Last Season: 54-28, First in Northwest, Fourth in the Western Conference.
Key Additions: Andre Miller, Juwan Howard
Key Subtractions: Sergio Rodriguez, Channing Frye

During our most recent 710 ESPN PodKast, BK and I analyzed the Western Conference with ESPN The Magazine's Chris Palmer, and arrived at the same conclusion.  Of all the teams gunning to take out the Lakers, the best equipped, at least on paper, would be the Portland Trail Blazers.  No team has as much length to counter the Lakers' length.  No team has as much depth to match the Lakers' depth.  Had Kobe Bryant been traded to Chicago back in '07, Brandon Roy (one of my biggest NBA man crushes) would be the Western Conference's best shooting guard, hands down.  Throw in an arena that continually brings out the worst in the Lakers and Portland's fearless attitude while dueling the formidable champs, and you have a team theoretically ready to take a serious stand.  (For that matter, when it comes to being built to compete now and down the road, the Blazers also match up very well against the Lakers.  This could shape into quite the rivalry over the impending decade.)

Having said that, like most things in life, there are uncertainties.  The Blazers just wrapped up a middling preseason and Andre Miller, their "splash" acquisition of the summer, isn't immediately gelling with Roy and may be cool with a role off the bench, but he doesn't seem to like it.  And collectively, the squad is playing D that's making Coach Nate McMillan rather perturbed.  The only downside to big expectations is having to meet them.  Could the bar have been set too high?  The question is so daunting, it required not just a second but a third opinion, co-courtesy of co-writers/co-editors Steve Jones and Couper Moorhead of Rip City Project.  Check out the discussion below.  

Andrew Kamenetzky: I really liked the signing of Andre Miller, among the NBA's more underrated players.   However, it hasn't been very smooth sailing since arriving.  The failed conditioning test (of sorts).  Claiming to have been told he'd definitely start and if he knew that wasn't necessarily the case, he wouldn't have signed.  Not blending immediately with Roy.   It's still early, but this likely not what Kevin Pritchard had in mind.  A) Did you like the signing?  B) How concerned are you, if at all, and what do you see as the main on-court issues?



        Steve Jones: I was vehemently against signing Andre Miller. Numerous times I wrote that if that was "the move" of the summer I would be disappointed. It took me a long time to swallow it after the Hedo/Millsap mishaps (ha), but I've accepted that Andre Miller was a good move for this team. Whether he starts or he comes off  the bench, he's infinitely better than Sergio Rodriguez and I cannot stress that enough.  On paper he seems to be exactly what the Blazers need. He brings a veteran presence to a young team. His ability to create not only for himself and for others should be huge as he can take some of the offensive load off of Roy.



         All that said, I'm still concerned. It's going to take time for the chemistry to get there, but beyond that I'm worried. Andre Miller has tended to have success in a fast, up-tempo type game. If Miller can run, watch out. The problem is Coach Nate doesn't really run at that kind of pace. I cringe when I think of what happened when Mike Dunleavy and Baron Davis mismatched last year and pray this won't be the case this year. And sometimes I wonder, "Will he dribble too much?" Do we really want him taking the ball out of Roy's (our primary playmaker) hand that much? I just want to see it with my own eyes -- in the regular season -- before I declare any semblance of gloom and doom. 


Last Season: 54-28.  First in the Southwest Division.  Third in the Western Conference.
Key Additions: Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, Keith Bogans.  Drafted DeJuan Blair.
Key Subtractions: Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas, Drew Gooden, Ime Udoka
 
As a professional courtesy, whenever I ask a blogger to provide content for ours, I go out of my way to emphasize that my request shouldn't become a burden.  After all, that writer may be juggling a job or two beyond his blogging duties.  Believe me, I know that particular drill.  Thus, I don't want a favor for Lakers Blog to feel like some mammoth albatross of a writing assignment hanging around their neck.  Thus, when I tapped Pounding the Rock's Wayne Vore for some tidbits about the San Antonio Spurs, I offered very specific instructions: DO NOT feel obligated to give me 2000 words for each question.  Vore's response?   

"If you think you're aren't getting 2000 words for each of these, you don't understand how excited Spurs fans are for this season."

Very well, then.

