The Pacific has one legit contender in the L.A. Lakers, one playoff team and hopeful contender in the Phoenix Suns, and three teams that will be lucky to get a low playoff berth(Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and L.A. Clippers).
Los Angeles Lakers- L.A. is stacked just having MVP Kobe Bryant gives you a chance. You add two 7-footers in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and multi- talented 6-10 forward Lamar Odom. Not to mention the point guard tandem of Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar. The bench has talent has well Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic. The cherry on the top is that they have Phil Jackson coaching. However L.A. has some doubts. Starting with Kobe can he hold up from Finals play to Olympic play to a injured finger. One wrong move on his hand and the Lakers contention for a title is over. Another issue is will Odom come off the bench or be traded? Overall, if Kobe stays healthy and if Bynum and Gasol mix this team will be the favorites to win it all.
Los Angeles Clippers- Baron Davis has arrived, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette have departed. Marcus Camby is in to shore up the frontcourt with Chris Kaman. Keep an eye on youngsters Al Thornton, rookies Eric Gordon(Indiana) and DeAndre Jordan(Texas A&M) they good be very productive. Cuttino Mobley will be sufficient for now. The bench is full of players who can fill it up, but only from time to time. Mike Dunleavy is still there imagine that. The Clippers are intriguing team. If B-Diddy can stay healthy and focused. Also If Camby and Kaman can jell with the others. The Clippers making the playoffs should be a very real possibility.
Phoenix Suns- Terry Porter has just been given the keys to a team. At a crossroads, Steve Nash isn't getting younger(34) Shaquille O'neal(36) and Grant Hill(36) either. However Amare Stoudemire is a beast and should take advantage of playing next to the Big Diesel. Expect Amare to be the leading scorer for the Suns. Raja Bell is solid. Leandro Barbosa is still a blur, and Boris Diaw is still useful. Matt Barnes was a good pickup and should start, rookie Robin Lopez(Stanford) was a good pick. The question mark is rookie point guard Goran Dragic(Slovenia) and apparently heir to Nash. Porter has a good team, but they will need to mix the youth and veterans in order to be successful.
Golden State Warriors- Corey Maggette was a good pickup and should help with Baron Davis gone. Stephen Jackson is very productive. Monta Ellis is an idiot for the moped accident. It will hurt the team and his development at point guard. Brandan Wright should get more playing time. Ronny Turiaf will bring energy off the bench. Don Nelson will let the reins loose on offense and defense. But at the end of the day this team will fall short of the playoffs. On the positive side they should be fun to watch!
Sacramento Kings- With Ron Artest gone Kevin Martin is no doubt the guy in Sac-town. Beno Udrih showed that he can play and be productive on a nightly basis. John Salmons is very talented forward for a bad team. The Kings have a plethora of young forwards, rookie Donte Greene(Syracuse) rookie Jason Thompson(Rider) and 2ND year Spencer Hawes. Not to mention centers Brad Miller and Mikki Moore. Francisco Garcia is in for a big year. Other than that the Kings are in rebuilding mode and have some interesting pieces to build on. King fans should expect a long season, with a hopefully future.
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