Although teams are not allowed to formally sign their free-agent acquisitions until later this week, it has indeed been a wild offseason this year in the NBA. While some teams can look forward to improved rosters barring a potential signee pulling the ‘Carlos Boozer’, in the zero-sum game that is the NBA, obviously other teams will have a much grimmer outlook after July 11th.
WINNERS
New Jersey Brooklyn Nets
When the Nets executed the deal that dealt Derrick Favors, Devin Harris two first-round draft picks and cash to Utah in exchange for Deron Williams last year , a lot of people scratched their heads (especially considering the way Williams had essentially cost the long time and well respected coach Jerry Sloan his job). When it was announced that Williams was dealt without any assurances that he would remain with the Nets past July 2012, a lot of people (myself included) thought the Nets had executed one of the worst deals in recent NBA history.
Fortunately for the Nets, a lot of things played out well for them. First, they played their last game in New Jersey and had a lot of hype around them with the move to Brooklyn. After that, despite their suspect season they were able to sign Gerald Wallace to a long term deal (which undid the suspect move of dealing away the sixth pick in the 2012 loaded draft to get him from Portland) and decided to make the bold move of taking on Joe Johnson’s massive contract. While the latter move is somewhat suspect given Johnson’s playoff performance the last couple of years, if Deron Williams is to be believe it was a stroke of genius in that it enabled the Nets to coax their prize from Utah into signing a long-time extension to remain with the team.
In the end, although their pay-roll is relatively now relatively high, the Nets now have a starting 5 that includes 3 All-stars, a solid rebounder and double-double machine in Kris Humphries (who is probably staying put given his impending child support obligations) and a 7 foot up and coming centre in Brook Lopez who can be a real force if he ever learns to rebound.
Solid haul for New Jersey all around.
Los Angeles Lakers
When David Stern decided to arbitrarily void the now infamous 3 team Chris Paul trade last year, he not only redefined the word conflict-of-interest, but he destroyed any chance for the Lakers to fill a major void on their roster with one of the best PGs in the game. While the movehad reprocussions for the Lakers all season, most notably in the offseason when stop-gap solution Ramon Sessions imploded in the playoffs, things started to look up for the Lakers when word started to spread that Steve Nash would join their squad.
Although Nash nearing the end of his playing days, the Lakers are getting a perennial all-star, two-time MVP and one of the best PGs in the NBA who still has a lot of gas left in the tank despite his advanced age. Therefore, clearly while Nash is not the longterm solution to the Lakers point guard problem, for the next three years he will be a huge addition to the back court alongside Kobe Bryant, and if Bynum’s knee holds they could be poised to make a deep playoff run.
Oklahoma City Thunder
While their most recent playoff run did not end the way they wanted it too, James Harden’s terrible play might have actually done them some favours in the long-run. Given Harden’s terrible play it is now far less likely that other teams around the league will be lining up to toss max money his way and as such, OKC can potentially sign him to a long term deal for a lot less money. This of course leaves more money to help sign other guys.
Other positives for the Thunder this offseason include the theft of Perry Jones with the 28th pick (who would have been a top-ten pick if not for some health issues) and the low risk high reward signing of Hasheem Thabeet, the former number two overall pick from 2009.
New Orleans Hornets
Whether or not you choose to believe the conspiracy theorists is a matter of choice, but the New Orleans Hornets have quickly put together an impressive young roster who can potentially rival the Thunder and Heat for titles in the not too distant future. In addition, to getting franchise changer and number one overall pick Anthony Davis, the Hornets snagged explosive shooting guard Austin Rivers at ten, still have the rights to Eric Gordon and are on the verge of acquiring 3 point specialist (and solid rebounder) Ryan Anderson from the Magic. Add to this the dumping of Rashard Lewis’ Albatross contract and the acquisition of Anthony Davis’ former Kentucky teammate Darius Miller at 46 and the future is bright indeed for the Hornets.
LOSERS
Dallas Mavericks
When it comes to the Dallas Mavericks I honestly do not know which is the bigger shock, winning the title in 2011 or their decision to not put any effort into defending their title in 2012. It was a bold move by the Mavericks to not reward their championship pieces by ensuring that they stayed in Dallas longterm and instead hoard thier money to make a run at some of the big names in 2012 free agency. And while they say that fortunes favor the bold, in this case things could not have gone worse for the Mavericks. Not only are Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry now long gone, but now that Deron Williams decided to re-sign with the Nets, their master plan of signing Deron Williams to be the future of the franchise seems to have gone up in smoke. Couple this with the fact that free agents seem to be avoiding Dallas like the plague since their decision to forgo any attempt to defend their title, and the future looks bleak for a team that won the title just a year ago.
Toronto Raptors
When you pursue a highly sought after free-agent and he ends up turning you down, that is life. But when that free-agent turns down the opportunity to play for his home country, be the star of your franchise and 11 million dollars, that is pretty telling. When Steve Nash turned down the opportunity to play for the Raptors he was making a statement which was that the Raptors are so poorly run right now that he would rather play somewhere else for a whole lot less than be associated professional basketball in Toronto. Ouch. Add to this that the Raptors seem to have overpaid yet again for a role player in Landry Fields and they drafted a guy who many experts thought was taken twenty spots too high in Terence Ross and Toronto fans are in for another long season. If Austin Rivers or Andre Drummond turn out to have successful NBA careers it is only right that Toronto’s front office brass be made accountable for this latest debacle.
Dwight Howard
If Dwight Howard really is Superman I am guessing his Krytonite is not only limited to success in the playoffs, but common sense as well. Unless Dwight Howard is on a mission to take the title of least liked NBA player away from LeBron James, people in Dwight’s camp need to hold an intervention on his behalf because he is on the fast track to killing his career on and off the court. With respect to the latter it is tough to see people lining up to hand a petulant Dwight Howard millions of dollars to be associated with their brands when the public’s disdain for him is reaching ever higher by the day. And as for on the court, well his actions speak for himself. Since becoming with the idea of leaving the Magic Howard has demanded a trade, undemanded a trade, demanded a trade, signed a one year extension, demanded a trade again and then demanded the trade be made to only the Brookyln Nets. Couple this with the fact that he has not only gotten the Coach and the team’s longtime GM fired, but accused his own team of blackmail, and you get the picture why mnay people have turned on Dwight Howard and actually want the Magic to dump him on some basement dweller like the Bobcats or the Kings.
Unfortunately, in the current state of “me-first” basketball, it looks like there is still a strong chance that Dwight Howard will get his wish and not only be traded from the Magic, but dealt to the Nets with a lucrative long-term deal to boot. I don’t know why NBA GMs are going out of their teams to let 8 franchises rule the league for years to come, but it makes you what happened to the new CBA’s promise of protecting small market franchises. I guess in the end the lesson is that its hard to protect the little guy when he is not willing to protect himself.
