The NBA off-season is always a fun time of the year. Here is a look at a few of the teams that have stocked their rosters up for a championship run, a few that may be on the brink of contention, and a few that made some questionable moves.
The whirlwind of signings and trades have some teams looking like legitimate contenders to go deep next year. The Cavaliers made the first significant move by grabbing Shaquille O'Neal out of Phoenix, while parting with the largely unproductive Ben Wallace and his large contract, and the rarely used Sasha Pavlovic. Cleveland couldn't match up with the Magic in this year’s playoffs, as Dwight Howard had his way inside, while Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu got nothing but nice looks from the perimeter whenever the Cavs were forced to double Howard. With Shaq, the Cavs now have that presence to clear space inside and bang for rebounds. Only problem is, will Shaq take up too much of that space? At 38 years old Shaq isn't getting any faster. He had better be in the gym while he's sending out all those 'tweets' this summer, cause this Cavs team will be running. The additions of former Raptors Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon proved that this team has geared up their bench to be fast and push the ball. In Phoenix the Suns changed from that style to accommodate Shaq and it didn't work. Will it work in Cleveland? The feeling here is that this could be a move that gets Lebron his first title, or just another year of wearing the crown, but not the ring.
From the King's men to the Mamba's team, the world champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakeshow made probably the boldest move of the off-season in acquiring one of the toughest defenders in the NBA, when they signed Ron Artest away from Houston. This looks all too familiar. Artest with Kobe Bryant reminds me of Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman. Unlikely opposites, but ones that can produce. This is a checkmate move for the Lakers in their attempt to get to the finals once again. The team had to part ways with the younger Trevor Ariza, but they did give him the option to stay and he balked, making room for Artest. Ariza may have made the biggest mistake of his career by not taking what the Lakers offered him. Time will tell on that. One thing that's for sure is the Artest signing makes the Lakers better, which is scary when you’re already the world champs.
The Eastern Conference champs didn't just stand pat either. The Orlando Magic lured Vince Carter out of New Jersey, a move that makes them just flat out nasty when it comes to scoring options. Howard inside, Lewis on the perimeter and Carter flying through the lane, makes Orlando a legit threat to go deep in next year’s playoffs. They did lose Turkoglu to the Raptors, but they knew they only had a 50/50 chance of re-signing him. Getting Carter was the perfect way to replace the points the big man from Turkey gave the Magic. Will there be another Cavs and Magic Eastern Conference final come next June? Don't be surprised if it does happen.
The whirlwind of signings and trades have some teams looking like legitimate contenders to go deep next year. The Cavaliers made the first significant move by grabbing Shaquille O'Neal out of Phoenix, while parting with the largely unproductive Ben Wallace and his large contract, and the rarely used Sasha Pavlovic. Cleveland couldn't match up with the Magic in this year’s playoffs, as Dwight Howard had his way inside, while Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu got nothing but nice looks from the perimeter whenever the Cavs were forced to double Howard. With Shaq, the Cavs now have that presence to clear space inside and bang for rebounds. Only problem is, will Shaq take up too much of that space? At 38 years old Shaq isn't getting any faster. He had better be in the gym while he's sending out all those 'tweets' this summer, cause this Cavs team will be running. The additions of former Raptors Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon proved that this team has geared up their bench to be fast and push the ball. In Phoenix the Suns changed from that style to accommodate Shaq and it didn't work. Will it work in Cleveland? The feeling here is that this could be a move that gets Lebron his first title, or just another year of wearing the crown, but not the ring.
From the King's men to the Mamba's team, the world champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakeshow made probably the boldest move of the off-season in acquiring one of the toughest defenders in the NBA, when they signed Ron Artest away from Houston. This looks all too familiar. Artest with Kobe Bryant reminds me of Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman. Unlikely opposites, but ones that can produce. This is a checkmate move for the Lakers in their attempt to get to the finals once again. The team had to part ways with the younger Trevor Ariza, but they did give him the option to stay and he balked, making room for Artest. Ariza may have made the biggest mistake of his career by not taking what the Lakers offered him. Time will tell on that. One thing that's for sure is the Artest signing makes the Lakers better, which is scary when you’re already the world champs.
The Eastern Conference champs didn't just stand pat either. The Orlando Magic lured Vince Carter out of New Jersey, a move that makes them just flat out nasty when it comes to scoring options. Howard inside, Lewis on the perimeter and Carter flying through the lane, makes Orlando a legit threat to go deep in next year’s playoffs. They did lose Turkoglu to the Raptors, but they knew they only had a 50/50 chance of re-signing him. Getting Carter was the perfect way to replace the points the big man from Turkey gave the Magic. Will there be another Cavs and Magic Eastern Conference final come next June? Don't be surprised if it does happen.
The teams on the brink of contention have tooled up there arsenals as well. Here are a few teams that have made their squads better.
The Raptors sign-and-trade for Hedo Turkoglu makes them a match up nightmare. The front court of Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh and Turkoglu is mind boggling for most teams. Two big men that can shoot the three or take you off the dribble, accompanied by Bosh's power and athleticism in the post, and his range of 15 feet will have coaches scrambling. The signing of point guard Jarret Jack filled a huge hole for the Raps. Toronto struggled last year when Jose Calderon was out with a nagging hamstring injury, and now in Jack they have the perfect back up to Calderon. He's an experienced player who understands his role, as well as a college teammate of Bosh, which should please him, something that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo needs to do if he wants to re-sign the big man to an extended contract. I see this team returning to the playoffs, possibly winning a round, all the while playing some very exciting basketball.
