Things have changed on the West Coast. Long time division doormats the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors have become the clear cut favorites, and the Lakers have struggled to land free agents the last few years.
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1. Los Angeles Clippers
Projected Rotation
C - DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Hawes
PF - Blake Griffin, Glen Davis
SF - Jared Dudley, Matt Barnes, Reggie Bullock
SG - JJ Redick, Jamal Crawford, CJ Wilcox
PG - Chris Paul, Jordan Farmar
The off season certainly has been interesting for this franchise, but for all of the wrong reasons. On the court, coming off of a 57 win season, the Clippers did not feel a need to make wholesale changes. The starting lineup should remain intact, but Los Angeles has brought in even more veteran depth for the second unit. Spencer Hawes and Jordan Farmar will join the bench, replacing Darren Collison and Ryan Hollins. Hawes is a nice upgrade, as he can hit some jumpers and help space the floor. Farmer is a solid backup option behind Chris Paul. This team will still go as far as Paul and Blake Griffin take them.
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2. Golden State Warriors
Projected Rotation
C - Andrew Bynum, Festus Ezeli, Ognjen Kuzmic
PF - David Lee, Marreese Speights, Hilton Armstrong
SF - Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green
SG - Klay Thompson, Shaun Livingston, Brandon Rush
PG - Stephen Curry, Nemanja Nedovic
The Warriors are coming off of their first back to back playoff appearances in over 20 years. The team is tapped out in the salary cap department and weren't able to make any free agent signings other than backup guard Shaun Livingston. Livingston's comeback from his catastrophic knee injury has been a good thing to watch, and he has finally been rewarded with a multi year contract. Brandon Rush was also signed away from the Jazz, but hasn't played in quite a while and has continued the legacy of Rush brothers being disappointing pro's. The Kevin Love trade rumors continue to swirl, but so far Golden State has refused to part with Klay Thompson in any potential Love deal.
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3. Phoenix Suns
Projected Rotation
C - Miles Plumlee, Alex Len, Alec Brown
PF - Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Anthony Tolliver, Shavlik Randolph
SF - PJ Tucker, Gerald Green, TJ Warren
SG - Goran Dragic, Leandro Barbosa, Archie Goodwin
PG - Isaiah Thomas, Tyler Ennis
The Suns were the surprise of the NBA last year. Jeff Hornacek did a great job playing to his roster's strengths, and Pheonix ran their way to 47 wins after being predicted to be in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes. The Suns landed Isaiah Thomas, who was never quite appreciated by the Kings. He is quite a scorer, and is a better defender than people give him credit for. He should be a perfect fit with the Suns. Tyler Ennis was a first round draft pick who will be buried on the bench for the foreseeable future, but TJ Warren could have a role with the Suns right off the bat. He is athletic and a very good mid range scorer. PJ Tucker was resigned, and the Suns hope they can get Eric Bledsoe under contract soon.
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4. Sacramento Kings
Projected Rotation
C - DeMarcus Cousins, Reggie Evans
PF - Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Quincy Acy, Alex Oriakhi
SF - Rudy Gay, Derrick Williams, Omri Casspi, Travis Outlaw
SG - Ben McLemore, Nik Stauskas, Jason Terry
PG - Darren Collison, Ray McCallum
The Rudy Gay trade ended up being a good move for the Kings, but I still really do not like how this roster is set up. The Kings never really were on board with Isaiah Thomas as their starter, and have replaced him with Darren Collison, who has shown that he does not really have what it takes to be a starting point guard in this league. Either Ray McCallum or Nik Stauskas could take over for him before long. Stauskas has shown good things during the summer league and could unseat Ben McLemore at shooting guard as well. Other than the addition of Stasukas, the Kings were not able to add any defensive help, and will have to continue to rely heavily on DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay for offense.
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5. Los Angeles Lakers
Projected Rotation
C - Jordan Hill, Robert Sacre
PF - Carlos Boozer, Julius Randle, Ed Davis, Ryan Kelly
SF - Nick Young, Wesley Johnson
SG - Kobe Bryant, Jordan Clarkson
PG - Jeremy Lin, Steve Nash
Last off season the Lakers were spurned by Dwight Howard. This year, they offered large contracts to Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki, but were never seriously considered by any of those superstars. It seems that the bright lights of Los Angeles and the purple and gold are no longer automatic draws for free agents.The Lakers were forced to seriously overpay Jordan Hill and claim Carlos Boozer off of amnesty waivers to have any semblance of a front court. Nick Young and Wesley Johnson were resigned to provide some wing scoring, and the team traded for Jeremy Lin and singed Ed Davis as well. Kobe Bryant will also be back, but who knows how he will respond. This roster is a huge mess, and the front office just tried to add talent anywhere they could. It is hard to see this team winning more than 35 games.
