It has been a long time since the Pacific division
was won by a team other than the Lakers and although there is only one threat
to take the crown this year, all the teams have gotten better. All 5 teams have
gone through major changes with players moving sides in a rivalry (Odom, Nash)
and getting big name draft picks (Barnes, Robinson, Marshall). I’d like to try
and predict the finish in what is becoming one of the NBA’s most relevant
divisions again.
5th- Phoenix Suns
No fan base has seen greater heartbreak than the
Phoenix Suns who were 2 games away from the 2010 finals and had to watch their
beloved two time MVP get traded to their least favorite team. (Let’s not
pretend Miami-Boston is some sort of rivalry and Ray Allen is no longer a
valuable player although he could flourish in Miami). Although losing Steve Nash isn’t going to
help this team’s present or future (those picks are useless), the Suns are not
a team to be taken lightly. Signing Eric Gordon would have been great for the
franchise, but acquiring Dragic and Beasley will help soften the blow of Nash’s
departure. Dragic will be welcomed back with open arms and should still be a
solid player for the Suns. Any questions of Beasley are fair based on what he
showed in Minnesota, but playing in a new city will be invigorating for him.
Both of these signings will help Phoenix this year and in the future.
Speaking of
the future, the Suns first round draft pick, Kendall Marshall, is a pure point
guard like Nash was, but his shooting must be improved. As of now, he reminds
me of a lesser Rondo in terms of playmaking and defense who is perhaps the best
PG in those respective areas. He will start behind Dragic, but it wouldn’t be
shocking to see him make a jump into the starting lineup, perhaps Dragic would
move over to the 2. Gortat is one of the most underrated bigs in the league and
will continue to play well in Phoenix. Luis Scola will bring energy and solid
rebounding alongside Gortat and will be the starting 4. Although the Suns made
great moves for the future, there will be growing pains this year resulting in
a lottery pick.
Starting 5:
Goran Dragic, Shannon Brown, Michael Beasley, Luis Scola, Marcin Gortat
Record:
32-50
4th-Sacramento Kings
The Kings haven’t won more than 25 games in the
last 4 seasons and as a result have finished in the final spot in the division
4 times running. That being said the Kings are ready to make a jump this year
and will be a tough team in the Pacific as well as the Western Conference.
DeMarcus Cousins is an absolute beast and will emerge as a top 5 center this
season. Part of his success will be due to the Kings’ draft pick of Thomas
Robinson who is one of the hardest working and driven kids the draft had to
offer. This frontcourt is going to be exciting to watch and should produce
double doubles frequently. Hopefully Robinson’s work ethic and focus can rub
off on Cousins who has shown his immaturity. There is no question Isaiah Thomas
was a major diamond in the rough last year, probably only outdone by Linsanity.
He will play the PG position for the Kings and should continue to grow and
improve off a very productive rookie season. Aaron Brooks will be a solid
backup for Thomas and could perhaps take over the starting role if Thomas can’t
play at the same level as last year.
The most interesting part of the Kings roster is
who will play the 2 and 3 in the starting lineup. Marcus Thornton and Tyreke
Evans would be the anticipated starters, but Evans is not a real 3. In addition
the Kings have Jimmer Fredette as well as Francisco Garcia and the overpaid
John Salmons. It would not be shocking to see a few of these players moved,
likely Fredette and Evans to try and get a real starting 3. The Kings do have a
good group of young guys to fill in the 2, but the 3 is really where the issue
is and as a result, a trade needs to be made. That being said, Evans is a good
player and should bring back a quality player in return.
Starting 5:
Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton, James Johnson, Thomas Robinson, DeMarcus
Cousins
Record:
35-47
3rd- Golden State Warriors
This is going to be the year that the Warriors
become that solid Western Conference team that everyone has been expecting them
to be. Two major moves in the offseason have made the Warriors look a lot
better for the upcoming season. First they had Harrison Barnes fall to them at
7th in the draft, a player that many felt could have been the 1st
overall pick in last year’s draft. Barnes is going to be a solid pro, not a
superstar, but a consistent player on both ends of the court. The second move
was even more helpful as they traded for Jarrett Jack to back up injury-prone
Stephen Curry. Jack was a good player behind Paul into New Orleans and will
continue that trend in Golden State. The starting PG is the best player on the
team, Curry, and will be a major reason for the Warriors’ success. An elite
scorer back in his days at Davidson, Steph Curry has continued his excellent
play in the NBA. If he can stay healthy then the Warriors should expect nothing
less than solid play from Curry. Speaking of injuries, the Warriors showed they
aren’t afraid of injury-prone players when they acquired Andrew Bogut. A good
defensive player and rebounder, the former first overall pick has seen more
than his fair share of injuries. Much like Curry, Bogut’s health will be a main
factor in deciding how this team fares.
