It’s been a wild summer in the Western Conference that will affect the balance of power in the West for years to come. All of the West’s top five teams last year loaded up, with the Lakers getting a pair of Hall-of-Famers, the Spurs shuffling their young talent, the Timberwolves giving Kevin Garnett more help in the starting lineup, the Kings getting an All-Star big man and the Mavericks adding yet another 20 point-per-game scorer. At the other end of the spectrum, Utah saw its long-standing duo of Stockton-to-Malone disappear, while the Warriors and Clippers both lost several key players. In case you missed any of this summer’s action, SUPERSONICS.COM takes a look at the Sonics competitors in the Western Conference, recapping their summers and previewing them for the 2003-04 season.
Summer: Coming off of a breakthrough season when they won 38 games and contended for a playoff spot, the Warriors faced a crisis in the restricted free agency of Arenas, last season’s Most Improved Player. Because of the CBA’s restrictions, the Warriors could pay Arenas no more than the median exception next year. While the team could have given him a more lucrative long-term deal after the year, Arenas chose the security of a six-year deal with the Washington Wizards. Though the Warriors quickly moved to sign point guard Claxton to replace Arenas, they realized they couldn’t compete in the Western Conference in the near term. As a result, the Warriors decided to look to the future by dumping the hefty contracts of Fortson and Jamison, sending them, guard Jiri Welsch and forward Chris Mills to the Dallas Mavericks, getting back Van Exel, guards Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Antoine Rigaudeau (since released) and center Evan Eschmeyer. Shortly after, Sura was dealt to the Pistons for Robinson. Though the moves don’t add much young talent to the Warriors core, they create future salary-cap flexibility and a spot in the starting five for Dunleavy, the second pick of last year’s draft.
Outlook: The Warriors lack star power. Van Exel is possibly the team’s best player, and he wasn’t even the best point guard on his own team last year. While Dunleavy could join Arenas and Murphy by developing quickly in his second season, he represents a downgrade from Jamison, who was a quality scorer. Barring significant development from the Warriors youngsters, Golden State is looking at playing for lottery balls yet again.
Summer: Virtually all the Clippers key players became free agents, making for a wild off-season. Los Angeles was forced to make decisions on four restricted free agent starters – guards Miller and Maggette and forwards Odom and Brand. The Clippers decided to keep the best two players of the group last season, Maggette and Brand, and allowed Miller to go to Denver and Odom to Miami. Also gone are unrestricted free agents Olowokandi, L.A.’s first pick of the 1998 draft, and Piatkowski, the all-time Clippers leader in games played. While there was talk that the Clippers would replace Miller with Arenas, they ended up quietly signing only role players in free agency – including a pair of former Sonics center, Drobnjak (acquired this past weekend in a sign-and-trade deal) and Polynice (who has been out of the NBA the last two seasons). With the sixth pick of the draft, the Clippers took Kaman out of Central Michigan, and Dunleavy was hired to replace interim coach Dennis Johnson.
Outlook: The Clippers lost an amazing amount of talent from a team that didn’t fare particularly well in the first place. Still, with the specter of free agency no longer looming over the club and fewer players looking for minutes, the Clippers can legitimately be optimistic heading into the season. Richardson, should he play more like he did in his breakout 2001-02 campaign and less like last year, teams with Brand and Maggette to form a solid core. The big question is whether players can step up at point guard and center. Jaric and Drobnjak are the early favorites. Jaric will be tested by Keyon Dooling, however, and several players will battle for playing time in the middle with Drobnjak – Kaman, Polynice, Melvin Ely and Wang Zhizhi. As they have most of the last decade, the Clippers should battle the Warriors to stay out of the Pacific’s cellar.
Summer: Spurned in their attempt for a third straight championship last May, the Lakers took dramatic measures to improve their chances for getting back on top of the NBA. Future Hall of Famers Payton and Malone took pay cuts to try to win their first championships after both being turned away in the NBA Finals by now-retired Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers lost only their power forward platoon of Walker and Madsen, which is upgraded both by Malone and Grant, who returns to the Lakers after a two-year absence. The Lakers also added polished seniors Cook and Luke Walton in the draft.
Outlook: The Lakers enter the season with four Hall of Famers in the lineup and are the clear favorites to win the NBA title. There are potential roadblocks, however. The legal proceedings involving Bryant will be a distraction all season long and could potentially force Bryant to miss playing time. Payton and Malone are aging, while O’Neal has missed significant time with injuries each of the last three years. Whether Payton and Malone will be willing to accept reduced roles also remains an open question. These concerns become less important when four of your starters were ranked in the NBA’s top twenty in Efficiency Ranking last season.
