From Dennis Velasco,
Your Guide to Basketball.
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Who’s going to grab the 8th seed in the West?

Natalie: I have to give this one to Minnesota for the simple fact that Kevin Garnett can carry the team on any given night. All the other teams have so many things working against them. NO/OK might make a run, but my money is on Minnesota.

Atma Brother #1: My main man Fantasy Junkie recently dropped some science on this very topic on The W Column. Because of my obvious conflict of interest I'm going to have to go the Rasheed Wallace route for this question, meaning "Both teams played hard."

Dave: The Hornets seem to have an inside track right now with their players returning from injury. The question will be how well they mesh down the stretch. You can’t ignore the Clippers’ talent and experience either. I’m kind of sentimentally rooting for the Warriors to end their drought though. That just ain’t right. I’m going to say the Warriors surprise us all and if Denver slips out then the Clippers get in too.

Ryan: N’awlins!

Dennis: I'm going with the New Orleans Hornets as well. Chris Paul is back and has been doing very well, even scoring a bit more without losing his dime dropping ability. David West has been showing that last season wasn't a fluke and that he is definitely a real threat to score when he touches the ball. Tyson Chandler has simply been a beast down in the box, grabbing boards galore and blocking tons of shots. Players such as Desmond Mason, Devin Brown, and Rasual Butler all showed that they could be effective scorers and Jannero Pargo gives Paul a great backup, if not someone who can fill in when Paul is injured. I'm really liking the Hornets to grab that last spot right now. And if Peja Stojakovic somehow comes back and stay healthy and can mesh with everyone... wow.