NBA Northwest Division Preview
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2007-08 Utah Jazz
Western Conference: Northwest Division
Utah Jazz: 60 W - 39 L, 46-49 ATS, 06/07 season
Yes, Jerry Sloan is still coach and Utah is getting better. They went from 25 wins three years ago with a young team to 41-41, then busted out with a 51-win regular season and a strong run through the playoffs, topping Houston and Golden State. There wasn't a lot of change, which is a good thing. They are building around 26-year old 6"-9" forward Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and sparkplug guard Deron Williams. The Jazz have committed more than $44 million to Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Matt Harpring for the 2009-10 season.
6'-9" F old Carlos Boozer is a young workhorse who averaged 20.9 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. He turns 26 this month and had a healthy season, playing in 74 games. The emergence of 6'-11" Mehmet Okur, age 28, has been a huge upgrade. Okur was second on the Jazz with 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Coach Jerry Sloan also has 31-year old 6'-7" F Matt Harpring, who chipped in 11.6 points, 4.6 boards each game.
Kirilenko battled injuries and had a poor season (8.3 ppg). He turns 27 in February and two years ago had a season with 15.3 points and 8 rebounds per game. Okur also made his first All-Star appearance while hitting a career-high 129 threes. One concern is that after winning the MVP and leading him Russian team to gold at Eurobasket 2007, Kirilenko complained about his role with the Jazz, intimating that he'd like to play elsewhere. That kind of me-attitude won't cut it with Sloan.
With all that talent at forward, the Jazz only need a role player at center to play defense and grab some boards. They still have 6'-11", 255-lb Jarron Collins to fill that role. Some young players to keep an eye on are guard Ronnie Brewer, a defensive player from Arkansas, and 6-8 workhorse Paul Millsap (Louisiana Tech). Coach Sloan knows how to teach defense, too, and there is a lot of depth and talent.
The backcourt is also young. Guard Gordan Giricek (7.8 ppg) returns, but the real gem is 23-year old Deron Williams (16.2 ppg). He exploded last season and led the Jazz with 9.3 assists per contest. Williams also played for USA Basketball this summer in what could be a prelude to a spot on the Olympic team. For backcourt depth they are a bit short on height and experience, so they have rookie Morris Almond and Jason Hart. Like many young teams, Utah was 38-11 SU, 22-22 ATS in the Salt Palace last season, and 22-28 Su, 22-27-1 ATS on the road.
Utah adds rookie center 7-0 Kyrylo Fesenko. The Jazz acquired the draft rights to Fesenko (selected 38th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft) from Philadelphia in a draft night deal. A native of the Ukraine, Fesenko (7-0, 270 lbs) averaged 6.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots in 18.5 minutes a contest last season for Cherkaski Mavpi of the Ukrainian SuperLeague. In six games at the FIBA EuroCup Challenge, Fesenko averaged 7.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots in 18.7 minutes. Also a member of the Ukrainian National Team, Fesenko averaged 6.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots at the 2005 U20 European Championships in Moscow.
As usual, Utah plays better defense at home under Sloan, allowing 97 ppg (100 ppg allowed on the road). This is an uptempo team that averaged 101 ppg and went 53-45 over the total. They are an up-and-coming young team to keep an eye on and should only get better, if the injury bug doesn't bite, and if they can get Kirilenko focused.
2007-08 Denver Nuggets
Western Conference: Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets: 46 W - 41 L, 47-39 ATS 06/07 season
The Nuggets took a while to get going with offensive stars Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, but they did have a winning season and made the playoffs. They didn't make a lot of changes, so what you see is what you get with this group: Lots of offense, no defense! Denver averaged 104 ppg and was 46-39 over the total under George Karl.
Like a lot of Denver sports teams, the Nuggets have been significantly better at home than on the road, with the exception of last year: 23-20 at home, 23-21 on the road. But two years ago Denver was 27-16 SU at home (21-22 ATS) and 18-26 SU (21-23 ATS) away from home. Three years ago the Nuggets were 31-12 SU at home (27-15 ATS) and 19-25 SU (21-21 ATS) away from home.
23-year old 6'-8" Carmelo Anthony is a strong go-to guy, leading the Nuggets in scoring (28.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg). Sparkplug guard Allen Iverson turned 32 this summer and averaged 24.8 points and 7.2 assists. The Nuggets have depth and team-oriented role players under Karl. 6-6 J.R. Smith stepped in with 13 ppg.
