TNT's Midseason Report: The West

TNT’s Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and Kenny Smith broke down every NBA team during TNT's Inside the NBA. Here's what they said about the Western Conference. (Click here for the East):

  Dallas Mavericks
Smith: The Mavs aren't strong enough in the front court to win a championship.

  Denver Nuggets
Magic: Kiki Vandeweghe is doing an excellent job to me. He got a lot of draft picks, he has a young team. I thought he did an excellent job in the draft. Hopefully (Marcus) Campy will play next season. He’s going to have a lot of cap room after this season. Look for him to go after Tim Duncan if he is available or (Michael) Olowokandi. They need a big man. I think Kiki was the right choice. He’s got them going in the right direction. He got a defense minded coach. That team is on the rise…they will get better.

Barkley: Their biggest problem is going to be talking a big man free agent into coming to Denver.

  Golden State Warriors
Magic: They are the best rebounding team in all of basketball, and they have been for the last couple years. I think they just needed talent to go along with (Antawn) Jaminson. I like his game and moving him back to the power forward. I think they have added more talent with (Mike) Dunleavy and (Jason) Richardson. What they really need is a point guard. I don't think that (Earl) Boykins is a starter. They should have him coming off of the bench to energize and change the tempo of the game.

  Houston Rockets
Smith: There are no more excuses for Houston. They have to make the playoffs. They are not young anymore. One of the things they really have to address is their offensive strategy. They still are a one-on-one, half court type of team but they don’t have one-on-one, half court type players anymore. Yao Ming is a good player, however he only changes the game in one area. Even though he gets some blocked shots, he’s not a defensive presence right now. That’s what he has to work on.

  Los Angeles Clippers
Magic: First of all, they have had a lot of injuries. Second, Donald Sterling did not make a commitment to any of these guys. You have Elton Brand, whom I felt should have been signed ... with [Michael] Olowokandi you have to make a decision, and I guess they decided they are not going to sign him back. There are not too many guys that can play a couple of positions like he can.

What happens is, guys don't feel that the organization wants to win because they haven't signed any of the young talent. They should be in the playoff hunt right now, but what happens when you don't sign your best player to a long term contract, you have all the other players sitting there saying, "If you don't care about Elton Brand, then you can't care about us."

  Los Angeles Lakers
Magic: If they come out of Sacramento with another win, people better watch out.

  Memphis Grizzlies
Barkley: I think the Grizzlies are the best young team in basketball. They are going to have to learn how to play under Hubie Brown. I think Jerry West is the perfect example 'hey I am not going to bring someone in here that can be your babysitter ... I am going to bring someone in that is going to teach you guys how to play basketball. It is a much better team. Hubie is going to crack the whip. They are going to learn how to play.

The biggest problem in the NBA ... every NBA player has talent, but they are so young ... they haven't been to college or they are foreigners and haven't played against good competition and they don't know how to work hard. You don't know how to work hard when you are in high school or in college. They don't know because now they are not better than everyone else.

Magic: They needed a teacher, and that is exactly what they got. They have the best teacher in basketball in Hubie Brown.

  Minnesota Timberwolves
Barkley: Kevin Garnett is the best all-around player. He is right there with Tim Duncan and Shaquille. He just doesn't have enough help. They don't have enough depth. He’s like Diana Ross, and the rest of them are like the Supremes.

  Phoenix Suns
Barkley: They need to win on the road to be a great team. Amare Stoudemire is doing great this year. He is obviously right now the Rookie of the Year. They are getting killed with the injuries to Penny Hardaway because he is the guy that makes it go. When Stephon [Marbury] is at the point, he is too aggressive and doesn't get other players involved. Penny gets the ball to the right people. That was when Phoenix was playing its best.

  Portland Trail Blazers
Magic: They are a team that is scary because you don't know which team is going to show up. Is it going to be a team that plays together or is it going to be the team that hates each other and they don't play together? Maurice Cheeks has done the best job a coach could do to hold these guys together and making them understand their role. Right now they are one of the hottest teams ... but will it last until April?

  Sacramento Kings
Magic: You have to learn how to win a championship before you can win one. The Lakers have taught the Kings. They're ready this season ... they're going to win the championship. They're playing with a purpose. They have the most talent in basketball. I'm picking them to win this year because they are playing with a purpose.

  Seattle SuperSonics
Smith: It goes down to low-post scoring. When your best low-post player is Gary Payton and he has to play the perimeter because he's one of the best outside shooters ... their big men shoot 3's. Kenny Anderson is helping out a little because he is giving Payton a break.

Barkley: Seattle gets no easy baskets. They don't have any big guys who can get the rebound and get them lay-ups on the other end.

  Utah Jazz
Smith: I think what those guys do, they know their roles and it is no surprise that Matt Harpring is having his best season, because you have Mark Jackson and John Stockton being able to get the ball to the right areas on the floor ... and the quiet, quiet guy that is helping that team is Tony Massenburg.

Magic: I know [Jerry Sloan] is sorry that he [pushed a referee], because that is not Jerry Sloan. He is a tough guy. One thing I like about Jerry Sloan is his teams are just like him. If you are coming to Utah, you better be a tough player. I like that he coaches that style. He just went over board.

Barkley: I am never going to say anything bad about Jerry Sloan. ... I respect the hell out of him.

 

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