Kyle Stack reviews the Pacific Division teams to identify the fantasy studs and pretenders. What a wild off-season it has been for the Pac-5 (give it time; it'll catch on). The Lakers are fresh off a disappointing visit to the NBA Finals, the Kings made their inevitable trade of Ron Artest (SF, HOU) to the Rockets, the Suns lost their head coach (and simultaneously, their identity), and the Warriors and Clippers did their best impression of an NBA version of the ABC show Wife Swap, essentially signing each other's top player. There's been a coaching change with one team and dramatic roster changes with a couple others, so let's take a look at how the Pacific Division shapes up. PACIFIC DIVISION FANTASY PLAYERS OF NOTE
Monta Ellis (PG/SG, GSW) - Injured
Corey Maggette (SG/SF, GSW)
Baron Davis (PG, LAC)
Kobe Bryant (SG, LAL)
Pau Gasol (PF/C, LAL)
Steve Nash (PG, PHX)
Amare Stoudemire (PF/C, PHX)
Kevin Martin (SG, SAC) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS KEY ADDITIONS
Corey Maggette (SG/SF, GSW)
Marcus Williams (PG/SG, GSW) KEY LOSSES
Baron Davis (PG, LAC) TOP FANTASY OPTIONS
Corey Maggette (SG/SF, GSW)
Stephen Jackson (SG/SF, GSW)
Monta Ellis (PG/SG, GSW) - Injured BREAKOUT PLAYER
Marcus Williams (PG/SG, GSW)
With Monta Ellis out for at least the first month of the regular season, Williams will get his first extended starting role as he enters his third season. He was once projected as Jason Kidd’s (PG, DAL) eventual replacement on the Nets, so you know the kid has talent. Now he has the chance to show it. BIGGEST BUST
Al Harrington (PF/C, GSW)
Harrington is getting lost in the roster shuffle. Golden State’s playoff chances took two major hits with the loss of point guard Baron Davis and an injury to starting guard Monta Ellis. By mid-season, head coach Don Nelson could be more apt to play young forwards Anthony Randolph (SF/PF, GSW) and Brandan Wright (SF/PF, GSW), rather than the old veteran Harrington, who averaged about five fewer minutes last season than in his half-season with the Warriors in 2006-07. LORENZO'S SENSE AND CENTS:
THE PACIFIC DIVISION | There are several power players here in the Pacific Division. Kobe Bryant and Amare Stoudemire should be in your top-four overall. I also think you have a couple of fantasy stars in the making here in Kevin Martin and Andrew Bynum. Steve Nash is still a fantasy superstar, though he should be looked at later in the second round, because there is talk that Nash is only going to play a maximum of 70 games this year. The dynamic duo of Baron Davis and Marcus Camby offer two opposite ends of the fantasy spectrum. Davis is a top scoring and passing option, while Camby provides a spectacular defensive and rebounding option. This year, I like these guys to perform well: Al Thornton, Francisco Garcia, Matt Barnes, and Kelenna Azubuike. Some players I would stay away from are Brad Miller (on his way down), Chris Kaman (his value is too high), and Corey Maggette (he hasn't played in 82 games in his nine year career). | | By Tom Lorenzo, RotoExperts Staff Writer. |
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
PG: Monta Ellis (once he returns from a knee injury), Marcus Williams
SG: Stephen Jackson, Marco Belinelli
SF: Corey Maggette, Kelenna Azubuike
PF: Al Harrington, Brandan Wright
C: Andris Biedrins, Ronny Turiaf LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS KEY ADDITIONS
Baron Davis (PG, LAC)
Marcus Camby (PF/C, LAC)
Eric Gordon (SG, LAC) KEY LOSSES
Elton Brand (PF/C, PHI)
Corey Maggette (SG/SF, GSW) TOP FANTASY OPTIONS
Baron Davis (PG, LAC)
Marcus Camby (PF/C, LAC)
Chris Kaman (C, LAC) BREAKOUT PLAYER
Al Thornton (SF/PF, LAC)
Thornton finished his rookie year with a flurry, scoring 20 or more points in three of his final four games and increasing his scoring average by nearly five points (to 16.0) after the All-Star Break. Now that SG/SF Corey Maggette has flocked northward to the Bay Area, Thornton will be looked upon to replace his scoring. BIGGEST BUST
Ricky Davis (SG/SF, LAC)
Tricky Ricky could fool fantasy owners into thinking he can reach the 19.4 points-per-game he scored with the Celtics and T-wolves in 2005-06 -- he can't. Davis averaged just 13.8 points-per-game in a full-time role with the Heat last season, even with Dwyane Wade (PG/SG, MIA) out for much of the year. Davis won't have as many scoring opportunities with Baron Davis, Cuttino Mobley (SG, LAC), and Al Thornton running the floor. PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
PG: Baron Davis, Jason Williams
SG: Cuttino Mobley, Eric Gordon
SF: Al Thornton, Ricky Davis
PF: Marcus Camby, Tim Thomas
C: Chris Kaman, Brian Skinner LOS ANGELES LAKERS KEY ADDITIONS
None KEY LOSSES
None TOP FANTASY OPTIONS
Kobe Bryant (SG, LAL)
Pau Gasol (PF/C, LAL) BREAKOUT PLAYER
Andrew Bynum (C, LAL)
Some might consider last season to have been Bynum's breakout year, when he averaged 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds-per-game. However, he did it in just 35 games, 25 of which were starts, so it remains to be seen whether the talented big man can post double-figures over an entire season. Well, he can, and this is the year he does it, possibly landing on the All-Star team. BIGGEST BUST
Lamar Odom (SF/PF, LAL)
