Fanball Network Pacific Division Preview

Opening tip on the 2009-2010 NBA regular season is just a few hours away.  Before the games actually get going, let’s take a quick trip through the Pacific Division courtesy of our Fanball Blog Network partners:

1. Lakers – Predicted Record: 66-16

Why the Lakers Will Win 66 Games: Hmmm, let’s see the Lakers won 65 games last year and won the championship.  They have the exact same roster except they swapped out young and inconsistent Trevor Ariza for consistent but crazy Ron Artest.  A lot of people are skeptical of the Artest addition, but his unique brand of wackiness is exactly what the Lakers need to keep them on their toes as they fight the disease of complacency coming off a title.  Artest will also give them that element of toughness that the roster has been lacking the last few years.  The Lakers are also expecting a big season from Andrew Bynum.  He was well on his way to becoming a top center in the league before he was stopped by injury last season but looks poised to pick up where he left off before the injury.  Even if Artest or Bynum don’t pan out as well as expected, let’s not forget that the Lakers still have that Kobe guy.  Bryant still wants to match Jordan’s six titles, so he isn’t about to let up for a single second or allow his teammates to start coasting.  To be honest, I don’t see how anyone can really expect this team to win anything less than 66 games.

Why the Lakers Will Lose 16 Games: Well, the Lakers can’t win them all can they?  Look, I know everyone wants to see if the Lakers can top the record of 72 wins in a single season, but it just isn’t going to happen because Phil Jackson isn’t going to let it happen.  It isn’t that Phil doesn’t want them to get the record, he just knows that the team could potentially burn itself out trying to get it.  Kobe has a lot of miles on legs, Pau Gasol has played a ton of games the last few years and we all know Andrew Bynum is an injury waiting to happen.  All the Lakers really need to do is be good enough during the regular season to secure the number one seed and they will be happy.  Considering no other Western Conference team won more than 54 games last year, the Lakers will go into the season knowing they can play it safe with injuries and minutes.  That will lead them to dropping a few games more than they probably should, but they won’t complain about it.  Plus you have to factor in that every team in the league will give a little extra effort facing the defending champs and 16 losses sounds about right.

2. Phoenix Suns – Predicted Record: 45-37

Why the Suns Will Win 45 Games: They’ve got Steve Nash, they’ve got Amar’e Stoudemire and almost their entire roster from last year in tact… minus Shaq who really only slowed them down. Throw in veterans Grant Hill and Jason Richardson along with explosive rookie Earl Clark from Louisville and the Suns are poised to re-capture their run-and-gun style. New Sun Channing Frye should fit in perfectly and Leandro Barbosa coming off the bench is always solid.

Why the Suns Will Lose 37 Games: Besides Earl Clark, they are a year older than last year and that’s not necessarily good news for guys like Grant Hill. They are also not nearly as deep as they have been in years past. It’s hard to know how much guys like Alando Tucker, Louis Amundson, Jared Dudley, Taylor Griffin (the other Griffin), and Robin Lopez will be able to contribute on a regular basis. And, with the flurry of trade rumors circling Amar’e on draft night, it will be interesting to see if he sticks around the entire year or if Steve Kerr can trade him and his expiring contract for some impact players. They are good enough to compete but will probably be fighting for the 7th or 8th playoff spot in the always-deep Western Conference.

3. LA Clippers – Predicted Record 39-43

Why the Clippers will win 39 Games: After a disappointing, injury plagued 19 win season, the Clippers have added some key pieces of inside power, dependable wingmen and guard speed. Their poor record did bring in a lucky lottery ball and the #1 pick; Rookie-of-the-Year frontrunner Blake Griffin. Griffin will add relentless power and aggression to go with Clipper big men Marcus Camby (Sir Block-A-Lot), Craig Smith and Chris Kaman. Their forwards are led by versatile swingmen Al Thorton, Rasual Butler, Ricky Davis, Steve Novak and Brian Skinner. Novak and Butler are high-percentage shooters while Thorton and Davis can provide, albeit streaky, big numbers on given nights. The guards are led by Baron Davis (the greatest beard EVER!), super speedy Eric Gordon, Kareem Rush and playground legend Sebastian Telfair. While Rush can provide dependable scoring the other three are all capable of running the team at different speeds without a drop off on chemistry. With all the good teams in the loaded West potentially beating each other up, a .500 record might be enough to be competing for the last playoff spot.

