Post by Boston Celtics on Nov 15, 2007 11:52:09 GMT
The first Off-Season of league history is coming close to an end, with only Free Agency to get through. So I thought it was time to review the last few weeks of GM activity since Detroit's historic win on October 25th by assessing the Off-Season Winners and Losers:
Winners
New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets entered the league once the season was over and inherited a team noone had cared for since one of our founding members left. Since then I've come close to using my 'reject' vote on almost every trade he's made because they've favoured the Hornets too much, but each time they've been too close to call! As a result, New Orleans have gone from mid-table pretenders to championship contenders - even though they're still surrounded by the toughest division in the league! Let's hear it for the new guy in Orleans!
New Jersey Nets
With subtle effort the Nets, in my opinion, now possess the strongest team in the East! It's taken a long time and a series of gradual and precise trades to make this juggernaut, still led by Jason Kidd, but it's paid off for everyone in New Jersey. The icing on the cake came with the appointment of Ray Allen from Utah which allowed Gerald Wallace to switch to his natural position at Small Forward and the Net to possess a potent outside threat. With Okur and Chandler providing both offense and defense respectively in the paint, the Nets truly look like the complete package.
New York Knicks
The greatest re-building effort of all time continues in New York as the Knicks GM continues to pick up the pieces left over from the Isiah Thomas era. The effort paid off this year when the Knicks landed the top pick in the rookie draft and selected not only Greg Oden with the first pick, but also promising guard Rodney Stuckey with the 15th! Add to that the roughly $30m of cap space (a third of which is eaten up by Stephon Marbury) available to make a big name free agent signing this Off-Season and the Knicks have gone from bottom-feeders to playoff contenders in the space of a few weeks!
Seattle Supersonics
To be honest I didn't know Seattle's GM had it in him to make a geniunely admirable trade! The Sonics only move of the Off Season has been to secure the powerful big-man, Carlos Boozer from his brother's team, Memphis - a trade which works out very well for both teams. But this has changed the face of Seattle's lineup. No more will teams be traveling to Seattle (or Oklahoma, whatever!) looking for the easy win. In Redd, Lewis and Boozer they trust.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings haven't made a trade since the 9th of July and finished the season as the lowest ranked team in the league! This Off-Season has been kind to them though as they netted Kevin Durant with their number 2 pick as well as Marco Belinelli at 16. If the Kings GM would just look to shake things up a little he might have some players playing at their natural positions for once too.
Losers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers were clearly preparing, all season-long, to make some moves in the Off-Season. You can't run a team that way and then abandon them when the time comes around! Philadelphia still managed a decent pick in Yi Jianlian and Thaddeus Young, but there were plenty of other guys around who the Sixers could/should have been here to pick. Now all that remains is for a bunch of minimum-wage free agents to be picked up to bulk out Philly's lineup before the season starts.
Los Angeles Lakers
Purely because they still don't have a GM. The second biggest market in the league, with the most popular all-time team, with no GM! Goddammit! The Lakers were still picked Joakim Noah and Al Thornton in the draft but inevitably lost Antawn Jamison to free agency. Even if a GM was around for the Lakers though, you get the feeling Antawn wouldn't want to stay.
Charlotte Bobcats
Last season the Bobcats seemed to have pulled off a coup by trading Gerald Wallace for Vince Carter and bringing a UNC guy home to Charlotte. In effect though they just gave-up Wallace for a guy who's bolted in the Off-Season and left Paul Pierce once again surrounded by filler.
Detroit Pistons
Although Chris Webber is no longer in the prime of his career, he was still an important piece of the championship puzzle for Detroit. With the Pistons GM being active and logging in every day I found it bizarre that he took no steps to renew the contracts on any of the expiring centers his team had. Now Webber, Davis and Mohammed are getting offers from other teams and Detroit's still sitting there, twiddling his thumbs, making as many moves as last season (ie. none!)- but this time they wont improve him through stability.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers GM is always around, but seldom makes any decisive moves. He was around for his draft pick but eventually his draft board selected Spencer Hawes despite a load of talent still being available to be chosen from. When the acquisition of Cuttino Mobley is a high point for your team, you gotta take a step back and look what's been done with the post-Jermaine O'Neal-Pacers.
