Chamberlain Conference: Silverhawks Division

Two former champions have come from this division, but at the other end of the spectrum are two teams that have traditionally been doormats. Is the shift of power beginning, or will Sour Snails and Fat Jubas continue to duke it out for Silverhawks supremacy? [2013 Preview]

#2: Jedi Knights (3-14-2, 2-10)
It's been a dark place at the bottom for Lum and his faithful Jedi Knights. A few of their bigger trades have turned out awful. I mean, would anyone say "yes"again to Dirk Nowitzki for Andray Blatche, Mo Williams, and this year's number three overall? Ahem, no comment. Still, with two very high first rounders, this was the off-season for Knights to rebuild quickly. Lum tapped Carter-Williams and Jimmy Butler with the third and fourth overall picks. We love Butler’s upside and he’ll pair with incumbent SG O.J. Mayo to provide a lot of good numbers. Carter-Williams can’t shoot but he can do everything else so he should be a nice source of AST/STL next to Greivis Vasquez. Without a second rounder, the Knights added Nene, DeMarre Carroll, and Evan Fournier with the rest of their draft. They also grabbed PJ Tucker off the free agent pile to flesh out their roster. Carroll and Fournier are pure speculation picks so they’ll ride the pine till they can prove something. Adding Nene to a front line of David Lee, Thaddeus Young, and DeAndre Jordan seems like a perfect fit. This teams needs to build some momentum or the fans might soon turn. Five total wins in two seasons is a tough pill to swallow, even as GM Lum works hard to strengthen a keeper core that needs an injection of talent.
Status: Rebuilding, always rebuilding. It only seems right that this sci-fi themed team will win the draft rights to Andrew Wiggins right? Ho Ender!

#8: Fob Stars (9-9-1, 1-11)
Rebounding nicely from an atrocious one win season, Jimmy righted the ship and went 0.500 last year. Not a bad jump. Now to maintain that upward trajectory! Through the draft, Fob Stars got some nice pieces. Now that Mr. Gortat is going to Washington, he’ll add to a very strong frontline that already includes Zach Randolph and Joakim Noah. Gortat makes Fob Stars immediately much more competitive in BLK alongside Noah. First round pick Trey Burke will start the season injured but he’s got Rookie of the Year potential and he could be another nice scoring guard next to Kemba Walker, Dion Waiters, and Louis Williams. Jeremy Lamb will get the shot to be the Thunder’s third scoring option. Gerald Henderson of all people was a keeper for this team, and it would be nice if Lamb could overtake his spot. We also think Isaiah Thomas could have a shot at heavy minutes in Sacramento. Could he elevate himself to keeper status? Perhaps on this team. Old steady Shawn Marion will be pressed into service at the forward positions, and he’s the lone SF on the roster unless you count Mike Miller, who is likely injured already. Overall, a strong draft and a team that isn't very far away from a playoff spot.
Status: Rebuilding but with lots of growth potential, especially if Burke is a hit.

#9: Fat Jubas (10-9, 9-3)
Eric won a ring two years ago and we thought they were on the downslope after that with headliners that were all old men. But a huge trade for Chris Paul has changed everything. Another aggressive trade during the draft brought in David West, who will solidify the PF position nicely. With Gordon Hayward, Tyreke Evans, and Nicolas Batum sticking around -- plus Steve Nash, who was dumped and then picked up again, Jubas suddenly has a nice blend of old and young. Plus they got a nice sixth round steal of C.J. McCollum, who could prove to be quite good after he returns from injury. Third rounder Tiago Splitter will be the first big off the bench, or he'll start if Jonas Valanciunas can't fill the hole left by Marc Gasol in the middle. Amare Stoudemire is around in case he’s ready to return to fantasy relevance, and last pick rookie Archie Goodwin is a deep sleeper that only Suns’ fan Eric knows about. I think. Brandon Bass and rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. were brought in to fill the roster off the free agent market. Both could have nice value.
Status: Going for the title, rebuilding on the fly in an attempt to win two rings in three seasons.

#13: Sour Snails (14-5, 4-8)
Perhaps the most decorated team in SlamNation, Sour Snails has one championship ring, two Finals appearances, a Toilet Bowl final, and got another division title last season along with a #1 Chamberlain Conference playoff seeding. (But they were the owner who traded away a young Lebron James. Although to be fair, Trieu used a piece in that trade to fully reload last year.) A trip to the 2013 Finals looked likely for Sour Snails until they got narrowly upset by Buffy in the conference finals. Despite trade rumors swirling, Trieu elected to stay put this off-season and play out his draft hand. First round pick Danny Green is another gunner on a team chock full of shooters -- Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Monta Ellis -- and it looks like this will just be a Splash Family. Desperate to add some big men help for DeMarcus Cousins, Trieu tabbed Jared Sullinger, Samuel Dalembert, and Chris Kaman in the middle rounds. All three guys have injury histories but only one of them really needs to work out here. The Snails don’t have any small ball big men so it looks like they’re committing to a traditional lineup for now. We’re not that high on late picks Al-Farouq Aminu and Josh McRoberts but either could surprise. Trieu (mistakenly/drunkenly) jumped the gun on free agent Steve Blake a couple of days ago, which just goes to prove that a Lakers fan will always try to cheat the system to get what they don't deserve. Ahem, Pau Gasol trade. Yep I'm still bitter... Oh right, semi-new team co-captain Russell Westbrook will be eventually back to lead this group of insanely talented guards. Who's worried?
Status: Poised to conquer the conference again, with a draft that yielded another quality bomber and some serviceable big men for DeMarcus to cannibalize if things go wrong.