The Heat won the NBA Championship. Lebron James was incredible in the finals. the NBA Draft has come and gone. teams now have a better idea of what their final rosters could look like when the next season begins in the fall. Right now though? Now, it’s time for every team to get working on their rosters so they can try and dethrone King James next season (or to defeat any usurpers if you ARE the Heat). This all begins with the summer soap opera that is NBA free agency. General managers are offering up money left and right to land the right player for their current roster. The potential last piece of the puzzle could be found this summer for the team set to win next year’s championship! So, let’s try and get through what the Eastern Conference teams are going through. I will start with the bets record and move to the worst:
Miami
Fresh off their title win, the Heat faced some important questions recently regarding who they would try and retain for next year. Pat Riley has said he would like to bring the entire team back because they meshed so well together (Joel Anthony meshed with the bench better than anyone!). Ray Allen has already exercised his player option and will return for another season in South Beach. Who are the key free agents for Miami currently?! Well there is only one really…BIRDMAN BIRDMAN!!! Yes ladies and gents the Big Bird himself has entered the market and will likely draw interest from a number of teams across the league. Chris would be best served being staying in Miami in my humble opinion. He is a great cutter to the basket and fits into what Erik Spoelstra needs of a big man. While Anderson could take more cash and move on, he probably won’t be as loved as he currently is in Miami. Anderson received some of the loudest cheers during Miami home games, and rightfully so. He is an energetic hard nosed player. Miami needs to bring back The Bird.
New York
The Knicks have already dipped their feet…no wait…dunked their head into the free agency water bucket this summer. The Knicks have acquired former #1 overall pick from 2006 (guess what…he WASN’T WORTH IT) Italian 7 footer Andrea Bargnani, from the Toronto Raptors. Bargnani was drafted to be the next Dirk Nowitzki, but he hasn’t even come close to this point, and likely never will.
Andrea Bargnani dunk Toronto Raptors Miami Heat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
While Andrea has a decent offensive repertoire he hasn’t shot well from 3 point range recently (a paltry 30% in 2011-2012 and 31% in 2012-2013). I have also not mentioned how Andrea can’t really defend other NBA big men. Or that he had the worst rebounding percentage of any 7 foot player in the league (look it up). All this for around a mere $10,000,000 a year! Yikes. New York better have good coaches who can push Andrea towards his true potential. The Knicks gave up some minor role players for Bargnani so it isn’t THAT bad. The ageless Marcus Camby and the token white guy who can only shoot 3’s, Steve Novak, and journeyman guard/forward Quentin Richardson are all heading to Toronto. This leaves the Knicks with the most expensive front court in the NBA with Melo, Bargnani, and Amare all making over $11 million per year. Sure Amare will come off the bench, but his contract is sooooo much worse than Tyson Chandler’s. The Knicks other big free agency conundrum is that of J.R. Smith. Smith won 6th man of the year in New York and should earn a pretty penny on the free agent market from whoever he decides to sign with. JR Swish is reportedly drawing some interest from Milwaukee as a replacement for the likes of JJ Reddick (traded to the Clippers) and Monta Ellis who will likely be heading for greener pastures. Smith is an explosive scorer off the bench and would obviously fit in great in New York. They should bring him back if they can.
Indiana
The Eastern Conference runner up have already all but locked up their top priority, power forward David West. Initially the Pacers extended a qualifying offer to West’s backup Tyler Hansborough, but as reported by Kevin Zimmerman of SB Nation, that qualifying offer has been rescinded. Zimmerman wrote “It’s unclear why Indiana made the decision. It’s also unknown if it was the team or the player who pushed for the change in direction. The rescinded offer could be connected to the team’s other free agency dealings.” Interesting! Indiana doesn’t have a lot of holes it needs to fill. Backup point guard DJ Augstin’s time in Indy is most likely at an end after the Pacers picked up backup point guard CJ Watson formerly of the Nets. It seems they are replacing a DJ with a CJ. Always a good thing to point out. The only other guys with expired contracts are backup forwards Jeff Pendergraph and Pitt alum Sam Young.
Brooklyn
I am skipping this section because it will give me an aneurism if I talk about it!
Chicago
The Bulls put up a pretty hard fight last postseason without their best player (Derrick Rose) and also with injuries to their second best player (Luol Deng) and tough point guard Kirk Hinrich. The depleted Bulls beat the Nets and even stole 1 game from the Heat. Where are they now? Backup guard and three point afficionado Marco Bellinelli is reportedly heading to San Antonio. Bellinelli was expendable after the Bulls locked up Mike Dunleavy Jr. as their 3 point specialist off the bench.
Mike Dunleavy (Photo credit: Keith Allison)
Other than Dunleavy, the Bulls have brought back Nazr Mohammed…(crickets)… The other big issue for the Bulls is Nate Robinson. Robinson is drawing some interest from other teams in the league and the Bulls don’t have a lot to offer “Krypto-Nate.” Robinson will likely bolt and sign to be someone’s sixth man.
Atlanta
Ahh yes. The Atlanta Hawks. Most of their roster are free agents currently as they have been largely pursuing Dwight Howard. The Hawks haven’t made very many decisions to this point because they are probably waiting on Howard’s decision. They Hawks have brought back 3 point specialist Kyle Korver for another go-around in the ATL as their only free agent signing so far. The most pressing issue outside of the “Dwightmare” is Josh Smith. Smith could get a max-deal from the Hawks, but he is not worth it. I undertand that GMs have to spend some cash in the offseason to appeal to season ticket holders, but they often give a lot of money to players who don’t deserve it. Josh Smith will likely be one of those players.
Boston
*see comment in the Brooklyn Nets’ section.
Milwaukee
In an earlier post I encouraged the Bucks to stick with Monta Ellis and move on from Brandon Jennings. Well folks, it looks like the opposite happened (though somewhat expectedly). Ellis opted out of his final year in Milwaukee and Jennings is reportedly signing a new contract. While neither player is relatively efficient from the floor, Ellis is explosive while Jennings can leave you scratching your head often. The Bucks who acquired 3 point specialist (there seems to be a pattern here eh?) JJ Redick last year from Orlando, have sent him in a three-team deal to the Clippers. SLAM magazine online has posted an article that says that OJ (what is with all the OJs, JJs, DJs, and CJs????!!!) Mayo is close to a deal that would move him to Wisconsin. So far the players that Milwaukee has lost or is likely to lose this offseason are: Ellis, Dunleavy, and Redick. All three of those players are scorers. Is Milwaukee going to field a team that ONLY plays defnese next year? We shall have to wait and see if Mayo does sign with the Bucks, and if they can bring in other offensive minded players to replace Ellis’ production.
PART 2 will consist of the Eastern Conference teams that failed to make the playoffs. Yes. Milwaukee did somehow make the playoffs.
Related articles
- NBA free agency: Kyle Korver, Hawks reach 4-year agreement (sbnation.com)
- Knicks add Quentin Richardson to Andrea Bargnani trade package (newsday.com)
- Al Jefferson Heading to the Bobcats (ESPN via Youtube.com)
- Marco Bellinelli heading to the Spurs (espn.com)
The Stepback Jumper 