Houston Rockets

After previewing the Eastern Conference last week, we’ll move onto the Western Conference with the season within reach. The race to the playoffs will be even more exciting in the West, thanks to the level of talent in the conference. With that said, the very top of the conference is much more predictable. For more on the NBA and fantasy basketball, download the 3-and-D Pod on Fantrax Radio and Soundcloud. Follow me on Twitter @JonSauber. Tier One 1. Golden State Warriors There isn’t a whole lot to say here. I know…

With the Eastern Conference sleepers now complete, this week we move to the Western Conference, beginning with the Southwest Division. The Western Conference has seen an increase in talent in general, and the same can be said for most of the Southwest. Three teams added players that could pay off immensely and impact the fantasy value of themselves and their teammates. Two of those players made the cut as fantasy sleepers, and we begin with the more controversial choice. Rajon Rondo, New Orleans Pelicans The Pelicans took…

Winners New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans came into the offseason in a bad salary-cap situation. The contracts of Solomon Hill, Omer Asik, and E’Twaun Moore have made it nearly impossible to improve upon their big two of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. The Pelicans made the only move they could at the start of free agency when they re-signed Jrue Holiday to a five-year, $126 million deal. With that decision, it was going to be tough to improve the team through free agency, and the team didn’t have the…

When you compare the two conferences, the West is far superior to the East. The three best records this season were all by teams in the West. There were two heavy favorites to begin the season in the West: Golden State and San Antonio. That remains the case after the first round. Let's take a look at the two Western Conference semifinals series to see if either Utah or Houston can upset these two juggernauts. #1 Golden State Warriors vs. #5 Utah Jazz 1st Round: Golden State swept Portland in 4 games, Utah beat Los Angeles…

The NBA has always been an extremely top heavy league: The last four champions and seven out of the last nine have been number one seeds. In fact, since the New York Knicks made the 1999 finals as an 8 seed only two teams (#4 seed Boston Celtics in 2010 and #4 seed Dallas Mavericks in 2006) have made the finals as a team seeded fourth or below. This all holds true again this season as there are only a handful of teams with legit shots at hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy. Eastern Conference Cleveland Cavaliers The…