With NBA Training Camps starting up yesterday, we can officially say that the new season has started. There is no better feeling in the world that knowing that we are literally just 29 days from the regular season starting back up. This was a very busy summer for many NBA teams, we saw many popular faces go to new places: Dwight Howard to Houston, Andrew Bynum to Cleveland, Andre Iguodala to Golden State, Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans to the Pelicans, and many more. However, I am not going to look back on the summer. Instead I think it is time to move forward and look ahead to the season that awaits us. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be writing up division previews, breaking down every single team and predicting what their win/loss record will be. The first division I will start with is the Pacific Division, so lets get started.
Los Angeles Clippers: 59-23
Key Additions: J.J Redick, Jared Dudley, Darren Collison, Antwan Jamison, Doc Rivers (coach)
Notable Losses: Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler, Vinny Del Negro (coach)
The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the teams that really had the basketball world talking this summer. First off they fired coach Vinny Del Negro and brought in former Boston Celtic coach Doc Rivers. I love this move, Rivers is one of the best coaches in basketball on both sides of the ball. He has a very good offensive system, he knows how to put his players in the right spots and get them the shots that they want. More importantly Rivers is a very good coach when it comes to defense and bringing toughness to a team. Anyone who watched Boston the last couple of years, even with an aging roster, saw how tough and defensive minded that group was. The Clippers could be really scary on defense with Rivers considering that they were fourth in the league last season in points allowed. Along with defense, it takes a good offense to contend for a championship in the NBA. The Clippers finished 9th in the NBA last season scoring just over 101 points per game, but now they have added two deadly shooters to their arsenal. In a deal which they sent Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler to Phoenix, the Clippers received sharpshooters J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley. Redick and Dudley both shoot the three very well, which well create many problems for opposing defenses considering they already have to worry about Blake Griffin and Chris Paul (who was the recipient of a brand new five year deal this summer) getting into the lane. However, Redick and Dudley also can both score the basketball on their own. Redick averaged a career high 14.1 ppg last season while Dudley averaged 10.9, respectively. The fact is the Clippers are one of the best teams in the Western Conference if not the NBA, and they just became a little better this summer with the moves they made on the bench and on the court. With an aging San Antonio Spurs team, a Western Conference Finals appearance is there for the taking if they want it.
Golden State Warriors (51-31)
Key Additions: Andre Iguodala, Marresse Speights
Notable Losses: Carl Landry
The Golden State Warriors were the talk of last seasons NBA playoffs as they knocked off the Denver Nuggets in six games, before being eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the next round. For most teams, that wouldn’t generate a lot of buzz, however for the Warriors who have really struggled in the past couple of years it was a big deal. Another reason is because of how well they played, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, aka “the splash brothers” were unreal. They put together amazing shooting performances that had you on the edge of your seat. Up until the Finals, those games were the best to watch for me because of how well they played, every thing about them was exciting. Watching the growth of Thompson, Curry, and Harrison Barnes was special to watch. Most teams would just build around those guys with solid bench players to try and fill out the roster the best way possible. The Golden State Warriors did do that but in a different fashion, instead they went out and signed Andre Iguodala, one of the top defenders in the NBA and also a decent scorer. What this move does is sends Harrison Barnes, who would start for most teams, to the bench as the sixth man. Iguodala will bring toughness on the perimeter, and a lock down defender which will certainly help when it comes time to play guys like Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant out west. Along with his outstanding defense, Iguodala will fit right in with Curry and Thompson because of his ability to get to the rim. While Curry and Thompson can fire from outside, defenses will still have to worry about shutting off the lane to Iguodala and David Lee. This is going to be one very high octane offense, with a improved defense that was already solid last season. With Curry/Thompson/Iggy and Barnes/Lee/Bogut as their first six guys, I see another playoff appearance with the chance of possibly sneaking into the Western Conference Finals if they play well enough in the playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers (46-36)
Key Additions: Chris Kaman, Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Wesley Johnson
Notable Losses: Dwight Howard, Metta World Peace, Antwan Jamison, Earl Clark
Last season was a Dwightmare for the Lakers (see what I did there). After acquiring Dwight Howard, the Lakers had hopes and dreams of making it back to the NBA Finals and winning a championship. However, we all know how that story ended, Dwight Howard was nothing but a headache as him and Kobe Bryant seemed to never get along. The two superstars tried to downplay the situation at times, however at other times both of their egos had enough and the truth started to come out. It is pretty simple honestly, Howard was unhappy in coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense because of how little he would get the ball in the post where he wanted it. Instead Howard would run numerous pick and rolls, which really isn’t his style of play if you want my opinion. Then came his free throw shooting, which I won’t even get into because of how depressing that was to watch, which honestly came down to hurt the Lakers in some ball games. On top of all the Dwight drama the Lakers had the injury bug bad last season. They lost big man Jordan Hill early on, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol both missed time due to injuries, and then came the dagger. When the Lakers seemed to have finally maybe figured it out and were really playing good ball to close out the season and get into the playoffs, Kobe Bryant tore his ACL. Now am I saying that if Kobe didn’t tear his ACL that they would have beaten the Spurs in the first round? No, the Spurs were just to good, but I do think it would have been a much more competitive series which the Lakers would have had a small chance of winning. However, it didn’t happen that way and after a very frustrating summer of more Dwight drama the Lakers are officially ready to turn the page and start over. With Dwight in Houston, Metta World Peace in New York, and key bench players Antwan Jamison and Earl Clark no longer on the roster the Lakers had a busy summer. They brought in big man Chris Kaman, along with Nick Young, Wesley Johnson, and former Laker Jordan Farmar. They still have Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, and Kobe Bryant as their main guys along with getting back injured big Jordan Hill. This season for the Lakers to be successful, first off they need to stay healthy, but they also need a resurgence from Gasol and Nash. Those two really didn’t play well at all last season, at least to the extent we thought they would. Kobe Bryant will be Kobe Bryant and continue to be a dominant scorer, if Gasol and Nash can hold their own the Lakers will be fine. Their Achilles heel was their bench and defense. I believe that the bench has improved this year, but the defense is nowhere close to good enough if they are going to compete in the West. If the Lakers stay healthy this season, I see them back in the playoffs but will probably be a first round exit with the possibility of stealing a round. I don’t expect them to play in the NBA Finals like World Peace predicted, but I do expect them to be a good team.
