They are still playing without Josh Howard, and improving regardless of that. Missing J-Ho is at least like the Blazers missing LaMarcus and having to improvise with Frye and small lineups. I think at the moment we finish the division behind Utah and if we are a bit lucky ahead of Denver on 6, and Dallas will sneak in on 7-8 and then probably lose again early. Might sound weird, but I think Houston drops out this year (after initially San Antonio looked like the one). They look really bad as soon as one of their stars is out, especially when it’s T-Mac. And those guys just can’t stay healthy.

… to grant a playoff spot to anyone out west other than the Lakers. I’d be shocked if Utah misses the playoffs, but I wouldn’t be shocked by anyone else finishing 9th. The Nuggets have been fabulous since their trade, but they are still one frontcourt injury away from having problems. SA has looked great but I expect to see some regression to the mean by their role players (ie Hill, Mason, Bonner) and their reduced depth is going to place a big load on their big 3. So far, that team has done a great job dealing with injuries, but their depth is a major issue. I’m nowhere near ready to grant Phoenix a playoff spot either. I’m not impressed by Houston either.

I still think Portland can finish as high as the 2nd best record in the West. A healthy Utah team is the only group I could see pulling away from the pack, but there’s no guarantee they get healthy this year. The Blazers are definitely a candidate to finish 9th, but I don’t think it will happen. The schedule is favorable for much of January, February and March and I expect the Blazer depth will be enough to withstand injury issues and land a playoff seed between #4 and #6. That’s how I see it.