State of the Rest of the West

[The Hypnotoad]

Okay guys, so people seem to think our window is closing. And yeah it is.

But i think the other teams in the league's futures aren't so great either. Team by team:

Lakers: Okay, so now they got Gasol and next year with Bynum they should dominate. Or will they? Sasha Vujacik will probably decline his 2 mil option this summer and try to get paid. The Lakers will have to decide between him and Radmonivic, they'll probably try to trade Radmonivic but if they can't find a taker they won't be able to fork over that much money to keep Sasha. And it gets even worse the year after that when Bynum AND Odom are free agents.

New Orleans: Pargo is a free agent this summer....um....lets see how well they do against a well put together team like the Spurs before we panic about their future. Peja will be lucky to have a healthy season again.

San Antonio: Jeeeeesus, will this team ever age? All signs point to no. Horry may retire this year (Please retire already!!!), but Finley and Barry signed extensions for at least next year. I think i remember Oberto signing an extension, but he might be a free agent. Kurt Thomas is a FA, but i get the feeling he'll probably resign with them for around 4-5 mil a season, the bastard. So pretty much this team will be as good as they've ever been when we face them in the playoffs next year. Lets just try to actually get a shot off in the final possessions instead of turning it over.

Utah: They're stuck with the team they have, and will only get as good as Deron Williams allows them. AK-47, Okur, Korver and Boozer are as good as they'll ever be, they can only get worse. I see them as good as they have been the past two years, next year. And i've never been afraid of them in a series.

Houston: They've got their young guys ready to play in the league (jeez, you'd think D'Antoni would have learned to do that over the years, oh yeah thats right we don't have any young guys cause we trade our picks for cash). With a healthy Yao Ming and T-mac, they could make a serious run at the title next year........ HAHA just kidding, those two will NEVER be healthy at the same time.

Dallas: They're big trade paid off as well as ours. Kidd aint improving. Dirk aint improving. Terry aint improving. Stackhouse aint returning, probably. Their run is over. I fear them not.

Denver: Same as Dallas, their players are as good as they'll ever be (sans JR Smith, but Karl won't set him free). They're no big trouble.

Golden State: Their team is about to be broken apart to resign their young guys, and will probably let Baron Davis walk (though he'll probably accept his option). Their run in the elite is done for now. Man i'd like to pry Stephen Jackson loose from them if they do decide to rebuild. Maybe a swap for Barbosa?

Portland: A young team with a bright future, but i don't see Oden coming in and vaulting them over the top. They'll probably struggle to stay .500 and won't make the playoffs. If they do they'll be first round fodder.

Rest of the West: Sacramento? Nope too young. Clippers, Memphis, Seattle? Nah!

Phoenix: Now us, well Shaq, Nash, Bell, and Hill are old timers. Amare, Diaw, and Barbosa are boneheads. But i think we can improve by chemistry alone, since Nash is what drives this team.

So we should have no problem making the playoffs next year if we play up to our abilities. Of course we'll have to factor Shaq taking at least 20 games off. So Amare and Diaw will need to step up. I think starting Diaw will make a world of difference for him. Grant Hill returning will be huge, but i don't know if he will. He may decline his option and look for a raise. And with Sarver you never know.

This is a make or break offseason though. If we fire D'Antoni, can we get a coach with enough experience to not hold back the team? Do we keep our draft picks this year and implement them during the season or do we sell them for cash? Do we sign any free agents or just expect them to come here cheap like Hill did? Cause i don't see that happening, but maybe with Shaq you never know. He draws a crowd of free agents.

[scootfu602]

Okay guys, so people seem to think our window is closing. And yeah it is.

But i think the other teams in the league's futures aren't so great either. Team by team:

Lakers: Okay, so now they got Gasol and next year with Bynum they should dominate. Or will they? Sasha Vujacik will probably decline his 2 mil option this summer and try to get paid. The Lakers will have to decide between him and Radmonivic, they'll probably try to trade Radmonivic but if they can't find a taker they won't be able to fork over that much money to keep Sasha. And it gets even worse the year after that when Bynum AND Odom are free agents.

New Orleans: Pargo is a free agent this summer....um....lets see how well they do against a well put together team like the Spurs before we panic about their future. Peja will be lucky to have a healthy season again.

San Antonio: Jeeeeesus, will this team ever age? All signs point to no. Horry may retire this year (Please retire already!!!), but Finley and Barry signed extensions for at least next year. I think i remember Oberto signing an extension, but he might be a free agent. Kurt Thomas is a FA, but i get the feeling he'll probably resign with them for around 4-5 mil a season, the bastard. So pretty much this team will be as good as they've ever been when we face them in the playoffs next year. Lets just try to actually get a shot off in the final possessions instead of turning it over.

