Who's improved thanks to offseason moves?
BDodgers at aol.com
BDodgers at aol.com
Wed Aug 1 18:09:58 CDT 2007
2007-08 outlook: Who's improved thanks to offseason moves?
(http://x.go.com/cgi/x.pl?goto=http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=john_hollinger&name=SEARCH_m_archive&srvc=sz)
By John Hollinger
ESPN Insider
Improvement. That's the name of the game in the offseason, and it comes in
all shapes and sizes. Teams can get better in a variety of ways -- through
holdover players raising their games, through trimming deadwood from the previous
season's roster, or by adding talent through the draft, trades or free agency.
And sometimes, it doesn't even take any of that -- it just takes a different
general on the sidelines pulling it all together.
But one thing remains constant: Standing pat is a formula for failure. In a
business in which careers tend to be brief, it's imperative to constantly bring
in new blood. Just ask the _Miami Heat_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=mia) , who were so giddy about winning a championship in 2006 that
they brought back the same roster last season -- and watched their aging crew
fail to win a single playoff game in one of the weaker title defenses in league
history.
Fortunately, half of the league's teams have made additions to their rosters
that should prove quite helpful in the coming season, and that's the group
I'll be discussing today. While not all of these moves were in the teams' best
long-term interests ($24 million for _Jason Kapono_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3734) !?!?!?), what I want to do today is focus on
how those maneuvers affect each team for this coming season in particular.
And if we're only looking at the upcoming season, even a fairly reckless move
can have positive short-term effects.
With that as the background, here's a midsummer update showing the teams that
have made themselves more formidable than they were a year ago:
(Major additions and subtractions are given in parentheses)
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=bos)
1. _Boston Celtics_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=bos)
(formerly No. 6)
(added Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett; lost Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, Al
Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green and Theo Ratliff).
There's little doubt which team will see the biggest gain in wins this
season. Boston had only 24 victories last season but is likely to double that total
with the additions of Garnett and Allen. It will collapse in a heap in three
years, but in the meantime it should be a fun ride.
However, they paid a huge price to get Garnett and have virtually nothing
left on the roster outside the Big 3. With our Marc Stein reporting that the C's
are looking at minimum contracts from here on out so they can sidestep the tax
man, I can't see them adding enough pieces to win the East.
Here's what I'm wondering today: Would Boston have been better off setting
their sights lower, keeping Jefferson, and using the combination of Ratliff's
expiring deal and Gerald Green to get a lower-wattage star (say, Philly's Andre
Miller or Dallas' Jason Terry, and yes, I'm just throwing names out)? Food for
thought as we see Boston try to fill out its roster in the coming weeks.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=hou)
2. _Houston Rockets_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=hou)
(formerly No. 1)
(added Steve Francis, Mike James, Luis Scola, Jackie Butler and Aaron Brooks;
lost Juwan Howard and Vassilis Spanoulis; replaced Jeff Van Gundy with Rick
Adelman)
While you're focusing on the San Antonio-Dallas-Phoenix triumvirate in the
West, don't sleep on Houston. The Rockets have quietly put together a roster
that very well could be the last team standing in the Western Conference in 2008.
Start with the decision to replace Van Gundy with Adelman -- a change in
direction that likely will make the team more up-tempo and offensive-minded.
They'll miss Van Gundy's defensive genius, but given the offensive stagnation this
club showed in 2006-07, it's not a bad trade.
Moreover, hiring Adelman was especially important in this case because it
basically adds another player to the roster. _Bonzi Wells_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3254) bristled under Van Gundy after showing
up out of shape, and hardly played last season. But he seems excited by being
reunited with Adelman, who coached him to a strong campaign in Sacramento two
years ago.
>From there, add in two vastly underrated trades. The first one pilfered James
from Minnesota for Howard, giving the Rockets a do-over on the disastrous
James-for-_Rafer Alston_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3282) trade two years ago. The second nabbed Scola and Butler from San Antonio
in return for Spanoulis.
Scola, a skilled Argentinian who has been one of the best players in Europe
for the past half-decade, will make an immediate impact as a starting power
forward. Butler, as a young center with strong scoring skills in the post, should
energize a second unit that was bereft of offense last season.
Finally, there's Francis. Admittedly this was a bit more of a dice roll, but
the hope is that he can make the transition from Entitled Superstar Wannabe to
Winning Veteran Role Player and give the Rockets a backcourt slasher who can
break down defenses at the end of the shot clock. His arrival also paves the
way for a trade of Rafer Alston, potentially for more help on the wings.
