Post by Miege22 on Aug 27, 2018 16:15:38 GMT -5
And now on to the other half of the Western Conference, the Pacific Division. For years, this was the "Utah Invitational," as the Jazz won the division for the first 5 seasons and made 3 NBA Finals. The Jazz haven't been back to the top of the division since, with Vegas, Portland, Golden State and Portland again winning it, respectively. The Jazz did, however, make the playoffs each of those four years. Looking at the the teams in this division, it doesn't look like these trends will change this year. Utah isn't the favorite to come out on top, but they should make the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year. So... who is the division favorite?
1. Portland Trailblazers
2018 record: 13-3
Playoff finish: Lost NBA Finals
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Tobias Harris, Khris Middleton, Caris LeVert, Wayne Ellington, Cam Payne
PLAYERS LOST: DeMar DeRozan, Eric Gordon, Thaddeus Young, Andrew Harrison, Rajon Rondo
The Trailblazers bounced back in a big way from an injury-filled 3-13 season to flip that record and advance to their first NBA Finals in franchise history. Unfortunately, despite their incredible depth, it wasn't enough to take down the Brooklyn Nets, led by LeBron James and James Harden. The Trailblazers return DeAndre Jordan and Draymond Green, as well as last year's deadline pick-ups, Goran Dragic and Frank Kaminsky. They swapped DeMar DeRozan for Khris Middleton, Thad Young for Tobias Harris and Eric Gordon for Caris LeVert. Taken together, those swaps look like a draw. How the Blazers fare this season will come down to three players: John Collins, Bobby Portis and Josh Richardson. If those three take on bigger roles, Portland may just be the favorites in the West. Since we won't know the answer until after the season starts, it's hard to put them above Memphis and Houston. But they are basically a playoff lock, and will be the first Pacific team since Utah to win the division in back-to-back seasons.
PROJECTED RECORD: 13-3 (3rd in West)
2. Utah Jazz
2018 record: 10-6
Playoff finish: 1st round
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Carmelo Anthony, JJ Redick, Elfrid Payton, Tyler Johnson, JJ Barea, JaMychal Green
PLAYERS LOST: Kyle Lowry, Kyle Korver, Lou Williams, Patty Mills, Channing Frye, Bismack Biyombo, Marco Belinelli
The Utah Jazz have become a model of consistency, and it's been largely due to their finding the right veterans. That's the same strategy Utah has gone with this off-season, though, this might be the first year where things have the potential to go wrong. They traded Kyle Lowry for Carmelo Anthony, and they let Lou Williams walk, replacing him with a combination of Elfrid Payton, Tyler Johnson and JJ Barea. JJ Redick is the new Kyle Korver, and JaMychal Green is a solid big that should be better than the Frye/Biyombo combination. The big question mark here is Mike Conley. The veteran point guard missed almost all of last season, but the Jazz survived and made the playoffs. If he comes back healthy, and plays like he did in 16-17, the Jazz are a playoff shoo-in. However, if he's still hurt, the Jazz may not have enough to overcome that loss. Not this year, anyway. We'll bet on Conley coming back healthy.
PROJECTED RECORD: 11-5 (4th in West)
3. Seattle Supersonics
2018 record: 6-10
Playoff finish: N/A
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Lonzo Ball, Wendell Carter Jr., Bam Adebayo, Elie Okobo
PLAYERS LOST: Alex Len, TJ Leaf, Deandre Bembry, Thon Maker
There's a world in which Wendell Carter Jr. wins rookie of the year, Bam Adebayo overtakes Hassan Whiteside, Lonzo Ball thrives with LeBron, and Elie Okobo locks down the starting spot in Phoenix. Damian Lillard and Rudy Gobert continue to be great, while Malik Monk and Jonathan Isaac bounce back from injuries to actually produce. Oh, and Lauri Markannen makes the leap. In that world, the Sonics surprise everyone, vault to 12 wins and win the division. It's closer to reality than you may think, but it still feels one year away. For this season, the Sonics look like a lock to almost get there while picking up some statement wins. But even if this team doesn't quite make the playoffs, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with very, very soon.
