Now that March Madness is quickly approaching it's time to take a look at some of the top players expected to be drafted and really start to throw out opinions about them.
This is going to be organized into three groups. The first one is big men, as we will have mainly centers and power forwards here. Some combo forwards would also fit into here as well. Next up is wing players, mainly the small forwards and shooting guards, and combo forwards who fit in here. Lastly we have the little men, the point guards and small combo guards. So here's the top ten from each of those groups as they'll be ranked here:
Big Men
1. Blake Griffin
2. Hasheem Thabeet
3. Jordan Hill
4. BJ Mullens
5. Greg Monroe
6. DeJuan Blair
7. Craig Brackins
8. Tyler Hansbrough
9. Patrick Patterson
10. Jeff Pendergraph
Wings
1. James Harden
2. Earl Clark
3. Al-Farouq Aminu
4. Chase Budinger
5. Demar DeRozan
6. Gerald Henderson
7. DaJuan Summers
8. Damion James
9. Sam Young
10. Terrance Williams
Little Men
1. Ricky Rubio
2. Jeff Teague
3. Brandon Jennings
4. Eric Maynor
5. Stephen Curry
6. Jonny Flynn
7. Patrick Mills
8. Willie Warren
9. Ty Lawson
10. Darren Collison
Now, for the long part, let's take a look at each of those players and see who's really the best for the NBA game.
Blake Griffin has put together one of the best sophomore seasons that I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. He's both scoring and rebounding in huge numbers. However, can his game translate to the NBA? It's an easy yes. Not only is Griffin a very good scorer and rebounder, but he plays with a lot of energy, he's very athletic, and most importantly, he's a very smart player. There is nothing that he's bad at on the floor. The only things that are worries are his body control and his health. While he did miss time after the concussion, the health seems to no longer really be an issue, and his body control has improved greatly since his freshman year. Griffin is the first pick for almost any team in this draft and will be a future star.
Hasheem Thabeet has been watched for quite some time now. He came into UConn as a 7'3" project, and now after his third year he's really improved his game and has become a much more refined player. No, he isn't perfect yet, but on defense he is an absolute monster. When he's by the paint, no one dares try to enter. His timing on his shot blocking is very good, he's fairly athletic, and he's improved his quickness an awful lot since his freshman year. On offense he's still not someone who will demand much attention. Occasionally he could put the ball in the hoop, but he's nothing more than that. For an early lottery team lacking size down low he is a good pick.
Jordan Hill is compared by many to Chris Bosh, and as far as style, skillset, and appearance go, they're pretty right on with him. He's an offensive minded power forward with a decent post game and very good jump shot who is soft on defense. It's doubtful he'll be a player of the same calibur as Bosh, but he does look like he can still be a very good player. His defense is actually not terrible despite being soft. He is an early lottery pick for sure for any team who needs a good power forward.
BJ Mullens came into college with a world of hype around him, and like the past two seasons when centers came to Ohio State with a lot of hype around them, he has been terribly underused and likely has had a lot of his value killed because of that. However, this is a kid that could really become a very good big man. He's got great size, good post skills, and a nice jumper out to about fifteen feet. While he will obviously be a bit of a project, as all NBA big men tend to be, he will still be a good player right away.
Greg Monroe is kind of a combo big man. He could be either a center or a power forward at the NBA level. He's an athletic big man with a nice versatile offensive game. His strength and post skills could really use some work right now, and it really wouldn't hurt him to go back into college for another season to refine his game, which very well may happen. If he goes into the draft right now he's a late lottery pick.
Here's the toughest guy to analyze. There's a number of undersized big men who've been in the league in recent years. From guys like Anthony Mason, Charles Barkley, Jason Maxiell, Elton Brand, and Paul Millsap to guys like Danny Fortson, Mike Sweetney, and Lonny Baxter. There's been a lot of them and with mixed results. Blair is extra small though. At 6'6" he's as tall as a shooting guard or small forward, but he's got the extra girth at 287 lbs. He's only somewhat athletic, but he has a long wingspan. He puts up monster numbers in college, but that's not the pro's where he'll be even more undersized. Look for him to be a middle first round pick, as there is risk involved with drafting him.
Craig Brackins is more of a combo forward, but he's a bigger one who'll work out well as a power forward. His biggest downside is his strength and defense, but he has a versatile offensive game that features a very good jump shot. He could very well wind up in the lottery as it's really tough to say where he'll be picked.
Tyler Hansbrough is another big man with a game that's been great in college, but there's question as to how his game can translate to the NBA. The things that he has are his insane motor, he's got solid post skills, a solid jump shot, and he's got good strength. His downsides are his height, defense, and body control. His height really isn't all that small for a power forward, but he's slightly undersized. He'll likely fall to near the end of the first round though.
Jeff Pendergraph likely will not be picked until the second round, but he has a chance to be a real sleeper. He's got solid size for a power forward and solid fundamentals. He has what it takes to be a good player at the NBA level.
James Harden went from a very good college player last year to one of the top in the country. He does almost everything well. Kind of has scouting reports that remind me of Brandon Roy. Bottom line is that there is no way he isn't a top three pick without a GM getting fired.
Earl Clark is a big small forward with very good athleticism. He still needs to work on his jump shot, and is fairly raw as a whole, but he'll still be picked in the lottery.
Al-Farouq Aminu came into Wake Forest with a ton of hype around him. He's unbelievably raw, but also has a great amount of potential. Think of Luol Deng with more speed, which is where he will likely be when he's at his peak, which is actually something that seems pretty nice.
Chase Budinger is someone that no one seemed to see lasting three seasons in college. He's an unbelievably athletic wing who makes a big shooting guard and an average sized small forward. He's got a great jump shot, but can't really get to the basket due to his weak ball handling abilities. His defense is also very weak still. He should still be picked in the middle of the first round.
Demar DeRozan is another freshman that came in with a lot of hype around him, but he really hasn't been able to live up to the hype so far at USC. He's got all the physical tools to be a success, but he's very raw and is questionable if he's ready mentally. He really should stay in school for another year, but it's likely that he'll still go for the pros.
Gerald Henderson has gained great fame playing at Duke. He's a slightly undersized shooting guard. He does almost everything well and is very athletic. Look for him to be a lottery pick.
DaJuan Summers is yet another player that should probably stay in college for another year. He's played well at Georgetown and is yet another player that seems to be good at everything, but not great. He is still a little bit raw, which leads me to believe that he'll miss the lottery by a little bit if he enters the draft this season.
Damion James is a defensive small forward with a solid offensive game to compliment it. Very athletic and still a little bit raw, he could be a mid to late first round pick if he went into the draft this season.
Sam Young defines the Pittsburgh style of play. He's a shooting guard/small forward with a physical style of play. However, what he is now is likely what he'll be throughout his basketball career. He really doesn't seem to be a guy with a whole lot of potential. He's a late first round pick.
Terrence Williams rounds up the wing players. He's unbelievably athletic and very strong, but he has no jump shot at all. Late first round pick or early second round.
Ricky Rubio, if he does enter the draft this season (which he actually can do, as the rules for international players differ slightly to the rules for American players due to the schooling system), could possibly be a top 3 pick. He's got all the tools to make a great point guard and could wind up being a superstar in the NBA. He's easily a top of the lottery pick.
Jeff Teague has no defense and is clearly a project, but he's a point guard who could really be a star at the NBA level, loaded with potential. Possibly a top five pick, but not much below that.
Brandon Jennings has been able to get himself into the news throughout the last year. Instead of playing in college he went to Europe so he could get money to play basketball. Right there you have to question the kid's attitude. However, in Europe he hasn't had the best of times. Occasionally showing signs of greatness, he hasn't shown to be a very good shooter and more of a playground style of point guard. He'll still be an early to middle lottery pick.
Eric Maynor is solid all around. He's a late lottery pick who'll likely make a solid starting point guard or a good backup point guard, possibly even better.
Stephen Curry is by no means an NBA point guard. He's an undersized shooting guard, and while his numbers have fallen since the start of the season, the guy's getting triple teamed regularly, it's tough to score when you have that going on. The kid's an excellent shooter and should make a good scoring option off the bench, a microwave scorer type of guy. A middle first round pick.
Jonny Flynn hasn't got the press of many of the other guys, but this guy really can play and will be an excellent point guard at the NBA level. He'll likely be picked in the mid to late 20's, but should start off as a great backup point guard and eventually be running his own team.
Patrick Mills first really turned heads in the Olympics last season when he torched the American team. That right there showed that he can play at the professional level, but it's how well he can play and his small size that'll hurt him. At very least he's a very good backup point guard.
Willie Warren is a very good point guard at the college level and should be able to still be very good in the NBA. He could be as high as a middle first round pick.
Ty Lawson will likely move up in the draft based on his name and being able to play at North Carolina. However, he likely won't ever be much more than a good backup point guard, which is nice, but not great. Likely he'll be a late first round pick.
Darren Collison is the last guy I'll cover. He could've gone in last year and likely would've been a higher pick, but he'll still be drafted in the first round and will be a good backup point guard.
Okay, so now that we've got all that covered, it's time for the tournament to come and completely change everything around. When that happens, that will be covered as well.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Trade Reviews
Another trade deadline has come and gone. There were a few big moves and a bunch of small moves. Here's my analysis on the trades that went down.
