It’s a great thing for the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks that neither team will ever be realigned to the Western Conference, especially now. The conference is top heavy with elite teams that will have battles during the postseason commensurate of championship caliber games.
On the top are the world champion Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs, who ended last season at one and two in their division. Then, there’s the Houston Rockets, who added guard Chris Paul who defected from the L.A. Clippers, a four seed last year. The Oklahoma Thunder, last year’s six seed, bolstered their roster, led by Russell Westbrook with all-star forward Paul George from the Indiana Pacers, with Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks at the start of training camp.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, who landed at the bottom of the conference standings, have also made substantial improvements. Joining Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Wiggins is Jimmy Butler in a trade made with the Chicago Bulls. Jeff Teague and veterans Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson were added as well.
The Lakers drafted high this season, picking up highly touted rookies Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma was a standout in the NBA’s Summer League. The Lakers also made a trade with Brooklyn during the offseason for the Nets’ nine-year center, Brook Lopez. Lopez brings his 19-plus points per game and ability to shoot threes to a Lakers’ franchise that has had a history of great big men: Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabba rand Shaquille O’Neal.
Like the Clippers, who were a four seed last season, the Utah Jazz, a five, lost player Gordon Hayward to the Boston Celtics in free agency. They’ll have much to prove with key losses of personnel. Can they hold their positions or will they drop down in the standings?
Barring a major injury, there’s no question that the Warriors and Spurs will stay at the top of the Western Conference, but how far will they go in the postseason? Can the Warriors repeat? Can they withstand burnout? They’ve already opened the season with a 122-121 at home loss to the Rockets Tuesday night. Perhaps a team will figure them out, end their reign, but which one?