Andrew Kamenetzky: The Spurs' pickup of Richard Jefferson is being labeled by some analysts as the offseason's best move.  How well do you see  RJ fitting in and how dangerous does he make the Spurs this season?  In particular, I think he's terrific insurance for what feels (unfortunately) like the inevitable Manu injury.  Do you anticipate any issues with the Big Three becoming a Big Four?  In terms of balance, egos, etc?  Or will everyone gladly co-exist?

        Wayne Vore: Immaculately.  I just don’t see an issues with touches and a Big Four.  I think a couple interesting things have happened that will help.  One, Manu (Ginobli) flat out stated at Media Day that Tony (Parker) was the offensive leader of the team.  He said it as the lead-in to answering a question about how much Tim (Duncan) has left in the tank.  Manu said it just naturally happened.  Two, RJ said right up front that when the Spurs acquired him that his role was to be defensive stopper.  I finally got to watch him play last Tuesday against the Thunder and he looked great.  You could tell that he was really focused on working hard against Durant. 

Lastly, I don’t think the Spurs would have brought him in if they thought it would be an issue in any way.  They don’t take those kind of gambles.

Last Season: 54-28, 1st Northwest Division, 2nd Western Conference

Key Additions: Arron Afflalo, Joey Graham. Drafted Ty Lawson.
Key losses: Linus Kleiza. Dahntay Jones.

The teams that dominated this offseason's headlines most were question the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers.  The commonality between those squads?  Each added a big name to their roster, further cementing their status as NBA elites.  In the meantime, the Denver Nuggets, just one season removed from a Western Conference Finals trip, seem to have been removed from basketball's collective consciousness as a legit contender.  Conversely, they didn't add anybody of true note.  Coincidence?  I think not.  I also don't think it's accurate.

Personally, I think the Nugs are getting slept on too much.  Sure, Denver merely kept their team intact while others got richer, but let's not forget, "status quo" was pretty kind to Rocky Mountain wallets.  They also enter this season bearing the fruit of collective maturity (as opposed to learning to mature), which should help build on last season's mental breakthrough.  I never thought in a million years I'd say this, but I'm guessing gone the days of emotional meltdowns, locker room sniping, and laying down to adversity are gone, which is unfortunate for the rest of the league.

To take a closer look at the Nuggets, I enlisted the help of Nate Timmons of the great Denver Stiffs blog, who was kind enough to lend some quality insight.  Here's what he had to say. 

    "The Chauncey Billups Effect" was about as instant as imaginable last season, adding accountability and professionalism to a culture with roughly zilch previously.  The team seemed to learn a lot about what winning is really "about."  With that knowledge under their belt, how much further do you think they can grow forward mentally as a unit?  Do you consider the emotional meltdowns of the past truly in the past?

       “The Chauncey Billups Effect” … I like it! Billups deserves a lot of credit for becoming the vocal leader this team had been searching for since Carmelo Anthony’s arrival in the NBA. There were veterans who were looked upon to fill that role (i.e. Andre Miller andMarcus Camby), but the vocal personality Billups brought with him along with his resume really got the attention of the younger guys on the team.

        But even before Billups returned to Denver for his second stint with the team, there were signs that things were already changing for the better in a professional sense. Head coach George Karl brought a “we tried it your way (offense), now let’s try it my way (defense)” approach to training camp, Kenyon Martinstepped up and told his teammates and Karl that he was refocused and ready to be a leader, Nene was in the gym early and often, and Melo was helping Team USA capture the Gold Medal in Beijing, China. Even resident “knucklehead” J.R. Smithwas training with Team USA and attending Nuggets assistant coach Tim Grgurich’s point guard camp in Las Vegas. So, Billups came to a team that was eager to learn what he was ready to teach.

        As far as the Nuggets mental growth… this team learned a lot under Billups and learned a lot about themselves last season with their deep playoff run. Taking into consideration the age of Denver’s young core of Carmelo Anthony, 25, J.R. Smith, 24, Nene, 27, Arron Afflalo, 24, and Ty Lawson, 21 … these guys are still just kids, so their potential for growth is immeasurable.

Dallas Mavericks

Last Season:50-32 (.610, 3rd in the Southwest Division, 6th in the Western Conference)

Key Additions: Traded for Shawn Marion and Kris Humphries, signedDrew Gooden, Tim Thomas and Quinton Ross, drafted Rodrigue Beubois
Key Losses: Brandon Bass, Jerry Stackhouse, Ryan Hollings, Antoine Wright, Devean George

Generally speaking, folks who do this sort of thing for a living have tabbed three teams as primary threats to the Lakers in the Western Conference: Portland, San Antonio, and Denver (quibble about the order amongst yourselves, that's how I'd arrange them at least in terms of wins). If there's a fourth team capable of crashing the party, it's likely the Mavs. It's a big if. Capital I, capital F. (There would be more, but it's a short word.) Dallas will be good, but for them to crash the party at the top of the conference, a lot has to go right. But it's not beyond imagination.

