With the NBA season rapidly approaching, and most major offseason moves done, it’s time to reflect on what changes and new faces there will be on each NBA franchise. The free agency class was highlighted by two superstars and the draft class was one of the weakest in recent memory. With training camp going on, fantasy leagues starting and the preseason approaching let’s see where each team in the Pacific division stands.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns had a rough year. They finished last in the Pacific division with a record of 25 wins and 57 losses. That recorded earned them the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft. This pick leads to the first new face of the organization, center Alex Len. Alex Len is a 7’1” center from the University of Maryland. He was considered to possibly be the first overall draft choice, so he definitely has the talent. He is the future center of the Suns; however, he is going to have to wait. The Suns still have Marcin Gortat, which means that Len will most likely see limited playing time.
Another draft day addition was Archie Goodwin a shooting guard out of Kentucky. Goodwin had quite a few question marks surrounding him and this caused him to slip in the draft. But if summer league was any indication of his abilities, then he was an absolute steal. However he will be competing for time with Goran Dragic, Shannon Brown, Eric Bledsoe, Kendall Marshall and Malcolm Lee, so expect his playing time to be limited. By far the biggest offseason addition was the acquisition of guard Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe is an ultra-athletic combo guard who started his career with the Los Angeles Clippers. Playing both the one and the two, Bledsoe should see immediate playing time. He’s had three years to learn under Chris Paul and he could be a breakout player for the 2013-2014 season.
The Suns have said they plan to use him and Goran Dragic in the same backcourt so he should have every opportunity to excel. Some other players the Suns have added are; Dionte Christmas, Gerald Green, Malcolm Lee, Miles Plumlee and Ish Smith. These players are all expected to make minor contributions to the team.
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings didn't fare much better than the Suns. They finished with a record of 28 wins and 54 losses. Arguably the most important new member of the Kings organization is owner Vivek Ranadive, who bought the franchise this offseason. Along with him, the Kings signed new head coach Mike Malone and new GM Pete D’Alessandro. The first addition the Kings made was draft Ben McLemore with the seventh overall pick. McLemore is a shooting guard out of Kansas and looks to start immediately. He has been compared to Ray Allen and if he can play at a level anywhere close to that he’ll succeed in the NBA. McLemore will be asked to shoot, and shoot a lot. This works out well for him because it just so happens that shooting is the strongest part of his game.
With DeMarcus Cousins drawing double teams on the inside McLemore should have a lot of opportunities to score. Another major acquisition the Kings made is trading for point guard Greivis Vasquez. Vasquez had a breakout season last year as a starter for the New Orleans Hornets. As a starter he averaged 13 points and 9 assists and its likely those numbers will soon be the norm for Vasquez. If anything, his assists should go up as he has a dominant big man in Cousins and lights out shooter in McLemore. Carl Landry is another offseason addition that could be a good one for the Kings. Last season Landry averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds per game coming off the bench. Landry is fighting for the starting job and if he wins it, his numbers could take a steep rise.
The last major addition is the signing of Luc Mbah a Moute. The small forward from Milwaukee is a defensive specialist. He was one of the best defensive players in the NBA last season. Unfortunately he lacks an offensive game and is an average rebounder. He should be a good addition but won’t contribute much to the box score. The only other two additions are rookie guards Ray McCallum and Trent Lockett. These players will be fighting for minutes and won’t see much playing time.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers season was a mess. After they acquired Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, many people predicted the Lakers to win it all. However the Lakers were riddled with injuries and struggled to make the playoffs. To make matters worse Kobe Bryant went down with a torn Achilles and Howard signed with Houston. The Lakers had very little cap flexibility and were unable to make any big offseason moves. Their biggest additions were Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson, Chris Kaman and Nick Young. Kaman will be taking over the starting center spot and should do a fairly good job holding down the paint. Last year he averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds while playing 20 minutes a game.
He won’t be asked to score a whole lot but he’ll pull down his fair share of boards. As for Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson and Nick Young, they’ll be competing for the starting small forward spot as well as getting minutes behind Kobe Bryant. None of these players shoots the ball very well, so they won’t be putting up any gaudy scoring numbers. However they will be good contributors. The other additions; rookies Elias Harris and Ryan Kelly, and guard Jordan Farmar and forwards Shawne Williams and Marcus Landry should have minimum impacts.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors were a great success story this past season as they advanced to the Western Conference semi-finals as the sixth seed. Their biggest addition, and one of the biggest of the offseason was the signing of Andre Iguodala. The versatile forward can play numerous positions and excels in all aspects of the game. He is a fantastic defender, an efficient shooter, a great rebounder and a solid passer. It’s still unclear where he will start or if he will be coming off the bench as a 6th man. Although, wherever he plays he is going to succeed.
With so many great scorers he likely won’t be asked to score a ton. However he will be able to get the ball to the open shooter and collect any missed shots with ease. The Warriors also added point guard Toney Douglas to take over as back up to Stephen Curry. Marreese Speights was also signed to take over the backup power forward spot. Other minor additions were rookies Seth Curry and Nemanja Nedivic and veteran center Jermaine O’Neal.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are reigning Pacific champions and look to continue that trend. The Clippers biggest offseason move involved trading away guard Eric Bledsoe. However they shouldn't miss a step without him. To take over the backup point guard spot they signed Darren Collison and J.J. Redick. They also brought in Matt Barnes and Jared Dudley to compete for the starting small forward position. According to espn.com, Dudley is likely to be the starter. Expect for him make a positive impact. He is a good scorer and can rebound and pass effectively. Other offseason additions are Reggie Bullock, Willie Green, Ryan Hollins, Antawn Jamison, and Bryon Mullens. Most of these players are role players and won’t have a major impact on the court.
The teams in the Pacific division each had very different off-seasons. The Kings had a complete overhaul and could have four new starters. The Warriors and the Suns each brought in a few players that should have major impacts. The Clippers and Lakers brought in mostly role players who should make limited contributions. For the most part the Pacific division is a young conference on the rise, and it will certainly fun to watch.