gpikeNBA Preview: Midwest Division
December 19th 2011 22:43
Here's my rundown on the Pacific Division, plus how I see the top eight teams in the Western Conference finishing.
1. Dallas
2. Oklahoma City
3. LA Lakers
4. San Antonio
5. Portland
6. Memphis
7. Denver
8. LA Clippers
The Thunder will win the conference title over Dallas.
Now the Pacific Division, in predicted order of finish.
1. LA Lakers: Losing Lamar Odom to the Mavericks will hurt the Lakers more then you may think. Still they are too stacked to not win this division. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum form a potent trio, guiding the Lakers to the top of the Pacific. The Lakers still may try and put a package together to lure Dwight Howard from Orlando after failing to bring in Chris Paul.
2. LA Clippers: Adding Chris
Paul instantly moves the Clippers to the eighth best in the West or ninth. They will battle with Houston for the eighth in the conference. Trading Eric Gordon will put more of the scoring load on Blake Griffin and Paul, but the Clippers are sure to be one of the better teams this year. Adding Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups, makes this team even more explosive if they can stay healthy.
3. Golden State: You figure the team will at some point either trade Monta Ellis or Stephen Curry to aide the frontcourt. David Lee and Andris Biedrins are servicable neither very explosive. Lee will average nearly a double-double for the Warriors on the inside. Rookie Klay Thompson will key the second unit as a scorer. Not having a backup point guard to Curry hurts as well.
4. Phoenix: The Suns are aging rapidly with point guard Steve Nash approaching 40 years old. He is still efficient as a guard for the offense. Grant Hill, another veteran has been able to stay healthy recently, if he continues this then the Suns could be a force. Channing Frye is soft in the middle, putting more pressure on Marcin Gorat in the middle.
5. Sacramento: Jimmer Freddette and Tyreke Evans may soon form one of the better backcourts in the league if they stay together. Each have great talent on the court. DeMarcus Cousins, is another guy who needs to keep his head in the game, if he does then the Kings could surprise in this division. Picking up JJ Hickson was another positive move, he will get you around 15 points and nine boards per game. If all goes well then the Kings may push for third in this division. Golden State, Phoenix and Sacramento are each closely matched, making this a photo finish.
1. Dallas
2. Oklahoma City
3. LA Lakers
4. San Antonio
5. Portland
6. Memphis
7. Denver
8. LA Clippers
The Thunder will win the conference title over Dallas.
Now the Pacific Division, in predicted order of finish.
1. LA Lakers: Losing Lamar Odom to the Mavericks will hurt the Lakers more then you may think. Still they are too stacked to not win this division. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum form a potent trio, guiding the Lakers to the top of the Pacific. The Lakers still may try and put a package together to lure Dwight Howard from Orlando after failing to bring in Chris Paul.
2. LA Clippers: Adding Chris
Andrew Bynum is a big reason why the Lakers will remain around the top of the western conference
3. Golden State: You figure the team will at some point either trade Monta Ellis or Stephen Curry to aide the frontcourt. David Lee and Andris Biedrins are servicable neither very explosive. Lee will average nearly a double-double for the Warriors on the inside. Rookie Klay Thompson will key the second unit as a scorer. Not having a backup point guard to Curry hurts as well.
4. Phoenix: The Suns are aging rapidly with point guard Steve Nash approaching 40 years old. He is still efficient as a guard for the offense. Grant Hill, another veteran has been able to stay healthy recently, if he continues this then the Suns could be a force. Channing Frye is soft in the middle, putting more pressure on Marcin Gorat in the middle.
5. Sacramento: Jimmer Freddette and Tyreke Evans may soon form one of the better backcourts in the league if they stay together. Each have great talent on the court. DeMarcus Cousins, is another guy who needs to keep his head in the game, if he does then the Kings could surprise in this division. Picking up JJ Hickson was another positive move, he will get you around 15 points and nine boards per game. If all goes well then the Kings may push for third in this division. Golden State, Phoenix and Sacramento are each closely matched, making this a photo finish.
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