The second installment of my offseason preview will feature the rebuilding teams of the West. The uber-competitive Western Conference will be a huge test to these teams as they try to establish themselves as playoff contenders in the coming years.
New Orleans Pelicans
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| When healthy, this guy looks like a hybrid of Magic's version of Dwight Howard and Anderson Varejao |
Who they traded for: Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday
Who they lost: Robin Lopez, Greivis Vasquez, Terrel Harris, Lou Amundson (Waived), Xavier Henry (Waived), Lance Thomas (Waived), Roger Mason, Jr. (Waived)
Projected starters: Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson, Anthony Davis
Bench depth: Jason Smith, Al-Farouq Aminu, Anthony Morrow, Matt Carroll, Greg Stiemsma, Austin Rivers, Brian Roberts
I still don't understand what the Pelicans are trying to do. They upgraded their point guard spot from Greivis Vasquez to Jrue Holiday, then decided to trade for Tyreke Evans. They still have Eric Gordon. So unless they're trying to give new definition to "small ball" by playing the three of them together (Evans has played the SF role in Sacramento in spurts when backcourt mates Marcus Thornton and Ish Smith were on a hot streak, but Evans has already said he doesn't want to play that role again), I'm assuming that they're looking to move Gordon soon. Al-Farouq Aminu will likely play off the bench in a small-ball set up, with Ryan Anderson (who had a decent fantasy season last year, but not quite impressive as his last year in Orlando) and Anthony Davis (who we hope would get to play more) manning the middle.
Jason Smith is not an impressive player, but he gets the job done. I think they added Greg Stiemsma as an insurance policy to have at least a two-deep Center rotation even if Davis comes down with another injury. Anthony Morrow had a disappointing season last year, but the guy can flat out shoot the ball. They probably won't be the worst team in the league, but I doubt if they'll win a lot of games this upcoming season.
Fantasy Prospects: Holiday looks by far the best player on this team, which is not saying much for his draft stock; he won't have as much assists if his teammates can't hit their shots. Davis gives decent enough numbers to be your fourth or fifth best player when healthy, but he'll have to prove he can play a lot more games than he played last season. Aminu is an across-the-board contributor, and if you've played Fantasy Basketball over the past couple of years, you should know that as well. I'm very wary on picking either Gordon or Evans; the former is an explosive scoring guard, while the latter is a triple-double threat. I'm not sure who will be showcased more, or how each will turn out if one of them gets traded away. From a Fantasy perspective, I'd gamble on Evans just because he'd contribute to more cats. Stiemsma is a filler pick; he could fill your last roster spot and provide blocks from time to time, especially if the injury bug bites, or if they're not satisfied enough with Smith's contribution. Anderson is still an option as a 6th or 7th pick for your team, as he's a big man who can rebound and shoot threes.
Phoenix Suns
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| Eric Bledsoe has got to live up to the hype |
Who they traded for: Eric Bledsoe, Ish Smith, Gerald Green, Malcom Lee, Miles Plumlee, Slava Kravstov
Who they lost: Wesley Johnson, Jermaine O'Neal, Luis Scola, Jared Dudley, Hamed Haddadi (Waived)
Projected Starters: Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, PJ Tucker, Markieff Morris, Marcin Gortat
Bench Depth: Marcus Morris, Shannon Brown, Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee
Injured: Channing Frye, Alex Len
Their international frontcourt experiment of Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat didn't work out as they planned. But they finally found a solution to their constant problem of picking the "lesser" sibling to play for their team (e.g. Taylor Griffin, Jarron Collins, Robin Lopez) by getting both the Morris twins to play for them. On draft night, they got Marcus Morris one pick ahead of Markieff who was drafted by Houston. At the trade deadline, they got Markieff from Houston. Towards the end of the season, the twins literally split time at the PF spot, playing almost the same amount of minutes relieving each other.
They got a little more athletic with the acquisition of Eric Bledsoe and Gerald Green, and somehow "upgraded" when they gave up on Wesley Johnson and traded for Caron Butler. However, in a late offseason move, the Suns traded away Butler to the Bucks and waived Micheal Beasley after he was caught with drugs for the nth time in his career. Given this, look for PJ Tucker to be a lock at that 3 spot and play heavy minutes as he did late last season. Green might have to work hard for his part of the rotation; he'll be up against Shannon Brown and Bledsoe at the SG spot, while Tucker and Butler have that SF spot locked between them. Alex Len was a surprise in the draft, but from what I've read, he might still be nursing an injury.