Why the Clippers will lose 43 Games: INJURIES! Although all teams can use this reason the Clippers have been exceptionally snake bitten from Elton Brand to Shaun Livingston to Camby to Baron Davis. They have had one of the highest number of starting 5’s in the league. Very hard for a young team to get any consistency. Although they have played with toughness and aggression to a good (6-2) preseason, its a lot easier for an inexperienced team to fall apart when something goes wrong. It will be up to veterans Baron Davis and Marcus Camby to keep the team focused through the tough times. This team got into trouble last year because they committed so many turnovers and took bad, selfish shots on offense. Coach Dunleavy had better not lose the focus and trust of this team or it could be over before the All-Star break… yet again.

4. Golden State Warriors – Predicted Record 37-45

Why the Warriors Will Win 37 Games: The 2009-2010 GSW’s will be the NBA’s youngest team but don’t let that fool you. Monta Ellis returns from injury back to full form and explosiveness. Monta will be playing both PG as well as shooting guard and will be joined in the backcourt by rookie PG/SG Stephen Curry who led the nation last year in scoring from Davidson. Anthony Morrow, this year’s Most Improved Player (mark my words) will provide major firepower off the bench to go with versatile and volatile wing Stephen Jackson and, Kelenna Azubuike and CJ Watson. On the block, we’ve got the Warriors best chance at an All-Star selection since Latrell Sprewell in Anthony Randolph, a.k.a “the Beast”. He’ll be backed up by one of the Warrior’s deepest benches in recent memory with guys like Corey Maggette, Ronny Turiaf, Mikki Moore, and Devean George. At center is the double-double machine in the ever-improving Andris Biedrins. And of course, the man behind the men, the second all-time winningest coach in NBA History…Don Nelson, the match-up magician.

Why the Warriors Will Lose 45 Games: Remember when I said we are the NBA’s youngest team…well that will have its ups and downs, especially in the consistency department. With Nelson already planning to demote Monta Ellis from PG to SG in favor of untested rookie Stephen Curry, who didn’t even play full-time PG in college, our floor leader position makes me a tad nervous. And while we know what Stephen Jackson brings in terms of intensity, he has also brought with him major drama this pre-season after publicly asking for a trade shortly after signing a three year extension for roughly $30M – so who knows what kinds of distractions he’ll bring to the team. Warriors also seems to get the injury bug quite a bit and if any of our stars get hurt for an extended period of time, we are in big trouble. Add to that, these Warriors don’t play a lick of defense and for all of Don Nelson’s strengths as a coach, his flaws and his general treatment of rookies are just as glaring. Finally, if the Warriors do trade Stephen Jackson, per his request, no chance we will get equal talent back. So, I think the 37 wins will be too high if that happens.

5. Sacramento Kings – Predicted Record 25-57

Why the Kings Will Lose 57 Games: The Kings are a team in transition and young. They come into this season a year removed from having the worst record in the NBA at 17-65. Paul Westphal will be the Kings fourth new head coach since they allowed Rick Adelman to walk following the 2005-06 season. This has been a team with a lack of a plan that has struggled mightily transitioning from a contender in the earlier part of the decade. They are now a team that lacks leadership and badly needs a new arena along with an infusion of new talent. The Kings need to turn it around and quickly or they may no longer be in Sacramento anymore. They have a lot of nice pieces, but how the puzzle fits together will be anyone’s guess and there may be more than a few square pegs and round holes. This is a team that now appears headed in the right direction, but another year with a heavy youth movement and extra ping-pong balls is on the horizon.

Why the Kings Will Win 25 Games: Hopefully help is on the way as the Kings have shed most of their large contracts and are in the midst of a full-scale youth movement. Kevin Martin is the face of the team, but will be joined in the backcourt by Tyreke Evans, the fourth overall selection in the draft. The combo will form a dynamic 1-2 that should get to the line early and often. The selection of Jason Thompson raised some eyebrows last season, but now clearly looks like a steal as Thompson appears primed to be a double-double machine. Spencer Hawes has plenty of talent, but questions continue about his role and work ethic and he will start the season coming off of the bench. The injury bug hit this club early yet again as Francisco Garcia suffered a freak accident when his physioball exploded during a workout and he broke his wrist. The four month layoff will hurt the young swingman that the team was really counting on heading into the season. The Kings do have some veteran presence in Andres Nocioni, Desmond Mason, Sean May, Kenny Thomas, and Beno Udrih, but if the team is forced to rely on any of them heavily, the season is already doomed. They will be much better suited to allow the young guys like Evans, Casspi, Thompson, and Hawes to develop and take their lumps, even if it costs them some wins. The focus this season needs to be on developing the young talent and not wins and losses. I hate saying that, but reality isn’t always a nice thing.

Tags: Andrew Bynum, Blog Smack, Kobe Bryant, Pacific Division rivals, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, predictions, Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza