Let’s Get the Off-Season Started!

For those of you stuck in the sports desert known as July, here is some heavy duty reading for you.  The NBA off-season has been a hectic time for player movement by free agency and trades.  I breakdown each and every NBA team and give them their due, regardless if they deserve it or not.  So take that much needed break from work and spend some company time catching up on the NBA.  The boss might not thank you, but I will.I finally realized what the Black Eyed Peas were talking about when they were telling everyone “Lets Get it Started” in their endless NBA promo commercials.  They weren’t talking about the playoffs at all.  It was all about the NBA off-season and the crazy amount of players swapping logos this summer.  We aren’t just talking about the every day fill out your roster type moves either.  These are big names changing teams and the NBA landscape is changing along with them.

It has been one crazy summer for the NBA from the moment Ben Wallace wrapped his big paws around the Larry O’Brien trophy.  We’ve seen a two time scoring champ sent west, Cleveland get “bamboozered”, and the most dominant center in the league is about to be swapped for three players, none of whom are all-stars.  There are also those massive contracts being signed by players who no one would consider part of the league’s elite.  I’m sure some of these contracts will lead to the demise of certain general managers.

With all this movement, I thought I’d break it down team by team and see who got the steals of the summer and who just got stiffed.  None of these are final until Wednesday July 14, but most of these things should happen.  Unless they are based on a hand shake with Carlos Boozer that is.

Atlanta Hawks – It looks like they will be getting forward Al Harrington for guard Stephen Jackson in a sign and trade deal.  Nobody in Atlanta really cares, so why should I?  Ok, for those few Hawk fans out there I’d have to say this is a pretty solid deal.  I think Harrington can be a solid All-Star in this league at the three if he gets the minutes, which he will in Atlanta.  Jackson is a solid player, but he reeks of being a big number guy on a bad team.  It would seem to be an improvement since Harrington…gulp… I have to say it, has more upside.

Boston Celtics – They resigned center Mark Blount for $41 million dollars over six years.  I’ll give the Boston faithful a bit more time to digest that sentence.  However this is the norm in the NBA throughout its history.  Centers with the smallest bits of potential will get the big money and teams will live with the high risk, high reward philosophy.  The C’s decided they would rather take the chance than have someone else take it for them.  Or you could say Boston already has the Blount, smoke `em if you got `em!

Charlotte Bobcats – Have no free agent signings at this point.  The fans in Charlotte must be counting the days until their team takes the floor!  

Chicago Bulls – Nada so far.  Since Michael, Phil and Scottie left back in 1998 the rebuilding plan has worked to absolute perfection.

Cleveland Cavaliers – I know I took some jabs at Carlos Boozer earlier in my article, but it really comes down to Cleveland management screwing up this situation in a big way.  When millions of dollars, agents and contracts are involved, do you let things rest on a handshake and verbal commitments?  Only if you’re an inept Cavs franchise that just set back the LeBron era a few years.  Although if there were a Most Honest Player award given in the NBA, I do not think Boozer would be the front-runner.
Dallas Mavericks – Mark Cuban faced a tough choice when Phoenix offered Steve Nash a six year contract for $66 mill.  He made the decision not to match it and although it was a tough one, I’m with Cuban on the decision.  That is just too much money to throw at a thirty year old point guard who fights injury every year and whose game relies on quickness.  They were able to re-sign rookie surprise Marquis Daniels to a deal and that will benefit them in the long run much more.  Besides the questions concerning Nash’s hair was starting to become a team distraction.  The Mavs also picked up Jerry Stackhouse, Christian Laettner and a draft pick (Devin Harris) in a trade for Antawn Jamison.  Bringing Stack and Laettner onto a team that needs defensive help is the equivalent of Ford signing Billy Joel as a pitchman because of his impeccable driving record.

Denver Nuggets – They kept Marcus Camby in the fold with a six-year deal worth around $50 mill.  A bit of a risk, but the Cambyman can be a definite factor when healthy and motivated.  They also have offered Kenyon Martin a max contract deal to pry him away from the New Jersey Nets.  The Nuggets might join the Western elite if they get Martin.  He brings playoff savvy and a nasty attitude to Denver along with his many skills.  Carmelo Anthony can only smile when thinking of Camby, Martin, and Nene protecting the paint for the Nuggets.