The addition of Marion to the core of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Josh Howard gives Rick Carlisle and Co. heaps of offensive versatility and a wide variety of dynamic players to help push the squad. There are plenty of questions. Marion's presence necessitates a bit of a lineup shuffle. They don't have much going on in the post after Erick Dampier, and he's not all that much himself. Gooden will play some center, but he's undersized there for sure. Plus, to say the Mavs are a veteran bunch would be an understatement. Some would call them old.

To help get some insight into the happenings in Big D, I hit up Philip Baggett over at MavsMoneyball.com with some questions. Click below for the answers, but only if you want the truth, and feel you can handle it.

Houston Rockets

Last Season: 53-29 (.646, 2nd in Southwest Division, 5th in the Western Conference)

Key Additions: Signed Trevor Ariza, traded for David Andersen, drafted Chase Budinger, Jermaine Taylor
Key Subtractions: Ron Artest, Von Wafer, Brett Barry, plus Yao Ming is injured

I like this team.

I respect the work ethic, and how hard they'll compete. If my future children grow up to play basketball and I end up the coach, I'll fire up game film of the '09-'10 Rockets and use them as a model of determination and teamwork. (As an aside, I also wonder how much we'll win, given that our entire playbook is likely to consist of hoping one of those six year olds can dunk.) I think they'll win an ESPY for Best Scrappy Team. They will never mail it in. They won't even own postage. 

I just wonder how much they'll win.

New Orleans Hornets

Last Season: 49-33 (.598, 4th in the Southwest Division- and when 49 wins is fourth, that's a good division- 7th in the Western Conference

Key Additions: Traded for Emeka Okafor, Darius Songaila, signed Ike Diogu, drafted Darren Collison, Marcus Thornton
Key Losses: Rasual Butler, Tyson Chandler, Antonio Daniels, Ryan Bowen

I have a well known (among the residents of my home, meaning my wife) prejudice against certain types of mainstream designer furniture. Different items from your Crate and Barrels, your Pottery Barns and so on. It's not that the stuff doesn't look nice. It does. Gangbusters, really. My issues instead are with build quality. Too much of the stuff uses veneers. Scratch it, bang it, or otherwise lose the kid gloves, and suddenly all you see is lesser quality wood below. Or (gasp!) some sort of particle board. In that sense, the New Orleans Hornets are very similar. The appointments make for a potentially stylish unit. Chris Paul is flat out sick. (Andy recently joked how at this point my man crush on CP3 may require changing my Facebook status from "married" to "it's complicated.") David West is a very solid player. Okafor represents an upgrade over Chandler. 

After that, though, things get dangerously close to particle board.

Last season:  48-34, third in the Northwest division, 8th in the Western conference.
Key additions: Drafted Eric Maynor and Goran Suton.
Key losses: Unless you consider Morris Almond and Jarron Collins game changers, then nobody.  I do, however, reserve the right to change that "nobody" based on Matt Harpring's health.

For reasons I can't fully understand, I've never been a big Bruce Springsteen fan.  I totally respect his talent as a musician and lyricist.  I recognize his songs' craftsmanship.  His passion as a performer is undeniable.  He's obviously enjoyed staying power.  He's pure rock and roll.  And it's not like I hate the guy's music.  Springsteen's got a handful of songs I enjoy.  "Rosalita (Come out tonight)."  "Streets of Philadelphia."  "Badlands."  "Born to Run" is among the great rock anthems. And I absolutely love "Hungry Heart. " (Semi-little known fact: Springsteen originally wrote "Hungry Heart" for The Ramones, but his manager wisely advised him to keep it for himself.)  Springsteen just seems like an artist I'd really dig.

But for whatever reason, I've never truly bought in with The Boss.  Given my rep as a music geek (and, honestly, pretty much a music snob), people are typically surprised when I inform them I'm largely indifferent to Springsteen.  In particular, my buddies who are Springsteen fans, which, by definition, means they're passionate about Springsteen.  Without fail, Bruce fans LOVE them some Bruce.  They'll follow that cat to the end of the Earth.  It's serious business digging The Boss. 

