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NBA Offseason: Winners, losers and those in-between
By Blake Oestriecher
Some people like change and some people don't. That remains especially true for NBA fans during an offseason where some teams look more different than a house after a Ty Pennington makeover.
Although a few fans are smiling at their team's moves, some are scratching their heads and others are holding their breaths, unsure of what the future might hold.
Here's a look at the winners, losers and those to-be-determined of the NBA offseason:
Wow, they're going to be good
Orlando Magic - Yes, Hedo Turkoglu is gone, but Orlando traded for Vince Carter to fill the void and signed former LSU star Brandon Bass, giving Orlando arguably the most talented starting lineup in the league. The moves will also allow Rashard Lewis to move pack to his natural position at small forward. Resigning Marcin Gortat will also help take some of the pressure off of Dwight Howard.
Boston Celtics - The Celtics will have a healthy Kevin Garnett back next season and also added Rasheed Wallace to a very talented roster. Wallace doesn't have the greatest reputation around the league, but the veteran presence in Boston's locker room should keep him in check. While the move certainly doesn't make the team any younger, it looks like the team will resign former LSU standout Glen "Big Baby" Davis.
San Antonio Spurs- The Spurs traded three declining veteran players for one of the NBA's most underrated players in wingman Richard Jefferson. San Antonio also added veteran Antonio McDyess, which is exactly what the team needed to fill the frontcourt void left by the Jefferson trade. If Duncan and Ginobili can stay healthy the Spurs will be tough to beat.
Honorable Mention: Los Angeles Lakers- Los Angeles signed Ron Artest and if they can resign Lamar Odom, they are the favorites once again.
What were they thinking?
Portland Trailblazers - Portland has been hit with bad luck more than anything, getting run around on by Hedo Turkoglu and then having their offer sheet matched by the Utah Jazz on forward Paul Millsap. They did finally land a point guard when they signed Andre Miller to a three-year, $21 million contract but that is likely not enough to compete with the like of the Lakers, Spurs and Nuggets.
Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks traded away Richard Jefferson for three guys on the tail end of their careers. Then, Milwaukee lost Charlie Villanueva to free agency and it looks like they may lose up-and-comer Ramon Sessions to free agency as well. Ouch, Bucks fans. Your team just lost three of its four best players and failed to replace any of them.
Phoenix Suns - Phoenix basically traded former Tiger Shaquille O'Neal, albeit an aging Shaq, to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Sasha Pavlovic. While Ben Wallace was included in the detail, his contract was bought out, which was probably a blessing. The Suns did resign Grant Hill and signed former MVP Steve Nash to a contract extension, but their careers are on the downslide. Unsuccessful attempts to trade Amare Stoudemire also aren't making things any better in the desert.
Honorable Mention: Houston Rockets- No Artest, no Yao, equals no team.
Like a shot at the buzzer, these moves will need some time for review
Dallas Mavericks- Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry looks good on paper, doesn't it? Maybe if it was five years ago. They're all over 30 and neither Kidd nor Marion are near the players they once were.
Cleveland Cavaliers- The Cavs traded for Shaq, but they already have Zydrunas Ilgauskas on the roster and "Big Z" with the "Big Aristotle" on the same court is something that shouldn't be seen. Cleveland also added Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker which will help, but paid way too much for a guy who averaged less than nine points and eight rebounds per game in Anderson Varejao.
Detroit Pistons- Detroit signed two good, young players in Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon in free agency. But Gordon plays the same position as the team's best player, Richard Hamilton, and Hamilton was not a fan of coming off the bench last season. Add this to the fact that Pistons lost Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess and you'll see a roster with no frontcourt depth.
Honorable Mention: New Orleans Hornets- The Hornets needed frontcourt depth and salary cap space. Guess what? They got neither.
Originally Published: Issue 811 - July 29, 2009
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