Heading into the start of the NBA preseason, we offer a team-by-team look, including projected starting lineups and what to watch for in October as each team sets their rotations for the start of the regular season.
Golden State Warriors
Possible Starters: PG Stephen Curry,
SG Monta Ellis, SF Reggie Williams, PF David Lee, C Andris Biedrins
Other key players: Charlie Bell, Jeremy Lin, Rodney Carney, Brandan Wright, Vladimir Radmanovic, Dorell Wright
Bounce-back
candidate: Andris Biedrins
Late-round
flier: Reggie Williams
Preseason
storylines: Ushering in the post-Nellie era in Golden State.
Fantasy
Analysis: The Warriors sent a big shockwave around the league just
prior to the opening of training camp by parting ways with Don Nelson,
who has been one of the most maddening coaches ever for Fantasy owners
due to his inconsistent rotations and lack of commitment to players. But
Nelson, headaches and all, has also been a friend to Fantasy owners
because of his reckless offensive approach and the way it generated
inflated numbers and created relevant Fantasy options out of unexpected
players. New coach Keith Smart announced his desire to make the Warriors
a more traditional team this season, which likely means an end to the
frenetic pace we have become accustomed to and an end to the video game
numbers that have been filling up Warriors box scores during the Nellie
era. But it also means a new sense of stability. Whomever wins out at
small forward in the preseason (our vote goes to Reggie Williams) will get a shot at consistent playing time and won't
go from playing 40 minutes one night to no playing time at all the next. Andris Biedrins, if healthy, could benefit from a more traditional
center role. With little depth behind him, Biedrins could be looking at
a return to his double-double numbers from a couple years ago.
Los Angeles Clippers
Possible Starters: PG Baron Davis,
SG Eric Gordon, SF Rasual Butler, PF Blake Griffin, C Chris Kaman
Other key players: Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes, Eric Bledsoe, Craig Smith, DeAndre Jordan, Al-Farouq Aminu
Potential
breakout: Blake Griffin
Potential
bust: Baron Davis
Preseason
storylines: What kind of shape are Baron Davis
and Blake Griffin in?
Fantasy
Analysis: The biggest storylines going into training camp for the
Clippers involve their two most important players and their health
heading into the regular season. Baron Davis
showed up to camp out of shape, according to new coach Vinny Del Negro,
and is reportedly dealing with nagging injuries to his knee and calf.
That's not a good start for a player who has battled injury problems
over the course of his career and has missed 24 games over the last two
seasons. While we aren't ready to call this an Albert Haynesworth/Mike
Shanahan scenario, it is evident that Davis and his new coach have not
gotten off to the best of starts and it will be worth monitoring to see
how coach and player cope in the month leading into the season. As for
Griffin, he reported to camp in excellent shape and seems to be ready to
put the injury that forced him to miss his entire rookie season behind
him. Parallels have been drawn between Griffin and Greg Oden, who has been a virtual non-factor due to injuries since
being the No. 1 overall pick in 2007. But Griffin's injury is said to be
fully healed and he won't be playing with the kinds of limits and
restrictions Oden has had to deal with in Portland. The preseason will
go a long way toward determining if Griffin can still be the player who
we think can average a solid 16-8-2 stat line if healthy.
Los Angeles Lakers
Possible Starters: PG Derek Fisher,
SG Kobe Bryant, SF Ron Artest, PF Pau Gasol, C Andrew Bynum
Other key players: Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff
Injury concern: Andrew Bynum
Late-round flier: Steve Blake
Preseason storylines: When will Andrew Bynum be ready to play?
Fantasy Analysis: The
defending champs will have to deal with a familiar problem going into
the season as the health of Andrew Bynum
stands to keep him out possibly for the entire first month of the
season. He is behind schedule after postponing knee surgery in the
offseason and likely won't be back until late November at the earliest.
Fantasy owners will want to pay close attention to how the team intends
to deal with the void at center. We anticipate a scenario where Lamar Odom steps in for major minutes at the power forward spot,
moving Pau Gasol back to center. The
Lakers don't have much depth at center behind Bynum and even if Theo Ratliff goes into the season as the starter, it will be in name
only. At 37 years of age, Ratliff isn't capable of playing big minutes.
That could leave some minutes open for other players to leave their
mark. At point guard, the addition of Steve Blake
could create some serious competition for Derek Fisher after years of being firmly entrenched as Kobe Bryant's quiet sidekick in the backcourt. Blake is an excellent
passer who doesn't need to handle the ball much to make an impact and
any kind of significant playing time in the triangle offense could lead
to nice numbers in the assist category. Fisher has never been much a
Fantasy option, so Fantasy owners should be rooting for Blake here.
Phoenix Suns
Possible Starters: PG Steve Nash,
SG Jason Richardson, SF Grant Hill, PF Hedo Turkoglu, C Robin Lopez
Other key players: Channing Frye, Josh Childress, Jared Dudley, Hakim Warrick, Goran Dragic
Bounceback candidate: Hedo Turkoglu
Late-round flier: Josh Childress
Preseason storylines: Who steps up with Amare Stoudemire gone?
Fantasy Analysis: The Suns will have
about 25 points and 9 rebounds per game up for grabs after Amare Stoudemire made the move to New York this summer. Exactly how
those numbers will be absorbed this season remains to be determined, but
newcomers Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick
could each play a part. Coach Alvin Gentry has admitted that he will
have to spend the entire preseason trying to figure out rotations that
work and trying to fit new pieces together, so Fantasy owners will have
to pay extra attention for signs of potential breakout candidates. One
player who could be in for a resurgent season as a result is Turkoglu,
who is coming off a down year in a Toronto system he never really fit
into. His Fantasy stock has taken a big hit, but Turkoglu remains a very
versatile player who can contribute across the board in all the major
categories. Under the right conditions, a return to the 19-6-5 stat line
he averaged in 2007-08 while with the Magic may not be far fetched.
Childress, who averaged a decent 12-5-2 stat line in 2007-08 with the
Hawks before following dollar signs to Greece, is an interesting wild
card.
Sacramento Kings
Possible Starters: PG Beno Udrih,
SG Tyreke Evans, SF Omri Casspi, PF DeMarcus Cousins, C Samuel Dalembert
Other key players: Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Francisco Garcia, Donte Greene, Darnell Jackson
Position battle to watch: Small forward
Potential
bust: Carl Landry
Preseason
storylines: How big of an impact will DeMarcus Cousins make as a rookie?
Fantasy Analysis: The Kings
will be looking for a much better perimeter presence this season and Omri Casspi will have to battle Donte Greene
in the preseason for the starting small forward job. Sacramento was one
of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, so the player who can
establish himself in that area could have an edge there. Both players
could play good minutes, but the player to win the starting job will
clearly have the edge in Fantasy. At power forward, DeMarcus Cousins will play a big part in whether or not Carl Landry will be able to repeat the numbers he posted in a
breakout season last year. Landry proved last year in Houston that he
can still be a major stat producer off the bench, but things could be a
bit crowded at the four this year if Cousins is ready to take on a major
role. The Kings looked to add some size in the offseason and the
addition of Cousins, Samuel Dalembert
and Darnell Jackson along with the
presence of Jason Thompson could water
things down some.
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