A season ago, the Utah Jazz won the NBA’s Northwest division with a 51-31 record, and the Denver Nuggets were their only real challengers, finishing 6 games back of Utah with a 45-37 record. The three other teams in the division – the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Seattle SuperSonics – finished a combined 55 games under .500, and things probably won’t be much different in the 2007-2008 season.
After going .500 two seasons ago, the Utah Jazz emerged last season just as point guard Deron Williams came into his own. The former third overall pick averaged more than 16 points and 9 assists in the regular season, then made a name for himself while leading Utah to the Western Conference finals by averaging over 19 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds per game.
Williams leads a solid group that also includes forward Carlos Boozer, center Mehmet Okur and the talented Andrei Kirilenko. Though Kirilenko does not necessarily mesh with Jazz coach and uber-grouch Jerry Sloan, he’s one of the best defensive players in the game. Utah should be just as good, if not better this season, as they try to take that final step from conference finals to NBA finals.
Standing in their way will be the Denver Nuggets. They feature two of the most talented players in the NBA in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. Though Iverson is 32 and his body has taken a beating with his relentless style of play, he can still light up the scoreboard, as can Anthony. Add in young J.R. Smith and Denver should be able to score with anybody. The question is, can they stop anybody, and are they deep enough?
Kenyon Martin has had health problems, and his numbers across the board have gone down since he arrived in Denver, which is a problem for a player making more than $13 million. Marcus Camby is 33, but as long as he keeps rebounding and blocking shots, he’s useful. Steven Hunter was brought in to be Camby’s back-up, but he is hurt and will be out a while, as will Nene Hilario, who can’t seem to stay healthy either. Denver will be competitive every night as long as A.I. and Melo stay healthy, but is that enough to lead them to the NBA finals? Probably not.
As for the rest of the division, all three teams have promising futures and players to build around, but it may take a year or two. Seattle will continue to grow with Kevin Durant, and Minnesota has Al Jefferson to build around, but Portland is in the best shape.
Number one overall pick Greg Oden is out for the year, but they still have great young talent like Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Martell Webster. In a few years, the Blazers could be one of the better teams in the league. Until then, they’ll just have to bide their time and watch Utah and Denver battle it out.
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