Thunder, Clippers, Spurs to top their divisions out West

Bert A. Ramirez

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Thunder, Clippers, Spurs to top their divisions out West
The San Antonio Spurs are looking to win back-to-back titles for the first time in franchise history but the Thunder and Clippers will make it tough for them to get out of the West

 

 

MANILA, Philippines – On Monday, we took a look at the Eastern Conference and ranked Toronto, Cleveland and Washington first in the Atlantic, Central and Southeast Divisions, respectively.

We continue this three-part series with a look this time at the Western Conference, listing the teams in the order of their projected finish and with last year’s rankings and records in parentheses.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

 

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (1st, 59-23)

Key additions: Mitch McGary (rookie), Anthony Morrow (New Orleans)

Key losses: Thabo Sefolosha (Atlanta), Caron Butler (Detroit), Derek Fisher (retired)

The Thunder have ruled their division with an iron fist for the past four years, and they failed to reach the conference finals just once over that stretch. That iron grip may no longer apply this season, mainly because Kevin Durant, their all-everything alpha dog, is out for at least one month of the regular wars with a stress fracture in his right foot. Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka have also been far from invincible health-wise as of late, so that makes the Thunder’s braintrust a bit worried, if not downright alarmed. Durant (league-best 32.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.5 apg) carried the Thunder carried the Thunder last year.  Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka have also been fog, is out for at least one month of last year in Westbrook’s own 36-game absence, using that stretch to cement his first MVP award, and if OKC is to survive his early-season loss and not lose too much ground to its pursuers, Westbrook (21.9 ppg, 6.9 apg) has to approximate such heroics. Reggie Jackson (13.1 ppg), Jeremy Lamb (8.5 ppg) and summer acquisition Anthony Morrow also have to step up to make up for the loss of long-time starter Thabo Sefolosha, Caron Butler and the retired Derek Fisher. If Ibaka (15.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg, league-second-best 2.7 bpg), Steven Adams and Kendrick Perkins continue to make it hard on opponents to score in the paint and the rest of the Thunder keep playing good defense, OKC, however, could still stay on top of the Northwest at least.

2. Portland Trail Blazers (2nd, 54-28)

Key additions: Steve Blake (Golden State), Chris Kaman (LA Lakers)

Key loss: Mo Williams (Minnesota)

The gap has narrowed between OKC and Portland not necessarily because the Blazers have improved internally – though they have added what is hoped to be depth-boosting role players Chris Kaman and Steve Blake – but because of that aforementioned adversity the Thunder have to deal with. Otherwise, the Blazers have to call on the seamless play their core of All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard as well as Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez pulled off last season to improve by 21 games and make their first playoffs in three years.  A lot has to fall into place for that to happen, however, not the least of which is the continued good health of that core, which last year helped the Blazers lose less minutes to injury than any other team except Toronto. The Blazers’ lack of depth, which was exposed in a lopsided second-round loss to San Antonio, also has to be offset by another great year from Aldridge (23.2 ppg, 11.1 rpg) and Lillard (20.7 ppg, 5.6 apg), whose buzzer-beating three-pointer against Houston in the first round clinched Portland’s first playoff series win since 2000.

3. Denver Nuggets (4th, 36-46)

Key additions: Arron Afflalo (Orlando), Gary Harris (rookie), Jusuf Nurkic (rookie)

Key loss: Evan Fournier (Orlando)

Injuries wiped out the Nuggets’ season, with Danilo Gallinari (out for its entirety), JaVale McGee, Nate Robinson and J.J. Hickson all missing significant time with various injuries to help end Denver’s 10-year playoff run as well as string of winning seasons. The Nuggets also were without George Karl for the first time in nine years, having been replaced by Brian Shaw, who now has to prove with a full deck that he can juggle a deep team without a superstar as deftly as Karl did. Everybody is back, including Arron Afflalo who returns after a two-year exile in Orlando, where he averaged a career-high 18.2 points.  Afflalo will combine with Danilo Gallinari and Randy Foye on the wings to open things up for speedsters Ty Lawson, who led the Nuggets with 17.8 points and 8.8 assists, and Nate Robinson. With newly-extended Team USA star Kenneth Faried, McGee and Hickson manning the paint, Denver indeed is poised to go back to its winning ways. How much improvement it makes will partly dictate how it does against the likes of San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Dallas.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves (2nd, 40-42)

