Post by Skillz on Jun 1, 2020 11:58:30 GMT -8
Assessing the Western Conference
After a flurry of deals and an extremely entertaining off-season, it’s hard to remember who belongs to which team. The landscape of the league has fundamentally changed and we are all trying to figure out what comes next. Let’s take a look.
The Favorites:
These are teams that are clearly a cut above the rest. The West has two teams in this category, whereas the East only had two.
Clippers
The Clippers have proven that a team built around Tim Duncan does not need much other than The Big Fundamental to flourish. After flailing to put together the right depth pieces around TD, the Clippers finally made a really strong mov to land Bobby Jackson – an unheralded star Point Guard. After finishing # 1 in the West last season with bad Point Guard play, the Clippers will not only have a good chance of winning the regular season title but should also be quite a bit more potent during the playoffs.
Kings
This ranking has a bit of projection, but I just love the Kings roster. Any team with Steve Nash is going to have success during the regular season, and he’s surrounded with stud scorers in Antoine Walker and Glen Rice. The PJ Brown acquisition will be critical to Ashes’ success and although the OKur/Amar’e combo is not ready-made for the playoffs, both should serve as valuable trade fodder during the deadline.
The Contenders:
These are teams that have more than a puncher’s shot at the title and winning the Western Conference crown.
Mavericks
The Mavericks return all of the important pieces of a finals-quality team, so this ranking may seem like an insult. In fact, the Mavericks may even be improved over lastyear. Bruce Bowen gives Habes with a number of different lineup options in the playoffs, and though he overpaid, Bowen should be a worthy addition. I just think Dallas’ frontcourt is a limiting factor that could hurt in the playoffs. The rest of the league is slowly improving, and the Mavs may struggle to rebound against the league’s best frontcourts.
Nuggets
It was hard to chart a course for the Nuggets over the off-season. I initially thought Covid was embarking on a rebuild, but the (ummm, questionable) trade involving David Robinson breathed new life into this squad. This may not be a “true” contender, but the Rose/Pierce scoring duo is potent and any team with David Robinson will have a puncher’s chance in the playoffs. The Nuggets are oddly one of the few teams that matchup reasonably well with the Clippers.
In the Hunt
These are teams that are a move or two away from becoming serious factors in the Conference.
Spurs
The Spurs could absolutely be considered a contender after just 1-2 more moves. The Crawford/T-Mac backcourt is so dynamic. The supporting cast just needs a piecemeal effort. Unfortunately, the pieces are not yet on the roster. The Spurs should deal Odom for multiple depth pieces that fit the core and the Spurs should roll off 50-55 rather easily. I will miss my boy Jamal!
Grizzlies
I really like that the Grizzlies have an identity, but the roster is just limited from a talent standpoint. Memphis will be able to bully teams in the paint and win the rebounding battle, but the lack of three-point shoot and dynamism at guard is just too limiting against most teams in the playoffs. Erbes has the ability to trade for some pieces who can help since every other team in the league seems to need bigs. Who will trade for one of these fellas?
Warriors
Chauncey Billups and Dirk Nowitzki are two of my favorite players in the league. The rest of the team? Yeeesh, not so much. Manas has been proactive in attempting to surround these studs with some talent but hasn’t really been able to find a tertiary star or even reliable role players. Ron Artest still needs work. The depth is mediocre. This team will win at least 45-50 games because the stars are so good and so efficient, but the upside is muted.
Lakers
The Lakers team seemed to be in flux all of last season but Nanz has geared his team to make significant strides this year. The roster looks more or less the same but another year of TC development will be critical for a young team. Arenas should be much-improved and the Lakers have the youth to package in trades for upgrades. I would expect LA to clear the Contract Year hurdle this season.
In Flux
These are teams facing an inflection point and major decisions about their respective directions.
Blazers
Dan made an awesome move for Allan Houston and finally seems ready to make some big moves in the West. But this roster is still a work in progress. Eddy Curry had another nice TC and should have a lot of value. Gerald Wallace is a few years away from evolving into more than an average starter. It looks like the other players on this team are just on different timelines than Houston. It should be interesting to see if DB cashes in Houston for assets or trades Curry and Wallace for upgrades. The status quo won’t hold.
Suns
I really like the Suns young roster. Posey was a nice addition. Tyson Chandler is really coming into his own. Pau has another year of development under his belt. This team is nicely positioned to be solid for quite a while, but it’s definitely not a shoe-in playoff team and will still invite some CY risk. Baron Davis is an enigma until he proves he can sim at a reasonable level. And this team doesn’t have a volume scorer who can be trusted to bring the offense together.
Sonics
So, what’s going on here? Shaq is amazing. Garrett should be able to flip him for more than he traded. But he has to trade him, right? There’s nothing else of note or interesting and I’m not quite sure what the plan is here. This is the definition of “in flux.”
Tanking:
These are the teams we can pretty much ignore until the following season.
Timberwolves
Aside from a couple of interesting/awkward Free Agent deals, the Wolves are setup for a long, productive season worth of losing. Jerry Stackhouse is the perfect tanking SG so Jeb doesn’t even really need to deal him!
Rockets
In a redraft, does DD go before Yao? It’s at least a thought. He looks awesome … and he isn’t even turnover prone! Houston will start trying to win next season so 2003 will all be about the race to the bottom. Let’s see if he can land a top 4 pick next season.
Jazz
JR has won a lot of goodwill after two dominant seasons. He was by far the most successful GM in Year 1 (even before he was crowned champ) and followed it up with a respectable season defending his title. His rebuild if off to a bit of a slow start with some questionable deals. But it’s going to be a long, fun tank! This team is very bad now.
