West victims could face tough questions
For those who didn’t know, I’ve been missing in action because my wife and I just welcomed a new addition to our family last week: Malloy Adrian Smith. He arrived weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces and stands 22 ¾ inches, so he’s power forward size with point guard skills.
While I’ve been away, the Western Conference race has only heated up that much more. One of the nine teams won’t make the playoffs and the parity is such that everyone else is capable of getting bounced in the first round.
As a result, any expert who tells you he knows who’ll represent the West in the NBA Finals is lying. The real question: If a team misses the playoffs or loses in the first round, where does it go? Does it make trades in the offseason? Stand pat? Dismantle and start over?
New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets have put themselves in position to win the West, but if they bow out in the first round it will likely be because they don’t get enough support from their bench.
New Orleans’ starting five, led by MVP candidate Chris Paul, ranks among the best in the league. But the team’s bench has only one proven playoff performer: Bonzi Wells. Adding depth will be a key in the offseason.
Los Angeles Lakers: Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza have all spent extended time on the inactive list. Lamar Odom and Luke Walton have both dealt with injuries throughout their careers and Derek Fisher is playing with a partially torn tendon in his right foot.
Injuries have really slowed the team’s growth. If the Lakers can’t survive the first round they won’t need to spend the summer to overhaul their roster as much they’ll just need the time to heal. Long hours in the weight room might be in order.
San Antonio Spurs: If the defending champs get bumped in the first round, they’ll need to seriously think about getting younger and more athletic.
Robert Horry, Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Jacque Vaughn and Damon Stoudamire have all been members of the team’s rotation at different points this season, but all of them also will be free agents this summer. It might be time to look for some younger replacements.
Utah Jazz: The Jazz reached the Western Conference finals last season and are more than capable of making a similar run this time around. If they don’t they’ll likely need to add another scorer to Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.
Andrei Kirilenko and, to a lesser extent, Mehmet Okur can be too inconsistent. Even John Stockton and Karl Malone had Jeff Hornacek.
Houston Rockets: Regardless of whether the Rockets suffer another early playoff exit, their biggest concern will be Yao Ming’s health. Will he be too tired after representing China in the Olympics? Can he finally make it through a full season without suffering a serious injury?
The Rockets have assembled a more-than-capable roster around Yao and Tracy McGrady, evidenced by how well the team has played in the second half of the season. Now they just need to stay healthy.
Phoenix Suns: The Suns will have to answer a lot of questions if they go out early. If they go that way, and it’s clear their struggles are tied to the addition of Shaquille O’Neal, no question will be bigger than this: What do they do with the Big Cactus?
With $40 million left on Shaq’s contract, moving him might be impossible.
Dallas Mavericks: If the Mavericks suffer a second straight first-round exit, they’ll leave themselves few options other than a complete overhaul. Restocking the roster could be in order, and that means they’ll face a difficult decision on what to do with Jason Kidd.
Denver Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony has never made it out of the first round and now the Nuggets are on the brink of missing the playoffs altogether.
Simply trying to outscore your opponent doesn’t work. A change in philosophy might be needed. The Nuggets also might need to rethink whether pairing Anthony and Allen Iverson together was such a good idea after all.
Golden State Warriors: If the Warriors don’t make the playoffs this season – remember they were only the eight seed a year ago – it should spell the end of small ball. Go get some bigs.
