| 03 August 2009
Let's be honest -- this off-season has been about as
interesting as Back to the Future 3. Sure,
we all know the cast of characters and we all know what's happened in the past
but at the same time, we're looking down the barrel of a stupid train, just
waiting to get to the future (2009-2010 regular season).
And it doesn't mean that there haven't been some decent moves or incidents
throughout the past month. But we're roughly six weeks past the NBA Draft and
have a Stephon Marbury uStream and a Ricky Rubio-David Kahn game of Gay Chicken
as our only real highlights.
(What's "Gay Chicken," you ask? Gay Chicken is a lot like the game of Chicken.
Except, instead of running a car, horse, or shopping cart straight ahead at
someone who's headed your way, you sit next to a friend of the same sex with
your hand starting on their knee. The higher you go up the thigh, the more
uncomfortable everything becomes. Eventually, someone will "chicken out" when
they feel it's getting too gay. It's a great way to pass the time with your
friends during a boring off-season and an easy way to out the guy that thinks
it's socially acceptable to pop his collar.)
Well, with a month of free agency and six weeks of trading under our collective
belts, I thought it was a good time to look back at all of the transactions of
the off-season and rank them from least important to most important. Why would
I do that? For the same reason you read this site. It kills time and requires
just enough NBA thought to keep you from pretending you're interested in
soccer. So here it goes, all 76 off-season transactions since the regular
season ended.
#76. Jamaal Magloire re-signs with the
Miami Heat (1-yr, $825k)
Living proof that if you're tall and capable of running 94 feet without crapping
yourself, you can still get a job in the NBA (unless your name is Rod Benson
then you have to smash your head against the desk when you find out that Jamaal
Magloire has inexplicably been given a contract over you, despite the fact that
you're better than him).
#75. Lindsey Hunter re-signs with the Chicago Bulls (1-yr, $825k)
Any time you can re-sign a 38-yr old point guard who has been investigated
by the FBI for mortgage fraud, you really need to pull the trigger on that. The
young guys can learn so much from him.
#74. Jermareo Davidson waived by the Golden State Warriors
Davidson will probably be better off trying to have a career overseas. He
had nice per-minute numbers for the Warriors last season but he can't seem to
impress anybody enough to earn consistent time on the court. He needs a season
with Jason Kidd to earn himself an unwarranted contract (see: Mikki Moore).
#73. DeMarcus Nelson, Linton Johnson waived by the Chicago Bulls
The only significance of this move really was we're running out of players that
are the third of their family with the same name (Linton Johnson III) and
running out of guys who are from my area (DeMarcus Nelson is from the Sacramento
area).
#72. Tarence Kinsey waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland ran out space for this could-be solid role player. So they waived
him and he'd now be a perfect pickup for a team like New Orleans or Utah Jazz.
#71. Joel Anthony re-signs with the Miami Heat (1-yr, $825k)
The Heat have cornered the market on Canadian centres centers by re-signing
Magloire and now Anthony.
#70. Anthony Roberson waived by the Chicago Bulls
Roberson had a chance to the show the Bulls that he was worth keeping
around but did a bad job of knocking down shots (38.6%) and creating plays (1.2
apg) in the Vegas Summer League.
#69. Theo Ratliff signs with the San Antonio Spurs (1-yr, $825k)
Theo Ratliff is a defensive specialist who is no longer a good or even
mildly effective as a defender. Looks like the Spurs are just trying to catch
lightning in a bottle with this move.
#68. Malik Hairston signs with the San Antonio Spurs (2-yrs, $1.5m)
Malik Hairston seems like one of those young Spurs players who will be asked
to knock down a couple of big shots in the first round of the playoffs and will
easily come through for them.
#67. Marcus Haislip signs with the San Antonio Spurs (1-yr $825k)
My thoughts on this signing are well covered here.
#66. Ricky Davis re-signs with the Los Angeles Clippers (1-yr, $2.4m)
You'll try to talk yourself into his talent. Trust me; you will. And at
some point, he'll prove to be ineffective beyond your wildest dreams.
#65. Solomon Jones signs with the Indiana Pacers
Here are the top ten Solomon Jones moments with the Atlanta Hawks (from
Peachtree Hoops, via Eight Points, Nine Seconds).
#64. Josh McRoberts re-signs with the Indiana Pacers (2-yrs $1.7m)
It's well documented that the Pacers have been stockpiling white basketball
players the past couple of seasons. Well, it doesn't get any whiter than Josh
McRoberts. You heard me, Madsen!
#63. Ronnie Price re-signs with the Utah Jazz (2-yrs, $2.6m)
He's insurance in case Eric Maynor isn't ready to be Deron Williams'
backup. And he should be kept around for defending Gordon Gund's honor.
#62. Oklahoma City Thunder trade Chucky Atkins, Damien Wilkins to the Minnesota
Timberwolves for Etan Thomas, two 2nd round picks
The Wolves needed some help in the backcourt due to the fact that they've
been compiling a roster of all power forwards so they traded a newly acquired
big man in Thomas for Chucky Atkins and Damien Wilkins. Plus, you can't have a
poetic center on your team if you're the Wolves. That isn't going to get Rubio
over here any quicker.
#61. Sean May signs with the Sacramento Kings (1-yr $825k)
His per-minute numbers are pretty impressive when he's healthy. The problem
is that he's never healthy. Not to mention he's one of the greatest buffet
players of his generation.
#60. Kevin Ollie signs with the Oklahoma
City Thunder (1-yr $825k)
Best. Mustache. In. The. League.
#59. Jannero Pargo signs with the Chicago Bulls (1-yr, $1.9m)
Okay, he's not going to replace what Ben Gordon gave the Bulls on a
consistent basis but he can be a dangerous weapon off the bench every couple of
games. He was instrumental in the Hornets playoff run in 2008 as the fourth
leading scorer on the team. He can score in bunches when needed.
#58. Fabricio Oberto waived by the Detroit Pistons
He's one of the most random Tweeters and he could be a nice fourth big man
for a playoff team. Now that he's been waived the Pistons (who seem to have
given up on playoff success), expect him to contribute for a team chasing the
title if he doesn't go to Europe.
#57. Shannon Brown re-signs with the Los Angeles Lakers (2-yrs, $4.1m)
Apparently, 4.9 points and 1.2 assists per game in the playoffs are worth
$4.1 million. This signing has to show you that the Lakers are still perplexed
by the lack of growth shown by Jordan Farmar.
#56. Rasho Nesterovic signs with the Toronto Raptors (1-yr, $1.9m)
Rasho Nesterovic is like the old dependable friend who is just cute enough
to keep you interested when you're single but never quite anybody you'd want to
spend more than a year with. Wolves fans would be happy to have him back but
the Raptors get him this year.
#55. Drew Gooden signs with the Dallas Mavericks (1-yr, $4.5m)
The Mavericks may have gotten a steal here with this signing. They tried to
pry Marcin Gortat away from the Magic with an absurd contract. With Orlando
matching the ridiculous offer, Dallas turned their money to Gooden and will get
a better player for less money and only one year of commitment. This could
easily end up being one of the top 25 moves of the off-season when Gooden is
logging minutes over Dampier down the stretch of games next to Dirk Nowitzki on
the court.
#54. Ersan Ilyasova signs with the Milwaukee Bucks (3-yrs, $7m)
He took two years off of the NBA by bolting for Euro-ball after his rookie
season with the Bucks. Now, he's 22-years old and will look to find his way
into Scott Skiles rotation. He can replace the outside shooting that Villanueva
took to Detroit and can be just as effective on the boards. Plus, he has
eyebrows.
#53. Chris Wilcox signs with the Detroit Pistons (2-yrs, $6m)
Chris Wilcox takes the old "Incredible Athleticism Combined With a Great
NBA Body That Happens To Be Allergic To Rebounding, Defense, and Effective
Offensive Play" tour to the Palace at Auburn Hills. I don't know that the
hard-working city of Detroit is where Wilcox wants to display his apathy on a
nightly basis.
