Photo. Jeffery Salter

For part of Dime’s NBA Preview in Issue #37 (on newsstands now), I hit up two of the League’s All-Stars — Gilbert Arenas and Carlos Boozer — to have them break down their respective conferences for the ‘07-08 campaign. I got up with Booz right before training camp started, via phone from his crib in Miami, where he went team-by-team going through all the competition in the Western Conference, and of course his own Utah squad:

*Click here for Gilbert’s Eastern Conference preview*

UTAH JAZZ
We have a very good team, man. We have a good chance to do what we did last year, but hopefully get home court advantage. We have a lot of young talent and explosive guys at a couple of positions. Deron, myself, AK, Memo … the West is always gonna be very tough to crack every night. Losing Derek Fisher is huge. He had so much experience, he was our best defender on the perimeter, and he hit big shots down the stretch, especially free throws. Ronnie Brewer will have to step up at that position. So will C.J. Miles and Gordan Giricek. And we drafted a pretty good kid, Morris Almond. They don’t have the experience D-Fish had, but they can be good.

DALLAS MAVERICKS
Dallas is one of the teams that could win the whole thing. They could have won it two years ago, they could have won it last year, and they could win it this year. The main thing is that they’re well coached. Avery Johnson has those guys playing defense and he gets the most out of his players. They just ran into their old coach in the playoffs and that matchup was hell for them. It was like Nellie knew all of their plays. Still, Dirk had a great year and he’ll have a great year this year. I like Josh Howard and Devin Harris. Diop, I think his impact is incredible. He’s there to block shots and that’s what he does. Jerry Stackhouse could have gotten Sixth Man of the Year easily. They could run the table again, win 60-something games and win the championship.

DENVER NUGGETS
They’re gonna be probably the most improved team in the West. Carmelo and A.I. being together for a whole year, they’ll be explosive, and they’re getting K-Mart back. I know I’m gonna be watching them a lot. Carmelo could be MVP, and so could A.I. Any time you have two guys who can score 30 points a game, that’s gonna be the case. People talk about them not being able to share the ball, but in the games we played them, I didn’t see that. ’Melo would have 28, 30 points, and A.I. would have 28 or 30. Those two guys brought it every night. We won the season series with them, but those two guys balled. That whole team is very talented and athletic at every position: Nene, Camby, J.R. Smith … that team is good.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
They gave us a run for our money. I know we won 4-1, but it was much closer than that. Baron is just a really smooth player. He’s got all the tricks, all the handles. He had the Dunk of the Year against us. If he stays healthy and plays like he did in the playoffs, he could be the MVP. The Warriors are like a different version of Phoenix, and Nellie is the mastermind. They have a group of guys who play fast, play up-tempo and hectic and make you speed up your pace. Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes are good. Biedrins is a good shot blocker who rebounds. The Italian kid, [Marco] Belinelli, he can shoot the ball well beyond the three-point line; he can stroke it, man. And the way Baron does such a good job of driving past the defense and kicking it out to the open man, he might end up starting.

HOUSTON ROCKETS
Honestly, they’re gonna be right at the top of the list. When you look at the League, how many real superstars are there. Maybe 10? And the Rockets have two of them on the same team. Yao would have been an MVP candidate had he stayed healthy. He can do everything from the low block, plus he hits his free throws so you can give it to him in the clutch. T-Mac can do everything. He’s gonna be hungry this year; imagine how he felt after saying, “If we don’t get past the first round it’s because of me,” think of how hard he’s worked since then. I saw something about Yao working out with Dream, and that was like right after they lost to us. They have new blood and they have a new coach, and players always respond to a new system because they’re anxious to prove themselves. They got Steve Francis and Mike James, but I’m not a big fan of trading Juwan Howard. I think that hurts them. Juwan brought defense and leadership every night.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
I feel so bad for Elton. I also feel bad for Shaun Livingston. He’s an amazing talent that a lot of people haven’t had a chance to see. He does stuff with the ball that 6-7, 6-8 guys can’t do. Corey Maggette has an opportunity now to be a Top-20 scorer this year. He’s strong, makes his free throws. Sam Cassell is very motivated. I played with him at Zo’s Summer Groove charity game this year and he had like 38 points in 20 minutes. I’ve always been a Sam fan – he’s not afraid to take the big shot. Chris Kaman should be a big piece of the puzzle, but he has to carry the load inside, getting shots that usually go to Elton. They could get close to the eighth seed.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Come on, man. That whole franchise starts with Kobe Bryant. He’s an MVP candidate every year, Hall of Famer … he’s the best two-guard I’ve seen in this era. He scores from everywhere: post up, free throws, game-winning shots. Kobe is the definition of “killer instinct.” Not too many guys can mimic MJ, but he’s one of them. They have one of the best players of all-time in Kobe, and one of the best coaches of all-time in Phil Jackson. The triangle is beautiful. Then they have Lamar Odom. They kept Luke Walton, who’s a very good passer. I like the big kid Bynum. I’m really sad to see D-Fish in a Lakers uniform, but I wish him the best.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
The biggest piece is Pau Gasol. He’s a seven-foot guy that can shoot the ball with his right and left hand, block shots, rebound, and he runs the floor very well. Hakim Warrick might get Most Improved – he’s a sleeper. I wanna see how good Juan Carlos Navarro does, and it’ll be interesting to see Darko get a bigger role. Mike Miller is a stud. Rudy Gay is as talented as any young guy in the League, and they have Dahntay Jones and Mike Conley. If their young guys grow up fast, they could be pretty good.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
I’m a big, big fan of KG. That’s a HUGE loss for them, first and foremost, but in the same breath, I’m happy for KG that he gets a chance to win now. I mean, gimme a break: He did everything he could for that team every year, and it wasn’t enough. He’s a big loss for them, but they got a ton of young talent now. Randy Foye, I like him a lot. Al Jefferson’s gonna be a stud. I like Sebastian; he’s quick and has got all those moves. They have young talent but then they have Ricky Davis and Mark Blount, older guys who can help lead the younger guys. And if Juwan stays, he’ll be able to help those guys as far as teaching them how to be a professional in the NBA. They’re just young, and in the West, it’s tough being a young team.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
I know I said Denver could be the most improved team, but the Hornets could be up there, too. The key to the team is Chris Paul. He’s the engine that makes that team go. If Peja is healthy, he’s one of the best shooters in our game. Tyson Chandler had a great season and he did a really good job in the FIBA tournament this summer. David West is a very good young power forward. The kid they drafted, Julian Wright, he’s a scorer. He got some hops. They signed Mo Pete after we were trying to get him. He’s a good piece for them because he can shoot and plays D. The big thing for them is just staying healthy.

