On paper, the Clippers aren't talent starved. Baron Davis' history includes coach clashes, injuries (thankfully, no surgery for the most recent)and weight issues (but move over Valerie Bertinelli, there's a new sheriff in town).  Plus, there's a potentially worrisome future for a social butterfly and budding movie mogul's L.A. homecoming.  Head screwed on, however, he's an elite player. Still sore over a trade that made him feel like a leper, Marcus Camby will be motivated to make Denver's brass look idiotic and could combine with Chris Kaman to become one of the NBA's best frontlines.  Al Thornton needs to refine his game, but is a sick athlete and fun to watch even when playing poorly.  Ricky Buckets can score from anywhere (which works out great, since he'll fire from anywhere).  Lottery pick Eric Gordon has been compared to Ben Gordon, but with an interest in defending. The underrated Jason Hart enjoyed his best season in L.A. and is a solid "BD backup."  Cuttino Mobley's no longer an ideal starter, but he's pretty solid off any bench.  Contract years aside, Tim Thomas is nakedly content to do nothing but chuck jumpers, but they sometimes fall in bunches. With everyone healthy and on the same page, this rotation could cause fits on any given night. Unfortunately, neither condition is a given.

B.Diddy, Kaman, Thomas, Gordon and Camby have already dealt with various ouchee's and it's not even November.  Even more concerning is whether the roster's freewheeling nature can mesh with Mike Dunleavy's "hands on/short leash" coaching style, which has rubbed many players the wrong way.  He's claimed running and spontaneity will be encouraged, but seeing is believing.  Until then, I have a feeling a roster with so many players that seem the polar opposite of "Dunleavy guys" is destined to grow sick of their coach and take matters in their own hands, particularly if the season doesn't start well or Baron -- the make-or-break guy in this equation -- fancies himself the alpha male. 

I consider the Clippers the equivalent of a game taken off the board by Vegas because too much info is missing. So many believable outcomes.  I could see everyone banding together and surprising the naysayers with a low playoff seed.  I could see this largely headstrong crew coming to blows in the locker room by mid-February.  I could see them being too indifferent to even butt heads by mid-January.  It's really that big of a crap shoot in my eyes.  But I've got to take a stab.  Call me a cynic, but I get the feeling Demi Moore didn't kiss these dice for luck. 

PREDICTION: They'll definitely improve on last year's dismal record, but the quick meshing of a seriously reshuffled deck and continual health have been a tall order in Clippers Land.  Thus, I'll say 38 wins and 10th place in the West.

Good blog: The name's about as original as "Lakers Blog," but Kevin Arnovitz's "ClipperBlog" delivers the goods. 

Sacramento Kings (38-44, 11th Western Conference, fourth Pacific)

Key additions: Bobby Jackson, Donte Green, Jason Thompson
Key subtractions: Ron Artest, Anthony Johnson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim

The way he served up waffles like a Roscoe's waiter, had the Kings waited it out another week, Ron Artest would have followed up his off-season trade request by tatting "King for Life" on his chest and publicly announcing the intention to spurn any offer that didn't include a Maloof brother's name on the contract.  But Gavin and Joe decided enough was enough, and with good reason.  After trading Mike Bibby to Atlanta for mostly expiring deals, a rebuild was clearly underway, a project that doesn't exactly scream "Ron-Ron friendly."  Nor does it scream "Entertaining for fans to watch."

We'll start with the positive. Keira Knightley doppelganger Kevin Martin is a budding All-Star who slashes, connects from distance and gets to the line.  And like brother-in-skinny-baller-arms Rip Hamilton, he moves extremely well (and nonstop) without the rock, requiring his defender to run around all game like Forrest Gump.  Even first-team all-defensive Kobe Bryant admitted the "quick as a cat" K-Mart is a challenging cover.  Beyond Martin, the pickings become ironically "slim" for a typically explosive threat.  John Salmons played well in stints as a starting small forward, Beno Udrih may be worthy of the cash bestowed upon him and Francisco Garcia can hit from outside.  But these guys hardly force coaches to alter game plans, and compared to the front-court contributors, they're a three-headed monster. 

