10 Biggest Off-Season NBA Roster MakeoversBy gatorheels
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 1:10am
By Drue Sensing aka "GatorHeels"
*Winner of the forum writing contest
ORLANDO MAGIC
 Vince CarterThere have been mixed feelings in the public on whether the Magic actually got any better this offseason. Many people fear the loss of Hedo will no longer allow the Magic to cause matchup problems. No need to worry Magic fans. With a legit power forward in Brandon Bass, opposing teams will no longer be able to cause Orlando matchup problems. Plus Orlando can still play a style similar to last season by starting Pietrus at SG, Carter at SF, and Lewis at PF if they need too. Vince Carter is certainly an upgrade over Hedo. Don't believe me? Look at the stats closely. Ryan Anderson gives this team another big player who can stretch the floor, and a great fit with Howard. Brandon Bass is one of the more underrated players in the league. Orlando appears to have no weaknesses. Even their bench is above average. Also a healthy Jameer Nelson in the playoffs could mean trouble for the rest of the league come playoff time. I expect this team to be better than last season and a return to the finals is likely.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $8 million Key Players needing to be resigned after the season- Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Jameer Nelson/Anthony Johnson
SG- Vince Carter/Mickael Pietrus/J.J. Redick
SF- Rashard Lewis/Matt Barnes
PF- Brandon Bass/Ryan Anderson
C- Dwight Howard/Marcin Gortat
Key Losses- Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
We all know how dangerous a Spurs team with a healthy Duncan and Ginobili can be. This appears to be the case this season. The Spurs really didn't lose anybody of significance from last years' squad. The trade landing them Richard Jefferson was big. Jefferson finally gives the Spurs a legit scorer at the small forward position. The signing of McDyess gives San Antonio another smart player in the post. McDyess should work very well playing beside Tim Duncan in the paint. The Spurs also appear to have gotten one of the steals of the draft in snatching up Dejuan Blair in the second round. Their bench is well above average. Similar to Orlando, the Spurs appear to have no weak links. This team has clearly improved a lot from last season. They are now in a position where they can dethrone the Lakers.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $25 million
Key Players needing to be resigned after the season- Manu Ginobili, George Hill
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Tony Parker/George Hill
SG- Roger Mason/Manu Ginobili/Malik Hairston
SF- Richard Jefferson/Michael Finley/Marcus Williams
PF- Antonio McDyess/Matt Bonner/Dejuan Blair/Marcus Haislip
C- Tim Duncan/Theo Ratliff/Ian Mahinmi
Key Losses- Fabricio Oberton, Drew Gooden, Ime Udoka, Kurt Thomas, Bruce Bowen
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
 TWolves Draft Picks Minnesota has a totally revamped roster. Many new faces appear in this seasons' lineup. The TWolves on paper clearly look like one of the worst teams in the league. It would be no surprise if they landed the #1 pick in the 2010 draft. This team has a ton of weak links and many holes to fill. They are stuck with having to start a rookie at point guard. They have no legit starter at SG and their small forward Gomes is slightly below average. Minnesota is solid in the post but they lack length and defense. The situation with Ricky Rubio is still yet to be resolved, and it appears that Minnesota fans will have to wait a year or two for his services. Drafting two point guards in the draft remains a major head scratcher, granted Rubio likely had the most long term value where they selected him. With money to spend in 2010, help is on the way for Love and Jefferson.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $35 million
Key Player needing to be resigned after the season- Kevin Love
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Johnny Flynn/Chucky Atkins
SG- Damien Wilkins/Wayne Ellington/Bobby Brown
SF- Ryan Gomes/Quentin Richardson/Corey Brewer
PF- Kevin Love/Darius Songaila/Oleksiy Pecherov/Brian Cardinal
C- Al Jefferson
Key Losses- Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair, Rodney Carney
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