The problem has been that three frontcourt pieces were rarely healthy. Forward 6'-8" Kenyon Martin came over from the New Jersey Nets three years ago, but the 29-year old Martin averaged 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game two years ago while making only 49 starts. Last season was a total wash playing in only 2 games. They also have 6'-10" Marcus Camby (11.2 points, 11.7 rebounds per game) who is happy to rebound and play defense at this point in his career (33 years old). He played in 70 games, after playing in only 56 two years ago due to various injuries.
Throw in 6'-11", 260-lb, 25-year old Nene Hilario (12.2 ppg, 7 rpg) and Denver has a tall, talented, athletic frontcourt. Denver has some more rebounding muscle up front in 6-9 Linas Kleiza. The Nuggets acquired C/F 7-foot Steven Hunter and F Bobby Jones from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for F Reggie Evans and the draft rights to F Ricky Sanchez. Hunter played in 70 games for the 76ers last season, averaging career highs of 6.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg in 22.9 mpg. He also averaged 1.09 bpg, which ranked 27th in the NBA.
The Nuggets added free agent G Chucky Atkins. Atkins, 5-11, 185, joins the Nuggets after spending a season and a half with the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 13.2 ppg and 4.6 apg in 75 games in 2006-07 - both of which represent the second-highest averages of his NBA career. The eight-year veteran has averaged 10.8 ppg, 3.7 apg and 1.8 rpg in 599 games with Orlando, Detroit, Boston, L.A. Lakers, Washington and Memphis. Additionally, Atkins holds a career three-point shooting percentage of .370, including .369 (180-488) in 161 appearances with the Grizzlies.
The Nuggets are still waiting for something out of 6-7 DerMarr Johnson, while 6'-8" Eduardo Najera adds depth up front. They will be a fun, run-and-gun team that should make the playoffs again, but with no defense, they will exit the postseason quickly.
2007-08 Portland Trail Blazers
Western Conference: Northwest Division
Portland Trail Blazers: 32 W - 50 L, 41-41 ATS 06/07 season
Jackpot! No team had a more exciting offseason than the Blazers. They dumped often-selfish Zach Randolph to the Knicks for role player Channing Frye while getting the No. 1 pick in the draft. Ohio State center Greg Odom is the best center coming out of college since Tim Duncan in 1997. He is raw on offense and has a ways to go, but he shapes up as the next dominant low post player.
The unfortunate news for this season is that Oden won't play! The 7-footer had knee surgery in September, which means he will sit out the season. Oden is expected to be on crutches for up to eight weeks. Full recovery likely will take six to 12 months. Oden averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds last season as a freshman at Ohio State. Still, one season passes by very fast, Red Auerbach used to say, and Blazer fans will have fun watching this team getting built.
The Blazers also happen to already have an outstanding young nucleus. 6-10 LaMarcus Aldridge joined the team a year ago and averaged 9 points, 5 rebounds per game as a rookie. 6-6 sparkplug guard Brandon Roy won Rookie of the Year honors with 16.8 ppg. Guard Jarrett Jack led the team in assists and chipped in 12 ppg and they add PG Steve Blake.
They are not starting from scratch. Now throw in what Portland did in the second round on draft day: 6-10 Josh McRoberts (PF from Duke), forward Derrick Byars (Vanderbilt), 6-5 Rudy Fernandez (Spain), and PG Taurean Green (Florida). Who wouldn't want to be a Blazer fan with all this young talent and potential?
6'-9" 26-year old Darius Miles (14 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is still around and hopes to come back after missing last season with a knee surgery. They like center 7'-1" Joel Przybilla (7.0 rpg), who pulled down 7 or more rebounds per game for two straight years before disappearing last season. He's a decent rebounder and is 28-years old. Raef LaFrentz and his albatross contract come over from Boston. This frontcourt is going to be very interesting when Oden recovers.
Brandon Roy is an explosive offensive talent and at 6-foot-6 can create mismatches. They still have third-year sharp-shooter 6'-7" Martell Webster, who has been shooting lights out in preseason. There's talent and depth for the new coach, but little experience. With such a young team, look for the Blazers to be competitive at home, but a big question mark as yet on the road. Still, with all this young talent, it won't be long before they are a force in the West.
2007-08 Seattle Supersonics
Western Conference: Northwest Division
Seattle Supersonics: 31 W - 51 L, 38-40 ATS 06/07 season
The Sonics had a terrible season and there was talk of moving the franchise. Then they caught a huge break, with the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft that landed Texas standout freshman Kevin Durant. Instant offense! Instant superstar! New head coach P.J. Carlesimo takes over, a guy with a winning record overall as a coach. It's his first head coaching job since 2000 (Warriors), which ended badly.
Durant ensures that the Sonics should continue to have an uptempo offense. They also have hope and are younger, after trading away star guard Ray Allen. One problem they've had is a lack of rebounding muscle. The Sonics consistently got killed on the glass and have been one of the worst defensive teams in the league allowing too many easy buckets, something Carlesimo can help change, though they are still thin up front.