Utah: They're stuck with the team they have, and will only get as good as Deron Williams allows them. AK-47, Okur, Korver and Boozer are as good as they'll ever be, they can only get worse. I see them as good as they have been the past two years, next year. And i've never been afraid of them in a series.

Houston: They've got their young guys ready to play in the league (jeez, you'd think D'Antoni would have learned to do that over the years, oh yeah thats right we don't have any young guys cause we trade our picks for cash). With a healthy Yao Ming and T-mac, they could make a serious run at the title next year........ HAHA just kidding, those two will NEVER be healthy at the same time.

Dallas: They're big trade paid off as well as ours. Kidd aint improving. Dirk aint improving. Terry aint improving. Stackhouse aint returning, probably. Their run is over. I fear them not.

Denver: Same as Dallas, their players are as good as they'll ever be (sans JR Smith, but Karl won't set him free). They're no big trouble.

Golden State: Their team is about to be broken apart to resign their young guys, and will probably let Baron Davis walk (though he'll probably accept his option). Their run in the elite is done for now. Man i'd like to pry Stephen Jackson loose from them if they do decide to rebuild. Maybe a swap for Barbosa?

Portland: A young team with a bright future, but i don't see Oden coming in and vaulting them over the top. They'll probably struggle to stay .500 and won't make the playoffs. If they do they'll be first round fodder.

Rest of the West: Sacramento? Nope too young. Clippers, Memphis, Seattle? Nah!

Phoenix: Now us, well Shaq, Nash, Bell, and Hill are old timers. Amare, Diaw, and Barbosa are boneheads. But i think we can improve by chemistry alone, since Nash is what drives this team.

So we should have no problem making the playoffs next year if we play up to our abilities. Of course we'll have to factor Shaq taking at least 20 games off. So Amare and Diaw will need to step up. I think starting Diaw will make a world of difference for him. Grant Hill returning will be huge, but i don't know if he will. He may decline his option and look for a raise. And with Sarver you never know.

This is a make or break offseason though. If we fire D'Antoni, can we get a coach with enough experience to not hold back the team? Do we keep our draft picks this year and implement them during the season or do we sell them for cash? Do we sign any free agents or just expect them to come here cheap like Hill did? Cause i don't see that happening, but maybe with Shaq you never know. He draws a crowd of free agents.

Nice post. I still think calling Amare a bone head is a bit excessive, he just needs to be coached defensivley.

[kevin44]

I really think the Suns will be lucky to make the playoffs next yr. Nash & Shaq a year older and looking at your cap situation would worry me. You guys are over the cap with 6 players signed, so unless you make a trade I think you might see a 40 win season. The West will be much tougher when Yao, Brand, and Oden play a full season.

[NYKBaller]

extremely biased....sad

[The Hypnotoad]

I really think the Suns will be lucky to make the playoffs next yr. Nash & Shaq a year older and looking at your cap situation would worry me. You guys are over the cap with 6 players signed, so unless you make a trade I think you might see a 40 win season. The West will be much tougher when Yao, Brand, and Oden play a full season.

Don't be so certain of that kevin44. How many times have we seen a team have a great year, make the playoffs, make a nice run in the playoffs, but then completely lose what they had the next year? Remember the Sonics of a few years ago? Remember the Clippers of a couple years ago? Remember Golden State of last year? Teams like ours that have guys that have played together for years don't just lose that overnight. Sure adding Shaq caused some confusion that probably was the main reason for our demise this time around. But the newer teams are even more mentally fragile than ours, believe dat.

[kevin44]

The reason I say that is capwise you guys are screwed. How many games will shaq play next yr and how many of those games will he actually help you win? More teams in the West play a faster tempo and Shaq can't run up and down the court. You guys can't defend anyone. If Hill comes back and thats a big if he's not going to play as well or in as many games. The Hypnotoad I know what your saying about teams of the past, but don't forget the Sonics had Allen & Lewis, the Clips had Brand, and the Warriors missed the playoffs by 2 games this yr.

[snaquille oatmeal]

Lakers: Okay, so now they got Gasol and next year with Bynum they should dominate. Or will they? Sasha Vujacik will probably decline his 2 mil option this summer and try to get paid. The Lakers will have to decide between him and Radmonivic, they'll probably try to trade Radmonivic but if they can't find a taker they won't be able to fork over that much money to keep Sasha. And it gets even worse the year after that when Bynum AND Odom are free agents.