PROJECTED RECORD: 9-7 (5th in West)
4. Golden State Warriors
2018 record: 9-7
Playoff finish: N/A
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Hassan Whiteside, DeMarre Carroll, Robert Covington, Cody Zeller
PLAYERS LOST: Derrick Favors, Kyle O'Quinn, Juan Hernangomez, Gerald Green
The Warriors entered last season with high expectations after back-to-back playoff appearances. Unfortunately, the Isaiah Thomas injury derailed those expectations. They managed to start 4-2, but they lost 4 straight before winning 5 of their last 6. By any measure, the Warriors improved this off-season. They traded Derrick Favors for Hassan Whiteside, then they brought in three solid role players in Carroll, Covington and Zeller. The problem here is the guys returning. IT is going to have a much smaller role than two years ago. Enes Kanter might be on the block. Both Evan Fournier and CJ McCollum might have hit their fantasy ceilings. It's tough to forecast. On the flip side, Enes Kanter may get tons of shots with KP out, Fournier seems to be the only reliable wing in Orlando, and IT will actually play this year, which is a positive. The Warriors could definitely put it all together and make the playoffs. We shall see.
PROJECTED RECORD: 6-10 (6th in West)
5. Las Vegas Gamblers
2018 record: 7-9
Playoff finish: N/A
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Joe Harris, Michael Porter Jr.
PLAYERS LOST: JJ Redick, James Ennis, Tyson Chandler
It's quite possible that no team had worse injury luck than the Las Vegas Gamblers. On the first two days of the season, they lost both Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Lin for the entire season. They also had to deal with Eric Bledsoe missing the beginning of the season because he literally posted on Twitter that he no longer wanted to be in Phoenix, and MKG had some odd personal issues going on. Now, though, everyone is back healthy and in solid fantasy spots. The problem here isn't so much the Gamblers as much as it's everyone else. The Gamblers are incredibly weak in the front court, and they still have three open roster spots. You have to assume those will be filled, but it's hard to see three players filling those spots and making a significant difference. Vegas won 7 games last year, but those 7 wins weren't terribly impressive. Their best win was over the 8-8 Chicago Bulls, who played most of that week without Andre Drummond. With everyone in the Western Conference improving, it's hard to see where Vegas takes advantage.
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-11 (8th in West)
1. Portland Trailblazers
2018 record: 13-3
Playoff finish: Lost NBA Finals
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Tobias Harris, Khris Middleton, Caris LeVert, Wayne Ellington, Cam Payne
PLAYERS LOST: DeMar DeRozan, Eric Gordon, Thaddeus Young, Andrew Harrison, Rajon Rondo
The Trailblazers bounced back in a big way from an injury-filled 3-13 season to flip that record and advance to their first NBA Finals in franchise history. Unfortunately, despite their incredible depth, it wasn't enough to take down the Brooklyn Nets, led by LeBron James and James Harden. The Trailblazers return DeAndre Jordan and Draymond Green, as well as last year's deadline pick-ups, Goran Dragic and Frank Kaminsky. They swapped DeMar DeRozan for Khris Middleton, Thad Young for Tobias Harris and Eric Gordon for Caris LeVert. Taken together, those swaps look like a draw. How the Blazers fare this season will come down to three players: John Collins, Bobby Portis and Josh Richardson. If those three take on bigger roles, Portland may just be the favorites in the West. Since we won't know the answer until after the season starts, it's hard to put them above Memphis and Houston. But they are basically a playoff lock, and will be the first Pacific team since Utah to win the division in back-to-back seasons.
