The NBA season is just around the corner – time for the annual Division Previews! We introduce all teams, look at the respective Best and Worst Case and venture a prognosis. Today: The Pacific Division.
The Warriors have become younger and this helps the team especially in the Regular Season, which after an interim low last season will be finished again on the first place. With Jonas Jerebko, the Dubs also have the hoped-for 3-and-D winger from the bank, who can also relieve Andre Iguodala, among others.
And then there’s a Jordan Bell who learned a lot from Draymond Green in the off-season. It turns out that the future belongs to the sophomore and that he is indeed the legitimate successor of Green. So it doesn’t matter that DeMarcus Cousins can only intervene after the All-Star Game.
The center grooved with the team after the playoffs and has lost little of its explosiveness. With the five All-Stars (Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green, Boogie) the Dubs march sovereign to the title. Only Houston and Boston can each steal a game. Meanwhile Stephen Curry finally gets his first finals MVP title. Does this now mean the departure of Kevin Durant? Not at all! KD will continue to do business in Silicon Valley and extend long-term in the Bay Area, Klay Thompson as well as Green extend and continue the Warriors-era also in the new arena in San Francisco.
The boogie experiment fails with a crash. The center wants to return to the field too quickly and suffers setbacks again and again. Shortly before the playoffs, Cousins is finally fit, but the chemistry with the other players is just not there. The fiver mostly lurks around the three-way line, but hits less than 33 percent of his attempts.
The Ball Movement has also come to a standstill because Boogie is not familiar with coach Steve Kerr’s offense. In the Conference Finals this time is over, because it comes to disputes within the team. Especially Thompson doesn’t get many touches anymore and is highly dissatisfied with his role. In the Free Agency 2019, the shooter draws a line and prefers to join LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
But that’s not all: Durant is also taking a turn after being heavily criticized by the media in the playoffs for his allegedly selfish way of playing. “Too many blog boys live here. I just want to play basketball,” says KD on Instagram. Two hours later Shams Charania (The Athletic) announces that Durant and the New York Knicks have agreed on a four-year contract. The new hall in San Francisco is consequently christened the Curry Arena.
Forecast: 1st place in the Pacific Division
Page 1: Golden State Warriors
Page 2: Los Angeles Clippers
Page 3: Los Angeles Lakers
Page 4: Phoenix Suns
Page 5: Sacramento Kings