Piaad 3 Basketball

Posts Tagged ‘Caron Butler’

Here are the teams that I see as having a legitimate shot to win the Western Conference title for the 2009-10 NBA season, as of March 2nd.

Los Angeles Lakers: They haven’t been as dominant as they were earlier in the season, but they’re still the favorite in the conference.  Kobe Bryant has experienced some injuries, but he’s not going to let anything cause him to miss much time unless it’s really serious.  Pau Gasol continues to fly under the radar for the most part as one of the best bigs in the game.  The best thing the Lakers have going for them is their size.  With guys like Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom all capable of being on the floor at one time, the Lakers are able to overwhelm other teams with their size.

They’ve got the best coach in the league, probably in the history if the game, and are going to be incredibly difficult to beat four times in seven games.  There’s a reason that NBA Playoff tickets to see them play are so difficult to come by.

Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs pulled off a pretty major deal at the trade deadline this year, acquiring Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood from Washington.  Both players have come in and started immediately for the Mavs.  Butler gives the team a legitimate go-to scoring option when Dirk Nowitzki is on the bench, and gives them another scoring option in general.

Haywood is definitely an underrated pickup.  The former Tar Heel is one of the best defensive centers in the league and focuses on rebounding and blocking shots.  The injury to Eric Dampier has only made his presence more valuable.  Dallas now has one of the most well-rounded starting fives in the game with Butler, Haywood, Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion.  With Jason Terry coming off the bench, this team could be really dangerous in the playoffs.

Utah Jazz: The Jazz are playing good basketball and are definitely in the mix for the conference finals.  The team decided not to part ways with Carlos Boozer at the trading deadline, as he’s having a really nice season.  Boozer gives the Jazz a great post scoring option, while Paul Millsap can come off the bench and still logs significant minutes as well.  Deron Williams is having a fantastic season at the point and is finally getting some of the recognition he deserves.

One reason for Utah’s success this season is the resurgence of Ander Kirilenko.  The Russian forward has returned to form and is finding ways to alter the game again.  He scores, rebounds, passes and defends, using his length and athleticism to create havoc on both ends of the floor.  They could use a defensive presence in the middle and potentially a shooter on the wing, but they’re a solid team nonetheless.

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets definitely have the potential to unseat the Lakers as the conference champs, but the question is whether or not they will ever realize that potential.  While they’ve got a ton of talent, they don’t always play as a team and can be easily distracted.  If they can keep focused the sky is the limit, but I have serious questions about whether or not they can hold it together for an entire series against a quality opponent.