#52. Earl Watson waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder
Earl Watson was released by the Thunder and immediately began battling
Brevin Knight for the washed up, back-up point guard role who teams will talk
into giving them a veteran presence needed for a playoff push.
#51. Tim Thomas waived by the Chicago Bulls
It's always good to get that Tim Thomas Stank off of your organization.
#50. Tim Thomas signs by the Dallas Mavericks (1-yr $825k)
It's never good to get that Tim Thomas Stank on your organization.
#49. Toronto Raptors traded Jason Kapono to the Philadelphia 76ers for Reggie
Evans
This was a perfect exchange of role players for two teams lacking in
certain areas. I believe I talked about it here. http://talkhoops.net/2009/06/player-swapping-jason-kapono-traded-for-reggie-evans.html
#48. Quinton Ross signs by the Dallas Mavericks (2-yrs, $2.2m)
Like the Drew Gooden signing, this could be another steal for the Mavs this
summer. Too often, we get caught up in the bigger deals during the summer and
over look moves like this. This seems like a move out of the Spurs' playbook
for acquiring underrated two-way players who can knock down threes and play
above average defense. He should be playing some effective minutes for the Mavs
this season.
#47. Bruce Bowen waived by the Milwaukee Bucks
Countdown to the Bruce Bowen signs with Celtics articles can now begin.
#46. Grant Hill re-signs by the Phoenix Suns (2-yrs, $6.2m)
This move would be much more significant if it looked like the Suns would
be a contender again. Unfortunately, the direction of the organization is stuck
in limbo and Hill would rather stick with Steve Nash and company, rather than
leave for a contender.
#45. Ben Wallace waived by the Phoenix Suns
This was only a matter of time. The Cavs were going to be in discussions on
a possible buyout with Wallace until the Shaq trade. Now, that Wallace found
himself in the desert, there was no chance of Big Ben being on this Suns
roster. He just doesn't fit AT ALL.
#44. Golden State Warriors traded Marco Belinelli to the Toronto Raptors for
Devean George
The torch has been passed from Warriors fans to the Raptors fans to expect
Marco Belinelli to be a diamond in the rough type of NBA player. Let's just
figure this out right now. He isn't the worst player in the NBA (that's for
Sasha Pavlovic and Jared Jeffries to decide) but the only chance of him playing
consistent, meaningful minutes on a team is if he's helping them tank.
#43. Earl Watson signs by the Indiana Pacers (1-yr, $2.8m)
The best thing that I can say about this move is that the Pacers fans
playing NBA 2K10 will be ecstatic with acquiring Watson. The makers of 2K
always make Earl Watson much better than he actually is.
#42. Channing Frye signs by the Phoenix Suns (2-yrs, $4m)
This is a great signing by the Suns because he should shine in an up-tempo
style of play. But can you ever play him and Amar'e Stoudemire at the same
time? Would they make ONE defensive stop?
#41. Atlanta Hawks traded the rights to David Andersen to the Houston Rockets
for a 2nd round draft pick
This move came shortly after we found out that Yao Ming would miss most of
this season and perhaps have to retire with his broken foot injury. Andersen is
an Australian product at center that may have to be a stopgap type of player
for the Rockets as they figure out how to shape their roster from here on out. No
Yao and this injured version of Tracy McGrady are going to make this a long
season for Clutch City.
#40. Jerry Stackhouse waived by the Memphis Grizzlies
Stack is officially feeling the Bonzi Wells treatment. I don't know what he
did to Rick Carlisle but Ricky responded by completely ruining any perceived
value that Jerry had. It would behoove someone like the Hornets to pick him up.
#39. Zaza Pachulia re-signs by the Atlanta Hawks (4-yrs, $19m)
The real life version of Chris O'Donnell's The Bachelor signed for a very manageable and fair contract. He's
only 25 years old (allegedly) and always has great per-minute numbers of
scoring and rebounding. He also gives the Hawks some much needed and surprising
toughness. He was seemingly the first player to show the world that you can
stand up to Kevin Garnett, no matter how crazy he seems.
