As always, Kevin Durant is stylish and balling
Recent shakeups in the West have meant that the race for the final three playoff spots in the conference have been heating up. Houston, New Orleans, Minnesota, Sacramento, and Phoenix are five playoff locks, leading to a 6-8 scramble. There's teams that are rising and those who are free-falling relative to their positions earlier in the season as a result of various moves by the squads. We'll examine the current risers and fallers, seeing where each has taken their trajectory up or down.
Falling (In order of current Winning %)
Utah Jazz (26-28 - Currently 6th)
The trade that shipped Derrick Favors and Tyler Ennis for Damian Lillard keeps looking worse and worse. Since that deal, the Jazz have careened to a 7-13 (.350) mark, which has taken them from challengers to the Northwest crown all the way to in danger of falling out of the playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers passed on a T.J. McConnell for Lillard trade, believing Lillard to be a player who hurts a team more than he helps, and so far, that's proven accurate. Trevor Ariza was recently brought in to shore up the perimeter defense, but will that be enough to save Utah's playoffs hopes? Or will they crash to the lottery, capping off yet another season where their talent failed to produce expected results? In actuality, the issue may be more about the loss of Favors than it is anything else - no other legitimate power forwards exist on the roster after his exit.
San Antonio Spurs (25-28 - Currently 7th)
Most pundits predicted the Spurs would freefall after dealing Kevin Durant for the high potential duo of Marcus Smart and Stanley Johnson, Jr (the former needs to get into Weight Watchers like yesterday), and early returns seem to suggest exactly that, with a 3-6 (.333) record through the first nine games. Once Smart loses weight and Johnson refines his game, this team will be in a better position to upgrade - likely a couple of seasons from now - but until then, indications are strong that they'll fall into the lottery after having been a Durant only team this last few years.
Golden State Warriors (22-33 - Currently 10th)
Once upon a time the Warriors were above .500 and looking like a playoff lock. But then the wheels fell off. Stephen Curry is putting up roughly his usual numbers, but has been remarkably inconsistent this season, despite the aggregate numbers pointing to only a slight down year overall (on par with his 2014-15 numbers). But the fact of the matter is, outside of Curry, they have no one capable of shooting 38% from jumper range (until adding Dwayne Wade in the most recent trade). They also rank in the bottom third of the league in turnovers, turnovers forced, and points scored. Having Joel Embiid shoot 38.8% isn't helping matters either - further fueling speculation that he's a bust. While adding Wade and Wesley Matthews is intended to improve the offense with jump shooting and 3 point shooting respectively, it won't help the myriad of other issues that will keep the Warriors on the outside looking in. They've had several interesting offers for Curry, but didn't cash in, and it looks like that's a decision that will continue to haunt a team with two #1 picks on their roster.
Rising (In order of current winning %)
Memphis Grizzlies (24-30) (Currently 8th)
At the beginning of the season, there was Goran Dragic and Mike Conley, Jr. Then, after the Grizzlies didn't have the start they expected, they shipped both players out and also moved Terrence Ross to transform into a gritty, grinding Grizzlies group. Since those January 1st moves that brought in Gary Harris they've gone 13-11 overall, but their playoff appearance isn't a lock - they've gone 4-7 since Vince Hunter was lost for the year to injury and have lost three straight - including to one of the league's worst teams in the Thunder. Still, in a tight race, they could still eke it out.
Los Angeles Clippers (24-31) (Currently 9th)
Brilliant masterwork by blackice in salvaging a horrible season. He managed to ship out bloated contracts in Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and the CSL's worst contract, Taj Gibson, and brought in Dion Waiters, Amir Johnson, Dario Saric, and Isiah Thomas, thereby giving the Clippers a much tougher, deeper defensive team that rides its bench mob and better overall fitting pieces to 8 straight victories. A mere half-game behind the Grizzlies for the 8th seed, there's no question they'll be going to the playoffs, as their depth makes them far more injury resistant than before. The consensus favorite for Second Half GM of the Year along with Indiana for the turnaround.
Portland Trailblazers (20-33) (Currently 11th)
6-4 since adding Kevin Durant. There's no accident they've lost 2 straight with Durant injured, but once he's healthy, expect him and his 41.2 PPG since donning a Blazers uniform to carry Portland to the playoffs alongside the Clippers. Of course, his continued health will be critical - should he get hurt again, that puts a significant dent in the playoff hopes, especially given that they're chasing a fair number of teams. Unlike the star power for fit and defense that the Grizzlies and Clippers did, the Blazers went the opposite course - adding one of the Top 5 players in the league to assure their ascendancy.
Los Angeles Lakers (19-34) (Currently 12th)
Like Memphis and the other LA team, the Lakers concentrated on building a defensive squad, picking up Chandler Parsons and Victor Oladipo in trades, and adding more shooting accuracy in the frontcourt by trading for Julius Randle. Randle's been a double-double machine, and the Purple and Gold's new pressure defense has translated into a 5-5 record for February, including a 3 game winning streak (3-2 overall since Oladipo's arrival). Their chances of making the playoffs are slim, given how far back they are in the standings, and lacking a powerhouse star like Durant, but they should be able to finish strong if the recent trend is any indication.
Projections
San Antonio - OUT
Golden State - OUT
Memphis - OUT
Los Angeles Clippers - IN
And then it comes down to whether Utah has enough of a lead to fend off the rising Blazers and Lakers. It comes down to 2 of those 3 teams making the playoffs, and the third team sitting home for the postseason.
2028
