TSN.ca's 2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Pacific Division

With the regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each NBA division before the first tip. TSN Basketball analyst Jack Armstrong also gives his pick for division champ and a player to keep an eye on this season. We continue with the Pacific, where Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers look for that next gear, Steve Kerr takes the reins of the Golden State Warriors and an aging Kobe Bryant attempts to keep the Los Angeles Lakers relevant.

 

Golden State Warriors

Coach: Steve Kerr (first season)

GM: Bob Myers (third season)

Last year: 51-31, second in Pacific (sixth in Western Conference)

Playoffs: Lost in first round to Clippers

Notable additions: SG Shaun Livingston ($16M, three-year deal), SG/SF Brandon Rush ($2.42M, two-year deal), SG/PG Leandro Barbosa ($1.45M, one-year deal), SF Jason Kapono ($1.32M, one-year deal)

Notable subtractions: PG Steve Blake (signed with Blazers), SG Jordan Crawford (signed with Xinjiang Flying Tigers) and C Jermaine O’Neal (unsigned)

 

Warriors Depth Chart

Steve Kerr better be a good coach.

As a GM (with the Suns from 2007-2008), Kerr proved himself unafraid to make bold moves even if they didn’t pan out as planned (his acquisition of Shaq didn’t get the Suns out of the first round), but he inherits a team that expects results.

Though Mark Jackson had a seemingly good relationship with his players, his staff was in turmoil for the majority of the year (assistant Brian Scalabrine was “reassigned” by the organization at Jackson’s behest before Darren Erman was shown the door…just weeks before the playoffs, by the way) and the team regressed in the playoffs a year after upsetting the Clippers in one of the best first-round match-ups in ages. The writing was on the wall and the team chose to go in a different direction.

Kerr was a bold and expensive choice and the Warriors might not be the best situation for a coach to make his maiden voyage. The Warriors have one of the most rabid fan bases in the entire league and are starving for a winner. They feel that the build blocks are there for the team to make a real run and Kerr will not be afforded the luxury of growing pains.

As for the players on the court, the best decision the Warriors made in the offseason might have been a trade they didn’t make. Acquiring Kevin Love would have meant splitting up the Splash Brothers (the price quoted by the T-Wolves was reportedly Klay Thompson and David Lee, with maybe a pick or two involved) and, while Love would have made what is already a solid frontcourt into a dominant one, it was for the best that the Warriors didn’t mess with what might be the finest backcourt in the entire NBA of Thompson and the unstoppable Steph Curry.

The key for the Warriors this season will be maintaining their outstanding level of defending and improving their offensive efficiency. The team, not particularly reliant at all on the bench a season ago at guard, made a shrewd move in bringing in Shaun Livingston. The fourth-overall pick from what seems like ages ago (it was 2004) had arguably his best season as a pro in Brooklyn last year where he played a career high in minutes and shone in a first-round playoff series with the Raptors. Livingston, coming off of offseason surgery on his toe, along with Leandro Barbosa and Brandon Rush, will provide bench options in the back who Kerr should feel comfortable in using seamlessly to spell Thompson and Steph Curry.

Andrew Bogut’s health will once again be key. Though the Warriors' frontcourt, of starters Lee and Andre Iguodala and stellar bench options Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Mareesse Speights, is a formidable one, the five spot could be worrisome.  Bogut, one of the league’s best defensive centres, missed 15 games a year ago, 50 the season before that and 70 three years ago, his last in Milwaukee. The big Aussie has shown a better offensive touch this preseason, but that’s not what the Warriors need out of him. Jermaine O’Neal, even at his advanced age, was good for 20 minutes a night last season. With him gone, Festus Ezeli will be counted on for minutes in Bogut’s stead. The 25-year-old Nigerian has been out for over a year with a variety of leg ailments. It would be foolish for Kerr to bet on getting 82 games out of either Bogut or Ezeli, so the health of the Warriors’ big men in the middle is something to watch this season.

The West will be just as competitive as it was a season ago, if not more so. The Warriors can ill-afford another step back like they took in last year’s postseason. There is belief that the best is yet to come out of this team, but another first-round exit and questions will surely be asked if a ceiling has already been hit.

Projection: Second in the Pacific (sixth in Western Conference)

 

Los Angeles Clippers

 

Coach: Doc Rivers (second season)

GM: Dave Wohl (first season)

Last year: 57-25, first in Pacific (third in Western Conference)

Playoffs: Lost in Western Conference semi-finals

Notable additions: C Spencer Hawes ($22.5M, four-year deal), PG Jordan Farmar ($4.2M, two-year deal), PF Ekpe Udoh ($985K, one-year deal), SG/SF Chris Douglas-Roberts ($950K, one-year deal) and SG/SF Jared Cunningham ($915K, one-year deal)

Notable subtractions: PG Darren Collison (signed with Kings), SG Willie Green (waived), SF Danny Granger (signed with Heat), SF Jared Dudley (traded to Bucks) and C Ryan Hollins (signed with Kings)

 

Clippers Depth Chart

 

The biggest offseason acquisition for the Clippers won’t be playing on the court this season.

