Ashy Larry
07-25-2010, 10:47 PM
It's that time of year again…for HOOPSWORLD to look at possible 2010-11 season-end rankings for the NBA Western Conference. A crystal ball would be handy, especially in this conference, where just seven games separated the number one seed (Los Angeles Lakers, with 57 wins) from the number eight seed (Oklahoma City Thunder, with 50 wins, tied with San Antonio and Portland) last season.
The infamous Summer of 2010 did not disappoint, as both conferences were affected by the considerable roster moves. It's a new era in this game we follow, where superstars are best friends with dreams (and realizations, in some cases) of playing with each other, instead of beating each other. So, given all the changes thus far, how will the teams in the West stack up next April? Undoubtedly close once again, but we'll attempt to break it down here:
Los Angeles Lakers – With two consecutive championship titles, and the return of the key players and coach Phil Jackson, only one conclusion can be drawn: the Lakers are a virtual lock to land atop the Western Conference again. And the good news just keeps coming. Matt Barnes (ecstatic with the move) and Theo Ratliff are joining the team. General manager Mitch Kupchak is optimistic about the re-signing of Shannon Brown. Jordan Farmar has left for greener pastures in New Jersey, and well-rounded Steve Blake will take his place behind re-signed Derek Fisher. Kobe Bryant just had arthroscopic knee surgery and Andrew Bynum is scheduled for his arthroscopic knee surgery on July 28th. Both players should be fully recovered by the start of training camp. Kupchak has begun discussions with the agents of second-round picks Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter; both forwards performed very well in the Summer League. Yes, the defending champs just got better over the summer. One red flag exists though: Bryant's troublesome index finger may be beyond surgical repair.
Portland Trail Blazers – It speaks volumes that this team, given the excessive bad luck with injuries they experienced last season, was able to pull off 50 wins. A quick rundown: 1) Nicolas Batum missed the first 45 games due to a shoulder injury; 2) Greg Oden, coming off a 20-rebound game vs. Miami, suffered a season-ending fractured kneecap in early December requiring another surgery. Until that point, he had he averaged 11.1 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks; 3) Joel Przybilla, stepping up with Oden out, was sidelined in late December after rupturing a tendon which required surgery; he then re-injured it at home in March, requiring the same surgery; and finally, 4) Brandon Roy suffered a torn meniscus in April and missed the first-round series vs. the Suns with surgery. Reports indicate everyone but Pryzbilla are returning at 100% for training camp. With General Manager Kevin Pritchard fired, and solid Rich Cho (ex-right arm to the Thunder's general manager, Sam Presti) hired, the Blazers are poised for a more successful season…if everyone can stay healthy. Of course, that can be said for every team. To lessen the exposure of Oden playing only 82 games in the past three seasons, Marcus Camby was picked up mid-season and recently signed a two-year extension. Martell Webster is out, with Rudy Fernandez surely following, but unheralded Wesley Matthews is in. Plus they signed their two first-round draft picks, Luke Babbitt and Elliott Williams.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Home-court advantage in the playoffs. The Thunder brass won't say it out loud, but that's the underlying motivation going into next season. Sure, jumping from 23 wins in 2008-09 to 50 wins last year was nothing short of amazing. They may win a few more than that this year, but remember, 53 wins was good enough for a fourth seed last year – 55 for the second seed. The young team was defeated by the Lakers in an exciting and extremely competitive first round, but the value of the experience gained was immeasurable. And they left Los Angeles' court with three glaring truths: 1) They lacked a tough, rebounding man in the middle; 2) A reliable three-point shooter would help immensely; and 3) Oklahoma City fans are an insanely loud sixth man. So general manager Sam Presti (whose contract was just extended to a multi-year term) set about addressing these needs by first working his magic to land 11th overall pick in the draft, 6'11" Cole Aldrich. Then he acquired 2009 All-Star Weekend Three-Point Shootout winner, Daequan Cook, and veteran wingman Mo Peterson. Second-year players James Harden, Eric Maynor and Serge Ibaka should vastly improve with one year under their belts; Byron Mullens may even log considerably more playing time. Hard to believe we went this long into the paragraph without even mentioning last years' leading scorer, All-Star, second-ranked MVP and probable Team USA superstar, Kevin Durant. Can he get even better this year? Oh, yes.
