Western Conference preview: Warriors one of many title contenders

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The NBA’s Western Conference is like a jungle in the dead of night. There is the constant threat of danger. You will see beasts. You will hear footsteps. It’s six months of unceasing tests of courage and determination. Survival is the reward.

The Warriors last season passed with barely a scratch.

This is a new season, though, with just as much treachery, only in different sizes and shapes. Here is a look at the Wild, Wild West in 2015-16, in the order of finish last season behind the Warriors.

Houston Rockets (56-26)

Notable hellos: G Ty Lawson, G Marcus Thornton, F Sam Dekker (R), F Montrezl Harrell (R).

Notable goodbyes: C/F Tarik Black, G Isaiah Canaan, F Francisco Garcia, F Josh Smith.

Expectations: High. The Rockets reached the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Warriors in five games. After nabbing a No. 2 seed last season, they will have to fight fiercely to get into the top four this year.

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Keys to success: The Rockets will go only as far as MVP candidate James Harden and imposing center Dwight Howard will take them. If their stars are good – and Lawson is reliably productive – Houston should win between 53 and 57 games.

Los Angeles Clippers (56-26)

Notable hellos: F Paul Pierce, G/F Lance Stephenson, F Wesley Johnson, F Josh Smith, G Pablo Prigioni.

Notable goodbyes: F Glen “Big Baby” Davis, F Matt Barnes, F/C Spencer Hawes

Expectations: High. After a major infusion of name talent, big things are expected of the Clippers. They’ve added a closer (Pierce) and Stephenson is a solid two-way player – when engaged. They are, on paper, as deep and talented as any team in the West.

Keys to success: The Clippers must prove they have recovered from their epic postseason meltdown. Doc Rivers must prove he can spin these ingredients into a winner. No team has a broader scope of possibility. They could win 60. Or 48.

Portland Trail Blazers (51-31)

Notable hellos: C/F Mason Plumlee, F Ed Davis, F Al-Farouq Aminu.

Notable goodbyes: F LaMarcus Aldridge, G Wesley Matthews, F Nicolas Batum, C Robin Lopez, G Arron Affalo 

Expectations: Low. A playoff team that turns over 80 percent of its starting lineup torches its contender status. Frankly, the Blazers are going to struggle. That’s what rebuilding teams do.

Keys to success: Damian Lillard, entering his fourth season, is the franchise player. He’s a terrific player, but there is not a lot of proven talent around him. If all goes as well as the Blazers could hope, they’ll win 32-36 games.

Memphis Grizzlies (55-27)

Notable hellos: F Matt Barnes, F Brandan Wright.

Notable goodbyes: F Tayshaun Prince, C Kosta Koufos, G Nick Calathes.

Expectations: Moderately high. The Grizzlies are built to slug it out and they live with the results. But Memphis is, in today’s NBA, a vanishing breed. They play inside out and they don’t fire up treys. It’s hard to see them avoiding some slippage.

Keys to success: C Marc Gasol and F Zach Randolph represent the best jumbo combo in the league. Mike Conley is a terrific point guard. Even if this trio is at its best, the Grizzlies will have an extremely difficult time topping 50 wins.

San Antonio Spurs (55-27)

Notable hellos: F LaMarcus Aldridge, F David West, G Ray McCallum.

Notable goodbyes: G Marco Belinelli, G Cory Joseph, F Tiago Splitter, C Aron Baynes.

Expectations: Very high. The Spurs always contend, and they will again. The addition of Aldridge raises expectations. They play smart basketball, are sound in every aspect, with great coaching. This is a legitimate championship contender.

Keys to success: No matter how good they are up front, the Spurs will go only as far as point guard Tony Parker can push them. If he is healthy and has a comeback season, look out. They could glide past 60 wins. If not, well, they’ll stay in the 50s.

Dallas Mavericks (50-32)

Notable hellos: G Wesley Matthews, G Deron Williams, C Zaza Pechulia, C JaVale McGee, F Brandon Ashley (R).

Notable goodbyes: G Monta Ellis, F Jae Crowder, F Richard Jefferson, G Rajon Rondo, F Amare Stoudemire, F Brandan Wright.

Expectations: Modest. This is a tough one to project. The Mavs’ brand new Williams-Matthews backcourt provides more questions than answers. They’re aging – Dirk Nowitzki is nearing retirement – and old teams doing a partial rebuild usually fail.

Key to success: If Williams and Matthews gel and stay healthy and dial up the best of the healthy youth, the Mavericks behind solid coach Rick Carlisle have a chance to reach .500. And that, given this team’s roster, would be worthy of applause.

New Orleans Pelicans (45-37)

Notable hellos: C Kendrick Perkins, G Nate Robinson, coach Alvin Gentry.

Notable goodbyes: C Jeff Withey, G John Salmons, G Jimmer Fredette.

Expectations: Moderately high. The Pelicans last season crept into the No. 8 seed largely on the back of the incredible Anthony Davis. It’s reasonable to believe they can get back, particularly if they can flourish in the offense installed by Gentry.