Key additions: Andrew Wiggins (rookie), Thaddeus Young (Philadelphia), Andrew Bennett (Cleveland), Zach LaVine (rookie), Mo Williams (Portland), Glenn Robinson III (rookie)

Key losses: Kevin Love (Cleveland), Alexey Shved (Philadelphia), Luc Richard Mba a Moute (Philadelphia)

Without Kevin Love, who had the league’s third-best player efficiency rating of 27.0 behind only Kevin Durant and LeBron James, the T-Wolves are bound to go back to their back-of-the-pack ways, which is to say they won’t even come close to their 40 wins last season. This is notwithstanding the fact that Flip Saunders, who may be over his head serving as both coach and head of these operations, tried to get the most in exchange for his disgruntled big man, netting him the last two top picks, Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, as well as Thaddeus Young. While this cache in tandem with youngsters Ricky Rubio (yes, he’s still just 23), Zach LaVine (Minnesota’s first pick this year), Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng could form a good nucleus for the future, this bunch is still too raw to do battle with the big guns.  The T-Wolves do have veterans Nikola Pekovic, Kevin Martin and J.J. Barea (remember him from that Gilas game?), but giving them extensive minutes while developing his youngsters could present a dilemma to Saunders. At any rate, it’s practically a certainty that the league’s longest playoff-less spell, now at 10 years, is not gonna end. 

5. Utah (5th, 25-57)

Key additions: Dante Exum (rookie), Rodney Hood (rookie), Steve Novak (Toronto)

Key losses: Marvin Williams (Charlotte), Richard Jefferson (Dallas)

This is another young team filled with potential but short in the requisite talent ready to carry it to playoff contention. In fact, new coach Quin Snyder, who has replaced Tyrone Corbin after the latter’s four-year run ended rather inauspiciously, will rely almost exclusively on players who are under 25 years old, with offseason pickup Steve Novak the only player over 30 at 31. Gordon Hayward, whose $63 million, four-year offer from Charlotte was matched by the Jazz, and Derrick Favors lead this collection of youthful talent. The 6-foot-8 Hayward is one of only five players in the league to average 16/5/5 (16.2 ppg, 5.2 apg, 5.1 rpg) last season while the 6-10 Favors normed 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while teaming up with fellow big man Enes Kanter (12.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg). This year’s top rookie pick Dante Exum, fellow first-rounder Rodney Hood, last year’s top pick Trey Burke as well as Alec Burks and Rudy Gobert round out this bunch that will likely struggle once more. Still, the upside here is that such a struggle could just net Utah the franchise player that it sorely needs, with some lucky bounce of the lottery ball.

Pacific Division

1. Los Angeles Clippers (1st, 57-25)

Key additions: Spencer Hawes (Cleveland), Jordan Farmar (LA Lakers), Chris Douglas-Roberts (Charlotte), C.J. Wilcox (rookie)

Key losses: Danny Granger (Miami), Jared Dudley (Milwaukee), Darren Collison (Sacramento)

Donald Sterling is gone, and so are the controversies and the excuses for why this team keeps falling short. New owner Steve Ballmer is trying to instill a new culture into this team and with Doc Rivers firmly entrenched at the head of everything, Ballmer might just get what he wants in terms of winning.  Doc certainly has the pieces needed to win a third straight division title, not to mention a world championship.The core of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin (both All-NBA selections) as well as DeAndre Jordan, the league’s top rebounder with 13.6 boards a game, provide the much-needed leadership and talent. The supporting cast of Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford, J.J. Redick, Glen Davis, Hedo Turkoglu and offseason pickups Spencer Hawes, Jordan Farmar and Chris Douglas-Roberts also provide versatility, defense and firepower to make the Clips one of the elite teams. But this club has to win now with its leader, Paul, not getting any younger and being injury-prone. Paul certainly has a personal score to settle after committing a series of costly blunders that cost the Clips a won game against Oklahoma City in last year’s playoffs. He will want nothing more than make up for that by leading his team to its first-ever conference finals, and, after that, who knows?

