The Worst of the Best- Western Conference

Dallas never loses. Phoenix barely loses. San Antonio looks ready to stop losing for a while. Toss in Houston (Yao's almost back!) and Utah (they'd be the #1 seed back east) and the top five in the Western Conference are solid as a rock, Ashford and Simpson style. At least as it pertained to playoff qualification, the same could have been said about the Lakers, until the injury bug that has dogged them all season bit again with the news that Lamar Odom will return to the shelf with a torn labrum. Suddenly the five game gap between the six seed they occupy and the nine doesn't seem so vast, and the list of teams vying to play lamb to a top seed's ritual sacrifice has grown. Earlier in the week, I broke down the low seeds in the Eastern Conference playoff ladder. Today, I lay odds on the W.C. starting from the bottom of the conference (as of 3.3) and working up.

Portland (1,000-1): They're only 3.5 games out of the eight spot... but have four teams to jump and are a sub .500 team at home. Not good. Really, they just deserve kudos because nary a single Blazer has been brought up on felony charges this year.
Golden State (986-1): They don't have Portland's winning at home issues, but 6-24 on the road? Good lord. Hard to go on a late season run with that in the holster. Plus, I have a working theory that the Warriors will never make the playoffs again that I'm holding to until proven wrong.
Minnesota (15-1): The Wolves have a negative point differential (95.9 vs. 97.9), and a wretched road mark (9-18). And despite having the NBA's best sideburn/facial hair combination, Ricky Davis isn't exactly known as an elevator of teammates. Still, they do have that K.G. fellow, and a burning desire to keep him happy in PrinceTown. Maybe if Glen Taylor can pay off the teams they're chasing...
Sacramento (7-1): Kevin Martin has the best skinny-to-production ratio than Kevin Martin, hands down, nearly doubling his ppg this year (21.3 from 10.8), and is shooting 50% from the floor. Unfortunately, his rise has coincided with Brad Miller's dip (15/8 to 9.7/6.6). They've treaded water all year, and at some point will drown.
New Orleans/Oklahoma City (3-1): By all rights, they should be chillin' with Portland and Seattle, given all the injuries. But now Chris Paul and David West are back, with Peja Stojakovic hopefully to follow. They're about the only team on this list who aren't playing like they have travel plans for early May.
Denver (3-1): Right now, they're a better NBA Live team than a live NBA team. No D, bad shots, fundamentals that would make Hank Iba cry. Still, here's hoping they finish in the seven spot, so we get four or five 500 point games in a Nuggets/Suns series.
Los Angeles Clippers (3.5-1): They're in today, but how about tomorrow? Sean Livingston is out, Corey Maggette wants out, and if Sam Cassell can't get healthy, they're in serious trouble. Chris Kaman never should have cut his hair. Didn't work for Samson, either.
Los Angeles Lakers (1.5.1): Between L.O., Luke Walton, Kwame Brown, Mo Evans, "Slalom" Radmanovic, and Chris Mihm, it's as if the Lakers collectively watched the basketball equivalent of video from "The Ring." Whoever watches it blows a joint. Fortunately, they've got Kobe, Phil Jackson and (most importantly) a five game cushion between them and the nine spot.

My projections? Lakers sixth, Hornets seventh, Denver eighth.

BK