Rafer Alston to Orlando
Kyle Lowry and Brian Cook to Houston
Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks, a first round pick (Orlando), and cash to Memphis
Lots seemed to go on at first with this trade, but really, the biggest thing was that Orlando got Rafer Alston. I like this trade for Orlando. They didn't give up a whole lot, but they got a guy that'll be a great guy to come in and take over for the injured Jameer Nelson. Obviously they didn't want to have to be in a position to have to make this trade, but since Nelson got hurt, it's a good trade to make with the given situation. Alston is a guy that can really help Orlando right now.
Houston seems to come in second in this trade. Kyle Lowry is a very streaky and undersized shooting guard, but when he's on he can put up points very quickly. However, I do wonder how he'll fit in with a backcourt that already has Aaron Brooks, although Brooks is a little closer to being a true point guard. It still doesn't really seem to be a move that will work into the long term plans of the Rockets.
Memphis seemed to just be looking to pick up guys to dump here. They obviously were not aggressively going after Adonal Foyle or Mike Wilks here. I think all they really were looking for is the draft pick, which should be in the mid to late 20's for them. There's always a chance at picking up something good at that point, but it's not very likely.
Thabo Sefolosha to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City's worst first round pick to Chicago
Sefolosha wasn't going to get the chance he really deserved with the Bulls. If he continued to play for the Bulls he wasn't going to be going anywhere. Going to Oklahoma City gives him a chance to play in a new system and with a new surrounding. He's got the skill to flourish in the right environment, and this could possibly be it. He's an outstanding defender who just needs to put his offensive game together, and who knows, this could be the place for it. As for the Bulls, they're getting a trade probably in the middle 20's, and like I said before, there's always the chance that you could get something good here, although it's not very likely. Still, I'd say it's worth the shot for the Bulls considering where Sefolosha was going with them. I hate to see him go, because I really liked him, but it was the right move to make and a fair trade.
Patrick O'Bryant to Toronto
Will Solomon and cash to Sacramento
Conditional second round pick to Boston
Patrick O'Bryant went into the 2006 draft as a project that had the potential to have a high payoff. Well, it's been a few years now and we're still waiting for that payoff. Then again, there's been players who've become stars who have taken longer, so I don't see this as Patrick O'Bryant being traded as a total lost cause. If he gets enough minutes he could wind up playing very well in Toronto.
Will Solomon really just isn't that good of a player. He can put up good numbers from time to time, but he's also a guy who will mess a lot of things up. I don't know if he's going to Sacramento to actually play or just to free up another $700,000 for them in the offseason (although they didn't give up anything outside of a pick for him, although they're getting cash for him). I don't see this move being much of anything for Sacramento.
Then again, I don't see it being much for Boston either. I don't know what the conditions are on the second round pick, but usually when you see that conditional word there it means that the team trading for it only did it so that something was there. Boston likely won't ever see that pick. In other words, they gave up a seldom used center and really didn't get anything back, so I don't see this trade as really doing anything for or against Boston.
Malik Rose to Oklahoma City
Chris Wilcox to New York
I honestly don't understand this trade. They're both similar sized expiring contracts, so it's not like it's a money move for either team, and Chris Wilcox is clearly a better player than Malik Rose. Wilcox isn't any sort of superstar, but the guy can give you 8 and 8 on any given night, which is pretty solid. When he was given good minutes he was even better. I think this might wind up coming back to New York doing something nice for Oklahoma City later on.
Jerome James, Anthony Roberson, and Tim Thomas to Chicago
Larry Hughes to New York
While there's a chance that Larry Hughes will go to New York and put up some solid numbers, especially in D'Antoni's system, the bottom line is that he still probably won't help the team. Hughes has a history of padding his own stats at the cost of his team, and I don't know if that will ever change. He mainly brings them a contract that expires by the 2010 offseason.
However, New York already had that in Jerome James and Tim Thomas. Not only that, but most of James' contract is going to be paid for by the insurance that was bought on it. That means that the Bulls have the same amount of money coming off the books by 2010, but it's split into two contracts, making it easier to move if they decide to try to get rid of it earlier, and they don't even have to pay the whole amount. On top of that the Bulls get someone in Tim Thomas who can help their team out. Last time Thomas was on the Bulls it wound up being a disaster, but things are different now. The Bulls are now coached by someone that Thomas really does respect and has a past working relationship with. He can spread the floor and create matchup problems, which is enough to help the Bulls out right there. Throw in that he'll likely average at least 8 and 4, and this move continues to look better and better for the Bulls. I have no clue as to who Anthony Roberson is, but looking at his stats, he looks like he was just a throw-in for this deal. Still, the Bulls look like they win this one, especially since they were actually able to convince someone to take Hughes off their hands. I give it 2 months before New York realizes their mistake.
Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth to Sacramento
Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown to Minnesota
Well, Sacramento becomes the best team in the league by picking up Calvin Booth here, easily the greatest big man the NBA has ever seen. Brad who? I think the Kings have already forgot about that guy.
In all seriousness though, I actually like this move for both teams. McCants has an expiring contract, and I think Booth has an eternal expiring contract, so it frees up some money for the Kings. That's what the Kings have been looking to do throughout this trade season, and they've done well at it. This also gave them the chance to release Quincy Douby, who has not been what the Kings have hoped he would be, and they get back a better version in McCants.
For the Kings, they get a backup power forward and another big man in Shelden Williams, which given the Al Jefferson injury, could help Minnesota out. Williams hasn't really shown to be the best of players since getting drafted, but given his defensive skill in college, it's hard to count him out still. He'll likely never be much on offense, but I can see him at least adding some defensive toughness down low for Minnesota. I'm also a bit more of a Bobby Brown fan than I should be. He'll likely ride at the end of the bench, but he can come in and score in bunches from time to time.
Chris Mihm to Memphis
Conditional 2013 second round pick to Los Angeles
This is pretty much a little for nothing trade. Chris Mihm isn't much, but he can at least do a little bit out there. Once a highly touted prospect, he was drafted in 2000, and we all know that not a whole lot of good came out of that draft. The conditional second round pick I'm thinking is conditional upon the Lakers actually remembering that they have it. 2013? What the hell is going on here? Something tells me this was just the Lakers dumping off Mihm on the Grizzlies, maybe some extra thanks for that Gasol trade.
Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin, and Cedric Simmons to Sacramento
Brad Miller and John Salmons to Chicago
This was the big trade of the day on Wednesday and actually made my day. The Bulls were able to free up some roster space with this trade and so much more.
The big thing the Bulls did with this trade is pick up a legitimate center in Brad Miller. Sure, his numbers are down from past years, but the guy still has the ability to demand respect as a guy who can score in the post or step out and shoot from 15-17 feet out. On top of that, he's one of the best passing big men in the league still today, and that can be a huge help for any team. John Salmons, the other main piece the Bulls picked up, is an improvement over Nocioni, and he'll also make it easier to watch Gordon walk during this offseason if the Bulls decide to do that. He can do anything Gordon can do, but better, and more. He plays better defense and shoots for higher percentages. He'll also turn the ball over less and demand to hold it less.
The best actual player the Kings picked up here is Andres Nocioni, who really brings so much more than just the statistics show. He's one of the toughest men in the entire league, he gets into the head of players on other teams, and he hustles like no one else. He can get a bit wild and out of control at times, but the bottom line is that he brings a work ethic and heart to any team he plays for that far outshines his statistics, which are not terrible in the first place. Drew Gooden is a good player as well, but is a mediocre defender and is coming off of an injury. He's a fairly classic power forward, but just takes too many jumpers. Simmons is still a long away from being a productive player, but he does know how to finish strong. As for Ruffin, I'll get to him in just a second....
Michael Ruffin to Portland
Ike Diogu to Sacramento
Another move to clear out more money. I don't see either player giving a lot, if anything to their team on the floor. At one point I did see Diogu as a legitimate prospect, but I hadn't even heard his name in over a year before this trade went down.
Okay, from here on out I'm going to pass on conditional second round pick trades, so yeah, Cassell was traded to Sacramento (and I believe released) and Alex Acker was traded to the Clippers.
Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown to the Lakers
Vladimir Radmanovic to the Bobcats
As far as player quality goes, Charlotte gets the slight edge here, but it's really not a whole lot. Radmanovic can be helpful when his shot is falling, but if it isn't he's really not a whole lot to write home about.
On the other hand, Adam Morrison is probably the most interesting piece to this trade. The guy has been nothing short of disappointing throughout his NBA career after putting up very impressive scoring numbers in college and playing with more heart that any college player we've seen in quite some time. However, it's hard to build that heart up again when you're playing against players at such a high level. Morrison didn't dominate when he came in to the NBA, and there's still a chance that he could find his groove like he did in college, but I wouldn't bet on it. As for Shannon Brown, he can be nice in spurts, but he's more of a throw in.
Alright, that's about as far back as I'll go with the trades possibly related to the trade deadline. Considering that last trade was 12 days before the deadline, I'm thinking even that is pushing it right there.
So really, who is the winner of this trade deadline? Well, ESPN is reporting it's Chicago, and yeah, I'm a bit biased, so I'll pick the Bulls as well. They were able to get a legitimate center for the first time in a long time, then they were also able to add some nice intangibles, and a big shooting guard who can actually play. On top of that, they solved their biggest problem, and that's how to remove a cancer without hurting themselves, getting rid of Larry Hughes and his huge almost unmovable contract. On top of that, they cleared stuff out a bit in the backcourt/wing by trading Sefolosha away for a late first round pick.
Rafer Alston to Orlando
Kyle Lowry and Brian Cook to Houston
Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks, a first round pick (Orlando), and cash to Memphis
Lots seemed to go on at first with this trade, but really, the biggest thing was that Orlando got Rafer Alston. I like this trade for Orlando. They didn't give up a whole lot, but they got a guy that'll be a great guy to come in and take over for the injured Jameer Nelson. Obviously they didn't want to have to be in a position to have to make this trade, but since Nelson got hurt, it's a good trade to make with the given situation. Alston is a guy that can really help Orlando right now.
