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19 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.
Here's a look at the Southwest. Be sure to check out the Eastern Conference's Atlantic, Central and Southeast Divisions, as well as the West's Northwest and Pacific Division.
Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks
Significant additions: Tyson Chandler, Dominique Jones
Significant losses: Erick Dampier
Outlook: Once again, Dallas appears to be talented enough to win a bunch of games in the regular season, but not good enough to legitimately challenge for a title. Jones' scoring ability should help off the bench, although Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Roddy Beaubois are likely to eat up a good chunk of the backcourt minutes. Chandler is a solid defensive center who showed that he can be an offensive weapon when he plays with a good point guard, as he did with Chris Paul in New Orleans, but he's been injury prone his entire career. An aging core of Kidd, Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki wil probably lean more heavily on contributions from Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood in the regular season as they try to save themselves for the playoffs. Overall, this team will probably win 50 games again, but they're still a step below the Lakers, and maybe even the Thunder, in the West.
Houston Rockets
Significant additions: Patrick Patterson, Brad Miller
Significant losses: None
Outlook: The Rockets appear ready to crash the playoff picture this year, provided Yao Ming remains healthy and they can integrate him back into the offense with the emergence of Aaron Brooks and last year's mid-season acquisition of Kevin Martin. Adding Patterson and resigning Luis Scola gives the Rockets more depth up front, and if Jordan Hill is able to contribute, this could be one of the best frontcourts in the league. Returning Kyle Lowery in the backcourt will help, as will the continued improvement of Chase Budinger. The Rockets will enter the season with some unknowns, but on paper, this team could be a sleeper in the West and if things fall their way, they could be a top-four seed. Coach Rick Adelman seems to know what buttons to push to get the most out his players, so don't be surprised to see Houston making some playoff noise this year.
Memphis Grizzlies
Significant additions: Xavier Henry, Greivis Vasquez, Tony Allen
Significant losses: Ronnie Brewer
Outlook: It's hard not to like the talent on the Grizzlies' roster as they enter the season. They have two young perimeter stars in OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay to go with two solid big men in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Xavier Henry is a ready-made NBA shooter, and Tony Allen is a terrific defender who brings playoff experience. Plus, they've got a host of young forwards who could break out this year, including Sam Young, Darrell Arthur and DeMarre Carroll. However, there's still some questions that could keep this team from being a playoff contender. Will Mayo stay at shooting guard, or will he try to move to the point? Can Mike Conley finally demonstrate some consistency? Will Hasheem Thabeet contribute anything? The Grizzlies appear to be on the way up as an organization, and their commitment to Gay shows that they may have a plan for the future, but they may still be a year away from being a serious playoff contender, especially in the loaded West.
New Orleans Hornets
Significant additions: Craig Brackins, Quincy Pondexter
Significant losses: Morris Peterson
Outlook: Poor Chris Paul. A couple years ago, the Hornets appeared to be one of the brightest young teams in the league. Now, following some questionable trades and front office decisions, they'll be lucky to even contend for the playoffs this year. Adding Brackins to a thin frontcourt can't hurt, but he's not likely to have a huge impact as a rookie. Pondexter gives the team another young, talented backcourt player to go with Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, but he's likely to take some lumps as a rookie. Paul is still one of the most dynamic point guards in the league, and David West is a talented forward, but there's not much beyond them. Emka Okafor and Peja Stojakovic are injury-prone, while Julian Wright has yet to capitalize on his immense potential and James Posey has done nothing of record since signing a massive free agent contract. Perhaps the most interesting storyline out of New Orleans this season will be how long Paul is around, as trade talks have been swirling.
San Antonio Spurs
Significant additions: Tiago Splitter, James Anderson
Significant losses: None
Outlook: The Spurs have done a nice job of filling in pieces around Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, and this summer was no different. Splitter should be an instant impact player with his rebounding and toughness, while Anderson will give them another perimeter threat. The continued improvement of George Hill and DeJuan Blair should be enough to keep the Spurs among the best in the West, although it remains to be seen if Richard Jefferson will be brought back, following an inconsistent year. As usual, this team may not challenge for a top seed, but you can bet they'll once again be in the playoff hunt.
Predicted finish: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Memphis, New Orleans
