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By David Mitchel

With half of the NBA season now complete, it is now more evident than ever that the gap between the East and the West has grown to Grand Canyon sized proportions. With the exception of the Indiana Pacers, no Eastern Conference team could make the playoffs in the West. As a result, the only conference that matters in the NBA is the Western Conference. The team that is most successfully able to weather the storms of the West will emerge victorious in the NBA Finals in June.

Without further ado, these are the midterm grades for all of the Western Conference teams.

The "A" Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs

When the four future Hall of Famers are healthy, the Lakers are unbeatable. However, injuries that have and will continue to sideline Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal for significant periods of time have put a major obstacle in the Lakers' championship quest. The key to the Lakers' season is overcoming injuries and distractions. By the time that the All Star Game rolls around in mid February, the Lakers should be returning to their early season form.

The Kings are in first place in the Pacific Division with a 28-9 record. They have recorded such an impressive record without the services of Chris Webber, who is still recovering from the ligament tear in his knee suffered during last year's playoffs. This is the third year in a row that the Kings have been able to withstand an injury to a key contributor in the early season for a significant period of time. As a result of the Kings' splendid start, there has been some speculation that the Kings could be better than a fully healthy Lakers squad when Webber returns. That is unlikely to happen because Webber has never been a player that can take his team to a higher level.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have taken over first place in the Midwest Division, as Kevin Garnett continues to be one of the most valuable players in the league. The additions of Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell have eased Garnett's scoring burden. Wally Szczerbiak should only improve the team once he is able to return from injury. With defenses collapsing on Garnett, Sprewell and Cassell, he will get an inordinate amount of open looks. The only downside for the Timberwolves thus far is the Michael Olowokandi has been unable to shake Clipper-it is. Without a dominant presence in the center position, the Wolves could struggle in the spring. It is at that point in time that the success or failure of this season for Minnesota will be determined, as they have never been able to advance past the first round of the playoffs.

The Nuggets have exceeded everyone's expectations and last season's win total. Jeff Bzdelik has to garner serious consideration for Coach of the Year for the way that this team has become a cohesive, winning unit in such a short amount of time. In my mind, Carmelo Anthony is the Rookie of the Year. His statistical achievements are at nearly the same level as LeBron James, but he been a large reason for the transformation of a doormat NBA franchise into a team that is a serious playoff contender at this point. A healthy Marcus Camby and a rapidly developing Nene forms a formidable frontline. The Nuggets also have players that do the little things that win games in Jon Barry, Voshon Lenard and Earl Boykins.

Last Monday, the Nuggets put together up an impressive win against the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets showed defensive intensity in the game, getting in the passing lane for easy steals leading to high percentage shots on the fast break. In addition, the Nuggets forced a raw Suns team into making mental mistakes that led to poor execution and turnovers. This type of play, albeit it against a weak team, has served as a manifestation of the Nuggets' vast improvement in just one half of a season.

The Spurs struggled in the first few weeks of the season, as they had to adjust to massive roster turnover and injuries to Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. However, the Spurs won 13 games in a row in December, demonstrating that the team could perform as a cohesive unit. With the way that Tim Duncan is playing, it is likely that he will become the first player since Larry Bird to win 3 consecutive MVP awards.

The "B" Teams: Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks

The Rockets are winning with aggressive defense, a staple of Jeff Van Gundy coached teams. Their wins have usually not been pretty affairs, but there is no such thing as style points for wins in the NBA. However, the Rockets 99-87 win against the Lakers on Christmas Day sent a message that this team will not be intimidated by anyone. There should be no question in anyone's mind right now that this team is going to make the playoffs for the first time in 5 years.

With the roster that the Mavericks have, it is evident that they are underachieving at this point in the season. It is difficult to explain what is going wrong in Dallas, and nobody expected the Mavericks to be only 23-16 at this point. The team needs to find a way to play better team basketball, especially on the defensive end, where teams score on them at will. Earlier this week, owner Mark Cuban denied that Don Nelson was on the hot seat as Coach/GM, but rampant speculation about Nelson's job security will continue if the Mavericks' do not make a move in the standings and do not have a strong playoff run.

The "C" Teams: Utah Jazz, Seattle Supersonics, Memphis Grizzlies

Utah was a team that entered the season with a roster that appeared to be devoid of talent following various retirements, trades and free agent defections. Jerry Sloan has done an excellent job of grooming his young players in the face of adversity with regards to the health of his wife.

The Grizzlies are building upon the foundation that Hubie Brown laid last year when he arrived in Memphis. With a young and athletic roster that is improving with each game, they should be a fun team to watch.

Seattle is a victim of their geographical placement. They could easily make the playoffs in the watered down Eastern Conference. The Sonics should be competing for the 8th seed in the West. The return to form of Ray Allen should assist the Sonics in this quest. Ronald Murray was the biggest surprise in the early season for Seattle. Murray and Allen are making the Gary Payton trade look rather one sided in the favor of the Sonics.

The "D" Teams: Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trailblazers, Golden State Warriors

The Clippers have not done much to distinguish themselves from the Clippers of old. They have had two impressive wins against the Mavericks, but they are taking their usual spot at the bottom of the Western Conference.

For the Blazers, there is no way that they should have a 16-21 record to the point with the talent on their roster. Zach Randolph has developed into the 20-10 player that everyone expected him to turn into. Rasheed Wallace continues to be a headache for the organization, with his declining production and ridiculous behavior off the court. Moving Bonzi Wells was addition by subtraction.

The Warriors lost their two best players in the offseason, with the trade of Antwan Jamison and the defection of Gilbert Arenas. Ownership put Coach Musselman in a difficult position, but he is making the best of what he has to work with.

The "F" Team: Phoenix Suns

The Suns have easily been the biggest underachievers of this season. From the beginning of training camp, the Suns looked lackadaisical and their play has only gone downhill since then.

Frank Johnson got fired as coach in early December and was replaced by assistant coach Mike D'Antoni. It was the right time for Johnson to get fired as it was clear that the team had quit on him. However, hiring Mike D'Antoni on more than an interim basis was a mistake. As assistant coach, D'Antoni is only an extension of the problems that plagued the previous regime. The Suns need to look outside the organization for a coach if they are to right the ship for the long term in the near future.

Neither of the Suns' coaches had the luxury of playing with a healthy roster. Rookie Zarko Cabarkapa was lost for 4-6 weeks in late November when Danny Fortson fouled him roughly. Blooming superstar Amare Stoudemire suffered the most severe ankle sprain possible and was out for 18 games. These injuries have played a significant role to submarine the Suns season.

The Suns officially raised the white flag on the season by sending Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway to New York. It was a move intended to clear cap space for the future and the organization hopes to make a splash in the free agent market in the summer.

David Mitchel can be reached at david_mitchel888@insidehoops.net (remove the 888)