Post by heelsguy25 on Oct 21, 2010 20:01:27 GMT -5
The 2001 offseason is coming to a close, and with that we will take a glance into each division heading into the new season. We will take a look at the Pacific Division in this edition.
The Pacific Division saw 4 teams make playoff appearances.
The order of teams listed is random. We will list some additions and subtractions, not all.
Seattle Supersonics
The Sonics GM must have his phone attached to his body permanently. This GM is not afraid of making moves and has shaken things up since the start of the offseason. The Sonics failed to make the playoffs last year, and intend on turning things around. Heading into the offseason, the Sonics had plenty of cash to play with and got some talent. They landed Jelani McCoy and Ron Mercer via FA. Mercer wasnt a Sonic long though, as according to league wide reports the Sonics have made a big deal. The Sonics drafted Duke shooter Jay Williams, but like Mercer, Williams must pack his bags. The two before mentioned players have been sent to Boston in a potential deal. The Sonics have assured the other GMs they intend in competing, and with this deal they could do just that. The deal will see Paul Pierce and Ben Wlalace become main options in Seattle. The Sonics GM didnt want to move Williams, but they get better overall in this deal.
Subtractions
Olden Polynice
Jay Williams
Ron Mercer
Additions
Paul Pierce
Ben Wallace
Projected Starting Five
PG: Baron Davis SG 24 6'2'' 190 B- B- C+ B- C
SG: Paul Pierce SF 25 6'7'' 220 B B+ C- A- C+ B
SF: Hidayet Turkoglu SF 23 6'10'' 220 B- B+ B- B C B
PF: Ben Wallace PF 28 6'9'' 240 B- F+ D- A A- C
C: Samuel Dalembert C 21 6'11'' 250 C+ D+ C- A- B- B
Outlook: The Sonics are a young team on paper, but they lack depth now. The trade with Boston helps, but can they find adequate depth to compete out West? Moving Davis to his natuiral PG spot should help. The scoring should come from Turkoglu and Pierce. The frontcourt is nice as Dalembert and Wallace should provide much needed defense.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers were the cream of the crop in the Pacific Division last year. They made it to the Conference Finals, and did not lose much firepower. They landed some solid bench players via FA, and also signed back John Celestand. Celestand could have easily bene named Most Underrated Player of the Year last year. The Lakers GM decided to play Celestand at the point during the preseason, and he never doubted Celestand from there on in. Celestand made it so that Kobe could play the 2 and shine like the star he is. Celestand will be the floor general for this LA team for years to come. Kobe is well Kobe. The Lakers may have some questions at the PF spot, but with the guys they have on their roster, they should figure it out. Look for LA to compete again and make a very strong push for the title next season.
Subtractions
Khalid El-Amin
Keith Closs
Additions
Rodney Rogers
Bison Dele
Projected Starting Five
PG: John Celestand PG 25 6'4'' 178 C+ B B+ B- C- B
SG: Kobe Bryant SG 24 6'7'' 210 A- B+ B+ A- C A
SF: Grant Hill SF 30 6'8'' 225 A- C+ C+ A C C
PF: Rodney Rogers SF 31 6'7'' 250 B- C+ C- A- B- D
C: Alonzo Mourning C 32 6'10'' 240 A- D+ C- A B C
Outlook: The Lakers will be a storng team to compete against and should make a hard run deep into the playoffs once again. Do they have the bench to be the best? Only time will tell.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors head into the new season with some questions still arising. Will they be able to sign more FA to fill out their roster or head into the season with a weak bench? The Warriors GM took flack last season for his attempts at giving other guys PT. This year look for the Warriors to compete and better themselves and make a run into the playoffs. They faced the Lakers in Round 1 and got squashed. With the return of Rick Fox look for the scoring to not be a problem in Golden State. With a pretty young team, the Warriors should be fine for years to come.
Subtractions
Bimbo Coles
Vladimir Stepania
Additions
Rick Fox
Projected Starting Five:
PG: Shawnta Rodgers PG 25 5'4'' 170 C B- A C D C
SG: Emanuel Ginobili SG 24 6'6'' 210 B- B- C+ B- C- C
SF: Rick Fox SF 33 6'7'' 230 B- A- C B C C
PF: Antawn Jamison SF 26 6'9'' 223 B- C+ C- A- B C
C: Pau Gasol C 22 7'0'' 227 C+ C C- B+ C+ A
Outlook: This is the year of Gasol. If Pau Gasol can mature and prove to be worthy of his top pick status, then look for the Warriors to improve. Haslem was drafted in case Fox didnt resign. With Haslem as a backup the frontcourt should be decent. Manu Ginobili should improve and he is a hot commodity around the league. Will Redd make Manu expandabble? Word is Manu ios the future of this team. Look for Golden State to imrpvoe, but still struggle against deeper teams.
