NBA 2008-09 Pacific Division Preview

The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns didn’t want to wait until the summer to make big changes. Both teams chose to act before last season’s trade deadline. One team used their new toy to make it all the way to the NBA Finals. The other flamed out in the first round. This summer the other three teams in the Pacific Division felt the need to shake things up. The Kings did so by sacrificing this season in a bid to accelerate their rebuilding plan. The Clippers and Warriors did it by spending free agent dollars and waving goodbye to familiar faces. All that being said, here’s a preview of the 2008-09 Pacific Division, starting with the team that I think will finish in last place: 5) Sacramento Kings The Kings looked like they had dodged a bullet when Ron Artest chose not to opt out and return for another year. Artest, on the advice of his agent, thought that there wasn’t much of a market and he couldn’t have been more wrong. Thinking that it was the ... (link)