Bold Prediction Time

As we all know the Western conference is much better than the Eastern Conference. Every year it seems as if the last team out of the playoffs deserves an honorable mention. Last year it was the Phoenix Suns. The year before that it was the Utah Jazz. (Wow look at what happen to them!). And even in the lockout shortened season the Houston Rockets missed the playoffs by two games. All these teams had winning records and, aside from the lockout season, the 9th seed in the west would have made the playoffs had they been in the Eastern Conference. With all that said there will be another team that misses the cut again this year that would have been deserving of a playoff spot.

Now let me state that this prediction is made solely by what I see on paper. My prediction is that the Rockets will not make the playoffs this year and here's two reasons why.
Number One: There Division

Anyone who follows basketball knows the toughest division in the NBA is the southwest division. The teams in the division consists of the Spurs, the Mavericks, the Grizzlies, the Pelicans, and of course the Rockets. Now the Rockets have to play 4 games against each of these teams during the season. And every team in the division has gotten better, whether its players returning from injury or the addition of some new players. I like the Spurs because they brought back the same team as last year and that team crushed everyone, but the Mavericks, on there way to the Championship. Speaking of the Mavericks, they have added some more talent to the roster that already had a lot of depth. They stole Chandler Parsons away from the Houston Rockets. They got back Devin Harris healthy. They acquired Jameer Nelson through free agency. They also added Raymond Felton to the roster for even more depth at the guard position. They also brought in veterans Rashard Lewis, Richard Jefferson, and Charlie Villanueva. And they still have Monta Ellis who can still produce on offense. Also in the Rockets division are the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies still have the core of Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley. They also added Vince Carter to the team to stretch the floor and provide a scoring punch. They also have defensive specialists in Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince. They also have stretch shooters in Quincy Pondexter and Courtney Lee. And the Pelicans are an up and coming young team that will be about .500 or above, but won't make the playoffs. With all that said the Rockets don't have a great roster. They have severely downgraded since last season.
Number 2: The Suns

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The Phoenix Suns should be really excited about this season. I have them being the 8th seed in this years Western Conference and here's why. The Suns have a much easier division than the Rockets. The Suns will finish in third place in the division behind the Clippers and Warriors. The other teams they will have to compete against is Kings and Lakers. I am not high on the Kings this year as I feel they are still in rebuild mode and the Lakers, whether Kobe likes it or not, are in rebuilding mode. Now is the time for the Suns to some noise and if they could trade for one more solid veteran player it would be hard to not put them in the playoffs. I've already talked about they Suns in a previous article and I still think they improved on what they did last year.
It's hard to move any of last years playoff teams out of the top 8, but if one really stood out to me it would be the Houston Rockets. The Rockets can prove me wrong though. I have them missing the playoffs by one game. Now if they made a roster that fits around Dwight Howard very well they could be a contender. Just look at the 09 Magic. I honestly have no idea how that team made it to finals with the talent on the roster, but it worked because they surrounded Howard with the right pieces. Simply put shooters around Howard and they become a contender which seems to be what the Rockets are doing. The question is will this roster be more successful than last year. It's hard to say it will with the departure of Lin and Parsons. Another reason they can prove me wrong is because who would bet against Howard and Harden combo.
This is a bold prediction and I will probably be proved wrong. It's all the matter of opinion. For anyone who watched Grantland's count down last season they had the Suns ranked 30th. The suns almost made the playoffs. Anything is possible in the NBA and injuries and trades change the landscape all the time.