#38. Jamario Moon signs with the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-yrs, $9m)
Jamario Moon fits into the defensive-minded mold that Mike Brown would like
his players to be in. He is also a freakishly freak athlete who runs the floor
extremely well and can finish proficiently around the basket. Do you think
he'll enjoy playing with a player like LeBron James? Is this pairing too
perfect?
#37. Jarrett Jack signs with the Toronto Raptors (4-yrs, $20m)
This move seems to indicate just how desperate Bryan Colangelo is to win
this year in hopes of convincing Chris Bosh to stay and also shows you just how
confident they are in Roko Ukic being capable of helping the team win now. Jack
will be a nice change of pace when Jose Calderon comes out of the game with his
scoring and ability to create his own jumper. The price tag is a little
alarming because they overpaid for him but if it helps them win and keep Bosh
in Toronto then it'll all be worth it.
#36. Los Angeles Clippers traded Quentin Richardson to the Minnesota
Timberwolves for Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair, and Mark Madsen
This was the third time Quentin Richardson was traded this summer and has
been passed around so much that I'm officially nominate we change the spelling
of Chlamydia to Qlamydia. Richardson with his $8.7 million expiring contract is
almost assured to be dealt again by the trade deadline to bring in a nice
player or two for the Wolves. As for the Clippers, this brings in Bassy to take
pressure off of Mike Taylor and Mark Madsen to take the awkwardness away from
Chris Kaman.
#35. Detroit Pistons traded Arron Afflalo, Walter Sharpe to the Denver Nuggets
for 2011 2nd round pick, cash
This opened up a little money for the Pistons to sign another veteran and
at the same time, gave the Nuggets bench a nice replacement for the departing
Dahntay Jones. Afflalo is a nice asset to acquire for Mark Warkentein because
he can develop into a big-time defender and maybe even be a poor man's Bruce
Bowen. For Detroit, it now gives the Pistons a definite guard rotation of
Stuckey, Hamilton, and Gordon without having to find minutes for Afflalo.
#34. Mike Bibby re-signs with the Atlanta Hawks (3-yrs, $18m)
Mike Bibby will keep the point guard position in Atlanta and no begin to
tutor rookie Jeff Teague (so expect Teague to learn how to accost women in
public and fail miserably at defense). Joe Johnson has played remarkably well
since Bibby joined the Hawks and anything to keep him happy and going is a big
plus for the Hawks.
#33. Detroit Pistons traded Amir Johnson to the Milwaukee Bucks for Fabricio
Oberto
The Detroit Pistons have given up on Amir Johnson who looked to be a really
nice project at center who was making decent strides. This could be a huge
pickup for the Bucks and give them reason to no longer worry about getting Dan
Gadzuric minutes. One more note about this trade, the last time the Pistons
gave up early on a center project, it was Darko Milicic. So it's nice to know
that Amir will probably/famously cuss out some referees in Serbian some day and
then be traded for Quentin Richardson.
#32. Milwaukee Bucks traded Malik Allen to the Denver Nuggets for Walter
Sharpe, Sonny Weems
Just when I thought that the Linas Kleiza train in Denver might never
return because they acquired Walter Sharpe, they ship Sharpe to Milwaukee with
Sonny Weems for Malik Allen. The Nuggets needed some beef in the middle with
Allen but at the same time, I don't think it was worth giving up a nice young
prospect like Sharpe and a player with the name Sonny.
#31. New York Knicks traded Quentin Richardson to the Memphis Grizzlies for
Darko Milicic
This was the first domino in the chain reaction of Quentin Richardson
trades. I can't even imagine the classic battles between Darko and Eddy Curry in
practice. No seriously, I can't imagine them at all.
#30. Hakeem Warrick signs with the Milwaukee Bucks (1-yr $3m)
Hak would be a much better signing for this Bucks team if they had a legit
shot at making the playoffs this year. It would take a big comeback from Michael
Redd with him turning in a MVP candidate. That's not going to happen. But with
the acquisitions of Ilyasova and Warrick, they've replaced Charlie Villanueva
without having to grossly overpay to do so.
