2007-08 NBA Preview: Pacific Division

With Derek Fisher’s arrival, Smush Parker's departure, and Jordan Farmar's having a year of experience under his belt, the Laker offense should run more smoothly.

Fisher and Farmar will relieve Kobe of having to bring the ball up the court. Instead, expect to see more motion from the Laker offense, and a greater degree of variety as to where Kobe catches the ball and what he does with it.

Every other plus the Lakers have is accompanied by a minus.

Luke Walton remains a useful shooter, passer, and enabler who knows how to find seams in the triangle. Chris Mihm is another player who knows how to find room in the triangle to get off hooks and short jumpers.

Unfortunately, both players are unathletic defensive liabilities, and Mihm is a soft rebounder.

Lamar Odom is a talented baseline scorer, but Odom has always been soft, and he’s always worked best in one-on-one situations.

He often looks purposeless in the triangle.

Andrew Bynum is young and incredibly talented—not to mention immature and inexperienced. Whatever talents Kwame Brown has are negated by his poor work ethic, clumsy hands, and nonexistent defensive skills.

Vladimir Radmanovic and Brian Cook are both tall three-point shooters. Those are the only real skills either possesses.

If the Lakers can somehow mesh behind Kobe, they could win a playoff series or two.

But if Kobe can’t lead the team and if the supporting cast can’t get in line, the Lakers may find themselves watching the playoffs on television.

 

3) Golden State Warriors

Don’t be fooled by Golden State’s stunning first-round upset over Dallas in last season’s playoffs—the Warriors are still an all-offense, no-defense, run-amok ball club.

And while those teams are very entertaining and can win their fair share of games, they also tend to be very inconsistent.

Baron Davis is the team’s most important player. Davis is more physical than any point guard in the league, and can dominate smaller guards using his strength. He’s also athletic enough that he doesn’t need a screen to beat defenders off the dribble.

That said, Davis has always been a streaky player, only looks to pass when it will register an assist, and is a selfish, score-first point guard.

Stephen Jackson is another streaky scorer who looks to shoot first, last, and always. Like Davis, Jackson is both strong and athletic. He's always been a good individual defender because of his strength and his pride, but his concept of team defense (or team anything) is lacking.

Monta Ellis and Matt Barnes are undisciplined yet dynamic scorers with tremendous athleticism. Barnes is an ideal change of pace as a sixth man—but with Jason Richardson gone, he may end up as the starting shooting guard.

Whether Barnes succeeds in a starting role—or whether the Warriors offense lacks punch with him in the first five—is a topic to pay attention to.

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