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As a fan of the Golden State Warriors, I follow the Pacific Division of the NBA’s Western Conference very closely.
The division contains the traditional LA superpower, the Lakers, the league-leading and ever improving LA Clippers, the young and surprising Golden State Warriors, the post-Steve Nash Phoenix Suns, and the perennial mess and collection of black hole players known as the Sacramento Kings.
As this is a division I pay a lot of attention to, I decided to make a note of my thoughts of each team’s performance so far this season, as of 30/12/2012, in order of their current standings in the division.
LA Clippers: 24-6
The Chris Paul show goes on in Clipper Land, as he continues to transform the traditional laughing stock of the league into a team that looks like serious contenders at this stage.
Whether it’s throwing lobs to DeAndre Jordan, Eric Bledsoe and Blake Griffin, hitting Matt Barnes on a cut to the hoop, feeding Caron Butler or Jamal Crawford for a three pointer, or picking the opposition’s pocket and leading the fast break that is a staple of this team, Paul is in complete control of every aspect of the Clippers.
He is their leader, best player, offensive maestro, often their head coach when the less-than-inspiring Vinny Del Negro is lost, defensive thief, and the MVP candidate on the team with the best record in the league.
Without him, this Clipper team would return to the realm of mediocrity. With him, they are instant title contenders.
The only problem seems to be having too many guys worthy of minutes, which could be a challenge for Vinny to manage as the season wears on. While there are worse problems to have, this one will rear its head later in the season.
Everyone on the roster is deserving and capable of playing some valuable minutes, from Chris Paul and Blake Griffin – the superstars – to Trey Thompkins and Willie Green – the bench guys who can still contribute.
Vinny will need to keep everyone happy, or risk losing the fantastic chemistry that exists in this team.
Golden State Warriors: 20-10
Perhaps the most surprising team in the league, this group have well exceeded their expectations.
Heading into the season, the team was full of optimism. Andrew Bogut was expected to be on the way back, Stephen Curry was meant to stay healthy for a full season, Klay Thompson was meant to continue to progress as he did once he became the starter last season, and rookie Harrison Barnes was meant to be able to come in, learn from the outstanding offensive players around him, and not feel too much pressure to score.
It hasn’t all gone exactly to plan. A few games into the season, the team lost their best wing defender and one of their main threats from behind the arc in Brandon Rush. Soon after, Bogut went down once more, with no time set for his return yet.
Klay has yet to progress as much as expected, with his shooting percentages down across the board. He has, however, shown an improvement on the defensive end, and has shown signs of a more versatile offensive game.
Despite the setbacks, this Warriors team somehow sits at 20-10 and second in the division, ahead of the mighty Lakers. This is largely due to the outstanding play of David Lee and Stephen Curry.
Lee has been incredible all season, and automatic 20-10 with 50% shooting almost a guarantee game-in game-out. Additionally, he has shown an improvement on the defensive end, having previously been called the worst defensive player in the league, raising his level of defence from abysmal to simply below average. Head coach Mark Jackson deserves a huge amount of credit for this.
Stephen Curry has also been playing inspired basketball of late, after a slow start to the season. With averages of 20 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals per game, while shooting a blistering 44% from three and 90% from the line, his play has significantly improved after a slow start to the season. He is another whose defence has visibly improved. Curry and Lee have led this young, surprising team, and both deserve serious All Star consideration.
The additions of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry has been huge for the Warriors, with their impact clear to see. Both are having sixth Man of the Year-worthy seasons, leading a strong bench unit that has traditionally been a weakness for the team.
Landry provides a solid low post scoring presence and fits nicely with Lee, while Jack is capable of running the point and enabling Curry to look for his own shot rather than setting up team mates.
These two, along with rookies Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green, and the not-quite-as-awful-as-usual-and-actually-providing-some-rebounding Andris Biedrins have led a strong bench unit that is among the league’s best.
LA Lakers: 15-15
Where to start? From a team past its window, to title favourites, to looking for a coach, to Pau Gasol trade rumours, and finally settling here, with a .500 record. Just another drama filled season in LaLa Land.
Kobe Bryant has been quite simply outstanding this season individually, although it hasn’t translated to team success.
Dwight Howard, still not fully recovered from his back injury, doesn’t yet look like the three time defensive player of the year that he is, but he’ll soon return to his devastating self.
Steve Nash has missed significant time due to injury, which makes it difficult to assess his progress.
And Pau Gasol, well, who knows with Gasol. Still an incredibly skilled big man, he looks lost on the court this season, struggling to fit in with his teammates. Calls to trade him are loud and plentiful, but it’s hard to see the Lakers getting anything of value for him. Additionally, it’s tough to evaluate his play without seeing the entire team on the court together for a reasonable sample size.
Lack of bench production is still a problem, with only Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks providing anything of note. Darius Morris showed some promise, but was promptly returned to the end of the bench.
Phoenix Suns: 11-19
Still adapting to life without Nash, it’s been a tough season for the Suns.
After making a few nice off season moves – the signing of Goran Dragic, Michael Beasley, Luis Scola – the team is still struggling, with no real leader or franchise player.
Dragic is a very good point guard, but he’s no Steve Nash. Beasley seems to have limitless potential and talent, but can’t seem to put it together. Scola provides some low post scoring options and toughness. But the team just doesn’t have the talent to compete.
Centre Marcin Gortat is a solid rebounder, defender, and a decent scoring option, and is a candidate to be traded due to disagreements with the team and his friendly contract for good production.
Sacramento Kings: 10-19
This team has so much scoring potential, so many offensive weapons, and so many disappointments.
The team has simply been put together awfully. Too many players are very similar in their need to have the ball in their hands on offense: Aaron Brooks, DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, Jimmer Fredette, John Salmons, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton. The number of black holes on this team is alarming.
Each of these players would happily run isolation plays for 48 minutes a game, regardless of their success. And that’s simply no way to play winning basketball.
The team has talent, with Evans, Fredette and Thomas all young and promising. However, the key is Cousins. His ceiling is that of one of the best two or three centres in the league. If only his attitude matched his talent, he would be a legitimate building block and franchise player.
If not, it may be time for the Kings to move on from him.
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