There's still some tidying up to do this free agent season. We still need to find out about Lamar Odom, David Lee, Andre Miller, Drew Gooden and a few more interesting names out there.But there's already plenty in the books, so let's take a look:
Best offseason move: Celtics sign Rasheed Wallace.
Wallace is a perfect fit in Boston, playing alongside veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. If Boston stays healthy, they'll likely have the best interior defense in the league: Kendrick Perkins, Garnett and Wallace.
Worst offseason move: Cavaliers re-sign Anderson Varejao for contract worth up to $50 million.
File this under: You've got to be kidding me. Hey, we understand general manager Danny Ferry is putting a premium on winning this upcoming season, but this one is going to have ramifications for a while. Only in the NBA can a limited glue guy make this kind of money.
Biggest offseason head-scratcher: Pistons sign Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.
Maybe it's that you always expect a little more from Joe Dumars, Detroit's GM. But it's hard to fathom how Gordon and Villanueva are going to make a difference in the East. It's now official: the Pistons are a middle-of-the-pack team.
Most underrated offseason move: Hawks acquire Jamal Crawford in trade with Warriors. We all know Crawford isn't a perfect player. He's not great defensively and he can be a volume shooter at times. But he gives the Hawks some legitimate firepower, not to mention a guy who can go out and get you a good shot on his own late in a game.
Most overrated offseason move: Mavericks acquire Shawn Marion in sign-and-trade.
Marion's game was exposed some after he was traded from Phoenix and didn't have the luxury of getting spoon-fed by Steve Nash. Jason Kidd will certainly give Marion a hand, but Marion will never be the factor he was for the Suns. Dallas has made a lot of moves in the offseason, but from this angle they're no better than the 50-win team they were last season.
Riskiest offseason move: Lakers sign Ron Artest.
For the Lakers, it boils down to this: If they win another title, signing Artest was a great move; if they don't, it was awful. Good luck with that.
Safest offseason move: Mavericks re-sign Kidd.
Of course, if you're the Mavericks you had to retain Kidd, right? Well, maybe they did. But Kidd's impact and influence on games is diminishing, and now he's under contract through the age of 39.
Least productive offseason: Pacers.
Indiana signed Dahntay Jones and didn't match for Jarrett Jack. The Pacers have missed the playoffs three consecutive years, and they ain't going in 2009-10, either. Their best players are Danny Granger and Troy Murphy, and Mike Dunleavy's got knee issues. This season could get very ugly for coach Jim O'Brien.
Most productive offseason: Magic.
Magic general manager Otis Smith knew he wasn't going to be able to re-sign Hedo Turkoglu. So, he went into pro-active mode, acquiring Vince Carter, Brandon Bass and, most recently, Matt Barnes, while also matching the offer for improving backup center Marcin Gortat.
Runner-up: Spurs.
By acquiring Richard Jefferson, drafting DeJuan Blair and signing Antonio McDyess, the Spurs' window remains open.
Follow Steinmetz on Twitter: @matt_steinmetz
Big NBA Names on the Move
Shawn Marion is now a Dallas Maverick. The four-time NBA All-Star was traded from the Toronto Raptors to Dallas as part of a complex four-team deal. Click through see which other NBA stars will be playing in different uniforms next season.
Gary Dineen, NBAE / Getty Images
Shaquille O'Neal
New Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Previous Team: Phoenix Suns
Jennifer Pottheiser, NBAE / Getty Images
Ron Artest
New Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Previous Team: Houston Rockets
Philip Scott Andrews, AP
Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon
New Team: Detroit Pistons
Previous Teams: Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls
Carlos Osorio, AP
Vince Carter
New Team: Orlando Magic
Previous Team: New Jersey Nets
Fernando Medina, NBAE / Getty Images
Richard Jefferson
New Team: San Antonio Spurs
Previous Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Eric Gay, AP
Trevor Ariza
New Team: Houston Rockets
Previous Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Bill Baptist, NBAE / Getty Images
Jamal Crawford
New Team: Atlanta Hawks
Previous Team: Golden State Warriors
Scott Cunningham, NBAE / Getty Images
Hedo Turkoglu
New Team: Toronto Raptors
Previous Team: Orlando Magic
John Raoux, AP
Mike Miller and Randy Foye
New Team: Washington Wizards
Previous Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Getty Images
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-21-2009 @ 3:45PM
cantstopdrinkin said...
I think Hornets by far deserve least productive offseason. All they did was bring 2 rookies in. Havent brought in one free agent so i think thats the least productive. Esp. with how frail and shallow the lineup is....
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7-21-2009 @ 4:10PM
Nate said...
when did the Hornets get frail and shallow?
but the Pistons acquiring Gordon and Villanueva sounds damn good. the Bucks were poised to make the playoffs for the first time in a while last season until Redd blew his knee out. And Gordon was a crucial piece of the Bulls' playoff run that was really only stopped by outright cheating by the Celtics (or the refs, etc.). While I don't like how he was bashed by the media last year, getting rid of Iverson was the right move for Detroit, and I see them deep in the playoffs again next year...
