The NBA season has wrapped up in what was another wild season for the league. Trades, suspensions, upsets and more filled the year that shocked many, and with the offseason beginning more surprises have already begun. Teams like the Wizards and Trailblazers are unraveling, while the Suns and Celtics prepare to make a championship push. Looking at the league, it seems a bit off balance though. The West is filled with mega-stars and super teams, while the East seemingly lacks in both. This unbalance seemed glaring this past season, and I believe this upcoming season will wield the same result. Let’s take a look at the one-sided league that is the NBA and how the Western Conference is the one-sided race to win the league championship.

Western Conference Pre-season ranking:

1.    Denver Nuggets

2.    Golden State Warriors

3.    Phoenix Suns

4.    Sacramento Kings

5.    Los Angeles Lakers

6.    Memphis Grizzlies

7.    Los Angeles Clippers

8.    Dallas Mavericks

9.    Oklahoma City Thunder

10. New Orleans Pelicans

Top Players:

Best of the Best:

1.    C Nikola Jokic

2.    G Luka Doncic

3.    F Lebron James

4.    F Kevin Durant

5.    G Stephen Curry

Stars:

1.    G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

2.    F Domantas Sabonis

3.    G Devin Booker

4.    F Kawhi Leonard

5.    F Brandon Ingram

Prominent:

1.    G Ja Morant

2.    G Kyrie Irving

3.    F Anthony Davis

4.    G Jamal Murray

5.    F Paul George

Favorites: Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors

The Nuggets will definitely be in prime shape to make another championship run, only losing one major role player in Bruce Brown. Playing the best team basketball of the entire conference, Denver absolutely ran through the playoffs. With Jokic, Murray and MPJ, the Nuggets will look to dominate once again, but there are two other teams that will look to topple their reign. This will be the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors. The Suns have officially sold out, acquiring Bradley Beal and a whole new lot of role players to make a push for the ever-elusive NBA Championship. These moves were interesting, and it makes the Phoenix front office seem even more desperate to make a move in the playoffs now, though a starting five with Booker, Durant, and Beal will be one of the toughest in the West. The Warriors benefitted from Chris Paul’s departure, trading Jordan Poole away to acquire Paul. Curry and Thompson will be back, along with Draymond. In what seems to be the final years of the “dynasty”, Golden State has the team to be competitive. The Warriors come off a disappointing finish in the conference semi-finals, but I would bet that next season will be a strong year for Curry and company.

Considerable: LA Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies

There are several teams who I lean on being a top team or being a bust. These teams are just scary to bet on but can also be scary to bet against. This includes the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Kings. The Lakers are an obvious choice here. With the addition of some new faces, as well as the return of some popular ones, Lebron James and Anthony Davis will look to make some magic happen once again. Resigning Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura were pivotal in the offseason, though questions remain about the shooting of this team that has struggled from the perimeter in the past two seasons. I have a hard time trusting this team they can be on fire when they are on but are ice cold when not playing well. The Grizzlies worst enemy seems to be their immaturity. Ja Morant has been on the forefront of several gun-related issues, facing two separate suspensions, one that carries into this upcoming season. With Morant, the Grizzlies are a scary team to face. Without Morant, Memphis is competitive, but lacks the star power to get the job done. If Morant can grow up, once he returns the Grizzlies will be poised to make a deep run, but it all depends on if this young team can grow up. The Kings shocked many last season, with an unforgettable run, and many “Light the Beam” moments. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis led the charge, and Sacramento gave several teams all they wanted in the playoffs. Not much has changed in the offseason, so the Kings could very well do it again, but I have my concerns. Do the Kings have enough firepower to topple the best in the West? I don’t know, but it will be fun to watch them attempt it again.

Dark Horses: LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans

The dark horse candidates are always fun to look at, and these three teams are so questionable, I believe all could finish between third and twelfth in the West next season. The Clippers are obvious, especially if the group gets James Harden via trade. Harden is still a 76er, but he has requested the trade. Even if it doesn’t happen, the Clippers have Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, though I say “have” because neither have been able to stay healthy long enough to actually make a difference for the Clips. If the two can find stable health, and Harden joins them, the Clippers would be a handful for most to deal with. For the Thunder it is their youth. This team is full of young, talented ball players who are growing year after year. The addition of Chet Holmgren returning from injury makes many raise their eyebrows, especially have Oklahoma City made a surprisingly successful play-in appearance last season. Josh Giddy and Jalen Williams both shined last season, and with the amount of young talent this team has, it is hard to predict what next season will look like next year for the Thunder. I think the Floor is play-in, while the ceiling… well who knows. The Dallas Mavericks organization is so confusing. They have arguably one of the top three players in the league with Luka Doncic, along with magician Kyrie Irving, who they recently resigned in the offseason. Both make what is possibly the best backcourt in the NBA, but the issue is the playstyle of both. Both are on-ball players who are optimally better with the ball in their hands rather than playing off the ball. Match this lack of cohesiveness with the absence of talent on the team as a whole and what do you get? My guess is a sub .500-win team, but who knows, maybe the Mavericks will do something different this year and surprise us. The New Orleans Pelicans are close to having it. Brandon Ingram has been playing really good basketball the past two years, and young players like Tre Murphy and Herbert Jones add depth in talent to the team. The question revolves around Zion Williamson. When Zion plays, the Pels are a top five team in the West. When he doesn’t, the Pels ceiling reaches the play-in spots.

Lost in Translation/Rebuilding: Houston Rockets, Portland Trailblazers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs

These teams are either in a hopeless situation or are in the midst of a grand rebuild that is going to take a few years to complete. Starting with Houston, a team that seemingly has not been able to get it right since the “Beardgate” that saw fan favorite James Harden leave. In recent years, this team has been a mess, but as of the past three seasons, Houston is finally making some of the right moves. Drafting for a Thompson twin, and also stealing Cam Whitmore in the latter part of the first round was a solid move. Jalen Green is supposed to be the real deal, but has yet to show it, so I think the Rockets struggle again this year, as they go through several growing pains. For Portland it is a complete mess. The Trailblazer’s front office is holding Damien Lillard hostage from a trade, and much of the fanbase is losing faith in what has been an on and off rebuild for the past five years. Portland adds Scoot Henderson via draft, and young talent like Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe provide somewhat of a silver lining, but next season will be yet another doom and gloom season for Portland. The Spurs added who was considered the best draft prospect since Lebron in Victor Wembanyama. Besides Wemby, San Antonio has breakout candidate Jeremy Sochan and… nobody else. The Spurs have one of the most exciting prospects on what I would consider a top-notch G-League team, and it is going to take some time to get the talent needed around Wemby to go for a playoff run. Now the only team I might be wrong on is the Utah Jazz. Last season the Jazz started the season off hot before cooling off and falling out of contention. So, dare I say I am not sure where to putt this team at all. Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler return, but beyond that I am not sure this team is rebuilding or just figuring it out.

Outlook:

The Western Conference is home to the best players, the best teams, and the best young talent. The Eastern Conference has the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks, but this pales in comparison to the top of the West. When I watched the playoffs this season, I enjoyed most of the Western Conference games, while watching the East games felt like watching paint dry at points. It was at the Semi-Conference Finals when I realized that whoever won the West, would practically be the NBA Champion. I liked the Nuggets, Warriors, Lakers, and Suns over anyone that could win the East. The same thought proceeds me going into next season. I would be willing to bet the next team to win the NBA Championship comes from the West just due to the lack of talented teams in the East. I know that the power has swung back and forth over the years, but right now the NBA runs through the Western Conference, and there is no end in sight.