Denver Nuggets – Last season, the Nuggets were on pace to challenge for a conference title (clinging to a number two spot in the Western Conference), then disaster struck with the illness of Coach George Karl. By season's end, they dropped to a fourth seed, and lost to the Jazz in the first round. Fast forward a couple months…Karl is healthy and more excited than he's been in a long while about coaching, and another scoring option was added with the signing of Al Harrington to a five-year deal. He's so pumped about the move that he couldn't care less if he starts or comes off the bench (rest assured, he'll start with the undetermined return date of Kenyon Martin). They picked up Shelden Williams, too. Ty Lawson, who had a solid showing in the Summer League, is gratefully absorbing everything Chauncey Billups shares about the point guard position. Sure, Carmelo Anthony has a three-year, $65 million extension offer on the table, while Chris Paul envisions a new big three in New York, but for this year, he's a Nugget. Denver has made seven straight playoff appearances – look for that trend to continue.
Utah Jazz – Carlos Boozer finally proved the rumors true and bolted, signing with the Chicago Bulls. All is not lost though, with the surprise pick-up of Al Jefferson, who looks to have center duties with rising Paul Millsap at the four. By all accounts, 25-year-old Jefferson, a potential 20-10 contributor every night, appears downright giddy with the move and the chance to play for coach Jerry Sloan. Plus, they secured a happy Raja Bell, who chose Utah over the lure of Kobe Bryant. However, make no mistake, the loss of Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews and obviously Boozer will absolutely sting. Andrei Kirilenko must step up. Expectations are high for the development of rookie Gordon Hayward (2010 ninth overall draft pick), and of course, they have one of the best point guards in the league with Deron Williams. Back to Sloan…in his 22 years of coaching the Jazz, he has brought them to a playoff appearance 19 times. Enough said.
Dallas Mavericks – The biggest news is, naturally, that Dirk Nowitzki signed a new three-year contract. After a pretty sound thumping by the Spurs in the first round last year (quite devastating, as the Mavs were the second seed with 55 wins), they worked on their roster so as not to repeat that scenario. However, with Tyson Chandler as their key acquisition so far, are they now set to push further in the playoffs? Hardly. Chandler is strong defensively in the paint, but don't forget that injuries limited him to just 51 games last year and 45 the year before. Also, one must not discount the fact that the Thunder rescinded their proposed trade in 2009 after Chandler failed a medical examination. Enough about that. Other changes include the acquisition of other bigs, Ian Mahinimi and Alexis Ajinca, plus the departure of Erick Dampier, Matt Carroll and Eduardo Najera. Keep your eye on the development of Roddy Beaubois this year and rookie Dominique Jones, both should mix it up.
Houston Rockets – Speculation is rampant, but it appears Yao Ming will return in good form by the start of training camp….and this time, they have insurance with Brad Miller, Jordan Hill and rookie Patrick Patterson, who made a name for himself in the Summer League. Yao's earnest disclosure a couple days ago that he has no idea if he will return to peak form is worrisome. The roster is basically unchanged and the Rockets wisely re-signed Luis Scola. Kevin Martin, in just 24 games with Houston, averaged 21.3 points, 7.1 free-throws at .924% efficiency. A brief review reveals that in the 2007-08 season, the Rockets won 55 games and Yao played in 55 games. In 2008-09, the Rockets won 53 games and Yao played in 77 games. Last year, the Rockets won just 42 games with Yao out of commission the whole season. This team needs Yao, yet realizes others had better start seriously developing.
San Antonio Spurs – The obvious question surrounds the addition of 6'11" Brazilian Tiago Splitter – can he push the Spurs into elite status again? Widely considered the best center playing in Europe, Splitter took a pay cut to finally make the move to the NBA and play alongside of his idol, Tim Duncan. Of course, they still have Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker (injury-plagued last season, but should be focused in this upcoming contract year), George Hill and DeJuan Blair, even Matt Bonner and Richard Jefferson re-signed. New faces include guards James Anderson and Gary Neal (a Summer League stand-out). Gregg Popovich has led the Spurs to a postseason each of his thirteen years in San Antonio, including four championship titles. He knows how to get it done, and certainly has no intention of suffering another sweep in the semi-finals.