2. Golden State Warriors (2nd, 51-31)

Key additions: Shaun Livingston (Brooklyn), Leandro Barbosa (Phoenix), Brandon Rush (Utah) 

Key losses: Jermaine O’Neal (free agent), Jordan Crawford (China)

Golden State's Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson won gold with Team USA, but can they bring their NBA team to the next level under Steve Kerr? Photo by Juan Carlos Hidalgo/EPA

New season, new coach, new system. Steve Kerr, one of the triangle offense’s disciples, will try to introduce this system – and then some – to a Splash Brothers-led Warriors team of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who both helped the US team win the gold medal in the FIBA World Cup over the summer. Whether Kerr’s creative schemes will unlock the Warriors’ offensive potential that last year was just middle of the pack despite the presence of Curry (career-highs 24.0 ppg and 8.5 apg) and Thompson (career-high 18.4 ppg) remains to be seen, but this promises to be very interesting, particularly with Andrew Bogut back from yet another assortment of injuries that included a broken rib. The Warriors, then under the fired Mark Jackson, pushed the LA Clippers to seven games without Bogut before losing in the playoffs, and with him around, Golden State is more formidable, assuming of course that those ailments are past. With David Lee (18.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg), Andrei Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and summer acquisition Shaun Livingston also there, this bunch will be in the thick of it again.

3. Phoenix Suns (3rd, 48-34)

Key additions: Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento), Tyler Ennis (rookie), T.J. Warren (rookie)

Key loss: Channing Frye (Orlando)

Any time you hang a 48-34 record, you’re a playoff team, right?  Not in this case, where the West was so loaded the Suns fell short – by one measly contest. But these Suns were actually overachievers, with a band that included Most Improved Player and All-NBA Third Teamer Goran Dragic clicking under then-rookie headman Jeff Hornacek. The Suns re-signed Eric Bledsoe, projected to start at the big-guard spot despite just being 6-1 in tandem with the 6-3 Dragic, and also brought in free agent Isaiah Thomas, but there will no longer be the element of surprise to catch teams not prepared for their high-octane attack.  Besides, Channing Frye, one of the primary contributors to that offense, is now in Orlando to be able to space the floor for them this time and set picks and also help on the defensive end. One of the major issues confronting Hornacek this year is their lack of size and frontcourt defense. Miles Plumlee (the elder brother of Brooklyn’s Mason), is a capable defender but behind him is Alex Len, a largely unproven and injury-prone seven-footer coming into his second year.

4. Los Angeles Lakers (5th, 27-55)

Key additions: Julius Randle (rookie), Jeremy Lin (Houston), Carlos Boozer (Chicago), Wayne Ellington (Dallas), Ed Davis (Memphis), Jordan Clarkson (rookie)

Key losses: Pau Gasol (Chicago), Chris Kaman (Portland), Jodie Meeks (Detroit), Kendall Marshall (Milwaukee), Kent Bazemore (Atlanta)

I’m putting the Lakers at fourth just because of the respect factor, and that one is for Kobe Bryant, who, at 36, is still raring to prove there’s something left in his tank after battling injuries the past two years, keeping him out of all but six games last year. The Lakers lost the three most-utilized players last season – Jodie Meeks, Kendall Marshall and Pau Gasol – to summer deals, but they hope that the incoming talent of Jeremy Lin, Chicago retread Carlos Boozer, Ed Davis and Wayne Ellington as well as rookies Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson (he with the Filipino blood) will more than compensate. But the question facing former Laker and newly-minted coach Byron Scott is whether Bryant, and, to a certain extent, Steve Nash, the league’s oldest player at 40, can come back fully healthy to make a difference as he plots the Lakers’ rebuild while on the fly. Chances are, the latter may just not after hurting his back while merely carrying bags, and it’s now up to Bryant to carry the load for a team that finished in the bottom half on offense and near the bottom on defense. In any case, Kobe might just find this season hard to swallow that he could call it a career after this.