Summer: A year ahead of schedule in making the playoffs last season, the Suns were able to re-sign both of their free agents of any importance, centers Williams and Jake Voskuhl. Their returns allowed Phoenix to deal Tsakalidis to Memphis, adding bench depth with Knight. The Suns were also able to add to their young core in the draft, selecting Cabarkapa with their own pick and trading a future selection to the Spurs to get the rights to Barbosa after he slipped all the way to the end of the first round. Outlaw's departure should allow Cabarkapa to see early action, but Knight's arrival keeps Barbosa on the bench for the time being.
Outlook: In Marbury, Marion and Stoudemire, the Suns have possibly the best core of young talent in the league. Playing for a playoff team for the first time since he left Minnesota, Marbury regained the respect of fans and experts around the league after a trying first season with the Suns. Marion is not flashy, but is the league’s best all-around small forward and an underrated rebounder and defender. Stoudemire, meanwhile, progressed faster than even his biggest backers expected, starting 71 games and winning Rookie of the Year. Hardaway is also an important piece for the Suns, providing stability and leadership from his shooting guard position. Center and the bench are less impressive for the Suns. A breakthrough season by guard Joe Johnson, who had a disappointing 2001-02 campaign but impressed over the summer, would be huge for the Suns. Phoenix should repeat its playoff appearance, but a major injury could be disastrous.
Summer: The departure of team president Bob Whitsitt seemed to promise a summer full of activity as the Blazers looked to remake their roster with a greater emphasis on character and team play. Instead, under new general manager John Nash, the Blazers have been unable to make any minor moves, let alone major ones. The team has lost a pair of free agents, Daniels and Pippen, while Sabonis retired. But the only additions so far have been in the draft, notably high schooler Outlaw, who is far from ready to contribute.
Outlook: The most exciting part of the upcoming season for the Blazers will be the development of budding star Randolph. After playing well in limited minutes throughout his first two seasons, Randolph served notice of his imminent arrival as a key player during the playoffs, averaging 20.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in four starts as the Blazers pushed the Mavericks to seven games. Randolph’s ascendance to the starting lineup does pose a problem, as Wallace will either have to move out to small forward, displacing guard Derek Anderson, or to center, displacing Davis. The real problem is that none of the Blazers top players can play point guard. With Pippen and Daniels gone, Stoudamire and Jeff McInnis will have to man the position. As usual, this season is bound to be interesting for the Blazers, but they do not appear to be in the class of the West’s top five teams.
Summer: As usual, Kings GM Geoff Petrie managed to pull off a quality deal for the Kings despite the team having no cap space, a poor draft pick and a high payroll. Petrie sent Turkoglu and Pollard to the Pacers in a sign-and-trade deal that also included the San Antonio Spurs, returning Miller, an All-Star in the East last season. The move actually has greater long-term implications, as Miller should be able to step in and replace Divac when the Serbian veteran’s career ends. In the meantime, Miller will back up both positions up front and serve as insurance against another Webber injury. Free agents Peeler and Massenburg were signed to fill out the roster and provide depth after Clark’s salary was dumped on the Utah Jazz.
Outlook: The Kings expected to win the championship last season, and might just have done so had Webber not been injured during their Semifinals series with the Dallas Mavericks. Now, with other teams in the West beefing up this off-season and some of the Kings core players aging, there seems to be more desperation. Sacramento should again be one of the NBA’s top regular-season teams and boast the league’s best home-court advantage at ARCO Arena. Will that be enough to translate into a championship? Too early to tell.
Summer: Looking to keep up with their fellow Western Conference contenders, the Mavericks consummated a big trade – in terms of players changing hands – with the Warriors, giving up only one regular (Van Exel) and getting a starter in Jamison as well as a potential role player in Fortson. The team also lost Griffin and Bell free agency, though with Jamison on board, their roles would have been limited anyway. To replace Van Exel as the backup to All-Star Nash, Dallas imported Best from Miami.
Outlook: While the acquisition of Jamison filled the most obvious hole in the Dallas starting five, small forward, it does not really address the team’s weaknesses up front and defensively. Instead, Jamison is another scorer in a lineup that already boasts several of them. While the move strengthens the Mavericks lineup, the difference between Jamison and Griffin or Raja Bell – who split time as starters last year – is not as great as it might seem. The loss of Van Exel robs the Mavericks of one of their top playoff performers as well as insurance for Nash, who has worn down near the end of the last two seasons even with Van Exel behind him. In the muddled Western Conference, Dallas could finish anywhere from first to fifth and playoff matchups (as well as home-court advantage) will probably determine the Mavericks fate.