Detroit Pistons – It looks like Detroit will lose Mehmet Okur to the Jazz, which hurts because he is young and promising.  However, Okur also looked a bit overwhelmed in the NBA Finals when he got off the bench.  Since Detroit has the hilarity that is Darko Milicic to groom, losing Okur does not hurt as much.  They still need to sign Rasheed Wallace who was a key cog in their title run.  Just today, I see that they offered Antonio McDyess and his gimpy knee $23 million.  If this keeps them from resigning Wallace, I’m assuming Joe Dumars has not stopped drinking champagne since the Pistons won the title.

Golden State Warriors – They lost Brian Cardinal to the Grizzlies and that hurts them.  Memphis might have overpaid a bit to get Cardinal, but he is the kind of guy every winning team needs.  I’m positive this is the reason the Warriors let him go.  Golden State did keep Adonal Foyle around with $42 million over five years, but are likely to lose Erick Dampier.  Dampier showed no signs of life until his contract year and any GM who takes a risk on him had better have his resume updated.  I think if the Warriors can get some type of sign and deal for him they will have done well.

Houston Rockets – No free agents to speak of, but Houston did make a small trade for some lanky guard known as T-Mac.  This trade gives the Rockets a chance to develop a tag team on par with the duo formally know as ShaqKobe.  If Yao continues to progress and McGrady buys into Coach Van Gundy’s philosophy, this team will be near the top within the next few years.  These two are always compared to their Laker counterparts and now they have a chance to prove it by bringing some golden hardware back to Houston.

Indiana Pacers – As mentioned above they get Stephen Jackson from Atlanta for Al Harrington.  Even though I like Harrington more as a player, this trade works for the Pacers.  Harrington was getting antsy sitting behind Ron Artest and Jackson can help replace the fading Reggie Miller.  I expect Larry Bird will be looking to add a few more players later this summer.

Los Angeles Clippers – The Clips have made Kobe their top priority all summer and probably will lose out in the end.  Then owner Donald Sterling can go back to counting his money and forget about his basketball team.  Do you think he noticed they are going to lose Quentin Richardson to Phoenix?

Los Angeles Lakers – It looks like they are actually going to deal Shaq to Miami for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant.  This will give the Lakers a decent team core assuming Kobe signs for the max and stays.  With Shaq and Kobe they could compete for a title every year.  Now they have to worry about fielding a decent team.  The cheers from Sacramento, San Antonio, and Minnesota are audible if you listen close enough.  

Memphis Grizzlies – Jerry West threw big money at Brian Cardinal and no one was holding a gun to his head.  Like I mentioned above, teams need guys like this to win and West knows how to build a winner.  I assume The Logo has more up his sleeve because this team is still a few pieces away.  If only the Lakers had someone like Jerry West to run their team.

Miami Heat – Right when the Heat start getting back in the playoff mix they lose Rafer Alston to Toronto.  How can you replace Skip-to-my-Lou?  Team prez Pat Riley figured he better go and get the NBA’s most dominant player in Shaquille O’Neal.  With Shaq and Dwayne Wade in black and orange the Heat instantly becomes contenders for the Eastern conference throne.  They have holes in the roster with the players they gave up for the Big Orange Peel, but with the foundation of Shaq and Wade they should be able to lure a few free agents.  Miami went for title dream now rather than later.  Can you blame them?

Milwaukee Bucks – The Bucks lost Brian Skinner to the 76ers and are looking to steal Etan Thomas from the Wizards.  I can’t really see a big difference between the two guys, so I’ll call it a wash.  Even with bringing in Thomas, the Bucks are in need of some talented big men.

Minnesota Timberwolves – Team KG wants to keep Troy Hudson in the mix and looks like it will do just that.  Not sure what else the Wolves need since they are right on the cusp of a championship.  They might want to pick up some rhythm for Mark Madsen if they plan to win a title this year.

New Jersey Nets – After finally becoming a legitimate franchise over the last few years, I hear rumblings about the Nets going cheap on us.  If they do not match the offers for Kenyon Martin, then we know the beginning of the end is near.  Once Martin goes, Jason Kidd will soon follow.  I enjoy watching this team and it would be a shame to see it broken up, but maybe the Nets just know who they are…perennial losers.

