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Manny agrees to deal!
After months of back and forth neogatitions on Wedsneday Manny agreed to the deal with the dodgers.
Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti would not confirm that a deal had been reached, but sources said the only remaining obstacle is for Ramirez to pass his physical in Los Angeles.
"We got a great meeting," Ramirez told KCAL-TV as he emerged from his physical in suburban Inglewood. "I'm happy to be here. We got some unfinished business, and that's why I'm here."
Ramirez was expected to undergo the exam later Wednesday in Los Angeles. If it goes accordingly, the Dodgers might make an announcement either later in the day or Thursday.
"We're close to getting Manny on the field, and I think he's basically chomping at the bit to get the uniform on," Dodgers manager Joe Torre told reporters from spring training in Glendale, Ariz.
Torre added: "We all wanted the same thing and that's what was apparent to me.
"After last year and the time he spent with us, we knew we wanted him back. It was just a matter of finding that common ground," Torre said. "As Ned said, you talk on the phone and to different people, you need to get face-to-face. It was a real good meeting. There was a lot of comfortable conversation."
According to MLB.com, $25 million of the contract is deferred over five years and Ramirez has the right to opt out of the deal after one year. According to The Associated Press, Ramirez has full no-trade protection.
"We're trying to build a team here that fights together and sticks together and so it was imperative that we sit down with who would obviously be a very important member of the team," Colletti said from Glendale, Ariz.
The outfielder, his agents Scott Boras and Mike Fiore, owner Frank McCourt, Torre, Colletti and chief operating officer Dennis Mannion met at McCourt's home in the Los Angeles area beginning at 6 a.m. for 90 minutes Wednesday morning. The talks were Ramirez's first with management face to face in the wake of last week's failed -- and contentious -- negotiations between the club and Boras.
"We felt it was worthwhile just to make sure we were on the same page," Colletti said. "We needed to put the personality back into it. We had four months of negotiating and there were so many different things in the press all the time. We wanted to have it one on one and more personal."
Los Angeles announced last week that Ramirez declined its latest offer, a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010. That deal would have included deferred payments of $10 million each in 2011 and 2012 and $5 million in 2013.
Boras countered with a proposal that included no deferred money, leaving the sides about $3 million apart in present-day value. At the time, a frustrated McCourt told reporters that any negotiations going forward would "start from scratch."
Following his trade to Los Angeles at the deadline last July, Ramirez led the Dodgers to the NL West title, hitting .396 with 17 home runs, 53 RBIs, 36 runs scored, 74 hits and 35 walks in 53 regular-season games.
Ramirez was even more potent in the postseason, hitting .520 with four homers, 10 RBIs, nine runs scored and 11 walks in eight playoff games.
The 12-time All-Star has hit 527 career homers, with another 28 in the postseason.
Preparations for Ramirez's arrival at Camelback Ranch were already under way. The nameplate on the clubhouse locker next to shortstop Rafael Furcal's went from being blank to having "Reserved #" attached to it.
"I had people calling me from the Dominican saying that Manny had signed but how they know, I'm here and I don't know. Then I came in and saw [the nameplate], and I knew something was up," Furcal said.
"A guy like Manny, you learn a lot of stuff from him. He's the best hitter in the game. Everyone is happy."
Ramirez's fun-loving attitude created a noticeable change in the Dodgers' clubhouse last season, and infielder Blake DeWitt expects the same again.
"He's one of, if not the best, hitter in the game, and a guy like that has a ripple effect," he said. "We have a great group and when you add a guy like that who has fun and keeps everyone loose it's just going to make it that much better. It rubs off."
A-Rod offers some steroids use details
TAMPA, Fla. -- Alex Rodriguez peeled back new layers from his performance-enhancing drug use on Tuesday, claiming that a cousin repeatedly injected him with drugs obtained from the Dominican Republic.
Calling it "a stupid mistake" and blaming his actions on being young and naïve, Rodriguez said he used PEDs only while playing for the Texas Rangers from 2001-03. He would not identify the cousin, and he said he did not know at the time he was taking steroids.
But speaking at a news conference held before more than approximately 150 reporters at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Rodriguez said, "I knew we weren't taking Tic Tacs."
The three-time American League MVP addressed the media for the first time since Sports Illustrated reported on Feb. 7 that Rodriguez was among 104 players who failed tests in Major League Baseball's 2003 survey program, coming back positive for testosterone and Primobolan.