#29. Chris Andersen re-signs with the Denver Nuggets (5-yrs, $26m)
Birdman! Caaaaaaw! As much as I love me some Chris Andersen, this contract
is absolutely ridiculous for a fringe player. He's a nice energy guy and blocks
shots at an incredible rate but you don't want him playing more than 18 minutes
per game. Would you really want to give a limited role player $5 million per
season for five seasons? I guess keeping his energy around is THAT important.
#28. Toronto Raptors signs Andrea Bargnani to a contract extension (5-yrs,
$50m)
I really like what I've seen from Bargnani over the past year and think
that he's developing into a really nice player. But a $50 million price tag
seems to be a bit much for this former number one pick. This may be another
move of desperation by BC to keep Bosh around or prepare to not lose a high
draft pick like Bargnani who they feel is developing into a star. But whatever
it is, one fact remains to be true - Andrea has a fantastic agent.
#27. Antonio McDyess signs with the San Antonio Spurs (3-yrs, $16m)
I don't know how effective Dyess can be or how much he has left in the tank
but this just seems like a typical R.C. Buford type of signing. So I'll give
him the benefit of the doubt and assume that this is a brilliant move to give
Tim Duncan some help inside. Three years seems a little steep though for a
player that is about to turn 35 years old and has bad knees.
#26. Utah Jazz signs Mehmet Okur to a contract extension (2-yrs, $21m)
He claims to be 30 years old and yet this Chris Noth clone moves like a
45-year old guy at your local 24-Hour Fitness Center. He hasn't rebounded more
than 7.7 per game in three seasons and his made three-point numbers have
declined in each of the past two seasons. So paying him Steve Nash money over
the next three seasons is probably a really good idea. Really good.
#25. Dahntay Jones signs with the Indiana Pacers (4-yrs, $11m)
Why is Dahntay Jones this high? Because I just wanted show how ridiculous
it is that a marginal player will have a decent showing that exceeds
expectations thrown towards him in the playoffs and come out making WAY too
much money for what he'll do over the duration of this contract. Tony Delk and
Austin Croshere are so proud.
#24. Marcin Gortat re-signs with the Orlando Magic (5-yrs, $34m)
I can't even begin to explain why this contract was such a mistake for the
Magic to match. Dallas intentionally overpaid Gortat so that they could wrestle
him away from the state of Florida. Did they do it because they think that
Gortat is going to be a star in this league or at worst a potential All-Star? Absolutely
not. They did it because the alternative is giving starters minutes to Erick
Dampier. Orlando has Dwight Howard already and yet, decided to match the
ridiculous contract for Marcin. Just when I thought Otis Smith was starting to
win me over, he pulls a move like this.
#23. Jamaal Tinsley waived by the Indiana Pacers
We have not heard the last from this man. I assume he'll be on the Knicks
if Donnie Walsh can't convince Ramon Sessions to play at MSG. And if he gets a
year or two under Mike D'Antoni, he'll not only play well but he'll get enough
swagger back in him to get a mid-level deal from a team and combust right after
his paperwork is faxed to the league offices.
#22. Los Angeles Clippers traded Zach Randolph to the Memphis Grizzlies for
Quentin Richardson
The most important of the Quentin Richardson trades, it leads to the
eventual corruption of two nice, young talents in O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. I
applaud the Grizzlies on swinging for the fences here with bringing in the
always troubled, 20-10 Zach Randolph. It's a bold move. But I give it 8 months
until Gay and Mayo are busted with Randolph for some type of marijuana
possession. And it won't be because Mayo and Gay are bad guys. It'll strictly
be the peer pressure of someone as terrifying as Randolph. He's like the Stay
Puft Marshmallow Man with a decent step-back jumper.
#21. Matt Barnes signs with the Orlando Magic (2-yrs, $3.3m)
Bill Simmons has been disappointed with the transformation by the Orlando
Magic this off-season because he thinks they are no longer the matchup
nightmare that they were last season. I on the other hand think that they are
now more dangerous than ever. They'll have to get Vince Carter to play more of
the Hedo Turkoglu role but with the beefed up interior and the addition of Matt
Barnes to this Orlando attack, I think they have a better chance of returning
to the finals than they did with last year's team returning. Barnes is a
competent outside shooter and a perfect defender for what Stan Van Gundy likes
to do.