By definition, any player is more threatening with a rifle than a basketball, but the degree to which avid hunter Brad Miller is growing so must be disconcerting to Sacto.  Ditto the weed habit that'll cost him five games.  From there, you've got Miller's default replacement-in-the-making (Spencer Hawes) unless lapped by a recent No. 12 pick who may pan out but was an undeniable reach (Jason Thompson), an Artest deal breaker (Kenny Thomas), a kid mostly known for dating Candace Parker (Shelden Williams), and a 7-footer so gangly Mom likened his appearance to "half a spider" (Mikki Moore).  (On a related note, with Martin, Moore, Francisco Garcia, Quincy Douby and Donte Greene, the Kings are one unusually thin team.  What's up with that?  I can't think of anything to do in Sacto but eat.  Is the Kings' meal per diem especially chintzy?  Are the local vittles that awful?  Are hunger strikes all the rage in Cali's capital?  Sonny Belfast, thoughts?)

Scoring was no problem for Sacto, but the prevention of points raises concerns.  Artest may be a loon, but he's a loon with serious lock-down talent.  With him in Houston, opponents could conceivably bump the 104.8 ppg (NBA-23rd) or 46.6 FG% (NBA-22nd) tallied against the Kings last season.  Throw in the lack of veterans to lead the way and you're looking at a season that could be more about auditioning the best co-stars for Martin than objectives involving the win column.

PREDICTION: Ooogly.  They won't be the worst in the west, but definitely the Pacific, with a win total dropping by 10 or so. 

Quality blog: I've enjoyed Sactown Royalty and suspect others will too.

Portland Trail Blazers (41-41, 10th Western Conference, third Northwest division)
Key additions: Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless, Iku Diogu, Nicolas Batum
Key subtractions: Jarrett Jack, James Jones

Once word spread that No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden would miss last season after micro-fracture surgery, the Blazers were pegged by the masses as a potential rich team too young to do damage in the ultra-competitive West (an assessment also made by yours truly).  The masses, it turns out, are all dumb and stuff, having underestimated the skills of Brandon Roy (a natural leader and serious all-around player), LaMarcus Aldridge (not much on D, but a demon with the ball in his hands), Travis Outlaw (absurdly long arms) and Martell Webster (good stroke from all over).  The stars were well complemented by Steve Blake, Joel Przybilla, Channing Frye, Jarrett Jack and James Jones, the latter two gone but potentially not missed with rooks Rudy Fernandez (outstanding for Spain's Olympic bunch), Jerryd Bayliss (an SPL standout) and Nicolas Batum (playing well in preseason) on board.  Sucks that Webster will miss eight to 10 weeks with a stress fracture, but that laundry list of players probably drives home that Portland is blessed with some depth.  Any way sliced, the Blazers are a team stacked for the future and ready to make a playoff run as we speak.  So what, if anything, could derail an expected leap?

The weight of expectations, whether collective or the poundage specifically on Oden's shoulders.   

In my eyes, the latter concern is more potentially legit.  Huge anticipation for Oden's career has led to "the next Bill Russell" talk.  Comparisons can even include Oden's beard, which is not just a beard, but a spectacular, dual-tiered beard atop a beard!  Big shoes to fill, and from the few occasions I've met Oden, he's struck me as introspective, thoughtful and earnest.  All great traits, for sure, but too much of that mix and you have a guy perhaps detrimentally concerned about excelling, as suspected by the Oregonian's Jason Quick. 

Oden should cut himself a break, because Portland success doesn't require an immediate second coming of the NBA's most dominant player-coach.  If Oden is merely a solid addition (I actually think he'll be more, but for argument's sake), Portland automatically becomes that much better.  That's not to suggest Oden set his goals low, just not so high that he frustrates himself out of a good performance in search of sheer brilliance.  Coach Nate McMillan just wants Oden to have fun, an objective his teammates will hopefully prod along.  Or just bring to fruition by example, since I don't see these cats crumbling under a brighter spotlight. 

I was recently at a Nike commercial shoot with Oden, Roy and Aldridge and asked about increased eyes on them.  As far as everyone was concerned, the more retinas, the merrier.  "I don't look at it as pressure," shrugged Roy.  "We've got the talent to do it.  I don't feel like I've got to shoulder a certain amount of weight.  I look over at LaMarcus, Travis.  We've got Greg.  We're so deep, I don't think we feel that pressure.  We just feel that we need to find a way to learn to play together.  I think that's going to be our biggest obstacle."

Considering they've already shown an ability to work as a unit, doesn't sound like an unrealistic goal. If anything, the pressure may be on everyone else to win a chip before these guys figure out how good they can truly be.

PREDICTION: Portland hasn't reached the playoffs since 2003, when the "Jail Blazers" were in full effect.  They've successfully erased that image and this season, the drought also ends.  I'm going six seed, with a win total about 50. 

Good blog: It's not as info/analysis heavy as a fan or MSM site, but Oden's personal blog is often pretty entertaining.

AK