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18 July 2010
There's a number of moves or transactions I could point to in order to demonstrate the craziness of the NBA this summer, but perhaps this one takes the cake: Darko Milicic will receive $20 million over the next four years from the Timberwolves. If you're not sick after reading that, then you haven't been paying attention.
In recent memory, we've never seen a summer like this one, with the huge free agency deals, multiple multi-player trades, and..shall we say...questionable personnel moves by nearly every team. There were so many rumors floating around this summer that it was nearly impossible to track who was going where and for how much. At one point, I believe there was a sign-and-trade involving David Lee, Hank Aaron, the late Ted Kennedy and three members of Phish, although it fell through because the band members refused to relinquish the rights to their hit song "Gin & Juice" (that's for you Smooth).
With that in mind, here's a look at each team's off-season, including trades, free agency signings and the draft. For these lists, I've only included new additions to the roster, not players who resigned (you'll also notice I took some liberties with the use of the word "significant"). As I write this, there's still some pieces yet to fall into place, but the majority of the player movement should be completed. Too bad we only have to wait another three months for the actual games.
Yesterday we looked at the Atlantic. Today, we'll examine the Central. Tomorrow, we'll look at the Southeast.
Central Divison
Chicago Bulls
Significant additions: Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer
Significant losses: Kirk Hinrich, Hakim Warrick, Brad Miller
Outlook: With Boozer joining Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, the Bulls are the clear-cut favorites in the Central. Rose is one of the best young point guards in the game, and Boozer gives them a solid offensive threat in the post. The addition of Korver will help the Bulls spread the floor, and Noah should once again anchor the defense from the paint. Brewer could also be a solid pick-up, as he can guard three positions and should be able to run the floor nicely with Rose. If Rose continues his improvement, and Boozer has the impact expected of him, this is a team that could find themselves playing deep into June.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Significant additions: None
Significant losses: Zydrunas Ilgauskas, LeBron James
Outlook: I think it's safe to say the Cavs will not be defending their division title this year. The loss of LeBron leaves a gaping hole in the lineup, and there's no reason to think it will be filled anytime soon. Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison are solid, but hardly go-to players, as we've seen in the playoffs. Role players like Anderson Varejao and Anthony Parker benefitted greatly from the attention paid to LeBron, and the holes in their games will be exposed this year. The only real hope for the Cavs is that bouncy forward JJ Hickson blossoms with more touches, giving them some semblance of an offense. Even then, there's just not enough here to get excited about. It could be a long year in Cleveland.
Detroit Pistons
Significant additions: Greg Monroe
Significant losses: None
Outlook: The Pistons appear to be caught in limbo as far as their long-term plans as a franchise. On one hand, they still have veterans Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace, the remnants of their title team in 2004. On the other hand, they have young guns like Rodney Stuckey, Jonas Jerebko and now Greg Monroe. In between are guys like Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Add it all up, and you have a team that's not good enough to contend, but not bad enough to get a superstar in the draft lottery. There's certainly some good pieces here, but overall, it's just not enough to get excited about. Look for the Pistons to make some deals this year once they're out of contention, Until then, they'll remain in limbo.
Indiana Pacers
Significant additions: Paul George, Lance Stephenson
Significant losses: None
Outlook: Who's excited for Pacers' basketball?? Hello? Anyone out there? That may be cruel, but let's be honest. This is just not a good team. George and Stephenson are talented wings who can play next to Danny Granger, but who gets them the ball? Troy Murphy is a solid forward, but he's not exactly headed for Springfield. Mike Dunleavy is..well...Mike Dunleavy. Beyond that, there's just nothing there. If the Pacers manage to get fans excited about this team this year, they deserve some sort of medal. Because on paper, I see no reason the Pacers venture out of the cellar.
Milwaukee Bucks
Significant additions: Corey Maggette, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Larry Sanders, Drew Gooden
Significant losses: Luke Ridnour
Outlook: Flying a little under the radar, the Bucks have put together a very solid team that could be a threat in the East. Gooden and Sanders provide some much-needed depth in the post behind Andrew Bogut, whole Maggette and CDR will give rising point guard Brandon Jennings some options on the wing. Bringing back John Salmons is also big for the Bucks, and if Michael Redd can stay healthy, this is a team that all of a sudden has a lot of options on the perimeter. They'll need a healthy Bogut to reach their potential, but don't be surprised to see the Bucks make some noise this year.
Predicted finish: Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Indiana
