We're almost there: it's time for part 5 of 6, the
offseason breakdown of the Pacific division. This division has certainly
underwent a makeover through the past few years, and the Lakers will no longer
enter the season as the favorites. I suck at these intros anyway, who am I
kidding, so let's get into the meat of the breakdown.
L.A. Clippers
Key additions: Jared Dudley, J.J. Redick, Darren
Collison, Byron Mullens, Reggie Bullock
Key subtractions: Eric Bledsoe, Caron Butler,
Chauncey Billups, Grant Hill, Lamar Odom, Ronnie Turiaf
The Clippers facilitated perhaps the most
newsworthy trade of the offseason, shipping Caron Butler, and the young,
coveted point guard Eric Bledsoe in exchange for Phoenix’s Jared Dudley and
Milwaukee’s J.J. Redick to strengthen the backcourt depth of this roster. This
trade enhances a guard rotation sapped of reliable outside shooting, as well as
guaranteeing quality two-way bench play. Redick has gained quality recognition
as one of the most reliable deep shooters in the entire league, and should
perfectly compliment a Chris Paul-first style offense by spotting up around the
arc. Dudley himself is simply a quality locker room presence; he has been noted
around the league as a high character guy and an attractive teammate who can
also function well in bench units and perhaps even start if Matt Barnes suffers
injury or consistently struggles. One of L.A.’s necessities this offseason was
quality outside shooting and they certainly have that with Dudley and Redick.
Unfortunately, the Clippers’ money and salary cap
situation begins to come into play here after all of these signings. J.J.
Redick’s new contract acquired through the sign and trade, Chris Paul’s
extension, Darren Collison’s signing, the Jared Dudley acquisition and the
retention of Matt Barnes will push L.A. just above the luxury tax, a mark most
franchises desperately try to avoid, especially after the new CBA. The
contractual combinations of salary and length
project the Clippers to sit well above the salary cap for years to come, which
could mark them as a repeat offender to the luxury tax.
But these monetary concerns don’t cloud the owner’s
perception when the franchise has reasonable opportunity to win a championship,
and after the Chris Paul 5 year extension, the Clippers’ window should stay
open for a few more years. The bench has been beefed up even more than it was
last year, and Doc Rivers has plenty of options in his arsenal to tinker with
lineups to find the best possible combination late in games (since DeAndre can’t
make free throws).
Darren Collison provides a capable backup for Chris Paul, and became the lone
bright spot among Indiana’s helpless bench in the 2012 playoffs.
The one qualm I have with L.A.’s offseason
performance is the decision to not sign a 3rd big man to this
roster, at least a quality name (Byron Mullens does absolutely not count here).
Blake Griffin has certainly improved defensively since entering the league, and
DeAndre Jordan has learned a thing or two, but Griffin is only “above average”
as of right now, and Jordan lacks the awareness to effectively protect the
basket Tyson Chandler style. L.A. projects to run out a top 5 (and perhaps
league best) offense every night, but it’s more than unclear if a
Griffin-Jordan defensive back line will be enough to propel this team to a championship.
Grade: B+
Golden State Warriors
Key additions: Toney Douglas, Andre Iguodala, Marreese Speights, Jermaine O’Neal
Key subtractions: Andris Biedrins, Brandon Rush,
Richard Jefferson, Carl Landry, Jarrett Jack
Now THIS is good management.
After an unsuccessful 2011-2012 campaign, the
Golden State Warriors netted a lottery pick, the 7th pick, in the
2012 NBA draft. Just one year later and this team is currently assembled (at
least in my mind) to truly compete for an NBA title. This team casually placed
in the top 10 in terms of points per possessions both offensively and
defensively, and suddenly erupted in the playoffs, nearly surpassing San
Antonio for a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
It’s certainly a team built for success; from the fluff
on the bench to the core of the unit Golden State now possesses nearly all the
pieces to succeed both offensively and defensively. Carl Landry’s absence is a
minor setback, but Marreese Speights is a capable backup, as is Toney Douglas
for Jarrett Jack.
