I stopped just short of predicting it, but there is no stopping the Clippers from taking over the world this season. They're loaded, Tony Mejia says. 
As deep and talented as any team in the league, the only thing that stops anyone from crowning the Clips is the presence of the Suns and the promise of what they could be.
Reigning champ Phoenix has won with and without Amare Stoudemire over the past few seasons but would much rather have him out there doing its bidding. Stoudemire's return from a knee operation is the biggest theme in the Western Conference, if not the whole league.
The Lakers and Kings continue evolving, trying to carve out new identities and develop players taking on key roles.
Bringing up the rear by default will be Golden State, which at the very least will entertain and challenge the Suns' reign as the league's highest-scoring team. Unfortunately, they don't have a prayer of playing defense.
| 1. Phoenix Suns |
| Projected finish: 53-29 |
 2006-07 theme: Capitalize. The Suns are leading a revolution of speed, and seem best equipped to reign as king. Can they get major piece Amare Stoudemire healthy and on board to aid the charge? |
| Early forecast: The Suns will see the Clippers twice in the first three games and also play Dallas and San Antonio on back-to-back nights in the second week. Don't look for perfect results because Stoudemire's availability and his projected impact are unpredictable. |
| Haunting reality: That microfracture surgery is a nasty procedure to come back from, and this might be the season where the painful truth that Stoudemire will never be the same becomes undeniable. |
| Saving grace: Steve Nash has demonstrated that he can make the game easier for anybody, so maybe his presence allows Stoudemire to compensate for any explosiveness he might have lost. |
| X-factor: Boris Diaw needs to prove that last season wasn't a fluke. He thrived in his role with Stoudemire gone but now must adjust, likely becoming more of a distributor. It really doesn't matter what role Diaw is playing on the court as long as the valuable young forward is contributing. |
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| Steve Nash |
Likely rotation: Behind Maestro Nash is newcomer Marcus Banks, who would do himself a great service picking up a thing or two from the MVP. Raja Bell returns at the two, backed up by Leandro Barbosa. Shawn Marion will finally be able to return to his natural small forward position if Stoudemire can stay healthy. Diaw, Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas will run the floor as the team's big men. Jumaine Jones, James Jones and Eric Piatkowski are shooters who can play multiple positions and will be used situationally. |
| Four-casting: The Suns will struggle as they blend Stoudemire back into their attack. Amare will play at least 60 games with varying degrees of success. Nash will win another assists title and be mentioned in MVP talk. Bell will continue improving, but won't escape the shadow of being primarily identified as Kobe Bryant's nemesis. |
| Coach-speak: "Amare is a big piece, and it's something where you can't just fit him in. He dominates. It's a little bit different than trying to fit in a Tim Thomas. This is a guy the ball goes through a lot. We'll have to work with it. It's not going to be easy early, but in the end, we think it can pay huge dividends." -- Mike D'Antoni |
| 2. Los Angeles Clippers |
| Projected finish: 51-31 |
 2006-07 theme: Nothing is impossible. The novelty of the Clippers actually being good will wear off quickly as the victories pile up. |
| Early forecast: The Clips have the two games against the Suns in the first four days as well as home games with Dallas and Denver. L.A. is at the Staples Center for eight of their first 10. |
| Haunting reality: No matter how good they get, L.A. will always be the Lakers town. If that's this year's scariest prospect, you know the Clips are going to be choice. |
| Saving grace: Because the Clips take the character of their dependable, likeable superstar, Elton Brand, they'll be able to capitalize on his temperament and avoid slumps. |
| X-factor: Corey Maggette missed most of last season with injuries, but he's healthy and ready to contribute. If he commits himself to playing the type of defense that will get him big minutes, he's a proven scorer. |
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| Corey Maggette |
Likely rotation: Sam Cassell and Shaun Livingston will share the point guard position. Insert your passing-of-the-baton cliche here. Cuttino Mobley, Maggette and Quinton Ross will man the wing, running the floor, pushing tempo and defending. The addition of Tim Thomas offers up another variable. Inside, there aren't many better combinations than Brand and Chris Kaman. Depth is unproven, provided by James Singleton, Aaron Williams and rookie Paul Davis. |
| Four-casting: Livingston will stay healthy and finally show what all the hype has been about, becoming a great difference-maker. If healthy, he'll run away with Sixth Man of the Year. Kaman will join Brand in averaging a double-double. This will be the most successful season in Clippers history. |
| Coach-speak: "There are times along the way where everybody has got to check their ego at the door, and understand that it's nothing personal, but we're going to do whatever it takes to win and nothing can get in the way of us winning." -- Mike Dunleavy |
| 3. Los Angeles Lakers |
| Projected finish: 46-36 |
 2006-07 theme: 24. Kobe Bryant's new number symbolizes a new start for both him and the Lakers, which look to benefit from his playmaking skills. |
| Early forecast: The Lakers will face the beginning of the season without centers Kwame Brown (shoulder) and Chris Mihm (ankle), making matters tricky. Fortunately, they're at the Staples Center for 16 of the first 20, which includes a "road" game with the Clippers. |
| Haunting reality: There still don't seem to be enough pieces in place for Kobe to take this team deep into the playoffs, and the absence of Mihm and Brown early is a dubious start. |
| Saving grace: Versatile newcomers like Vladimir Radmanovic and Maurice Evans offer the team versatility that was missing from last season's supporting cast. |
