Busy Off-season for NBA

Several NBA teams have gone out and gotten a giant, experienced, impact player in hopes that he can help their team win a championship in the next few years. Other teams stocked up on younger guys, who they believe can be future stars who can lead them to titles after a few years learning how to play well together. I’ll review a couple of these summer deals and acquisitions and how different teams now shape up for the 09-10 season.
The Lakers made a big move this off-season that could help them defend their NBA title of last season. They signed free-agent Ron Artest (17.1 ppg) who has grown up a bit after several violent episodes with players and fans, and now can attract people’s attention with his talent instead. They did lose small forward Trevor Ariza, who was a major cog in their championship run, but Artest should be able to make up for the loss and more. With experiences players like Kobe Bryant (4 titles), Derek Fisher (4 titles), and Artest (10 NBA seasons), working with younger developing stars like Andrew Bynum, Shannon Brown, and Jordan Farmar, back-to-back titles is certainly not out of the question for the Lakers. Artest is also a great defender and therefore should be a beneficial addition. The only cons could be that the Lakers are getting old overall and the fact that Artest might not be able to share the spotlight with Kobe in L.A.
The Orlando Magic shocked the basketball world by knocking off MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-final to advance to the finals. They went on to lose to the Lakers, but they managed to make a huge splash this summer. They picked up star shooting guard Vince Carter in a trade with the Nets. They lost point guard Rafer Alston and shooting guard Courtney Lee, who were starters during their postseason run. However, the Magic have Jameer Nelson, who started most of the regular season at the point, and Carter has a lot more experience and ability that Lee. Orlando did lose small forward Hedo Turkoglu (16.8 ppg) and also picked up power forward Barndon Bass. Unfortunately, Bass is only 6-8 and may be too small to post up against taller and bigger forwards. Carter should lead the Magic to another playoff appearance, as well as maybe take off some of the pressure on center Dwight Howard, who has been the lone superstar in Orlando the past few years.
The Cleveland Cavaliers came into the summer realizing that by not getting to the finals, they had not met anyone’s expectations, including their own. They may have fixed their title woes by picking up legendary 7’1”, 325 pound center Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq has won 4 NBA titles, winning 3 with Kobe in L.A. and 1 with Dwayne Wade in Miami. Winning his titles with superstars like Kobe and Wade shows that Shaq can share the spotlight and the glory, which he’ll have to do with LeBron James in Cleveland. Despite losing some of his ability due to aging, Shaq is still a major and fearsome presence in the paint. He could take some of the media pressure of LeBron in a similar way to Carter relieving Howard. The Cavs will be hungry, Shaq will be hungry for a 5th title, and LeBron will be a man on a mission. Besides, if King James doesn’t win a championship for his home town in 2010, he may be headed to be king of another team and another town. I like the Cavs chances for winning a title with the duo of James and O’Neal.
The biggest challenge for the new duo will be the old trio. The Big Three of the Boston Celtics (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce) appeared to be the biggest threat to the Cavs in the playoffs last season after winning the NBA title the year before. Surprisingly, they were upset by that pesky Orlando Magic team. Allen, Garnett, and Pierce will go down as some of the best players of all-time; Allen will probably be the all-time NBA leader in three-pointers, Garnett is one of the greatest defenders in history, and Pierce has been one of the best closers ever. The only major con of the Big Three is age. Their average age of over 32 has shown as all three suffered injuries last season. The Celtics increased their team age average by picking up center Rasheed Wallace, who is 34. The upside of Wallace is a huge upside. He won the NBA championship in 2004 and was a runner-up in 2005 with the Pistons. He has been one of the best defenders in this decade, and can play inside as well as make long 2-pointers and hit threes. This huge age issue for Boston is partially resolved by point guard Rajon Rondo, who is 23. Despite being injury prone, the Big Four has plenty of experience and can play well together since they know the league and the game so well. Don’t be shocked if the Celtics make it far in the playoffs thanks to their new addition.
The San Antonio Spurs certainly know success in the playoffs. The Spurs have won 4 titles since 1999, but also share Boston’s age problem. Two of their Big Three players are over 30, Manu Ginobili (31) and Tim Duncan (33). But the experience level in San Antonio exceeds the level in Boston in terms of success. Duncan has won 4 titles and is a 3-time Finals MVP, Ginobili has won 3 championships, and Tony Parker has also won 3 titles. They work well together and will continue to get huge support from Matt Bonner and Roger Mason. To bulk up this championship –caliber roster, the Spurs traded for star forward Richard Jefferson from the Bucks. Jefferson averaged 19.6 points per game last season and should perfectly complement the Big Three of the Spurs. The Spurs also drafted forward DaJuan Blair, who despite his diminutive size, has incredible strength and rebounding ability which should translate successfully into the NBA. This pick-up combined with the Jefferson deal could propel coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs to another championship.
The Lakers, the Magic, the Cavaliers, the Celtics, and the Spurs were not the only teams to complete huge transactions this summer. The Pistons added rising stars Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva which could help them capture a better playoff seed this year. From the looks of things, the race for the title should come down to a battle between the Lakers, Spurs, Cavs, and Celtics. But don’t rule anyone out yet. You never know what deals will work out for what teams. One thing we have learned to count on in the NBA is plenty of controversy. One thing we will learn to count on is the overrated usage of Twitter, from which we shall hear idiotic but entertaining comments which will be overblown by the media. Hopefully these traded players can make just as big of an impact on the court next season.