Phoenix Suns – Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…turn and face the strain. This is the song echoing in my mind when thinking about the Suns. So, Amar'e Stoudemire is gone. Leandro Barbosa is gone. Fan favorite Louis Amundson is probably gone. General manager Steve Kerr and senior Vice-President of Basketball Operations David Griffin are gone. And the unexpected players added include a grateful Hedo Turkoglu, Hakim Warrick and bolting-from-Europe Josh Childress. Lon Babby (former agent of Turkoglu and Childress, even Grant Hill) is the new President of Basketball Operations. Follow all that? Steve Nash is still Steve Nash, hopefully, and the youngsters, i.e. the future of this team - Channing Frye, Jared Dudley, Goran Dragic and Robin Lopez - are poised to improve this year. Perfect-fit coach Alvin Gentry took the Suns to 54 wins last year, but they sure do need a general manager.
Sacramento Kings – The Kings bit the bullet and drafted DeMarcus Cousins, and he passed his first test at the Summer League with flying colors. Scratch that, he killed it. His play turned heads and earned him Rookie of the Month honors in July. Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year and future star Tyreke Evans led his team last year in points per game (20.1), assists (5.8), steals (1.5) and even second in defensive rebounds (4.4). He's an exciting, talented player and has become the face of the franchise. They traded Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes for Samuel Dalembert, and signed second-round draft pick Hassan Whiteside. Jon Brockman is gone, and Darnell Jackson has an opportunity to prove his case. Also, the Kings just signed 5'11" Pooh Jeter and Antoine Wright. This is definitely an intriguing team with interesting pieces to hopefully win a lot more than last year's record of 25 games.
Memphis Grizzlies – Rudy Gay's free agency period lasted one day as Memphis signed him to a five-year, $84 million deal. And nobody was more surprised than Gay himself. They also wisely landed Tony Allen, but why haven't the first-round draft picks (Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez) been signed? Memphis made an unexpected leap last year to 40 wins (tenth seed) from 24, 22 and 22 the previous three years. They've made the playoffs on just three occasions (losing in the first round each time) in their short franchise life of fifteen years. Allen should fill the leader-off-the-bench role that Memphis so needs. With Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo, the roster is remarkably unchanged. It's time to start learning how climb to the next level.
Los Angeles Clippers – Cue second verse of "Changes." Shake-up city going on here, and finally, Blake Griffin is set to take the NBA stage…and he thankfully scoffs at the Clippers curse notion. New head coach Vinny Del Negro indicates Griffin is ready and anxious, even needs calming, about the season. Del Negro has help with new assistant coach Marc Iavaroni. This team has been ultra-busy in the offseason and has not pulled the brakes yet. They've worked out Tracy McGrady and have interest in Andre Iguodala. They made a valiant effort to get LeBron James and Mike Miller. They've signed 2010 draft picks Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Bledsoe and Willie Warren, and acquired Randy Foye and Ryan Gomes in free agency, both solid additions for their positions. Steve Blake, Drew Gooden and Travis Outlaw are history. The Clippers won 29 games last year, making strides from the previous year of 19 wins, but have only two postseason runs in the past 17 years. They're trying, but won't get to the top eight this year.
New Orleans Hornets – We have to place the Hornets near the bottom of our list whether or not Chris Paul stays. A disgruntled superstar (under contract through 2012) with trade visions dancing in his head will likely fail to lead and/or inspire his team to greatness, and the Hornets without Chris Paul is a work in progress. They do have growing pieces, with the new guys that grabbed everyone's attention last year, Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, and their two first-round draftees, Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter. Add a new coach in the mix (Monty Williams) and a new general manager (Dell Demps), plus a proposed ownership transfer, and we've got a team that's going to take time to come together. Demps, Williams and team president Hugh Weber are reportedly meeting with Paul in an attempt to convince him to buy into their plan. They understand that the team went 23-22 with the All-Star last year, and 14-23 when he was sidelined with injury. At the meeting, Paul just may provide them with a list of proposed trade destinations.