But the big fish signed this summer was Andre
Iguodala, only after Golden State pawned draft picks and salary in the form of
Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson onto the books of Utah to clear the path
for Iguodala. Iguodala brings perimeter defense that will be much needed when
Bogut sits, and a capable ball handler to run the offense and enhance Curry’s potential
even more as he runs through an array of off-ball screens. I’m practically
drooling of the thought of Iguodala running a pick and roll with David Lee as
Curry and Klay Thompson spread the floor… Holy freaking crap
And even beyond the on-floor implications of this
move may be the cap implications for the Warriors going forward. What a great
move to dump salary on Utah for a couple of low value draft picks in the next
few years to not only clear way for Iggy, but also duck the luxury tax by quite
a large margin. And while they’ll have some decision making to do once Bogut
and Thompson become eligible for extensions next summer, they still have plenty
of cap flexibility going forward if there are significant injuries.
Injuries are the key here. David Lee, Curry, and
Bogut all have poor health history, and in my mind that could be the only
setback that prevents this roster from a Western Conference Finals appearance
or even deeper. David Lee is skilled offensively from everywhere on the floor
as well as a rebounding maniac, Bogut is perhaps one of the best defenders in
the entire league when healthy, Curry and Klay are two of the best long range
shooters in the league, and Iguodala is a jack of all trades type. Color me as
impressed; this team is one of my teams to watch.
Grade: A
(Who knows why the font changes, I tried tinkering with it for hours and no luck. That's what you get when you blog for free)
L.A. Lakers
Key additions: Jordan Farmar, Wesley
Johnson, Chris Kaman, Nick Young
Key subtractions: Earl Clark, Chris
Duhon, Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, DWIGHT HOWARD, Antawn Jamison, Darius
Morris, Metta World Peace
Let’s get this out of the way, I
will be calling them the LOLakers this year.
Honestly though, as much as I hate
the Lakers (I’m so unbiased right?), I can’t really criticize them for
under performing this offseason, simply because they really didn’t under perform.
When dealing with an elite superstar stuck in a kindergardner’s body, only so
much persuasion and incentivising tactics can be employed before simple luck runs
its course, and Howard quickly bolted to “greener pastures”.
Howard was originally seen as the
Laker’s next dominant superstar, a player that could take L.A. to the top
season after season. But there’s not much a big name can do during free agency
(even the lakers) after coming up empty on a coveted superstar besides wait
until the next year. L.A. invested all of their marbles in the unstable Howard
jar, and while it turned out sour, there will be no change of plans in Los
Angeles. The Lakers will continue to hit the big name free agency pool for
summers to come. L.A. ensured cap flexibility going forward by signing all of
their free agents to 1 year contracts after Dwight Howard bolted. Chris Kaman,
Jordan Farmar, Wesley Johnson, and Nick Young all signed for one year deals to
ensure L.A. has max max max cap room next summer.
The bad news however, is that all of
the above names bring little to nothing to the table. In fact, most of them
suck. Yes, they still have Kobe and Pau, but both players are currently
undergoing rapid decline in production; Pau has been injury prone as of late
and it’s completely unclear how effective Kobe will be next year. Even worse,
as Jared Dubin pointed out, L.A. won’t actually be able to
lure in the ultra huge names next year because of cap holds, unless Kobe
settles for a significant pay cut which isn’t going to happen.
A lot will happen between now and
next summer, and we never know how much time Kobe has left in the NBA, but as
of right now it appears that the lakers will be pretty bad this season, at
least by the lofty standards of the western conference. It’s unclear how
motivated L.A. is to duck the luxury tax, but this season they are well above
the $71 million tax level, and could easily slide into that again as a repeat
offender next season if they aren’t careful.
There have been many debates
regarding the effectiveness of the new CBA, but one of its original intentions,
keeping flashy teams from continuously overspending, has certainly come to
fruition here. The Lakers will suck this year and I will mock them.
*Announcer’s voice* “LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat take on Kobe, Nick Young and Chris Kaman of the
Lakers! It’s the NBA on TNT!!”