Houston seems to come in second in this trade. Kyle Lowry is a very streaky and undersized shooting guard, but when he's on he can put up points very quickly. However, I do wonder how he'll fit in with a backcourt that already has Aaron Brooks, although Brooks is a little closer to being a true point guard. It still doesn't really seem to be a move that will work into the long term plans of the Rockets.
Memphis seemed to just be looking to pick up guys to dump here. They obviously were not aggressively going after Adonal Foyle or Mike Wilks here. I think all they really were looking for is the draft pick, which should be in the mid to late 20's for them. There's always a chance at picking up something good at that point, but it's not very likely.
Thabo Sefolosha to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City's worst first round pick to Chicago
Sefolosha wasn't going to get the chance he really deserved with the Bulls. If he continued to play for the Bulls he wasn't going to be going anywhere. Going to Oklahoma City gives him a chance to play in a new system and with a new surrounding. He's got the skill to flourish in the right environment, and this could possibly be it. He's an outstanding defender who just needs to put his offensive game together, and who knows, this could be the place for it. As for the Bulls, they're getting a trade probably in the middle 20's, and like I said before, there's always the chance that you could get something good here, although it's not very likely. Still, I'd say it's worth the shot for the Bulls considering where Sefolosha was going with them. I hate to see him go, because I really liked him, but it was the right move to make and a fair trade.
Patrick O'Bryant to Toronto
Will Solomon and cash to Sacramento
Conditional second round pick to Boston
Patrick O'Bryant went into the 2006 draft as a project that had the potential to have a high payoff. Well, it's been a few years now and we're still waiting for that payoff. Then again, there's been players who've become stars who have taken longer, so I don't see this as Patrick O'Bryant being traded as a total lost cause. If he gets enough minutes he could wind up playing very well in Toronto.
Will Solomon really just isn't that good of a player. He can put up good numbers from time to time, but he's also a guy who will mess a lot of things up. I don't know if he's going to Sacramento to actually play or just to free up another $700,000 for them in the offseason (although they didn't give up anything outside of a pick for him, although they're getting cash for him). I don't see this move being much of anything for Sacramento.
Then again, I don't see it being much for Boston either. I don't know what the conditions are on the second round pick, but usually when you see that conditional word there it means that the team trading for it only did it so that something was there. Boston likely won't ever see that pick. In other words, they gave up a seldom used center and really didn't get anything back, so I don't see this trade as really doing anything for or against Boston.
Malik Rose to Oklahoma City
Chris Wilcox to New York
I honestly don't understand this trade. They're both similar sized expiring contracts, so it's not like it's a money move for either team, and Chris Wilcox is clearly a better player than Malik Rose. Wilcox isn't any sort of superstar, but the guy can give you 8 and 8 on any given night, which is pretty solid. When he was given good minutes he was even better. I think this might wind up coming back to New York doing something nice for Oklahoma City later on.
Jerome James, Anthony Roberson, and Tim Thomas to Chicago
Larry Hughes to New York
While there's a chance that Larry Hughes will go to New York and put up some solid numbers, especially in D'Antoni's system, the bottom line is that he still probably won't help the team. Hughes has a history of padding his own stats at the cost of his team, and I don't know if that will ever change. He mainly brings them a contract that expires by the 2010 offseason.
However, New York already had that in Jerome James and Tim Thomas. Not only that, but most of James' contract is going to be paid for by the insurance that was bought on it. That means that the Bulls have the same amount of money coming off the books by 2010, but it's split into two contracts, making it easier to move if they decide to try to get rid of it earlier, and they don't even have to pay the whole amount. On top of that the Bulls get someone in Tim Thomas who can help their team out. Last time Thomas was on the Bulls it wound up being a disaster, but things are different now. The Bulls are now coached by someone that Thomas really does respect and has a past working relationship with. He can spread the floor and create matchup problems, which is enough to help the Bulls out right there. Throw in that he'll likely average at least 8 and 4, and this move continues to look better and better for the Bulls. I have no clue as to who Anthony Roberson is, but looking at his stats, he looks like he was just a throw-in for this deal. Still, the Bulls look like they win this one, especially since they were actually able to convince someone to take Hughes off their hands. I give it 2 months before New York realizes their mistake.
Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth to Sacramento
Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown to Minnesota
Well, Sacramento becomes the best team in the league by picking up Calvin Booth here, easily the greatest big man the NBA has ever seen. Brad who? I think the Kings have already forgot about that guy.
In all seriousness though, I actually like this move for both teams. McCants has an expiring contract, and I think Booth has an eternal expiring contract, so it frees up some money for the Kings. That's what the Kings have been looking to do throughout this trade season, and they've done well at it. This also gave them the chance to release Quincy Douby, who has not been what the Kings have hoped he would be, and they get back a better version in McCants.
For the Kings, they get a backup power forward and another big man in Shelden Williams, which given the Al Jefferson injury, could help Minnesota out. Williams hasn't really shown to be the best of players since getting drafted, but given his defensive skill in college, it's hard to count him out still. He'll likely never be much on offense, but I can see him at least adding some defensive toughness down low for Minnesota. I'm also a bit more of a Bobby Brown fan than I should be. He'll likely ride at the end of the bench, but he can come in and score in bunches from time to time.
Chris Mihm to Memphis
Conditional 2013 second round pick to Los Angeles
This is pretty much a little for nothing trade. Chris Mihm isn't much, but he can at least do a little bit out there. Once a highly touted prospect, he was drafted in 2000, and we all know that not a whole lot of good came out of that draft. The conditional second round pick I'm thinking is conditional upon the Lakers actually remembering that they have it. 2013? What the hell is going on here? Something tells me this was just the Lakers dumping off Mihm on the Grizzlies, maybe some extra thanks for that Gasol trade.
Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin, and Cedric Simmons to Sacramento
Brad Miller and John Salmons to Chicago
This was the big trade of the day on Wednesday and actually made my day. The Bulls were able to free up some roster space with this trade and so much more.
The big thing the Bulls did with this trade is pick up a legitimate center in Brad Miller. Sure, his numbers are down from past years, but the guy still has the ability to demand respect as a guy who can score in the post or step out and shoot from 15-17 feet out. On top of that, he's one of the best passing big men in the league still today, and that can be a huge help for any team. John Salmons, the other main piece the Bulls picked up, is an improvement over Nocioni, and he'll also make it easier to watch Gordon walk during this offseason if the Bulls decide to do that. He can do anything Gordon can do, but better, and more. He plays better defense and shoots for higher percentages. He'll also turn the ball over less and demand to hold it less.
The best actual player the Kings picked up here is Andres Nocioni, who really brings so much more than just the statistics show. He's one of the toughest men in the entire league, he gets into the head of players on other teams, and he hustles like no one else. He can get a bit wild and out of control at times, but the bottom line is that he brings a work ethic and heart to any team he plays for that far outshines his statistics, which are not terrible in the first place. Drew Gooden is a good player as well, but is a mediocre defender and is coming off of an injury. He's a fairly classic power forward, but just takes too many jumpers. Simmons is still a long away from being a productive player, but he does know how to finish strong. As for Ruffin, I'll get to him in just a second....
Michael Ruffin to Portland
Ike Diogu to Sacramento
Another move to clear out more money. I don't see either player giving a lot, if anything to their team on the floor. At one point I did see Diogu as a legitimate prospect, but I hadn't even heard his name in over a year before this trade went down.
Okay, from here on out I'm going to pass on conditional second round pick trades, so yeah, Cassell was traded to Sacramento (and I believe released) and Alex Acker was traded to the Clippers.
Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown to the Lakers
Vladimir Radmanovic to the Bobcats
As far as player quality goes, Charlotte gets the slight edge here, but it's really not a whole lot. Radmanovic can be helpful when his shot is falling, but if it isn't he's really not a whole lot to write home about.
On the other hand, Adam Morrison is probably the most interesting piece to this trade. The guy has been nothing short of disappointing throughout his NBA career after putting up very impressive scoring numbers in college and playing with more heart that any college player we've seen in quite some time. However, it's hard to build that heart up again when you're playing against players at such a high level. Morrison didn't dominate when he came in to the NBA, and there's still a chance that he could find his groove like he did in college, but I wouldn't bet on it. As for Shannon Brown, he can be nice in spurts, but he's more of a throw in.
Alright, that's about as far back as I'll go with the trades possibly related to the trade deadline. Considering that last trade was 12 days before the deadline, I'm thinking even that is pushing it right there.
So really, who is the winner of this trade deadline? Well, ESPN is reporting it's Chicago, and yeah, I'm a bit biased, so I'll pick the Bulls as well. They were able to get a legitimate center for the first time in a long time, then they were also able to add some nice intangibles, and a big shooting guard who can actually play. On top of that, they solved their biggest problem, and that's how to remove a cancer without hurting themselves, getting rid of Larry Hughes and his huge almost unmovable contract. On top of that, they cleared stuff out a bit in the backcourt/wing by trading Sefolosha away for a late first round pick.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Halfway Through, Team Grades!
Alright, we're at the halfway point of the season for most teams, or just about there, so I figured I'd take this time to give out grades to all the teams out there.
These grades are not necessarily based on the team's record or standing in relation to the rest of the league, but more based on the expectations that many fans and analysts had for the teams. In other words, it's where the team is based on where they should be (okay, so my expectations will have the largest influence).
