The Western Conference remains the class of the NBA with twelve teams that would be all but locks to make the playoffs in the East. With most of the key players of the off season already settled into their new homes, it looks clear that few teams (if any) will have much of a drop off, while several teams that were on the outside looking in last season are certainly on the rise. With the majority of teams out West already having their cores in place, many were making small moves in an attempt to solidify a roster that can compete. With the Spurs still being the class of the conference, the top six or seven teams are all contenders searching for the piece to put them over the top. Here’s how it played out.
Dallas Mavericks B-
The off season started out with a bang as Chandler “Bang” Parsons found himself in a club at midnight with Mavs owner Mark Cuban signing a three year deal worth $46 million. Cuban had said that he was waiting for a chance to do to Morey what he’s been doing to other teams for so long. But was Parsons worth this kind of money? To put it into perspective, Parsons will be making a fraction less than what Houston will be paying James Harden this coming season. While Parsons does NOT deserve max contract money, the Mavs were able to salvage their off season by getting Dirk to take a pay cut and nabbing Richard Jefferson at the vet’s minimum. Dallas was able to put together a core that is almost certain to make the playoffs, but unless Nowitzki is back to his 2010 self, thoughts of getting past round two would be extremely optimistic.
Denver Nuggets D+
The Nuggets had a nice month of June by first bringing back Arron Afflalo in a more than fair deal. Then on draft night they were able to turn a lottery pick into two picks just outside the lottery. It’s debatable as to whether keeping McDermott would’ve been a better fit for what they need, but it seems the logic is to keep acquiring high upside guys and hope that someone pans out to be a star. Right now, though, they seem like a team with many great role players, but only enough to keep treading water. If Gallinari has a healthy season at the level he’s been known to play at in the past, they can make a push to be a playoff team. In the last twenty seasons, they’ve made it out of the first round once and that was with a star on the roster. In a league where superstars build contenders, the question is how can they get one to come to the Mile High city?
Golden State Warriors D+
The Warriors made a few nice moves this off season, but they get this grade, because they legitimately had a chance to bring in Kevin Love and balked at it due to not wanting to part ways with Klay Thompson. Thompson is a terrific player and is a part of the best back court in the league, but when you have a chance to acquire a top ten player, YOU DO IT. The Warriors also would have had the opportunity to get the “fools gold” player of David Lee off the books with the deal. Meanwhile they would’ve been asked to take on Kevin Martin’s contract, and while that would turn a pretty good defensive back court into one of the worst, Martin’s offense would compliment Curry perfectly. Livingston was a terrific pick up on a reasonable contract that makes the best back court in basketball even better. Maybe the Warriors will make me look stupid, but if I’m their GM I don’t even hesitate in breaking up that back court for a chance at Love.
Houston Rockets C-
Daryl Morey sat at the table with a stack of poker chips so high you couldn’t even see his face. The time was right. The cards were right. All in. While the Rockets took a gamble in allowing Parsons to become a restricted free agent a year early and trading away two key pieces from last year’s team, it was a gamble worth taking. They had a legit chance at landing the perfect fit in Chris Bosh. The cards were there. Everything played out the way they needed it to. LeBron chose Cleveland, so certainly Bosh was on his way to Houston. Then in the quickest turn of events imaginable, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Bosh was finalizing a deal to stay with Miami. Daryl Morey was bitch slapped. But the Rockets didn’t succumb to the pressure. They allowed the Mavs to take that horrendous contract that Parsons got offered. They got Ariza at a deal that more than makes up for the loss of Parsons (Ariza can actually play defense), as long as Ariza’s production last season didn’t only exist because it was a contract year. They drafted international prospect Clint Capela and Arizona standout Nick Johnson, then filled out the roster with minimum contracts. While the off season did not turn out as planned, it’s not near as bad as media outlets made it out to be. The moves made were worth the risk. Take a deep breath Rockets fans… the sky’s not falling… yet.
Los Angeles Clippers B-
The Clippers are one of the aforementioned teams that already has the nucleus in play. The moves made this off season were to round out the roster and to add depth in positions where needed. While they downgraded a bit at back up point guard, losing Darren Collison and acquiring Jordan Farmar, they got Farmar at a nice value, and Collison got a pay grade above what you’d want to pay a back up to a superstar point guard. They acquired Spencer Hawes, who will likely come off the bench to add a spark in offense, as the starting line up is well loaded offensively already. Hawes was acquired at a discount considering the lack of serviceable centers currently in the league. They drafted CJ Wilcox who may get some grind, but will have to work his way into the rotation or get in through an injury. The Clippers didn’t make any huge splashes this off season, but they hardly needed to with the core already in place. They will once again be a top 3 or 4 seed in the West with a great chance of competing for a championship.