We've seen Odom play with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, but never with both at the same time. Between Gasol's 8.4 rebounds-per-game and Bynum's figure of 10.2 last season, you suspect Odom will average below 10 boards per game. And with his projected role as the fourth scorer in the Lakers offense (behind Bynum, Gasol, and Olympic gold medalist Kobe Bryant), you can't expect as many double-doubles from Odom. PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
PG: Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar
SG: Kobe Bryant, Sasha Vujacic
SF: Lamar Odom, Luke Walton
PF: Pau Gasol, Vladimir Radmanovic
C: Andruw Bynum, Chris Mihm PHOENIX SUNS KEY ADDITIONS
Matt Barnes (SF, PHX) KEY LOSSES
None TOP FANTASY OPTIONS
Steve Nash (PG, PHX)
Amare Stoudemire (PF/C, PHX)
Shaquille O'Neal (C, PHX) BREAKOUT PLAYER
Matt Barnes (SF, PHX)
Well, he did average 36.6 percent shooting from three-point land in 2006-07. That number fell to 29.3 percent last season, but his newfound home, Barnes should swing back his percentage to a respectable number. All those postups from Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal will give Barnes plenty of open looks to spot-up for trifectas. BIGGEST BUST
Leandro Barbosa (PG, PHX)
Barbosa was the perfect fit in ex-head coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo scheme, but now, Barbosa will have to search for points in what is expected to be more of a half-court offense. Stoudemire and O'Neal should expect to see the ball more, making Leandro work harder for his points. And that'll make fantasy owners clamor for the Barbosa of Phoenix's run-and-gun days. PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
PG: Steve Nash, Gorgan Dragic
SG: Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa
SF: Grant Hill, Matt Barnes
PF: Amare Stoudemire, Boris Diaw
C: Shaquille O'Neal, Robin Lopez SACRAMENTO KINGS KEY ADDITIONS
Bobby Jackson (PG, SAC) KEY LOSSES
Ron Artest (SF, HOU) TOP FANTASY OPTIONS
Kevin Martin (SG, SAC)
Brad Miller (C, SAC) BREAKOUT PLAYER
Spencer Hawes (C, SAC)
The easy choice for breakout player would be either John Salmons (SG/SF, SAC) or Francisco Garcia (SG/SF, SAC), but you already know that the team here at RotoExperts doesn't take the easy way out. In 2007-08, Hawes averaged only 4.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest in a shade over 13 minutes per game, but the 10th overall pick from the 2007 draft has a big frame (7 feet, 245 pounds) and showed promise once he was given more playing time in April. In eight games as a starter, Hawes averaged 11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and over a block per game in nearly 32 minutes per contest. Not bad for a rookie who many still feel is very raw. Considering the Kings might look more like the Queens this season, and with a run for the playoffs unlikely, Hawes could see extended playing time earlier in the year. Andrew Bynum might not be the only promising young big man in the Pac-5 BIGGEST BUST
Beno Udrih (PG, SAC)
Before trading for Davis, the Clippers were looking to sign Udrih to a very, very expensive contract. Sounds like the same old Clippers, but the Kings inexplicably wrapped up Udrih to a very, very expensive contract instead. Beno averaged only 4.3 assists-per-game in a near full-time point guard role, and his 12.8 points-per-game won't get him on the front page of the Sacramento Bee sports section every morning. Don't let his big-time contract convince you that he's a big-time player. PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
PG: Beno Udrih, Bobby Jackson
SG: Kevin Martin, Quincy Douby
SF: John Salmons, Francisco Garcia
PF: Mikki Moore, Kenny Thomas
C: Brad Miller, Spencer Hawes PACIFIC DIVISION FANTASY MVP
First Seat: Kobe Bryant (SG, LAL)
Second Seat: Amare Stoudemire (PF/C, PHX) PACIFIC DIVISION FANTASY BUST OF THE YEAR
First Seat: Lamar Odom (SF/PG, LAL)
Second Seat: Leandro Barbosa (PG, PHX) Golden State's situation will take some monitoring, because Monta Ellis' knee injury will keep him out for at least the first month of the regular season. Who's going to replace his scoring? Mike D'Antoni leaving Phoenix to coach the Knicks will rock the Suns' boat, as new head coach Terry Porter will introduce a slower-paced offense. Expect the team's three-point shooting to take a hit. In Los Angeles, the frontcourt duo of Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman should pull in plenty of rebounds, but the development of Al Thornton could be the most intriguing story. Oh yeah, Baron Davis is back in his hometown, but homecomings don't always end on good terms - see Stephon Marbury (PG, NYK). And, of course, a healthy Andrew Bynum joins Paul Gasol and Lamar Odom as a very intriguing piece to the Lakers' frontcourt puzzle. Points and rebounds may be spread out enough to drive down all three players' fantasy values. Sacramento is by-and-large a fantasy wasteland, Brad Miller's possible double-double averages and Kevin Martin's scoring notwithstanding. Kyle Stack is still bumming from the Lakers' collapse in the NBA Finals, but a new season brings new promise. The Lakers' standing as a title contender, along with the changing of a couple teams' identities should make the Pac-5 an exciting division. E-mail Kyle at
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