The league has been full of unanticipated performances so far, but the Pacific Division standings come close to expectations. The Clippers and Warriors would be playoff teams if the season ended today, while the Suns, Lakers and Kings would miss out. Of course, Phoenix is 6-6 and just a game behind Golden State, so chaos isn’t far off. Here’s the latest:
- Suns coach Jeff Hornacek says Eric Bledsoe is “probably better than we anticipated,” and the team is surprised with Bledsoe’s ability to see the floor like a true point guard and transcend his reputation as merely a scorer, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
- Hornacek is drawing plaudits of his own from scouts and others around the league for his ability to motivate a team expected to finish near the bottom of the league, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe notes amid his weekly roundup.
- It didn’t take long for Andre Iguodala to fit in with the Warriors on and off the court, as David Lee tells HoopsWorld’s Jabari Davis, who looks back on the series of events that lifted the franchise from perennial lottery team to Western Conference contender.
- Jordan Hill, Wesley Johnson, Shawne Williams and Xavier Henry are all former top-20 draft picks who wound up on the scrap heap, and now they’re all making meaningful contributions to the Lakers, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times examines.