![]() ![]() Projected number one pick Victor Wembanyama is a potential game-changer who can immediately elevate a franchise. Then there’s the 2023 NBA draft, which is expected to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. Adding either would improve the East in the long term, while the West would have two expansion teams that could take a while to become competitive. ![]() Both were playoff teams last year and both have bright futures. The two most likely teams are the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves. NBA May Soon Announce Seattle, Las Vegas Expansion Plans Īdding two teams to the Western Conference would mean that an existing team would shift to the East. For whatever reason, Western Conference teams seem to have a front office advantage that’s played a role in their conference’s dominance. Those three players were the core of four championship teams and two other NBA Finals teams. They took Steph Curry seventh in 2009, Klay Thompson 11th in 2011, and Draymond Green 35th in 2013. The Lakers later won two more championships with Bryant and Pau Gasol, and more recently with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.Īside from the Los Angeles Lakers being a free agent destination and the place where superstars force trades to, the West has just been better at team-building. The duo dominated the NBA over a four-year stretch, leading the Lakers to three straight championships and a fourth NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the Lakers drafted Kobe Bryant and signed superstar Shaquille O’Neal in the summer of 1996. That resulted in the Spurs’ famous big three and the team winning another three championships. Excellent drafting resulted in them adding Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick in 1999 and Tony Parker with the 28th pick in 2001. That didn’t happen, and Duncan was instead paired with superstar David Robinson, and they led the Spurs to two titles in their five seasons together. The Celtics, who actually had the best lottery odds, would’ve had their next superstar instead of going without a championship for another 11 seasons. In regard to luck, had the San Antonio Spurs ended up with the second pick and drafted Keith Van Horn instead of Tim Duncan in 1997, things obviously would have been different. The Western Conference’s reign is due in part to team building and, of course, luck. Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant Credit: (LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP via Getty Images) NBA: Why has the West been so dominant? ![]()
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