I imagine the Bucks will land a top 5 pick in the 2010 draft. This team is a longshot to make the playoffs. The return of Michael Redd provides them with the scoring punch they lacked last year. A healthy Bogut will boost their frontcourt significantly. Either Joe Alexander or Mbah a Moute will need to step up and become a solid starter at the small forward position. Milwaukee has some interesting decisions to make still before the season starts. Will Hakim Warrick start at PF or will they move him to SF to allow newly signed Amir Johnson to start at power forward? The Bucks also appear content to let Sessions sign elsewhere. You can't blame them because Jennings appears to be the real deal. Rumblings of a sign and trade with the Clippers involving Sessions have surfaced in the past couple days. Overall the Bucks just need to develop team chemistry and hope their young talent rises to the challenge.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $21 million
Key Players needing to be resigned after the season- Amir Johnson, Joe Alexander
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Luke Ridnour/Brandon Jennings
SG- Michael Redd/Charlie Bell/Jodie Meeks/Sonny Weems
SF- Mbah a Moute/Joe Alexander
PF- Hakim Warrick/Amir Johnson/Joe Alexander/Walter Sharpe
C- Andrew Bogut/Dan Gadzuric/Fracisco Elson
Key Losses- Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva, Ramon Sessions
NEW JERSEY NETS
New Jersey obviously took a big step in the wrong direction this offseason, at least in the short term. Losing their star player in Vince Carter will result in more losses this season. New Jersey is focused on the future with nearly their whole team having expiring contracts. This team is banking on landing a big star in the 2010 free agent market. I expect this team to be one of the worst in the league and end up with a mid lottery selection in the 2010 draft. This season looks bad but the future looks bright. The Nets have found their starting point guard and center in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez. Filling in the rest of the holes shouldn't be too difficult. A stud power forward to compliment Lopez would do wonders for this team.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $40 million
Key Players needing to be resigned after the season- Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Devin Harris/Keyon Dooling/Rafer Alston
SG- Courtney Lee/Jarvis Hayes/Chris Douglas-Roberts/Terrence Williams
SF- Bobby Simmons/Eduardo Najera/Trenton Hassell
PF- Yi Jianlian/Tony Battie/Sean Williams
C- Brook Lopez/Josh Boone
Key Losses- Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson
TORONTO RAPTORS
 Hedo Turkoglu Toronto looks good this year. With an abundance of foreign players and best friends (Bosh & Jack) forming the bulk of the roster, I look for this team to have great chemistry. They are average or better at every position except shooting guard. Their success this season depends greatly on the development of Belinelli and DeRozan. One of those players must become a legit starter. Bargnani must take the next step this year and earn that big contract he recently received. The biggest offseason signing for the Raptors was picking up Hedo Turkoglu who will make fans forget all about the loss of Shawn Marion. Still, Toronto is a little too soft in the post and too inexperienced at the SG spot to make a serious playoff run. However, look for the Raptors to have a solid regular season and reach the playoffs as a 4 or 5 seed.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $25 million (including Chris Bosh)
Key Players needing to be resigned after the season- Chris Bosh, Marco Belinelli
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Jose Calderon/Jarrett Jack/Roko Ukic/Marcus Banks
SG- Marco Belinelli/DeMar Derozan/Quincy Douby
SF- Hedo Turkoglu/Antoine Wright
PF- Chris Bosh/Reggie Evans
C- Andrea Bargnani/Patrick O'Bryant
Key Losses- Shawn Marion, Jason Kapono, Anthony Parker, Joey Graham
BOSTON CELTICS Boston is certainly a title contender with the impressive offseason they have had. The Celtics finally have quality depth in the post. That was something they didn't have last season. Resigning Big Baby Davis after his stellar playoff performances was critical. The addition of Rasheed Wallace gives them another veteran who knows what it takes to win it all. Marquis Daniels finally gives Boston a wing player that will allow Pierce to take more significant rest periods. Paul Pierce has been known to wear down some late in games due to the large number of minutes he has been forced to play. I'm sure the Truth welcomes the presence of Daniels. Boston surprised fans when they waived backup point guard Gabe Pruitt. I guess Doc Rivers feels that Lester Hudson and Eddie House can relieve Rondo when he needs a breather. With a starting lineup loaded with veterans and stars as well as an above average bench the Celtics are poised to possibly match their success they had in the 2007-2008 season.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $32 million Key Players needing to be resigned after the season- Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Rajon Rondo/Lester Hudson