"The last couple of weeks have been difficult and emotional," Rodriguez said during his opening statement, which was prepared on three sheets that he held in his left hand. "On the one hand, it's difficult to admit mistakes. But on the other hand, it feels good to be moving forward."
Seated at a table outside the Yankees' Spring Training ballpark, Rodriguez wore a dark blue shirt with his sleeves unbuttoned, tan slacks and white sneakers. The 33-year-old Rodriguez was flanked to his right by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi. And they had company.
Nearly one year after Andy Pettitte spent 55 minutes apologizing for human growth hormone use in the same converted picnic tent, Rodriguez could look further to his right and see many of his teammates attending in support, a standing-room crowd behind the four most senior members of the roster -- Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Pettitte.
Yankees general partner Hank Steinbrenner and senior vice president Felix Lopez also attended. Posada walked out before Rodriguez had finished speaking.
Rodriguez finished his statement by thanking the Yankees and his teammates for their support. When he attempted to address teammates who were in attendance, he paused for 37 seconds, sipping from a water bottle before managing to say, "Thank you."
"I know that I am in a position where I have to earn my trust back," Rodriguez said. "And over time, I am confident that at the end of my career, people will see this for what it is -- a stupid mistake and a lesson learned for a guy with a lot of baseball to play."
As he did in a previous interview with ESPN, Rodriguez stated he experimented with a banned substance only during his Rangers years. In 2001, Rodriguez said, the cousin told him about a substance that could be purchased over the counter in the Dominican Republic.
A-Rod called the drug by its street name, "Boli," a likely reference to Primobolan. Rodriguez said he was injected twice per month by the cousin, six months per year, and he admitted to feeling more energy but not being sure what the benefits were.
"It was pretty evident we didn't know what we were doing," Rodriguez said. "We did everything we could to keep it between us, and my cousin did not provide any other players with it. I stopped taking it in 2003 and haven't taken it since."
Rodriguez said his awakening came after suffering a serious 2003 neck injury when he feared for his career and post-baseball life. Rodriguez has not been flagged for steroids under MLB's testing program since 2003.
Rodriguez said he had taken his MLB-mandated urine test before the news conference and would submit to another blood test for the 2009 World Baseball Classic, as he did in '06.
A-Rod said he has not used HGH, but he admitted to past use of a product called Ripped Fuel, which was later banned under baseball's program for containing ephedrine. While not expressly outlawed by MLB then, Primobolan has never been legal in the U.S.
"I guess when you're young and stupid, you're young and stupid," Rodriguez said.
That explanation did not pass muster with -- among other people -- the man sitting immediately to Rodriguez's side. Rodriguez was 25 when the first use would have taken place in 2001, and as Cashman pointed out, Rodriguez should have been old enough to have known better.
"I like the fact more that when he carries it that he was stupid, more than young and naïve," Cashman said. "It was stupid. It was a bad decision that may cost him on so many levels. He understands that, and he's dealing with it now. We're all going to be moving with him during this process. He's suffering, the Yankees are suffering."
From one chair over, Girardi gave Rodriguez's question-and-answer session positive reviews, saying that the third baseman was "about as good as you could expect."
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| "It isn't lost on me the good fortunes I've received playing baseball. I [was in the Major Leagues] right out of high school, and I thought I knew everything. I clearly didn't. I've made mistakes in my life, and the only way I know to handle them is to learn from them and move forward. One thing I know for sure is that baseball is a lot bigger than Alex Rodriguez." |
| -- Alex Rodriguez |
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"I wouldn't expect a guy to be all excited and relaxed going into this situation," Girardi said. "Who wouldn't have been nervous?"
But Cashman critiqued Rodriguez's question-and-answer session by saying he should have explicitly stated he used the substances to make himself better on the baseball field. Cashman also said that Rodriguez faces a difficult road ahead.
"I don't think Alex is very good at communicating, to be quite honest," Cashman said. "I think anybody who covers him on a daily basis ... anybody who's been in that clubhouse and seen Alex trying to talk to his successes and failures in the baseball arena, he's not very good at it.
"I do think there's a degree of difficulty for him going into this circumstance. This is not something he's good at."
