Marty Burns: Western Conference rankings

Ron Artest's addition makes the Rockets a legitimate threat in the West Aging playoff teams San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas haven't added much The Nuggets and Warriors have taken steps back during the offseason We've already evaluated the Eastern Conference based on the offseason moves to this point. Now let's assess the West. The West has been remarkably quiet so far -- at least among the top clubs. Other than the Rockets (who have acquired Ron Artest from the Kings), no elite team has really made a big move yet. It will be interesting to see if a top contender with tradable assets such as the Lakers or Jazz makes a deal to try to bolster its chances now or whether it stands pat. At any rate, here's how we see the conference at the moment: 1. Lakers: The defending conference champs have had a mixed summer, re-signing Sasha... [read full story]