The Northwest is without a doubt the weakest division in the NBA. The top spot will likely come down to a battle between Denver and Utah, with the possibility of the loser not even making the playoffs. With the new, and corrected, playoff seeding format the division winner could very well lose in the first round once again. It was a tough decision as to which team to put first here as each had major injury problems that affected things big time last year, but in the end I decided to go with the defending division champs.
Denver Nuggets – Last season did not start out well for the Nuggets. Nene injured his knee in the first game and was lost for the season and the injury bug seemed to fly around the team all year as Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, and Earl Boykins each missed over 25% of Denver’s season. The Nuggets were one of only five teams in the NBA last season that averaged over 100 ppg (100.3) but they also had the #23 defense that allowed 100.1 ppg. The offense soared in the Mile High air, averaging 103.8 ppg while on the road they only put up 96.9 ppg with that 6.9 difference being the largest home/away difference in the league. Denver has the makings of one of the NBA’s top front lines with Carmelo Anthony, Martin, Camby and Nene but they have not been able to stay healthy. The guards look to be decent in Andre Miller, addition JR Smith and Boykins. Overall the Nuggets have the makings of a playoff team, but George Karl will have to get them to play better defense this season if they have any hope of getting out of the first round.
Utah Jazz – Interestingly, the team fighting with the Nuggets for the top spot in the Northwest is a polar opposite. Denver was the 5th highest scoring team last year while Utah was the 5th lowest at 92.4 ppg, but the Jazz were 9th defensively, allowing 95.0 ppg, while the Nuggets were ranked #23. Also, the Jazz was smooth both home and away, averaging 92.3 & 92.4 respectively. Utah paid a lot of money for Carlos Boozer to leave Cleveland but he has spent much of his time in street clothes due to injuries. His staying healthy is key as can be seen by the last 19 games last season that he started where he averaged 21 pts, 10 rebounds and the Jazz were 11-8 and while not the greatest of winning percentages 58% gives them a solid shot at the playoffs. They have a solid front line in Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur to go along with Boozer, and although the guards are average the addition of Derek Fisher should help production. Jerry Sloan keeps things on an even keel night in and night out and gets everything out of the talent he has on hand. Barring a total collapse, Sloan this season will become only the 5th coach in NBA history to have 1,000 wins.
Minnesota Timberwolves - Hard to believe a team with a player as talented as Kevin Garnett could fall so far so fast, but last season the T-Pups finished 16 games under .500 and were a pathetic 9-32 on the road. A key factor this season is the coaching situation. Well aware that the NBA is the quintessential player's league, but coaching still can have an impact, especially a negative one. Dwane Casey is only entering the second season of a five year deal and as such heads were turned with the hiring of Randy Whittman as an assistant coach in the off-season. Whittman was an assistant here under Flip Saunders and was edged out by Casey for the head job last season, so there are a lot of questions as to how quick a hook GM Kevin McHale will have if the Wolves stumble out of the blocks. This has to weigh on the psyche of the players as those that may not by into Casey’s schemes may figure they can wait for a change and be part of the problem instead of everyone working toward a solution. The Timberwolves added Mike James via free agency and Randy Foye through in hopes of rebuilding around Garnett, that is if he decides to stay, as this could be his last season here. Garnett, James, Foye and Ricky Davis give the team what looks to be a solid scoring foursome, however they are very thin in the middle and have little depth past the starters. Don’t see everyone getting on the same page quick enough, and constant talk of Garnett going elsewhere will make this yet another non-playoff season.
Seattle Supersonics – The good news was that Seattle's offense, as you would expect in the coffee capital of the country, was quite "perky" last season, averaging an impressive 102.6 ppg (second best in the league), including 105.1 ppg at home. The bad news is the defense was as stale as three day old java, as that Sonics were dead last in the NBA defensively, allowing an incredible 105.6 ppg. As such, it not hard to understand why they finished 35-47 and missed the playoffs only a year after winning the division title. There are a lot of off the court questions for Seattle at this point as they were bought by a group of investors from Oklahoma City. The overall feeling is when the New Orleans franchise relocates full time back to the Big Easy that this team will be moved to Oklahoma City, as OKC has supported the Hornets well. On the court, this team lives to outscore its opponent led by Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis who averaged 25.1 and 20.1 last year. They also love the three point arc led by Allen who set an NBA record with 269 last year which was 70 more than the #2 scorer. The Sonics are thin in the middle and as noted not very good on defense. Have to think with a move likely there will be a lack of fan support so see a difficult last season in Seattle as once again the Sonics miss the playoffs.
Portland Trail Blazers – This once proud franchise has floundered on and off the court the past few seasons and last year was the worst team in the entire NBA. Unfortunately, they couldn’t flush the roster and start from the beginning. They were very busy on draft day with trades and selections, and while I have often wondered what the Blazers management was thinking most of the time recently, felt they were unjustly raked over the coals by the media (yes you Greg Anthony) that night. They needed to dramatically turn things around, not just do some minor shuffling, and they accomplished that goal. Blazers still need to try and find a taker for Darius Miles as his constant lack of team play will only hurt the growth of the youngsters and any hope for the group overall to gel eventually into a cohesive unit. Portland has a pretty good front line and is solid if unspectacular at the center spot. The backcourt is young and talented but will take time to have constant production. The odds are good that once again the Blazers will end up with the worst record in the NBA, however they are at least beginning to move in the right direction.
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