2012 Northwest Division Preview

The Northwest Division features three really good teams, one team that I think can do some damage out there, and one team that's, quite frankly, going to be terrible. (Sorry, Minnesota.)




Denver Nuggets
PG - (1988) Fat Lever - 70.8 ($7.722)
SG - (1978) David Thompson - 110.0 ($7.701)
SF - (1983) Alex English - 164.4 ($7.916)
PF - (1999) Antonio McDyess - 22.0 ($8.252)
C - (1980) Dan Issel - 80.0 ($7.300)


Bench:
(1969) Larry Jones - 40.0 ($7.221)
(2006) Carmelo Anthony - 91.4 ($7.121)
(2008) Marcus Camby - 18.0 ($6.981)
(1983) Kiki Vandeweghe - 30.2 ($6.916)
(2010) Nene Hilario - 26.5 ($6.771)
(1985) Calvin Natt - 18.5 ($6.753)
(1976) Ralph Simpson - 36.3 ($6.459)


Disqualified Players:
(1995) Dikembe Mutombo - 54.3 ($8.245) higher score with Hawks
(1976) Bobby Jones - 38.0 ($7.233) higher score with 76ers
(2009) Chauncey Billups - 34.9 ($6.361) higher score with Pistons


I kinda like this team to make some noise in the West. Larry Jones is a bit a weak link at the point, but Thompson, English, McDyess, and Issel at their primes are going to be very tough. Plus they've got Lever, Anthony, and Camby coming off the bench. This could be a very good team... Or it could totally fall apart. You never know with the Nuggets...


***Update: I moved Lever into the starting lineup after a reader pointed out how dumb it was that he wasn't starting. WhatIfSports had him listed as a shooting guard for 1988, and I just wasn't even thinking about it when I was looking for their starting point guard.


Minnesota Timberwolves
PG - (2004) Sam Cassell - 34.7 ($6.708)
SG - (2002) Wally Szczerbiak - 31.7 ($6.754)
SF - (1997) Tom Gugliotta - 16.0 ($7.729)
PF - (2004) Kevin Garnett - 325.7 ($10.169)
C - (2008) Al Jefferson - 8.6 ($7.777)


Bench:
(2011) Kevin Love - 17.8 ($7.387)
(1993) Christian Laettner - 9.5 ($6.903)
(1993) Doug West - 8.5 ($6.194)
(1991) Sam Mitchell - 16.5 ($5.901)
(1999) Joe Smith - 8.8 ($4.687)
(2001) Anthony Peeler - 8.8 ($3.802)
(2004) Fred Hoiberg - 7.3 ($3.606)


Disqualified Players:
(2001) Terrell Brandon - 11.6 ($6.386) higher score with Bucks


Like a lot of expansion teams since the 80's, this team has a pretty decent starting lineup and a couple good bench players... but beyond that, they're pretty weak. They'll win some games, but I can't see them making the playoffs.


Oklahoma City Thunder
PG - (2000) Gary Payton - 286.4 ($9.185)
SG - (2010) Kevin Durant - 101.9 ($9.567)
SF - (1996) Shawn Kemp - 145.7 ($7.918)
PF - (1973) Spencer Haywood - 110.9 ($8.486)
C - (1982) Jack Sikma - 147.4 ($8.335)


Bench:
(1989) Dale Ellis - 35.4 ($7.461)
(1994) Detlef Schrempf - 52.3 ($7.350)
(2011) Russell Westbrook - 35.3 ($7.280)
(1980) Gus Williams - 135.0 ($7.016)
(2006) Rashard Lewis - 42.6 ($6.802)
(1980) Dennis Johnson - 76.0 ($6.292)
(1975) Fred Brown - 56.5 ($6.018)


Disqualified Players:
(1969) Lenny Wilkens - 44.2 ($7.563) higher score with Hawks
(2006) Ray Allen - 69.0 ($7.431) higher score with Bucks


While there's actually only two "Thunder" players on the team, I've learned to live with it. I had to shuffle Durant to SG from SF and Kemp to SF from PF in order to get what looks like (to me) the best possible starting lineup for this team, but even so, this is a deep team. Even there 12th man isn't bad by any means. Expect some serious battling with this team and the next two for the winner of this division.


Portland Trail Blazers
PG - (1988) Terry Porter - 96.3 ($6.703)
SG - (2009) Brandon Roy - 62.7 ($7.412)
SF - (1988) Clyde Drexler - 236.3 ($8.105)
PF - (2011) LaMarcus Aldridge - 29.3 ($8.269)
C - (1977) Bill Walton - 99.1 ($6.452)


Bench:
(1975) Sidney Wicks - 50.5 ($7.899)
(2001) Rasheed Wallace - 60.4 ($7.516)
(1977) Maurice Lucas - 75.3 ($6.974)
(1988) Jerome Kersey - 41.9 ($6.736)
(1996) Clifford Robinson - 38.2 ($6.629)
(1983) Jim Paxson - 70.0 ($6.128)
(1989) Kevin Duckworth - 29.1 ($5.279)


Disqualified Players:
(1990) Buck Williams - 34.3 ($6.841) higher score with Nets


I shifted Drexler to SF for the starting lineup just because there's not another true SF until you get to Kersey or Robinson. I suppose I could've shifted Rasheed up and gone Drexler/Wallace, but I think Roy/Drexler works better as starters with Rasheed coming off the bench for whoever depending on the game. But this is another team that looks pretty good through at least the 10th man, and the last two aren't exactly terrible.


Utah Jazz
PG - (1989) John Stockton - 392.2 ($8.332)
SG - (1977) Pete Maravich - 76.8 ($6.424)
SF - (1981) Adrian Dantley - 130.1 ($9.034)
PF - (1991) Karl Malone - 641.0 ($10.046)
C - (2006) Mehmet Okur - 35.5 ($7.199)


Bench:
(2004) Andrei Kirilenko - 50.6 ($7.971)
(2008) Carlos Boozer - 42.5 ($7.689)
(2008) Deron Williams - 80.7 ($7.599)
(1995) Jeff Hornacek - 42.3 ($6.377)
(1985) Mark Eaton - 34.9 ($6.353)
(2000) Bryon Russell - 32.8 ($6.209)
(1984) Rickey Green - 31.1 ($5.969)


Man, this team is pretty stacked. I'm not a big fan of Russell or Green, but the 6th through 10th guys would probably make a pretty formidable starting lineup in and of themselves. (Williams, Hornacek, Kirilenko, Boozer, and Eaton? That's a damn good second squad.)