SG- Ray Allen/Eddie House/Tony Allen/J.R. Giddens
SF- Paul Pierce/Marquis Daniels/Bill Walker
PF- Kevin Garnett/Glen Davis/Shelden Williams/Brian Scalabrine
C- Kendrick Perkins/Rasheed Wallace
Key Losses- Gabe Pruitt, Stephon Marbury, Mikki Moore, Leon Powe
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Once again Cleveland has disappointed through their mediocre offseason acquisitions. Lets be honest here Jamario Moon is a quality backup for LeBron which the team lacked last year but is he really a difference maker? I highly doubt it. Also Anthony Parker is not an upgrade over Delonte West besides being a few inches taller. Shaq will help the Cavs but he isn't as agile as he used to be and the benefits he brings will be limited. Overpaying for Varejao just makes things sting worse. He got how much? Cleveland had better options on the free agent market including David Lee and Glen Davis. LeBron is still surrounded by average talent. Will he grow tired of this and leave Cleveland after the season? With the Magic and Celtics becoming much stronger over the offseason, Cleveland appears to be losing ground. Mediocre moves equal coming up just a little short in the playoffs which Cleveland is growing accustomed to.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $54 million
Key Player needing to be resigned after the season- LeBron James
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Mo Williams
SG- Anthony Parker/Delonte West/Daniel Gibson
SF- LeBron James/Jamario Moon/Danny Green
PF- Anderson Varejao/J.J. Hickson/Darnell Jackson/Jawad Williams
C- Shaquille O'neal/Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Key Losses- Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Aleksander Pavlovic
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Dallas has made quality moves this offseason but it won't be enough to allow them to compete with the elite teams of the West. Even though the Mavs have lots of firepower and depth, they still have a glaring weakness in the frontcourt. As long as Dampier is starting at Center, this team isn't going to take the next step. He has been on the trading block for some time now but there aren't many teams that would even consider taking on his contract. The window is closing for this team at a fast pace with Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion starting to decline. Dallas will no doubt make the playoffs, but expect them to get bounced in the second round again.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $50 million (including Dirk Nowitzki)
Key Player needing to be resigned after the season- Dirk Nowitzki
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Jason Kidd/Rodrigue Beaubois/JJ Barea
SG- Josh Howard/Jason Terry/Quinton Ross/Matt Carroll/Greg Buckner
SF- Shawn Marion/Shawne Williams
PF- Dirk Nowitzki/Drew Gooden/Tim Thomas/Kris Humphries
C- Eric Dampier/Nathan Jawai
Key Losses- Brandon Bass, Antoine Wright, Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George
DETROIT PISTONS
 Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva Detroit spent a lot of money to acquire Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. We will have to wait and see if these two signings pay off but my guess is that they won't this season. Gordon and Villanueva showed they can play well together in college when they both suited up for UConn. The Pistons appear to be stuck with a combo guard starting at point guard in Stuckey. This could be a rocky season as many players adjust to their new roles. Rip Hamilton will likely lose quite a bit of playing time. Will this make him unhappy like it did last year? No need to let problems boil. Hamilton clearly needs to be traded for a big man. The Pistons have major problems in the post. They need a Center asap. Even Tayshaun Prince is expendable now with the addition of three small forwards the Pistons drafted. Packaging Rip and Prince for a big man and an expiring contract would payoff big time. The good news is Austin Daye and Dajuan Summers both looked impressive in summer league. One of them will eventually step in and replace Prince. The bad news is if a trade doesn't occur soon then Detroit will get abused all season long in the frontcourt which likely means an early exit in the playoffs.
Expiring Contracts- Roughly $10 million Key Player needing to be resigned after the season- Rodney Stuckey
2009-2010 Roster
PG- Rodney Stuckey/Will Bynum
SG- Richard Hamilton/Ben Gordon
SF- Tayshaun Prince/Dajuan Summers/Austin Daye
PF- Charlie Villanueva/Chris Wilcox/Jason Maxiell
C- Kwame Brown/Ben Wallace
Key Losses- Rasheed Wallace, Allen Iverson, Antonio McDyess, Amir Johnson, Arron Afflalo |
發表於 2009-8-16 04:58 PM
| 
發表於 2009-9-4 04:33 PM
| 