http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/stein_marc/1534174.html

The owners are voting on it and the Hornets could move to the Western Conference by the 2004-05 season.

If I were the Hornets I would do everything in my power to stay out of the West. They would not be in the playoffs if they played this season in the West.

I totally agree.

As long as Shaq and Kobe are playing, I'd stay in the East if I could

Think about it this way, if you beat the Lakers in the play-offs, you still have to get to the NBA finals and beat the team from the East.

But, if you're in the East and get to the finals, and beat the Lakers, you get the championship.

Memphis is trying to qualify for the Eastern Conference.

In 10 years the East could be the better conference, so in the long term it wouldn't really matter much.

radiohead..how do you figure that?

In 10 years, Shaq is gone; but Kobe's still left. and Yao should still be in Houston.

How can anyone project that far out?

Unless Lebron is picked by an Eastern Conference team ,and becomes another Michael / Kobe.

Lebron better have some heart and motivation, lest he be mistaken for Harold Miner, aka Baby Jordan

Exactly, no one can predict that far out. The East could be the power. That is why it really doesn't matter too much which conference they are in. I am sure that the Celtics and Knicks will get good again. Plus I can see Orlando becoming a potential power with T-Mac!

Yeah the East could get better but in the future the West still should have Yao, Kobe, the guys from the Mavs, Garnett, Duncan, the young guys on the Suns, and a lot more players than what the East will have. The only way it will change is if players go to the East like Webber or Kobe and that doesn't look like it will happen.

Well the east might get better this year. The lower teams get the highers draft picks so the east could get Lebron, Anthony(maybe), Darko and all the other great kids coming next season might go to the east.