5. Sacramento Kings (4th, 28-54)

Key additions: Nik Stauskas (rookie), Darren Collison (LA Clippers), Ramon Sessions (Milwaukee)

Key loss: Isaiah Thomas (Phoenix)

A few solid pieces but too many underachievers. That just about sums upthe Kings’ state of affairs. The Kings have studs DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, both members of the FIBA World Cup title-winning US squad, but they’re also saddled with such lottery picks who have not quite lived up to their billing as Derrick Williams (second pick), Ben McLemore (7th) and Jason Thompson (12th). The one player that has overachieved, firebrand Isaiah Thomas, was inexplicably let go this summer, compelling the team to bring in Darren Collison to take his place. Now, Sacramento is hoping the largely disappointing returns from the lottery picks it got will change with Nik Stauskas, a sharpshooting, slashing scorer who could eventually become its go-to guy in the future. In the meantime, second-year coach Mike Malone will try to make sense of the pieces he has, starting with the 6-11 Cousins (22.7 ppg, 11.7 rpg) and Gay (20.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg). Hopefully, another trip to the lottery (their ninth straight, if ever) will finally produce a stud in the mold of these two guys and help the Kings to gradually rise from the bottom of the Pacific.

Southwest Division

1. San Antonio Spurs (1st, 62-20)

Key addition: Kyle Anderson (rookie)

Key losses: None

Kawhi Leonard emerged as a breakout star for the Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals. Photo by Andy Lyons/AFP

Is there a greater monolith in this era than the Spurs? The defending champions, the winningest franchise over the past 17 years, or since Tim Duncan came aboard in 1997, have won the Southwest over the last four years and 11 of the past 17 years, have never finished lower than second over that period, and have won at least 50 games over the past 15 years, an NBA record. The bad news for Spurs opponents is the whole gang is back, starting with the great Duncan, who at 38 doesn’t seem to slow down from that controlled pace of his (did he invent it?), 37-year-old Manu Ginobili, 32-year-old Tony Parker and 23-year-old Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and now including rookie Kyle Anderson, said to be a clone of Boris Diaw who is the only college player in the last 15 years (that number again) to average at least 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists the entire season. Now, the essence of this whole gang returning is that the Spurs’ depth and quality execution will be made to again bear on the entire field, which means that every team entertaining championship ambitions will have to pass through the Alamo and prove it can overcome the Spurs’ famous ball movement, stifling defense, and indomitable psychological strength that gives one the impression he is dealing with a monarch.

2. Dallas (4th, 49-33) 

Key additions: Chandler Parsons (Houston), Tyson Chandler (New York), Jameer Nelson (Orlando), Raymond Felton (New York), Richard Jefferson (Utah), Al-Farouq Aminu (New Orleans)

Key losses: Vince Carter (Memphis), Jose Calderon (New York), Shawn Marion (Cleveland), DeJuan Blair (Washington), Samuel Dalembert (New York)

If Tim Duncan is the name in San Antonio, Dirk Nowitzki is it in Dallas. The seven-foot German bomber, 36, continues to chug along and produce at a comparatively similar, if ever so slightly reduced pace, averaging 21.7 points and 6.2 rebounds last season. And Mavs management has gotten Nowitzki more help, adding Texas rival Houston’s Chandler Parsons to pair with him and last year’s acquisition Monta Ellis for a legit 1-2-3 offensive punch. The 6-9 Parsons (16.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) signed a three-year, $46 million offer sheet from Dallas that the Rockets refused to match, and his arrival, along with the return of Tyson Chandler, the Mavs’ starting center when they won it all in 2011, should make them a much-improved club. The Mavs’ improvement and return to championship caliber, however, is also predicated on the health of the 32-year-old Chandler as well as that of Devin Harris, who will be joined by offseason acquisitions Jameer Nelson and Raymond Felton, who came in that Chandler trade, to man the point.  Forwards Richard Jefferson (10.1 ppg) and Al-Farouq Aminu (7.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg) give coach Rick Carlisle more options in a deep rotation that will try to win it again for Dallas. 

