Western Conference Teams That Will Be Better Than LA Lakers in 2013-14

Jordan Hill is a bit delusional. 

In a phone interview with Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Lakers backup center said the following about his team's chances in the Western Conference: 

We definitely could be in the top three in the West. I don’t see why not. Kobe is making progress with his rehab [surrounding his left Achilles tendon]. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back at the beginning of the season or in training camp.

I don’t know if he will. But I wouldn’t be surprised. I have faith in everything he can do. I believe in the Mamba. The sky’s the limit for him.

Sorry, Jordan, but I see why not. 

The big man's entire reasoning centers around Kobe, who has to come back from his Achilles injury and lead the team to...the third seed in the West?

Yikes. 

Just to jog Hill's memory, that would mean that Kobe needs to play light-years better than he performed in 2012-13, when he had a renaissance season that still left the Lakers in seventh place. And that was before the Lakers replaced Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace with Chris Kaman and Nick Young. 

That's not going to happen. Of course, I'm not going to go to the other end of the spectrum and predict that the Lakers will finish 12th. I'd rather not prompt a passively aggressive tweet from the "Black Mamba." 

But I'm still not going to hesitate to put these nine teams in front of them. 

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