The revelations concerning Rodriguez will create an awkward situation in the years moving forward. The Yankees signed Rodriguez to a 10-year, $275 million contract before the 2008 season, including performance incentives that would pay A-Rod an additional $30 million if he eventually becomes baseball's home run king.
Asked if he had any regrets about signing Rodriguez to that contract, Cashman answered by saying that the Yankees are not in a position to go backwards on the deal.
"The position we're in is to try to move forward and make sure that we can help him get through this," Cashman said. "We've got nine years of Alex remaining, and we want them to be nine terrific years. He's a huge investment, he's an asset.
"This is an asset that's currently in crisis, and we will do everything we can to protect that asset and try to salvage that asset. ... If you want to use the analogy that this is Humpty-Dumpty, we've got to put him back together again and get him back up on the wall."
Clearly, at least 156 of Rodriguez's 553 home runs -- the ones he hit wearing a Rangers uniform -- are already tainted in some fashion. Rodriguez will earn an additional $6 million each time he should pass legendary names like Willie Mays (660), Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755).
Like Barry Bonds (762), there will now forever be questions about how Rodriguez got to that level, with additional financial incentive to do so.
"It isn't lost on me the good fortunes I've received playing baseball," Rodriguez said. "I [was in the Major Leagues] right out of high school, and I thought I knew everything. I clearly didn't. I've made mistakes in my life, and the only way I know to handle them is to learn from them and move forward. One thing I know for sure is that baseball is a lot bigger than Alex Rodriguez."
Girardi said there was no way to know if Rodriguez would -- or could -- be able to repair the damage done to his legacy.
"Only time will tell," Girardi said. "He has nine more years under contract to play, and he has an opportunity to do a lot of special things. I guess when we're all 60, we'll look back and say, were we right?
"I think [the news conference is] a start. I don't think it's going to go away today. I've got to believe that, in a week, there won't be 200 media members trying to get a pass to be in here. It's a big step."
Rodriguez had made two previous public appearances since Sports Illustrated reported Rodriguez's steroid use on its Web site on Feb. 7. Rodriguez consented to an interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons on Feb. 9, and admitted to using banned substances while playing for the Rangers from 2001-03.
A-Rod also made a seven-minute speech at the University of Miami on Friday at a ceremony naming the baseball field for him, but did not take questions from reporters. For 33 minutes on Tuesday, Rodriguez finally did.
"I'm here to take my medicine," Rodriguez said. "After today, I hope to put this behind me and start focusing on baseball. I miss playing baseball, and I miss simply being a baseball player. I think this is a tremendous opportunity to look in the mirror and be a better teammate."
Here are the standings for baseball!
2009 Cactus League Spring Standings
| CACTUS | W | L | T | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | RS | RA |
| LA Angels | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | - | 4-0 | 1-1 | 41 | 19 |
| Seattle | 4 | 1 | 1 | .900 | .5 | 2-0 | 2-1 | 49 | 23 |
| Chicago Cubs | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | 1 | 4-1 | 1-2 | 48 | 33 |
| San Diego | 3 | 2 | 2 | .800 | 1.5 | 3-1 | 0-1 | 25 | 24 |
| Arizona | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 1.5 | 1-2 | 3-1 | 49 | 43 |
| Texas | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 1.5 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 43 | 51 |
| Milwaukee | 3 | 3 | 1 | .583 | 2 | 2-0 | 1-3 | 33 | 33 |
| Kansas City | 3 | 3 | 2 | .667 | 2 | 2-0 | 1-3 | 52 | 42 |
| San Francisco | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 2 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 49 | 65 |
| LA Dodgers | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 2.5 | 0-2 | 3-2 | 49 | 52 |
| Chicago Sox | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 2.5 | 0-1 | 3-3 | 25 | 41 |
| Cleveland | 3 | 4 | 1 | .500 | 2.5 | 3-3 | 0-1 | 48 | 54 |
| Oakland | 2 | 4 | 1 | .417 | 3 | 2-1 | 0-3 | 28 | 31 |
| Colorado | 0 | 7 | 0 | .000 | 5.5 | 0-4 | 0-3 | 25 | 53 |
| 2009 Grapefruit League Spring Standings | |||||||||
| GRAPEFRUIT | W | L | T | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | RS | RA |
| Pittsburgh | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | - | 4-1 | 2-0 | 29 | 20 |
| St. Louis | 4 | 2 | 1 | .750 | 1.5 | 1-1 | 3-1 | 60 | 48 |
| Baltimore | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 1.5 | 3-1 | 1-1 | 32 | 25 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 1.5 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 29 | 17 |