Atlanta Hawks: B+
No one expected them to get out to such a quick start. They came right out of the gates going full force and took every team they played by storm. How Joe Johnson can be so far down on the all-star voting, I don't know, but then again, all-star voting has been known to be a joke for quite some time now. I expected the Hawks to be a little bit above a .500 team, and I think most people had them right around that mark as well. Since the quick start that's been about where they've been, but with that quick start they get their marks up quite a bit.
Boston Celtics: B-
They're the fourth best team in the league right now, but they were expected to be a top two team. However, with that run they went on earlier this year they really were going to be hard to knock down. The stretch after that run knocked them down quite a bit, but they seem to have broken away from that tough stretch and have won their last three again. While they're not doing as well as expected in relation to the rest of the league, they're still putting up a record about what you'd expect from an elite team.
Charlotte Bobcats: C-
I expected this team to at least be at a level of mediocrity at this point. They still have themselves down there among the poor teams in the league though. The Diaw/Bell for Richardson trade is one that I feel helped the team, and surely helped guys like Wallace and Okafor, but they still have a long way to go before they're the team that's winning at least 35-38 games like they should be.
Chicago Bulls: B-
No one expected Rose to be as good as he has been this year. That kid's been amazing, I don't care about the horrible ESPN Rookie Rankings that currently have him at #4, if you don't have him in your top 2 for this year, then you're completely nuts. However, the Bulls have been a different story. They got off to a solid start, dancing around .500 for a good portion of the first half of the season, but then they went on a rough run that knocked them down to 6 games below .500, which is clearly worse than expected. However, they've won their two games since then, a win on the road against Toronto and then a huge win at home against the team with the best record in the league at the time, the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng returning the team's looked completely different, and this boosts the grade from a C to a B- just since they look so much better than they did just a short time ago just from having a few players return from injuries.
Cleveland Cavaliers: A
I know that most of us had the Cavs pegged as one of the best teams in the east and many of us had them as the top team in the Central Division. However, who had them pegged as the team with the best record in the league? Who said they could win around 10 games by something like 12 points or more for each game? LeBron has cemented himself as the best player in the league right now, as great as Kobe is, not even he can carry a team anymore like LeBron can now, it's almost Jordanesque right now, it's scary, LeBron is almost too good right now and he's doing it by taking his game so much above the stats that he puts up, which are already as good as anyone's in the league. Mo Williams has also been a great addition to the team, Ilgauskas is still being productive, Varejao is as annoying to other teams as ever, and Ben Wallace is having his best year in his recent career.
Dallas Mavericks: C
This team has been pretty weak this year. They got off to a horrible start, and that's the main reason for their low grade, especially since they've played very well since then, but that slow start really knocked them down hard and may have knocked them out for the count. They're only a game out of the 8 spot, but they're behind teams like Phoenix, Utah, and Houston who will all be very difficult to knock out of the playoffs. I don't know if many people had them being past the 7th seed or so this year, but most people still had them in the playoffs.
Denver Nuggets: A+
This is a team that I had winning something around 30-33 games this season. They're 3-6 wins from that spot now (depending on which number of expected wins you go by) with 27 wins. The biggest thing they've done this year is make moves. They looked like a team that would be nothing but offense before this season started, so they made some moves, the biggest one being the trade for Chauncey Billups, which has given them the boost to move back into being one of the top teams in the west. In fact, they're the #2 team in the west right now. They're really playing great right now in a year where they were expected to be very mediocre if not poor.
Detroit Pistons: B-
The Iverson trade has really been confusing for me when it comes to how much it's helped the team. At times they look great with him out there and other times they look miserable. It all depends on when you ask as to the answer you will get when you ask what that trade has done to the team. However, Iverson trade or not, the Pistons have gone this year from being the elite team in the east for the last half decade to being just another team in the league. Sure, the emergence of teams like the Cavs, Hawks, and Magic has had a lot to do with that, but the Pistons are starting to show signs of wearing down. Luckily players like Rodney Stuckey have kept a positive future in tact for the Pistons.
Golden State Warriors: F+
This has been a disaster of a year for the Warriors. No one's happy being on the team, the players are getting fed up with the coach, and they really just simply look terrible. The trade for Crawford has only given them another wing who throws the ball up too much. Of course, before the season things were not looking good after Baron Davis signed with the Clippers, but the pickup of Corey Maggette was seen as something that could help the team out. Since then Maggette's become a complete ballhog, and Stephen Jackson really hasn't gotten any better, shooting the ball way too much still without a reasonable reward for it. The fact that they have young prospects like Brandan Wright and Anthony Randolph give the team some hope along with Andris Biedrins, but if the team doesn't show something soon, both of those guys will do whatever it takes to get out of there like the rest of the team seems to want to.
Houston Rockets: C
True, we all knew this would probably happen, but still, when all of your star players start going down with injury it still really hurts the team. From the start Shane Battier was out, possibly the best glue guy in the league today, then Artest has some injury problems, and of course T-Mac's back problems continue to hold him down. The Rockets have a team that could possibly contend for the Western Conference title, but with how things are going right now it's not looking likely.
Indiana Pacers: C-
No one expected the Pacers to be a whole lot, and likely not a playoff team, but I think a lot of people have at least expected the team to be mediocre. However, despite beating some top teams this year, the Pacers have done next to nothing this year. Mike Dunleavy being out for so much of the year hasn't helped things, but with a star player like Danny Granger on the team you'd expect this team to at least be contending for a playoff spot right now.
LA Clippers: D
I don't think anyone really knew what to expect from this team this year. Would their moves, mainly the one for Marcus Camby, make them into a playoff team or would they be just a solid western lottery team? The answer is neither. The Clippers now sit down at the bottom of the league, tied for the fewest number of wins in the league. Chris Kaman's injury has hurt them, but the team as a whole just looks really bad.
LA Lakers: A-
It depends on who you would ask at the start of the season. Some Lakers fans I know even had brought up the word undefeated (although following it up with "probably not, but still..."). The return of Andrew Bynum really had Lakers fans riled up, expecting him to be a 16 and 12 type of guy "at worst". There's no denying that Bynum has been a huge influence on the Lakers and has brought them up quite a bit, but 12.6 and 7.8 is far from the 16 and 12 that Lakers fans had predicted. The Lakers themselves are doing better than I expected. I figured they'd be a team that would win 55-58 games this season, but right now they're at a pace to win about 63. While this isn't all that much above expectations, they started the year with a run that brought up the '95-'96 Bulls to some Lakers fans. They've been strong every since and are the team to beat in the west.
Memphis Grizzlies: C
They ended last year with some things to be excited about, mainly the play of the young Rudy Gay, who was starting to look like he could be a future star. Since then they've added an excellent rookie center in Marc Gasol and a future star shooting guard in rookie OJ Mayo to really give the team a great base to build on. The problem? There just isn't much else. They traded away Mike Miller along with draft pick Kevin Love in order to get a hold of Mayo, and their point guard spot is being run by a couple of guys who really are not starting point guard material in the NBA with Kyle Lowry (who's more of a 2 guard in a point guard's body) and Mike Conley (who's going to be good, but still has to figure things out). I expected them to be a little better at this point, but I guess I couldn't have expected much more out of them.
Miami Heat: B
I may take some "heat" for this one, but really, with how Wade played in the Olympics, having him return healthy, could you have expected anything less than this? It's just a rational look at things for the Heat. Having a healthy Wade pretty much guarantees a team to be above .500, especially when you have guys like Udonis Haslem, Shawn Marion, and #2 overall pick (who could've gone #1) Michael Beasley on the team. I'll say that I had them at a straight .500, especially since I knew they wouldn't be trying their hardest to tank this year (dishonorable on their part last year), they've beaten those expectations by a little bit.
Milwaukee Bucks: B
I didn't really expect the Bucks to be a .500 team, but they've still beaten my expectations in a similar way to how the Heat have. The Bucks have a healthy Michael Redd now along with guys like Andrew Bogut, Luke Ridnour, and Ramon Sessions. I also thought rookie Joe Alexander would be able to come in right away and at least be a solid player, although he's wound up being more of a project than expected. However, rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has come in an has been a very effective player. Right away he was putting up excellent stats, and although those have gone down since his hot start, he's still managed to play above his stats, playing some great defense.
Minnesota Timberwolves: C
Until a few weeks ago this was a D- team. However, since the coaching change they've been much better. I thought that Kevin Love would bring a little bit more to the table than he has so far, but it looks like he's finally starting to figure some things out, regularly putting up good rebounding numbers and starting to put up solid scoring numbers. He has a very high basketball IQ and will likely get better as the season goes on. Mike Miller hasn't been as good as he can be either. However, Randy Foye has really caught fire, and Sebastian Telfair is looking like he's got himself together finally this year as well. Al Jefferson, of course, has been playing like an all-star.
New Jersey Nets: A-
I had them pegged as a lower third of the league team, and I knew people who thought they'd be the worst team in the league. However, Vince Carter has regained a lot of his old form, Devin Harris has suddenly had a resurgence, and rookie Brook Lopez has been a very pleasant surprise (not only falling that far in the draft, but playing like a top 3 pick). The Nets may be slightly under .500 and not quite in the playoffs at the current time, but they're playing so much better than anyone expected.
New Orleans Hornets: C+
This was many people's pick for the best team in the west. Not most, but there were many out there. However, things just haven't worked out as expected. The Hornets are still a team who could walk out of this season as the top team in the west, but they're taking a much tougher path right now than most people expected.