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1. Los Angeles ClippersProjected Rotation
C - DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Hawes
PF - Blake Griffin, Glen Davis
SF - Jared Dudley, Matt Barnes, Reggie Bullock
SG - JJ Redick, Jamal Crawford, CJ Wilcox
PG - Chris Paul, Jordan Farmar
The off season certainly has been interesting for this franchise, but for all of the wrong reasons. On the court, coming off of a 57 win season, the Clippers did not feel a need to make wholesale changes. The starting lineup should remain intact, but Los Angeles has brought in even more veteran depth for the second unit. Spencer Hawes and Jordan Farmar will join the bench, replacing Darren Collison and Ryan Hollins. Hawes is a nice upgrade, as he can hit some jumpers and help space the floor. Farmer is a solid backup option behind Chris Paul. This team will still go as far as Paul and Blake Griffin take them.
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2. Golden State WarriorsProjected Rotation
C - Andrew Bynum, Festus Ezeli, Ognjen Kuzmic
PF - David Lee, Marreese Speights, Hilton Armstrong
SF - Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green
SG - Klay Thompson, Shaun Livingston, Brandon Rush
PG - Stephen Curry, Nemanja Nedovic
The Warriors are coming off of their first back to back playoff appearances in over 20 years. The team is tapped out in the salary cap department and weren't able to make any free agent signings other than backup guard Shaun Livingston. Livingston's comeback from his catastrophic knee injury has been a good thing to watch, and he has finally been rewarded with a multi year contract. Brandon Rush was also signed away from the Jazz, but hasn't played in quite a while and has continued the legacy of Rush brothers being disappointing pro's. The Kevin Love trade rumors continue to swirl, but so far Golden State has refused to part with Klay Thompson in any potential Love deal.
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3. Phoenix SunsProjected Rotation
C - Miles Plumlee, Alex Len, Alec Brown
PF - Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Anthony Tolliver, Shavlik Randolph
SF - PJ Tucker, Gerald Green, TJ Warren
SG - Goran Dragic, Leandro Barbosa, Archie Goodwin
PG - Isaiah Thomas, Tyler Ennis
The Suns were the surprise of the NBA last year. Jeff Hornacek did a great job playing to his roster's strengths, and Pheonix ran their way to 47 wins after being predicted to be in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes. The Suns landed Isaiah Thomas, who was never quite appreciated by the Kings. He is quite a scorer, and is a better defender than people give him credit for. He should be a perfect fit with the Suns. Tyler Ennis was a first round draft pick who will be buried on the bench for the foreseeable future, but TJ Warren could have a role with the Suns right off the bat. He is athletic and a very good mid range scorer. PJ Tucker was resigned, and the Suns hope they can get Eric Bledsoe under contract soon.
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4. Sacramento KingsProjected Rotation
C - DeMarcus Cousins, Reggie Evans
PF - Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Quincy Acy, Alex Oriakhi
SF - Rudy Gay, Derrick Williams, Omri Casspi, Travis Outlaw
SG - Ben McLemore, Nik Stauskas, Jason Terry
PG - Darren Collison, Ray McCallum
The Rudy Gay trade ended up being a good move for the Kings, but I still really do not like how this roster is set up. The Kings never really were on board with Isaiah Thomas as their starter, and have replaced him with Darren Collison, who has shown that he does not really have what it takes to be a starting point guard in this league. Either Ray McCallum or Nik Stauskas could take over for him before long. Stauskas has shown good things during the summer league and could unseat Ben McLemore at shooting guard as well. Other than the addition of Stasukas, the Kings were not able to add any defensive help, and will have to continue to rely heavily on DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay for offense.
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5. Los Angeles LakersProjected Rotation
C - Jordan Hill, Robert Sacre
PF - Carlos Boozer, Julius Randle, Ed Davis, Ryan Kelly
SF - Nick Young, Wesley Johnson
SG - Kobe Bryant, Jordan Clarkson
PG - Jeremy Lin, Steve Nash
Last off season the Lakers were spurned by Dwight Howard. This year, they offered large contracts to Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki, but were never seriously considered by any of those superstars. It seems that the bright lights of Los Angeles and the purple and gold are no longer automatic draws for free agents.The Lakers were forced to seriously overpay Jordan Hill and claim Carlos Boozer off of amnesty waivers to have any semblance of a front court. Nick Young and Wesley Johnson were resigned to provide some wing scoring, and the team traded for Jeremy Lin and singed Ed Davis as well. Kobe Bryant will also be back, but who knows how he will respond. This roster is a huge mess, and the front office just tried to add talent anywhere they could. It is hard to see this team winning more than 35 games.
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