Golden State Warriors – There's so much going on here, it's hard to know where to start. One word to describe is "overhaul." Here's who left the building: C.J. Watson, Kelenna Azubuike, Corey Maggette, Anthony Morrow, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and Raja Bell. And here are the new players: Charlie Bell, Dorell Wright, Jeremy Lin, Dan Gadzuric and David Lee. And general manager Larry Riley just shared that they may add up to three more players. Another word to describe is "injuries," not just last season (and they were significant), but over the summer. Mere days after signing draft pick Ekpe Udoh (sixth overall), a workout injury necessitated surgery on his wrist that will keep him sidelined for six months. David Lee injured his finger less than two weeks after signing, and he will miss the Worlds (should be fine by training camp). Brandan Wright, who missed all of last season, re-injured his shoulder in the Summer League (reportedly not serious). Unfortunately, the Warriors' brightest star, Stephen Curry, has already bought into a Warriors curse, saying this (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/gsw/report)after Lee was hurt: "It was the curse of the Warriors. I don't know what else it is. Every time someone joins our team, injuries seem to happen." In addition, the team was just sold and coach Don Nelson doesn't know if he's got a job or not. GSW won 26 games last year – can they even match that this year?
Minnesota Timberwolves – The rebuilding process continues. David Kahn, President of Basketball Operations, was frank last year in saying they are a couple years away from making any noise. And so the changes just keep on coming, presumably leading them on a path to perceived glory when Ricky Rubio finally makes the move to the NBA next year. Still, sending your best player away (Al Jefferson with 17.1 points per game/9.3 boards last year) doesn't seem exactly sound, but Kahn is focused on giving Kevin Love his chance. Most eyes will be squarely on how new acquisition, Michael Beasley, performs in Minnesota. People scoffed at the Darko Milicic re-signing, but Kahn is a believer. The latest move was adding Luke Ridnour, and his goal is to challenge promising Johnny Flynn for the starting point guard position. Funny, that's what Rubio's goal will be, too. The Wolves have signed their two first-round picks in the 2010 draft, Wesley Johnson (taken fourth overall and should impact right away) and Lazar Hayward.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16913
The infamous Summer of 2010 did not disappoint, as both conferences were affected by the considerable roster moves. It's a new era in this game we follow, where superstars are best friends with dreams (and realizations, in some cases) of playing with each other, instead of beating each other. So, given all the changes thus far, how will the teams in the West stack up next April? Undoubtedly close once again, but we'll attempt to break it down here:
Los Angeles Lakers – With two consecutive championship titles, and the return of the key players and coach Phil Jackson, only one conclusion can be drawn: the Lakers are a virtual lock to land atop the Western Conference again. And the good news just keeps coming. Matt Barnes (ecstatic with the move) and Theo Ratliff are joining the team. General manager Mitch Kupchak is optimistic about the re-signing of Shannon Brown. Jordan Farmar has left for greener pastures in New Jersey, and well-rounded Steve Blake will take his place behind re-signed Derek Fisher. Kobe Bryant just had arthroscopic knee surgery and Andrew Bynum is scheduled for his arthroscopic knee surgery on July 28th. Both players should be fully recovered by the start of training camp. Kupchak has begun discussions with the agents of second-round picks Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter; both forwards performed very well in the Summer League. Yes, the defending champs just got better over the summer. One red flag exists though: Bryant's troublesome index finger may be beyond surgical repair.