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7-21-2009 @ 4:13PM
Steve said...
What moves instead of signing Charlie V. and Ben Gordon would have made the Pistons instant contenders? I feel like expectations for Joe D are out of whack...last year he had an aging team that had a great run, but it was over and the team needed to rebuild. One year later people expect him to have completely turned over this team and made them elite again. When has that ever happened in the NBA? Last year they were one of the older teams in the league, now they only have 2 guys over 27. Rome wasn't built in a day...it takes a couple years to rebuild and reload.
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7-21-2009 @ 9:00PM
dodgerbloo15 said...
cantstopdrinkin, agree completely with ur statement. Hornets have done nothing. Although I love the Darren Collison draft pick.
Worst offseason move has to be the Grizzlies trading for Zach Randolph. They were sitting on a heap of cash, and they went out and traded a valuable $9.3 million expiring deal to get perhaps the most immovable contract out there.
Don't know why so many people hate the Varejao signing. He's really making closer to $7.5 million per season and the last year is only partially guaranteed with a team option. He's one of Lebron's closest friends on the team, and is one of the best (if not the best) "show" defender on the screen and roll in the league. He might not get a lot of blocks, but he's continually a leader in charges drawn, which, is a far more productive and effective stat then a block because it is a guaranteed turnover plus a foul against the other player. People who site the fact he got tore up by Dwight Howard need to understand that it's Dwight Howard...not too many other players in the L tore Andy up last year. Cavs WERE a top 5 defense.
Is Andy now a bit overpaid? Sure. But he's 26 and a vital piece to the Cavs defense. He's important like Lamar Odom is to the Lakers. Without glue holding everything together, things tend to fall apart.
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7-22-2009 @ 9:18AM
Mike said...
Rasheed, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, the best out there huh? Let's see how many games Boston has with players on the DL, they might break a record for games missed by players next year. Old, Older, Oldiest. By the playoffs they will be tired and done. One and done, rounds that is.
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7-22-2009 @ 4:03PM
bwkappa said...
I agree Mike. The past 2yrs Wallace has not shown the productivity that he once did. I think that move just makes Boston that much older. I believe that SHAQ was by far the best acquistion in the off season. He solves the Cavs post problem in the middle and it allows EVERYONE to be more productive. The potential pickup of Moon and acquistion of Parker was also EXCELLENT. The Cavs have to be considered the favorite in the East.
Second, the Spurs just became a contender again. The Big 3 of Parker, Duncan and Ginobli are still the games best. Adding Jefferson, Blair and McDyees puts them back in the conversation.
I'll give it until the All Star break and you'll be hearing how Artest and Kobe aren't jelling. Artest wants to be the focal point and Jackson nor Kobe will allow that. Neither Yao nor McGrady had the star power. Besides how long did all three play together?
7-24-2009 @ 10:02AM
bpegetha said...
Don't be a Laker hater...Kobe is the man and Artest will accept that...he wants a championship. Jackson will handle the egos...X championships...the Lakers will be bigger and stronger with Artest as long as they sign Odom. Brown will help pick up the athletic slack they lost with Ariza...plus Ariza will find out that things will not open up in the offense as much without Kobe by his side sucking up all the attention of opposing defenses...if the Lakers stay healthy and sign Odom a repeat is almost a certainty...Bynum will be a beast in this league for years...the Laker train rolls on like it has for the past 60 years...can't argue that...Yankees, Lakers, Steelers....the real BIG 3!!
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7-24-2009 @ 8:43PM
RENEE ANTOINETTE said...
Man, Boston might be back in it next year, if they stay healthy. But Orlando got Carter, Bass and Barnes, Dang!! I'm impressed. They will miss Hedo though. Spurs will be back in the game with picking up Jefferson and McDyess. And of course Shaq in Cleveland, I dont think that will work, but we will see. Then in my home town LA: we hopefully will get IVerson with the CLipps and Artest with the Lakers. Very interesting NBA. I"m excited about next year already.
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7-26-2009 @ 12:31PM
Dwayne said...
STEINMETZ, what in da hell are you talking about? How is Ben Gordon to Detroit a headscrathing move? Did you not watch the Bulls - Celtics series? Did you not watch what this kid does in fourth quarter of games? Sometimes, I wonder about you so called sportswriters. He went head to head with Ray Allen, a player 3 inches plus taller than him. It was the best matchup of the playoffs. And he averaged over 30 ppg WHILE INJURED! Are you on Reinsdorf jock strap or something? Geez.
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7-30-2009 @ 9:22PM
Grim said...
So now were almost to the end of free agency and the start of ecxibition games. Do we really care who aquired who ? Do we care the that the lowly Lakers who were destroyed by the Boston Celtics for the 12th time in 14 NBA chanpionship games against eachother. or that the fact is the Lakers aquire a wife beater to go with there accused rapist and profound snitch ? or the fact that Shaq is with Clevelend? seriously who really cares. I wanna see 2 teams at the end of the season beatin eachothers brains out for a title. Nothing more, nothing less
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