The NBA season starts at the end of October, and it is time for me to start doing my previews for each NBA division. I am starting with the Pacific Division, the division that is home to the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns.
Los Angeles Clippers:
The Los Angeles Clippers are my pick to win the Pacific Division this season. They have the best team on paper in the division thanks to their star point guard Chris Paul and star power forward Blake Griffin. I expect both of these guys to have an even better season than last year. Especially Blake Griffin, who is still learning how to do more things than just throw down exciting dunks and beat people with his raw athleticism. In addition, the Clippers have also added small forward Antawn Jamison and shooting guard J.J. Redick to the mix, making them much more potent offensively.
However, the biggest addition to the team might be Doc Rivers, their new head coach. Rivers comes over from the Celtics with championship experience, which is something the Clippers definitely need on their team. More importantly though, they finally have a coach that will rightfully demand their respect. I thought Vinny Del Negro did a fine job, but he clearly didn't have the command of their locker room. However, Doc Rivers won't have that issue, which means that the team will be more accountable and not deflect the blame on their coach. As a result, I expect the Clippers to build on the success they had last year, have an even better season, and make a more serious run at an NBA championship.
Golden State Warriors:
The Clippers may be my pick to win the Pacific Division this season, but the Golden State Warriors will be nipping at their heels, ready to pass them should they slip at all. It will be a tight race in the Pacific Division, and it won't be between the Clippers and Lakers, but rather the Clippers and the Warriors. Many feel the Warriors are the favorites to win the division thanks to the addition of Andre Iguodala, who will bring defensive intensity on the perimeter and make the Warriors a more balanced team. The Warriors already have plenty of offensive weapons with their star point guard Stephen Curry, their young shooting guard Klay Thompson, and star power forward David Lee. The defense is the only area where the Warriors have been lacking, and they very well may have fixed their defensive issues by getting Andre Iguodala. In addition, the Warriors also hope to have a healthy Andrew Bogut plugging up the middle, making their low post defense also formidable.
The only concern I have for the Warriors is health. If Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut can each play more than 70 games, the Warriors will be just fine this season, and will certainly give the Clippers a real scare. However, if Curry and Bogut are unable to stay healthy and only play around 55-65 games each, then the Warriors are looking at likely finishing in second place behind the Clippers.
Los Angeles Lakers:
The Los Angeles Lakers have had a very tumultuous offseason thanks to the departure of Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant's rehab from his torn Achilles. The Lakers season last year was a major disappointment after everybody had them penciled in as the team destined to face the Heat in the NBA Finals. However, the Lakers didn't even come close to accomplishing their goal at winning a title, and instead ended up finishing as the 7th seed and out in 4 games to the San Antonio Spurs. Delusional Lakers fans think the departure of Dwight Howard and the return of a healthy Kobe Bryant fixes their problems, but the reality is that it does not. Head coach Mike D'Antoni still hasn't figured out how to effectively coach defense, and more problematic, he hasn't figured out how to get Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant to co-exist. Both guys need the ball in their hands all the time since they are both used to having the offense run through them. If D'Antoni can't find out a good balance between Nash and Kobe getting touches, the Lakers are in trouble. In addition, Pau Gasol's knees are also a concern even though he says he's healthy.
The fact of the matter is that for the Lakers, there remain too many unknowns. Will Kobe Bryant come back healthy? How will Nash and Kobe get along? Will Pau Gasol stay healthy? Will the rest of the team respond to Mike D'Antoni in addition to Kobe Bryant? These questions can't be answered at the present time, but they do create a lot of doubt about the Lakers' upcoming season, which is why I have the Lakers slotted at finishing third in the division, and on the outside looking in when the playoffs start.
Sacramento Kings:
The Sacramento Kings may have locked up their promising young center DeMarcus Cousins to a 4 year, $62M extension, but they still have a lot of work to do in order to get where they want to be. They have a new head coach in Mike Malone who has the very challenging task of getting this young and talented team to work together. The development of rookie shooting guard Ben McLemore will be a key thing to watch this season as he could end up being the reason they turn into a playoff caliber team in a few seasons. With Tyreke Evans out of the picture, the Kings are banking on McLemore and Cousins being the guys to take them to the promised land.
In addition to Cousins and McLemore, the Kings also have some other promising players in power forward Jason Thompson, point guard Isaiah Thomas, point guard Greivis Vasquez, and point guard Jimmer Fredette. Note how the last three guys I just mentioned are all point guards. That's a problem that they have to fix. All three guys are promising players who deserve to play a fair amount of minutes and show what they got. Unfortunately, Jimmer Fredette is likely the odd man out, which means that the Kings really should do the right thing and trade him. The point guard controversy in Sacramento is still a concern in terms of figuring out how to divide up the minutes as well as the fact that the team is still really young. The Kings won't sniff a playoff spot this season, but do expect them to be fun to watch.
Phoenix Suns:
Like the Sacramento Kings, the Phoenix Suns are a really young team that is in the rebuilding process. The difference between these two teams is that the Kings think they have found their franchise player for the future and the Suns are still looking for that player. The addition of point guard Eric Bledsoe from the Clippers is a pretty big deal because they desperately needed an upgrade at the point guard position even though Goran Dragic was doing a quality job running the point. The key for the Suns is going to be patience. They are in the process of seeing whether or not Eric Bledsoe can be their franchise point guard for the next decade as well as seeing whether or not rookie center Alex Len can be a cornerstone piece for them to build around. Those are two crucial things to look for when it comes to following the Suns: How does Eric Bledsoe do as the starting point guard not having Chris Paul to look towards and how does Alex Len do in terms of showing his potential to be a franchise center? If Bledsoe and Len have good seasons, then the Suns will in turn have a good season regardless of the win-loss column (which will likely be filled with a bunch of losses). However, if those guys don't do well, then the Suns are in for a real rough go. New head coach Jeff Hornacek has a tough season ahead of him, but after many years coaching alongside and playing under the great Jerry Sloan in Utah, I'm confident that Hornacek will get this young Suns team to play some good basketball and in the process play hard every night.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord
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