Portland Trail Blazers – It speaks volumes that this team, given the excessive bad luck with injuries they experienced last season, was able to pull off 50 wins. A quick rundown: 1) Nicolas Batum missed the first 45 games due to a shoulder injury; 2) Greg Oden, coming off a 20-rebound game vs. Miami, suffered a season-ending fractured kneecap in early December requiring another surgery. Until that point, he had he averaged 11.1 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks; 3) Joel Przybilla, stepping up with Oden out, was sidelined in late December after rupturing a tendon which required surgery; he then re-injured it at home in March, requiring the same surgery; and finally, 4) Brandon Roy suffered a torn meniscus in April and missed the first-round series vs. the Suns with surgery. Reports indicate everyone but Pryzbilla are returning at 100% for training camp. With General Manager Kevin Pritchard fired, and solid Rich Cho (ex-right arm to the Thunder's general manager, Sam Presti) hired, the Blazers are poised for a more successful season…if everyone can stay healthy. Of course, that can be said for every team. To lessen the exposure of Oden playing only 82 games in the past three seasons, Marcus Camby was picked up mid-season and recently signed a two-year extension. Martell Webster is out, with Rudy Fernandez surely following, but unheralded Wesley Matthews is in. Plus they signed their two first-round draft picks, Luke Babbitt and Elliott Williams.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Home-court advantage in the playoffs. The Thunder brass won't say it out loud, but that's the underlying motivation going into next season. Sure, jumping from 23 wins in 2008-09 to 50 wins last year was nothing short of amazing. They may win a few more than that this year, but remember, 53 wins was good enough for a fourth seed last year – 55 for the second seed. The young team was defeated by the Lakers in an exciting and extremely competitive first round, but the value of the experience gained was immeasurable. And they left Los Angeles' court with three glaring truths: 1) They lacked a tough, rebounding man in the middle; 2) A reliable three-point shooter would help immensely; and 3) Oklahoma City fans are an insanely loud sixth man. So general manager Sam Presti (whose contract was just extended to a multi-year term) set about addressing these needs by first working his magic to land 11th overall pick in the draft, 6'11" Cole Aldrich. Then he acquired 2009 All-Star Weekend Three-Point Shootout winner, Daequan Cook, and veteran wingman Mo Peterson. Second-year players James Harden, Eric Maynor and Serge Ibaka should vastly improve with one year under their belts; Byron Mullens may even log considerably more playing time. Hard to believe we went this long into the paragraph without even mentioning last years' leading scorer, All-Star, second-ranked MVP and probable Team USA superstar, Kevin Durant. Can he get even better this year? Oh, yes.
Denver Nuggets – Last season, the Nuggets were on pace to challenge for a conference title (clinging to a number two spot in the Western Conference), then disaster struck with the illness of Coach George Karl. By season's end, they dropped to a fourth seed, and lost to the Jazz in the first round. Fast forward a couple months…Karl is healthy and more excited than he's been in a long while about coaching, and another scoring option was added with the signing of Al Harrington to a five-year deal. He's so pumped about the move that he couldn't care less if he starts or comes off the bench (rest assured, he'll start with the undetermined return date of Kenyon Martin). They picked up Shelden Williams, too. Ty Lawson, who had a solid showing in the Summer League, is gratefully absorbing everything Chauncey Billups shares about the point guard position. Sure, Carmelo Anthony has a three-year, $65 million extension offer on the table, while Chris Paul envisions a new big three in New York, but for this year, he's a Nugget. Denver has made seven straight playoff appearances – look for that trend to continue.
Utah Jazz – Carlos Boozer finally proved the rumors true and bolted, signing with the Chicago Bulls. All is not lost though, with the surprise pick-up of Al Jefferson, who looks to have center duties with rising Paul Millsap at the four. By all accounts, 25-year-old Jefferson, a potential 20-10 contributor every night, appears downright giddy with the move and the chance to play for coach Jerry Sloan. Plus, they secured a happy Raja Bell, who chose Utah over the lure of Kobe Bryant. However, make no mistake, the loss of Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews and obviously Boozer will absolutely sting. Andrei Kirilenko must step up. Expectations are high for the development of rookie Gordon Hayward (2010 ninth overall draft pick), and of course, they have one of the best point guards in the league with Deron Williams. Back to Sloan…in his 22 years of coaching the Jazz, he has brought them to a playoff appearance 19 times. Enough said.