| Atlanta | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 1.5 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 29 | 26 |
| Cincinnati | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 2 | 2-1 | 2-2 | 49 | 50 |
| Philadelphia | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 2.5 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 38 | 39 |
| Washington | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 2.5 | 3-1 | 0-2 | 20 | 27 |
| Toronto | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 2.5 | 1-3 | 2-0 | 29 | 33 |
| Tampa Bay | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 3 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 41 | 41 |
| NY Mets | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 3 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 49 | 41 |
| Detroit | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 3 | 2-0 | 0-3 | 21 | 20 |
| NY Yankees | 2 | 4 | 1 | .417 | 3.5 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 36 | 35 |
| Florida | 1 | 3 | 1 | .375 | 3.5 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 20 | 34 |
| Boston | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 4 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 37 | 40 |
| Houston | 1 | 5 | 1 | .250 | 4.5 | 1-1 | 0-4 | 26 | 49 |
Passion of players and fans earns monthlong celebration
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Manu Ginobili starts left, contorts his body and somehow finishes strong before crashing gracefully under the basket. The frenetic ballet of Argentina's favorite basketball son has been replayed nightly across NBA floors for most of this decade.
There's flair in his game, a style reminiscent of a matador's. A natural assumption might be that's Ginobili's sense of the dramatic is a product of his culture, and a common thread among players with Latin blood pumping through their veins.
Don't others such as Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez and Leandro Barbosa share a similar panache?
"I really don't notice it," Ginobili said. "We're very passionate. That's the only thing I can tell. That's probably because of how difficult it is for us to become successful basketball players.
"When we have the option, we really try to squeeze it. Besides that, it's different players, different countries and different leagues where we come from, so it's hard to find a common denominator."
| Noche Latina 2009 | |||||||||
| Noche Latina, which recognizes players and fans from across Latin America and U.S. Hispanic communities, tips off in March. With that in mind, here are some multimedia highlights from notable Latin players in the NBA today. | |||||||||
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While the Spurs' sixth man isn't going to cast his countrymen or Latino allies under one convenient label, singling out their shared passion cuts across country and language. As does their common experience of reaching the most competitive basketball league on the planet.
Seventeen players of Latin descent grace NBA rosters this season, with Argentina and Spain leading the charge with five each. Brazil boasts three, two hail from the Dominican Republic, and Mexico and Puerto Rico each have one. The league is recognizing their contributions to the game with a series of games this month dubbed, "Noche Latina."
These Latin Nights began in 2007 and are also aimed at honoring the league's Latino fans. Eight teams were selected this season, up from four last year, to wear special uniforms recognizing Latin American and Hispanic communities. The program also includes partnerships with top Hispanic agencies and Spanish-language radio stations, and it includes local grassroots events in each market and in-arena activities.
While it may seem a marketing gimmick, an excuse to sell jerseys with Nueva York, Los Lakers and El Heat across the front, the players are quick to point out the program's significance.
"It's a wonderful thing, of course," said Gasol, the Lakers' forward from Spain. "I appreciate it. It's good to get a Latino and Spanish flavor to one of the games. I think it's a beautiful thing. I had a couple of them back in Memphis and I enjoyed it. It's a nice initiative and it's a tribute to my country and to the Latino community."
Added Mavericks guard J.J. Barea of Puerto Rico: "I appreciate it. We appreciate. We have a lot of Hispanic fans that love basketball."
The numbers back that up. The league has 20 million Hispanic fans ages 12 and up, according to a survey provided by the NBA. The league also owns one of the fastest growing Hispanic fan bases in sports, with 33 percent growth since 2005.
Hispanics make up 57 percent of the adult fans at games in San Antonio. It's 44 percent in Miami and 36 percent in Los Angeles. Other markets with high Hispanic concentration include Phoenix (28 percent), New York (24 percent) and Dallas (20 percent).