#20. Brandon Bass signs with the Orlando Magic (4-yrs, $16m)
This was the main reason the Magic didn't have to match the offer sheet
from Dallas to Marcin Gortat. Brandon Bass allows the Magic to play with a more
traditional lineup when they need to by putting him next to Dwight Howard in
the post and gives them enough beef and rebounding off the bench to allow
Howard to get more rest this season. Bass is a cheap price for what he can do
on the court and gave the Magic an out with the Gortat contract. Unfortunately,
they got greedy and decided to have both. It's fine for now but what about
three years from now?
#19. Anthony Parker signs with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2-yrs, $4.5m)
This was my favorite signing of the off-season because I think Anthony
Parker is the perfect type of shooting guard to put next to LeBron James. He
can knock down shots, score the ball on his own, and plays pretty decent
defense. And (earmuffs, Cavs fans) if LeBron happens to bolt for a bigger
market next summer then he'll be a nice guy to have on the team as they
transition from title contender to Cleveland's own version of Escape from New York.
#18. Anderson Varejao re-signs with the Cleveland Cavaliers (6-yrs, $50m)
Marcin Gortat and Chris Andersen can thank the Cavaliers for keeping them
out of contention for worst contract given to a role player this summer. Flopsy
will run away with this crown.
#17. Golden State Warriors traded Jamal Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks for Acie
Law, Speedy Claxton
I don't really get this move by the Hawks at all. Crawford isn't a point
guard and is basically a much more expensive version of what Flip Murray gave
Atlanta last season. But at the same time, I love that this trade no longer
forces me to use Mike Bibby when I play as them in NBA 2K10. I'll get to use
Jamal Crawford and relegate Bibby to a soulless bench player. For Golden State,
I'd like to think that Acie Law will have a chance to earn some minutes as the
point guard for an up-tempo squad but you can't expect Don Nelson to use his
minutes wisely (like a teenage girl getting her first cell phone during the
heart of American Idol season).
#16. Phoenix Suns signs Steve Nash to a contract extension (2-yrs, $22m)
I get it. This lets the Suns fans stay all warm and fuzzy as their team
tries to figure out how to be a contender again once Steve Nash retires and it
allows the Suns to still sell season tickets. And I don't blame either side for
doing this at all. I'd love for Steve Nash to play for a winner and get himself
a title but he's okay giving the Suns fans some joy for the next three seasons while
his team wins 45 games and get bounced in the first round every year.
#15. Andre Miller signs with the Portland Trailblazers (3-yrs, $21m)
I don't know how he fits with Brandon Roy and I don't really care. I just
think that whenever you can get a solid distributor to run a young team like
this as they learn how to not only win but also win in the post-season, you
have to make that signing. Miller will make everybody's job that much easier by
being unselfish and teaching these guys how to pick apart opposing defensive
schemes. It was Portland's first choice but I think they'll be happier with
Miller than they would have been with overpaying Hedo Turkoglu.
#14. Charlotte Bobcats traded Emeka Okafor to the New Orleans Hornets for Tyson
Chandler
So why is this seemingly one-sided deal (even though it's not one-sided at
all) being made?
Here's your answer in a short video montage (see if you can catch the theme):
Yep, this deal is all about money. Sure, it's the exchange of two third tier
centers that never really affect the game all that much but can be valuable
rebounders and finishers around the basket on most nights. But overall, this
deal is about one team saving money now (Hornets) and the other team saving
money down the road (Bobcats).
#13. Paul Millsap re-signs with the Utah Jazz (4-yrs, $32m)
I like this deal for Utah much better than the alleged five years and $50
million that everyone thought Millsap was going to get. Millsap is a nice
player but his worth comes in being able to bring that energy off the bench and
being an insurance policy for Carlos Boozer. You don't want to pay him Carlos
Boozer money to be the number one guy because he'll be exposed as overpaid once
Boozer is shipped out of here. Instead, they get him for a much more manageable
contract and now everyone should be happy and comfortable. Wait, what do you
mean they're going to trade Carlos Boozer before February?!?
