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F Duke

08-29-2003, 07:06 PM

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Has anyone ever had a better summer than Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak?

For a mere six million dollars, Kupchak added two future Hall of Famers, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, to a team that already has the two most dominant players in the league, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Write off Kupchak's miracle all you want. Sure, it's a short-term fix. We'll give you that neither Payton nor Malone is in his prime. Yes, the Lakers' mystique allowed him to pull something off that no other team could've accomplished. Still, you have to hand it to Kupchak. He understood what Malone and Payton desired and he was in a position to give it to them.

While other prognosticators (including me) were urging him to sign role players like Juwan Howard or P. J. Brown, Kupchak was thinking big. Sixty wins next season wasn't enough to rectify a disappointing 2002 campaign. Kupchak wanted to dominate one of the toughest conferences in all of sports. Seventy wins isn't out of the question this year. Anything less than a NBA title will be a disaster.

The Lakers have rewritten the playbook on how to lock and load in the summer. The Kings, T-Wolves, Spurs and Mavs? Nice moves, but all in desperation.

The only thing that can stop the Lakers? Themselves. A Kobe rape conviction. A Payton hissy fit. A Malone ego surge. A Shaq toe stub.

The Lakers aren't invincible. But they're pretty damn close.

Today, Insider wraps up our grades special with the Pacific Division. Next week I'll be in Africa with Tony Ronzone and a delegation of NBA players and coaches checking out the top 100 young prospects in the continent.

Also see: Atlantic Grades | Central Grades | Midwest Grades

Los Angeles Lakers
Key Additions: Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Brian Cook, Luke Walton
Key Subtractions: Robert Horry, Samaki Walker, Mark Madsen
Roster breakdown: Lakers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: The Lakers take losing hard. In the aftermath of an embarrassing second-round defeat, GM Mitch Kupchak didn't try to just add some depth. He added two Hall of Famers, giving the Lakers arguably the most impressive starting four of any team in the last 15 years. To make matters worse for Western Conference teams, they also had a stellar draft, adding versatile forward Cook and Walton, who many scouts claimed was the best passer in the draft. It's not often a team fixes its short-term situation and bolsters its future prospects. The Lakers did both this summer. Whatever you think of them, it's hard to come up with a team that's had a better summer. Now, if Kobe can just stay out of jail.

Grade: A+
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Sacramento Kings
Key Additions: Brad Miller, Anthony Peeler, Tony Massenburg
Key Subtractions: Keon Clark, Hedo Turkoglu, Scot Pollard
Roster breakdown: Kings Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: The Kings couldn't sit idly by and watch the Lakers stock up. Their most pressing need was down the road. The team knows that Vlade Divac has only one or two good years left in him. Credit the Maloof brothers for taking the initiative and grabbing the best center left on the free-agent market now before disaster strikes. How will Miller fit in this year? That's less important than how he'll fit in next year when Divac comes off the books.

Grade: B
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Phoenix Suns
Key Additions: Zarko Cabarkapa, Leandrinho Barbosa
Key Subtractions: None
Roster breakdown: Suns Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: The Suns were one of the pleasant surprises of 2002. This year, they appear poised to make some noise in the West. The team has young players at every position, but used the draft to bolster its small forward and point guard positions. If Cabarkapa's play in the summer league and Barbosa's play at the Olympic qualifying tournament are any indications, the Suns are fortifying their lock on the label of best up-and-coming team in the NBA. If they could move Tom Gugliotta now (his contract expires this summer) for a little more depth, their grade moves up to an "A".

Grade: B-
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Los Angeles Clippers
Key Additions: Chris Kaman, Eddie House
Key Subtractions: Lamar Odom, Michael Olowokandi, Andre Miller, Eric Piatkowski
Roster breakdown: Clippers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: The good news is Donald Sterling forked out a record $124 million to re-sign Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. The bad news is that he balked at paying Gilbert Arenas and Odom what it took to build a young dream team in L.A. Brand and Maggette are good starts. But without Odom (albeit his contract was a huge risk) and Arenas (they should've thrown the cash at him) the team is still a player or two away from being a serious contender for the playoffs. Oh well, at just a $35 million payroll this year, Sterling should turn another profit this season.

Grade: C+
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Seattle Supersonics
Key Additions: Nick Collison, Luke Ridnour, Antonio Daniels
Key Subtractions: Elden Campbell, Kevin Ollie
Roster breakdown: Sonics Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: The Sonics made their big move in February, trading Gary Payton to Milwaukee for Ray Allen. The team's biggest need, power forward, was addressed in the draft, but Collison won't be enough to turn the Sonics' fortunes around in the paint. Daniels should be a pretty good fit at point guard, but until the Sonics find a way to package one of their incredibly overpaid centers with Brent Barry for a legit power forward, they're just too weak up front to make any sort of run in the West.

Grade: C
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Golden State Warriors
Key Additions: Nick Van Exel, Clifford Robinson, Mickael Pietrus, Speedy Claxton
Key Subtractions: Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Earl Boykins, Danny Fortson
Roster breakdown: Warriors Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: There's a lot of debate about the Warriors' big moves this summer. If you believe that Van Exel will play like an all-star, second-year forward Mike Dunleavy will bloom, and Robinson and rookie Mickael Pietrus will solve the Warriors' defensive woes, then they probably deserve a higher grade. If any one of those factors fails to happen, however, the Warriors are in trouble. Losing Arenas was a major blow. Compounding it by dumping Jamison and Boykins probably will make things worse. As it stands, it seems impossible that the Warriors can keep up the scoring pace they set last year. Given that the team is still terrible defensively, that can't be a good thing.

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Grade: C-

Portland Trail Blazers
Key Additions: Travis Outlaw
Key Subtractions: Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis, Antonio Daniels
Roster breakdown: Blazers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: Poor John Nash. He takes one of the most coveted jobs in the league only to find out that his free-spending owner has now turned into a fiscal conservative. Nash was supposed to clean house, but so far, all he's done is let three of the Blazers top citizens walk away. The team undoubtedly still has talent, but with five teams in the West all making major advances, is this the year the Blazers finally slip out of the playoffs? Things got much tougher out West and Outlaw won't be enough to counter the moves by the Lakers, Kings, Spurs, Mavs and T-Wolves .

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Grade: D

The San Antonio Express News is reporting that Danny Ferry will return to the Spurs as the director of basketball operations.

Right now, Ferry is still the property of the Pacers. However, his contract is non guaranteed. The Pacers are trying to use Ferry's contract as part of a trade, but if nothing materializes in the next month, they won't pick up the option and Ferry will be free to go.