The Knights of the FanHouse Roundtable have assembled to consider the NBA in '08-09. In this dispatch, we discuss the contenders of the Western Conference. Be sure to also check out the hub of our NBA Preview activity.

Ziller: Can anyone top the Lakers?

Matt Moore: The smart money is on the Lakers. There's no question. If you're talking percentages, I'll give the Lakers a 68% chance to win the West. There are question marks. And their route to the Finals was deceptively easy last year (I'm becoming a full fledged Jazz hater, which is bizarre given my small market affection). But come on. Even I'm not crazy enough to say anyone else can be the favorite versus a team with Kobe Bryant who's actually somehow gotten better, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum. It's just sick.

But there are reasons to think that if the Hornets had been able to withstand the Spurs' attrition-war last year, they would have pushed that team harder than anyone had before and harder than the Spurs, who had nothing left at that point, did. The biggest difference when I talk about the Lakers versus the Hornets is that the Hornets to me were a more consistent team. The Lakers were either on long winning streaks or looking vulnerable like they did in that nasty stretch against the Bobcats and a near-loss to the Wizards at home. When the Lakers are on, they're nearly unstoppable. But the Hornets are the quiet assassin.

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It's time to get our Miss Cleo on. On the surface, the Northwest seems to offer one real championship contender (Utah) and two more potential playoff teams (Denver, Portland). Those playoff teams are a source of intrigue, as expectations for the budding Blazers have gotten completely out of control, while a lot of folks are seeming to forget that Denver was an 8th seed in the toughest West ever last season.

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The opening locale for our NBA Preview tour hosts a championship contender ... unless you believe in Vegas, where two teams have odds of at least 18-to-1 to win the title. Bettors have Utah at 18-to-1 and Portland, ahem Portland at 12-to-1. Clearly, folks expect big things from the newborn Trail Blazers.

That brings us to our first topic: how good will Portland be? The Blazers caught much of the nation off-guard last year, with a long winning streak through the early winter keeping the team alive in the rough Western playoff race. Clearly, Portland overperformed based on common expectation. Is that even possible this year? Win or lose, the Blazers will likely get more attention than any other Northwest team this season. The burgeoning tomorrow promises excitement, and no one wants to miss out the introduction of greatness. No pressure, kids.

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. The Oregonian. Rudy Fernandez has made landfall. Cheer appropriately, you lucky Blazers fans you.

2. SLC Dunk. A great Jazz blog interviews a Jazz great: Mark Eaton (Part II is here.)

3. The Blowtorch. Salim Stoudamire's open, man.

4. Upside and Motor, via TSB. Who will think of Boris Diaw? (Put your hand down, Miss G.)

5. Hoops Avenue. Carnival of the NBA #60.

6. Ridiculous Upside. Yep, even the D-League has an expansion draft!

FanHouse's Tom Ziller argues his ranking of the top 50 players in the NBA.

After two seasons of undisputed domination over the West's best power forwards, you wouldn't think Carlos Boozer would have to explain his power. Perhaps that his arrival on the top flight has coincided with Deron Williams' introduction to the league has dampened appreciation and recognition of his elite talent level. The fantastic thing about basketball, though: we can look into Boozer's past, which says pretty clearly he'd be this good with or without Deron.

If you're Kyle Korver, and you're not busy perfecting the worst possible defensive stances ever, what do you do with your summer? Do you work on that deadly three point shot? Get yourself a tan on the coast? Maybe go camping with some buds?

No, of course you don't. You help set a Guinness World Record for the longest game of kickball ever played. Of course.

Inside Hoops lets us in on the charity plans of Mr. Korver, which include a 25 hour kickball tournament held tomorrow in Philadelphia. The benefit goes towards the Helping Hand Rescue Mission and will feature a 25 hour kickball game with over 40 participants (Guinness stipulates that 4 players must be on the field at all times), sponsored by the Kyle Korver Foundation.

So the next time you see Korver curl into a tight ball in fear and anticipation of a driving small forward and decide to mock him for his girlish approach, maybe you should remember the man could trounce you at marathon kickball. Word.

FanHouse's Tom Ziller argues his ranking of the top 50 players in the NBA.