#12. Jason Kidd re-signs with the Dallas Mavericks (3-yrs, $25m)
The Mavericks may not be putting out the team most likely to win a title
this season but I like what they've done. If they can't win a title, they're
going to give their fans the most fun team possible to watch every night. And
Kidd is the sole reason that they'll be so fun. He isn't a great point guard
anymore and his leadership can't overcome his deficiencies on defense but he'll
get people the ball where they can score the easiest and he'll most likely have
that team running and playing loose. Now, he just needs Rick Carlisle to be on
board for that style and the Mavericks will be must-watch basketball.
#11. Trevor Ariza signs with the Houston Rockets (5-yrs, $34m)
This signing should be a lot higher in terms of importance but the fact
that Trevor Ariza will be playing with Chuck Hayes and Chase Budinger more than
he'll be playing with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady knocks this acquisition down. Ariza
is the prototypical role player. He isn't a guy that is capable of carrying a
team. It would be nice if he could explode onto the Houston scene like T-Mac
did in Orlando in his first year with the Magic but I just don't see it
happening. At least Houston got a great price tag on Ariza over the next five
years.
#10. Rasheed Wallace signs with the Boston Celtics (3-yrs, $20m)
If the Celtics can turn a soon-to-be acquired Marquis Daniels into next
year's James Posey and sign Jamaal Tinsley to be the backup to Rajon Rondo, all
while curing the bad blood between Danny Ainge and Rajon then this Wallace move
look brilliant. Of course, none of this matters at all if Kevin Garnett isn't
able to return from his peculiar and mysterious knee injury. Quick, someone
call Steve Martin!
#9. Charlie Villanueva signs with the Detroit Pistons (5-yrs, $35m)
This is actually a really good deal to get someone like Charlie on the
Pistons roster. They aren't overpaying for him and he'll provide them with
solid scoring and nice perimeter shooting. Plus, they've acquired one of the
top NBA Tweeters in the league and will get more exposure thanks to his new
media presence. But at the same time, they sacrificed a shot at the title last
season in order to pull in him and the next guy? Really?
#8. Ben Gordon signs with the Detroit Pistons (5-yrs, $55m)
I mean, it's not that I have anything against Ben Gordon. But they gave up
title contention last season and maybe this season for a cap-clearing Allen
Iverson acquisition that led to acquiring two third-tier players instead of a
big name free agent to keep the Eastern Conference Finals appearances coming.
Now? They're probably a second round team at best for the next few years as
they figure out how to move Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton in a way that
doesn't cause a revolt. You've almost destroyed Rodney Stuckey's development
curve because he now has to figure out how to keep Richard Hamilton and Ben
Gordon happy instead of learning how to run a great team under Chauncey
Billups. And on top of that, you're paying Steve Nash money to Gordon. Seems
like Joe Dumars swung for the fences and ended up flying out to third base.
#7. Milwaukee Bucks traded Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs for Bruce
Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas
The Spurs acquired Richard Jefferson for three guys who are past their
prime and unlikely to contribute consistently anywhere this season (maybe Kurt
Thomas can fill a role somewhere). Jefferson isn't the ideal Gregg Popovich
player but at the same time, guys like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili can
probably get him to fall in line and buy into the Spurs system. Jefferson gives
them offense where they've usually been stagnant and should be able to play
well off of the double teams that Duncan will get in the post. The Spurs look
primed for another title run this season.
#6. Ron Artest signs with the Los Angeles Lakers (5-yrs, $34m)
This move completely works as long as Lamar Odom re-signs with the team. Lamar
and Kobe have the respect to keep Ron as in line as Ron can be. Lamar is one of
Ron's best friends from childhood and Artest is enamored with the aura and
being that is Kobe Bryant. Throw in Phil Jackson's daily therapy sessions and
you have the perfect storm for attempting to control Ron Artest for a title
run. I'm not saying it's a lock to work. But it gives them the best possible
environment for making this thing work. The money isn't great because you
probably don't want Artest around for more than two years. But at the same
time, it gives LA exactly what it craves - star power.