I can’t wait.
Grade:
B-
Phoenix Suns
Key Additions: Eric Bledsoe, Archie
Goodwin, Gerald Green, Alex Len, Miles Plumlee
Key Subtractions: Michael Beasley,
Jared Dudley, Wesley Johnson, Luis Scola
The Suns’ offseason was highlighted
by two main story lines: the new uniforms (which I have mixed opinions of) and
being the main facilitator of the trade bringing Eric Bledsoe (and originally
Caron Butler’s expiring contract) to Phoenix and sending Jared Dudley to
contend in L.A. Meanwhile Phoenix has subtly been accumulating assets on the
side (1st round pick in 2014 and Miles Plumlee from Indiana).
This isn’t going to be a great year
in terms of performance for Phoenix, or even a good one; the Nash days are over
and Phoenix will jump on the rebuilding track. Bledsoe is the most promising
prospect on the roster, at least in terms of immediate performance, and it
appears Phoenix’s smart front office will evaluate his performance this year
before offering him an extension. There’s a risk-reward standard in play when
acting this way, but the reward of saving a few dollars by signing him now as
opposed to later is much riskier than waiting until next offseason.
Luis Scola and Jared Dudley leave
the roster as well, a beneficial move for both teams as Phoenix let’s its
quality locker room guys compete on true championship contenders. Caron Butler
was also shipped faster than he was received, as he goes to Milwaukee to clear
cap space from Phoenix’s books, and the suns look to have max cap room as soon
as next summer. Phoenix could have a valuable asset on their hands at the trade
deadline, as Marcin Gortat’s expiring contract could be beneficial for teams
who need a quality back up center and the Suns should have little use for him
by then.
They’ve made all the right moves
thus far by hoarding picks and cap room (and finally releasing Michael
Beasley), and while it may be a while before they recover from the Steve Nash
era, Phoenix should be back in contention within a few years. This year will be
a tanking project, but I like what the front office is doing, and the key
development to watch going forward will be how Hornacek manages his young
talent.
Grade:
A-
Sacramento Kings
Key Additions: Carl Landry, Luc
Richard Mbah A Moute, Ray McCallum, Ben McLemore, Greivis Vasquez
Key Subtractions: Cole Aldrich,
Toney Douglas, James Johnson, Tyreke Evans
It’s no secret anymore; Sacramento is
doing everything in it’s power to create the best environment for Demarcus
Cousins to succeed, and they even sunk as low as to sign high character
teammates such as Carl Landry and Luc Richard Mbah A Moute to enhance the
atmosphere (that Cousins constantly dampens). It’s no doubt that Cousins has
value, and such an impressive health record for a starting NBA center is quite
impressive.
But having to sign a specific
clientele to keep your star happy isn’t ideal for any sports franchise, not to
mention a star who consistently get’s picked apart in the pick and roll and
can’t protect the rim. Cousins is no slouch; he’s one of the league’s most
proficient rebounders and has elevated his play in terms of passing and overall
offensive skill, but he doesn’t warrant a max contract (yet), and he certainly
isn’t worth going to extremes to work around his character issues.
I’ve said this before and I
absolutely believe it to be true: big guys need more time to develop than any
other player (Joakim Noah is a prime example), but this is Cousins’ 4th
and perhaps most crucial season thus far, and Sacramento has plenty of
analyzing to do to determine if they can continue with Big Cuz as the
cornerstone of their offense going forward.
Let’s be honest, this organization is
completely dysfunctional as of late and it’s going to take quite an overhaul by
new general manager Pete D'alessandro to achieve the notoriety this franchise
had in the early 2000s. Marcus Thornton is set to soak up $16 million over the
next two years, and John Salmons’ contract doesn’t look to friendly either.
Shipping out Tyreke Evans proved to be a cost effective decision (considering
he requested $44 million), but there are now no potential superstars on this
roster aside from Cousins. Cap room is somewhat in their favor as soon as next
summer, but the Kings will need to pull some strings to get good, quality
talent on this roster.
Grade: C+
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