BDL's Ranking Rosters: Measuring depth in the Pacific Division
Stars guide the NBA. Set your watch by LeBron James contending in June. Kevin Durant joined Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Golden State, and we all know how that will turn out. (Hint: Pretty good.) Fill out the rest of that roster with 11 Mark Madsens, and they’ll still vie for a title.
But few stars push teams to the playoffs alone. Ask Carmelo Anthony. Or DeMarcus Cousins. After 10 straight playoff appearances to begin his career, the former has seen his season end in April three years running. And the latter has landed in the lottery every season since entering the league in 2010.
Depth and continuity count in the NBA, too, and that’s why we’re here. We ranked every roster, one through 12, mostly because that’s how many players a team activates each game (and partly since 15 is more effort). Then, we broke divisions down by depth, sorting teams into four distinct categories:
• Stars: You know ’em when you see ’em
• Supporting actors: Starting-caliber NBA players
• Role players: Possess a very particular set of skills
• Extras: Putting the RP in VORP
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Likewise, we noted each roster’s additions (“standing in”) and subtractions (“edited out”).
These subjective rankings are based on depth and continuity, or lack thereof, and not a prediction of where teams will finish in the standings, even if they’re often intertwined ideas. Newly formed or existing star-studded squads may fare better than ones with longer-running or stronger supporting casts, although a revolving door or bottom-heavy roster is almost always a target for rotten tomatoes.
Without further ado: The Pacific Division.
1. Golden State Warriors
• Stars: Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green
• Supporting actors: Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, David West, Zaza Pachulia
• Role players: James McAdoo, Anderson Varejao
• Extras: Ian Clark, Kevon Looney
Standing in: Durant, Pachulia, West
Edited out: Leandro Barbosa, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli, Brandon Rush, Marreese Speights
I tried to decide between “Fast Five” and “The Godfather: Part II” as an apt analogy for these Warriors. Ultimately, I settled on the former, with Curry and Thompson playing the roles of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker — the two anchors from which the creative force flows. The Rock, played in Oakland by Durant, joins the cast this time around, and there’s an alpha dogfight between he and Diesel — reminiscent of the Western Conference finals — but The Rock eventually joins Diesel’s crew for the ultimate heist.
And it’s quite a crew. After a hiccup in the “Fast” franchise, this edition might be the best yet. Because as much as we might roll our eyes at Diesel and The Rock sharing the same screen, they’re undeniably great together. We can only imagine the same will be true for Curry and Durant in Golden State.
2. Los Angeles Clippers
• Stars: Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
• Supporting actors: J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, Paul Pierce
• Role players: Speights, Austin Rivers, Brandon Bass, Raymond Felton
• Extras: Wesley Johnson, Luc Mbah a Moute
Standing in: Bass, Felton, Speights
Edited out: Cole Aldrich, Jeff Green, Pablo Prigioni, C.J. Wilcox
“The Big Chill.” The gang is back together again. Griffin became a Hollywood star. Jordan cheated on the Clippers with the Dallas Mavericks. And CP3 is Kevin Kline — the glue who keeps the group together, and a soon-to-be free agent, about to be uber-rich. It’s all there. They’re older now, of course, and their familiarity with each other breeds contempt. It’s a story about hope lost. Although, I pray Pierce’s retirement isn’t the reason they all get back together for a period of mourning, to remember the good ol’ times and imagine what might’ve been. “The Big Chill” (33-year-old spoiler alert) ends with them saying they’ll all stay together, but you figure that’s just what they tell themselves to feel better. And that’s kind of the feeling I get every time Doc Rivers talks about Griffin.
3. Phoenix Suns
• Stars: Eric Bledsoe
• Supporting actors: Brandon Knight, Devin Booker, Tyson Chandler, Alex Len
• Role players: P.J. Tucker, Barbosa, Jared Dudley, T.J. Warren, Marquese Chriss
• Extras: Archie Goodwin, Dragan Bender
Standing in: Barbosa, Bender, Chriss, Dudley
Edited out: Chase Budinger, Jon Leuer, Ronnie Price, Mirza Teletovic
“Stand By Me.” Booker, Len, Chriss and Bender possess off-the-charts potential. They’re the Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell of the NBA. You just hope their careers aren’t derailed for whatever reasons. Bledsoe is Kiefer Sutherland, leading a slightly older group of guys who haven’t quite figured it out yet, either. Chandler is the Richard Dreyfuss of this cast, seeing them all with proper perspective. For these kids, it’s more about the experience than the outcome, which unfortunately means the Suns’ 2017 lottery pick is the body the boys find at the end of the film.
4. Sacramento Kings
• Stars: DeMarcus Cousins
• Supporting actors: Rudy Gay, Willie Cauley-Stein, Arron Afflalo
• Role players: Kosta Koufos, Omri Casspi, Matt Barnes, Darren Collison, Ty Lawson
• Extras: Ben McLemore, Garrett Temple, Anthony Tolliver
Standing in: Afflalo, Barnes, Lawson, Temple, Tolliver
Edited out: Quincy Acy, Marco Belinelli, Caron Butler, Seth Curry, Rajon Rondo
“Transformers 2.” I just can’t figure out if Cousins is the Shia LaBeouf or Megan Fox of Sacramento. Either way, he’s constantly feuding with his director and criticizing the franchise at every turn. Gay is probably more like Fox — he looks so good, but the ability isn’t quite there to be a superstar. Each Kings season is a “Transformers” movie; you’re never sure who’s going to be around for this one, but you’re pretty sure it’s going to be just as bad as the one before. Sacramento should hope Dave Joerger is the equivalent of Michael Bay, bringing a proven hard-headed approach, good enough to produce something watchable, despite the cast he’s chosen. And whether it’s good or bad, it’ll be epic.
5. Los Angeles Lakers
• Supporting actors: Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell, Luol Deng, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson
• Role players: Lou Williams, Larry Nance Jr., Timofey Mozgov, Jose Calderon
• Extras: Yi Jianlian, Tarik Black, Nick Young
Standing in: Calderon, Deng, Ingram, Jianlian, Mozgov
Edited out: Bass, Kobe Bryant, Roy Hibbert, Robert Sacre, Metta World Peace
“Scream.” The Lakers are a horror film. Russell and Young are the Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich of this cast, stabbing each other and taking everybody down with them. You’re not sure whether one of them is a good actor, and you’re positive the other isn’t. They brought in big — if not underwhelming — names, like Courtney Cox (Luol Deng) and David Arquette (Timofey Mozgov), but the project is more about the kids, which makes Ingram the Neve Campbell of the crew, just hoping to survive this mess.
Previously, on Ranking Rosters:
Eastern Conference: Atlantic Division • Central Division • Southeast Division
Western Conference: Pacific Division • Southwest Division • Northwest Division
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is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