Donald Sterling and the cloud he brought over the team are gone. With former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer now owner of the Clippers, the unwanted and unnecessary distraction that Sterling (of whom Blake Griffin referred to as a “weird uncle”) was is no longer an issue and Doc Rivers and his charges can get back to on-court matters. That’s best for everybody.

Doc Rivers finds himself with a team very much like the one that topped the Pacific last season, just a little bit more battle-tested and maybe even a little bit better. Their time needs to be now and with an aging Spurs team and no Kevin Durant in OKC for a couple of months, the Clippers believe it is their time.

The Clippers’ backcourt is not a young one, but when healthy, it must be considered among the league’s best. Chris Paul, who turns 30 this year, is a perennial All-Star whose credentials aren’t in doubt (he led the league in both APG and SPG), but his ability to stay healthy is. He missed 20 games last season. His backcourt mate, JJ Redick, also 30, appeared in only 35 games last season. Redick, easily the team’s biggest threat from outside, hasn’t played a full season since he was with the Magic four years ago. Jamal Crawford was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year last season and will again be counted on to score off of the bench (he averaged 18.6 PPG in 30.3 minutes a night a year ago), but Rivers would ideally like to limit some of those minutes, something that he didn’t have the luxury of last season. Also to consider is the absence of back-up PG Darren Collison, who moved over to the Kings in the offseason for a starting gig. Jordan Farmar slots into that role and, while certainly competent, the former Laker isn’t as dynamic a defender as Collison.

In a perfect world, Rivers will have four healthy options in his backcourt. History, though, suggests more than a few trips to the training room are on tap for the Clippers and that doesn’t exactly bode well.

While not the sexiest of additions, Spencer Hawes looks like a deft bit of business for the Clippers. The former Washington Huskie will be a fine complement for DeAndre Jordan at the four. Hawes is a deceivingly fine shooter who does his best work outside of the paint, which should allow more room for Griffin to maneuver inside. Coupled with Jordan’s inside dominance, the pair should make for a potent presence in the West.

As for Griffin himself, he made strides last year in his perimeter game. The reason that’s so key for a player like Griffin is that becoming a threat from outside means that room will become available inside where the 25-year-old might be the best in the game. His chemistry with Paul is almost preternatural (Paul assisted on more than a third of all of Griffin’s made field goals last season) and, barring injury to either, there’s no reason to believe that will abate any time soon.

If there is a weakness on this team, it’s at small forward. Jared Dudley, last year’s starter up until the New Year, is gone and it’s once again Matt Barnes’s job. Barnes is a serviceable player, but certainly not irreplaceable and there will be opportunity for Reggie Bullock and Chris Douglas-Roberts to unseat him.

The Clippers have never made the conference finals in their history. Frankly, if they’re looking at that as a benchmark now, it’s not a lofty one. This team should see the NBA Finals as a realistic goal. It’s talented enough to get there, but actually making the run is something entirely different. Another early exit and the Clippers will face questions if this core will ever be equipped to win.

Projection: First in the Pacific (second in the Western Conference)

 

Los Angeles Lakers

 

Coach: Byron Scott (first season)

GM: Mitch Kupchak (14^th season)

Last year: 27-55, fifth in Pacific (14^th in Western Conference)

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Notable additions: PG Jeremy Lin (acquired from Rockets), SF Carlos Boozer (claimed from Bulls), PF Ed Davis ($2.2M, two-year deal), SG Wayne Ellington (claimed from Kings) and PF Julius Randle (drafted)

Notable subtractions: PF Pau Gasol (signed with Bulls), PG Jordan Farmar (signed with Clippers), C Chris Kaman (signed with Trail Blazers), SG Jodie Meeks (signed with Pistons), PG Kendall Marshall (waived and claimed by Bucks) and SG Kent Bazemore (signed with Hawks)

 

Lakers Depth Chart

 

The 2010 NBA Championship seems eons removed at this point from where the Lakers stand today. If last season was a disaster for the Lakers, this year will be the clean-up stage: Not nearly as bad as the cataclysm itself, but still not very pretty.

Kobe Bryant is once again healthy. That will go a long way in getting the Lakers’ offence rolling after sputtering under Mike D’Antoni, but let’s not forget one key thing – the Black Mamba is now 36 years old and, while it might be premature to call Bryant a shadow of his former self, he can’t be relied on to turn back the clock every night. He’s still likely to be the top scorer on this team, but that speaks more to the Lakers’ inability to bring in a true first option in the offseason.

