Who falls out of West playoffs this year? Who's in?

[BlkMambaGOAT]

Kobe leads his team to a 4th seed at least while putting up god-like numbers. Then Lakers go on to win a ring.

[T_L_P]

I will bet anyone that Denver will make the playoffs

Team is built for the regular season

Yeah, if they are fully healthy they'll make it. But it seems like half their squad is missing.

[Milbuck]

Pelicans in, Rockets out. Nuggets have a good shot as well, obviously Suns too if they retain Bledsoe.

NOLA is loaded..injuries destroyed them last year..healthy Jrue/Gordon/Tyreke/Davis/Asik with Ryan Anderson off the bench? Team has a ton of potential.

[Dragic4Life]

GSW out, PHX in.

[kshutts1]

We need to consider injury possibilities. Not that I want anyone injured but, every year, that seems to be a large determining factor.

What if Curry's ankle bothers him again?
If Dirk gets hurt, Dallas is done.
Houston is likely out if Harden or Howard is hurt.
I'm not sold on Clippers chances without Griffin.
Same with Portland without Aldridge.

Again, I don't want anyone injured, and we obviously can't plan for it. But they happen. I think that Portland or Dallas is the most likely team that made it last year to miss the playoffs this year.

[moaz]

We need to consider injury possibilities. Not that I want anyone injured but, every year, that seems to be a large determining factor.

What if Curry's ankle bothers him again?
If Dirk gets hurt, Dallas is done. [COLOR="Red"]If Chandler gets hurt, they are almost done, without a mid-season trade the other centers are Brendan Wright and Greg Smith. I don't know about Parson, but with Marion's and VC's input out, I think if he also gets hurt, Dallas will struggle[/COLOR]
Houston is likely out if Harden or Howard is hurt.
I'm not sold on Clippers chances without Griffin.
Same with Portland without Aldridge.
....

Came here to post this

[kshutts1]

Came here to post this

Fair points, but beyond Dirk it's too many "if's" for me to really consider.

[Le Shaqtus]

The nuggets adding AA will be huge, imo.

I say SA, OKC, LAC, DAL are locks

GS, MEM, HOU, POR are the next four to enter the POs, but they are also an injury to a key player away from losing their spot (Not that i wish injury upon anyone, but that's how the west stands)

Teams that might sneak in should one of the team drop. PHX, DEN, NO

I'm not sure if Dallas are locks, they were battling Memphis and Phoenix for a while in the 8th seed and they managed to moved up near the end of the season.

Pelicans and the Suns are the only two teams that can push someone out of the playoffs, but it's so close they could just miss out again.

[Nastradamus]

Denver has no chance. No stars, no post scoring and who knows how healthy Gallo is.

NO's is in if healthy. When Davis-Anderson-Evans-Gordon-Holliday were on the floor they outscored the opponent by quite a bit.

[Nastradamus]

I'm not sure if Dallas are locks, they were battling Memphis and Phoenix for a while in the 8th seed and they managed to moved up near the end of the season.

Pelicans and the Suns are the only two teams that can push someone out of the playoffs, but it's so close they could just miss out again.

I think Dallas with Parsons and Chandler is a lock. They are better than Memphis and Phoenix pretty easily IMO. They have a good chance to pass up. I could see them swapping spots with someone like GS.

[Demitri98]

OKC
San Antonio
LA Clippers
Mavs

are all locks for top 4.

Golden State
Houston
Portland
Memphis

will jumble around at 5-8.

Phoenix, New Orleans and Denver could kick up some dust and maybe go on a late-season run for a playoff spot.

Minnesota and the Lakers are the unknowns. They could win anywhere from 20 to 50 games.

Sacramento and Utah are lottery bound.

[YouGotServed]

lol @ everyone overrating the Mavs.

lol @ the thought of Houston missing the playoffs.

Dat wishful thinking.

[NuggetsFan]

Denver has no chance. No stars, no post scoring and who knows how healthy Gallo is.

A similar core won 57 games just a few years ago. Denver is built for the regular season, 2 deep at every position, fringe All-Stars like Lawson. Gallo is a question mark obviously but if we can even get him for 50 games it'll go a long way.

Denver missing out is your opinion, them having no chance is just stupid.

[stalkerforlife]

If Kobe stays healthy, Lakers are a lock.

[NugzFan]

Denver has no chance. No stars, no post scoring and who knows how healthy Gallo is.

NO's is in if healthy. When Davis-Anderson-Evans-Gordon-Holliday were on the floor they outscored the opponent by quite a bit.

No stars didn't stop us two years ago