Ranking the new NBA Western Conference

1. Houston Rockets - I think it's time for the Rockets to shine in the West, and they will be able to do it. Dwight Howard has taken a team the Finals before, and I think he can do it again. James Harden has really elevated his game through the years as well and perhaps Harden-Howard is the new Shaq and Kobe. They struggled last year in the playoffs, but I do like the signing of Trevor Ariza, even though they may lose Chanler Parons. If he stays, it only makes them better and deeper. Houston has a well-rounded team with balance and depth, and I think they are mature enough to unseat the Spurs.

2. Los Angeles Clippers - The Clippers are another team that should be coming into their prime as a franchise, and could be finally ready to take over for the Spurs if the Rockets don't beat them to it. Chris Paul is the anchor to Lob City, and is still one of the league's most exciting players. The Clips brought in Jordan Farmar from cross town rival Lakers to run the team's second unit behind Paul. Jamal Crawford and JJ Reddick provide excellent offensive firepower for the two spot. DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin is such an explosive pair of forwards, and the Clippers added Spencer Hawes in free agency to provide depth. The Clippers have a great team, but still lack a legitimate wing player.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder - This could be OKC's last chance to make a Finals run with Kevin Durant, who can opt out next season. Durant is coming off an MVP season, and is arguably the best player in the league. Russell Westbrook could be the best athlete in the league, and would be the top option for the majority of the league. This duo has made it to the NBA Finals once, but close a number of other times, but this could be their year.  They add Anthony Morrow to replace Thabo Sefolosha, and he should add a bigger scoring threat. Sarge Ibaka is still around, and they have drafted a pair of big men with upside in the past two years with Steven Adams and Mitch McGary. Both player could overtake Kendrick Perkins, and that would be an upgrade.

4. San Antonio Spurs  - The defending champs have not upgraded much, and they are getting a year older. Tony Parker (32), Manu Ginnaobli (36), and of course Tim Duncan (38) have been the core of the league's most recent dynasty, but they are all aging. Boris Diaw, who recently resigned, will be 32 himself. For most teams that would spell trouble, but Greg Popovich, he can manage and rest his stars better than anyone. San Antonio does have a guy in Kawhi Leonard who could be ready to be the face of the team at any moment. Leonard did win the Finals MVP, and looks poised to be a superstar in the near future. Patty Mills, Danny Green, and first round pick Kyle Anderson could help keep the Spurs stay young, and ready to compete with the other top teams of the West.

5. Portland Trail Blazers -  The Trail Blazers sent a message to the league last year that they will be a problem for the next few years. LaMarcus Aldridge is probably the most under appreciated player in the league, but also one of the best. He put on a clinic in the first round against Houston. Damian Lilliard is another budding star point guard in the league, and looks like a veteran the way he handles the position.  Portland has a good core with Wesley Matthews, Nick Batum, and Robin Lopez to fill out the starting five. Portland's biggest concern is depth, and to address that they added Chris Kaman and Steve Blake.

6. Golden State Warriors - Stephen Curry has rejuvenated this franchise, and has really made them a threat into a threat in the Western Conference. Klay Thompson is one of the league's top shooters at the two spot. The Warriors had a sneaky good free agent signing with Shaun Livingston.  The Warriors have solid wings with Andre Igudala, Draymond Green, and Harrison Barnes. David Lee presents a good option down low. The Warriors aren't quite built to win a championship, but they can hang with anyone when their shooters are on.

7. Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizzlies' success starts with their twin towers in the post of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. As long as those two are around, they can hang with anyone. They will push for a playoff spot all year long, but the West is just so competitive.  Adding a rookie like Jarnell Stokes will only add to their rugged front line. Guard play can be a little bit of a weakness, though. Mike Conley is very good point guard, but shooting guard is questionable. Veteran Tony Allen, free agent  Vince Carter, and rookie Jordan Adams will all compete for minutes there.

8. Denver Nuggets - Ty Lawson is one of the most exciting point guards in the league, and he is joined by three solid options at the two guard spot with Randy Foye, Aaron Affalo, and rookie Gary Harris. Danilo Gallanari and Kenneth Faried are two very good, young forwards.  This team is offensive minded, but they lack a solid post presence. The up and down game can only take them so far, but they should be in playoff contention to the very end.

9. Phoenix Suns -  The Suns have a deep and talented backcourt, and I think it will get them back to the postseason. Goran Dragic had an outstanding 2014 campagin, and Eric Bledsoe will be back from injury. They also added Isaiah Thomas from the Kings for depth, and drafted Tyler Ennis.  PJ Tucker was resigned, and they drafted gifted scorer TJ Warren to handle the small forward spot. It's the depth of the post positions that will hold this team back for the most part, as they lack talent there.