New York Knicks: C+
Well, as bad as they are right now, nobody expected them to get off to the start that they got off to, especially after realizing that Gallinari probably wouldn't be playing much at all this year. Now we're wondering if he'll play much at all throughout his career. However, they've made some big moves to set themselves up for the future, only at the cost of the team quality for today.
Oklahoma City Thunder: C-
Before the last week or so it was a straight D or worse. No one expected the Thunder to be anything this year, but Kevin Durant has suddenly shown that he is ready to be an elite player in the league. On top of that, Jeff Green has been nothing short of a stud this year while Russell Westbrook has suddenly come in and been playing very well himself despite low shooting percentages from the field. They still only have 8 wins, but considering that they were looking to set a league record for futility in winning just a month ago, things are suddenly looking much better for the Thunder.
Orlando Magic: A
This team took the next step perfectly. They didn't make any huge moves during the offseason, but now they're among the best in the entire league. Dwight Howard has cemented himself as a top of the top type of player in the league while the rest of the team has complimented him perfectly. The Magic can be the most dominant team in the league on any given night. I knew they'd be good this year, but not this good.
Philadelphia 76ers: B-
Well, they've been on fire lately, so I brought them up from about a D+ to this point just for the last couple of weeks of play. Before this they were looking really bad. Everyone expected them to push for 50 wins, and they were one of the poorer teams in the league up until recently.
Phoenix Suns: C+
1 ball and a host of big scorers has created a bit of a problem for Steve Nash. He went from having a lot of guys who would be happy to score with what they have to a bunch of guys who expect to be the guys to get the shot. It started with the trade for Shaquille O'Neal last year, then this year it took a whole new life when they gave up Raja Bell and Boris Diaw for Jason Richardson. Throw Amare into the mix and they have a lot of guys who want a lot of touches. While things have not worked perfectly, they've worked about as well as could be expected and the Suns are still a tough team.
Portland Trailblazers: B
They've beaten expectations despite Greg Oden struggling for the most part during his rookie year. Oden's struggles are somewhat encouraging though. While he's not putting up the numbers anyone expected, a lot of it has to do with the fact that he's getting into foul trouble, picking up very ticky tack fouls. After this year I can guarantee these problems will start to fall quickly, as he'll have more respect from the officials, and with the rest of the team being as strong as they are, things are only looking up for the team. However, this is based on right now, and the Blazers are looking very good. Brandon Roy has been amazing for them, and the rest of the team has been fitting together perfectly for the most part.
Sacramento Kings: D+
It's strange, because even as I see what the team's doing I keep thinking that they're a better team than they've really been. Brad Miller is still a good center and Spencer Hawes is coming in as someone who will be a great replacement for him. Francisco Garcia has been doing excellent since coming back from injury, and Kevin Martin is back now as well. Since Martin's been back he's been playing well, but the Kings still haven't been winning. For a team that I expected to put up about 35 wins this year, they're playing well below expectations.
San Antonio Spurs: B
You expect at least 50 wins out of the Spurs every year. However, this is an odd numbered year, so you expect a little more out of them, as they're supposed to be the champions this year. However, things didn't start off so great for the Spurs, as they had some big injury problems to deal with. They managed to pull through, and since those problems have been as good as anyone in the league.
Toronto Raptors: D
This is a team that was starting to look like a team that you could rely on to be in the playoffs year in and year out for quite some time now. However, suddenly they're looking like a weak team. They are not above .500 at home or on the road. They've just looked very poor this year and it doesn't look to be getting any better.
Utah Jazz: B-
They really have been good this year, especially with how they've managed to deal with injuries to both Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer this year, and they're playing very well as a whole. However, they're really not playing any different than expectations this year. I gave them an edge for dealing with the injuries, mainly due to the emergence of Paul Millsap.
Washington Wizards: F
Best for last? Far from it. The Wizards have been horrible this year. Sure, Gilbert Arenas has been injured all year, but they were still a playoff team without Arenas last year. Has the injury to Brendan Haywood taken them down that far? Really? I just really don't totally buy it and feel like that could be it. They're just really playing poorly this year, although they've given a lot of teams good fights, the bottom line is that they haven't been able to get the wins throughout the year, and that's what matters.
Okay, that's the league. If you don't like it, tough luck, you're not going to change my mind without a very good and well thought out response that has enough substance behind it to actually change my mind. However, feel free to comment, there's another half to the year, so who knows how things will change by then.
These grades are not necessarily based on the team's record or standing in relation to the rest of the league, but more based on the expectations that many fans and analysts had for the teams. In other words, it's where the team is based on where they should be (okay, so my expectations will have the largest influence).
Atlanta Hawks: B+
No one expected them to get out to such a quick start. They came right out of the gates going full force and took every team they played by storm. How Joe Johnson can be so far down on the all-star voting, I don't know, but then again, all-star voting has been known to be a joke for quite some time now. I expected the Hawks to be a little bit above a .500 team, and I think most people had them right around that mark as well. Since the quick start that's been about where they've been, but with that quick start they get their marks up quite a bit.
Boston Celtics: B-
They're the fourth best team in the league right now, but they were expected to be a top two team. However, with that run they went on earlier this year they really were going to be hard to knock down. The stretch after that run knocked them down quite a bit, but they seem to have broken away from that tough stretch and have won their last three again. While they're not doing as well as expected in relation to the rest of the league, they're still putting up a record about what you'd expect from an elite team.
Charlotte Bobcats: C-
I expected this team to at least be at a level of mediocrity at this point. They still have themselves down there among the poor teams in the league though. The Diaw/Bell for Richardson trade is one that I feel helped the team, and surely helped guys like Wallace and Okafor, but they still have a long way to go before they're the team that's winning at least 35-38 games like they should be.
Chicago Bulls: B-
No one expected Rose to be as good as he has been this year. That kid's been amazing, I don't care about the horrible ESPN Rookie Rankings that currently have him at #4, if you don't have him in your top 2 for this year, then you're completely nuts. However, the Bulls have been a different story. They got off to a solid start, dancing around .500 for a good portion of the first half of the season, but then they went on a rough run that knocked them down to 6 games below .500, which is clearly worse than expected. However, they've won their two games since then, a win on the road against Toronto and then a huge win at home against the team with the best record in the league at the time, the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng returning the team's looked completely different, and this boosts the grade from a C to a B- just since they look so much better than they did just a short time ago just from having a few players return from injuries.
Cleveland Cavaliers: A
I know that most of us had the Cavs pegged as one of the best teams in the east and many of us had them as the top team in the Central Division. However, who had them pegged as the team with the best record in the league? Who said they could win around 10 games by something like 12 points or more for each game? LeBron has cemented himself as the best player in the league right now, as great as Kobe is, not even he can carry a team anymore like LeBron can now, it's almost Jordanesque right now, it's scary, LeBron is almost too good right now and he's doing it by taking his game so much above the stats that he puts up, which are already as good as anyone's in the league. Mo Williams has also been a great addition to the team, Ilgauskas is still being productive, Varejao is as annoying to other teams as ever, and Ben Wallace is having his best year in his recent career.
Dallas Mavericks: C
This team has been pretty weak this year. They got off to a horrible start, and that's the main reason for their low grade, especially since they've played very well since then, but that slow start really knocked them down hard and may have knocked them out for the count. They're only a game out of the 8 spot, but they're behind teams like Phoenix, Utah, and Houston who will all be very difficult to knock out of the playoffs. I don't know if many people had them being past the 7th seed or so this year, but most people still had them in the playoffs.
Denver Nuggets: A+
This is a team that I had winning something around 30-33 games this season. They're 3-6 wins from that spot now (depending on which number of expected wins you go by) with 27 wins. The biggest thing they've done this year is make moves. They looked like a team that would be nothing but offense before this season started, so they made some moves, the biggest one being the trade for Chauncey Billups, which has given them the boost to move back into being one of the top teams in the west. In fact, they're the #2 team in the west right now. They're really playing great right now in a year where they were expected to be very mediocre if not poor.
Detroit Pistons: B-
The Iverson trade has really been confusing for me when it comes to how much it's helped the team. At times they look great with him out there and other times they look miserable. It all depends on when you ask as to the answer you will get when you ask what that trade has done to the team. However, Iverson trade or not, the Pistons have gone this year from being the elite team in the east for the last half decade to being just another team in the league. Sure, the emergence of teams like the Cavs, Hawks, and Magic has had a lot to do with that, but the Pistons are starting to show signs of wearing down. Luckily players like Rodney Stuckey have kept a positive future in tact for the Pistons.
Golden State Warriors: F+
This has been a disaster of a year for the Warriors. No one's happy being on the team, the players are getting fed up with the coach, and they really just simply look terrible. The trade for Crawford has only given them another wing who throws the ball up too much. Of course, before the season things were not looking good after Baron Davis signed with the Clippers, but the pickup of Corey Maggette was seen as something that could help the team out. Since then Maggette's become a complete ballhog, and Stephen Jackson really hasn't gotten any better, shooting the ball way too much still without a reasonable reward for it. The fact that they have young prospects like Brandan Wright and Anthony Randolph give the team some hope along with Andris Biedrins, but if the team doesn't show something soon, both of those guys will do whatever it takes to get out of there like the rest of the team seems to want to.
Houston Rockets: C
True, we all knew this would probably happen, but still, when all of your star players start going down with injury it still really hurts the team. From the start Shane Battier was out, possibly the best glue guy in the league today, then Artest has some injury problems, and of course T-Mac's back problems continue to hold him down. The Rockets have a team that could possibly contend for the Western Conference title, but with how things are going right now it's not looking likely.
