This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

The Kings snuck into the playoffs with the eighth seed in the West, but they were a tough challenge reagardless of San Antonio dispatching them. They'll might not have enough talent to compete in the improving West, but they'll fight and with Ron Artest, they'll be better defensively. They should get a low playoff seed.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

The Trailblazers are once again one of the youngest teams in the NBA. The problem with the Blazers are that they spent all their resources for young prospects but they now have an abundance of underdeveloped youth players. They'll struggle, but they could be a competitive team who works hard. They'll get some wins, but spend most of the season figuring out their direction/identity.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

This team showed a lot of heart last season. Their top two post men out during the playoffs, they fought through two game 7's before being eliminated by the Mavericks. They've made some changes on the bench, but will it get them to bigger things? I believe so, because I think this team has what it takes to finally bring a title home to Phoenix.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

This is a team that has two homes, but the Hornets are looking like one good team. Early on, they've been very solid and have shown much growth from last season's team. This is another team that was close last season and only got better.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

In recent commercials, Garnett has been featured by Adidas in their "It takes 5ive" campaign. He really should know when you look at this team and ho far it's dropped in the span of a couple of seasons. They won't improve much this season. They need another big man, maybe some more ball-handling before they can begin to resurrect their franchise.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

The Grizzlies are always a factor. They may not have the pure talent to be amongst the top contenders, but they have talent and have managed to remain competitive the past couple of seasons in the tough Western Conference. They'll do so one again, but health will be an issue. Damon Stoudamire is getting much older and Gasol injured himself and is still out. Once they get back to full strength, they'll be fine.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

The Lakers are looking to build on a good season with Phil Jackson back on the bench. Their youth looks good and is growing faster than you could have expected. Andrew Bynum is looking every bit worth the draft pick and the rest of the team is growing around the core. They'll be fun to watch and see develop, but I don't know about serious West contenders... yet.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

Don't look now, but the Clippers have become the best team in LA. Until proven other wise, the Clippers are the better team in LA as of now. That could not be at the end of the season, but as of right now its the case. The Clippers are one of the better contenders in the West. They'll go deep once again.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

Their injuries have all healed and Houston looks like a team that could make some noise within the West. They have the talent. With Yao and T-Mac healthy, and their additions, they go deep. They need a better point guard cause Alston isn't the answer, but other than that I really like this team.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

New coach, new system... same talent. Can then succeed and finally end the playoff drought? I think the Warriors are going to end it this season and sneak in under the radar of the bottom teams in the West. They need a few more seasons to contend and get some more talent involved, but this could be a good start in building.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

Can the dallas Mavericks return to the NBA finals? They are still winless and they don't look good so far, but it's not time to panic yet. I think they'll be fine.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

Do the Wizards have what it takes to take the next step? With the prospects of the East getting better from the bottom up and with the top teams still improving, do the Wizards have what it takes to stay afloat?

With the offensive talent involved, guys like Arenas, Jamison, and Butler, they should be in every game they play. I don't know how much they can do against the better teams in the NBA, but they should remain among the middle of the pack in East, looking at seeds 4-6 for them.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

The Raptors are another team in the East working with a young lineup and hoping for some early returns on their investments. Guys like T.J. Ford, Chris Bosh, and Andrea Bargnani are going to be counted on for some production within the system.

Bosh is a legitimate star in the NBA. He might fall into the Tracy McGrady/ Vince Carter category, too good for Canada, but for now he's getting a lot of attention in the media and within the league.

This team could be like the Bucks last year. Go from having the top overall selection in the draft to a playoff appearance.

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

Philly is looking to rebound aftere a disappointing '05-'06 campaign. They might have enough talent to linger amongst the bottom of the playoff seeds, but can Allen Iverson and Chris Webber co-exist? Can Iverson forget that the franchise tried desperately to trade him?

My guess is yes, but no. Webber and Iverson wasn't the problem, it was the lack of consistent offense from anyone not names Iverson or Webber. As for Iverson, it's tough being a player with pride seeing your team trying to unload you in the offseason and then turn around and say "we wanted to hang onto you all along."

This is part of my series of articles previewing all 30 NBA teams and the upcoming season.

The Magic finished last season with a flurry and, with maybe a few more games, could have made a serious run into the postseason. Now they're not only expected to be a playoff team, but they are touted by some as the team most likely to breakthrough and have a surprising season.

They've got some pieces in place. Jameer Nelson is developing into a good leader, Dwight Howard is the real deal... and don't look now, but Grant Hill is ready to play this season. They've got a team able to battle amongst the middle of the pack in the East. They need another piece or two, maybe a second bonafide scorer, before they can continue to elevate their status as a team.