The press conferences actually changed my rankings more than I was expecting. Great job, everyone.
Western Conference
1. Dallas - best combination of offense, defense, and "fit" in the CBNBA
2. Portland - I worry this team is built for the regular season, but I think they cruise until the playoffs
3. Oklahoma City - Great top tier talent, but the wings are underwhelming
4. Minnesota - Lebron and a great defense, but the offense could be spotty
5. Houston - I'm unsure about the firepower up front; Harden is the only guy who consistently excels on offense
6. Golden State - Why, Kane, why? I wish the trade had never happened, as I think it made some questionable fits worse
7. San Antonio - I love Love and Iggy, and I'm willing to be optimistic on Granger. I hate McGee, though.
8. Denver - I can't keep two-time champ Anderson Varejao out of the CB Playoffs. I like this team's depth, and it's got a lot of underrated players
9. LA Lakers - A few too many one-dimensional players
10. LA Clippers - I don't care for the bench, or the fit of Griffin and Gay
11. Memphis - Chris Paul, but the rest of the talent doesn't inspire me.
12. Phoenix - Outside of Duncan and West, I just don't like this team a lot. They missed their presser, which is reason enough for me not to overthink this
Eastern Conference
1. New York - The best sixth man in the NBA carries NY through the regular season
2. Atlanta - A wildly talented starting lineup
3. Miami - Lots of talented, experienced players led by Tony Parker
4. Cleveland - Probably my favorites to make it out of the East in the playoffs, but KG's minutes limit them in the regular season
5. Indiana - Durant is the best player in the East, and that should be enough to carry Indy to a mid-tier playoff seed
6. Orlando - A really well-constructed team built around Kobe. If Amare isn't dominant, though, I'm not sure this team will fare much better than the "real" Lakers lately
7. Boston - A little too inexperienced for my liking, but this team's core will be really good in two or three years
8. Chicago - Why, ronaldo, why? I wish the trade had never happened, as I think it took your team out of contention
9. Washington - Similar to Boston: lots of talent, but I'm not sure they're ready.
10. Milwaukee - I'm not a believer in Okafor / Anderson as a playoff front line. I like their 1 through 3, though.
11. Brooklyn - Another questionable big man situation. Westbrook and Kawhi are a very nice foundation
12. Detroit - A team clearly focused on the future, but it should win some games in the short term, as well. Lots of talent.
13. Philadelphia - See Detroit, except they didn't do a press conference