In the big picture, the Rockets aggressively addressed their three main
problems: stagnant offense, point guard and power forward. Between the coaching
change, the additions of James, Francis and first-round pick Aaron Brooks at the
point, the pickups of Scola and Butler up front, and the de facto addition of
Wells, this team suddenly looks loaded. The West's holy trinity of Dallas,
Phoenix and San Antonio might have to make room for a fourth power at the table.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=cha)
3. _Charlotte Bobcats_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=cha)
(formerly No. 2)
(added _Jason Richardson_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3515) and _Jared Dudley_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4300) ; lost _Brevin Knight_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3186) ; replaced Bernie Bickerstaff with Sam Vincent)
While cynics will claim that frugal Bobcats owner Robert Johnson only signed
off on the Richardson deal because he had to get over the minimum salary
floor, there's no question that the deal addressed a huge weakness that has plagued
the Cats throughout their existence.
Richardson is a reliable scorer and rebounder -- one that will help push
rookie bust _Adam Morrison_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4131) out of the rotation if he struggles again -- and gives the Bobcats a
much-needed go-to guy late in games. It also allows sharpshooter _Matt Carroll_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3785) to shift to a
more suitable sixth-man role, in which his defensive shortcomings won't be so
glaring. As a late first-rounder, Dudley could be surprisingly effective, too
-- don't be shocked if he's earning important minutes by season's end. Add it
up and a playoff run doesn't seem far-fetched at all.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=nyk)
4. _New York Knicks_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=nyk)
(added _Zach Randolph_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3531) , _Wilson Chandler_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4301) , _Dan Dickau_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3625) and _Fred Jones_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3612) ; lost _Steve Francis_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3325) and _Channing Frye_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3934) )
I'd rank this higher if I had any faith in the ability of Curry and Randolph
to defend with even a smidgen of enthusiasm or competence, but I don't. The
two will combine to give the Knicks the league's most defensively disinterested
frontcourt, and that should put them in the bottom five or so in defensive
efficiency.
But offensively, the Knicks might be good enough to play .500 ball anyway.
Randolph is a beast in the post, and he can play the high post and float in his
feathery left-handed jumper if he needs to clear the lane for Curry. Adding
Chandler, Dickau and Jones also helps in the depth department, especially if it
gives Isiah Thomas the stones to finally cut _Jerome James_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3279) .
However, the Randolph deal didn't help the Knicks nearly as much as it did
the rest of the league, who now can rejoice in several more years of expected
luxury tax payments from Zeke's spendthrift regime.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=atl)
5. _Atlanta Hawks_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=atl)
(added _Al Horford_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4245) , Acie Law)
Throw in two more lottery picks to a cast that already includes rising stars
_Joe Johnson_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3520)
and _Josh Smith_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3834) ,
and suddenly the Hawks look a lot more like a real basketball team. Horford
was one of the top talents in an extremely strong draft, and at his size he'll
probably be able to play some center -- a spot where the Hawks have been badly
undermanned in the past.
I'm less bullish on Law's prospects, but he can't be any worse than the gang
that manned the point for Atlanta last season. As with Charlotte, it's
possible this team's lottery days are coming to an end. Too bad nobody will be in the
stands to see it.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=pho)
6. _Phoenix Suns_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=pho)
(formerly No. 3)
(Added Grant Hill and Alando Tucker; lost James Jones and Kurt Thomas)
Some of the euphoria after the low-cost addition of Hill was lost when the
team dealt Thomas and two first-rounders to Seattle in a cost-cutting move.
While Hill is better than Thomas, the Suns lost their lone quality defender
against Tim Duncan, Yao Ming and any other elite post players they'll face in the
postseason.
It now appears the plan is to revert to the damn-the-torpedoes attack of
2004-05 -- with Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and Hill forming a small but
incredibly fast frontcourt, Boris Diaw as the backup "center" and Steve Nash and
Leandro Barbosa blazing the trail in the backcourt. It will be entertaining as
all heck, and the Suns did win 62 games playing that way…but is it enough to
bring the Valley of the Sun its first championship?
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=mem)
7. _Memphis Grizzlies_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=mem)
(added Mike Conley, _Darko Milicic_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3705) ; lost _Chucky Atkins_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3391) ; replaced Tony Barone with Marc Iavaroni)
The Grizzlies added two coveted young talents in Conley and Milicic, with the
latter being hugely important because of the lack of a dependable frontcourt
sidekick for _Pau Gasol_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3513) . Conley also figures to make an impact, but given his youth, it may
come more in future seasons than the present.
Besides, he's filling some big shoes: Unbeknownst to many, Atkins played out
of his mind a year ago. Conley will be hard-pressed just to match those
numbers this season, let alone exceed them. But with these two additions, Grizz fans
at least can see some light at the end of the tunnel.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=was)
8. _Washington Wizards_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=was)
(added _Nick Young_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4294) , _Oleksiy Pecherov_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4146) ; likely to add Juan Carlos Navarro)
Can it be? Do the Wizards finally have a bench? Adding three young players to
the mix (their last two first-round picks plus whomever they trade for
Navarro) certainly makes last season's feeble second unit seem much more imposing
for this go-round.
