Making sense of the NBA offseason

Written by Jason Brubaker | 14 July 2009

As I write this, it's been exactly one month since the Lakers capped a terrific season with their 15th NBA championship. Since that day, we've seen a wild offseason ensue, with moves ranging from questionable to downright bizarre.

sheed Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace, arguably the two most combustible personalities in the league, have joined the Lakers and Celtics respectively as they seek championships. Shaquille O'Neal is set to become The Big Witness as he hopes to help LeBron get his first ring. Trevor Ariza parlays his terrific postseason into a nice contract with Houston, where he likely won't get the chance next year to play with Yao Ming, whose foot injury may sideline him for all of 2009-10. The Magic, who were three wins away from a title, have dramatically altered their lineup with the addition of Vince Carter and Brandon Bass, as well as the loss of Hedo Turkoglu. Things have gotten so crazy that Allen Iverson, a future Hall-of-Famer who is desperate for a ring, is set to join either the Clippers or the Grizzlies, two of the worst teams in the league. And we haven't even mentioned the draft, where the Timberwolves spent three first round picks on point guards.

With that in mind, here's a look at some of the wildest off-season stories.

The West get stronger: In today's NBA, if you're not moving forward, you're falling behind. That's why the Spurs, who won 54 games last year, shook up their lineup with the addition of scorer Richard Jefferson, who should provide an instant burst of energy. Not standing pat, the Lakers went out and acquired Artest, whose toughness and defensive ability should make him an instant fan favorite...as long as he stays on his best behavior. Not to be outdone, the Mavericks worked out a deal for Shawn Marion, giving them an important piece as they hope to move into the upper echelon of the conference. Denver has been relatively quiet so far, but still acquired Arron Afflalo to fill Dahntay Jones' role and also worked out a trade for speedy PG Ty Lawson on draft night. With Portland and Utah also looking to make moves, it's safe to say the West will again be a battleground next season.

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Weary Wolves: Everyone knew that this year's draft was short on elite talent. But some teams apparently used that as an excuse to make some...ahem...questionable moves. Obviously, leading the way in the "What were they thinking?" category are the Wolves, who apparently had nobody on their roster capable of dribbling last year. That's the only logical excuse for drafting three (yes - three) point guards in the first round, including two in the first six picks. Now to be fair, they did trade Ty Lawson away, but they're still left with Ricky Rubio (or at least his rights) and Jonny Flynn. Some have speculated that drafting Rubio was done merely for trading purposes, but that doesn't appear to be working too well thus far. In fact, it's very possible that the Wolves' #5 pick will be suiting up in Spain next year. To make matters worse, GM David Kahn continues to claim, with a straight face, that he believes Rubio and Flynn can play together in the same backcourt. With thinking like that, Wolves fans can at least take solace in the fac they'll have plenty more lottery picks in the next few years to get things right.

vince Magic act: The Magic stunned most of the NBA world last year in their run to the Finals, dispatching defending champion Boston and favored Cleveland before bowing to the Lakers. Relying on an unconventional offense that often featured four shooters surrounding Dwight Howard, Orlando provided nightly matchup problems for opponents with forwards Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. However, despite being only three wins away from a title, the Magic opted not to keep the versatile Turkoglu, eventually losing him to Toronto. Replacing him with Vince Carter certainly makes headlines, but does it make the team better? Carter is a tremendous athlete and can create his own shot (something Turkoglu never could do), but he lacks Hedo's ability to create for others. The Magic also lost promising rookie Courtney Lee and forward Tony Battie...two key pieces of depth. There's no question the Magic have enough talent to be an elite team again. But for a team that is building around a young superstar in Howard, you have to wonder if making large-scale changes was the way to go.

Lottery losers: Typically, the lower-level teams in the league can at least pin their hopes on securing a high lottery pick, therefore adding a potential franchise player. However, that strategy likely won't play out this year, meaning next year's lottery could look remarkably similar. Does anyone think the Kings will be significantly better with Tyreke Evans? Is Memphis going to challenge for a playoff spot now that they've added Hasheem Thabeet? Does Jordan Hill put the Knicks over the top? Even Blake Griffin, the safest bet in the draft, heads to the Clippers, an organization known for its futility. When you look at the improvements that many of the league's top teams made, teams like the Kings and Grizzlies might just want to reserve their seat at next year's lottery.