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The Pacific Division was once again the worst division in the Western Conference.  Only the Los Angeles Lakers finished above .500 with a playoff berth.  The Phoenix Suns finished just a game below .500 while the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings beat out just one team in the West . . . the 17-win Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers project to remain a power.  The Kings are still rebuilding but have a tremendous amount of cap space to work with. In between are the Suns, Clippers and Warriors – three teams with enough potential to make the playoffs yet none a lock.

The Clippers have the greatest upside given the emergence of All-Star and Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin.  The Suns are trying to hang onto the last bits of the Steve Nash era . . . and Nash almost always gives Phoenix a chance to win.

Mark Jackson has taken over as coach of the Warriors and if you believe him, they too will make the postseason.

At this point the Suns are the more-proven commodity.  The Warriors seem motivated but the Clippers may have of the pieces they need in addition to tremendous flexibility when it comes to acquiring more talent.

Of course the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and a prospective lockout may get in the way of it all.  Once a deal is reached, how will the new rules impact rosters across the board?

Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) – The Lakers had a disappointing season by their standards, getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs (after three straight trips to the NBA Finals and two titles).

Nonetheless, L.A. shouldn’t have much competition in the division.  Not yet anyway.

The Lakers are aging but they’re still Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and a veteran core of players that knows how to win. It will be interesting to see how the team transitions from Coach Phil Jackson to Coach Mike Brown but over the regular season 55 wins should be the bottom.

The Lakers need to add youth at guard given Derek Fisher and Bryant’s age.  Even Steve Blake is over 30 and Shannon Brown, one of the few younger players on the squad, is expected to opt out and may not return.

There have been rumors that Lamar Odom may be the piece the team uses as bait in trade to accomplish that, which would obviously open up a sizable hole off the bench in the power positions. If there’s no big trade to be had, the Lakers will use whatever tools they have in free agency to round out the roster.

Second-round picks Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock both fit very specific needs for the Lakers.  Morris is a true point guard with a strong mid-range game but shaky outside shot (his upside would be Andre Miller).  Goudelock is a shooter with range (his upside would be Eddie House, circa 2008 Boston).

Can both, as second-round picks with no NBA experience, come in and immediately contribute?  That may be a stretch.  Expect General Manager Mitch Kupchak to try to supplement the roster in free agency with a guard if Brown opts out.

The team also needs another big man to off the bench to lessen the load for the trio of Gasol, Bynum and Odom.

Phoenix Suns (40-42) – In 2010 the Suns reached the Western Conference Finals but fell to 10th in the West this past season.  Amar’e Stoudemire is long gone and Steve Nash is headed into the final year of his contract.

Grant Hill is a free agent.  If the team decides to keep Nash for the final year of his deal, re-sign Hill and add a piece or two . . . the Suns will probably finish second in the division to the Lakers.

If Phoenix looks to establish a post-Nash future, the Suns may very well dip into the bottom two.  What Nash gives the team is a chance to win games in the final moments.  Without him, the roster is kind of a mash-up of interesting but not necessarily cohesive parts.

Vince Carter’s $18.3 million contract is likely to be dealt or cut before the start of the season given only $4 million is guaranteed. The tandem of Marcin Gortat and Channing Frye may be a viable front court pairing.  Jared Dudley is an emerging player.

A number of players seem superfluous including Josh Childress, Mickael Pietrus, Hakim Warrick and Robin Lopez.

Markieff Morris was a nice pickup in the draft.  Aaron Brooks is a restricted free agent and someone the team may invest in to hold the position beyond Nash’s tenure.

The Suns won’t be spenders on the free agent market with cap space but they have a strong enough roster to be a bubble team this coming season.  If thing break just right, they may even make the playoffs.

Or they may also drop off completely . . .

Los Angeles Clippers (32-50) - The Clippers are on their way to becoming a viable, competitive team.  After a slow start last season, they played .500 ball for most of the way. 

Blake Griffin emerged as a true franchise player and the Clippers are hoping to put the right pieces around him.  To this point, Vice President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey has said the team is still a piece away.

The Clippers believe they’re a playoff team on the verge of becoming a factor in the postseason. History has almost always been against them but the Memphis Grizzlies would be an example of how quickly fortunes can change.

Along with Griffin, the team will be built around Eric Gordon.  The team likes veteran Mo Williams at the point backed up by second-year, athletic guard Eric Bledsoe.

DeAndre Jordan is the team’s big free agent but he’s restricted and his cap hold is under $1.1 million until he signs.  While he’ll get a lot of interest as one of the summer’s most promising available centers, the Clippers have every intention in keeping him. In addition to blossoming into a strong defensive presence, Jordan is Griffin’s closest teammate.

Chris Kaman, coming off of a down year with a foot injury, is viable trade bait with his $12.7 million expiring contract.  The Clippers like the idea of a frontcourt with Griffin, Jordan and Kaman but are very willing to part with Chris if it means upgrading significantly at small forward.

For now the team has veteran Ryan Gomes and second-year wing Al-Farouq Aminu, but Gomes is just a placeholder for the future and Aminu is still developing.

The team made some overtures to acquire Andre Iguodala from the Philadelphia 76ers but Kaman as the cornerstone piece wasn’t enough before the July rollover. 

