The Command post

Wild West
by Keith Langlois


Editor’s note: Pistons.com today starts a six-part series examining the off-season moves made by the NBA’s 30 teams in a division-by-division analysis. In today’s Part I, we look at the Pacific Division: Coming in Wednesday’s Part II: Southwest.
Fitting enough that we start with the Pacific Division, because it was the startling decision by Baron Davis to opt out of the final year of his contract with Golden State that set the course for the NBA’s free agency season. When Davis opted out and immediately agreed to bolt to a divisional rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, all indications were that Davis would team up with Elton Brand to give the Clippers a shot at contending in the hypercompetitive Western Conference.

After all, it was only because Brand also made the surprising decision to opt out of the final year of his contract that the Clippers had the salary-cap space to accommodate Davis. But the eight-day moratorium period between the start of free agency and the time contracts could be signed gave Philadelphia the time it needed to clear additional cap space and bowl over Brand with an offer that sent one of the NBA’s most potent scoring and rebounding threats out of the West.

Here’s a look at the summer scoreboard for the Pacific Division’s five members in order of their significance of activity:

GOLDEN STATE

COMING – The Warriors responded to the loss of Davis by signing two free agents from within the division, getting Corey Maggette from the Clippers and Ronny Turiaf from the Lakers. Though they might have overpaid a little for each – the Lakers could have retained Turiaf, a restricted free agent, but passed on the chance to match the four-year, $17 million deal – they represent a pretty nice recovery from the shock of losing the dynamic Davis. Golden State also picked up LSU’s Anthony Randolph with a lottery pick and Randolph, though impossibly skinny at 6-foot-10 and barely 200 pounds, showed in Las Vegas he has potential to one day develop into a multidimensional weapon on the wing. A minor trade helped address the void at point guard when the Warriors got disappointing second-year guard Marcus Williams from the Nets.

GOING – The losses weren’t limited just to Davis. Golden State also lost two useful wing players to free agency, Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes, and let 2006 lottery pick Patrick O’Bryant walk away as a free agent.

PROJECTED LINEUP – Point guard: Monta Ellis (Marcus Williams, C.J. Watson); shooting guard: Stephen Jackson (Marco Belinelli); center: Andris Biedrins (Ronny Turiaf, Kosta Perovic); power forward: Al Harrington (Brandan Wright, Richard Hendrix); small forward: Corey Maggette (Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Randolph).

BOTTOM LINE – In the long run, Golden State probably is better off not tied to a risky contract with Davis, who has had longstanding health and conditioning issues. In the short term, it remains to be seen if Ellis can be an orchestrator in addition to being the mercurial scorer he’s already proven to be. The Warriors are believed to be shopping Al Harrington to clear playing time for youngsters Wright and Randolph. How Maggette, a slasher who needs the ball to be effective, fits with Don Nelson’s spread-the-floor, manic attack, remains to be seen.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

COMING – For a few giddy days after signing Baron Davis, the Clippers allowed themselves to believe they’d be a force in the West next season. Without Elton Brand as his sidekick, things don’t look quite so rosy for Los Angeles’ distant No. 2 team. The Clippers used the cap room they gained when Brand signed with Philly to take Marcus Camby off of Denver’s hands in a salary purge designed to get the Nuggets out from under their heavy luxury tax burden. They also picked up a serviceable backup point guard Jason Hart in trade from Utah for Brevin Knight, signed aging Jason Williams to further supplement the position and plucked Ricky Davis, a high-maintenance wing scorer, from the free-agent pool. The draft could yield major dividends. The Clips got Indiana freshman guard Eric Gordon, who possesses both deep shooting range and explosiveness to the rim, and a second-rounder with a high ceiling in Texas A&M’s massive DeAndre Jordan. Though a limited player, adding veteran tough guy Brian Skinner to a frontcourt that could use a little muscle was a decent pickup.

GOING – Losing Elton Brand was a major and thoroughly unexpected blow for the Clippers, though – as with Golden State and Davis – there was inherent risk in committing $80 million to a 265-pounder coming off a torn Achilles tendon. In order to add Camby and Ricky Davis, the Clips wound up renouncing a handful of journeymen, which leaves them a little thin around the edges. The one they might regret losing is Shaun Livingston, whose massive knee injury two years ago derailed what looked like a very bright career. Losing Corey Maggette leaves a scoring void, but the Clippers needed to make room for promising second-year forward Al Thornton, anyway.

