Western Conference

Sporting News, The, May 21, 2001

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: SF Darius Miles might have finished out of the running for Rookie of the Year, but if the league held last season's draft now, Miles likely would be the No. 1 overall pick. When the Clippers moved him to power forward early in the season, many thought he would be overmatched every night because of his thin frame. He did not back down, and by the end of the season Miles had changed the Clippers' view about his future. The team is pleased about Miles' offseason plans. Miles is saying all the right things about putting in work to get better. --Lonnie White

LOS ANGELES LAKERS: It's official, they're a monster Until last week, the Lakers could be regarded as merely an impressive team with a lot of momentum that hadn't really been tested in the postseason. Game 3 in Sacramento should have been their best test, but they won by 22 points and took a 3-0 series lead. C Shaquille O'Neal is better than he ever has been, catching the ball so deep teams barely can double-team him. SG Kobe Bryant is better than ever, too, looking for teammates first, then turning it on later if needed. For the Lakers' sake, it's fortunate they're for real. They'll need to be if the Spurs are next. --Mark Heisler

PHOENIX SUNS: The club will be sitting out the first round of the draft after sending its No. 21 pick to the Nuggets as part of the Antonio McDyess trade. Indications are the Suns don't have interest in making a trade to get into the first round. First, it's not considered a great draft. Second, the dub is near the league's luxury-tax threshold, and any rookie draft picks go immediately onto a team's salary-cap structure.... The club must decide whether to buy out the final year of veteran C Chris Dudley's contract. Dudley struggled with a lower-back ailment and did not get much playing time after beginning the season as the team's starter. --Bob Young

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: Even though G.M. Bob Whitsitt took responsibility for the team's unexpected troubles, he fired coach Mike Dunleavy, saying the team needed to go in a different direction. Why didn't owner Paul Allen fire Whitsitt? Perhaps, because Allen has tremendous faith in Whitsitt. Yes, some of Whitsitt's moves contributed to the team's downfall, but no move ever is guaranteed to work. Allen must believe, as Whitsitt does, that the Blazers still have a chance to win it all. In other words, it's too soon to completely clean house, especially because many of the team's pricey veterans would be tough to trade. --Jim Beseda

SACRAMENTO KINGS: The team's entry into the playoffs' upper echelon, especially against the mentally tough and experienced Lakers, revealed more work is needed. No product ever is finished--just think how many flaws were thought to be visible in the Lakers a month ago--but the Kings clearly need an upgrade in athleticism. They improved that quality from last season to this but must continue. Though their defense improved markedly since last season, the next step must be better defensive rebounding. It turns out Lakers coach Phil Jackson was right. Teams usually don't go from the eighth seed to The Finals in one year. --Marry McNeal