My thoughts on the Pacific Division

Golden State

The Warriors have a pretty good looking team. They have a few million breathing room before the hard cap, have their own draft picks, and are sitting on a 30-24 record. They are pretty young with all thier starters in the 20-29 year range. They will need to open the bank to resign Hughes, but, Thrumond is expiring, so I see no problem there.

Shaun Kemp seems to be struggling. Despite some nice ratings he's not helping the team get wins as much as one would think. His percentages are low, he has a poor turnover to assist ratio, and he's not blocking shots. He probably just needs some time to mature.

My advice: It looks like a well run team to me, I think you have things going the right direction, but, once the playoffs hit you may think about how many minutes you want Kemp to play as a rookie. Also, it seems like you have two small forwards, probably you are happy with neither. Or maybe you like both? But, I think in general it's best to have one guy you love than two you like. I'd see if I couldn't address that somehow in the offseason.

Clippers

The Clippers are hanging around .500 this year. With AC Green going down for 31 more days with a broken jaw, things don't appear to be getting any better. The Clippers have their own draft picks and look to have no cap room next year.

The 3 cornerstones of this team are John Stockton, Ron Harper, and AC Green. 1,2, and 3. There is very little talent at the 4 or 5 position that isn't on a one year rental. One wonders if this expensive backcourt will be successful? They are currently taking about 40mil in cap by themselves at and one point will be taking up over 50million just for the 3 players. What does this mean? Not a lot of wiggle room to surround them with talent. I think this situation is a poor one. I love all 3 guys, but, I think one needs to be moved for a similar level PF or C. Not only for court balance, but, to help manage future salary concerns.

My advice: This season is toast, trade off any veterans you can for future help. Watch your future cap projections carefully, you might get yourself into trouble. And if you can't build a contender around your core in the next 4 years, you should consider blowing things up. Good luck.

Lakers

The Lakers are also a .500 team. They have their own draft picks and do not project to have cap room this year.

The Lakers have two 30+ vets locked into long/large contracts in Moncreif and Thompson. This is not ideal for a team floating around .500. They have a pretty nice looking team, but, it's not translating into wins. Add to this Oakley and Floyd will likely be wanting hefty paychecks this offseason. I see trouble on the horizon.

My advice: Why not move Floyd now? You've got Anderson waiting in the wings. I think you have a ton of great trading chips on this team, if what you have is a .500 team, why not make some moves? Floyd could go, one of your centers could go. (in fact, I think you're starting the wrong guy) I guess my advice is to be agressive on the trade front, as it looks like your team could use a shakeup. And if you could move a couple long term contracts in the process, so much the better.

Phoenix

Phoenix is sitting on a 36-19 record. They are near the hard cap and do not appear to have cap space next year. They don't have their own 1st rounder this year.

Phoenix is a contending team. They look well managed, and seem to be set to compete for the next few year.

My advice: Run with it. As long as you're going to pay Tobey that salary at his age, you may as well shoot for the brass ring. I'd be looking to mortgage the future as best as I can to bring in the little extra push needed to get me over the hump. I'd suggest a more well rounded SF as a place to start.

Portland

Portland is sitting at 25-27. They have their own draft pick. They have about 2mil in cap room available this year and project to have enough to offer a max bid to a free agent next year.

Portland appears to be a poorly run team. They are a lotto team and have little talent or prospects on the squad. Their far and away best player is Isiah Thomas but, he's 31 years old. There is absolutely no reason for him to be on this team.

My advice: It's time to go kiki on this biatch. I'd suggest moving everythign you can to either get more cap room, draft picks, or some decent prospects. Consider a 3 year plan.

Sacramento

The Kings are sitting on a 32-23 record, good for 3rd in the West. They have about 74mil in salaries committed, and look to have significant cap space next season. They have their own draft pick.

They are a contending team, but, with only a +2.8 margin of victory, I consider them an also ran team. Not a threat to win a championship.

My advice: They look set to be major players in free agency next year, why not enhance that a bit more by trading or buying down Palacio's contract to free up another 9mil? Seems like a no brainer to me. It'll be interesting to see if the Kings use that cap space to build a contender, or simply are content to sign a bunch of expiring contracts to fuel another also ran year.

Seattle

All you need to know about Seattle is 2 things.

1 - cap space. They'll only have about 7mil committed come free agency.
2- Manning and Hawkins

The biggest problem they have is not having their own 1st this year.

My advice: Cap space is nice, but, it's no guarantee. If you can't get the guys you want this coming offseason, don't be tempted by the 2nd tier guys. Be content to sign some expiring contracts and try again next year. You've probably got a few years before you are ready to win a chip anyway, so don't panic if free agency goes other than planned.

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