"What I can see is that they're at every single game I've been to," Ginobili said of Hispanic fans. "I can always hear somebody tell me something. You can tell they are Latin. It's good to recognize them and make them feel important, because they are."
| NOche Latina 2009 schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Basketball is also becoming the top team sport played by Hispanic teens in the U.S. According to the Simmons teen/adult combined study conducted in 2007, some 2.2 million Hispanic teens play basketball, followed by soccer at 1.9 million. The trend isn't just in the United States.
"Every time I go to my hometown in Brazil, I'm surprised by more and more kids playing basketball," Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao said. "Brazil has always been a soccer country and volleyball is going really good, so it's good to see that."
Don't forget the current crop of Latino players were once kids, too. Fernandez began picking up dunk tips while most of his friends were still fast asleep in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. "When I was younger, I'd wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning and watch the NBA," the Blazers' rookie said. "I remember it was difficult to watch Spanish players or Sudamerican players, and right now it's a big opportunity for us."
Portland teammate and fellow Spaniard Sergio Rodriguez said: "The NBA is the best league in the world and everybody wants to play here. We want to play against the best players, and the international players are good now and we're improving."
Latino players take their responsibility to fans in their NBA cities and back home seriously. Ginobili enjoys a rock star following in his hometown of Bahia Blanca and throughout the country. Argentina's vast international success includes Olympic gold in 2004.
Basketball won't ever be as big soccer there -- "Not even close," Ginobili said -- but its popularity continues to grow with every breathtaking drive from the Spurs' guard nicknamed, "El Contusion."
"It's something new," Ginobili said. "Before in Argentina I never would have dreamt of the possibility, so they cherish it. It's hard for them for them to identify with a team, but they have great respect for us and they want us to do good. In Spain or Puerto Rico or Brazil, they do the same."
In some ways, the respect fans have for the players gets back to the way many Latino players play the game. It's got nothing to do with style points. Andres Nocioni, Nene, Luis Scola and Eduardo Najera are just as comfortable mucking it up in the trenches as Barbosa is gliding through the lane.
"I don't want to compare the way we play with the way they play here, but the only thing I have to say about us is we play with heart," Varejao said. "In my case, I give everything. I don't care how many points or how many rebounds I get. I'm just going to play hard and try to help my team get a win."
While it's probably just a coincidence, 12 of the 17 Latino players are on teams in the thick of the playoff race, with most manning significant roles. Their impact is being felt. And just as many European or African players have enjoyed a natural friendship over the years regardless of their nationality, Latino players also feel a kinship.
"There's a bond, for sure," said Barea, in the midst of a breakout season as Jason Kidd's backup. "When we see each other or play each other, we make sure we say hi and talk to each other. It's somebody to talk Spanish with. The language is a big thing. You just want to talk Spanish with somebody."
And not just Spanish. "It's nice to joke in Portuguese with Barbosa," Varejao said of Brazil's official language. "And it's nice to practice my Spanish sometimes. Whenever we play against each other, we always talk. 'How is everything? How is life here? How is the team?' I believe that's really good. It's always good when you're in a different country and you're not the only one.
"You can talk a little bit about what's going on and take some good tips from them, learn from them, too."
In a small way, Noche Latina helps acknowledge those ties. Though not every Latino player is wearing a special jersey this month, they all realize they're part of something bigger.
"I don't think it's only about recognizing us, but Latin fans," Ginobili said. "It's a huge fan base for the NBA and they're very important for the league. We know that, so it's a way to thank them."
Here are the standings for Basketball!