Sacramento Kings
It only took one seasoin for the Kings to be dethroned. The Kings are faced with being penalized due to being over the hard cap. They have only 4 players on their roster with more than 1 year deals. They are led by the duo of Chris Webber and Eddie Jones. They signed Shawn Respert via FA.
Subtractions
Brian Cardinal
Additions
Shawn Respert
Projected Starting Five:
PG: Mookie Blaylock PG 35 6'1'' 185 C B B A C- C
SG: Eddie Jones SG 31 6'6'' 190 B+ B+ C A+ C- C
SF: Robert Horry SF 32 6'10'' 220 C+ B D+ B+ C+ C
PF: Chris Webber PF 29 6'10'' 260 A- C- D+ B+ A- D
C: Vlade Divac C 34 7'1'' 260 B- C C B B D
Outlook: The Kings are in need of relief. Can they find it in time? Look for the GM to make moves to cut money ASAP. In the mode they are in now, the Kings could make it two years in a row that they fail to make a deep playoff run.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers should win a prize, no not the Championship. They should win a prize for being able to make their cap come out to the league amount. With no cap space left, the Clippers head into the new season with a new look team.The Kandi Man could have been a big FA, but the Clippers made sure he wasnt. The Clippers drafted a promising big in Eddie Griffin. Look for Griffin to come right in and steal the stating PF spot. The Clippers have made it clear they plan on using Marko Jaric as their starting PG. They want to use Flip Murray at the 2, but would be better suited as a backup? Look for the Clippers to compete since their team is good enough to make the playoffs.
Subtractions
Andre Miller
Tyrone Nesby
Additions
Flip Murray
Eddie Griffin
Projected Starting Five:
PG: Marko Jaric PG 24 6'7'' 195 C+ B A- B C- B
SG: Quentin Richardson SF 22 6'5'' 215 C+ A- C A- C B
SF: Shane Battier SF 24 6'8'' 220 C B C A- C- C
PF: Eddie Griffin PF 20 6'10'' 222 C+ C+ D+ B+ B A
C: Michael Olowokandi C 27 7'0'' 269 B- D D A- B C
Outlook: Look for the Clippers to keep their team young, but promising. They have a good one two punch with Richardson and Jaric. Defense shouldnt be an issue with this team. Will the unknown place of where Murray fits in be a year long distraction?
Portland Trailblazers
The Trailblazers are in win now mode. They head into the new season with not many questioins. They landed some players back via FA, but they felt they overpaid.
Subtractions
Jeryl Sasser
Additions
Jared Jeffries
Projected Starting Five:
PG: Sam Cassell PG 32 6'3'' 195 C+ B+ B+ C+ D+ C
SG: Joe Johnson PG 21 6'7'' 225 C+ A- C+ A- C A
SF: Clarence Weatherspoon SF 32 6'7'' 240 B- D D B- B+ D
PF: Donyell Marshall PF 29 6'9'' 230 B C+ C- A- B- C
C: Brad Miller C 26 6'11'' 245 B- C D+ A- B- B
Outlook: The Trailblazers have a glaring weakness at SF. Will the GM be able to fill that hole or use one of their young guys to step in. Joe Johnson should be the teams future and look for him to carry the scoring load. Can the Blazers make a playoff run or come up short?
Phoenix Suns
The Suns on paper look like a solid team. They will need to make things work this year or could find themselves in panic moe come this time next year. They have a good backcourt of Jackson and Rider. Look for the scoring to come from Nick Anderson and Rider. With the emergence of Tyson Chandler, the Suns will be fine in the middle for years to come. Mike Dunleavy was drafted hgih, due to his potential. The Suns have a good mix of young and old on their roster.
Subtractions
Jason Collier
Additions
Mike Dunleavy
Marc Jackson
Bonzi Wells
Projected Stating Five
PG: Bobby Jackson PG 29 6'1'' 185 C+ C+ B B C- C
SG: Isaiah Rider SG 31 6'5'' 215 B- B+ C C+ C- C
SF: Nick Anderson SF 34 6'6'' 205 B- B+ C A- C D
PF: Dale Davis PF 33 6'11'' 230 C+ C- D- B+ B- D
C: Tyson Chandler C 20 7'1'' 235 C+ D C- B+ C+ B
Outlook: The Suns should be able to make the playoffs. If they fail to, it may be due to the lack of production from their bench. They will need to make sure they are prepared to rebuild if Rider and others bolt for FA.
