Another30Days - November, Western Conference

1. San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker is playing at a level so high, the Eiffel Tower got nothing on him. Once again it must be said: the Spurs should be seen as the blueprint on how to successful build a championship team. A joy to watch.

2. Phoenix Suns: The problem remains: no defense. Trading away Kurt Thomas wasn’t the wisest move by Steve Kerr. Once again this team will win a shitload of games during the regular season, but probably won’t get to the Finals because they bump into the Spurs (Horry pun intended)

3. Utah Jazz: Carlos Boozer is playing for MVP this year. He might not say it himself, but his teammates do. Andrei Kirilenko got his head straight this season, and Deron Williams is the fourth best point guard in the NBA. Nice team you got there, coach Sloan.

4. Dallas Mavericks: And they only will get better. Brandon Bass is playing nice for them off the bench, and since we’re speaking about bench players, Avery Johnson is back with the usual starting five, bringing Terry and Dampier back into the line-up. The result? A win. And many more to come.

5. New Orleans Hornets: After they started at 9-2, they’ve gone 2-4 since. Still, the Hornets are capable to beat any team in the League. Chris Paul will lead these guys into the playoffs. Yeah I said it (I try to be a bad-ass on some days. I fail in my attempts most of the time).

6. Los Angeles Lakers: Did you see that move by Jarvis Crittenton against the Rockets? Jesus F. Christ that was awesome. Kobe distributing the rock, scoring when needed, playing ferocious defense, still the best.

7. Denver Nuggets: Maybe I’m wrong. I expect so much more from this team, but they need to win some more before they can be considered as an elite team. They’ve got all the pieces, so I’m wondering what is going wrong over there.

8. Golden State Warriors: The Stephen Jackson effect is undeniable. 0-6 without him, 7-1 with him. The most fun team to watch, and most likeable too. Baron Davis is playing like a superstar right now, and Monta Ellis is heating up after a slow start.

9. Houston Rockets: Same shit every year. People call them a contender, as they should be, but they’re not proving anyone they are. Rick Adelman needs to find out why the Rockets aren’t winning games they are supposed to win.

10. Los Angeles Clippers: Injuries keep haunting this team. We all knew Livingston and Brand were out, but Cassell can’t stay healthy either, and Mobley and Maggette are playing with pain everyday. The bright side? Chris Kaman is better than last season. But otherwise consider this season as a lost season already.

11. Sacramento Kings: When you look at their roster, they should be able to win some games. Too bad I haven’t seen any of them to figure out why they aren’t winning. Ron Artest seems healthy, and they still have Kevin Martin’s scoring. Expect a trade coming up in the next couple of months, whether it’s Bibby, Artest or Miller.

12. Memphis Grizzlies: What can be said about the Grizzlies? In my opinion they are a team without identity, they’re not very good in anything specific. Rudy Gay is a true player though, and Navarro keeps getting better. Watch out for that guy later this season.

13. Portland Trail Blazers: Talking about lost seasons; when I learned that Oden would be out for the season, I still thought the Blazers would win more than they would lose. Apparently I was wrong, because young Brandon Roy and his crew aren’t getting the job done so far.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves: Will Al Jefferson basically travel the same career path as KG? Call me in ten years, Anyway, if you are on the Timberwolves, you can always keep the following in mind: at least you’re not in Seattle.

15. Seattle Supersonics: As expected, Durant can’t do it all. Having Chris Wilcox on your team helps though. And if you are on the Sonics, keep the following in mind: there’s a chance you won’t be in Seattle in the near future. And that would actually be sad if Seattle was left without a franchise.