Two years ago the San Antonio Spurs dominated throughout the playoffs on the road to an NBA title, and appeared to have a dynasty in the making. But last season, thanks to injuries and drastic improvement around the league, the Spurs shrank back into the pack and must again compete as a dark horse in the race for the championship.
Dating to last year and continuing this off-season, the rest of the Midwest Division has experienced a power shift. The once imposing Utah Jazz has started to fade. The former back-to-back champion Houston Rockets initiated a youth movement in hopes of remaining competitive. Meanwhile teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks began to come of age. This week kicks off 2000-2001 NBA season, and in the Midwest Division you can expect these trends to continue.
Take it to the bank:
No team in the division is deep enough to stop the Spurs. The Spurs are the only team in the Midwest that has a shot at the title. The twin towers, Tim Duncan and David Robinson, will once again be a force, creating match-up problems for any team in the league. Still, last year's Spurs had inconsistency from the other positions, and were suspect off the bench.
If the Spurs get consistent play from their perimeter scorers, it will open up the lane and make the Spurs tough to defend. That means Steve Kerr, Jaren Jackson and recently acquired Danny Ferry will have to earn their paychecks.
The biggest off-season addition was Derek Anderson, a free agent from the Clippers who will add explosiveness and versatility to the Spurs backcourt. Anderson will start at shooting guard, but will also be able to run the point. His size and quickness could help the Spurs combat match-up problems created by the likes of Kobe Bryant and Gary Payton.
The Spurs will dominate the division; they finished two games behind the Jazz last year, in what can be considered an off year for the '99 NBA champions. Young teams such as the T-Wolves and Mavericks will not make San Antonio's task easy, but are not good enough to take the Midwest title.
Fearless Predictions:
The Midwest may send just two teams to the playoffs. The Spurs are a given, and so are the Jazz, but it ends there. Minnesota, Houston and Dallas will all vie for spots, but a talent-laden Pacific Division could mean just two playoff spots for Midwest teams.
With the Joe Smith controversy swirling (and the possible loss of the forward's services) and in the wake of the death of guard Malik Sealy in an off-season auto accident, the T-Wolves will not win 50 games like last year. It's a two-man show - Dream-Teamer Kevin Garnett and coach Flip Saunders - as the loss of Sealy and possibly of Smith cannot be made up for with the acquisitions of LaPhonso Ellis and Chauncey Billups. Minnesota will finish above .500, and may sneak into the playoffs, but don't keep the expectations up.
Houston is young, has a great backcourt in Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis, and signed Maurice Taylor in the off-season. But once again, the plethora of talent in the Pacific will likely prevent the fourth place team in the Midwest from making the playoffs. The Rockets will certainly have to finish ahead of the T-Wolves to make the postseason, and much might depend on Taylor and how we'll Hakeem Olajuwon holds up in what may be his final season.
The Mavs are a developing team, but this won't be a breakthrough year. Michael Finley is exciting, third-year player Dirk Nowitski is coming into his own, and the team added young talent in point guard Howard Eisley and three rookies, plus Christian Laettner. They'll need a season of experience together, though, before they can start to dream of postseason success.
Clueless:
Will this finally be the year that Utah folds? Year in and year out, NBA fans seem to think that Karl Malone and John Stockton have passed their peaks, and that the Jazz will finally start to disappoint. But Utah continues to succeed, including a first place finish last season.
The vultures are circling in Salt Lake City, but there are still some signs of life. Stockton and Malone remain one of the most dangerous combinations in the game, and will lead the Jazz to its fair share of victories this season, but there is no denying that this is a team on the decline. The Jazz was overmatched last year in the playoffs against Portland, and that team was a year younger, and still had Jeff Hornacek and Eisley. The Jazz tried to slow their demise by signing John Starks and acquiring Donyell Marshall and Danny Manning. While these players will all contribute in one way or another, they are certainly not the answer. The Jazz will compete, but don't be surprised if the team is out after the first round.
Young guns:
Francis and Mobley. These guys are the cornerstone of a Rockets team otherwise full of question marks. Francis is already one of the best point guards in the league - he averaged 15 points and eight assists a night last season, but had to share the Rookie of the Year Award with Elton Brand. The speedy, competitive Francis will likely be an All-Star within the next two seasons, and takes a lot of pressure off the aging and oft-injured Olajuwon. Mobley was good for 16 a night in his sophomore season, and opened up with 33 points in the Rockets' 106-98 loss to the T-Wolves on Tuesday. Olajuwon played just 18 minutes in the opener, and Francis was good for 15 - it's obvious with which players this team's success lies.
Stromile Swift. It's easy to forget about the Grizzlies when sizing up the conference. That's probably because they're not very good. But if rookie Swift pans out, things could be looking up north of the border. Swift was the second overall pick in the '00 NBA draft, leaving LSU after two seasons; he compiled 130 blocked shots in just 50 games, second all-time at LSU to Shaquille O'Neal. He was also the SEC's third-leading scorer with 16 points a game. His shot-blocking and ability off the boards will help a team that allowed nearly 100 points a game last season and was one of the league's worst rebounding squads.
Old legs to be re-tested:
Antonio McDyess. McDyess has always been a very good player and comes off a stint with the Dream Team. But if the Nuggets want to have a .500 season, he'll need to be a dominant player, one who pours in 25 points and ten rebounds a night. His numbers slipped just a bit last season in both categories, but confidence from the Olympic Games may help. He'll need to lead Denver's motley group of players -- including Nick Van Exel, George McCloud, Voshon Lenard, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and James Posey -- both on and off the court, because chemistry will likely be a problem for this team, as it would be for any team with Van Exel on the roster.
Olajuwon. His 17 straight years with the Rockets are an NBA-record. He hinted that he may retire at the end of the season, but recently has said that he felt so good he may come back. But his production was way down in 44 games last season, as he scored just ten points a night, a career-low. In fact, his numbers have gone down in five of the last six seasons. It's clear that this is no longer Hakeem's team, and he is no longer supported by fellow veterans Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley. The Rockets will go far as their younger players take them, which won't amount to very much this season. That's alright for Olajuwon, though - he's already got his championship ring.
Honey, grab the duffel, we're moving:
There were plenty of moves in the Midwest division, though none as blockbuster as Grant Hill or Tracy McGrady. For starters, the Jazz replaced the retired Jeff Hornacek with free agent John Starks. The Jazz was not done, however, as it moved Adam Keefe to Golden State for Donyell Marshall, and sent point guard Howard Eisley to Dallas for Bruno Sundov.
Dallas, in addition to Eisley, got Billy Curley in the deal with Golden State. Then, Dallas dealt Cedric Ceballos, John Wallace, and Eric Murdock to Detroit for Christian Laettner. Finally, Dallas traded John "Hot Rod" Williams and Robert Pack to the Boston Celtics for Dana Barros.
Williams was released by the Celtics, but Pack and Celtic guard Calbert Cheaney were traded to Denver for Bryant Stith and Chris Herron.
The two other Texan teams signed mid-level free agents from the Clippers, as Houston nabbed Mo Taylor and the Spurs added the perimeter presence of Derek Anderson.