The Raptors sign-and-trade for Hedo Turkoglu makes them a match up nightmare. The front court of Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh and Turkoglu is mind boggling for most teams. Two big men that can shoot the three or take you off the dribble, accompanied by Bosh's power and athleticism in the post, and his range of 15 feet will have coaches scrambling. The signing of point guard Jarret Jack filled a huge hole for the Raps. Toronto struggled last year when Jose Calderon was out with a nagging hamstring injury, and now in Jack they have the perfect back up to Calderon. He's an experienced player who understands his role, as well as a college teammate of Bosh, which should please him, something that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo needs to do if he wants to re-sign the big man to an extended contract. I see this team returning to the playoffs, possibly winning a round, all the while playing some very exciting basketball.
I like the moves the Mavericks have made. Getting Shawn Marion out of Toronto will benefit them. Marion has some game left in him, and he'll bring energy, rebounding and scoring to this team. He won't be the first, second or third option, but he will be an option. The re-signing of Jason Kidd is also a good move for the club. The Mavs have a good back-up point guard in Jose Barea, who should take over the starting role down the road. Like Marion, Kidd has game left in his old legs, and his knowledge of the game is key to helping Barea along. This team didn't get any younger, but they did get better, and that should help them return to the playoffs in the wild west.
Like the Mavs the Spurs re-tooled their line up with some vets that can get the job done. Acquiring Richard Jefferson out the black hole that is Milwaukee was a fantastic pick up. Between Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Jefferson and Tony Parker, the Spurs have a wealth of dangerous options when it comes to putting points on the board. The addition of Antonio McDyess makes their bench stronger, and will give the younger players like 2009 draft pick DeJuan Blair a mentor to help adjust to the grind that is the NBA regular season. I’m not picking the Spurs to take the west, but they'll be there down the stretch.
From the good decisions on to the questionable, here are a few examples.
Many thought Trevor Ariza would have a break out season this year, after enjoying his best year in the league this past season. He was able to win a championship, and was one of the key reasons the Lakers did. Ariza was one of the many role players on the Lakers that produced in the playoffs. My guess is that Ariza thought he was worth more than the Lakers offered, and his refusal to take what the team offered him opened the door for Artest to walk through. He'll get the minutes in Houston, but will he be the same player? It’s tough to say.
Josh Childress and his European adventure is not about Childress as much as it's about the NBA. Childress is far from a superstar, but he's a very good player who should be playing in the best basketball league in the world. His departure to play in Greece last season is a trend that's likely to happen more and more, especially since he's since chosen to return this year. A role player in the NBA makes half as much as they could by being a star in Europe. Plus you get to live in Europe for a year or so. The NBA needs to figure out some sort of arrangement with the European leagues, before they see more players from the around the NBA heading overseas. What’s stopping them really?
Rookie Brandon Jennings better put up or shut up. First he goes off about fellow rookie Ricky Rubio, and how he's overrated, now he's had a video posted (and deleted) on Youtube of him speaking (more like yelling profanity) to a friend on the phone, about how's he's going to go to Milwaukee and take out Ramon Sessions and Luke Ridnour as the teams staring point guard. Confidence is all well and good, but show some tact, young man. Jennings has many people doubting his abilities, and now he's made it much tougher on himself to prove these doubters wrong.
This season should once again prove to be another exciting year for NBA fans. The rich did get richer, with the Lakers, Cavaliers, Magic, and Celtics all bulking up, but all the off-season movement seems to look as if the league should be much more balanced. The East is tougher and should have close to eight good teams in the conference, while the West is still as crazy as ever. Buckle up fans, ‘cause staring in October, it's going to be one hell of a ride.
Like the Mavs the Spurs re-tooled their line up with some vets that can get the job done. Acquiring Richard Jefferson out the black hole that is Milwaukee was a fantastic pick up. Between Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Jefferson and Tony Parker, the Spurs have a wealth of dangerous options when it comes to putting points on the board. The addition of Antonio McDyess makes their bench stronger, and will give the younger players like 2009 draft pick DeJuan Blair a mentor to help adjust to the grind that is the NBA regular season. I’m not picking the Spurs to take the west, but they'll be there down the stretch.
From the good decisions on to the questionable, here are a few examples.
Many thought Trevor Ariza would have a break out season this year, after enjoying his best year in the league this past season. He was able to win a championship, and was one of the key reasons the Lakers did. Ariza was one of the many role players on the Lakers that produced in the playoffs. My guess is that Ariza thought he was worth more than the Lakers offered, and his refusal to take what the team offered him opened the door for Artest to walk through. He'll get the minutes in Houston, but will he be the same player? It’s tough to say.
Josh Childress and his European adventure is not about Childress as much as it's about the NBA. Childress is far from a superstar, but he's a very good player who should be playing in the best basketball league in the world. His departure to play in Greece last season is a trend that's likely to happen more and more, especially since he's since chosen to return this year. A role player in the NBA makes half as much as they could by being a star in Europe. Plus you get to live in Europe for a year or so. The NBA needs to figure out some sort of arrangement with the European leagues, before they see more players from the around the NBA heading overseas. What’s stopping them really?
Rookie Brandon Jennings better put up or shut up. First he goes off about fellow rookie Ricky Rubio, and how he's overrated, now he's had a video posted (and deleted) on Youtube of him speaking (more like yelling profanity) to a friend on the phone, about how's he's going to go to Milwaukee and take out Ramon Sessions and Luke Ridnour as the teams staring point guard. Confidence is all well and good, but show some tact, young man. Jennings has many people doubting his abilities, and now he's made it much tougher on himself to prove these doubters wrong.
This season should once again prove to be another exciting year for NBA fans. The rich did get richer, with the Lakers, Cavaliers, Magic, and Celtics all bulking up, but all the off-season movement seems to look as if the league should be much more balanced. The East is tougher and should have close to eight good teams in the conference, while the West is still as crazy as ever. Buckle up fans, ‘cause staring in October, it's going to be one hell of a ride.
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