I'm not sure what's more ironic about the Phoenix Suns' return to their fast-paced roots after a failed reinvention attempt via the addition of Shaquille O'Neal.  That Shaq would get traded to Cleveland for Ben Wallace, among the few players that makes Shaq a perfect "seven seconds or less" fit by comparison.  Or that Wallace- since bought out and now reunited with the Detroit Pistons- is fighting for center's PT with Kwame Brown, who's hands down (pun intended) the least equipped player to catch no look feeds from Steve Nash.  It's not even inconceivable that Big Ben and Kwame could be the starting 4/5 combo.  So what can we learn from all this? 

The Shaq era was one hell of a disaster for Phoenix.  And Detroit's game plan likely doesn't include the words "D'Antoni" or "lite."

All jokes aside about the Shawn Marion-Shaq trade's shocking lack of logic (to this day, my wife says she's never seen me more confused than the 4-5 hours immediately following this swap) it's commendable that Kerr would opt for professionalism over ego and admit/correct a mistake.  Catering to the team's collective strengths can't possibly hurt, but unfortunately, it's not the cure-all in a brutally tough Western Conference.  To get a perspective, I sent a series of questions to our ol' buddy "Phoenix Stan," editor of the terrific Bright Side of the Sun blog.  As always, PS can be counted on for a smorgasbord of insight.  The conversation is below the jump.

Golden State Warriors

Last Season: 29-53 (.354, 3rd in the Pacific Division, 10th in the Western Conference)

Key Additions: Drafted Stephon Curry. Also brought in Acie Law, Speedy Claxton, Devean George  and Mikki Moore, but if any of those guys become "key," the Warriors will have officially crossed into a realm scary enough to be the setting for the next installment of Saw.
Key Subtractions: Jamal Crawford, Marco Belinelli

(You just think the lil' guy is watching Warriors highlights from last season... Amazing how the color palate matches, though.)

The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Joan and Christina Crawford. The Nazis and the French Resistance. All examples of relationships functioning at a more harmonious level than the Golden State Warriors. While the assembled hoards in El Segundo spent Media Day desperately trying to prove the circus had come to town in the form of Ron Artest's social media smorgasbord and Lamar Odom's E!-tastic wedding, the real McCoy was taking place upstate, short only dancing bears and bearded ladies. Monta Ellis welcomed Curry to the locker room by declaring the Warriors wouldn't be able to win says there's no way the Warriors can win with both the two of them on floor at the same time. Stephen Jackson wants out, because, and I'm paraphrasing only slightly here, it's exceedingly obvious the team is run by nitwits, and the chances of him ever being on a winning squad in Oakland appear as likely as Paris Hilton being named Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Hard to believe Captain Jack has already been suspended, thanks to his actions against the Lakers at the Forum. Two preseason games missed, something that, as an angry 10 year vet, I'm sure tore him up inside.

2008-2009 record: 24-58 (.293, 5th Southwest division, 12th in the Western Conference)

Key Additions: Signed Allen Iverson.  Traded for Zach Randolph (seriously) and Jerry Stackhouse (for about an hour).  Drafted Hasheem Thabeet, Sam Young, DeMarre Carroll. 
Key subtractions: Hakim Warrick.  Darko Milicic (which led to a week of Quentin Richardson).  Quinton Ross.  Greg Buckner.
Soon to be subtractions: Marko Jaric, given permission to skip camp and seek a trade.  And eventually seek a buyout, when Team Jaric discovers 2 yrs/almost 15 mil is rather pricey for an 11th man, even if the price tag includes the occasional chance to ogle Adriana Lima.


No franchise enjoys permanent "salad days."  Sub-par seasons are part of the business of sports.  Some "dark days" are more pitch black than others- for all the talk about the Kwame-Smush-Cook "agony," compared to most rebuilding eras, it was pretty quick and painless- but as Led Zeppelin said, "upon us all, a little rain must fall."  The key is how a franchise handles stormy weather.  Some teams (OKC, Minny) may scuffle throughout 2009-2010, but you can picture seeds being planted for a fruitful harvest.  There are teams like the Knicks, whose "2010 or bust" plan strikes me as a disappointment in the making, but at least it's a plan, for better or for worse.  Better than being bad and rudderless. 

Which brings us to the Grizzlies.  They're definitely bad, and for the life of me, I can't figure out what they're doing.