After an NBA season which saw a very good (not great) Los Angeles Lakers team win it all, the elite teams are all stocking up pre-summer 2010, for a championship run for next season. As a pro basketball nut, this presents an amazing situation where teams are putting all of their chips into the pot.
Boston Celtics - Were an injured Kevin Garnett and a few minutes in game six from advancing past the Orlando Magic and onto the Eastern Conference Finals. Now Garnett is paired with buddy and fellow bat crazy forward Rasheed Wallace. I was skeptical at first because of Sheed's petulant behavior in past two stops, however, it didn't take long to convince me this was a great signing. First, they got him for much less than the Dallas Mavericks got for Jason Kidd. Second, he is already much better than Glen "Big Baby" Davis will ever be. And third, he brings an offensive firepower and defensive prowess that was missing at the end of last season.
He has been a problem in Portland and Detroit, but some of that can be pointed to poor management and a lack of a good head coach. Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers are both at the top their class, and the big three will be there to keep him in line if he chooses to act out. A lineup of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett and Perkins, with Wallace getting significant minutes sounds ready to raise banner number 18.
Cleveland Cavaliers - Well, talk about a push to win it all. The man can still ball, but I don't see how Shaquille O'Neal pushes the Cavs to the top. While he can match up defensively with a Dwight Howard and get his 20 points 10 rebounds a night, the big diesel will ultimately slow down a team that does its best in the open court. LeBron is unhappy, or might be unhappy, or he could leave in 2010, or he may stay. The baby has prompted Cavs management to invest loads of cash in two centers who significantly slow down the team and make them less athletic. Are we still sure big Zydrunas Illgauskas can still walk? They also re-signed Anderson Vareajo, who is very good high-energy guy, but adds more to the lack of athletic ability on their front line. There guards are good, but are still undersized. They should have pushed hard for Ron Artest or Trevor Ariza, but Cleveland will ultimately be disappointed in the end again.
Detroit Pistons - Perplexing, but significant. Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva are two good young bucks to have around for the future. Gordon is a cold blooded killer and Villanueva is improving every year. But was that worth getting rid of team leader Chauncey Billups? Billups had his flaws, but was still a top ten point guard and the guy who held the team together (as we ultimately saw in the end). With two slashing guards (Rip Hamilton and Gordon), the Pistons can afford to get rid of Hamilton, or even package him with Tayshaun Prince and completely start over. I could see this team settling behind Orlando, Boston and Cleveland, or I could see them falling to the bottom half of the conference.
Orlando Magic - They lost their top play maker (Hedo Turkoglu), but added an uber-athletic guard who has been surprisingly durable and reliable the last few years in New Jersey. I like Hedo more for this team, however, am intrigued to see how Vince fits. They also re-signed disappointed backup center Marcin Gortat and added energized big man Brandon Bass to their core. A lot of their success comes down to Dwight Howard and that won't change for next season.
San Antonio Spurs - Pick to go the distance in the West, the Spurs added a scoring wing (Richard Jefferson), a battle tested forward (Antonio Mcdyess) and drafted a snubbed rebounding freak in Dejaun Blair. The only question is health. Tim Duncan is in line for another great season, but is getting old and Manu Ginnobili is an injury risk. If the team can stay healthy, watch out. Tony Parker is a top-ten point guard, Duncan may be the best power forward of all time, and Gregg Popovich is the best coach in today's game.
Los Angeles Lakers - Thought they should have just kept Trevor Ariza, but the thought of crazy Ron-Ron suiting up in LALA land is too good to be true. Artest is a ball stalwart, while Ariza was the ultimate role player. Artest, no doubt will be real good for LA, but Ariza was great for Phil Jackson's system. The other question has to do with Lamar Odom's status. He can't seriously expect more than what Artest is going to make, but at the same time, the Lakers do need him.
Other teams that have made positive, or negative moves this off season: Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers.
Boston Celtics - Were an injured Kevin Garnett and a few minutes in game six from advancing past the Orlando Magic and onto the Eastern Conference Finals. Now Garnett is paired with buddy and fellow bat crazy forward Rasheed Wallace. I was skeptical at first because of Sheed's petulant behavior in past two stops, however, it didn't take long to convince me this was a great signing. First, they got him for much less than the Dallas Mavericks got for Jason Kidd. Second, he is already much better than Glen "Big Baby" Davis will ever be. And third, he brings an offensive firepower and defensive prowess that was missing at the end of last season.
He has been a problem in Portland and Detroit, but some of that can be pointed to poor management and a lack of a good head coach. Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers are both at the top their class, and the big three will be there to keep him in line if he chooses to act out. A lineup of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett and Perkins, with Wallace getting significant minutes sounds ready to raise banner number 18.
Cleveland Cavaliers - Well, talk about a push to win it all. The man can still ball, but I don't see how Shaquille O'Neal pushes the Cavs to the top. While he can match up defensively with a Dwight Howard and get his 20 points 10 rebounds a night, the big diesel will ultimately slow down a team that does its best in the open court. LeBron is unhappy, or might be unhappy, or he could leave in 2010, or he may stay. The baby has prompted Cavs management to invest loads of cash in two centers who significantly slow down the team and make them less athletic. Are we still sure big Zydrunas Illgauskas can still walk? They also re-signed Anderson Vareajo, who is very good high-energy guy, but adds more to the lack of athletic ability on their front line. There guards are good, but are still undersized. They should have pushed hard for Ron Artest or Trevor Ariza, but Cleveland will ultimately be disappointed in the end again.
Detroit Pistons - Perplexing, but significant. Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva are two good young bucks to have around for the future. Gordon is a cold blooded killer and Villanueva is improving every year. But was that worth getting rid of team leader Chauncey Billups? Billups had his flaws, but was still a top ten point guard and the guy who held the team together (as we ultimately saw in the end). With two slashing guards (Rip Hamilton and Gordon), the Pistons can afford to get rid of Hamilton, or even package him with Tayshaun Prince and completely start over. I could see this team settling behind Orlando, Boston and Cleveland, or I could see them falling to the bottom half of the conference.
Orlando Magic - They lost their top play maker (Hedo Turkoglu), but added an uber-athletic guard who has been surprisingly durable and reliable the last few years in New Jersey. I like Hedo more for this team, however, am intrigued to see how Vince fits. They also re-signed disappointed backup center Marcin Gortat and added energized big man Brandon Bass to their core. A lot of their success comes down to Dwight Howard and that won't change for next season.
San Antonio Spurs - Pick to go the distance in the West, the Spurs added a scoring wing (Richard Jefferson), a battle tested forward (Antonio Mcdyess) and drafted a snubbed rebounding freak in Dejaun Blair. The only question is health. Tim Duncan is in line for another great season, but is getting old and Manu Ginnobili is an injury risk. If the team can stay healthy, watch out. Tony Parker is a top-ten point guard, Duncan may be the best power forward of all time, and Gregg Popovich is the best coach in today's game.
Los Angeles Lakers - Thought they should have just kept Trevor Ariza, but the thought of crazy Ron-Ron suiting up in LALA land is too good to be true. Artest is a ball stalwart, while Ariza was the ultimate role player. Artest, no doubt will be real good for LA, but Ariza was great for Phil Jackson's system. The other question has to do with Lamar Odom's status. He can't seriously expect more than what Artest is going to make, but at the same time, the Lakers do need him.
Other teams that have made positive, or negative moves this off season: Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers.
