WE are officially on the home straight for season 2016-17. Some teams have living up to the hype and exceeded expectations, others not so much and they have plummeted towards the bottom of the lottery. Teams were be reviewed at the quarter, halfway and three-quarter mark of the year. Let’s quickly wrap the third portion of the season so far for the teams from the Pacific division.
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Golden State Warriors (51-11)
Thumbs Up
WE all know about Golden State’s offensive superpowers, but they don’t get enough credit defensively. The Dubs are the best team at defending the three point shot in each of the last three months and are #1 overall in the league.
Thumbs Down
LOSING Kevin Durant for the rest of the regular season is a tough pill to swallow for the Warriors. They currently have a four game advantage on the Spurs for the number one seed in the West and it will be interesting to see if they can maintain that advantage for the rest of the season.
Look Out For….
WITH Durant out, Golden State will be relying on other guys to step up in their own unique way. New signee Matt Barnes and All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will all have to do more, but don’t be surprised if we see Steph Curry erupt. With the ball in his hands much more often now we could see some BIG stat lines.
Image from todayssportsnews.com
Los Angeles Clippers (37-25)
Thumbs Up
THERE was a stretch of 29 games that the Clippers were missing either Chris Paul and/or Blake Griffin earlier. Considering the absence of their stars they managed to go 15-14 partly with help from Austin Rivers. His 15 points a game over those games were invaluable.
Thumbs Down
BENCH play was a big reason that LA started the season, but they have looked average lately. Raymond Felton, Brandon bass and the aforementioned Rivers were all making the 2nd unit one of the best in the league. If they want to advance deep into the playoffs those guys need to recapture the vibe.
Look Out For….
AFTER just three playoff series wins in five years with this star heavy team, the time for the Clippers to make a deep run is now. If Chris Paul/Blake Griffin/DeAndre Jordan fail to advance to say the Conference Finals, we may not see all of the ‘Big 3’ back in a Los Angeles Clippers uniform in 2017-18.
Image from defpen.com
Sacramento Kings (25-37)
Thumbs Up
I applaud the Kings for opting to trade Cousins and get out of ‘middle ground’. They weren’t going anywhere with the franchise failing to make the playoffs or bottom out and get a top five pick in the last few years. With Boogie gone they can focus on youth and rebuilding their team the right way.
Thumbs Down
EVEN though trading Boogie was a move that helps establish their future direction, the front office has made some questionable choices. Vivek Ranadive and Vlade Divac opting to tell the media that they could have got better returns for Cousins, a day or two before the actual trade is just straight up dumb. They haven’t done a lot to instil confidence in the fan base, finger crossed they can change that around.
Look Out For….
I’M excited to see in the next month or two who emerges as a valuable piece of the Sacramento future. Can McLemore or Hield emerge as the starting two guard of their future?
Image from sacbee.com
Phoenix Suns (21-42)
Thumbs Up
DESPITE their W/L record the Suns starting backcourt can’t be blamed. Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker have combined to score over 40 points a game throughout the entire season and are clearly their two best players.
Thumbs Down
OFFENSE is ok for Phoenix, largely thanks to Booker and Bledose, but they struggle to defend. Like really struggle. They rank in the bottom three for opponents PPG, field goal % and thre point %. Ouch.
Look Out For….
THERE is no clear path to success for the Suns looking ahead. They have a few ‘projects’ with their big men and have capable scorers, but they need better defenders and some role players with different skill sets. This is an important draft for their future.
Image from purpleandblues.com
Los Angeles Lakers (19-44)
Thumbs Up
CLEARLY the Lakers’s season was not going to be dictated by the wins and losses they had. Their rookie head coach and young core are just focused on creating good habits and helping to build on the culture that the franchise is famous for. Things look good so far off the court and in the whole context of building to the future.
Thumbs Down
TRADING away Lou Williams is a move that was clearly made to help bottom out and finish in the bottom three, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good one. For their future sure, but this pretty much guarantee’s that the Lakers will be woeful for the last 15-20 games. Look away now.
Look Out For….
LA needs to finish in the bottom three in the league to keep their first round draft pick. If it falls out of the top three then they have to sacrifice it to the 76ers, so keeping the pick is crucial. Whether they plan on using it or trading it to help get Jimmy Butler/Paul George keeping the pick will help dictate their offseason.
Image from nba.com
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