How Will The Pacific Divison Shape Up Next Season?
Ranking the Pacific Division for this coming season is fun, and a great way to see what is going on with the competition. For starters we will need one link to stay up to date. This is the player movement of all the teams in the Pacific.
We will also need to know the standings from last year:
Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Pacific
Los Angeles Clippers 57 25 .695 Lead 34–7 23–18 12–4
Golden State Warriors 51 31 .622 6.0 27–14 24–17 11–5
Phoenix Suns 48 34 .585 9.0 26–15 22–19 8–8
Sacramento Kings 28 54 .341 29.0 17–24 11–30 3–13
Los Angeles Lakers 27 55 .329 30.0 15–27 12–28 6–10
Now let’s breakdown player movement for each team as of 07/29/14:
Clippers
May 15, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Los Angeles Clippers bench reacts during the first half in game six of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Players Added
Rookies: G C.J. Wilcox
Free Agents: G Jordan Farmar, C Spencer Hawes, F Glen Davis (re-signed)
Players Lost
Free Agents: G Darren Collison, F Danny Granger
Waived: G Willie Green
The Clippers’ losses far outweigh their gains. Collison was a solid backup. Farmer is decent, but not as capable as Collison is now. Glen Davis is a good player, but the Clippers’ starting five will eat up most of the minutes.
Warriors
Mar 5, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala (9) and point guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrate during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Players Added
Free Agents: G Shaun Livingston, G Brandon Rush
Trades:
Players Lost
Free Agents: G Steve Blake
Steve Blake was a solid backup, and will be missed although he did disappear in the playoffs. Hopefully he can help the Trail Blazers as they have lost Mo Williams. The good news is Livingston is a great addition, and Rush can handle his own. If Livingston picks up from last year, Curry and Thompson (assuming he stays) will have plenty of chances to rest as Livingston keeps the pressure on the opposing defense.
Suns
Mar 16, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Phoenix Suns forward Marcus Morris (15) and forward Markieff Morris (11) celebrate with guard Ish Smith (3) against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Players Added:
Rookies: F T.J. Warren, G Tyler Ennis, F Bogdan Bogdanovic, C Alec Brown
Free Agents: F Anthony Tolliver, F P.J. Tucker (re-signed)
Trades: G Isaiah Thomas (sign-and-trade)
Players Lost
Free Agents: F Channing Frye
Trades: F Alex Oriakhi
Waived: G Ish Smith, G Dionte Christmas
Now this is a guard heavy team, young team, and its current lineup makes absolutely no sense. Look for the Suns to make a trade, as they’re too guard heavy. With their run and gun style, I can see the Suns staying in the 44-50 win rank. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very good team. I would just like to see their final roster.
Kings
Dec 15, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) celebrates with forward Rudy Gay (8) after a play against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Players Added:
Rookies: G Nik Stauskas
Free Agents: G Darren Collison, F Rudy Gay (opt-in)
Trades: F Alex Oriakhi
Players Lost
Free Agents:
Trades: G Isaiah Thomas (sign-and-trade)
The Kings are a perplexing team. While they always seem to have the talent, it just never translate to wins. Some blame the attitudes of the players, some blame the coaches. Either way, I’m not expecting a sudden emergence regardless of the team winning the Summer League.
Lakers
Nov 29, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Wesley Johnson (11) and small forward Nick Young (0) celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Lakers won 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Players Added:
Rookies: F Julius Randle, G Jordan Clarkson
Free Agents: F Carlos Boozer (waivers), G Xavier Henry (re-signed), F Jordan Hill (re-signed), F Wesley Johnson (re-signed), F Ryan Kelly (re-signed), F/G Nick Young (re-signed), F Ed Davis
Trades: G Jeremy Lin
Players Lost
Free Agents: G Kent Bazemore, F Pau Gasol, G Jordan Farmar, C Chris Kaman, G Jodie Meeks
Trades: C Sergei Lishchuk
Waived: G Kendall Marshall
Ok, so this isn’t the Lakers of old — with all the talent, and a great coach. However, this is the Lakers trying. They still have Kobe Bryant, new forward Randle, and Nick Young. They will have a new coach, and a healthy Kobe. I’m not expecting the Lakers to be as bad as they were this past season, but I’m not expecting them to be great either. I’m positive they’ll win more than 27 games.
If I had to predict the outcome of the Pacific Division, my outcome would be:
Clippers – solid team, and proven coach
Warriors
Suns – I can actually see the Suns and Warriors battling for 2nd
Lakers
Kings