Los Angeles Lakers D–
It seems a bit unfair to score the Lakers poorly this off season, because it was Kobe Bryant that put them in this position by signing up for an extreme pay day while in recovery from his injury last year. The Lakers are in no position to compete and they won’t be until Kobe is off the books. That would have sounded like a bizarre statement three years ago, but with Kobe set to earn $48 mill over the next two seasons, he has handicapped the Lakers from doing anything now without free agents taking a major pay cut to join on. The Lakers off season consisted of locking up Swaggy P through 2018, vastly overpaying to bring back Jordan Hill for two more seasons, and bringing in Jeremy Lin to pay him $15 mill ($8 mill against the cap) to man the point. At power forward, they won Boozer in the amnesty war, drafted Julius Randle, signed Ed Davis at nice value, and re-signed Ryan Kelly, all of which formed a glut at power forward when the focus should be to develop Randle in what’s sure to be a non competitive season. The Lakers have not had any stretches in franchise history in which they were consistently losing, but it appears to be doom and gloom in their future unless Silver can help them out Stern-style, by pulling out a lottery ball in their favor.
Memphis Grizzlies C
The Grizzlies look to be another team that will tread water, staying very competitive, but not strong enough to contend. They were right to lock Z-Bo back up, because as I’ve discussed stars are hard to find, but in the ultra competitive West, getting anything above a six seed will be very difficult for this team. They still have one of the best front courts in the league with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. The back court is still competitive with Conley and Udrih providing a a nice point guard rotation and Courtney Lee, Tony Allen, and Vince Carter rounding out the two spot. The Grizzlies will probably be the best defensive team out West, but will struggle to put up enough points to compete with top tier teams. With most teams playing fast paced tempo to put up 100+ points per game, the question won’t be whether the Grizzlies can keep up with that tempo, but rather can they slow the game down and force their opponents to play their grind it out style of play. You have to respect what the Grizzlies are doing, trying to win a championship with a team built similar to the Detroit Pistons championship roster of the early thousands, but it’s unlikely that a team with that type of roster can compete for a championship in today’s NBA without a superstar wing.
Minnesota Timberwolves I
The T’ Wolves are the only team that still have an incomplete off season grade. Somehow, with a superstar that’s going to leave regardless, they hold all the bargaining power in trading Kevin Love. They asked for the right to overpay Klay Thompson with a max contract and the Warriors refused. Now it looks like they have the chance to acquire this years top overall selection, last years top pick, and a future pick. While Anthony Bennett’s future remains in doubt after a lackluster rookie campaign, simply acquiring Wiggins for a player that you’re going to lose no matter what after this season is an accomplishment. Everything else is simply a bonus. It seems like an impossible scenario for Flip Saunders to completely butcher unless the ghost of David Kahn is still hanging out in The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, manipulating player personnel moves. So there’s that. Aside from the Kevin Love fiasco, the T’ Wolves put together a polarizing draft, selecting Zach Lavine at 13, a player with the all too frequently word “upside” used to describe him. Lavine has the athleticism to jump out of the building and the length to make Inspector Gadget jealous. They then snagged Glenn Robinson III in the second round (son of former NBA all star Big Dog), a first round talent in most drafts. The Wolves are in a nice position to make the most out of a messy situation… not even David Kahn could mess this up, so Flip won’t… will he?
New Orleans Pelicans B-
The Pelly’s are all in on this team. They traded away this year’s first round pick a year ago to acquire Jrue Holiday and have now traded away next year’s first to add the shot blocking big man, Omer Asik to their front court this year. This creates the most formidable defensive front court in the NBA hands down. Pairing Asik alongside Davis will create an absolute block party for the Pelicans. But the Pelicans back court remains questionable. After trading a first rounder for Jrue Holiday last year, the former UCLA standout was only able to play 34 games for his new team last year. Since he doesn’t have much of an injury history, and he put up nice numbers when he did play, he’s less of a concern. Whether or not guards Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans can live up to their $40 plus millon contracts is more of a concern. The Pelicans have went all in to at least become a playoff team immediately. They traded a first rounder for Omer Asik, and certainly hope it’s not as a one year rental. They have an Anthony Davis contract extension looming in a few years. They may not have the right pieces to create a contender, but if Davis is the superstar that he projects to be, then they’re not as far away as some would think. It was a quiet, but promising off season for the Pelicans. They’re now banking on their acquisitions from the last two off seasons to put it together to turn the corner.
Oklahoma City D+
The Thunder went into the off season with their eyes on the likes of Pau Gasol, Mike Miller, and PJ Tucker. They came out with Anthony Morrow. Morrow is seemingly a perfect fit for the Thunder and exactly the type of three point threat that last year’s team lacked, but with a Kevin Durant free agency looming in just two years, many would’ve hoped for them to come out of this off season with more. They are still poised to be a top two seed and major contender in the West, but if they don’t win the conference, they risk rumblings of Durant taking his talents elsewhere. Their draft was less than desirable selecting Mitch McGary, who many pundits considered a second round prospect at 21, then shocking the world by selecting Josh Huestis at 29. It was questionable as to whether Huestis would even be drafted, but the Thunder made a behind the scenes agreement with him that if they selected him in the first round, he’d sign a contract with their D-League squad,the 66ers (for a paltry $25,000). The draft was a questionable one, but considering Presti’s nice track record in the draft, he gets the benefit of the doubt. Still, the Thunder are far from being doomed, but it’s time to raise concern if this season doesn’t produce at least a conference title.