#5. Memphis Grizzlies traded for Jerry Stackhouse, 2016 2nd round
pick. Orlando Magic traded for cash, $9m trade exception.
Dallas Mavericks traded for Shawn Marion (5-yrs, $38m), Greg Buckner, Kris Humphries,
Nathan Jawai, cash.
Toronto Raptors traded for Hedo Turkoglu (5-yrs, $53m), Devean George, Antoine
Wright.
The teams that this truly matters for are everybody involved that isn't
named the Grizzlies.
For Dallas, they've acquired a potentially great role player in Shawn Marion
who could thrive with someone like Jason Kidd finding him in advantageous
scoring positions. The money isn't bad as long as he produces and they now have
more flexibility in moving Josh Howard for a big man. Kris Humphries also gives
them a solid role player off the bench to spell Dirk for 15 minutes per game.
For Toronto, this is their homerun swing to keep Bosh in Canada. Hedo Turkoglu
gives them a bigger name and someone who could thrive in an up-tempo style. He
will take a lot of the scoring pressure off of Bosh and allow him to trust his
teammates on the perimeter more. The money is a little ridiculous but the
Raptors now have a shot at playing deeper into the playoffs this season than
they did before this trade.
And for Orlando, the most under-talked about aspect of this trade is they get a
$9 million trade exception to use in the next year. They don't have to use it
by the deadline; they get to wait until next summer and possibly use it then
when all of the wheeling and dealing is going on. They're no longer just stuck
with the team they have due to salary cap restraints. They can acquire another key
veteran to put next to Vince, Dwight, and Shard. Otis Smith is bringing me back
to his side.
#4. Washington Wizards traded Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, 5th
pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Randy Foye, Mike Miller
Not only did this lead to the great Ricky Rubio showdown of 2009 but it
also gives the Wizards a really nice core of players for next season. They have
insurance for a Gilbert Arenas injury with Miller and Foye being good enough
playmakers. They can afford to keep Nick Young on a short leash now and don't
have to play DeShawn Stevenson at all. They gave up a lot of size inside but it's
replaceable with good years from Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee. The Wizards
now have a team to fear next year and will probably be tagged with "the team
nobody wants to face in the first round of the playoffs."
For Minnesota, David Kahn has made a bold move in acquiring nothing but power
forwards and point guards. He is playing chicken with Ricky Rubio's family and
agent. And he's praying that all of this get resolved for the Wolves by next
off-season so they can bring Rubio over and get his name on the season ticket
promos.
#3. Phoenix Suns traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben
Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, 2010 2nd round pick, cash
Adding Shaq to LeBron James is a move that would have been a lot more
effective four years ago. Now? You still can't really blame the Cavs for doing
this because they didn't give up much to bring him in. Shaq replaced two guys
that shouldn't be in regular rotations in the NBA. And now they just have to
pray that Shaq is serviceable when the playoffs come.
#2. Orlando Magic traded Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Tony Battie to the New
Jersey Nets for Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson
I think this was a brilliant move by the Magic. They acquired another
shooter in Ryan Anderson to add to their three-point attack and they replaced
Hedo Turkoglu with Vince Carter. We all know the downfall of Vince and the
limitations he has given himself for success in the NBA but he's just as good
of an option as Hedo would have been and can be a great third banana to Dwight
and Shard. On the other side, the Nets have a nice expiring contract in Rafer
Alston and a great young player to put next to Devin Harris with Courtney Lee.
#1. Lamar Odom re-signs with the Los Angeles Lakers (4-yrs, $33m)
The Lakers won the off-season by keeping Lamar Odom and having a good small
forward to go with him. It didn't really matter if it was Ariza or Artest for
this next season. They're immediately the title favorites because they have
essentially the same team as last year in terms of versatility, star power, and
dynamic play. In the end, Ariza probably would have been a better fit, assuming
he signs for the same money that Artest signed for. But there's also no
guarantee that he would have continued to step up in the playoffs when called
upon.
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