With the summer drawing to a close and the NBA’s Opening Night tipping-off in less than two months, standings predictions are detailed here for the upcoming season in the Western Conference.
1. Golden State Warriors
By far the best team in the league, the Dubs brought back their championship core and added guard Nick Young and forward Omri Casspi in free agency.
The Warriors could reach the 70-win plateau for the second time in three seasons.
2. Houston Rockets
The Rockets are constructing their roster to dethrone the Warriors. Not only did they trade for superstar point guard Chris Paul, they also signed P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute — two defensive stalwarts whom can guard (as best as one possibly can) Kevin Durant.
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| Chris Paul holds his jersey up in his introductory press conference with the Houston Rockets. Houston’s general manager Daryl Morey (left) and head coach Mike D’Antoni (right) are also shown. (AP Photo) |
Houston is the home for two of the 10 best players (James Harden and Paul) in the NBA. Will it also be the home of Carmelo Anthony come this winter?
3. San Antonio Spurs
It was a bit of a rough offseason for the Spurs. Not only did their in-state rivals acquire Paul, a player who the Spurs coveted, they lost Jonathan Simmons in free agency (Orlando Magic) and their biggest move of the summer was signing Rudy Gay, who is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury.
Tony Parker is out until January, as the Spurs’ floor general recovers from successful surgery on his left quad. Patty Mills will be manning the point guard duties in the meantime.
Even with Parker out and forward LaMarcus Aldridge reportedly unhappy in San Antonio, the Spurs remain a top-3 team in the West because of Kawhi Leonard, the best two-way player in the league.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder pulled off one of the most stunning trades in recent memory, acquiring superstar forward Paul George from the Indiana Pacers in return for mercurial guard Victor Oladipo — currently in the midst of a hefty contract — and backup forward Domantas Sabonis.
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| Four-time All-Star Paul George, a free agent in 2018, is the newest member of the Thunder. (Sue Ogrocki/AP) |
Some think George, an impending free agent, may be a 1-year rental, but the forward made it clear if the Thunder reach the West Finals (or beyond) he’d be “dumb to leave” Oklahoma City.
Now serious contenders in the Western Conference, the Thunder re-signed defensive juggernaut Andre Roberson and inked stretch forward Patrick Patterson to a three-year contract.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2004 but their woes appear to be in the past after landing Jimmy Butler in a Draft Night trade from the Chicago Bulls.
The Timberwolves signed Jeff Teague to join a (projected) starting lineup comprising of Butler, Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng.
The bench features free agent additions Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson.
6. Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers squeaked into the playoffs last year — only to get throttled in a first-round sweep at the hands of the champion Warriors. Though it was a disappointing season for Portland, given its expectations, there is certainly room for optimism because of Jusuf Nurkic.
The seven-foot 23-year-old Bosnian center was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Trail Blazers at February’s trade deadline. From the moment he arrived in Portland, Nurkic played like an All-Star, averaging 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per contest.
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| Jusuf Nurkic will be critical to Portland’s success in 2017–18. (Sam Forencich/Getty Images) |
Nurkic’s season was cut short after he suffered a non-displaced right leg fracture, as the center missed the final seven games of the regular season and appeared in just one game (17 minutes in Game 3) in the playoffs.
Assuming Nurkic returns to form, he can establish a powerful trio with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. And if all goes well, the Trail Blazers can trade for Carmelo Anthony (they would first have to convince the 10-time All-Star to waive his no-trade clause and leave the New York Knicks) and acquire the star power needed to compete in a Western Conference loaded with All-Star caliber players.
7. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets missed the playoffs by a mere game last season. After adding All-Star forward Paul Millsap in free agency, the Nuggets are poised to make the postseason for the first time since 2013.
Millsap will form a one-two punch in the middle with center Nikola Jokic, a bonafide superstar in the second half of last season who looks the part of a perennial All-Star.
Jokic is a walking double-double who improved on the defensive side of the ball as the season commenced. Jokic’s dominant interior presence will keep the Nuggets competitive in the West for years to come.
8. Utah Jazz
Gordon Hayward defected to the Boston Celtics in free agency, but the Jazz still have Rudy Gobert, a member of the All-NBA Second Team last season.
Replacing Hayward is an impossible task — at least for the upcoming season — for the Jazz who now must rely heavily on Gobert, the NBA’s blocks leader in 2016–17 who made the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
The Jazz traded for point guard Ricky Rubio — replacing George Hill, who signed with the lowly Sacramento Kings — and re-signed Joe Ingles. They also inked veteran forwards Jonas Jerebko and Thabo Sefolosha to two-year deals as the Jazz recovered relatively well from the Hayward departure.
Advancing to the West semifinals last year, the Jazz will likely be grinding just to reach the playoffs. They could find themselves battling with the Los Angles Clippers — who they defeated in a seven-game series last postseason — for the eighth seed in the West.
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