PROJECTED LINEUP – Point guard: Baron Davis (Jason Williams, Jason Hart, Mike Taylor); shooting guard: Cuttino Mobley (Eric Gordon): center: Chris Kaman (Brian Skinner, DeAndre Jordan); power forward: Marcus Camby (Tim Thomas); small forward: Al Thornton (Ricky Davis).

SACRAMENTO

COMING – The Kings are pretty much in rebuilding mode with Kevin Martin now entrenched as the team’s centerpiece. Their lottery pick produced the first real surprise pick of the draft when the Kings opted for Rider 7-footer Jason Thompson. Thompson will be joined by another boom-or-bust type of rookie, Syracuse freshman Donte Green, acquired in a trade that can’t be formalized until 30 days passes from Green’s July signing of his rookie contract with Houston. Point guard Beno Udrih, who enjoyed something of a breakout season, was retained in free agency after the Kings traded away Mike Bibby at the trade deadline last February to make Udrih the starter. If Bobby Jackson can stay healthy – he’s also en route from Houston – he’ll help the Kings win games. Bobby Brown’s play in the Las Vegas Summer League had several teams interested in signing him and the Kings, without much behind Udrih, made the strongest pitch.

GOING – Every team in the league explored the pluses and minuses of taking on Ron Artest and all that he entails, but in the end a late first-rounder (Green) and a veteran with a lot of wear on his tread (Jackson) was the best package the Kings could fetch. The only other loss of any significance was backup point guard Anthony Johnson, who signed with Orlando in free agency.

PROJECTED LINEUP – Point guard: Beno Udrih (Bobby Brown, Sean Singletary); shooting guard: Kevin Martin (John Salmons, Quincy Douby); center: Brad Miller (Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson); power forward: Mikki Moore (Kenny Thomas, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Shelden Williams); small forward: Francisco Garcia (Donte Green, Patrick Ewing Jr.).

BOTTOM LINE – The Kings have a glut of big men – quantity, at least – and not much in the way of wing players. They would have loved to have moved Kenny Thomas and his big contract in the Artest deal, but nobody was biting. If Thompson and Green become quality players, then the future doesn’t look so bad. But it’s a pretty safe bet Sacramento has at least one more year in the lottery.

PHOENIX

COMING – The Suns made their big move last February when they traded for Shaquille O’Neal, to mixed results. They headed into August with only 11 players signed but capped out, meaning they’re probably looking at nothing more than adding a few journeymen to veteran’s minimum deals. The big splashes of the summer were using the pick obtained from Atlanta in the Joe Johnson deal to land Stanford big man Robin Lopez, considered less of an offensive threat than his twin brother Brook, and signing erratic but athletic Golden State wing Matt Barnes in free agency. The Suns are also hoping to add second-round European point guard Goran Dragic as the backup they currently lack to Steve Nash.

GOING – An equally uneventful summer … the only player who won’t be back who even occasionally dented last year’s rotation is Brian Skinner.

PROJECTED LINEUP – Point guard: Steve Nash (D.J. Strawberry); shooting guard: Raja Bell (Leandro Barbosa); center: Shaquille O’Neal (Robin Lopez); power forward: Amare Stoudemire (Boris Diaw); small forward: Grant Hill (Matt Barnes, Alando Tucker).

BOTTOM LINE – Given the age or frailty of O’Neal, Hill and Nash, the Suns look almost dangerously thin and without the resources to do much about it unless ownership reverses itself and commits to serious luxury taxation. Hard to project anything but a step or two back for Phoenix.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

COMING – The Lakers drafted former Detroit Renaissance and Kentucky guard Joe Crawford late in the second round. If he makes the team – a pretty considerable if – he’d have to stick around a long time before anyone thinks of him rather than a certain pugnacious NBA referee whenever the name “Joe Crawford” is uttered.

GOING – The Lakers are going to miss Ronny Turiaf, though it’s hard to question the decision to not match Golden State’s offer to the restricted free agent considering the presence of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom.

PROJECTED LINEUP – Point guard: Derek Fisher (Jordan Farmar): shooting guard: Kobe Bryant (Sasha Vujacic, Coby Karl, Joe Crawford): center: Andrew Bynum (Chris Mihm); power forward: Pau Gasol (Vladimir Radmanovic); small forward: Lamar Odom (Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza).

BOTTOM LINE – The key for the Lakers is getting Bynum back with a healthy knee and playing at the level he was at in mid-season before going down, then learning how to play in tandem with Gasol. If that happens, there’s no question who’ll go into next spring’s playoffs as the favorite to emerge in the West.