Indiana Pacers: C-
No one expected the Pacers to be a whole lot, and likely not a playoff team, but I think a lot of people have at least expected the team to be mediocre. However, despite beating some top teams this year, the Pacers have done next to nothing this year. Mike Dunleavy being out for so much of the year hasn't helped things, but with a star player like Danny Granger on the team you'd expect this team to at least be contending for a playoff spot right now.
LA Clippers: D
I don't think anyone really knew what to expect from this team this year. Would their moves, mainly the one for Marcus Camby, make them into a playoff team or would they be just a solid western lottery team? The answer is neither. The Clippers now sit down at the bottom of the league, tied for the fewest number of wins in the league. Chris Kaman's injury has hurt them, but the team as a whole just looks really bad.
LA Lakers: A-
It depends on who you would ask at the start of the season. Some Lakers fans I know even had brought up the word undefeated (although following it up with "probably not, but still..."). The return of Andrew Bynum really had Lakers fans riled up, expecting him to be a 16 and 12 type of guy "at worst". There's no denying that Bynum has been a huge influence on the Lakers and has brought them up quite a bit, but 12.6 and 7.8 is far from the 16 and 12 that Lakers fans had predicted. The Lakers themselves are doing better than I expected. I figured they'd be a team that would win 55-58 games this season, but right now they're at a pace to win about 63. While this isn't all that much above expectations, they started the year with a run that brought up the '95-'96 Bulls to some Lakers fans. They've been strong every since and are the team to beat in the west.
Memphis Grizzlies: C
They ended last year with some things to be excited about, mainly the play of the young Rudy Gay, who was starting to look like he could be a future star. Since then they've added an excellent rookie center in Marc Gasol and a future star shooting guard in rookie OJ Mayo to really give the team a great base to build on. The problem? There just isn't much else. They traded away Mike Miller along with draft pick Kevin Love in order to get a hold of Mayo, and their point guard spot is being run by a couple of guys who really are not starting point guard material in the NBA with Kyle Lowry (who's more of a 2 guard in a point guard's body) and Mike Conley (who's going to be good, but still has to figure things out). I expected them to be a little better at this point, but I guess I couldn't have expected much more out of them.
Miami Heat: B
I may take some "heat" for this one, but really, with how Wade played in the Olympics, having him return healthy, could you have expected anything less than this? It's just a rational look at things for the Heat. Having a healthy Wade pretty much guarantees a team to be above .500, especially when you have guys like Udonis Haslem, Shawn Marion, and #2 overall pick (who could've gone #1) Michael Beasley on the team. I'll say that I had them at a straight .500, especially since I knew they wouldn't be trying their hardest to tank this year (dishonorable on their part last year), they've beaten those expectations by a little bit.
Milwaukee Bucks: B
I didn't really expect the Bucks to be a .500 team, but they've still beaten my expectations in a similar way to how the Heat have. The Bucks have a healthy Michael Redd now along with guys like Andrew Bogut, Luke Ridnour, and Ramon Sessions. I also thought rookie Joe Alexander would be able to come in right away and at least be a solid player, although he's wound up being more of a project than expected. However, rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has come in an has been a very effective player. Right away he was putting up excellent stats, and although those have gone down since his hot start, he's still managed to play above his stats, playing some great defense.
Minnesota Timberwolves: C
Until a few weeks ago this was a D- team. However, since the coaching change they've been much better. I thought that Kevin Love would bring a little bit more to the table than he has so far, but it looks like he's finally starting to figure some things out, regularly putting up good rebounding numbers and starting to put up solid scoring numbers. He has a very high basketball IQ and will likely get better as the season goes on. Mike Miller hasn't been as good as he can be either. However, Randy Foye has really caught fire, and Sebastian Telfair is looking like he's got himself together finally this year as well. Al Jefferson, of course, has been playing like an all-star.
New Jersey Nets: A-
I had them pegged as a lower third of the league team, and I knew people who thought they'd be the worst team in the league. However, Vince Carter has regained a lot of his old form, Devin Harris has suddenly had a resurgence, and rookie Brook Lopez has been a very pleasant surprise (not only falling that far in the draft, but playing like a top 3 pick). The Nets may be slightly under .500 and not quite in the playoffs at the current time, but they're playing so much better than anyone expected.
New Orleans Hornets: C+
This was many people's pick for the best team in the west. Not most, but there were many out there. However, things just haven't worked out as expected. The Hornets are still a team who could walk out of this season as the top team in the west, but they're taking a much tougher path right now than most people expected.
New York Knicks: C+
Well, as bad as they are right now, nobody expected them to get off to the start that they got off to, especially after realizing that Gallinari probably wouldn't be playing much at all this year. Now we're wondering if he'll play much at all throughout his career. However, they've made some big moves to set themselves up for the future, only at the cost of the team quality for today.
Oklahoma City Thunder: C-
Before the last week or so it was a straight D or worse. No one expected the Thunder to be anything this year, but Kevin Durant has suddenly shown that he is ready to be an elite player in the league. On top of that, Jeff Green has been nothing short of a stud this year while Russell Westbrook has suddenly come in and been playing very well himself despite low shooting percentages from the field. They still only have 8 wins, but considering that they were looking to set a league record for futility in winning just a month ago, things are suddenly looking much better for the Thunder.
Orlando Magic: A
This team took the next step perfectly. They didn't make any huge moves during the offseason, but now they're among the best in the entire league. Dwight Howard has cemented himself as a top of the top type of player in the league while the rest of the team has complimented him perfectly. The Magic can be the most dominant team in the league on any given night. I knew they'd be good this year, but not this good.
Philadelphia 76ers: B-
Well, they've been on fire lately, so I brought them up from about a D+ to this point just for the last couple of weeks of play. Before this they were looking really bad. Everyone expected them to push for 50 wins, and they were one of the poorer teams in the league up until recently.
Phoenix Suns: C+
1 ball and a host of big scorers has created a bit of a problem for Steve Nash. He went from having a lot of guys who would be happy to score with what they have to a bunch of guys who expect to be the guys to get the shot. It started with the trade for Shaquille O'Neal last year, then this year it took a whole new life when they gave up Raja Bell and Boris Diaw for Jason Richardson. Throw Amare into the mix and they have a lot of guys who want a lot of touches. While things have not worked perfectly, they've worked about as well as could be expected and the Suns are still a tough team.
Portland Trailblazers: B
They've beaten expectations despite Greg Oden struggling for the most part during his rookie year. Oden's struggles are somewhat encouraging though. While he's not putting up the numbers anyone expected, a lot of it has to do with the fact that he's getting into foul trouble, picking up very ticky tack fouls. After this year I can guarantee these problems will start to fall quickly, as he'll have more respect from the officials, and with the rest of the team being as strong as they are, things are only looking up for the team. However, this is based on right now, and the Blazers are looking very good. Brandon Roy has been amazing for them, and the rest of the team has been fitting together perfectly for the most part.
Sacramento Kings: D+
It's strange, because even as I see what the team's doing I keep thinking that they're a better team than they've really been. Brad Miller is still a good center and Spencer Hawes is coming in as someone who will be a great replacement for him. Francisco Garcia has been doing excellent since coming back from injury, and Kevin Martin is back now as well. Since Martin's been back he's been playing well, but the Kings still haven't been winning. For a team that I expected to put up about 35 wins this year, they're playing well below expectations.
San Antonio Spurs: B
You expect at least 50 wins out of the Spurs every year. However, this is an odd numbered year, so you expect a little more out of them, as they're supposed to be the champions this year. However, things didn't start off so great for the Spurs, as they had some big injury problems to deal with. They managed to pull through, and since those problems have been as good as anyone in the league.
Toronto Raptors: D
This is a team that was starting to look like a team that you could rely on to be in the playoffs year in and year out for quite some time now. However, suddenly they're looking like a weak team. They are not above .500 at home or on the road. They've just looked very poor this year and it doesn't look to be getting any better.
Utah Jazz: B-
They really have been good this year, especially with how they've managed to deal with injuries to both Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer this year, and they're playing very well as a whole. However, they're really not playing any different than expectations this year. I gave them an edge for dealing with the injuries, mainly due to the emergence of Paul Millsap.
Washington Wizards: F
Best for last? Far from it. The Wizards have been horrible this year. Sure, Gilbert Arenas has been injured all year, but they were still a playoff team without Arenas last year. Has the injury to Brendan Haywood taken them down that far? Really? I just really don't totally buy it and feel like that could be it. They're just really playing poorly this year, although they've given a lot of teams good fights, the bottom line is that they haven't been able to get the wins throughout the year, and that's what matters.
Okay, that's the league. If you don't like it, tough luck, you're not going to change my mind without a very good and well thought out response that has enough substance behind it to actually change my mind. However, feel free to comment, there's another half to the year, so who knows how things will change by then.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Revisiting the 1992 NBA Draft
I've always loved to go back and see how things turned out from past NBA drafts. It's fun to go back and look at who turned out great and who were the underachievers. I'll go ahead and start off what should turn into a series with the 1992 draft. I picked this draft because it's the first one I really remember very well. Of course I remember the 1990 draft with Derrick Coleman being picked first, and 1991 and that Larry Johnson was the first pick from that draft, but that's about all I can remember from those drafts. As for 1992 though, I had become a much bigger basketball fan from college through the pros, and I really knew who the players were that were being drafted. So, without further ramblings, I give you my reordered first round of the 1992 NBA Draft, team needs not being taken into consideration. Actual draft number in parenthesis.
