Top to bottom, the Pacific division is one of the most competitive
divisions in the NBA. Every team has above-average talent and can make a
case that they will challenge Phoenix for the division title next season. In
addition, the Warriors, Lakers, and Clippers control the latter part of the
lottery and their selections could shape the rest of the first round.
Phoenix Suns, 1st Place, # 1
seed
62-20, Lost to San Antonio 4-1 in Conference Finals
Picks # 21, 57
Phoenix managed to turn the Steve Nash signing last summer into the best
record in the NBA. Nash won the MVP award this past season behind perhaps
the best supporting cast in the league. Amare Stoudamire has turned into a
superstar and Shawn Marion has been averaging a double-double for the last
couple years. Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson are underrated shooters who
match up perfectly with Nash’s up-tempo style of play. However, Phoenix is
rumored to be in the process of trading Quentin Richardson to the Knicks for
Kurt Thomas, which gives them more depth in the paint (after being
manhandled by San Antonio’s bigs in the playoffs) and the cap room to
re-sign Joe Johnson this summer. It is a major calculated risk to break up
the high-scoring machine, but Phoenix is more likely to find a quality
shooter at # 21 in the draft to replace Richardson than they are to find a
big man who can play right away.
The only need Phoenix has is a shooter can replace Richardson and provide
depth on the wing. The rookie won’t need to put up Richardson’s numbers
cause of the other scoring options around him, but he needs to be able to
run the floor with Nash, Marion, and Stoudamire.
Rudy Fernandez,
Rashad
McCants or Francisco Garcia would be a good fit.
Sacramento Kings, 2nd Place, # 6 seed
50-32, Lost to Seattle 4-1 in Playoffs
Pick # 23
After the Chris Webber trade, Sacramento was left with lots of talent and
depth on the perimeter, but shorthanded and un-athletic in the frontcourt.
Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Cuttino Mobley, Bobby Jackson and Maurice Evans
provide a solid backcourt rotation, but Brad Miller and Kenny Thomas leave a
lot to be desired in the paint. Either of those guys is fine as a
complimentary banger and rebounder, but neither has what it takes to be a
go-to scorer in the paint.
Unfortunately, Sacramento is unlikely to find a polished offensive big
man at # 23, so unless they trade some of their backcourt depth for size,
they will likely just take the best athlete available.
Charlie Villanueva,
Hakim Warrick,
Wayne Simien and
Ryan Gomes would add to their athleticism on
the wing and in the paint.
Los Angeles Clippers, 3rd
Place
37-45, no playoffs
Picks # 12, 32
The Clippers have loads of young talent and appear to be on the verge of
something big. After years of perpetual lottery selections, Elgin Baylor and
company are finally on the right track. The front office believes that
injuries and inexperience are the only things that kept the team from making
the playoffs last year. The top seven players in the rotation – Corey
Maggette, Elton Brand, Bobby Simmons, Marko Jaric, Chris Kaman, Chris
Wilcox, and Shaun Livingston are all 26 years old or younger. Maggette,
Simmons and Jaric have been excellent on the wing and Kaman and Wilcox have
provided Brand with good depth in the paint. If Shaun Livingston develops as
expected at the point, the Clippers could be a great team for years to come.
Though the Clippers have no major holes, they could use a sharpshooter to
come off the bench and consistently knock down the three-point shot.
Martell
Webster and Antoine Wright are the primary targets to fill that role, but
the front-office is also very high on
Martynas Andriuskevicius, and if he’s
still on the board, they will have a hard time passing him up. If they don’t
get a shooter at # 12, look for them to fill that need at # 32 with
Luther
Head, Francisco Garcia or Salim Stoudamire.
Los Angeles Lakers, T-4th
Place
34-48, no playoffs
Picks # 10, 37, 39
The Lakers needs can be summed up with one simple statement: give Kobe
some help. When healthy, Kobe is arguably the league’s most prolific scorer,
but it is evident that he needs a solid supporting cast around him for the
Lakers to win. The Lakers actually have a lot of talent at the 2 through 4
positions in Kobe, Caron Butler and Lamar Odom, but they sorely lack talent
at point guard and center. Chucky Atkins was the best point guard on the
roster last season and is certainly not the long term solution. And Chris
Mihm was serviceable in the paint, but he’s not going to make anyone in LA
forget about Shaq anytime soon.
The Lakers have the 10th pick, and if
Raymond Felton is still on the
board he’d be a steal for the Lakers and a great compliment to the
athleticism on the wings. But its looking like Felton may go earlier than
that, in which case LA may address their point guard need via free agency
and go big in the draft. Other possibilities at # 10 include Martynas Andriuskevicius and
Fran Vazquez.
Golden State Warriors, T-4th Place
34-48, no playoffs
Picks # 9, 40, 42
Last season’s trade for Baron Davis and the development of Jason
Richardson (21.7 ppg) gives the Warriors one of the more potent backcourts
in the Western conference. Add in quality starters like Troy Murphy and Mike
Dunleavy, and the Warriors are a wise lottery selection away from making a
playoff run. Their biggest need is a tough banger who can contribute defense
and rebounding in the paint to compliment Murphy’s finesse style of play.
Channing Frye is the only player in the lottery that fits that description.
Any other big men would be a reach at # 9. So if Frye isn’t available, look
for Golden State to trade down a few spots to try to grab
Sean May,
Ike Diogu or
Chris Taft.
The Warriors are also very high on
Danny Granger and if he falls to them
at # 9, they will not hesitate to take him. He brings the versatility of
Mike Dunleavy, with more toughness and better defense. In this scenario, the
Warriors would likely look to trade Mike Dunleavy for some quality depth
along the front line. Either way, Golden State should improve their talent
level next season.
