The Western Conference has been the better of the two Conferences for quite some time now. So it is entirely predictable when one of the better teams gets eliminated in the first round. Here is an assessment of their seasons and a few takeaways for the four teams that have been eliminated in the first round of the Western Conference.
Houston Rockets (Lost 4-1 to the Warriors)
It is time for the Houston Rockets to hit the reset button. After last season’s surprise Conference Finals appearance, this season was supposed to be the breakout year for the Rockets. However, it turned out to be an absolute disaster. Eleven games into the season, Daryl Morey (Team GM), in a knee-jerk reaction, fired Head Coach Kevin McHale after reports of dissension in the locker room.
However, it never quite get rolling for the team from Texas. Even after stumbling into the playoffs as the eighth seed, the team showed little to no effort in the first round against Golden State and got rolled over in five game. This became increasingly evident with the Houston bench’s lukewarm reaction to Harden’s game-winner in Game 3.
This becomes understandable considering that the word from the locker room is that the players don’t really like each other. Such hostile work environment clearly calls for an overhaul of the team roster, and you begin with the star players- Dwight Howard and James Harden.
Though Harden’s questionable defence and offence stifling ball-hogging skills have contributed to the disappointing season, he is clearly here to stay, as the southpaw is the offensive focal point Morey wants to build around for the future. Dwight Howard, on the other hand, seemed more and more disposable as the season progressed.
The three-year Dwight Howard experiment clearly hasn’t worked out quite as well as it was supposed to. Though his first two seasons in Houston could be excused owing to his nagging injury problems, this year we got a real taste of the post-Magic Dwight, and it wasn’t really good.
The once dynamic Centre has clearly left behind his athleticism in Orlando, as he looks a complete shell of himself on offense. But this is only an ancillary problem considering that he was never a prolific scorer to begin with; as he gained household recognition through his stellar defense and multiple Defensive Player of the Year trophies. Unfortunately, within a matter of a few years, Howard has ceased to be a world class ring protector.
Admittedly, part of it could be blamed to his injuries, however, the bigger problem seems to be that he just doesn’t want it enough. And to think, there were once serious comparisons being made between him and Shaq. Dwight Howard is no Superman, and if this season indicated anything, he isn’t Robin either.
Memphis Grizzlies (Swept by the Spurs)
If there was ever an NBA team which was most suited for the title ‘Grizzlies’, it is this Memphis team. Even if the grindhouse era of the NBA is over, the Memphis Grizzlies have always been there to remind us how Basketball was always supposed to be played- a bruising defence and attacking the inside. However, over the last six seasons, despite having the required wherewithal to win a Championship, the Grizzlies have failed to make it past the first round all but once.
It is true that injuries to some of their key players like Marc Gasol has marred their season, however, it is undeniable that the team from Tennessee is slightly anachronistically placed in time and has failed to evolve with the changing demands of the league. If the Grizzlies intend to stay relevant, they need to evolve.
Take the 2011 San Antonio Spurs for instance. Up until then, Coach Pop had heavily relied on their future Hall of Fame PF/ C, Tim Duncan to play a significant role in their offence. Ironically, it was a surprise upset in the first round to an eighth seeded Grizzlies team that it dawned upon Pop that the league was going small, and contending a title on the shoulders of an aging Centre like Duncan just wouldn’t be possible.
Next season, the Spurs traded for the Pacers’ 15th pick in the draft, and selected Kawhi Leonard. Rather than focussing on crowding the paint, the Spurs heavily invested in the three-point shooting of wings like Leonard and Mills, propelling them into title contention. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The Grizzlies, built on a similar philosophy like the Spurs of the 2000s’- with their reliance on Gasol and Randolph, need to make a transition to small-ball.
Dallas Mavericks (Lost 4-1 to the Thunder)
The Dallas Mavericks were easily the most overlooked team in the first round of the NBA playoffs, and rightly so. Nobody expected the Mavs to make any really noise this post-season. In spite of Nowitzki quietly enjoying one of the most efficient seasons of his career (He averaged 18 PPG while being his usual efficient self on the floor), you cannot contend for a title with a 40-year-old veteran as the focal point of your offence.
Unlike most of the teams that have been eliminated so far, the problem with the Mavs primarily lies in their front-office. Since winning the title in 2011, Marc Cuban (Owner and Team GM) has been involved in some of the horrendous deals a championship calibre team can possibly make.
Firstly, the Mavs have a terrible habit of signing point guards who are clearly way past their prime. Admittedly, investing in Jason Kidd brought them a championship five years ago; still, Kidd was merely an aberration. Signing Rondo, a notorious headcase and locker-room poison, last season was clearly a wrong decision. Yes, he brought the playoff experience also boasted by Kidd, but the negativity which he brought with him clearly created a hostile environment, leading to his benching during last
Yes, he brought the playoff experience also boasted by Kidd, but the negativity which he brought with him clearly created a hostile environment, leading to his benching during last season's playoffs by head coach, Rick Carlisle.
Dealing for Deron Williams was also an exercise in the past. Williams had always expressed his interest in playing for his home state, ever since his Utah days. However, Cuban was five years too late, as Williams is clearly merely a shell of himself with his best years behind him. With the league becoming more and more PG oriented, the Mavs management needs to be sensible when signing their next point guard.
The second problem that needs to be addressed by the Mavs is paying average players superstar money. They have already burned their hands by signing Chandler Parsons, a perfectly serviceable forward, for max money. Fortunately, they dodged a major bullet by not signing Deandre Jordan this past free-agency.
Thus, the Mavs have to be sensible this off-season and not give out franchise contracts to average players like Michael Carter-Williams. The process has alredy started for the Texans with Dirk Nowitzki opting out of his last year of his contract and will work with the management to bolster the team via the 2016 free agency.
Los Angeles Clippers (Lost 4-2 to the Trailblazers)
The Chris Paul era Clippers team might very well go down as one of the best NBA teams never to win an NBA championship. Fans of the team were cautiously optimistic at the beginning of the season- as the team made a host of free agent signings, bolstering an already formidable lineup. However, the season turned out to be a sad case of ‘What ifs’.
What if Blake hadn’t punched the team equipment manager? What if Blake hadn’t got injured in the process? What if he and Deandre had learned to play together? What if both Paul and Blake hadn’t been injured in the first round? What if they all that had happened and they faced a Curry-less Warriors in the second round?
The Clippers could not seem to catch a break. This begs the question which should leave the Clippers General Manager Dave Wohl and Doc Rivers, who is also President of Basketball operations at an unenviable position this off-season and the next. Is it time for a fresh start in Clipperland?
Now the optimists argument is that you don’t break open a functioning franchise just because you cannot catch the right breaks. However, the sceptics position seems to be stronger considering Chris Paul’s advancing age and internal reports of growing dislike between Griffin and Deandre Jordan. Now, if Doc Rivers were to be in favour of a fresh start, the trade value for Griffin is never going to be higher.
He has already sustained multiple knee and hand injuries in his short NBA career. The additional miles on his body dictate that if a trade has to be made, it needs to be made right now. All through out the season, there were reports of a potential deal involving the Celtics and their multiple draft picks. Also, ever since Lebron took his talents back to Cleveland, the pundits have been fantasizing about a pairing of Lebron and Paul. Provided the Clippers get back Kyrie and some additional pieces, this, atleast on paper, looks like an interesting idea.
All that being said, would you really want to meddle with a team that has been in contention for some time now, considering the Clippers tortured history? Like I said, Doc River is in an unenviable position.
Guess the Lakers players!
