Los Angeles, San Antonio, Denver: Who Is The Best In The West?

After receiving a ton of reads and responses to my "Beast of the East" article that I published yesterday, I have decided to move onto the wild wild west and discuss the top three teams in the Conference and the reasoning behind it. After winning the championship last season, the Los Angeles Lakers headed into the offseason with all the confidence in the world to make a repeat during the upcoming 09'-10' season. With the loss of Trevor Ariza, the signing of Ron Artest, and Lamar Odom's status literally up in the air, are the Los Angeles Lakers the guaranteed one seed in the West? Let's take a look. The Lakers starting lineup will look a little something like this next season, Derek Fisher at the point, Kobe Bryant at the two, Ron Artest at SF, Pau Gasol at the four, and Andrew Bynum as the starting center would make for an excellent lineup. With or without Lamar Odom, the Lakers starting five are arguably the most powerful lineup in the entire league, ...