Jeremy Lin was the Lakers’ biggest acquisition this offseason and it’s certainly looking like a necessary one now. Steve Nash is out for the season and is probably going to have to call time on his storied career. The Lakers weren’t expecting 82 games out of Nash (and if they were, that’s beyond foolish), but they did think that the 40-year-old would appear in more than the 15 he did last year. Sadly, the back injury that felled him for most of last season has proven to be just too much for a player of his age from which to come back. Of course, the fans lose to with the absence of Nash. Even in his advanced age, Nash was still capable of flashes of greatness, displaying why he’s going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in a few years’ time.

The primary concern for the Lakers again this season will be defence after being the third-worst defensive team in the league last year. The hiring of Byron Scott as coach doesn’t go a long way to assuage fears that things will be just as bad. Scott has coached some awful defensive teams in the past and it’s difficult not to get the sense that his hiring was just as much about being a patronage appointment for a former Laker great than it was filling a need. Scott will be given time to mold this team into his own, but anybody who’s expecting some kind of panacea from Scott is headed for disappointment.

If Lakers fans are looking for a silver lining, then look no further than Julius Randle. Randle has the potential to develop into a fine big with loads of energy and a knack for offensive rebounds and drawing fouls. He’s far from a finished product and will need to learn an offensive game that exists outside of post-ups, but he’s only 19. Obviously, the spotlight of playing for the Lakers can only magnify everything, both the good and the bad, so it’s important for Randle to be mindful of this. Having somebody like Kobe, who was in the exact same position almost 20 years ago, will go a long way to easing Randle’s transition to the pro game.

Expect another middling season from the Lakers this season, but they might be worth a watch to enjoy Kobe while we still can.

Projected finish: Fifth in the Pacific (15^th in Western Conference)

 

Phoenix Suns

Coach: Jeff Hornacek (second season)

GM: Ryan McDonough (second season)

Last year: 48-34, third in Pacific (ninth in Western Conference)

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Notable additions: PG Isaiah Thomas (acquired from Kings), PG Tyler Ennis (drafted), PF Anthony Tolliver ($6M, two-year deal), PF TJ Warren (drafted), C/PF Earl Barron ($1.3M, one-year deal) and SG Zoran Dragic ($3.1M, two-year deal)

Notable subtractions: PF/C Channing Frye (signed with Magic), PG Ish Smith (waived, signed with Rockets), SG/PG Leandro Barbosa (signed with Warriors) and C/PF Emeka Okafor (unsigned)

Suns Depth Chart

It might be jarring for those who follow the Eastern Conference to note that a 48-win Suns team last season was on the outside looking in come playoff time, but that just illustrates the ultra-competitive nature of the West. With a dynamic backcourt driving the offence, rookie coach Jeff Hornacek’s Suns were the surprise package of the Western Conference last season, even if they came up short in securing a postseason spot (the Mavericks finished a single game ahead of the Suns for the eighth seed).

The Suns, still one of the youngest teams in the West, added another weapon to the backcourt and will once again compete for a playoff spot, but they’re not going to take anybody by surprise this time around.

Goran Dragic, who was named the 2014 Most Improved Player, and Eric Bledsoe formed one hell of a dynamic partnership in the backcourt, quick in transition and opening up the floor with passing…when they played together. Bledsoe, who finally re-signed with the team in September after contentious negotiations and talk that he wanted to leave, missed 39 games last season, his first in the desert, with a shin injury. With Bledsoe’s contract status and his health in question, the Suns brought in an insurance policy in acquiring Isaiah Thomas from the Kings. The diminutive guard gives the Suns a veritable embarrassment of riches when it comes to backcourt options. Thomas, who averaged 20.3 points last season, likely starts off of the bench and gives the Suns a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year contender.

The Suns have the potential to present teams with backcourt headaches for an entire 48 minutes, but Hornachek’s guard rotation will go a long way in determining the Suns’ success. He’ll have his hands full in keeping his three stars happy, as well as making sure Gerald Green, who emerged as something more than just a spectacular dunker last season with 15.8 points per game and .400 clip from beyond the arc, gets the opportunity to once again make his mark on games. That’s to say nothing of getting Brampton, Ontario rookie Tyler Ennis into games or Dragic’s brother, Zoran, another new arrival.

If Thomas is the Suns’ only Sixth Man contender this season, it’s going to be due to the fact that last year’s, Markieff Morris, will be starting. Morris, who posted 13.8 points per game and 6.0 rebounds in 26.6 minutes, steps into the starting five with Channing Frye’s departure to the Magic. Frye was a key contributor to the Suns last season at stretch-four and will need somebody to step up in his absence. Anthony Tolliver, coming over from the Pelicans, will also see minutes at four, especially if Hornachek is intent on experimenting with Morris at centre at points. The rest of the frontcourt, Miles Plumlee and PJ Tucker, were solid, if unspectacular, last season and will need to be again, Alex Len, the fifth-overall pick a season ago, will get more of a look in the middle.