Let's hope the Top 50 curse doesn't spread to No. 20, no offense to the unassailable Ronnie Price. The Jazz without Deron Williams, at this point, wouldn't be close to a top five team. Just as the Hornets seem on the precipice to great things for a decade, Utah hangs around with their own stunner point guard and beefy frontcourt, waiting for Kobe to become unenamored again or the Spurs to die. And the engine that drives those hopes is the league's second-best point guard under the age of 25.

I don't compare unfavorably to Chris Paul as a diss on Williams, just as I wouldn't be demeaning Carlos Boozer to say he's no Karl Malone. Facts is facts. This shouldn't discount the unbelievable talent Williams possesses, nor the value he has become to team and league.

In the latest "incredible Chinese nickname" news, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports Utah forward Carlos Boozer is known in China as Fan Gu Zai, which translates as "Betrayal Skull Dude." The Dealer's Jodie Valade explains:

The betrayal skull reference comes from the Chinese story of Zhuge Liang, one of China's most well-known intellectuals and military strategists. According to legend, before Zhuge died, he said, "Wei will betray the country sooner or later." Wei was a general under Zhuge's supervision."

How do you know?" someone asked.

"He has a protuberant bone on his head," Zhuge answered.

Unfortunately, Gordon Gund -- the former Cavs owner Boozer allegedly stabbed in the back in 2004 -- is blind. He just couldn't see the protuberant bone on Carlos' head. Next time, blind NBA owners: give the dome a quick rub before making those handshake deals.

This offseason, NBA FanHouse will address important questions about the league. It will be a Summer of Answers. First up: the biggest draft busts of the decade.

Unless you're a fan of the Toronto Raptors or a huge NBA Draft nerd follower, you may have read that headline and thought, "who's Rafael Araujo? Never heard of him." That was my initial thought anyway, and that, my friends, is exactly why Mr. Araujo comes in at number four on our Biggest Busts of the '00s list.

When you look back at the 2004 draft, everyone taken in the first seven picks before Araujo turned out to be productive NBA (or Euroleague) players. Well, except for Shaun Livingston who had the gruesome knee injury two seasons ago. But that's no biggie, right? The talent level could have simply dropped off after that point, and Araujo could have been the first on a long list of disappointments who just happened to be drafted eighth overall. Unfortunately for him (and the Raptors), this was a very deep draft.

Players selected after Rafael (pronounced "HA-f-eye-ell" if you believe NBA.com) include Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, Kevin Martin, Sasha Vujacic, Beno Udrih, Anderson Varejao, Pape Sow ... just seeing if you were still paying attention. The point is this: when a player is selected with the number eight pick, with this much talent still on the board, and his career averages over three seasons are under three points and three rebounds a game, I don't know if "bust" is a strong enough word to describe his NBA status.

C.J. Miles -- who has consistently clashed with Jerry Sloan -- almost saw his way out of Utah by signing a four-year, $15 million offer sheet with the Un-Sonics. The Jazz were not expected to match, as Deron Williams' max extension has landed the luxury tax right into Larry Miller's lap for the 2009-10 season. But after some minor maneuvering (which we'll get to in a sec), Utah made the call to match the offer, keeping Miles under Jazz authority.

Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune notes that Miles now has pressure to earn his keep. Before, C.J.'s lack of action on the court was more annoyance than crime; Miles was just a minor prospect who might someday be a decent bench cog. But making almost $4 million a year -- Sloan will be forced to get Miles minutes and Miles needs to deliver quality play, lest everyone end up fools. (It's almost a similar situation as with Amir Johnson last season -- Detroit paid him, but Flip Saunders wouldn't play him. Sloan's in no danger either way, but it certainly wouldn't hurt the harmony if Miles got a chance.)

Besides Utah and OKC, one more team took an impact from this move, as ClipsNation notes flawlessly. To create a little breathing room, Utah dealt Jason Hart to the Clippers for Brevin Knight. Hart makes roughly a half-million more than Knight. When L.A. made the trade, the Warriors still had about a day to match Kelenna Azubuike's offer from the Clippers. Utah surely wanted the Hart deal done ASAP so they could make a decision on Miles. So L.A. pulled the trigger. Once the Warriors unexpectedly matched on Azubuike, the Clips were left with a hole on the wing and (thanks to Hart) less money with which to address it. L.A. really should have waited on the expiration of Golden State's matching period before making any related deals. Jason Hart just ain't worth the heartache.