I think that is a bit naive. Jerry Buss has stated many times that he will spend the money to keep a contending together (and has in the past as well). the Lakers owner is not afraid of the Luxury tax.

Kupcake already said that he will resign Sasha and Turiaf this off season. Bynum will be resigned no matter what. the only issue is Lamar Odom. he has proven to be very inconsistant over the past 4 years and has not really stepped up consistantly until Gasol came to the Lakers.

with that said the Lakers have another year to decide weather they will keep Odom or trade him as an expiring contract (and you know what our last expiring contract got us).

I would say that at least for next 5 years the problems that the Lakers are going to have are problems that are good to have (barring injuries of course).

[purp8gldvanessa]

even if d'antoni is a good coach, which he clearly is, there needs to be a change in philosophy. So either he needs to be fired or he needs to make a 180 and accepts a more defensive approach. The last 2 games have shown that phx can play defense, just in spurts. You certainly have the talent to play d, but that rests on the coach's shoulders.

personally i think your team should just fire d'antoni and accept that you are not going to get very far in the playoffs with the current system.

Health-wise, Nash is probably going give you another 3 years of solid play but decline each and every year and get outplayed by more elite guards. Hill is done. Snaq is probably 1-2 year and retires, optimistically. Pessimistically, snaq is going to be overweight like he always is in the off season and he will come in injured with a pulled stomach muscle or something that takes him out half the season. Honestly, i see he become unmotivated because he see that phx has no chance. You can already see Nash and Amare calling him out.

As i see it, phx worse problem is that you are thin everywhere, and with the way sarver is with his money, this isn't going to change unless you get lucky. You need to get rid of barbosa. He is a not a point guard that can back up Nash. You need a 1/2 who is defensively minded but can hit that outside j. I would keep Bell, but i don't know how much longer he is going to last. Realistically I would keep Nash (1), Amare (4), Bell (2), Diaw (3), and Snaq (5), assuming snaq doesn't go lazy and blow up the rest of the team. Get a defensive pg backup who can shoot the 3. Get a 5 backup to play 24 minutes. Look at the lakers, we have Mbenga backing up Ronny The rest need to be filled in temporarily until you can get better pieces with trades and hopefully picks in the in 2 years. You should be able to make the 1st round next year, but that's it. Anyway good luck y'all.

[DEEP3CL]

Okay guys, so people seem to think our window is closing. And yeah it is.

But i think the other teams in the league's futures aren't so great either. Team by team:

Lakers: Okay, so now they got Gasol and next year with Bynum they should dominate. Or will they? Sasha Vujacik will probably decline his 2 mil option this summer and try to get paid. The Lakers will have to decide between him and Radmonivic, they'll probably try to trade Radmonivic but if they can't find a taker they won't be able to fork over that much money to keep Sasha. And it gets even worse the year after that when Bynum AND Odom are free agents.
.

I love it when somebody else think they know the Lakers situation better then the own owner does. If you actually knew anything about Dr.Buss you would know once he gets into a winning mode he doesn't let up. And he won't for a while so get use to seeing the Purple & Gold running the West for a while son.

[chrice]

Houston, Dallas, Denver are done. They are not playoff teams either.

I also agree that the assessment of the Lakers is off. As much as I don't like to admit it, the Lakers for the next few seasons will probably be the best team in the west. They are an extremely deep team, with the best coach in the league, and their big four when healthy, will dominate. They also have an incredible team chemistry. Their management is also NOTHING like the Suns with Sarver. They will spend to win. The Lakers have a tradition that they won't compromise.

Along with the Lakers, I see NO, Portland, and Utah improving next season. Neither of those teams I would take lightly.

We can make the playoffs, I don't doubt that. But who cares about making the playoffs if you lose in the first round.

[Goldbum]

I think your way off about Portland. They won 41 games THIS year without Oden.

[albasuna]

how are the rockets done... they get ming back.

[BurningHeart]

personally i think your team should just fire d'antoni and accept that you are not going to get very far in the playoffs with the current system.

What are you talking about? Kerr traded for Shaq who completely CHANGED the system. The "system" you speak of was never proven to not work. The last 3 years there were significant circumstances in each and every year that did not pertain to the style of play.

What you saw THIS year was not THAT "system". What you saw was the failure of trying to force a guy who coaches entirely one way into changing everything and doing things another way with less than half a season to work with.