Summer: After the optimistic picture painted over the last year by the media, the Nuggets haul is a bit of a disappointment. Hoping for a shot at LeBron James in the draft, the Nuggets settled for the third pick and, after some apparent early indecision, Syracuse product Anthony. Free agency found the Nuggets focusing on the backcourt, choosing to hand a long-term contract to Miller instead of Arenas. The rest of the acquisitions will strengthen the bench dramatically, while Lenard will contend with White for the starting job he vacated last year.
Outlook: Anybody would have been a big improvement over the Nuggets backcourt last year, and they got some legitimate NBA players. Up front, the talented forward duo of Anthony and Nenê (who dropped his surname, Hilario, over the summer) will be together for years to come. Still, the Nuggets are far from a playoff team. Neither projected starting guard shot better than 41% last season, while Camby remains a major injury risk up front. Unless Anthony or Nenê progresses more quickly than expected, the Nuggets lack a go-to scorer. They’re still at least a year away.
Summer: Coming off a season that saw Yao live up to the hype he entered the NBA with from China but the team still miss the playoffs by one game, the Rockets were relatively quiet in terms of player transactions. Restricted free agent Posey was allowed to walk to the Memphis Grizzlies after just a half-season in Houston. To replace Posey, the Rockets brought in three perimeter players. Defensive specialist Griffin saw his field-goal percentage slip by 66 points last year, but can be very valuable if he shoots around 50%, as he did in 2001-02. Piatkowski is one of the league’s purest shooters and will team with Jackson (signed as a free agent yesterday after the Rockets dealt Rice to Utah for Amaechi) to give the Rockets a pair of offensive-minded veterans to keep defenses honest. Without question, the Rockets biggest off-season move was replacing long-time coach Rudy Tomjanovich with former Knicks coach Van Gundy. Successful with an aging group of players in New York, Van Gundy will try to work that same magic with a talented group of youngsters that nonetheless has missed the playoffs three years running.
Outlook: Improvement will have to come from within, and there is no more obvious place to look than center, where Yao has adjusted to the NBA and the United States and is poised for a big season (pun intended). Yao’s improvement would be aided by his guards looking for him down low more often, something Van Gundy is sure to preach. Another breakout candidate is Eddie Griffin. The 2001 lottery pick started 66 games, but saw his scoring average go down from his rookie year (8.6 ppg, from 8.8). While Griffin’s field-goal percentage improved, at 40% it was still very poor for a big man. Improved play from Griffin could guarantee the Rockets a playoffs return.
Summer: Grizzlies GM Jerry West is one of the most respected front-office executives in the NBA. His moves this off-season, however, left more than a few experts scratching their heads. The Grizzlies got bad news early in the off-season. Their first-round pick was destined for the Pistons – unless Memphis hit the LeBron jackpot and won the number one pick. Indeed, the Grizzlies ball was one of the final two, but Cleveland came up LeBron while the Grizzlies were left with a consolation prize of . . . nothing. Thanks to other trades, Memphis still had the 13th and 27th selections in the first round. With Memphis’ supposed target, Pietrus, off the board, West traded those picks to the Boston Celtics. He used Boston’s 16th and 20th picks on two players considered late-first-round picks at best, Bell and Jones. Neither player figures as a contributor next season. Memphis then used its mid-level exception to lavish a lucrative contract on Posey, a career 40.5% shooter who’s averaged 9.4 ppg. After trying all summer to get a center, the Grizzlies finally acquired Tsakalidis from Phoenix, giving up Knight and a pair of deep reserves. Knight won't be missed much in Memphis, with Earl Watson better and younger as a backup point guard.
Outlook: West has built a team that goes two-deep at every position. Can that depth produce a winning team despite a lack of star power? The difficulty in answering that question makes it tough to know where to peg the Grizzlies next season. Gasol has quietly had two strong seasons and could be ready to take his game to the next level and challenge for the All-Star team despite the West’s depth at power forward. Miller, who was hampered by injuries during his time in Memphis after a mid-season trade, enters a key fourth season. Forward/center Stromile Swift showed signs of achieving the potential that made him the second pick of the 2000 Draft late last season, and a big season from Swift would be huge for the Grizzlies.