With youth in abundance and under contract (all of Bledsoe, Thomas, Dragic and the Morris twins are locked up), the Suns have the building blocks in place to be a good team for a long time. Whether the breakthrough happens this season remains to be seen and, if they are able to make the playoffs, a first-round match-up with one of the West’s Goliaths beckons.

The Suns were oh, so close last season and should just edge out the Grizzlies and Pelicans to grab that final postseason berth.

Projection: Third in Pacific (eighth in Western Conference)

 

Sacramento Kings

Coach: Mike Malone (second season)

GM: Pete D’Alessandro (first season)

Last year: 28-54, fourth in Pacific (13^th in Western Conference)

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Notable additions: PG Darren Collison ($16M, three-year deal), SG Nik Stauskas (drafted), C Ryan Hollins (one-year deal), SF Omri Casspi (one-year deal) and PG Ramon Sessions ($4.2M, two-year deal)

Notable subtractions: PG Isaiah Thomas (traded to Suns), C Aaron Gray (signed with Pistons) and SG/PG Jason Terry (traded to Rockets)

 

Kings Depth Chart

 

The Kings are in a tight spot.

This is a capable offensive team that can score in droves, but is stuck in an ultra-competitive conference that makes the goal of a playoff spot all that more unlikely. Can the Kings qualify for the postseason? It’s not entirely outside of the realm of possibility, but it would require just about everything to go right.

The biggest change for the Kings is the departure of point guard Isaiah Thomas. Perhaps undervalued by the Kings (and underappreciated if you’re to ask him), Thomas was the team’s second-leading scorer last season (20.3 PPG) and ran the offence. With Thomas off to Phoenix, the Kings turn to veteran Darren Collison. Collison signed with the Kings with an understanding that he will start (competition will come from Ramon Sessions.) Collison might be a better passer than Thomas, but the Kings shouldn’t expect to get the same kind of offensive output from their backcourt that they got a season ago.

The danger in this, of course, is having Rudy Gay fall back into his old habits of low-percentage shooting to compensate. Gay had the best year of his career with the Kings last season after coming over from the Toronto Raptors in December. Gay shot a career-best 48.2 per cent in Sacramento, almost a full 10 points better than what he was shooting with the Raptors, and did a good job of eliminating the kind of decision-making that’s had him labelled as a ball hog in both Memphis and Toronto. This is a contract year for Gay and the 28-year-old has positioned himself to be an attractive commodity on the open market. That said, the Kings are very willing to extend him long term and midseason talks are likely if Gay can retain last season’s form.

With Gay, the issue has always been bad shots, but with DeMarcus Cousins, it’s been his temper. Boogie Cousins is the best offensive centre in the NBA and capable of completely taking over games. He’s a 20-10 a night guy and can get even better, provided that he keeps his fire in check. Cousins is on the cusp of being a perennial All-Star and in the first year of a massive extension. The Kings have shown commitment to Cousins and it’s time he pays it back by growing up and taking a leadership role on a team that is very clearly being built around him.

Part of the young team around Cousins is Canadian sharpshooter Nik Stauskas, drafted eighth-overall out of Michigan. The Kings were impressed by the 21-year-old’s dogged commitment to defence he showed in school and his uncanny ability to be close to automatic from distance. If Ben McLemore struggles, Stauskas might be able to force himself into starting consideration.

The Kings’ Canadian contingent extends past one. Toronto’s monstrous Sim Bhullar, undrafted out of New Mexico State, performed well enough for the Kings’ summer league team to warrant a contract. Bhullar is likely a fourth option down the middle for the Kings, so his minutes will be scarce. It would be no surprise to see the Kings assign him to their D-League-affiliate Reno Bighorns.

Projected finish: Fourth in the Pacific (13^th in Western Conference)

 

Jack Armstrong's Pick:

Los Angeles Clippers - I'm still not a fan of their two and three spots, but when you have Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, you've got answers. I love the Spencer Hawes pick-up because he'll open things up for them. Doc Rivers will have a stable environment to work in now that former owner Donald Sterling is gone. 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack Armstrong's Player to Watch:

Kobe Bryant, Lakers - The coverage of his return season is going to be over the top which is typical for Los Angeles. Bryant is a great natural scorer with wonderful instincts. He might not be able to bring his A-game as much as he'd like anymore, but he'll surely be heard from this season. Kobe's as good a competitor as you'll find. He will get by many nights on smarts and toughness alone.