| 2008-2009 Conference Regular Season Standings | ||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| Eastern | W | L | PCT | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | L 10 | STREAK | ||||
| Cleveland1 | 47 | 12 | 0.797 | 0.0 | 28-8 | 10-3 | 26-1 | 21-11 | 8-2 | W 3 | ||||
| Boston2 | 47 | 14 | 0.770 | 1.0 | 31-5 | 12-1 | 25-5 | 22-9 | 6-4 | L 1 | ||||
| Orlando3 | 44 | 16 | 0.733 | 3.5 | 24-9 | 10-2 | 23-7 | 21-9 | 6-4 | W 2 | ||||
| Atlanta4 | 34 | 26 | 0.567 | 13.5 | 24-15 | 10-3 | 20-7 | 14-19 | 5-5 | W 1 | ||||
| Miami5 | 31 | 28 | 0.525 | 16.0 | 19-15 | 7-5 | 20-11 | 11-17 | 5-5 | L 1 | ||||
| Detroit6 | 30 | 29 | 0.508 | 17.0 | 19-16 | 7-5 | 15-15 | 15-14 | 3-7 | W 3 | ||||
| Philadelphia7 | 29 | 30 | 0.492 | 18.0 | 18-19 | 5-7 | 17-14 | 12-16 | 4-6 | L 2 | ||||
| Milwaukee8 | 29 | 34 | 0.460 | 20.0 | 18-21 | 4-9 | 18-12 | 11-22 | 5-5 | L 1 | ||||
| New Jersey | 27 | 33 | 0.450 | 20.5 | 16-20 | 5-5 | 13-18 | 14-15 | 4-6 | W 1 | ||||
| Chicago | 27 | 34 | 0.443 | 21.0 | 13-22 | 5-6 | 17-11 | 10-23 | 5-5 | L 1 | ||||
| Indiana | 27 | 36 | 0.429 | 22.0 | 16-24 | 4-7 | 19-11 | 8-25 | 6-4 | W 2 | ||||
| Charlotte | 26 | 35 | 0.426 | 22.0 | 13-24 | 4-8 | 17-15 | 9-20 | 6-4 | W 4 | ||||
| New York | 24 | 35 | 0.407 | 23.0 | 14-21 | 3-8 | 17-14 | 7-21 | 3-7 | L 3 | ||||
| Toronto | 23 | 39 | 0.371 | 25.5 | 14-21 | 4-8 | 12-16 | 11-23 | 4-6 | L 3 | ||||
| Washington | 14 | 46 | 0.233 | 33.5 | 7-34 | 0-13 | 10-22 | 4-24 | 4-6 | L 2 | ||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| Western | W | L | PCT | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | L 10 | STREAK | ||||
| L.A. Lakers1 | 49 | 12 | 0.803 | 0.0 | 32-6 | 11-2 | 28-4 | 21-8 | 7-3 | W 1 | ||||
| San Antonio2 | 40 | 19 | 0.678 | 8.0 | 26-9 | 8-3 | 20-8 | 20-11 | 6-4 | W 1 | ||||
| Houston3 | 39 | 22 | 0.639 | 10.0 | 24-10 | 5-5 | 25-6 | 14-16 | 8-2 | W 2 | ||||
| Denver4 | 39 | 22 | 0.639 | 10.0 | 23-11 | 7-2 | 22-7 | 17-15 | 5-5 | L 2 | ||||
| New Orleans5 | 37 | 22 | 0.627 | 11.0 | 21-14 | 5-3 | 21-9 | 16-13 | 7-3 | W 5 | ||||
| Portland6 | 37 | 22 | 0.627 | 11.0 | 19-17 | 6-4 | 24-5 | 13-17 | 7-3 | W 2 | ||||
| Utah7 | 37 | 23 | 0.617 | 11.5 | 26-11 | 8-3 | 26-6 | 11-17 | 9-1 | W 8 | ||||
| Dallas8 | 36 | 24 | 0.600 | 12.5 | 19-17 | 4-6 | 22-8 | 14-16 | 6-4 | L 1 | ||||
| Phoenix | 34 | 26 | 0.567 | 14.5 | 20-14 | 8-4 | 19-11 | 15-15 | 6-4 | L 1 | ||||
| Golden State | 21 | 39 | 0.350 | 27.5 | 12-23 | 3-7 | 15-15 | 6-24 | 5-5 | W 1 | ||||
| Minnesota | 18 | 42 | 0.300 | 30.5 | 9-28 | 2-10 | 8-23 | 10-19 | 1-9 | L 7 | ||||
| Memphis | 15 | 44 | 0.254 | 33.0 | 9-29 | 4-9 | 12-20 | 3-24 | 2-8 | L 8 | ||||
| Oklahoma City | 15 | 45 | 0.250 | 33.5 | 10-28 | 3-7 | 11-20 | 4-25 | 3-7 | W 2 | ||||
| L.A. Clippers | 15 | 46 | 0.246 | 34.0 | 9-30 | 1-12 | 8-23 | 7-23 | 3-7 | L 3 | ||||
| Sacramento | 13 | 49 | 0.210 | 36.5 | 13-25 | 6-4 | 9-21 | 4-28 | 2-8 | L 2 | ||||