Fantasy Prospects: I think Goran Dragic could be an early second round or even late first round pick in a deep league. He'll control the pace for the Suns, hit threes, and distribute the ball. You'll have to sacrifice turnovers, though. Gortat remains a good center to fill your roster, but don't expect crazy numbers from him. An upside, though, is that this Euro big can hit free throws efficiently, something that can't be said about all big men. If you're in need of a PF, you can flip a coin on the Morris twins as they'll likely produce almost identical numbers anyway. Bledsoe may be "freed", but I don't think he'll blow up as much as people expect him to. You can take the risk and prove me wrong though. Tucker was eligible for 3 spots last season, which is one of his most valuable assets in Fantasy leagues. His numbers won’t wow you, but his numbers are solid enough to be a complimentary player you can plug in from time to time. Channing Frye has said that he's healthy, and if that holds true, he should be worth an add on your fantasy roster.
Sacramento Kings
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| If he can stop being a jackass, he could be a fantasy beast |
Who they traded for: Luc Mbah A Moute, Greivis Vasquez
Who they lost: Toney Douglas, Tyreke Evans
Projected Starters: Greivis Vasquez, Marcus Thornton, Luc Mbah a Moute, Jason Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins
Bench Depth: Isaiah Thomas, Chuck Hayes, John Salmons, Carl Landry, Jimmer Fredette, Ben McLemore, Patrick Patterson, Travis Outlaw
This could be the most dysfunctional team in the West. DeMarcus Cousins is a mercurial player who's got all the talent in the world but can't always get his head in the game. If he can play to his potential and keep his off-court drama at a minimum, this team might win a lot more games than they did last year. They're in somewhat of a rebuild, much like Atlanta, having enough players to compete, but I think built best for a low seeding in the playoffs. Their backcourt consists of one of last year's breakout players in Greivis Vasquez, explosive scoring guard Marcus Thronton, undersized Isaiah Thomas, a young player still trying to get a better feel of the NBA-level in Jimmer Fredette, and rookie draft pick Ben McLemore. Their SF rotation is thin, with only John Salmons and Luc Mbah a Moute playing that spot, which makes it seem to me that they'll play some three-guard combinations from time to time..
Up front, they have Cousins and Jason Thompson to start, but they were able to pick up Carl Landry in free agency, and still have a couple of talented bigs in Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. They don't look that bad, but they don't look good enough to compete against the likes of Golden State or the Clippers, for example. Rookie NBA coach Mike Malone is going to have his hands full with this one.
Fantasy Prospects: DeMarcus Cousins is a Fantasy beast, but he's a complimentary big man to go support your first pick and not a player you'd build around on. Grievis Vasquez was a sneaky pick last year, so his stock might be better this year than last year. The guard rotation works well for him, as he looks like he's the best facilitator in the bunch. Luc Mbah a Moute could be a sneaky pick for an all-around contributor as he looks to have a lot of burn a that position, if only to compete with size of other teams. Marcus Thronton didn't blow up quite as much as a couple of seasons ago, but he'll still be able to light it up in some games, especially with the threat Vasquez brings to the table. Draft pundits were high on Ben McLemore, but considering their guard rotation, he could be a risky as your rookie pick. People were high on "Jimmer-mania" but he wasn't played as much in his rookie year. Jason Thompson won't hurt your team, and he could be a nice mid to late pick if you need rebounds. Hopefully, he's favored by Coach Malone, because he has some tough competition with the talented Patterson and the veteran Landry. Hayes might be the main backup for Cousins, and could be an attractive backup Center in deep leagues.
Utah Jazz
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| No longer just the first guy off the bench, Favors will be a force to reckon with in Utah |
Who they traded for: Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush
Who they lost: Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Earl Watson, Mo Williams, Randy Foye, Kevin Murphy
Projected Starters: John Lucas, Gordon Hayward, Marvin Williams, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter
Bench Depth: Alec Burks, Trey Burke, Rudy Gobert/Andris Biedrins, Brandon Rush, Richard Jefferson
The Jazz finally solved their frontcourt logjam. But they did so by letting go of their two starters. Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter now have the spotlight to themselves, and I have little doubt in my mind that they will delivere. Their main weakness last season was point guard spot, where Jamaal Tinsley was able to showcase his wares from time to time. This year, they added the explosive (though undersized) John Lucas III and rookie Trey Burke. They still have Alec Burks, who showed flashes of brilliance towards the end of the season last year. They also took in the bad contract of Andris Biedrins to make some trades work, making him the primary backup at Center.
As this is a rebuilding team, it wouldn't be surprising to see less of the newly acquired veterans from Golden State and more of the rookies they have in the roster. That said, I think Rudy Gobert could be a project the Jazz could work on.
Fantasy Prospects: Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter showed efficient stats as backups and as starters when one or both Jefferson and Millsap were injured. Now they get to do that full time, and it won't be surprising to see monster numbers from these two. Favors provides blocks, and has little negative compared to all the positives he can give your Fantasy team. Kanter is a nice Center to fill that spot. Rudy Gobert could be a sneaky rookie pick, considering the lack of bench depth at the frontcourt by the Jazz. Trey Burke should still be the top rookie prospect in this team, but Gobert could be a rookie no one would see coming. Burks may build on last year's success, while Gordon Hayward always provided and will still provide efficient stats.
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