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The spring-cleaning intinerary is being submitted a few days into summer, but that's OK. The Warriors still haven't settled on their coach, the Clippers missed two great chances to answer their point guard question into the next decade, the Suns may not get dividends from their lottery pick for a couple of years ... and someone would make an issue that we are slow on the uptake?
Out here in the Pacific Division, there's plenty of important business ahead for the offseason, even among the two best teams. And that doesn't even get into the issue about which city will pay for the re-mapping of an entire state, now that Shaquille O'Neal has declared Los Angeles the capital of California in a belated dig at Sacramento. That there is a simple resolution -- corner the Eastern Conference on the playground again and demand another day's lunch money -- helps some, but is really only the start of the "To Do" list out here.
Such as:
Golden State Warriors
Hire a coach. The W's are not being singled out for dragging their feet, since the Nuggets also have a vacancy, but slow is slow. Besides, Kiki Vandeweghe has at least been very proactive in Denver on several other fronts since the midpoint of the season, making two major trades and managing the salary cap in a way that shows he clearly has a big-picture plan. It's how teams can be in identical situations and one can appear very aggressive and the other can appear to be the Warriors.
Connect with the fans. There aren't many, but what few exist are loyal and hardcore, so shutting them out is a curious move for an organization that especially can't afford to be distant. For Garry St. Jean to go into the bunker and refuse comment for weeks is ridiculous, suggesting a general manager who has been beat down. This is not a good signal to send out. Neither is beginning the first meeting with the press -- and, therefore, the public -- with "I'll begin this by sharing with you that it will not be too informative for you. We're not going to talk about the coaching situation, specifics about the draft or any trades we might make." No one should have realistically expected him to hand over the keys to the front door and announce who they were going to draft or the specifics of trade possibilities. But Saint, a good guy and a veteran of tough spots, would have put forth a much better picture with something along the lines of "We're obviously not going to say today who we will pick, but I can tell you some of the things I like about some of the top prospects and why fans should be excited at the possibilities."
Break the logjam at power forward. The problem the Warriors had tried so long to avoid -- and not just the front office since Antawn Jamison and Danny Fortson kept up the party line that they could play together -- can be avoided no longer. Mike Dunleavy is the small forward. Jamison will go back to power forward, and Fortson won't be a quiet backup, a situation that could make the Marc Jackson saga of 2001-02 look brief and tame by comparison. One of them will get traded, or else there will be a run on earplugs in the locker room.
Los Angeles Clippers
Resolve the point guard. In any other situation, there wouldn't be an issue. Jeff McInnis has been gone since January, if not sooner, Keyon Dooling, while inexperienced, is a highly regarded prospect around the league, 2000 draft pick Marko Jaric arrives as a combo guard and one of the best players in Europe, and Lamar Odom can also handle the ball. But the Clippers had a clear path to Baron Davis and Andre Miller on draft night and missed both when either would have pushed them well into the playoffs. The deals were reportedly nixed by owner Donald T. Sterling. Yeah, hard to believe.
Sign the free agents. It's not the No. 1 priority, as it ordinarily would have been, because it's not a panic situation. But it is pressing. Michael Olowokandi still wants to stay, the Clippers still want him, and they will rubber-stamp match any offer sheet. Every other team knows this, so it would be a surprise if Kandi even gets a firm offer because that would just be doing the negotiations for L.A.
Add a veteran. The Young Guns act is a kick, but inside the locker room, even the players admit a soothing leadership presence would help, whether or not the guy has a prominent role in the rotation or not.
Los Angeles Lakers
Tune up the Diesel engine. The major concern for the start of next season is, as it was at the end of the last one, the health of O'Neal. The arthritic toe might not have been the most pressing matter during the playoffs, but it's the injury that might require surgery, as opposed to rest. The timing of the operation, if it does happen, will determine his readiness in the fall. And whether he shows up at 380 pounds.
Hit the free agent trails. Trading Lindsey Hunter and his remaining $8.2 million the next two seasons increases the chance of retaining Devean George, but general manager Mitch Kupchak will still need to find capable bodies willing to take less than they may get elsewhere, hoping that the lure of playoff money and a shot at a ring will again be a sway. Charles Oakley and Malik Rose are high on the list.
Find their motivation. Is it the chance to get a fourth consecutive title? Game 8 -- and 9 and 10 -- against the Kings? A hard-charging team in their own city? Whatever it takes to keep the pilot light lit.
Phoenix Suns
Adjust to the new era. It's the dawn of a new day in Phoenix. (Of course, it's 87 degrees at dawn in Phoenix in the summer. But it's a dry heat.) Rather than holding on to a tenuous grip on respectability in the standings, the Suns made the right move and started to build for a big future. Joe Johnson, a rookie last season, has a big upside, and the 2002 lottery pick, Amare Stoudemire, is, in the words of one opposing coach, "A big-time stud." But both are young -- Stoudemire is the prep phenom of the year, although, in an encouraging development, he attended six high schools, so the constant travel of the NBA season won't be an adjustment -- but both will also need time. Patience will be a challenge for a town that isn't used to going into the season expecting to miss the playoffs.
Develop Casey Jacobsen. See above. But also see that the Suns just finished 26th in the league in 3-point shooting. The Stanford rookie is the designated marksman.
Find a defender. The first season without Jason Kidd and Clifford Robinson, two of the best at their positions in that area, showed the trades impacted in ways other than offense.
Portland Trail Blazers
Deal with the Bonzi Wells situation. Wells is one of the top free agents available, and the Trail Blazers have Derek Anderson right behind him at shooting guard.
Make a bold move. It may be a trade. It may be a sign-and-trade. But does anyone believe the Blazers are going to low key it? Exactly.
Start the Scottie Pippen-Qyntel Woods transition. Woods couldn't ask for a better person to learn from as a ball-handling small forward.
Sacramento Kings
Sign Mike Bibby. He wants to stay. They want him to stay. It's just a matter of deciding on how much the price tag skyrocketed with his postseason showing.
Turn the end into motivation. The frustration, anger and disappointment over the loss to the Lakers, specifically the Game 6 that included disputed calls by the referees, continued long after the Western Conference final. L.A. got so annoyed that it started lobbing shots back at Sacramento at the same time it was playing the championship series, such as it was. The Kings need to drop it -- and find a way to make the worst part of 2001-02 into the best thing to happen to them for 2002-03.
Buy Vlade Divac a Fountain of Youth. He just had a very good season, as the second-best center in the West, and, by the end, had the Lakers saying no one played Shaq as well. But Divac is also going to be 35 at midseason and he needs to remain as productive.
Seattle SuperSonics
Brace themselves for the new Rashard Lewis contract. The dollar signs are rolling up.
Solidify the center position. Calvin Booth got a big contract, then got hurt, playing just 15 games. Jerome James became a surprise starter, but just in time to become a free agent. Meanwhile, the Sonics gave up too many easy shots, finishing 18th in field goal defense, and it couldn't have been on the perimeter because of the presence of Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. They need Booth or James, or someone, to become an inside factor.
And then there's Vin Baker. Still on the "To Dump" list.
Scott Howard-Cooper, who covers the NBA for the Sacramento Bee, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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