Phoenix Suns B-
After overachieving expectations like crazy in what appeared to be a tanking season, it still remains unclear exactly what the Suns are trying to do. With one of three first round picks, they selected point guard Tyler Ennis. Then with their cap space, they decided to lock up scoring point guard Isaiah Thomas. They now sit with three point guards on the roster (two proven, one top prospect), while their coveted restricted free agent point guard, Eric Bledsoe remains a free agent. Since most teams that would be interested in signing Bledsoe have used most of their cap space to the point that the Suns will match anything that can be offered, it seems that he will be one of four capable PGs on the roster entering next season, even if he is the disgruntled one. Whether Hornacek can use all four seems unlikely, but Bledsoe’s defense should allow him to play the 2 spot when needed. Although it seems that moves will still need to be made even after a potential Bledsoe re-signing, the Suns are positioning themselves nicely to keep moving up the standings. First round pick, Bogdan Bogdanovic, will be staying overseas this year, but TJ Warren might step into the rotation and at the very least adds depth. The Suns certainly aren’t done yet, but they’ve continued to add pieces to a young, growing team.
Portland Trail Blazers C–
The Blazers stayed rather quiet this off season, but the big news was that Lamarcus Aldridge plans to re-sign. A lot can change in a year, as was proven by the fact that a year ago it seemed he was likely on his way out soon, but this is huge news for the Blazers future regardless. After a surprise trip to the second round this post season, the superstar tandem of Damian Lillard and Larmarcus Aldridge will most likely be staying together long term. The off season shuffle included Moe Williams leaving, but the team finding a capable replacement in former Blazer, Steve Blake. The Blazers also added some front court depth, adding on the Caveman, Chris Kaman. These are both worthwhile additions, but depth continues to be a problem for the Blazers who added no prospects in the draft. They’ll be pressed to find a hidden gem in a minimum contract free agent, because their starting line up got more minutes together than any other starting line up last season. The team saw more of a significant drop off when bench players came in than is typical for Western Conference teams.
Sacramento Kings D-
If the Kings continue in the direction they’re going, Sacramento fans may end up wondering why they even pushed to keep their Kings home. They’ve had significant talent to work around with Demarcus Cousins being the cornerstone for a few years now, but haven’t been able to put anything reasonable together since the Chris Webber, Mike Bibby days. Boogie has signed through 2018, but with his temper, it could be a matter of time before he’s demanding a trade if they can’t turn this into a winning situation. The Kings drafted Nik Stauskas with their lone selection in the draft, and he will step into the rotation immediately. They brought on Darren Collison to replace Isaiah Thomas, who bolted to Phoenix in free agency. They are headed for the lottery for another season, though, with no apparent light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t know what the hell they’re trying to do, but then again, I doubt that Pete D’Alessandro has any clue of what the hell he’s trying to do.
San Antonio Spurs B+
The Spurs didn’t do much this off season except for keeping the gang together and that was all they needed to do to receive a high grade. Three years ago, I remember rooting for the Spurs to go all the way, because I truly thought it was their last chance and the window was closing. Now, until they prove me wrong, I refuse to believe that the window will ever close. They signed Tony Parker, Patty Mills, Matt Bonner, and Boris Diaw to extensions as Duncan enters his last year under contract. Most importantly they convinced Pop to stick around. The longest tenured coach in the NBA, and most well spoken in interviews, continues to show why he deserves to get paid as long as he wants to get paid. They also added Kyle Anderson in the draft, and the Spurs have become that team that whoever they select in the late first round, you expect to be a contributor right away or within a few seasons. Until the Spurs prove me wrong with a horrific season, keeping this beautiful basketball team together is enough to earn an excellent off season grade from Larry Lightning.
Utah Jazz B+
The Jazz are back on the rise after a terrific draft and bringing back the main pieces of their core. Gordon Hayward got overpaid, but being a scoring small forward, getting overpaid has become a precedent this year. They got Dante Exum with their first pick, and while the jury is still out on him he showed brilliant flashes in Summer League (yeah, I get it… Summer League is a few notches above YMCA youth league). Exum is their potential future superstar. They were also able to bring in Rodney Hood at 23. Hood became the Big Mac Extra Value Meal pick of the draft as the potential lottery pick fell to the latter end of the second round. The best part for the Jazz is that their only major long term commitment is Gordon Hayward, whom they’re basically centering their franchise around, giving them flexibility to continue to build into a potential playoff team very soon. Most of this grade depends on how Exum actually pans out, but for Exum believers like myself, the Jazz hit a home run this off season.
The West will be fun to watch shake out. Conference’s almost never turn out the same playoff teams year after year, but who falls out of the West in 2015? It’s hard to see any team that made the playoffs last season dropping out of the playoff picture, but with the Pelicans, Suns, and Jazz on the rise, and the Nuggets getting back key missing pieces, there is bound to be a team or two that made the playoffs last year suffering heartbreak in 2015.
Stay tuned for my next post about the best free agents still available and potential fits for them as teams hope to improve these grades.
Dropping Dimes 