ever figure things out they will be in this group. So assuming, the talent on the Lake Show works itself out, those five teams form the West's top tier this season. But what about the other three playoff spots? There are six teams that have a chance for those spots (sorry Blazers, you're not one of them). Here's where they are now and their outlook for the stretch run. 

Golden State Warriors

The Dubs are 13-7 right now with a winning road record. Mark Jackson has to be a Coach of the Year candidate, guiding this young team by first improving their defense. Stephen Curry is fully healthy and averaging a team-high 20 points a game, with forward David Lee right behind at 18.5 PPG. Klay Thompson looks like the real deal in his second year, not just as a shooter, but also as a stout perimeter defender. Carl Landry has provided solid scoring and rebounding as a sixth man and Jarrett Jack has been more than capable as a back-up point guard. It really looks like their tanking last season helped as Harrison Barnes is playing like the guy they selected seventh overall.  

Outlook: Great. There are plenty of shooters here that other teams (Lakers) would love to have. If Andrew Bogut can ever get healthy, this team should be able to hold court as a playoff team out West.

Utah Jazz

No they're not as fun to watch as the Warriors, but the Jazz are in the same comfortable position in the West as they were last year. As usual, they are dominant at home behind the frontline of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. Randy Foye/Mo Williams is not an ideal point guard situation and the trade deadline may shake this team up depending on where they are in February, but right now the size and home-court advantage of Utah has the Jazz over .500. 

Outlook: Fair. They get good scoring across the lineup and both Millsap and Jefferson are reliable commodities at this point. They beat the teams they're supposed to.  

Dallas Mavericks

You think O.J. Mayo likes being the go-to-guy? The number say yes. Mayo is a talented scorer who has been the one guy for Dallas that can create his own shot. Chris Kaman has provided stability since returning and Vince Carter is playing his best ball since his last year in Orlando. Once Dirk returns, this Mavs team will look more familiar, maybe not the 2011 champions, but definitely more inspired than last year's team. 

Outlook: Good. Cuban's not worrying here, but he is looking into the future. Dirk and Rick Carlisle are too experienced to miss the playoffs. 

Minnesota Timberwolves

My sleeper team in the West. Sure a lot has gone wrong, but here they are at 9-9. Kevin Love has provided the expected boost and Ricky Rubio will do the same when he returns. Alexey Shved is this year's free agent rookie steal. He's provided solid guard play with Luke Ridnour. Brandon Roy's injury is sad, but not surprising and Chase Budinger's knee injury further hurts their perimeter play. The Wolves play great D, but right now don't have the personnel to compete with all the high-scoring teams out West. 

Outlook: Fair. Every story out of Minnesota has been injury-related. Shopping Derrick Williams wouldn't be a bad idea. 

Houston Rockets

Well, they overpaid Jeremy Lin and anyone who wants to look into his struggles will only see that he's just not that good a player. James Harden is a stud who looks on track to be the next great scorer on mediocre team for this half-decade. Omer Asik and Chandler Parsons are mainstays in Houston's plans, but this group isn't one that can win now. The Rockets want to land another star, but they may have to wait until the summer to do it. 

Outlook: Poor. This team just can't stop anybody and James Harden needs to produce a Herculean effort night after night to keep them competitive. 

Denver Nuggets

Along with Houston and Golden State, the Nuggets are the third really fun team to watch on this list. A deep team with balanced perimeter scoring, Denver needs more defense and less turnovers. If George Karl can get that, which I believe he will, Denver should reel off a string of wins. Lots of talent here with Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, and Javale McGee. The Nuggets need to get the rotation solidified in order to maximize that talent.  

Outlook: Good. Only played six home games (5-1). Denver is a couple of dominant home stands from being over well .500.  

West Projections 

1. Thunder: Durant is playing great and the Harden trade worries seem distant now.

2. Spurs: Duncan and Parker just don't miss a beat. The Spurs like getting no preseason hype every year. 

3. Grizzlies: The toughest team in the NBA. There's not a bad loss on their schedule yet. 

4. Lakers: A mess right now, but you have to think the ship will get on course eventually. 

5. Clippers: Chris Paul will keep it up. Can Crawford and Griffin do the same?  

6. Mavericks: Assuming Dirk is back by January, her and Mayo would provide a nice 1-2 punch. 

7. Warriors: People have started to buy in to Golden State. Do you believe? 

8. Nuggets: Way too good to miss the playoffs. Need to cut down on the sloppy basketball though. 

9. Timberwolves: It just feels like the Wolves will the that snake-bitten team that just misses the playoffs. 

10. Jazz: Doesn't have the look of a playoff team. Even less so if they trade Jefferson. 

11. Rockets: By the end of the year, Jeremy Lin may be struggling to get minutes. 

12. Trail Blazers: Pretty solid trio in place, but too young and no bench to speak of. 

13. Suns: Scola and Dragic are nice players, but Beasley can't be the guy on any team that wants to win. 

14. Kings: Evans should be back soon and Cousins is playing well, but an implosion is likely coming. 

15. Hornets: Rivers has struggled, Davis has been hurt twice already and Gordon hasn't played. Not good.