1. Orlando - Shaquille O'Neal (1)
2. Charlotte - Alonzo Mourning (2)
3. Minnesota - Latrell Sprewell (24)
4. Dallas - Christian Laettner (3)
5. Denver - Jimmy Jackson (4)
6. Washington - Doug Christie (17)
7. Sacramento - Tom Gugliotta (6)
8. Milwaukee - PJ Brown (29)
9. Philadelphia - LaPhonso Ellis (5)
10. Atlanta - Robert Horry (11)
11. Houston - Hubert Davis (20)
12. Miami - Anthony Peeler (15)
13. Denver - Clarence Weatherspoon (9)
14. Indiana - Byron Houston (27)
15. LA Lakers - Oliver Miller (22)
16. LA Clippers - Walt Williams (7)
17. Seattle - Todd Day (8)
18. San Antonio - Harold Miner (12)
19. Detroit - David Wesley (undrafted)
20. New York - Brent Price (32)
21. Boston - Matt Geiger (42)
22. Phoenix - Bryant Stith (13)
23. Milwaukee - Malik Sealy (14)
24. Golden State - Tracy Murray (18)
25. LA Clippers - Jon Barry (21)
26. Portland - Don MacLean (19)
27. Chicago - Adam Keefe (10)
I used more than just the stats for the players when I picked them. Guys like PJ Brown had long and very successful careers, but never put up huge stats, but I think that there's plenty of players out there who could put up better numbers without having as successful of careers. I used my knowledge of how good they were as players all around to make my decisions. It's probably not perfect, but I'd like to think that it's pretty darn close.
1. Orlando - Shaquille O'Neal (1)
2. Charlotte - Alonzo Mourning (2)
3. Minnesota - Latrell Sprewell (24)
4. Dallas - Christian Laettner (3)
5. Denver - Jimmy Jackson (4)
6. Washington - Doug Christie (17)
7. Sacramento - Tom Gugliotta (6)
8. Milwaukee - PJ Brown (29)
9. Philadelphia - LaPhonso Ellis (5)
10. Atlanta - Robert Horry (11)
11. Houston - Hubert Davis (20)
12. Miami - Anthony Peeler (15)
13. Denver - Clarence Weatherspoon (9)
14. Indiana - Byron Houston (27)
15. LA Lakers - Oliver Miller (22)
16. LA Clippers - Walt Williams (7)
17. Seattle - Todd Day (8)
18. San Antonio - Harold Miner (12)
19. Detroit - David Wesley (undrafted)
20. New York - Brent Price (32)
21. Boston - Matt Geiger (42)
22. Phoenix - Bryant Stith (13)
23. Milwaukee - Malik Sealy (14)
24. Golden State - Tracy Murray (18)
25. LA Clippers - Jon Barry (21)
26. Portland - Don MacLean (19)
27. Chicago - Adam Keefe (10)
I used more than just the stats for the players when I picked them. Guys like PJ Brown had long and very successful careers, but never put up huge stats, but I think that there's plenty of players out there who could put up better numbers without having as successful of careers. I used my knowledge of how good they were as players all around to make my decisions. It's probably not perfect, but I'd like to think that it's pretty darn close.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Christmas Games
First off, a very Merry Christmas to everyone reading this (likely just me and a few of my closest friends). So today's the day where you get to watch five basketball games in a row. I don't know what excites me most about Christmas, probably the games actually (yeah, I'm a huge basketball dork).
So we started off with the Magic crushing the Hornets. I still can't figure out what they did, but the Hornets and even Chris Paul looked pretty bad in that game. The Magic are a team that's for real here guys. I actually shudder to think about how tough they could wind up being in a 7 game series.
Next up was the Spurs and Suns. I gotta say that this game was probably one of the more exciting games I've seen involving the Spurs in quite some time. However, I still love to watch the Spurs play and see how fundamental they really are while not being overly mechanical. The Suns are a given that you're going to get a fun game to watch, although that's started to diminish lately with the new system that Steve Kerr seems to be trying to put in there. Anyway, great game, and going down to the last second shot by Roger Mason of all people, that was a great game to watch and a great win for the Spurs. A tough loss for the Suns as well.
The game of the night, the centerpiece of the day, the Celtics and Lakers, and that game really was fun to watch. The atmosphere in LA was electric, the Lakers did get their usual home calls (everyone knows that when you play the Lakers in LA you play the referees as well, but you should be prepared for that), but the Celtics didn't seem prepared for everything the Lakers were going to throw at them. The Lakers simply outplayed the Celtics, although they did play a great game. I had my Bird jersey on hoping for a Celtics victory, but the winning streak ends here.
Right now we have the Cavaliers and Wizards going at it. The Wizards jumped out to a quick lead, but the Cavs fought back and have been comfortably in front for quite some time now. Well, I guess the lead is down to 2 right now, but if I'm a Cavs fan I feel fairly confident in this game right now. Only worry would be that LeBron only has five points up to this point, but that guy can turn it on whenever he feels like it and likely will.
The last game of the night is the Mavericks and Trailblazers. Look, I know that Greg Oden hasn't quite lived up to the hype just yet, but then again, the guy's a big man. Big men typically take a little longer to develop as players, and I have a feeling that's just the case here with Oden. I love taking every chance I can to watch the guy play, because I want to watch him develop as much as I can. He's a very good big man who has a bright future ahead of him. His only problem is the normal growing pains that he's going through. As for the Mavericks, they're still a tough team that's an awful lot of fun to watch. Dirk is looking better than he did last year, and the Mavericks have suddenly broken out of that early season funk they were in. I have a feeling this will be a great game to watch, and going against Erick Dampier, I don't expect to see Oden get into too much foul trouble tonight.
Well, that's kinda my mid/late analysis of the games that have been played and the games that are to be played today. I'm really liking the lineup of games they've had for the day so far, even if some didn't go as expected.
So we started off with the Magic crushing the Hornets. I still can't figure out what they did, but the Hornets and even Chris Paul looked pretty bad in that game. The Magic are a team that's for real here guys. I actually shudder to think about how tough they could wind up being in a 7 game series.
Next up was the Spurs and Suns. I gotta say that this game was probably one of the more exciting games I've seen involving the Spurs in quite some time. However, I still love to watch the Spurs play and see how fundamental they really are while not being overly mechanical. The Suns are a given that you're going to get a fun game to watch, although that's started to diminish lately with the new system that Steve Kerr seems to be trying to put in there. Anyway, great game, and going down to the last second shot by Roger Mason of all people, that was a great game to watch and a great win for the Spurs. A tough loss for the Suns as well.
The game of the night, the centerpiece of the day, the Celtics and Lakers, and that game really was fun to watch. The atmosphere in LA was electric, the Lakers did get their usual home calls (everyone knows that when you play the Lakers in LA you play the referees as well, but you should be prepared for that), but the Celtics didn't seem prepared for everything the Lakers were going to throw at them. The Lakers simply outplayed the Celtics, although they did play a great game. I had my Bird jersey on hoping for a Celtics victory, but the winning streak ends here.
Right now we have the Cavaliers and Wizards going at it. The Wizards jumped out to a quick lead, but the Cavs fought back and have been comfortably in front for quite some time now. Well, I guess the lead is down to 2 right now, but if I'm a Cavs fan I feel fairly confident in this game right now. Only worry would be that LeBron only has five points up to this point, but that guy can turn it on whenever he feels like it and likely will.
The last game of the night is the Mavericks and Trailblazers. Look, I know that Greg Oden hasn't quite lived up to the hype just yet, but then again, the guy's a big man. Big men typically take a little longer to develop as players, and I have a feeling that's just the case here with Oden. I love taking every chance I can to watch the guy play, because I want to watch him develop as much as I can. He's a very good big man who has a bright future ahead of him. His only problem is the normal growing pains that he's going through. As for the Mavericks, they're still a tough team that's an awful lot of fun to watch. Dirk is looking better than he did last year, and the Mavericks have suddenly broken out of that early season funk they were in. I have a feeling this will be a great game to watch, and going against Erick Dampier, I don't expect to see Oden get into too much foul trouble tonight.
Well, that's kinda my mid/late analysis of the games that have been played and the games that are to be played today. I'm really liking the lineup of games they've had for the day so far, even if some didn't go as expected.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
A 3-4 Circus Trip
Okay, a quick warning, this is another Bulls based post right here, so if you don't want to have anything to do with that, turn away right now.
This post is based on the fact that the Bulls have finished their circus trip, which is usually a point in the season when things seem to fall apart, with a 3-4 record. The last time they finished with a similar record during this trip is when they went 3-3 during the '05/'06 season when they finished at 41-41. I must remind everyone that they went through a tough season that year, including an 8 game losing streak, but they were a playoff team that really grabbed the attention of a lot of teams at the time. Outside of that, the team's been embarassed by this Circus Trip.
The big difference that I see this year is that the Bulls have a go to guy. Derrick Rose simply has the passion and motivation to not let the team lose. This was seen by Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Chris Duhon during that miracle '04/'05 season (which carried on for two years after that), but with Rose it's different in that Rose is showing signs of being an elite player. The other guys knew they were good, but Rose knows that he can control a game. He knows that he's the difference in games, he knows that he can take a team as far as he wills them to. Well, at least he thinks he can, which is more than enough. The problem with guys like Deng is that he knows his limitations, and while he often won't try to play too far above them, he also won't try to beat what he thinks he can do. He doesn't have that passion to play above himself. However, that can change with a guy like Rose as well.
