Chris Paul to Clippers: Power Ranking Western Conference After Mammoth Trade
The biggest trade in the wildest week in NBA history has reportedly occurred, and Chris Paul is going west.
The Clippers have reportedly traded Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s unprotected first-round pick for the one they call CP3.
The move is sending shockwaves through the league, as the landscape has drastically been altered. How high can you expect the Clippers to finish in the Western Conference? Are they better than the Lakers now?
Here are the revised power rankings for the Western Conference now that Paul is a member of the Clippers:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are the deadliest duo in the league, and they are surrounded by a team full of youth and energy. Everybody knows their role on the team (well, maybe not Westbrook), and the team chemistry is off the charts.
After being the scoring champ, it’s time for Durant to take the next level and become the MVP.
2. San Antonio Spurs
Yes, the Spurs are old, and yes, they were shocked in the first round last year, but this is still the Spurs. They are more than capable of handling this grueling 66-game season because they know how much effort needed to exert on a nightly basis.
While I’m not promising postseason success, you can bet the Spurs are going to be all-in on what will likely be the last big season for the immortal Tim Duncan.
3. Dallas Mavericks
The champs lost Tyson Chandler and JJ Barea, but were able to bring in Lamar Odom, Vince Carter and Delonte West.
That’s a downgrade.
Mark Cuban has his eye on next summer’s free agent class, and the Mavs can use this season to enjoy being the champs and cruise to a second-round flameout.
4. Denver Nuggets
This team is 10 players deep, and with the re-signing of Nene, have one of the better big men in the conference.
Their depth is going to really come in handy in this grueling compact schedule. Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson are on the cusp of stardom, and they still have a Hall-of-Fame coach in George Karl.
5. LA Clippers
The Clippers make a big jump, but remember that this team was 30-52 last season. Adding Paul will certainly make them a much better team, yet now they now have a gaping hole at shooting guard without Eric Gordon.
Caron Butler was brought in to play small forward, and pairing him up with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan is going to be deadly.
But the concerns with CP3’s knees aren’t going away, and the culture of losing is going to be very hard to extinguish in the span of a condensed 66-game season with a grand total of 11 days of practice together before Christmas Day.
6. Memphis Grizzles
With Marc Gasol back on board, the young and hungry Grizz should pick up right where they left off last year when they shocked the Spurs in the first round and were oh-so-close to beating the Thunder in the second.
The young core alongside Zach Randolph is going to be incredibly tough to stop come playoff time.
7. LA Lakers
The nixed CP3 deal was a death sentence for LA.
The team morale is shot, and they lost Odom for practically nothing.
Kobe and Derek Fisher are getting old, Pau Gasol has lost all of his confidence and they haven’t addressed the point guard issues. They also have a new head coach in Mike Brown that has zero control of the team.
Then again, a Dwight Howard trade would vault them up a few spots.
8. Utah Jazz
I expect Enes Kanter to make a strong run for Rookie of the Year as the young and deep Jazz come on strong at the end of the year to steal the final playoff spot.
9. Portland Trail Blazers
They have gotten worse while almost every team in front of them has gotten better. That’s not good.
10. Phoenix Suns
Steve Nash is stuck, and the situation is so bad that not a single free agent has even thought about playing alongside the future Hall of Famer.
I don’t blame Grant Hill for bailing while he can.
11. Golden State Warriors
This is the year Stephen Curry becomes an All-Star, and I think nabbing Klay Thompson will certainly help them defensively, which is a foreign concept right now in the Bay Area.
12. Houston Rockets
From Pau Gasol and Nene to losing Chuck Hayes, this is the team most negatively impacted by the nixed CP3 deal
Thanks a lot, David Stern.
13. Sacramento Kings
Jimmer-mania will be a blast until his ankles are literally broken trying to guard Paul.
Too many scorers, not enough shots to go around.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves
The future is actually not too bad, but it’s going to take Ricky Rubio some time to adjust to the NBA and everything that comes with it.
Ditto for Derrick Williams.
15. New Orleans Hornets
This team is screwed. Nobody wants to play for them, and the scoring abilties of Gordon will only help so much.
No team is going to play in front of smaller crowds than the Hornets. Good luck selling the team, Stern!
