NBA, Northwest, the Iron Division. OKC, Denver and Minnesota are the headliners

The Northwest is the best NBA Division, no ifs or buts. It sports three teams with legitimate title ambitions, Oklahoma City, Denver and Minnesota. The favorites to go all the way to the playoffs in the West, dethroning Dallas. Two rebuilding teams complete the Division: Utah and Portland. The Jazz are further ahead, seeing glimmers of the future, the Blazers are on the high seas, and in the stormy Pacific.

THE QUINTET – Gilgeous-Alexander, CARUSO, Dort, Jalen Williams, Holmgren. Prime reserve: Wallace, Wiggins, HARTENSTEIN. THE COACH – Mark Daigneault (confirmed). THE STAR – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Canadian guard is unstoppable. He brings over 30 points per game, second in the race for the 2024 MVP only to Jokic’s technical omnipotence. 26 years old, the experience of the last playoffs – the Thunder went out in the 2nd round with the Mavs – will help him “relaunch”. He had only tasted them as a kid with a minor role. One step at a time: Rome wasn’t built in a day.

NEW PURCHASES – Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Market without splashes from the front pages of the newspapers, but which added precious pieces. They already had the one to checkmate at home: SGA, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Caruso is a skilled worker: he defends strongly, he does the dirty work. Hartenstein was overpaid, but OKC needed a big man to prevent Holmgren from playing too many minutes at 5. He hurt his left hand and will miss the first month of the season. SEASONAL OBJECTIVE – Title. In the NBA when you have the opportunity to win it must be exploited. You never know if it will happen again. Salary dynamics are stringent, staffing dynamics become fluid. The moment must be seized, especially in a small market like Oklahoma City which cannot be sure of the champions’ permanence. The Thunder needed experience and depth under the basket: the reinforcements tick the boxes. The rest will depend on the natural growth curve of the young phenomena.

THE QUINTET – Murray, Braun, Porter, Gordon, Jokic. Prime riserve: WESTBROOK, Strawter, SARIC.

THE COACH – Michael Malone (confirmed).

THE STAR – Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP scared Team USA at the Olympics with Serbia. So he kept fit in the summer. And that defeat in the semi-final, the most painful for him – he says -, squandering a 17 point lead, will motivate him. In an ideal context, the Nuggets shouldn’t “wring his neck” in the regular season for resting him in the playoffs, but we already know that he will have to go through “overtime”.

NEW PURCHASES – Russell Westbrook wasn’t picky. Minimum salary, just to have another opportunity to win the first NBA title. At almost 36 years old, he won’t have who knows how many more. He has lost the athletic omnipotence of his best days, but from the bench he will bring energy and pace to an often staid team and guarantee the competitive ferocity that the Nuggets lacked. Dario Saric, the Croatian big man, will play from 4 and 5. Jokic needed a hand or at least a substitution.

SEASONAL OBJECTIVE – Title. The Nuggets won it two seasons ago with this core team, with Jokic, Murray and Porter. They know how it’s done. Of course, having lost Caldwell-Pope for a team that was already short in rotation, which needed shooting and defense, doesn’t help to think positively. But with the Joker you never leave beaten. Never.

THE QUINTET – Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, RANDLE, Gobert. Prime riserve: DIVINCENZO, INGLES, Reid.

THE COACH – Chris Finch (confirmed).

THE STAR – Anthony Edwards. A hurricane. On and off the parquet. Perfect for ensuring attention to the franchise of a decentralized market. Character, as well as champion. He must improve in terms of reading the game in general and in sprinting possessions in particular, but he assures the Wolves of points, rebounds, assists and charisma. A lot, a lot. More disruptive athleticism. Only 23 years old, the best part comes now.

NEW PURCHASES – Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Not a little. Counterparts of the trade that sent Towns to the Knicks. Randle is a natural 4 compared to KAT and his contract is expiring: if he works well, otherwise there will be room for Naz Reid. Di Vincenzo is an all-rounder with his head and battle: he will give depth to the department and breathing room to Conley. Joe Ingles replaces Kyle Anderson as a cerebral winger: more shooting, but more years.

SEASONAL OBJECTIVE – Title. The price paid to bring Gobert to Minnesota does not allow too many flights of fancy on the market and many reinforcements from the Draft. The Wolves are trying to build Edwards’ tailor-made suit and at the same time win immediately to justify going all in for the French big man. Not easy, but possible.

THE QUINTET – Sexton, George, Markkanen, Hendricks, Collins. Prime riserve: Clarkson, WILLIAMS, Kessler.

THE COACH – Will Hardy (confirmed).

THE STAR – Lauri Markkanen. Leave or stay? The summer hit lasted quite a while. It remains, in the end. He signed a five-year contract renewal. He will be the certainty in Salt Lake City. In terms of absolute value, is he the right franchise man for a winning team project? Questionable. But the Jazz needed anchors.

NEW PURCHASES – Cody Williams and Kyle Filipowski arrived via Draft. They are unlikely to have an immediate impact, however. Williams, a super athletic winger, because he is skinny and lanky, even if futuristic, Filipowski, a big man from Duke University, because the options under the basket for Coach Hardy are many and better than him.

SEASONAL OBJECTIVE – Play-ins. Unlikely, but not impossible. Utah is among those who are suspended, to put it like Dante Alighieri. He took the toy apart from the time of Mitchell and Gobert, the reconstruction is progressing and it makes sense. But it would take speeding up. If Keyonte George “exploded”…

THE QUINTET – Henderson, Simons, AVDIJA, Grant, Ayton. Prime riserve: Sharpe, Banton, CLINGAN.

THE COACH – Chauncey Billups (confirmed). THE STAR – There isn’t. This is the main one, among many problems. Scoot Henderson, No. 1 pick 2 of the 2023 Draft, he had a hands-off freshman season, Deandre Ayton still makes the Suns rub their hands, managing to unload that contract. And Jerami Grant can’t wait to leave. The omission of Anfernee Simons is not an oversight: it is unacceptable as a franchise man prospect.

NEW PURCHASES – The Israeli Deni Avdija, former Washington winger, reliable, but not the man of providence, and Donovan Clingan, choice no. 7 of the 2024 Draft. A center, collegiate champion with Uconn. Italian origins from maternal stock, excellent defender, especially at the rim: blocker and rebounder. In attack from work in progress.

SEASONAL OBJECTIVE – Cooper Flagg, the probable No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft. The big boy from Maine, a winger who has sparked impertinent comparisons with Larry Bird, will play for a season at Duke University, then move upstairs. Portland is the worst team in the West by a wide margin, they won’t have to try hard to tank and “show off” the conference’s latest record. But then the possibility of getting your hands on the much coveted prospectus will depend on the whims of the Lottery.