NBA Pacific Division Preview
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2007-08 Phoenix Suns
Western Conference: Pacific Division
Phoenix Suns: 67 W - 26 L, 47-43 ATS 06/07 season
So close! That's been the story of the Phoenix Suns the last three years. A remarkable run-and-gun turnaround with the addition of Steve Nash has this the most exciting team in the NBA, not to mention one of the winningest. The only sour spot has been defense and injuries, weaknesses that have felled them in the playoffs against the Spurs (twice) and Mavs.
This is a strong, exciting young team again. The frontcourt has 6'-7" workhorse Shawn Marion, who averaged 17.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and led the team in steals (1.75 pg). They also have 6'-10" Amare Stoudemire, the former #9 draft pick overall out of high school, who is back and healthy. He averaged 20 points and 9.6 boards per game. Stoudemire is recovering from an Oct. 2 arthroscopy and he won't play until the final two preseason games (Oct. 25 and 26).
The guy who makes the offense zip is veteran guard Steve Nash, who dished out 11.6 assists per game to go along with 18.6 points. He's the creative sparkplug with endless energy that kept this offense humming. Their strategy was right out of the 1980s - run and run all night at the opposition and bury them in a barrage of offense. And it certainly works. 6-8 Boris Diaw has improved dramatically providing scoring, rebounding and defense, and 24-year old guard Leandro Barbosa (18 ppg) is a fine backcourt player who has turned into an offensive force, along with Raja Bell (14.7 ppg).
What's even more impressive about that strategy was that this has not a deep team, not really rotating a lot of players in. That might change this season, as they like young quick PG Marcus Banks and add Maryland G D.J. Strawberry. The bench has 6-7 shooter Eric Piatkowski and 6-10, 250-lb Sean Marks. They also add Alando Tucker, 6-8 veteran Grant Hill and 10-year veteran center Brian Skinner.
The Suns were 37-10 SU at home (23-22 ATS) and a strong 30-16 SU, 25-21 ATS on the road. Three years ago this group was an amazing 36-12 SU/27-18 ATS on the road! The Suns signed coach Mike D'Antoni is locked up, too. Yes, with all that running the Suns were 56-44 "over" the total two years ago, just 46-46 O/U last season. And they were 59-35 "over" the total three years ago. They will be just as good again and, with good health and added depth, are a threat to win it all.
2007-08 Golden State Warriors
Western Conference: Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors: 47 W - 46 L, 51-41 ATS 06/07 season
So what do you do for an encore? The Warriors enjoyed a memorable season, coming from way to back to make the playoffs after sparkplug guard Baron Davis got healthy. Then Don Nelson's crew pulled the biggest upset in NBA history, knocking off the No. 1 seeded Mavericks in the first round in 6 games.
Nelson, 67, enters the 2007-08 season as the second-winningest coach in NBA history, trailing only Lenny Wilkens (1,332). He said last season might have been the most satisfying of all. This team is loaded on offense, though they made some key changes. The Warriors are led by 28-year old Baron Davis (20 ppg), who battled injuries and started 62 games, but showcased his greatness with a spectacular postseason.
6'-6", 26-year old Jason Richardson averaged 16 points, 5.1 rebounds per game, but there was speculation that he and Davis couldn't coexist in the backcourt. So Richardson is gone, sent to Memphis for North Carolina's 6-9 Brandan Wright, a talented kid with a large wingspan. He can help out on the boards, which this team needs. The Warriors also picked up 6-6 Marco Belinelli, a 21-year old shooting guard from Italy with the No. 18 pick.
6-9 Al Harrington came over in a mid-season trade with Indiana and was terrific, averaging 17 ppg. He was also a force against Dallas in the postseason. Harrington started at both power forward and center for the Warriors last season before landing on the bench during their first-round playoff series against Dallas. That's when Don Nelson first began thinking of him in a sixth-man role. Harrington was the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2003-04 when he backed up forwards Ron Artest and Jermaine O'Neal in Indiana.
Nelson says he is planning on experimenting with some lineups during the regular season to maximize the return. And at the top of the list is using Harrington - whom Nelson repeatedly called his best player in training camp - as his sixth man. They like 6-7 role player Matt Barnes on the boards, and Stephen Jackson. The frontcourt has has a project in 7-foot Patrick O'Bryant. They will run again and were 53-40 over the total last year!
The Warriors signed center Kosta Perovic and 6-9 forward Austin Croshere. Perovic, 22, whom the Warriors selected with the 38th overall selection in the 2006 NBA Draft, returned to his native Serbia & Montenegro after last year's draft to play his seventh professional season in Europe. In 30 Adriatic League games with Partizan Belgrade this past season, the 7-2 center helped lead his team to the league championship by averaging 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while shooting 56.8%. Croshere, 32, owns career averages of 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game in 601 regular-season contests over 10 seasons with Indiana and Dallas.