Georgetown star 6-9 Jeff Green comes aboard in a trade with the Celtics, giving Seattle two talented building blocks. 7-foot Robert Swift has bulk and height, but has been rehabbing his torn right anterior cruciate ligament. Not yet considered a bust because he was robbed of his opportunity to showcase his skills by the catastrophic injury, Swift has not played in an NBA regular-season game in 17 months.
They also have 6-11 Saer Sene, 6-9 Chris Wilcox, 6-9 veteran center Kurt Thomas and 6'-10" Nick Collison (8.1 rpg). Johan Petro is more of a power forward while Mouhamed Sene likely isn't ready to contribute much this season. Often injured Wally Szczerbiak also joins the team to help the offense, but he doesn't play defense. "I should have a lot left," Szczerbiak says. "I didn't play many games last year." Last season, an ankle problem caused him to miss 50 games and shoot a career-low 41.5 percent. Scoring won't be a problem for this team. The offense will be tough again with a run-and-gun style led by young PG Luke Ridnour (11 ppg, 5 assists per game). Newcomer Delonte West has a back injury that will push back his opportunity to see extended time at point guard.
How the new coach gets these guys to mesh and concentrate on team, rather than stats or points, will be key. Notice that the Sonics were 20-21 SU, 16-24 ATS at home, and 11-30 SU, 22-16 ATS on the road. Seattle is a run-and-gun team, and was just 49-33 "over" the total two years ago, 41-40 under last season. With far more offense than defense, they should be exciting, but you win with rebounding in the rugged West and Seattle doesn't have it just yet.
2007-08 Minnesota Timberwolves
Western Conference: Northwest Division
Minnesota Timberwolves: 32 W - 50 L, 33-47 ATS, 06/07 season
Crash and burn! It has been three terribly disappointing seasons for Minnesota, and they've had three straight losing ATS marks. A housecleaning has been in order, starting at the top, as they have head coach Randy Wittman and unloaded star Kevin Garnett this summer. What on earth is this franchise doing? And where are they going?
They are going to crash and burn again, as the second-year coach has a glut of young players to teach. Gone are veterans like Kevin Garnett, Mike Olowakandi and 6'-7" F Wally Szczerbiak. 22-year old 6-10 Al Jefferson was the key piece traded for Garnett, a young hard working frontcourt player. He stepped up with 16 points, 11 rebounds per game last season with Boston. He is only going to get better and shot 51% from the field. He's an excellent building block, but needs a lot of work on his defense. He still needs to better his positional defense, but his shot-blocking was much-improved.
"We have guys who can block shots," Wittman said, referring to 6-10 Theo Ratliff, Al Jefferson, Chris Richard and Corey Brewer. "And that's something we really haven't had here in a number of years. A guy like Theo gives us a presence we've never had." Ratliff, who led the league four seasons ago with a 3.61 average and has averaged 2.6 blocks in his 12-year NBA career. Ratliff played only two games for Boston last season and had season-ending surgery in January. He declared himself healthy when he arrived in Minneapolis just after the Garnett trade, so we shall see. A veteran, defensive presence is certainly needed down low.
In an October trade, the T-Wolves picked up 6-8 veteran Antoine Walker from Miami. He started only 18 and 15 games the last two years, chipping in 8.5 points and 4.3 boards per game. They also picked up backup center Michael Doleac and oft-injured forward Wayne Simien in the trade, giving up Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount.
6-9 rookie Corey Brewer comes aboard from national champion Florida. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 NCAA Tournament Final Four and was SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. Veteran 6'-9" Juwan Howard (9.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg with Houston) joins the team, but he has regressed in recent years and is in his 13th season. There's a lot of Celtics dead wood on the team, including immature underachiever Sebastian Telfair.
21-year old 6-8 Gerald Green is one young former Celtic who has a chance to be very good, after averaging 10.4 ppg with Boston last season. Green didn't pay much attention to his defense as he needs to, and his many off-nights following big scoring games were troubling. Ryan Gomes is a decent role player, a good rebounder who works hard and keeps getting better. They like 6-7 Craig Smith, who (like Gomes) is a good role playing rebounder, though undersized. Minnesota didn't play any defense last season, going 51-31 over the total!
Third-year man Rashad McCants (North Carolina) is in the mix off the bench, along with Randy Foye (10 ppg) and Greg Buckner. Minnesota was 20-21 SU, 15-26 ATS at home, but just 12-29 SU, 18-21 ATS on the road. The youth movement has begun, which means another losing season and no playoffs.
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