Tonight Derrick Rose showed why he was picked above Michael Beasley. His block, his ankle breaker, and his alley-oop were all the things that stars are made of. However, Rose played above the highlights. He put together a game where he scored 18 points and dished out 10 assists on top of his 5 rebounds. He shot the ball well, scoring efficiently, and his teammates actually suddenly started to make some of the shots he set them up for. I can only hope that this is a sign of things to come.
This leads me into what I'm really looking to talk about. What does this mean to Bulls fans? The last time they finished close to this on this road trip they barely made it into the playoffs. However, once in, they showed that they were more than worthy of being there. At worst, this means that Rose will hit the rookie wall and the other players will start to find their game at the time they start to figure everything out...well, it could be worse than that, but that's what I predict. This will lead the Bulls into a tough 20 game stretch or so, but it won't kill the team off or anything like that. Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni, Ben Gordon, and Larry Hughes (yeah, can't believe I'm saying that) have no excust for letting this team fall off if Rose hits that rookie wall.
This means that the Bulls should be a playoff team this year. Even after the horrid Circus Road Trip they are right there in contention. They have another 6 game road trip to go through pretty soon before another 4 gamer after that one. Looking at that, this is a team that can at least will itself into the playoffs. If they don't make it, at least it will be close. However, once they get there, if they do, I can't tell you how it'll wind up, although I don't see any team outside of the Celtics or Cavs being able to sweep them right now.
This post is based on the fact that the Bulls have finished their circus trip, which is usually a point in the season when things seem to fall apart, with a 3-4 record. The last time they finished with a similar record during this trip is when they went 3-3 during the '05/'06 season when they finished at 41-41. I must remind everyone that they went through a tough season that year, including an 8 game losing streak, but they were a playoff team that really grabbed the attention of a lot of teams at the time. Outside of that, the team's been embarassed by this Circus Trip.
The big difference that I see this year is that the Bulls have a go to guy. Derrick Rose simply has the passion and motivation to not let the team lose. This was seen by Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Chris Duhon during that miracle '04/'05 season (which carried on for two years after that), but with Rose it's different in that Rose is showing signs of being an elite player. The other guys knew they were good, but Rose knows that he can control a game. He knows that he's the difference in games, he knows that he can take a team as far as he wills them to. Well, at least he thinks he can, which is more than enough. The problem with guys like Deng is that he knows his limitations, and while he often won't try to play too far above them, he also won't try to beat what he thinks he can do. He doesn't have that passion to play above himself. However, that can change with a guy like Rose as well.
Tonight Derrick Rose showed why he was picked above Michael Beasley. His block, his ankle breaker, and his alley-oop were all the things that stars are made of. However, Rose played above the highlights. He put together a game where he scored 18 points and dished out 10 assists on top of his 5 rebounds. He shot the ball well, scoring efficiently, and his teammates actually suddenly started to make some of the shots he set them up for. I can only hope that this is a sign of things to come.
This leads me into what I'm really looking to talk about. What does this mean to Bulls fans? The last time they finished close to this on this road trip they barely made it into the playoffs. However, once in, they showed that they were more than worthy of being there. At worst, this means that Rose will hit the rookie wall and the other players will start to find their game at the time they start to figure everything out...well, it could be worse than that, but that's what I predict. This will lead the Bulls into a tough 20 game stretch or so, but it won't kill the team off or anything like that. Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni, Ben Gordon, and Larry Hughes (yeah, can't believe I'm saying that) have no excust for letting this team fall off if Rose hits that rookie wall.
This means that the Bulls should be a playoff team this year. Even after the horrid Circus Road Trip they are right there in contention. They have another 6 game road trip to go through pretty soon before another 4 gamer after that one. Looking at that, this is a team that can at least will itself into the playoffs. If they don't make it, at least it will be close. However, once they get there, if they do, I can't tell you how it'll wind up, although I don't see any team outside of the Celtics or Cavs being able to sweep them right now.
Taking Advantage of the Situation
The talk about the free agent class of 2010 is already in full force, and I am really getting sick of it already. This next year and a half needs to go by much more quickly or else I may lose it. However, this post is actually to talk about that summer and the free agent class. However, it's an idea for teams that don't have as good of a chance to land any of the huge name guys (Bosh, LeBron, and Wade are the main ones).
There's a lot of teams that are doing everything they can to clear out cap room for the 2010 offseason, and players with contracts that expire before then are starting to become much more valuable while players with contracts that expire after then are less valuable than they really should be. Of course once that summer goes by their value will go back up to where it should be.
So, for the teams that have some contracts that will expire by 2010 and are not the types of teams to draw in the big names through free agency, I say go ahead and try to trade away some of those players with contracts that expire by 2010 for some of those guys with contracts that go beyond 2010. If you're not going to be able to get any of the huge names, then why not at least try to get something out of this mayhem.
The teams that have the best chance at landing LeBron based on market and just being places where he would want to go are New York, Cleveland, Chicago, and the Lakers. I'm sure there's plenty of other places that he would consider going, but those are the three largest market teams right there (Clippers don't really count), and of course Cleveland since they're his hometown team and it's his current team. The Knicks are already in a position to offer him a huge contract, and while the Cavs will have some cap room as well, they really don't need it to resign their own player. The Lakers, however, do have Pau Gasol eating up nearly $18 million as well as Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton eating up about a combined $11 million. Vladimir Radmanovic also has an option for about $7 million. Add all that up and you could get $36 million off of their books for the summer of 2010. They still have Kobe and Bynum eating up a lot of money during that summer, and who knows, maybe they'll be willing to trade Kobe. Bryant is getting into his thirties, but he's also still an elite player. However, the chance of getting a younger guy who's starting to eclipse Kobe in LeBron may be enough to get the Lakers to trade away Kobe for good players with contracts that expire by the summer of 2010 (provided they're not complete scrubs either). Who knows, you might be able to trade for Kobe at a bargain, but I really wouldn't count on that.
I'm not going to go into Wade or Bosh, but I think you guys get the idea. Some teams with large contracts that expire by 2010 include Houston (T-Mac alone is around $23 million), Milwaukee (Redd very well could opt out), and Miami (Wade, of course (even if they do want to bring him back), but Haslem, Blount, and Marion will all be gone by then as well).
I know that the teams aren't going to be able to get any superstars (for the most part) or anything like that for their contracts that expire by 2010, but they could get some very good players, possibly borderline all-stars. It's also a good idea for teams that are looking to surround good young players with some good veteran players. The Bulls (of course I pick my team), for instance have Derrick Rose with a bunch of guys that don't know how to play along with him. They also have Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon, and Drew Gooden, who combine for about $27 million that will be off the books by the 2010 summer. If they decide that they're not going to make a run at LeBron, Wade, or Bosh, then they could trade those guys away and probably get more than their value for them. There's also guys like Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha, who will combine for about $7.5 million for that summer as well who will also be able to be let go of at that time.
For me, this just seems like a great move for a lot of teams out there to make if they have enough contracts that expire by that time.
There's a lot of teams that are doing everything they can to clear out cap room for the 2010 offseason, and players with contracts that expire before then are starting to become much more valuable while players with contracts that expire after then are less valuable than they really should be. Of course once that summer goes by their value will go back up to where it should be.
So, for the teams that have some contracts that will expire by 2010 and are not the types of teams to draw in the big names through free agency, I say go ahead and try to trade away some of those players with contracts that expire by 2010 for some of those guys with contracts that go beyond 2010. If you're not going to be able to get any of the huge names, then why not at least try to get something out of this mayhem.
The teams that have the best chance at landing LeBron based on market and just being places where he would want to go are New York, Cleveland, Chicago, and the Lakers. I'm sure there's plenty of other places that he would consider going, but those are the three largest market teams right there (Clippers don't really count), and of course Cleveland since they're his hometown team and it's his current team. The Knicks are already in a position to offer him a huge contract, and while the Cavs will have some cap room as well, they really don't need it to resign their own player. The Lakers, however, do have Pau Gasol eating up nearly $18 million as well as Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton eating up about a combined $11 million. Vladimir Radmanovic also has an option for about $7 million. Add all that up and you could get $36 million off of their books for the summer of 2010. They still have Kobe and Bynum eating up a lot of money during that summer, and who knows, maybe they'll be willing to trade Kobe. Bryant is getting into his thirties, but he's also still an elite player. However, the chance of getting a younger guy who's starting to eclipse Kobe in LeBron may be enough to get the Lakers to trade away Kobe for good players with contracts that expire by the summer of 2010 (provided they're not complete scrubs either). Who knows, you might be able to trade for Kobe at a bargain, but I really wouldn't count on that.
I'm not going to go into Wade or Bosh, but I think you guys get the idea. Some teams with large contracts that expire by 2010 include Houston (T-Mac alone is around $23 million), Milwaukee (Redd very well could opt out), and Miami (Wade, of course (even if they do want to bring him back), but Haslem, Blount, and Marion will all be gone by then as well).
I know that the teams aren't going to be able to get any superstars (for the most part) or anything like that for their contracts that expire by 2010, but they could get some very good players, possibly borderline all-stars. It's also a good idea for teams that are looking to surround good young players with some good veteran players. The Bulls (of course I pick my team), for instance have Derrick Rose with a bunch of guys that don't know how to play along with him. They also have Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon, and Drew Gooden, who combine for about $27 million that will be off the books by the 2010 summer. If they decide that they're not going to make a run at LeBron, Wade, or Bosh, then they could trade those guys away and probably get more than their value for them. There's also guys like Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha, who will combine for about $7.5 million for that summer as well who will also be able to be let go of at that time.
For me, this just seems like a great move for a lot of teams out there to make if they have enough contracts that expire by that time.
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