Sacramento Kings (34-48)
Key Additions: Greivis Vasquez, Carl Landry, Ben McLemore, Luc Mbah a Moute, Michael Malone (coach)
Notable Losses: Tyreke Evans, Toney Douglas, Keith Smart (coach)
The Sacramento Kings really struggled last season, finishing with 28 wins. However, they come into this season with a much new approach and outlook. The Kings quietly had a busy summer, as they now have a new coach in Michael Malone, and brought in players such as Greivis Vasquez, Carl Landry and Luc Mbah a Moute. Along with those signings, with the 7th pick in this years draft the Kings drafted highly talented guard Ben McLemore as well. Headed into training camp there is only one spot that is locked down in the starting five which is the center position, which is held down by Demarcus Cousins who just received a big contract. What this means is that the competition in training camp will be very competitive which is perfect for a team like the Kings. Everyone will have a shot to start, which will really push the players to get better and improve their games. The point guard battle between Isaiah Thomas and Greivis Vasquez will be an intriguing one for sure, along with Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, and Patrick Patterson all pushing to start at power forward. However, with all of that being said the Kings still lost a good player in Tyreke Evans this summer. He was dealt in the deal to acquire Vasquez, but Evans is a better player, and his loss will certainly be felt. He is a scorer, and can do a little of everything whether it is passing, rebounding, or play defense. I do like the move however, Evans was a solid player but it was obvious that the team needed to move on as well. If I had to choose one star to hold on to it is certainly Cousins. Cousins if he keeps his head focused on just playing basketball is one of the best big men in the league, which the Kings need out of him if they have any hope of being competitive this season. However, even if Cousins does play the way he is capable of I still don’t think the Kings have the firepower just yet to compete in a very tough Western Conference. But there is definitely a reason to be optimistic here.
Phoenix Suns (23-59)
Key Additions: Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Green, Alex Len
Notable Losses: Michael Beasley, Luis Scola, Jared Dudley
The Phoenix Suns are coming off of their first season of the post Steve Nash era. It is safe to say that they have a lot of work to do before getting back to the team they were with Nash, as the Suns struggled on their way to a 25 win season. There were a few bright spots for the Suns however, as Goran Dragic had a very nice season, and they had six players average at least 10 points per game. But that was about it, now the Suns move on with out two more of their main players as they have bought out forward Michael Beasley, traded Jared Dudley to the Clippers, and shipped out forward Luis Scola in a trade to Indiana. However, the Suns have added some nice young players that can really help the team in the future. After all of the trades this summer, some notable players that the Suns can look forward to for the future is point guard Eric Bledsoe, shooting guard Gerald Green, and drafted big man Alex Len. The plan for the Suns is surely to have Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic play together and have them compliment each other. Both players are very explosive, both players can pass, and both players can play defense. Did someone say explosive? Gerald Green is one of the most explosive players in the league when it comes to playing above the rim. However, that is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Green and can’t think of much more. Green is a player who you can see the potential in but hasn’t quite reached it yet, he was a star in the NBA’s D-League before coming up with the Nets two seasons ago where Green played the final 31 games of the season averaging 13 points per game. Last season he took a step back with Indiana as he seen his points per game drop to 7, but less playing time on a stacked Pacers team played a part in that to. Lastly, Alex Len who the Suns took with their 5th pick in this summers draft is also a player that the Suns would like to see develop into a very solid big man. Len has good size at 7’1 and also weighs 255 pounds, but he is also still raw. His game is far from polished, so he is going to need to work on both ends of the floor before he reaches his full potential. With all that being said, this is the perfect situation for these types of players. In Phoenix all of their young assets will be able to get significant playing time this season and continue to adjust their games. Phoenix is not going to be that Cinderella team that nobody looks at this time of the season, and in March we are all stunned by them being in playoff contention. They will not be a good basketball team, yet. However, there is reason to be optimistic, and the excitement this season should be focused on watching their young players grow and develop into NBA players for the future.
What do you think about my predictions, agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comment box or on my twitter @samshipley5.
Tags: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Pacific Division, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings
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