Winners
New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets entered the league once the season was over and inherited a team noone had cared for since one of our founding members left. Since then I've come close to using my 'reject' vote on almost every trade he's made because they've favoured the Hornets too much, but each time they've been too close to call! As a result, New Orleans have gone from mid-table pretenders to championship contenders - even though they're still surrounded by the toughest division in the league! Let's hear it for the new guy in Orleans!
New Jersey Nets
With subtle effort the Nets, in my opinion, now possess the strongest team in the East! It's taken a long time and a series of gradual and precise trades to make this juggernaut, still led by Jason Kidd, but it's paid off for everyone in New Jersey. The icing on the cake came with the appointment of Ray Allen from Utah which allowed Gerald Wallace to switch to his natural position at Small Forward and the Net to possess a potent outside threat. With Okur and Chandler providing both offense and defense respectively in the paint, the Nets truly look like the complete package.
New York Knicks
The greatest re-building effort of all time continues in New York as the Knicks GM continues to pick up the pieces left over from the Isiah Thomas era. The effort paid off this year when the Knicks landed the top pick in the rookie draft and selected not only Greg Oden with the first pick, but also promising guard Rodney Stuckey with the 15th! Add to that the roughly $30m of cap space (a third of which is eaten up by Stephon Marbury) available to make a big name free agent signing this Off-Season and the Knicks have gone from bottom-feeders to playoff contenders in the space of a few weeks!
Seattle Supersonics
To be honest I didn't know Seattle's GM had it in him to make a geniunely admirable trade! The Sonics only move of the Off Season has been to secure the powerful big-man, Carlos Boozer from his brother's team, Memphis - a trade which works out very well for both teams. But this has changed the face of Seattle's lineup. No more will teams be traveling to Seattle (or Oklahoma, whatever!) looking for the easy win. In Redd, Lewis and Boozer they trust.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings haven't made a trade since the 9th of July and finished the season as the lowest ranked team in the league! This Off-Season has been kind to them though as they netted Kevin Durant with their number 2 pick as well as Marco Belinelli at 16. If the Kings GM would just look to shake things up a little he might have some players playing at their natural positions for once too.
Losers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers were clearly preparing, all season-long, to make some moves in the Off-Season. You can't run a team that way and then abandon them when the time comes around! Philadelphia still managed a decent pick in Yi Jianlian and Thaddeus Young, but there were plenty of other guys around who the Sixers could/should have been here to pick. Now all that remains is for a bunch of minimum-wage free agents to be picked up to bulk out Philly's lineup before the season starts.
Los Angeles Lakers
Purely because they still don't have a GM. The second biggest market in the league, with the most popular all-time team, with no GM! Goddammit! The Lakers were still picked Joakim Noah and Al Thornton in the draft but inevitably lost Antawn Jamison to free agency. Even if a GM was around for the Lakers though, you get the feeling Antawn wouldn't want to stay.
Charlotte Bobcats
Last season the Bobcats seemed to have pulled off a coup by trading Gerald Wallace for Vince Carter and bringing a UNC guy home to Charlotte. In effect though they just gave-up Wallace for a guy who's bolted in the Off-Season and left Paul Pierce once again surrounded by filler.
Detroit Pistons
Although Chris Webber is no longer in the prime of his career, he was still an important piece of the championship puzzle for Detroit. With the Pistons GM being active and logging in every day I found it bizarre that he took no steps to renew the contracts on any of the expiring centers his team had. Now Webber, Davis and Mohammed are getting offers from other teams and Detroit's still sitting there, twiddling his thumbs, making as many moves as last season (ie. none!)- but this time they wont improve him through stability.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers GM is always around, but seldom makes any decisive moves. He was around for his draft pick but eventually his draft board selected Spencer Hawes despite a load of talent still being available to be chosen from. When the acquisition of Cuttino Mobley is a high point for your team, you gotta take a step back and look what's been done with the post-Jermaine O'Neal-Pacers.