New Orleans Hornets – I have not heard any buzzing from New Orleans, which is pretty much the way the season went for the Hornets.  Are there any hardcore Hornets fans out there?  Maybe the New Orleans thing just is not working.  Or maybe they just need to go all Bourbon Street on us and start selling those beaded necklaces at the games.  Watching cheerleaders gone wild would at least make the Hornets interesting.

New York Knicks – Isiah Thomas hasn’t spent any money on overpriced free agents yet, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t trying.  Does any team in the league spend their money in a worst way?  Unless they can unload some of their own high priced talent, and I use the word talent lightly, the Knicks are stuck right where they are, in mediocrity.

Orlando Magic – I believe they made a decent deal for T-Mac, but I thought they would have been much better off keeping just keeping him.  Surround T-Mac with an Emeka Okafor, who they could have drafted for instant help in the paint, Drew Gooden and Jameer Nelson and that could have been a solid core to build around.  It’s a team that could have also competed now.  The Magic decided to go young by drafting Dwight Howard and trading McGrady.  I’m sure the Magic fans are looking forward to another rebuilding program.

Philadelphia 76ers – They signed Brian Skinner after losing out on Mark Blount.  Is it just me or do all these big guys seem like interchangeable parts?  Until one of these guys takes the leap and actually makes an all-star team, I’m sticking with that theory.

Phoenix Suns – The Suns were aggressive in the market and grabbed Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson.  They might have overpaid for them, but both players should fit in nicely.  It looks like Phoenix will want to run the floor and they have the team to it.  Amare Stoudamire and Shawn Marion on the wings are nice options for Nash.  They still lack size, but have the Suns ever had size?  

Portland Trailblazers – The Blazers want to add players, but no one has bitten on their offers yet.  Portland has a young front line with potential in Zack Randolph, Theo Ratliff, and Darius Miles.  The question is who will get them the ball?  Maybe they can lure Jamal Crawford out of Chicago to strengthen the backcourt.  The Blazers were so much more interesting with `Sheed and his crazy antics.  Maybe they should bring Isiah, don’t call me JR, Rider back for just for kicks.

Sacramento Kings – The biggest move the Kings made this summer was to wave good bye to their long time pal Shaq.  With his size 22’s removed from the Pacific division the Kings look so much better.  This team will be back in the hunt come November and maybe even early June if Chris Webber can regain his pre-surgery form.

San Antonio Spurs – Read above for the Spurs biggest move.  However, the Spurs didn’t stand pat like the Kings.  They went out and signed Brent Barry who should be a major upgrade over Hedo Turkoglu.  Barry does much more than swish easy jumpers in the first quarter and clang those same jumpers in the fourth.  San Antonio also resigned Manu Ginobili, so don’t be surprised to see another title from Team Duncan.

Seattle SuperSonics – They lost Brent Barry to Texas and haven’t done anything else for themselves.  Besides having to deal with all that rain, Seattle fans haven’t had a decent team to cheer for since Shawn Kemp was slender.

Toronto Raptors – They signed Rafer Alston to quarterback the club, but they still have a lot of holes to fill.  Plus Vince Carter is saying he wants out of Canada because he wasn’t in on some management decisions.  I think Vince needs to work on fine tuning his game and not the Raptors roster.  What happened to the Vinsanity era?

Utah Jazz – The Jazz got Okur from the Pistons and then pulled the coup of the summer landing Boozer from Cleveland.  Boozer is a hard working all-star in the making and Okur might turn into a solid player, who just happens to be seven feet tall.  Give Coach Sloan the right pieces and he can mold them into a winning team.  Utah almost made the playoffs in the rugged west with a less than talented roster, so they needed any kind of talent on the floor.  Kudos to the Jazz for bringing in some guys even though Utah isn’t exactly on the free agent wish list.  Maybe they should start marketing that polygamy thing.

Washington Wizards – They got Antawn Jamison from Dallas who should put up some good numbers for them.  He is not a center piece of a team, but he can do a bit of everything.  The Wiz might lose Etan Thomas to Milwaukee, but they can match the offer.  Thomas was an MJ favorite while he was running things and that is saying something.  Although MJ also ran Rip Hamilton out of town for Jerry Stackhouse, so scratch that last sentence.