3. Houston Rockets (2nd, 54-28)

Key additions: Trevor Ariza (Washington), Clint Capela (rookie), Jason Terry (Brooklyn)

Key losses: Chandler Parsons (Dallas), Omer Asik (New Orleans), Jeremy Lin (LA Lakers)

The Rockets are decidedly weaker this year with the loss of Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, whom coach Kevin McHale never found a role for with Dwight Howard’s arrival in Space City. While those losses were mainly due to the need to create cap room in a failed bid to sign Chris Bosh, and, to a lesser extent, Carmelo Anthony, Parsons’ loss rests squarely on the shoulders of GM Daryl Morey, who could have kept him through the cheaper team option or by matching Dallas’ offer but never did.  Now they have Trevor Ariza, a better defender though not as versatile with the ball as Parsons, and the Rockets will also go with a new ballhandler in the defensive-minded Patrick Beverly to better fit a ball-dominant big guard like James Harden. But if these Rockets are to return to contender status after last year’s heartbreaking first-round loss to Portland, Howard (18.3 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg) has to bring his defensive mojo back. That aspect of Howard’s game has clearly been missing the past couple of years (or since he left Orlando), and he as well as Harden (25.4 ppg, 6.1 apg) will literally have to carry this team on their shoulders for it to stay in the mix.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (3rd, 50-32)

Key additions: Vince Carter (Dallas), Jordan Adams (rookie), Jarnell Stokes (rookie)

Key losses: Mike Miller (Cleveland)

If there’s a team that fits the tag of perennial dark horse, the Grizzlies are it.  Year in and year out, they’re in there providing the elite teams a tough challenge. Last year, they extended the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games, and just lost the decider when Zach Randolph was suspended for that game for punching Steven Adams the previous contest. This year figures to be no different.  Randolph, Marc Gasol (who’ll be a free agent after the season), Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Courtney Lee and Tayshaun Prince all return, and they’ll be joined by free-agent acquisition Vince Carter. Carter (11.9 ppg) brings with him experience and scoring support, helping free up Randolph and Gasol inside with his outside shooting as do Conley (17.2 ppg, 6.0 apg) and Lee (11.0 ppg), who last year experienced a revival of sorts. With the seven-foot Gasol in the middle and Allen, Conley, Prince and Lee in the perimeter, Memphis’ defense is elite. But Carter, Allen, Prince and Randolph are getting on in years, and how well they stave off the ravages of time will partly determine the Grizzlies’ shelf life as that perennial dark horse.

5. New Orleans Pelicans (5th, 34-48)

Key additions: Omer Asik (Houston), John Salmons (Toronto), Russ Smith (rookie)

Key losses: Anthony Morrow (OKC), Jason Smith (New York), Al-Farouq Aminu (Dallas)

On paper, the Pelicans are a playoff-worthy bunch. They have what may be the best young player in the game with Anthony Davis, one of only five players to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game last year, they have good scoring with Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans, and they now have an excellent defender to join the likes of Davis and Holiday with seven-foot center Omer Asik, acquired over the summer from Houston for a 2015 first-round pick. But this club didn’t quite get the run that it should have last year with Anderson, Holiday, Gordon and Davis himself missing large chunks of time because of injuries, with the four playing together with the fifth regular starter, Evans, for just 91 minutes all year. Such a scenario isn’t bound to repeat itself this year.  As mentioned, the 6-10 Davis (20.8 points, 10.0 rpg, a league-leading 2.8 bpg) is on the way to becoming an elite player, and the Pelicans intend to gradually build around him. The Pelicans’ braintrust led by GM and former PBA import Dell Demps is hoping that process will run its course, with or without a playoff berth.

Next week, we take a look at which teams will make the playoffs from each conference. – Rappler.com


Bert A. Ramirez has been a freelance sportswriter/columnist since the ’80s, writing mostly about the NBA and once serving as consultant and editor for Tower Sports Magazine, the longest-running locally published NBA magazine, from 1999 to 2008. He has also written columns and articles for such publications as Malaya, Sports Digest, Winners Sports Weekly, Pro Guide, Sports Weekly, Sports Flash, Sports World, Basketball Weekly and the FIBA’s International Basketball, and currently writes a fortnightly column for QC Life and a weekly blog for BostonSports Desk. A former corporate manager, Bert has breathed, drunk and slept sports most of his life.

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