Dallas Mavericks – The biggest news is, naturally, that Dirk Nowitzki signed a new three-year contract. After a pretty sound thumping by the Spurs in the first round last year (quite devastating, as the Mavs were the second seed with 55 wins), they worked on their roster so as not to repeat that scenario. However, with Tyson Chandler as their key acquisition so far, are they now set to push further in the playoffs? Hardly. Chandler is strong defensively in the paint, but don't forget that injuries limited him to just 51 games last year and 45 the year before. Also, one must not discount the fact that the Thunder rescinded their proposed trade in 2009 after Chandler failed a medical examination. Enough about that. Other changes include the acquisition of other bigs, Ian Mahinimi and Alexis Ajinca, plus the departure of Erick Dampier, Matt Carroll and Eduardo Najera. Keep your eye on the development of Roddy Beaubois this year and rookie Dominique Jones, both should mix it up.
Houston Rockets – Speculation is rampant, but it appears Yao Ming will return in good form by the start of training camp….and this time, they have insurance with Brad Miller, Jordan Hill and rookie Patrick Patterson, who made a name for himself in the Summer League. Yao's earnest disclosure a couple days ago that he has no idea if he will return to peak form is worrisome. The roster is basically unchanged and the Rockets wisely re-signed Luis Scola. Kevin Martin, in just 24 games with Houston, averaged 21.3 points, 7.1 free-throws at .924% efficiency. A brief review reveals that in the 2007-08 season, the Rockets won 55 games and Yao played in 55 games. In 2008-09, the Rockets won 53 games and Yao played in 77 games. Last year, the Rockets won just 42 games with Yao out of commission the whole season. This team needs Yao, yet realizes others had better start seriously developing.
San Antonio Spurs – The obvious question surrounds the addition of 6'11" Brazilian Tiago Splitter – can he push the Spurs into elite status again? Widely considered the best center playing in Europe, Splitter took a pay cut to finally make the move to the NBA and play alongside of his idol, Tim Duncan. Of course, they still have Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker (injury-plagued last season, but should be focused in this upcoming contract year), George Hill and DeJuan Blair, even Matt Bonner and Richard Jefferson re-signed. New faces include guards James Anderson and Gary Neal (a Summer League stand-out). Gregg Popovich has led the Spurs to a postseason each of his thirteen years in San Antonio, including four championship titles. He knows how to get it done, and certainly has no intention of suffering another sweep in the semi-finals.
Phoenix Suns – Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…turn and face the strain. This is the song echoing in my mind when thinking about the Suns. So, Amar'e Stoudemire is gone. Leandro Barbosa is gone. Fan favorite Louis Amundson is probably gone. General manager Steve Kerr and senior Vice-President of Basketball Operations David Griffin are gone. And the unexpected players added include a grateful Hedo Turkoglu, Hakim Warrick and bolting-from-Europe Josh Childress. Lon Babby (former agent of Turkoglu and Childress, even Grant Hill) is the new President of Basketball Operations. Follow all that? Steve Nash is still Steve Nash, hopefully, and the youngsters, i.e. the future of this team - Channing Frye, Jared Dudley, Goran Dragic and Robin Lopez - are poised to improve this year. Perfect-fit coach Alvin Gentry took the Suns to 54 wins last year, but they sure do need a general manager.
Sacramento Kings – The Kings bit the bullet and drafted DeMarcus Cousins, and he passed his first test at the Summer League with flying colors. Scratch that, he killed it. His play turned heads and earned him Rookie of the Month honors in July. Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year and future star Tyreke Evans led his team last year in points per game (20.1), assists (5.8), steals (1.5) and even second in defensive rebounds (4.4). He's an exciting, talented player and has become the face of the franchise. They traded Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes for Samuel Dalembert, and signed second-round draft pick Hassan Whiteside. Jon Brockman is gone, and Darnell Jackson has an opportunity to prove his case. Also, the Kings just signed 5'11" Pooh Jeter and Antoine Wright. This is definitely an intriguing team with interesting pieces to hopefully win a lot more than last year's record of 25 games.
Memphis Grizzlies – Rudy Gay's free agency period lasted one day as Memphis signed him to a five-year, $84 million deal. And nobody was more surprised than Gay himself. They also wisely landed Tony Allen, but why haven't the first-round draft picks (Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez) been signed? Memphis made an unexpected leap last year to 40 wins (tenth seed) from 24, 22 and 22 the previous three years. They've made the playoffs on just three occasions (losing in the first round each time) in their short franchise life of fifteen years. Allen should fill the leader-off-the-bench role that Memphis so needs. With Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo, the roster is remarkably unchanged. It's time to start learning how climb to the next level.