PROJECTED RECORD: 13-3 (3rd in West)
2. Utah Jazz
2018 record: 10-6
Playoff finish: 1st round
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Carmelo Anthony, JJ Redick, Elfrid Payton, Tyler Johnson, JJ Barea, JaMychal Green
PLAYERS LOST: Kyle Lowry, Kyle Korver, Lou Williams, Patty Mills, Channing Frye, Bismack Biyombo, Marco Belinelli
The Utah Jazz have become a model of consistency, and it's been largely due to their finding the right veterans. That's the same strategy Utah has gone with this off-season, though, this might be the first year where things have the potential to go wrong. They traded Kyle Lowry for Carmelo Anthony, and they let Lou Williams walk, replacing him with a combination of Elfrid Payton, Tyler Johnson and JJ Barea. JJ Redick is the new Kyle Korver, and JaMychal Green is a solid big that should be better than the Frye/Biyombo combination. The big question mark here is Mike Conley. The veteran point guard missed almost all of last season, but the Jazz survived and made the playoffs. If he comes back healthy, and plays like he did in 16-17, the Jazz are a playoff shoo-in. However, if he's still hurt, the Jazz may not have enough to overcome that loss. Not this year, anyway. We'll bet on Conley coming back healthy.
PROJECTED RECORD: 11-5 (4th in West)
3. Seattle Supersonics
2018 record: 6-10
Playoff finish: N/A
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Lonzo Ball, Wendell Carter Jr., Bam Adebayo, Elie Okobo
PLAYERS LOST: Alex Len, TJ Leaf, Deandre Bembry, Thon Maker
There's a world in which Wendell Carter Jr. wins rookie of the year, Bam Adebayo overtakes Hassan Whiteside, Lonzo Ball thrives with LeBron, and Elie Okobo locks down the starting spot in Phoenix. Damian Lillard and Rudy Gobert continue to be great, while Malik Monk and Jonathan Isaac bounce back from injuries to actually produce. Oh, and Lauri Markannen makes the leap. In that world, the Sonics surprise everyone, vault to 12 wins and win the division. It's closer to reality than you may think, but it still feels one year away. For this season, the Sonics look like a lock to almost get there while picking up some statement wins. But even if this team doesn't quite make the playoffs, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with very, very soon.
PROJECTED RECORD: 9-7 (5th in West)
4. Golden State Warriors
2018 record: 9-7
Playoff finish: N/A
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Hassan Whiteside, DeMarre Carroll, Robert Covington, Cody Zeller
PLAYERS LOST: Derrick Favors, Kyle O'Quinn, Juan Hernangomez, Gerald Green
The Warriors entered last season with high expectations after back-to-back playoff appearances. Unfortunately, the Isaiah Thomas injury derailed those expectations. They managed to start 4-2, but they lost 4 straight before winning 5 of their last 6. By any measure, the Warriors improved this off-season. They traded Derrick Favors for Hassan Whiteside, then they brought in three solid role players in Carroll, Covington and Zeller. The problem here is the guys returning. IT is going to have a much smaller role than two years ago. Enes Kanter might be on the block. Both Evan Fournier and CJ McCollum might have hit their fantasy ceilings. It's tough to forecast. On the flip side, Enes Kanter may get tons of shots with KP out, Fournier seems to be the only reliable wing in Orlando, and IT will actually play this year, which is a positive. The Warriors could definitely put it all together and make the playoffs. We shall see.
PROJECTED RECORD: 6-10 (6th in West)
5. Las Vegas Gamblers
2018 record: 7-9
Playoff finish: N/A
PLAYERS ACQUIRED: Joe Harris, Michael Porter Jr.
PLAYERS LOST: JJ Redick, James Ennis, Tyson Chandler
It's quite possible that no team had worse injury luck than the Las Vegas Gamblers. On the first two days of the season, they lost both Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Lin for the entire season. They also had to deal with Eric Bledsoe missing the beginning of the season because he literally posted on Twitter that he no longer wanted to be in Phoenix, and MKG had some odd personal issues going on. Now, though, everyone is back healthy and in solid fantasy spots. The problem here isn't so much the Gamblers as much as it's everyone else. The Gamblers are incredibly weak in the front court, and they still have three open roster spots. You have to assume those will be filled, but it's hard to see three players filling those spots and making a significant difference. Vegas won 7 games last year, but those 7 wins weren't terribly impressive. Their best win was over the 8-8 Chicago Bulls, who played most of that week without Andre Drummond. With everyone in the Western Conference improving, it's hard to see where Vegas takes advantage.
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-11 (8th in West)