The Warriors have had a unique home court edge for years, and went 34-12 SU, 29-17 ATS at home last season. But they were 13-34 SU, 22-24 ATS on the road. A few years ago this group was an impressive 27-14 SU, 26-14-1 ATS at Golden State, though 10-31 SU on the road. This young team is heading in the right direction and certainly captivated its fan base in a season bay area fans will be talking about for years to come. They have the talent to have a better regular season, but the health of Baron Davis is the key.
2007-08 Los Angeles Clippers
Western Conference: Pacific Division
Los Angeles Clippers: 40 W - 42 L, 36-44 ATS 06/07 season
The Clippers were one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA last season, going from 54 wins to missing the playoffs. They underachieved from start to finish and should have been better with all their talent.
6'-8" Elton Brand (20 ppg, 9 rpg) developed a mid-range jumper two years ago and his game got even better. He's good for 20/10 every night and is an MVP candidate, a force in the low post at both ends of the floor. He led the Clippers with 3.4 offensive rebounds per contest.
Brand underwent a successful procedure to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon this summer. Brand wore a cast for six weeks, replaced by a walking boot for six more weeks, so he won't be 100% in camp. Brand didn't get a lot of help up front because 7-foot Chris Kaman (10 ppg, 7.8 rpg) struggled all year. Those numbers were down from Kaman's breakout season a year earlier when he averaged 11.9 ppg, 9.7 rpg. He's still a young force on the boards and can develop into a decent low post scorer, but took a step backward.
Because of Brand's injury and Kaman's spotty play, the Clippers drafted forward Al Thornton (14th overall). A versatile scorer, the 6'8" forward averaged 19.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in his senior season with the Seminoles and was named a Third-Team All-American by The Associated Press. Thornton, 23, averaged 23.5 points per game in ACC play as a senior and played in all 35 games for Florida State, shooting 53 percent from the field.
The backcourt was a mess with all kinds of problems. Veteran Sam Cassell couldn't stay healthy and started just 30 games (58 games played overall). Cassell dished out 4.7 assists per game while chipping in 12 points, fourth best on the team. Cassell, beginning his 15th season, is in the final year of a two-year, $13-million contract.
Cuttino Mobley is their third leading scorer with 13.8 ppg. Guard Quinton Ross adds backcourt depth while they wait (and hope) for 6'-7" 22-year old Shaun Livingston, who suffered a serious knee injury and his career is in doubt. He has enormous potential to play point guard. There is certainly depth and talent in this backcourt, and even two championship rings (Cassell).
The Clippers took steps to add depth to the team's backcourt with the signing of free agent guard Brevin Knight. A ten-year NBA veteran, Knight averaged 9.1 points, 6.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 45 games played for the Charlotte Bobcats last season. In 581 career NBA games, Knight has averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals. A 5-10, 170 pound point guard, Knight was ranked eighth in the NBA last season with a 3.12 assists per turnover ratio. He has had a career-high 20 assists twice.
The Clippers also added Dan Dickau, another veteran point guard who was waived by the New York Knicks. Dickau, a six-year veteran, had a breakout season in 2004-05 with the New Orleans Hornets, when he averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 assists a game. But he ruptured his Achilles' heel playing for the Boston Celtics the next season.
They have a young muscular frontcourt that should be better. The Clippers have a talented swingman in 6-foot-6 27-year old Corey Maggette, who was second in scoring at 16.9 ppg. But he's been injured often and had problems with coach Mike Dunleavy. Three years ago Maggette busted out in a brilliant season averaging 22 points, 6 rebounds per game. The year before, Maggette led the Clippers in scoring (20.7 ppg), pulling down 5.9 boards pg and dishing out 3.1 assists pg.
The Clippers signed Forward Josh Powell and an interesting piece will be 6'-9" Yaroslav Korolev, a 20-year old from Russia. The Clippers played great defense at home, allowing 94 ppg (24-17 and 28-17 under the total at home the last two years). LA was good at home (25-16), but just 15-26 SU, 17-22 ATS on the road. The Clippers appear to be headed in the right direction, but a lot hinges on Kaman and the health of Cassell and Livingston.
2007-08 Los Angeles Lakers
Western Conference: Pacific Division
Los Angeles Lakers: 43 W - 44 L SU, 39-45 ATS 06/07 season
Everyone in the world knew the Lakers were in for a giant fall three years ago, with the exception of Kobe Bryant. GM Mitch Kupchak has taken a blowtorch to the Lakers the last few years. They ran the best general manager in the NBA, Jerry West, out of town, and gave the OK to run Shaq out. That proved to be the death knell, as Shaq took the Miami Heat to an NBA title while the Lakers went from the NBA Finals in 2004 to several mediocre seasons.