Los Angeles Clippers – Cue second verse of "Changes." Shake-up city going on here, and finally, Blake Griffin is set to take the NBA stage…and he thankfully scoffs at the Clippers curse notion. New head coach Vinny Del Negro indicates Griffin is ready and anxious, even needs calming, about the season. Del Negro has help with new assistant coach Marc Iavaroni. This team has been ultra-busy in the offseason and has not pulled the brakes yet. They've worked out Tracy McGrady and have interest in Andre Iguodala. They made a valiant effort to get LeBron James and Mike Miller. They've signed 2010 draft picks Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Bledsoe and Willie Warren, and acquired Randy Foye and Ryan Gomes in free agency, both solid additions for their positions. Steve Blake, Drew Gooden and Travis Outlaw are history. The Clippers won 29 games last year, making strides from the previous year of 19 wins, but have only two postseason runs in the past 17 years. They're trying, but won't get to the top eight this year.
New Orleans Hornets – We have to place the Hornets near the bottom of our list whether or not Chris Paul stays. A disgruntled superstar (under contract through 2012) with trade visions dancing in his head will likely fail to lead and/or inspire his team to greatness, and the Hornets without Chris Paul is a work in progress. They do have growing pieces, with the new guys that grabbed everyone's attention last year, Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, and their two first-round draftees, Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter. Add a new coach in the mix (Monty Williams) and a new general manager (Dell Demps), plus a proposed ownership transfer, and we've got a team that's going to take time to come together. Demps, Williams and team president Hugh Weber are reportedly meeting with Paul in an attempt to convince him to buy into their plan. They understand that the team went 23-22 with the All-Star last year, and 14-23 when he was sidelined with injury. At the meeting, Paul just may provide them with a list of proposed trade destinations.
Golden State Warriors – There's so much going on here, it's hard to know where to start. One word to describe is "overhaul." Here's who left the building: C.J. Watson, Kelenna Azubuike, Corey Maggette, Anthony Morrow, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and Raja Bell. And here are the new players: Charlie Bell, Dorell Wright, Jeremy Lin, Dan Gadzuric and David Lee. And general manager Larry Riley just shared that they may add up to three more players. Another word to describe is "injuries," not just last season (and they were significant), but over the summer. Mere days after signing draft pick Ekpe Udoh (sixth overall), a workout injury necessitated surgery on his wrist that will keep him sidelined for six months. David Lee injured his finger less than two weeks after signing, and he will miss the Worlds (should be fine by training camp). Brandan Wright, who missed all of last season, re-injured his shoulder in the Summer League (reportedly not serious). Unfortunately, the Warriors' brightest star, Stephen Curry, has already bought into a Warriors curse, saying this (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/gsw/report)after Lee was hurt: "It was the curse of the Warriors. I don't know what else it is. Every time someone joins our team, injuries seem to happen." In addition, the team was just sold and coach Don Nelson doesn't know if he's got a job or not. GSW won 26 games last year – can they even match that this year?
Minnesota Timberwolves – The rebuilding process continues. David Kahn, President of Basketball Operations, was frank last year in saying they are a couple years away from making any noise. And so the changes just keep on coming, presumably leading them on a path to perceived glory when Ricky Rubio finally makes the move to the NBA next year. Still, sending your best player away (Al Jefferson with 17.1 points per game/9.3 boards last year) doesn't seem exactly sound, but Kahn is focused on giving Kevin Love his chance. Most eyes will be squarely on how new acquisition, Michael Beasley, performs in Minnesota. People scoffed at the Darko Milicic re-signing, but Kahn is a believer. The latest move was adding Luke Ridnour, and his goal is to challenge promising Johnny Flynn for the starting point guard position. Funny, that's what Rubio's goal will be, too. The Wolves have signed their two first-round picks in the 2010 draft, Wesley Johnson (taken fourth overall and should impact right away) and Lazar Hayward.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16913