10. Dallas Mavericks - Dallas resigned their franchise superstar in Dirk Nowitski. Although he is older, Dirk can still play. They brought back Tyson Chandler to help matters in the post. If they are able to land Chandler Parsons, Dallas has a good set of starting forwards. Monta Ellis is one of the league's most gifted scorers, but point guard play, depth, and age really is working against this team.

11. Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers added Jeremy Lin, and with Steve Nash's age and health, Linsanity could see big minutes. Kobe Bryant will be back, and could easily elevate his game to being one the better players in the league. Resigning Nick Young is a good move, because he can flat out score. As it stands now, the Lakers will be expecting quite a bit from Julius Randle in the post. The young Kentucky star is a talented guy that dropped to the Lakers in the draft, and could be one of the pillars of  this franchise in the future. They still need to make a move to add some more help down low.

12. Minnesota Timberwolves - If Kevin Love gets dealt, they would drop down to 15 and everyone else gets bumped up a spot. Love may hang out for the season, and the TWolves could make a run to the playoffs. Ricky Rubio has not been as great as everyone thought he would be, but still distributes the ball very well. They drafted promising athletic guards, Glen Robinson III and Zach LaVine, and they should help. Corey Brewer and Kevin Martin are both solid veteran scoring options.

13. Utah Jazz - The Jazz have a stable of young guards and wings and the most recent draft was kind to them. Trey Burke is a franchise point guard, and drafting two talented guys like Dante Exum and Rodney Hood should bode well for the future. They were able to hang onto Gordon Hayward by matching an offer sheet from Charlotte. The down low game is what is in question, but Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter are both 22 years old with room to grow, this is a team that will be trending upward in the future.

14. New Orleans Pelicans - The West is a tough place if this is one of your worst teams. Anthony Davis is a budding star in the post. Guys like Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday are a tough set of guards, but still they are low down in the pecking order. Tyreke Evans is also a solid piece, but injury concerns and depth down low will cost them in the end.

15. Sacramento Kings - The Kings have one of the best big men in the league with DeMarcus Cousins, but not a whole lot else. Nik Stauskas will be of the better rookies in the league, but they already had a young guard in Ben McLemore with that kind of skill set. Rudy Gay is a good player also,  but beyond that the roster is very dull. Losing Isaiah Thomas and replacing him with Darren Collison is a downgrade also.

Ranking the new NBA Eastern Conference

1. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs obviously landed the biggest free agent of them all with LeBron James returning to his hometown team. LeBron has proven in the past he could take Cleveland to the Finals on his own, and even this past year with Miami we saw Wade and Bosh regress a bit, and LeBron doing a lot of work. All LeBron all the time will not be the case anymore.  Kyrie Irving is one of the top young point guards in the league, and James has never worked with a top tier PG like this.  Andrew Wiggins will be exciting to watch, but could have too much expected of him right away. A potential Kevin Love deal could happen, or the Cavs may stand pat for one season and make a run at a post player like him next year.  They are good enough to win the East with Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao running the post. I think Dion Waiters is a good 6th man, and perhaps Anthony Bennett takes a jump forward as well.

2. Chicago Bulls  - With the Bulls getting a healthy Derrick Rose back, that's as big of an upgrade to a roster you will see beyond LeBron James. The Bulls are a pretty good team, but add in a former MVP, and you have a legit title contender.  Not only do they get a healthy Rose, they sign Pau Gasol. The Gasol-Joakim Noah front court could be the best in the league. Gasol and Noah both are great passing big men, and can really open up the offense and allow Rose to do a lot of creating. Taj Gibson remains one of the best 6th man's in the league. Perhaps rookie, Doug McDermott, could really help this team. Jimmy Butler has really emerged as a solid contributor in the starting lineup, and the Bulls have the makeup of a team that can win the East.

3. Indiana Pacers - Assuming Lance Stephenson returns, the Pacers should be back towards the top of the East next season. Stephenson and Paul George from one of the league's best young set of wings, and those two can really carry a team pretty far.  So much was talked about them collapsing late in the season and squeaking by in the playoffs, but that was them at the worst.  The Pacers have proven before that they could play much better, and they still managed to win a pair of games against the Heat when push came to shove. This is still a good team. Dropping Evan Turner and adding CJ Miles is a better fit for this team.  Roy Hibbert is up and down, but we know he is capable of being a force when pushed enough.  They still have a pair of smart veterans with David West and Luis Scola at the power forward spot. Adding a point guard would be a good move, though. George Hill is good, but he could be upgraded.

4.  Miami Heat - The mighty have not fallen too much.  Pat Riley was able to bring back Chris Bosh and likely will get Dwayne Wade too. They managed to lure Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts into the fold also. Shabazz Napier will make an impact as a rookie, and they still should be able to make some noise. McRoberts is an upgrade at the center spot, and should add some rebounding the Heat have lacked.  The rumors now of Luol Deng joining the team would be huge, and the Heat could really be a pesky team for LeBron and the other top teams.

5. Toronto Raptors - The Raptors essentially have their whole team back from last season, and they should continue to grow as a threat to the top tier of the Eastern Conference. The Raptors made enough small moves to improve the roster even further. Kyle Lowry is one of the premier point guards in the league, and is coming off a big season. They added Lou Williams to help improve the guard play off the bench along with Greivis Vasquez. DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross are two budding stars, especially DeRozan who averaged 22 points a game last season. Jonas Valanciunas is also coming into his own as a 22 year old center. This team is so young, but they showed a lot last season. They have talent and depth at each and every spot, and they could be a scary good team in a few seasons, and will be a tough out this year.

6. Washington Wizards - The Wizards, much like the Raptors, have young exciting core that was mostly kept together. John Wall (23) and Bradley Beal (21) make for one of the best backcourts in the league, and they even propelled the Wizards into the second round of the playoffs. The Wizards managing to keep Marcin Gortat is huge for this team, as he provides a great presence down low. Nene is also back, and they have a formidable front line that can hang with anyone in the East.  The Wizards added future hall of famer,  Paul Pierce, to bring another veteran presence in what will probably be his last go around in this league. Martell Webster is a reliable backup and should see a lot of minutes because of Pierce's age. Washington has the core in place to be an attractive destination for Kevin Durant to join his hometown team next offseason.

7. Charlotte Hornets - The trend continues with young and exciting teams, and the Hornets are just that. Kemba Walker has been a solid pro in his young career, and is a good start to this team. Gerald Henderson is not the greatest two guard in the league, but does a nice job for this team. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the exciting piece to this team, and he could really take a big step forward this season. MGK is so young still, but has an exciting skill set. Al Jefferson really solidifies this team, and gives them a great player in the post. It will be interesting to see who the fourth starter will be since they have lost Josh McRoberts, Cody Zeller and rookie Noah Vonleh are the team's past two number one picks, and interestingly enough come from Indiana. Vonleh has gotten some LaMarcus Aldridge comparisons, and Zeller could allow Jefferson to play some at the four.  They also signed Marvin Williams from Utah, and he could also. Depth will be this team's ultimate concern. I think they can make the playoffs again, but they will have to work for it.

8. Atlanta Hawks - The Hawks nearly pulled off a first round upset of the Indiana Pacers, and they have a roster equipped to return to the postseason. Jeff Teague has been a solid point man for Atlanta, and he should continue to be a solid guard. Atlanta upgraded the wing position with the signing of Thabo Sefolosha from Oklahoma City. Kyle Korver is back and gives the Hawks a serious shooting threat to compliment Sefolosha's defense. The return of Al Horford and having Paul Millsap coming off his best statsistical season gives the Hawks a tough duo to handle in the post.

9. New York Knicks - I don't think the Knicks have quite enough around Carmelo Anthony to make a serious run. They should be in contention for a playoff spot, and could sneak in there.  I look for Cleanthony Early to make a serious impact as I feel he was one of the biggest steals in the draft.

10. Brooklyn Nets - Deron Williams and Joe Johnson is still a dangerous backcourt, and they could make the playoffs if things go right. Still, an aging Kevin Garnett and Brook Lopez coming off injury leaves a lot of questions up front.

11. Detroit Pistons - The talent is there, but this team does not seem to mesh well together. Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe make for a tough interior. Josh Smith obviously still has some game, and Brandon Jennings is very talented himself. For whatever reason, it didn't work last year. Maybe it will this year? They added Jodie Meeks to the equation in free agency and drafted a very good prospect in Spencer Dinwiddie.

12. Boston Celtics - Rajon Rondo is still around, and they drafted well by getting Marcus Smart and James Young. Boston still is a ways off from making a serious run for the playoffs, and they need to draft or sign some stronger pieces in the post.

13. Orlando Magic  - The Magic will likely be hanging around the lottery once again next season, but they have been adding solid pieces like Victor Oladipo last year and Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton this year. Adding veterans, Ben Gordon and Channing Frye, should help the team, and maybe they can fare a little bit better.

14. Milwaukee Bucks - Jabari Parker will instantly become the face of the franchise, and has a chance to be a special player in this league. Brandon Knight is a good point guard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is a promising player oozing with potential.

15. Philadelphia 76ers - The Sixers have Michael Carter-Williams and not much else. Philly drafted Joel Embiid, but he is injury prone and a question mark. They did the same with Nerlens Noel last year, and we will see if Noel is the real deal this season. Fortunatley for the Sixers, they have tons of young players recently drafted with potential like KJ McDaniels, Jerami Grant, and Jordan McRae.