Chris Paul exited early from the Clippers’ Wednesday night game against New York, but Broderick Turner of the LA Times reports that Paul plans on playing and starting in Friday night’s divisional match up versus the Kings. Sacramento currently resides in the cellar of the Pacific Division, but the Kings are hoping that recently acquired Derrick Williams will help turn their fortunes around. Let’s take a look at a couple tidbits from the Pacific..
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News suggests the value Kobe Bryant brings to the Lakers goes beyond his production on the hardwood. Goodwill states that Bryant is the face of the Lakers in the same way that Michael Jordan was the face of the Bulls, and that his ability to draw fans to games is a valuable asset. Bryant signed a controversial two-year, $48.5MM extension on Monday.
- Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris are both seeing career highs in MPG and PER for the Suns this season, and their increased production is an important part of Phoenix’s solid start to the year. Paul Coro of AZCentral sports details how it was the advice of Bill Self that brought the duo together in Phoenix.
- The offseason departures of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry have hurt the Warriors’ depth, and Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News writes that Toney Douglas and Marreese Speights have yet to prove they can sufficiently replace them. With Andre Iguodala sidelined indefinitely, Thompson suggests Stephen Curry is left as the team’s sole reliable playmaker.