Summer: Minnesota GM Kevin McHale took drastic measures in order to keep his team from being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs yet again. The moves started the day after the draft, when the Timberwolves used Peeler’s non-guaranteed contract to steal Cassell from the Bucks for Peeler and Smith. In free agency, McHale was able to convince former college roommate Bill Duffy to direct Olowokandi to Minnesota to replace Nesterovic, who fled for San Antonio. The coup de grace was a four-way trade in which the Timberwolves sent out guard Terrell Brandon – whose career is over after a series of leg injuries, and whose contract is scheduled to come off the salary cap mid-season – and Jackson to bring in Sprewell from New York. While MVP runner-up Garnett still doesn’t have any All-Stars from last season around him, the Timberwolves now boast one of the league’s deepest starting lineups – with some quality players like last year’s starting point guard, Troy Hudson, still left on the bench.
Outlook: After claiming home-court advantage in the first round for the first time in their history last season, the Timberwolves are a contender to win the Midwest Division. With the moves, Minnesota managed to improve itself both offensively and defensively, and the Timberwolves now have plenty of playoffs experience. With four players who averaged at least 15 points per game, however, sharing the ball is a concern. If things go bad, with this group of players they could go very bad and see the team self-combust. More likely, the Timberwolves finally see what the Semifinals are all about.
Summer: Nobody entered this summer set up better than the Spurs, who had just won the championship and had a host of cap space to try to attract a star to play alongside two-time MVP Duncan. Instead, East stars Jason Kidd and Jermaine O’Neal spurned the Spurs to re-sign with their own teams, and Brand was deemed too risky because of the possibility of a Clippers match. The Spurs decided to go bargain shopping, picking up Nesterovic from Minnesota as a free agent. Much of the rest of their cap space was used on the three-way trade involving Indiana and Sacramento, with the Spurs giving up only veteran Danny Ferry (who has since retired and joined the Spurs front office) and getting Mercer and Turkoglu. There was a price to pay for using the cap space, however. Claxton and Jackson, key members of the championship run, went elsewhere while Robinson and Steve Kerr also retired. The Spurs added a lot, but lost a lot as well.
Outlook: The Spurs are still looking for a player to step up and complement Duncan, play the Robin to Duncan’s Batman. Parker is easily the most likely player to do this, should he add consistency in his third season pro. A young backcourt of Parker and Ginobili could be together for years to come, assuming Ginobili picks up where he left off in the playoffs and avoids the injuries which kept him from putting together a big rookie regular season. If Ginobili falters, Turkoglu is ready for a breakout season after wasting away on the bench in Sacramento. He will also challenge Bowen for playing time. The Spurs don’t seem as strong as their championship incarnation, but will still be in the middle of the battle for the Western Conference crown.
Summer: Time finally ran out on the duo of Stockton-to-Malone that has carried the Jazz to 20 straight .500 or better seasons. Stockton retired shortly after the Sacramento Kings eliminated the Jazz for the second straight season, while Malone signed with the Lakers as a free agent. Their departures left the Jazz with a great deal of cap room to look for free agent replacements, as well as a first-round pick, but the team came up empty in both counts. In the draft, the Jazz took Serbian swingman Pavlovic despite the team’s depth on the wings. In free agency, the Jazz offered Maggette and Jason Terry contracts only to see the Clippers and Hawks match them. Unable to lure any other big name free agents to Salt Lake City, the Jazz dealt with the Kings for Clark, getting an additional second-round pick in the process. Bell was the only other free agent pickup of note. Finally, the Jazz used some of its remaining cap room yesterday to pick up a first-round pick from the Rockets for swapping Ameachi for Rice.
Outlook: Utah will be hard-pressed to replace its Hall of Fame duo. 2001 first-round pick Raul Lopez, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL (re-injuring the same ligament he had torn in November 2001) will compete with Arroyo, who played well in limited minutes as Utah’s third-string point last season, to start. Rookie Maurice Williams, Utah’s second-round pick out of Alabama, also figures into the mix. Kirilenko, a top sixth man last season, will move into the starting lineup somewhere. He will probably move Harpring to shooting guard, but Kirilenko could end up the league’s skinniest power forward. Clark will start at either power forward and center and should be in line for the best season of his career as Utah’s only scoring big man. If Clark is at power forward, Jarron Collins, coming off his own torn ACL, will compete with Ostertag to start at center. The 20-year streak is almost certainly over, and Utah could be one of the league’s worst teams, especially if Harpring and Kirilenko struggle to keep their field-goal percentages up without Stockton and Malone creating easy shots for them.