The Pacific Division is a loaded division. Look for some teams to surprise, and some to dissapoint.
The Pacific Division saw 4 teams make playoff appearances.
The order of teams listed is random. We will list some additions and subtractions, not all.
Seattle SupersonicsThe Sonics GM must have his phone attached to his body permanently. This GM is not afraid of making moves and has shaken things up since the start of the offseason. The Sonics failed to make the playoffs last year, and intend on turning things around. Heading into the offseason, the Sonics had plenty of cash to play with and got some talent. They landed Jelani McCoy and Ron Mercer via FA. Mercer wasnt a Sonic long though, as according to league wide reports the Sonics have made a big deal. The Sonics drafted Duke shooter Jay Williams, but like Mercer, Williams must pack his bags. The two before mentioned players have been sent to Boston in a potential deal. The Sonics have assured the other GMs they intend in competing, and with this deal they could do just that. The deal will see Paul Pierce and Ben Wlalace become main options in Seattle. The Sonics GM didnt want to move Williams, but they get better overall in this deal.
Subtractions
Olden Polynice
Jay Williams
Ron Mercer
Additions
Paul Pierce
Ben Wallace
Projected Starting Five
PG: Baron Davis SG 24 6'2'' 190 B- B- C+ B- C
SG: Paul Pierce SF 25 6'7'' 220 B B+ C- A- C+ B
SF: Hidayet Turkoglu SF 23 6'10'' 220 B- B+ B- B C B
PF: Ben Wallace PF 28 6'9'' 240 B- F+ D- A A- C
C: Samuel Dalembert C 21 6'11'' 250 C+ D+ C- A- B- B
Outlook: The Sonics are a young team on paper, but they lack depth now. The trade with Boston helps, but can they find adequate depth to compete out West? Moving Davis to his natuiral PG spot should help. The scoring should come from Turkoglu and Pierce. The frontcourt is nice as Dalembert and Wallace should provide much needed defense.
Los Angeles LakersThe Lakers were the cream of the crop in the Pacific Division last year. They made it to the Conference Finals, and did not lose much firepower. They landed some solid bench players via FA, and also signed back John Celestand. Celestand could have easily bene named Most Underrated Player of the Year last year. The Lakers GM decided to play Celestand at the point during the preseason, and he never doubted Celestand from there on in. Celestand made it so that Kobe could play the 2 and shine like the star he is. Celestand will be the floor general for this LA team for years to come. Kobe is well Kobe. The Lakers may have some questions at the PF spot, but with the guys they have on their roster, they should figure it out. Look for LA to compete again and make a very strong push for the title next season.
Subtractions
Khalid El-Amin
Keith Closs
Additions
Rodney Rogers
Bison Dele
Projected Starting Five
PG: John Celestand PG 25 6'4'' 178 C+ B B+ B- C- B
SG: Kobe Bryant SG 24 6'7'' 210 A- B+ B+ A- C A
SF: Grant Hill SF 30 6'8'' 225 A- C+ C+ A C C
PF: Rodney Rogers SF 31 6'7'' 250 B- C+ C- A- B- D
C: Alonzo Mourning C 32 6'10'' 240 A- D+ C- A B C
Outlook: The Lakers will be a storng team to compete against and should make a hard run deep into the playoffs once again. Do they have the bench to be the best? Only time will tell.
Golden State WarriorsThe Warriors head into the new season with some questions still arising. Will they be able to sign more FA to fill out their roster or head into the season with a weak bench? The Warriors GM took flack last season for his attempts at giving other guys PT. This year look for the Warriors to compete and better themselves and make a run into the playoffs. They faced the Lakers in Round 1 and got squashed. With the return of Rick Fox look for the scoring to not be a problem in Golden State. With a pretty young team, the Warriors should be fine for years to come.
Subtractions
Bimbo Coles
Vladimir Stepania
Additions
Rick Fox
Projected Starting Five:
PG: Shawnta Rodgers PG 25 5'4'' 170 C B- A C D C
SG: Emanuel Ginobili SG 24 6'6'' 210 B- B- C+ B- C- C
SF: Rick Fox SF 33 6'7'' 230 B- A- C B C C
PF: Antawn Jamison SF 26 6'9'' 223 B- C+ C- A- B C
C: Pau Gasol C 22 7'0'' 227 C+ C C- B+ C+ A
Outlook: This is the year of Gasol. If Pau Gasol can mature and prove to be worthy of his top pick status, then look for the Warriors to improve. Haslem was drafted in case Fox didnt resign. With Haslem as a backup the frontcourt should be decent. Manu Ginobili should improve and he is a hot commodity around the league. Will Redd make Manu expandabble? Word is Manu ios the future of this team. Look for Golden State to imrpvoe, but still struggle against deeper teams.