PHOENIX SUNS
Very, very dynamic, creative offense. And they’ve got Steve Nash – the best point guard in the game – running it with a lot of pieces around him: Marion, Amare, Raja Bell, Barbosa … all of those guys would be stars on most teams in the NBA, and they’re all on the same team. I’m really happy for Grant Hill that he can play for a ring; he’s one of the smartest players in the game today. He can play point-forward for them. Everyone likes Grant. He’s smart, easy to get along with, and obviously he can play. He’s one of the best small forwards in the game. His skill level is high and his basketball IQ is off the charts.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
I feel bad for Greg Oden. He’s obviously the reason they moved some of their other pieces around. I know it’s tough for him, but I think he’s still gonna be good. I think their team is gonna be good in like three years. Brandon Roy is a stud. He made me a believer last year when he gave us like 28 and hit some big free throws to win the game down the stretch. D-Miles is coming back with a vengeance. Honestly, I think Jarrett Jack is a really good point guard. He’s underrated. He’s got good size and a good head on his shoulders. Steve Blake is a smart point guard, too. LaMarcus is gonna have a big weight on his shoulders now; he’s gonna get the ball a lot. Channing Frye is a very good young guy. I’m a big fan of his. I’d say give them two or three years, and that’s only because of Oden’s injury this year.

SACRAMENTO KINGS
I’m really happy they took care of Kevin Martin. He had a great year. They’ve got a talented group of guys, top-to-bottom. Artest will give you 20, Martin averaged 20, Mike Bibby can get you 20 every night. That’s a lot of offensive firepower. They’ve got three or four power forwards: Shareef, Kenny Thomas, Mikki Moore, Corliss … and Brad Miller, he’s a rare center who can shoot the ball, rebound and pass. He’s had a down couple of years, but he’s still good. I know they were talking about trading Bibby, but if they keep everyone together they could be good.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Any team that wins the whole thing, I give them ultimate respect. They have the rings. It all starts with Timmy. He’s a Hall of Fame player. He has all the intangibles and does everything you want from a post player: scores, defends, rebounds, blocks shots, passes out of the post. He does all the things big men are supposed to do. Then you got the Finals MVP, Tony Parker. He blew up last year in the playoffs. He’s so quick and his jump shot has gotten better; he improved so much as a player last year. Then Manu hits threes and makes plays throughout the game. You have those three players, then Gregg Popovich as the mastermind. Those four components makes them very successful. We just ran into a better team when we played them last year.

SEATTLE SUPERSONICS
Durant is a stud. Everybody talks about how skinny he is, but the kid can play. He’s like T-Mac – the game is easy for him. His jumper is smooth, his handle is smooth; everything is really smooth. He’s gonna be a superstar in the League one day. Jeff Green is gonna be good for them, plus they have guys who are hungry to play like Chris Wilcox, Luke Ridnour and Nick Collison. Wilcox has a huge opportunity this year. Robert Swift could be the starter at center – he has some upside. They lost two big players obviously, two All-Stars in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, but it’ll be interesting to see how they develop in the future.