The Western Conference Keeps Getting Tougher

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Clippers signed Josh Smith, adding another quality rotation player to improve their depth. The Clippers are no longer the same team as they were last year, also having added Paul Pierce to help prevent moments like this:

The Clippers now have solid depth, and are now in the upper tier of contenders in the west. After the Josh Smith signing, it looked like there were going to be only four elite teams in the west next year. San Antonio, Golden State, Oklahoma City, and now the Clippers. That is not the case anymore.

Yesterday, the Houston Rockets agreed to a trade with the Denver Nuggets for Ty Lawson while giving up almost nothing in return. The first round pick next year is nice, but it probably will be in the mid 20s. None of the players the Rockets gave up were rotation players. Nick Johnson might be the best player the Nuggets got.

What the Rockets have really needed the past couple of years was a point guard that could take pressure off of James Harden to run the offense. The Rockets also like to have as many shooters as possible to space the floor. It's safe to say Ty Lawson is a good fit in Houston. His stats show that he is a good NBA point guard offensively. While he isn't an amazing scorer, he can effectively get points inside and outside. He's also an excellent playmaker. Defense might be a problem, but the Rockets have tons of quality defenders to help with that.

The Rockets and Clippers might not improve too much on their win totals from last year because the other top contenders will be as good or better next year. However, both teams have helped turn the west into a race with five teams that have a legitimate shot of winning. The Spurs, Warriors, Thunder, Clippers, and Rockets form an exciting group of teams that should make the regular season and playoffs very interesting to follow. It's hard to leave out the Grizzlies, but they haven't addressed their needs very well. Unless Vince Carter has a good bounce-back year and their big three improves next season, it's hard to see Memphis being one of the elite teams in the west.

The NBA definitely needs to change the playoff format more than just seeding teams 1-8 regardless of division leaders. Seed the teams 1-16 based on record, regardless of conference. Or at least something close to that. Do we really need crappy teams in the playoffs? Two excellent teams will face each other in the first round in the Western Conference next season. In the Eastern Conference, there likely won't be more than five teams that win 50 games.

It'll be fun to see how the west unfolds. It might be like last season, with four teams fighting for home court on the last day of the regular season. The east will be more competitive this year, but it still falls short compared to the west.

NBA Free Agency: Worst Signings

At this point in free agency, there probably won't be any more new contracts worth over $10 million a year. Plenty have been handed out, but some were questionable.

ESPN free agent tracker

Amir Johnson to the Celtics, 2 years/$24 million

I don't really see why Amir Johnson is worth an eight-figure salary. He isn't a great scorer and doesn't grab tons of rebounds. He's a solid defender, but there still isn't much to like about this deal.

Iman Shumpert re-signs with the Cavaliers, 4 years/$40 million

It seems like the Cavaliers love Shumpert's potential, because his stats aren't very impressive. He's a good defender but doesn't have much offensive value.

Brook Lopez re-signs with the Nets, 3 years/$60 million

Lopez is skilled offensively and solid defensively, but is not a good rebounder. If he stays healthy, this could be a decent signing, but he has had two season ending injuries in the past four seasons.

Thaddeus Young re-signs with the Nets, 4 years/$50 million

While Young is a talented offensive player, he's a below average shooter and rebounder. He is good at getting steals, however, and might provide good value on defense.

Brandon Knight re-signs with the Suns, 5 years/$70 million

The Suns paid Brandon Knight like Eric Bledsoe, but Knight is clearly worse. He's a good scorer but not a great playmaker, and his defense is worse than Bledsoe's.

Lou Williams to the Lakers, 3 years/$21 million

This wasn't a big overpay, but the Lakers signed another volume shooter in Lou Williams to go along with Nick Young and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers will have to trade Williams or Young, or else it'll hinder the development of Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell.

Reggie Jackson re-signs with the Pistons, 5 years/$80 million

Jackson can pass very well, but he'll need to improve his defense and outside shooting to justify his new deal. He might not play well with Brandon Jennings, which could be a big problem.

NBA Free Agency: Biggest Signings

The NBA free agency period began on July 1st. Many of the biggest names have already agreed to new deals. Some of the best players available switched teams. I've provided a link to ESPN's free agent tracker down below.

ESPN free agent tracker

The following big-name players stayed with their current teams for a reasonable price:
Paul Millsap, 3 years/$59 million
Khris Middleton, 5 years/$70 million
Goran Dragic, 5 years/$90 million
Kawhi Leonard, 5 years/$90 million
Danny Green, 4 years/$45 million
Jimmy Butler, 5 years/$90 million
Kevin Love, 5 years/$110 million
Draymond Green, 5 years/$85 million
Dwyane Wade, 1 year/$20 million
Marc Gasol, 5 years/$110 million
Damian Lillard, 5 years/$120 million extension
Anthony Davis, 5 years/$145 million extension

These notable players agreed to a reasonable contract with a new team:

DeMarre Carroll to the Raptors, 4 years/$60 million
The Raptors will have to spend a lot of money to get DeMarre Carroll, but he's a very valuable player that can shoot and defend well. He might get good minutes at both forward spots.

Tyson Chandler to the Suns, 4 years/$52 million
Tyson Chandler will help a team that should contend for a playoff spot next season. Markieff Morris could be traded, so the Suns will have to get another power forward that can shoot to play alongside Chandler.

Paul Pierce to the Clippers, 3 years/$10.5 million
The Clippers now have a player in Pierce that is good in crunch time and has championship experience. A good bargain for the Clippers.

Arron Afflalo to the Knicks, 2 years/$16 million
Afflalo is a quality shooting guard that will help the Knicks a lot. He's one of many new players that look to help New York make the playoffs.

Monta Ellis to the Pacers, 4 years/$44 million
Ellis is a volume scorer but also a very good passer and playmaker. He'll provide a lot of offense to a team that needs it.

Greg Monroe to the Bucks, 3 years/$50 million
The Bucks now have a good center who plays well on offense. Monroe isn't a great defender, but there will be a lot of good defenders around him.

Robin Lopez to the Knicks, 4 years/$54 million
The Knicks gave a lot of money to Lopez, but he's valuable on both offense and defense. I expect the Knicks to win a lot more games next year.

Wesley Matthews to the Mavericks, 4 years
3-and-D players are valued very highly now in the NBA, and Matthews is one of the best of them. The Mavs will have to pay him lots of money, but he should be a great replacement for Monta Ellis.

Rajon Rondo to the Kings, 1 year/$9.5 million
I wouldn't be surprised to see Rondo leave after one season in Sacramento. If he does well next year, he could earn himself a big contract. The Kings probably won't be contending for the playoffs next year.

DeAndre Jordan to the Mavericks, 4 years/$80 million
The Mavericks found a fantastic replacement for Tyson Chandler. However, he'll need playmakers around him to succeed. Dallas will have to find another point guard.

LaMarcus Aldridge to the Spurs, 4 years/$80 million
The Spurs just became much stronger and scarier with the addition of Aldridge. He will become the new franchise centerpiece along with Kawhi Leonard to begin a new era with the Spurs.

David West to the Spurs, 1 year/$1.5 million
The Spurs didn't stop with Aldridge. They got David West, a solid veteran, to help them for next season. San Antonio has made sure that it will stay in the race for the championship.