As those who read my draft preview know, I'm hugely skeptical of Young. But
if all he has to do is improve upon _Roger Mason Jr._
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3628) 's play last season, I'm guessing he can
handle that. Similarly, Pecherov is something of a mystery meat, but he can't
be any worse than _Jarvis Hayes_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3713) was last season. And Navarro will be a solid No. 3 guard
wherever he ends up, though right now the Wizards seem intent on a trade.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=nor)
9. _New Orleans Hornets_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=nor)
(added Morris Peterson, Julian Wright; lost Desmond Mason)
The Hornets filled their hole at the wings with free agent Peterson and
first-rounder Wright, who should be a big upgrade on the Rasual Butler/Desmond
Mason combo that filled the slot last season.
Peterson gives the team a legit perimeter threat, something it lacked a year
ago once Peja Stojakovic went on the shelf, while Wright's all-around game
should provide a nice complement off the bench. Between those two and Peja's
return, the Hornets impotent offense of a year ago should be a thing of the past.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=sac)
10. _Sacramento Kings_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=sac)
(added _Spencer Hawes_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4288) and _Mikki Moore_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3308) ; lost Ronnie Price; replaced coach Eric Musselman with Reggie Theus)
I have no idea if Theus can coach or not, and I think Musselman could do a
pretty good job in the right situation. But nobody doubts that the wheels were
coming off by the end of last season and that a change would be for the better,
so in this case the Mussleman-for-Theus swap should be for the better.
Moreover, the Kings addressed their horrid frontcourt by adding two centers
in Hawes and Moore. Neither is going to be great, but right now the Kings will
settle for "adequate," especially given the price they paid. These moves may
not keep them out of the lottery, but it will at least help stop the bleeding.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lal)
11. _Los Angeles Lakers_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lal)
(added _Javaris Crittenton_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4297) , Derek Fisher; lost Smush Parker)
I'm not sure if this is enough to make Kobe rescind his trade demand, but it
helps. The Lakers point guards were disastrous last season, so adding the
veteran Fisher to take over for _Smush Parker_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3662) should pay immediate dividends (although the Lakers
overpaid and will hate themselves for this two years from now, that's in the
future -- remember, we're just looking at the impacts for 2007-08 today).
Crittenton was supposed to be a long-range pick, but he played well enough in
summer league that folks may reconsider that position -- especially since at
6-foot-5, he has the size that Phil Jackson craves in the backcourt.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=chi)
12. _Chicago Bulls_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=chi)
(added _Joakim Noah_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4287) and _Joe Smith_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3003) ; lost _P.J. Brown_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=814) )
Maybe power forward isn't the weak spot on the roster anymore. Already
possessing a promising stud at the position in _Tyrus Thomas_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4132) , the Bulls added the energy of Noah
and the veteran smarts of Smith to their roster, shoring up a spot manned by a
fading Brown last season. No, none of these guys can score in the post, which
is where the Bulls really could use help, but they'll add another jolt of
energy to the frontcourt. Plus, they give Chicago yet more assets to throw into a
trade for the likes of _Kevin Garnett_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3007) or Pau Gasol.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=tor)
13. _Toronto Raptors_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=tor)
(added _Maceo Baston_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3301) and Jason Kapono; lost Morris Peterson)
Kapono might not even be as good as Mo Pete, the man whose spot he takes at
greater expense. But the big picture in Toronto is that they have three deadly
shooters surrounding _T.J. Ford_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3711) and _Chris Bosh_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3707) , so defending the latter two on the pick-and-roll will be a
pick-your-poison proposition. Additionally, the more important comparison was
improving on _Joey Graham_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3942) -- who inexplicably became the starter last season after the team
soured on Peterson -- and Kapono is more than up to that challenge.
In the meantime, don't sleep on Baston. The former Michigan star was a
Euroleague stalwart for several years but didn't get a chance to show his goods in
Indiana. That's likely to change in Toronto this season, where he'll provide an
inexpensive source of frontcourt offense off the pine.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=det)
14. _Detroit Pistons_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=det)
(added _Rodney Stuckey_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4293) and _Arron Afflalo_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4305) )
I'm not sold on Afflalo at all, but Stuckey looks like the real deal, and
should give Detroit a second-unit guard who can actually score once in awhile.
After watching _Flip Murray_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3639) and _Lindsey Hunter_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=1281) hoist brick after brick the past two seasons, Pistons fans are
going to think this guy is the second coming of Dave Bing.
____________________________________
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=phi)
15. _Philadelphia 76ers_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=phi)
(added _Thaddeus Young_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4290) and _Jason Smith_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4298) ; lost Joe Smith)
Joe Smith was one of the keys to the Sixers' strong second-half run last
season, so losing him leaves a dent. On the other hand, they added two first-round
picks in Young and Jason Smith, and my guess is the contributions of those
two will offset what has been lost.
Not that you'll see much difference in the win column -- I suspect the Sixers
will be terrible -- but these moves didn't make the news any worse. Given
some of the previous offseason maneuvers by the Billy King regime, that's a
victory in itself.
John Hollinger writes for ESPN Insider. To e-mail him, _click here_
(http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/mailbagESPN?event_id=7936) .
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