Pacific Division Report

October 11, 2009 4:47pm CDT

Throughout the NBA preseason, our staff of fantasy editors will take a daily spin through one of the league's divisions. Every Sunday, Garrett Wilson will dish out news from the Pacific.

Golden State Warriors
The tumult in the Golden State locker room got turned up yet another notch this week and as usual Stephen Jackson was in the middle of all of it. Having already requested a trade, Jackson started hearing rumors of a potential deal to Cleveland in exchange for Zydrunas Ilgauskas. It is just a rumor at this point, but it would be a fantasy disaster if it came to fruition as Jackson's stats would plummet in the inefficient, deliberate Cleveland offense and the sloth-like Big Z would have almost no chance keeping up in the fast-paced Golden State system. That rumor hasn't made Jackson any happier though as he recently blew his lid after some bad calls in a pre-season game and went on a tirade that forced the team to suspend him for two pre-season games. With so much drama surrounding him before the real games even start, Captain Jack definitely seems like someone to avoid on fantasy draft day.

Lottery pick and well-regarded sharp-shooter Stephen Curry has had a hard time living up to his reputation thus far in the pre-season. Through four pre-season games Curry has managed to only connect on 31.8% of his shot attempts. The biggest concern with the rookie guard was that he wouldn't be able to handle the huge jump in athleticism that comes with going from tiny Davidson University to the NBA. Those concerns look pretty well-founded right now, so if you want to take a shot at a sleeper this year, Curry may not be where you want to look.

The diagnosis on Brandan Wright's shoulder injury is in and it doesn't look good. He is expected to miss four to six months after undergoing shoulder surgery. That kicks the door wide open for Anthony Randolph to have the breakout season many expect. Seeing how Randolph has had at least 8 rebounds and 10 points in his four pre-season contests that breakout season shouldn't be too hard to come by anyway.

Monta Ellis received a scare earlier in the week when he had to leave a pre-season game against the Lakers when he sprained his ankle... the same ankle he wrecked in that infamous moped accident last summer. Leaving the game turned out to just be a precaution as Monta was back in the line-up for Golden State's next game, but it does serve as a stark reminder that Ellis' ankle is still a major question mark.

Los Angeles Clippers
Blake Griffin finally got healthy and made his pre-season debut for the Clippers on Friday, registering 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Griffin also picked up five fouls in 21 minutes, but that isn't reason to worry yet considering it was his first game and the replacement referees were prominently involved. Assuming that the Clipper Curse doesn't strike the number one overall pick down with another injury, Griffin should still be a reasonable mid-round draft choice.

An unexpected position battle is brewing between incumbent starting small forward Al Thornton and off-season acquisition Rasual Butler. Thornton has struggled with inconsistency and inefficiency in his two professional seasons and Mike Dunleavy might have finally had enough. Butler doesn't have anything close to the talent or potential of Thornton, but at least the Clippers know what they are getting. If Butler wins the job he has an excellent shot at having fantasy value as a three-point specialist since defenses will be focused on all of the other offensive threats on the Clippers.

Marcus Camby shook off a hyperextended knee to return to action this week. Camby is always a health risk, but there is no reason to believe that he won't continue to be a terror on the glass and blocking shots when he is healthy. However, should Camby miss more time, it looks like second-year center Andre Jordan is more than capable of filling in. Jordan has been performing well this preseason including a 22-point, 10-rebound effort to open the preseason. He isn't worth drafting, but Jordan is someone to keep in mind if any of the three big men in front of him on the depth chart go down with an injury.

Los Angeles Lakers
Andrew Bynum has gotten off to a fast start in the preseason after being plagued by knee problems during the Laker championship run. His wonky knee is said to be fully healthy, but he'll need to wear a knee brace for the rest of his career which only underscored just how fragile his health remains. The good news is that he is back in the starting line-up again which should give him a great shot at improving his numbers from last year, but it won't mean anything if he can't stay on the floor.

Coach Phil Jackson has been impressed by Adam Morrison's shooting so far in camp and has been talking about giving the former number three overall pick a shot at some regular minutes. The Lakers could probably use the services of another sharpshooter, but even then Morrison isn't likely to get enough minutes to make a fantasy impact, assuming he actually gets any minutes at all after Jackson remembers that Morrison can't guard anyone. So, while Morrison has a recognizable name, don't let it fool you into thinking that he is going to have any value this season.

The Lakers have been experimenting with using Sasha Vujacic at point guard on occasion in the preseason. That puts Vujacic squarely in the mix to be Derek Fisher's back-up, battling with Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown. That is a crowded field and Vujacic isn't quick enough to guard most point guards, so this seems like an experiment destined for failure. Even if Sasha does get regular minutes at the point, don't expect it to result in a noticeable increase in assists since the Laker offense doesn't employ the point guard as a playmaker. The only real value it would provide is some position flexibility for a player who probably shouldn't be owned in most leagues anyway.

Phoenix Suns
All systems are go for Channing Frye as a fantasy sleeper this season. He just won the starting center position by default after Robin Lopez broke his foot recently. Even if Lopez was healthy, Frye would probably win the job anyway because he has been playing so well. Through two preseason games, Frye is leading the Suns with 14.5 points per game and has also hit two three-pointers in each contest. Don't expect Frye to be a big help in the rebound column, but with his newly added downtown three-point accuracy, he should be a nice number two center.

Rookie dark horse Earl Clark is off to a slow start in the preseason. He hasn't been shy about pulling the trigger thus far, taking 22 shots in two games, but he also hasn't been very accurate either, making just 6 of those shot attempts. There is still plenty of time for Clark to figure things out and he should receive ample playing time this year, but thus far he looks to be worth nothing more than a late-round flier in fantasy drafts.

Sacramento Kings
So much for Francisco Garcia being the frontrunner for the starting small forward position in Sacramento now that a he broke his wrist and will be out at least four months. That should make Andres Nocioni the default starter headed into opening night. Desmond Mason and Omri Casspi with both challenge him for minutes, but they'll need to be especially impressive to unseat Nocioni who is now definitely worth a late-round pick. Desmond Mason does have a shot at the starting spot, but his days of being a relevant fantasy player are well behind him, so root for Nocioni to win the gig.

Sean May got an unexpected start over Spencer Hawes in a preseason game this week. While this shows a strange lack of confidence in Hawes, it doesn't look like anything to worry about since May didn't do anything in his start aside from look pudgy. Hopefully this little experiment was simply a result of the Kings trying to take it easy on Hawes who is nursing a sore ankle, as he was shaping up to be a popular breakout pick this year and losing his starting job would be a huge blow to his fantasy stock.

Tyreke Evans has been getting all the starts at point guard for the Kings and has reportedly looked good doing so despite some issues with turnovers. This is encouraging news for Evans as many questioned whether or not he really could handle the point as a pro. Evans has a load of talent and could have a season very similar to last year's rookie sensation Russell Westbrook, so keep Evans on your sleeper list this draft day.

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