The Hoops Habit Podcast concludes its NBA divisional summer review series by looking at the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.
Michael Dugger and the Hoops Habit Podcast put a cap on the NBA divisional summer review series by dissecting the roster moves and expectation of the teams in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. This division added the best player in the world and had only one team make the playoffs in 2017-18 — the one that just so happened to win the NBA championship.
The Golden State Warriors remain overwhelming favorites to capture their third-straight NBA title, and adding a perennial All-Star in DeMarcus Cousins does nothing but add to their riches of talent. But is the Boogie signing worth the publicity it received? Will he be part of their closing five? Regardless, it was an easy call for the champs to make (0:51).
Next up is the pesky Los Angeles Clippers, who finished with a solid record of 42-40 last season. They lost DeAndre Jordan to free agency, but added a pair of guards in the 2018 NBA Draft that gives this team a strong core for the future while maintaining a large portion of their core veterans to make them a playoff contender in the present (8:05).
The team everybody will have their eyes fixated on is the Los Angeles Lakers. They signed LeBron James, brought in a quadrant of interesting veterans and boast one of the strongest young cores in all of the NBA. I try to contain my excitement for this team, but it’s tough to do when projecting their style of play and the number of lineups they can deploy (13:50).
We head north from Los Angeles to look at the Sacramento Kings‘ weird summer moves. I understand adding another blue-blood player in Marvin Bagley III, but why use a top draft choice on a project big man when you have Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and the emerging Harry Giles on your roster already? Only the Kings (20:25).
The Pacific Division summer review conclude with the Phoenix Suns, who have plenty of young talent, another new coach at the helm and yet still confuse me. They fired their general manager, traded for a terrible contract and signed veterans that signal their desire for immediate playoff contention. Doubt it happens (24:40).