| X-factor: Brown, when he's healthy, could provide the inside threat this team needs. He's built like a house and has great explosion, so it's all a matter of him finding a comfort zone and asserting himself. |
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| Lamar Odom |
Likely rotation: Smush Parker returns at the point, backed by offseason acquisitions Shammond Williams and Jordan Farmar. Behind Bryant, Evans offers athleticism and defense that allows him to swing at both wing spots. Luke Walton and Radmanovic will give Jackson options up front alongside Lamar Odom, who could see sometime at center in small lineups. Brown, Mihm, Brian Cook and Andrew Bynum can play the five. |
| Four-casting: Bryant and Odom will each average over six assists per game. Bynum will make great strides as he's forced into action. Brown's injury will leave him playing catch-up all season. Farmar will work his way into the rotation, an impressive feat for a rookie playing under Phil Jackson. |
| Coach-speak: "The primary concern is Kobe Bryant has been out for all of training camp, so that has kind of held us back a little but, but it has also given our team the opportunity to try and learn as much about the triangle offense as possible, without spending so much time deferring to him, which is what we seemingly did a lot last year." -- Kurt Rambis (assistant) |
| 4. Sacramento Kings |
| Projected finish: 45-37 |
 2006-07 theme: Make sure the new identity is a winning one. With the Rick Adelman era over, Eric Musselman must put his stamp on the team that had a reputation of being soft before Ron Artest's arrival. |
| Early forecast: Artest will see Ben Wallace in Chicago and then catch the rest of his Pistons buddies a few days later at home. His first game against the Pacers? Not until after the All-Star break. The Kings will play six of seven at home after they open with three consecutive road games, and won't be helped by the loss of Mike Bibby for the first two weeks with a thumb injury. |
| Haunting reality: Bonzi Wells, who was critical in helping Artest transform the Kings into a more physical team, is no longer around. Considering Musselman wants the team to foul more and scrap for every inch, the absence of his influence could be significant. |
| Saving grace: The fact Artest and Musselman seem to see eye-to-eye on how the game should be played bodes well for Sacramento's future. |
| X-factor: Bibby seems especially committed for this season, losing almost 20 pounds to gain quickness and stamina before his injury setback. There have been many who have felt he's needed to push himself an extra inch to reach an All-Star level. |
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| Brad Miller |
Likely rotation: Bibby will be backed up by Jason Hart, who was a disappointment in his first season as a King. Emerging scorer Kevin Martin lines up at the two, backed up by Francisco Garcia. Artest and free-agent acquisition John Salmons can swing behind both wing spots and can guard just about anyone. Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas are again battling to start at power forward, while Brad Miller is back at center. Loren Woods backs him up. |
| Four-casting: Artest fails to lead all small forwards in rebounds, not meeting the challenge of his new coaches. Artest breaks out the 3-pointer as a weapon but is still at his best when attacking the basket. Musselman will deal with his recent DUI charges, and other than a poor first impression, not let it hinder his first season. Bibby establishes a career-high in assists. |
| Coach-speak: "I think the guys have done a very good job of picking up some of our defensive schemes. The biggest thing for us right now in preseason is it's a new system and we want to continue to add to the defensive and offensive schemes that we are trying to get in place and remain injury free going in to the regular season opener." -- Eric Musselman |
| 5. Golden State Warriors |
| Projected finish: 18-64 |
 2006-07 theme: Quicken the tempo, quicken the pulse. Warriors fans are pumped that the Don Nelson Show is back in town. If he can provide entertainment and the security that the team is improving, they'll be happy. |
| Early forecast: The fans will have plenty of opportunities to warm up to Nellie's brand of ball in the season's first month. A whopping 12 of the Warriors' 16 November games are in Oakland. |
| Haunting reality: Mike Dunleavy starting at power forward and Troy Murphy at center? That's beyond small. Nellie is definitely banking on finesse and skill. |
| Saving grace: Nelson is a winner and is genuinely excited about turning around the Warriors. He came back because Chris Mullin asked him to, but this isn't a publicity stunt or a one-year experiment. With his commitment in place, Golden State will ultimately succeed. |
| X-factor: Baron Davis has a smile on his face over getting a chance to star in a run-and-gun system. Will that positive attitude keep him healthy, or at the very least, coax him to play through pain? |
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| Mike Dunleavy |
Likely rotation: There's a significant dropoff after Davis, which is why it's imperative for him to be out there. Monta Ellis is talented but still very young. Dajuan Wagner will also have an opportunity to handle the ball and be a dynamic contributor but most of his time will come as a third guard in small lineups. Mickael Pietrus and Jason Richardson will start on the wings, with Dunleavy and Murphy rounding out the starting five. Andris Biedrins, Ike Diogu and Adonal Foyle are available if Nelson ever sees the need for beef. |
| Four-casting: Davis will put up eye-popping offensive numbers and play in more than 70 games. One of the league's best stories will be Wagner's comeback. Diogu will find a way into Nelson's plans and be a quality option in the post. Murphy will average a double-double. |
| Coach-speak: "Although I'm very pleased with what we're doing and how we're playing, I'm still not impressed with our team. I think we have a long way to go. We have a lot of potential here. I'm excited about the team, but we're certainly not a good team yet." -- Don Nelson |
