Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers held their championship ring ceremony before last Tuesday’s home opener and look poised for another championship run. Phil Jackson’s squad is virtually intact from last season, and they have added Steve Blake at guard and the scrappy, defensive-specialist Matt Barnes at forward. The two will eat up minutes and allow Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and an aging Derek Fisher to remain fresh during the 82-game regular season grind. Once again, Kobe will prove that he is the best player in the NBA. The Lakers will easily win the Pacific and make a serious run to three-peat.
Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers have reason for optimism this year. Even though this franchise has only finished with a .500 record or better three times since the 1991-92 season, they could surprise the Pacific. Blake Griffin will make a run for rookie of the year after recovering from the broken kneecap he suffered last preseason. Chris Kaman will have to be even better than the 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds that he averaged last season for this team to contend for a playoff berth. Most importantly, new coach Vinny Del Negro will need to light a fire under the underachieving Baron Davis. Davis is not only a leader on the court, but a veteran voice in the locker room. If Davis can play like a superstar the Clippers should post a rare winning season.
Phoenix Suns: It was a tough loss for the Suns when Amar’e Stoudemire took his talents to the Knicks, and Hedo Turkoglu is not much of a consolation prize. The Suns will be hard pressed to match their 54 wins from a season ago and by mid-February, Steve Nash may be asking himself if he made the right choice by resigning. However, the Suns are still a great threepoint shooting team and will play a four-out offence that will be tough to defend. The Suns will also be a better defensive team this year with the help of Channing Frye and Robin Lopez, who are both very solid post defenders. Look for the Suns to contend for the playoffs but not challenge for the conference title.
Golden State Warriors: Although the Warriors only won 26 games last season, they may be closer to putting a winning product on the floor that you would think. Golden State has one of the best young cores in the NBA, new teammate David Lee, 27, is the oldest player on the team. Adding Lee to the likes of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis should make the Warriors even more dynamic than they were last year. Ellis is coming off a breakout season in which he averaged 26 points per game, and if it weren’t for Tyreke Evans, Curry would have been the clear choice for rookie of the year. Look for the team to be more focused defensively as new coach Keith Smart creates a more structured system than Don Nelson.
Sacramento Kings: Times have been tough in Sacramento. As much as we would like to blame the poor attendance records on the economic downturn, the Kings just haven’t been competitive since the glory years of Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, and Chris Webber. That could change this year. Tyreke Evans, last season’s rookie of the year, has welcomed rookie centre DeMarcus Cousins and savvy Canuck Samuel Dalembert. This team is still a couple of years away from contending for the playoffs, but the Kings think they are building a foundation for the future.
