Empty the Bench

We’re back with another round of blog previews for the 2009-10 NBA season, this time hitting up the underpublicized Northwest Division of the Western Conference. ETB’s own Zachariah Blott has already detailed the division here, so be sure to check that out for more in-depth coverage.

As evidenced by the six blog previews linked to below, the Portland Trailblazers are an early favorite to not only be the most popular team in the Northwest, but to also represent the division in the postseason. They’re finally at a point when the rebuilding process and plethora of lottery picks should pay off. Brandon Roy has emerged as one of the elite players in the NBA, a selfless leader who fills the stat sheet and doesn’t shy away from the big shot, and is finally paired with an elite pass-first point in Andre Miller. Down low, the duo of LaMarcus Aldrige and Greg Oden (who could be an All Star this season) should anchor this ship in high fashion. Meanwhile, the wing positions and bench are rife with talent including Travis Outlaw, Jerryd Bayless, Nicolas Batum, Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, Joel Pryzbilla and Martell Webster. This team is deep, young and talented.

The Denver Nuggets, who tied the Blazers with 54 wins a season ago, may have something to say about that though. Devner still boasts elite talent at point and small forward with Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey “Mr. Big Shot” Billups. Up front, this squad features mobile defenders and rebounders in Kenyon Martin, Nene Hilario, and Chris Andersen. That trio gives this squad a physicality and attitude that no other team in the division can match. Every night erratic, juvenile and supremely talented guard JR Smith can carry the offense on his back while the rest of the team plays nasty defense. They’re thin, though, as well as injury prone and aging.

The Utah Jazz are another team that threatens to make the postseason out of the Northwest, as any team led by the heady, physical stylings Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan figures to be. The Jazz are mediocre on the wings, led by defensive-minded Ronnie Brewer, but they have some talented rebounders up front in the power forward tandem of Paul Millsap and Carlos Boozer. Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko also bring unusual, versatile skill sets to their respective positions.

Young, developing teams in Minnesota and Oklahoma City figure to bring up the rear inthe Northwest once again, but make no mistake: these are improving teams that sport impressive young players worth watching. I went into greater detail in my Timberwolves preview here, but suffice it to say that Al Jefferson, Jonny Flynn and Kevin Love are hard-working youngsters that bring a lot to the table.

As far as watchability goes, there are few teams ETB enjoys more than the Thunder (despite the hideous 50s high school jerseys). Kevin Durant isn’t a complete player just yet, but man can this kid fill it up in smooth, impressive fashion. He’s joined by the fascinating talents of explosive, rebounding PG Russell Westbrook, do-it-all F Jeff Green, defesive freak G/F Thabo Sefolosha, rookie scorer G James Harden and everybody’s favorite reclamation project, PG Shaun Livingston. They won’t make the playoffs this season, but with this core the Thunder are going to be very good in a year or two.

With that out of the way, be sure to check out the individual team previews of our blogger brethren …

Denver Nuggets  - Denver Stiffs | The Nugg Doctor

Minnesota Timberwolves – Canis Hoopus | Empty the Bench | TWolvesBlog

Oklahoma City Thunder – Blue Blitz | Daily Thunder

Portland Trail Blazers - Blazersedge | A Stern Warning | The Rip City Project | Blaze of Love | BustaBucket | Trail Post

Utah Jazz – SLC Dunk | True Blue Jazz

More 2008-09 NBA Blogger Previews

Eastern Conference:
- Atlantic Division
- Central Division
- Southwest Division

Western Conference:
- Southwest Division
- Northwest Division
- Pacific Division

Brandon Roy and Kenyon Martin Photo Credit: Icon SMI