Sacramento KingsIt only took one seasoin for the Kings to be dethroned. The Kings are faced with being penalized due to being over the hard cap. They have only 4 players on their roster with more than 1 year deals. They are led by the duo of Chris Webber and Eddie Jones. They signed Shawn Respert via FA.
Subtractions
Brian Cardinal
Additions
Shawn Respert
Projected Starting Five:
PG: Mookie Blaylock PG 35 6'1'' 185 C B B A C- C
SG: Eddie Jones SG 31 6'6'' 190 B+ B+ C A+ C- C
SF: Robert Horry SF 32 6'10'' 220 C+ B D+ B+ C+ C
PF: Chris Webber PF 29 6'10'' 260 A- C- D+ B+ A- D
C: Vlade Divac C 34 7'1'' 260 B- C C B B D
Outlook: The Kings are in need of relief. Can they find it in time? Look for the GM to make moves to cut money ASAP. In the mode they are in now, the Kings could make it two years in a row that they fail to make a deep playoff run.
Los Angeles ClippersThe Clippers should win a prize, no not the Championship. They should win a prize for being able to make their cap come out to the league amount. With no cap space left, the Clippers head into the new season with a new look team.The Kandi Man could have been a big FA, but the Clippers made sure he wasnt. The Clippers drafted a promising big in Eddie Griffin. Look for Griffin to come right in and steal the stating PF spot. The Clippers have made it clear they plan on using Marko Jaric as their starting PG. They want to use Flip Murray at the 2, but would be better suited as a backup? Look for the Clippers to compete since their team is good enough to make the playoffs.
Subtractions
Andre Miller
Tyrone Nesby
Additions
Flip Murray
Eddie Griffin
Projected Starting Five:
PG: Marko Jaric PG 24 6'7'' 195 C+ B A- B C- B
SG: Quentin Richardson SF 22 6'5'' 215 C+ A- C A- C B
SF: Shane Battier SF 24 6'8'' 220 C B C A- C- C
PF: Eddie Griffin PF 20 6'10'' 222 C+ C+ D+ B+ B A
C: Michael Olowokandi C 27 7'0'' 269 B- D D A- B C
Outlook: Look for the Clippers to keep their team young, but promising. They have a good one two punch with Richardson and Jaric. Defense shouldnt be an issue with this team. Will the unknown place of where Murray fits in be a year long distraction?
Portland TrailblazersThe Trailblazers are in win now mode. They head into the new season with not many questioins. They landed some players back via FA, but they felt they overpaid.
Subtractions
Jeryl Sasser
Additions
Jared Jeffries
Projected Starting Five:
PG: Sam Cassell PG 32 6'3'' 195 C+ B+ B+ C+ D+ C
SG: Joe Johnson PG 21 6'7'' 225 C+ A- C+ A- C A
SF: Clarence Weatherspoon SF 32 6'7'' 240 B- D D B- B+ D
PF: Donyell Marshall PF 29 6'9'' 230 B C+ C- A- B- C
C: Brad Miller C 26 6'11'' 245 B- C D+ A- B- B
Outlook: The Trailblazers have a glaring weakness at SF. Will the GM be able to fill that hole or use one of their young guys to step in. Joe Johnson should be the teams future and look for him to carry the scoring load. Can the Blazers make a playoff run or come up short?
Phoenix SunsThe Suns on paper look like a solid team. They will need to make things work this year or could find themselves in panic moe come this time next year. They have a good backcourt of Jackson and Rider. Look for the scoring to come from Nick Anderson and Rider. With the emergence of Tyson Chandler, the Suns will be fine in the middle for years to come. Mike Dunleavy was drafted hgih, due to his potential. The Suns have a good mix of young and old on their roster.
Subtractions
Jason Collier
Additions
Mike Dunleavy
Marc Jackson
Bonzi Wells
Projected Stating Five
PG: Bobby Jackson PG 29 6'1'' 185 C+ C+ B B C- C
SG: Isaiah Rider SG 31 6'5'' 215 B- B+ C C+ C- C
SF: Nick Anderson SF 34 6'6'' 205 B- B+ C A- C D
PF: Dale Davis PF 33 6'11'' 230 C+ C- D- B+ B- D
C: Tyson Chandler C 20 7'1'' 235 C+ D C- B+ C+ B
Outlook: The Suns should be able to make the playoffs. If they fail to, it may be due to the lack of production from their bench. They will need to make sure they are prepared to rebuild if Rider and others bolt for FA.
The Pacific Division is a loaded division. Look for some teams to surprise, and some to dissapoint.