Dealing Monta Ellis was the right move for Golden
State, not just to acquire Bogut, but it opened up space in the starting
rotation for Klay Thompson. He has shown that he can score when given opportunities
and should continue to play well in the upcoming season. Playing an inside out
game with Bogut will be great for one of the NBA’s prolific young shooters.
Barnes will start at the SF position and should play well with this group of
guys. To round out the starting unit will be the underrated David Lee who is an
excellent PF in the league. Put these guys with Coach Mark Jackson and this
team should be ready to compete for a playoff spot this season. The last two 82
game seasons, it took 46 and 50 wins just to make the playoffs and based on the
strength of the conference, it wouldn’t be shocking to expect that again. This
team is one year away from making the playoffs, but this season will be the
start of their transformation into contenders for years to come.
Starting 5:
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee, Andrew Bogut
Record:
45-37
2nd-Los Angeles Clippers
Last year’s most exciting experiment was a success
despite a second round bashing by the Spurs. Chris Paul solidified that he is
the league’s top point guard and led the Clippers to a 2nd place
finish in the division, falling just 1 game short of LAL. Paul is the most
complete in the league and despite being just 6’, he is physical and fearless.
An excellent floor general, he not only elevates everyone around him, but can
score if needed. Blake Griffin is one of the most athletic players in the
league, if not the most. Despite some belief that he might be just fun to
watch, Griffin showed this year that he can do more than just dunk. His
offensive game still needs to be refined, but he can put up 20 and 10. Having
Paul with Griffin is one of the most lethal combinations in the league. Along
with Griffin in the frontcourt will be DeAndre Jordan and Caron Butler. Butler
is a solid NBA player who is getting old, but still producing well enough to
start. Jordan is the project for this team as he has the tools to become a
talented center in the league, but isn’t quite there yet.
The final starter will be Chauncey Billups who is
the veteran leader of the Clippers. He is a sound shooter and will be crucial
in this team’s success. Backing up Chris Paul, Eric Bledsoe is a great young
talent and will always get some action. The present looks bright for the Clips
while the future looks even brighter, but they won’t compete with the Lakers
for the division crown. They replaced Mo Williams and Nick Young for three
older guys who aren’t what they use to be. Jamal Crawford is coming off a
horrific season, Lamar Odom showed the world that he is a mental midget, and
Grant Hill is very old with worn legs. Combine that with one of the league’s
worst coaches in Vinny Del Negro and the Clippers become a team that hasn’t
improved much since last year. Expect middle of the road in the Western
Conference and probably around the 10th best record in the league
with a second round exit.
Starting 5:
Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
Record:
50-32
1st-Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have won the Pacific division for 5
consecutive years and it doesn’t look like anything will change in the upcoming
season. With the most surprising free agent move this year, the Lakers turned
useless picks into one of the greatest PGs of all time. Steve Nash is going to
get the most out of Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, and all the Lakers at the offensive
end. In addition he should add time onto Kobe’s career as Bryant will move to
more of a shooting role rather than penetration. The addition of Antawn Jamison
to score off the bench is another major signing and will help what is one of
the worst benches in the league. Even prior to the signings of Nash and
Jamison, I felt the Lakers were better than the Clippers and the rest of the
division. With these new players, there is no question they should be able to
win the division and compete for the Western Conference crown.
The offense will improve with Nash and the defense
should improve thanks to Mike Brown. A defensive minded coach, Brown will use
training camp to prepare his team to play better defense. As improved as the
Lakers are, they will either need players like Ebanks, Eyenga, Morris, or
Goudelock to emerge as solid role players. The other option is to get another
bench player or two in free agency, but the pool is drying up quickly and the
youth and athleticism that the Lakers need is becoming difficult to find.
Getting those 1 or 2 better defenders would turn the Lakers into not only heavy
favorites to win the division, but the Western Conference. Talks of Dwight
Howard coming to LA have quieted down, but that is another move that would make
the Lakers very difficult to beat. Either way the division looks like it is the
Lakers to lose, but it is nice to see that the Pacific isn’t the laughing stock
of the league as it has been the last few years.
Starting 5:
Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Record:
57-25
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