Key to success: A team reliant on the health of Davis – and starting the season without Tyreke Evans – has a thin margin for error. But if the Pels stay relatively healthy, they can win 45-50 games. If they can’t, they could lose that many.

Oklahoma City Thunder (45-37)

Notable hellos: F Kevin Durant, coach Billy Donovan.

Notable goodbyes: C Kendrick Perkins, F Perry Jones.

Expectations: High. KD isn’t new to the team; it only seems that way after he missed the bulk of last season with foot injuries. His return should be enough to push OKC from the fringes of the playoffs to a top-four seed.

Key to success: OKC needs three things to sniff 56-60 wins and a title: 1) Durant fully healthy 2) A productive coexistence between Russell Westbrook and Durant 3) The effective transition of Donovan from the college ranks to the NBA.

Phoenix Suns (39-43)

Notable hellos: C Tyson Chandler, F Jon Leuer, G Devin Booker (R).

Notable goodbyes: F Marcus Morris, G Gerald Green.

Expectations: Modest. The Suns have moxie and a modicum of quality talent but lack the overall firepower to compete with the upper echelon of the conference. They’ll need to find a bag full of miracles to sneak into the playoffs.

Keys to success: Eric Bledsoe is nice but erratic, as is Markieff Morris. If Chandler uncovers a fountain of youth in the desert, the Suns could make enough noise to lift their win total into the high 30s or low 40s.

Utah Jazz (38-44)

Notable hellos: F Trey Lyles (R), C Jeff Withey.

Notable goodbyes: None.

Expectations: Guarded optimism. The loss of Dante Exum (ACL) will hurt. But the presence of Gordon Hayward and the emergence of Rudy Gobert as a force in the middle, alongside Derrick Favors, will put Utah in position to fight for the playoffs.

Keys to success: If the frontcourt, with Gobert anchoring the back line, can bring enough defense, the Jazz can make noise. If the guards, can play to their fullest potential, this team could top .500 for the first time since 2013.

Denver Nuggets (30-52)

Notable hellos: G Emmanuel Mudiay (R), C/F Nikola Jokic, coach Michael Malone.

Notable goodbyes: G Ty Lawson.

Expectations: Modest. The Nuggets were blown up two years ago and have yet to recover. They’ve also been hurt by injuries. There has been considerable instability. They have some talent, but Malone did not inherit a playoff team.

Keys to success: Mudiay, only 19, appears to have a bright future. If he matures quickly and Malone can get consistent production from forwards Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried, the Nuggets have a chance to win 40 games.

Sacramento Kings (29-53)

Notable hellos: G Rajon Rondo, G Marco Belinelli, F Caron Butler, G Seth Curry, F/C Willie Cauley-Stein (R).

Notable goodbyes: F Jason Thompson, F Carl Landry, F Nik Stauskas, G Ray McCallum, G Ramon Sessions.

Expectations: Modest. The Kings are in the midst of a remodel around mercurial but skilled center DeMarcus Cousins. The addition of Rondo gives them credibility. But the Kings remain in search of their soul. A .500 season would be a rousing victory.

Keys to success: As always, it’s all about Boogie Cousins. If coach George Karl and Rondo keep the big man on point, the Kings could approach 40 wins. Unless things go haywire, they certainly should crack the 30-win barrier for the first time in eight seasons.

Los Angeles Lakers (21-61)

Notable hellos: C Roy Hibbert, G Lou Williams, F Brandon Bass, G DeAngelo Russell (R), F Anthony Brown (R), F Larry Nance Jr. (R).

Notable goodbyes: F Carlos Boozer, F/C Jordan Hill, G Wayne Ellington, G Jeremy Lin, F Ed Davis.

Expectations: Low. The Lakers are in the midst of a rebuild, even if Kobe Bryant remains on the premises. They have some talented pieces, including forward Julius Randle, but this group needs time to come together. It won’t happen in a year.

Keys to success: If Kobe plays 70 percent of the games at 70 percent of what he once was, that’s a start. If Jordan Clarkson continues his rise, if Russell puts in the work, if Randle becomes a force, if Hibbert commands the paint . . . all these ifs add up to 25-30 wins.

Minnesota Timberwolves (16-66)

Notable hellos: F Tayshaun Prince, G Andre Miller, F Nemanja Bjelica, C Karl-Anthony Towns (R), G Tyus Jones (R).

Notable goodbyes: F Anthony Bennett, F Chase Budinger, G Gary Neal.

Expectations: Low. The Wolves are going nowhere any time soon, and the sooner they accept it the better off they will be. We’ll know when that happens, because they’ll look to unload veterans like Kevin Martin and Ricky Rubio.

Keys to success: This team was clobbered at the start with the death of coach/general manager Flip Saunders. If it can recover under Sam Mitchell, it has the potential to occasionally knock off a contender. At best, this team can approach the 30-win mark.

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