The offense still revolves around 6'-7" Kobe Bryant, who just turned 29-years old. He led LA in scoring with 31.6 ppg, 5.4 assists pg and 5.7 rebounds per game. Kobe is again surrounded by a role players and a shortage of talent, which is why he vented about the organization after a 42-40 regular season and a quick playoff exit. Why do athletes live in their own, selfish bubble? Players like Bryant and Kevin Garnett want big contracts and then they squawk when the organization can't surround them with other great players because of budget concerns. It's very difficult to do what the Spurs do.
Up front, they got little out of 6'-10" Kwame Brown, the former No. 1 overall pick who was run out of Washington for his inconsistent and lazy play. In his first season in LA he averaged just 7.4 points and 6.6 rebounds and last season was worse while battling knee problems. Center 7-foot Chris Mihm is a serviceable middle man, a decent offensive touch and an average rebounder who looks to bounce back after missing last season. Forward Lamar Odom (15.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg) is decent, so the offense will revolve around Kobe and Odom again.
6-8 Luke Walton is an unselfish role player and it was good they retained him. Everyone has been asking for 7-foot, 275-pound center Andrew Bynum, who turns 20 in October. He is still learning and played in 82 games while averaging 7.8 points and 5.9 boards. 7-1 Marc Gasol (Spain) and 6-9 Sun Yue (China) also come aboard.
The Lakers drafted UCLA playmaker Jordan Farmar two years ago and talented 6-5 Georgia Tech guard Javaris Crittenton this year. Farmer averaged just 4.4 ppg though he played in 72 games. Crittenton is a top talent but very raw. LA likes 22-year old PG 6-7 Sasha Vujacic, though he shoots poorly. Maurice Evans and rookie Coby Karl provide guard depth while Derek Fisher rejoins the team to provide some much needed veteran experience. 6-10 Ronny Turiaf and Brian Cook come off the bench to spell the frontcourt. Overall, there is a lot of youth and a weak bench.
The Lakers have played lazy defense the last five seasons, giving up over 98, 102 and 104 points per game the last three seasons. They've also been a terrible road team, going 12-29 SU, 15-25 ATS on the road three years ago, 19-26 two years ago and 17-27 last season. In short, this team lacks defense and rebounding, which are major flaws. They will struggle for wins in the rugged West.
2007-08 Sacramento Kings
Western Conference: Pacific Division
Sacramento Kings: 33 W - 49 L, 34-47 ATS 06/07 season
The Kings bottomed out in last place in the division and have made major changes. Reggie Theus is the new coach, a guy who did wonders at New Mexico State. Theus likes offense and ran a good old fashioned, wide-open, run and gun attack. Theus has an excellent guard to run the break in Mike Bibby. Bibby is a hard working leader and averaged 17 points and 5.1 assists per game. The 29-year old Bibby has been clutch and is the sparkplug that can direct this attacking offense. This team was 47-33 over the total!
Former Rutgers guard Quincy Douby has fresh young legs, while Kevin Martin (20 ppg) has stepped up as a solid all-around player in the backcourt. 6-7 Francisco Garcia, who can play forward or guard, and John Salmons provides backcourt depth. The Kings have put emphasis in rebuilding a team that didn't make the playoffs last season after making eight straight appearances to the postseason. "Our immediate need, obviously, is athleticism," Theus said.
But will anyone rebound or play defense? The frontcourt has 7'-0" center Brad Miller, a good team player, but his skills have been diminished by injuries. Miller shed 25 pounds during the offseason. He's an unselfish role player but averaged 9 points, 6 rebounds per game. After playing in 56 games three years ago, Miller played in 63 games last season. Like Rick Adelman and Eric Musselman before him, Theus will rely on Miller's passing skills.
Reggie Theus' has brought in two things: that defense would again be a point of heavy emphasis and a new age of discipline has arrived. The implementation of a road curfew and team bus cell phone ban are two of those signs. "If you're not doing it the Reggie way, the right way, you're not going to play," Brad Miller said.
30-year old 6'-9" Shareef Abdur-Rahim (9.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg) is on the downside of his career while Ron Artest is a strong all-around force averaging 18.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists. Big body 7-foot Mikki Moore is a role player off the bench, who signed a three-year contract worth $17 million during the offseason. He tallied a combined seven points and five rebounds in his first 49 minutes of preseason! They'll be booing him by Xmas.
19 year old 7-footer Spencer Hawes comes aboard after just his freshman season at Washington. He's got ability but is very raw. Hawes played one year as a freshman at Washington. The 230-pound center averaged 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and shot 53.2 percent from the field. In addition, he had 60 assists, 54 blocks, and 16 steals. However, he's not healthy fo start this season. The Kings outscored teams by a 104-102 average at home. Sacramento was 20-21 SU, 15-25 ATS at home, but 13-28 SU, 19-22 ATS on the road. This is a thin team with a lot of new faces that is rebuilding. They will struggle while learning the system of the new coach. Defense appears to be a major weakness, as well, which means they will struggle on the road again.
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