Other opportunities should present themselves given the team may have in the neighborhood of $12 million in cap space (depending on the rules) and a willingness to spend or make an unbalanced trade. The one piece they won’t willingly let go is the Minnesota 2012 draft pick which is unprotected (to the Clippers via the Sam Cassell/Marko Jaric trade) unless it brings back a top player (like a Chris Paul).

There’s no real reason to trade the 2012 pick to land a high-level small forward like Rudy Gay, Danny Granger or Iguodala if the team has a shot to draft Harrison Barnes next June but for a true superstar . . . they’d make that sacrifice.

Jamario Moon, Craig Smith and Ike Diogu are free agents.  Brian Cook has a $1.3 million option and Willie Warren’s contract isn’t guaranteed.

The Clippers drafted a couple of interesting prospects in the second round (Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie) who should fit in with the team’s young core.  Both have a strong chance to make the roster.

While L.A. has had in the past, on paper, a team that should have competed for a playoff spot . . . it rarely ever came together.

It will be interesting next year to see if the culture, led by Griffin, has truly changed.

Golden State Warriors (36-46) – The Warriors are the wild card of the Pacific.  New Head Coach Mark Jackson insists the team will make the playoffs next season.

Perhaps a change in philosophy and leadership will make a major impact but there are roster limitations that may not be so easy to overcome.  Can Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry coexist as an undersized backcourt?  Where’s the defensive stopper in the middle to help erase mistakes?

Other than David Lee, who is a big man without a true inside post game, where can the Warriors go for inside scores?  Second-year player Ekpe Udoh has some natural defensive instincts but isn’t much of an offensive force.

Relying on dribble-penetration can only go so far.

That said, the Warriors have a talented roster that may be enough to win a lot of games.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Louis Amundson has a player option he’s expected to take.  Vladimir Radmanovic, Acie Law and Al Thornton are free agents.  The Warriors drafted a nice prospect at guard in Klay Thompson.  Reggie Williams is a restricted free agent but is he needed with Thompson? 

While Klay will help, even as a rookie, he doesn’t address the team’s inside issues.  Can Andris Biedrins rediscover his game after losing his confidence?

The Warriors may have a small amount of cap room, perhaps in the $8 million range, which is more than the Mid-Level Exception (if it survives the new CBA) but nowhere near max space (assuming that doesn’t drop into Golden State’s range).

Adding in Jerry West to ownership/management is a big deal.  The Warriors have a strong fan base and a chance to improve this summer.  Look for a number of roster tweaks before all is said and done.

Nonetheless, it just may take a little bit longer than Jackson would like to tell you.

Sacramento Kings (24-58) - The Kings are coming off another down year.   Second-year guard Tyreke Evans struggled with a foot injury and the team struggled in general to win games. Rookie DeMarcus Cousins wasn’t always consistent but showed tremendous flashes while averaging 14.1 points and 8.6 boards a game.  More problematic was his 43.0% field-goal percentage - quite low for a big man.

The late-season acquisition of Marcus Thornton proved productive as the guard poured in 21.3 points a game through 27 with the Kings.

Sacramento has since traded starting point guard Beno Udrih while reacquiring John Salmons along with Brigham Young sensation Jimmer Fredette (taken 10th in the NBA Draft). Jimmer was an explosive scorer with unlimited range (and freedom) in college.  He could end up the Kings’ starting point guard next season with Evans alongside him at the two.

Thornton will be a restricted free agent but the Kings are expected to retain him.  If so, Coach Paul Westphal may start Evans at point with Thornton at the two and Fredette off the bench (as he learns the NBA game).

Jason Thompson, Salmons and Cousins will probably round out the starting group. Samuel Dalembert is expected to end up elsewhere as a free agent. Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi, Donte Green, Pooh Jeter and possibly Hassan Whiteside are rotation players to round out the rotation.

In addition to the King’s pair of second-round picks (Tyler Honeycutt and Isaiah Thomas), the team is sitting on a mountain of cap room.  What that means in the new CBA remains to be seen but whatever spending power teams will have, Sacramento will undoubtedly have the most.

The question is . . . how do they spend it?  This isn’t a team that is one key free agent away from competing.  Even if Fredette ends up Rookie of the Year, it’s still a young squad that will struggle to near 40 wins (and that’s if everything clicks).

Rumors have Garcia and Casspi on the block.  The team clearly needs another big man to play with Thompson and Cousins.

Regardless of record, expect the community to embrace this team as they look to keep the franchise in Sacramento.  The Kings almost moved to Anaheim this summer but was given a one-year stay.

Once the league gets past labor negotiations, it will be easy for the Sacramento fans to rally behind Jimmer who will have a broader appeal than Evans and Cousins as neither has an extremely approachable personality.

Eventually . . .

At some point the CBA will be resolved and play will resume.  While a lockout seems inevitable, hopefully it won’t cost an entire season.

The Pacific Division will have plenty of competition within but teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies also intend on returning to the playoffs.

The Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets may also bounce back from lottery seasons.

It would be a shock for the Kings to make the playoffs, but would be outrageous to suggest the Pacific may have four teams in the postseason next year?

The Hornets seem to be in flux, possibly losing David West and/or Carl Landry to free agency.  The Grizzlies and Nuggets are looking to duplicate last year’s success but did they over-perform?

Three additional spots may not open up but expect the Pacific to be more competitive this coming season, eventually . . .