(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
What an offseason it has been for the NBA, and we're only in July.
How do you say "Sorry, Kevin Pritchard!" in Turkish?
Hedo Turkoglu spurns the Blazers in favor of going to the Toronto Raptors of all teams, allegedly due to his wife's liking of a city, which is very nice, but certainly not a basketball town. Well, at least he has some excuse other than money that we're aware of.
The Portland Trail Blazers are a very good team with a whole lot of youth that desperately need an above-average, to All-Star caliber veteran, that can take them to the next level.
Whether that veteran they need comes to them this year or 2010 remains to be seen.
How about the Lake Show?
A look at the 2009-2010 Los Angeles Lakers:
Well, the Lakers added Kobe Bryant's former playoff opponent and Houston Rocket Ron Artest, to their already stacked squad. Throw in the possibility of a returning and healthier Lamar Odom, and you've got yourself a huge chance to repeat.
Let's not forge Phil Jackson a.k.a. the same coach that won seventy two games with the Chicago Bulls, who had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman on his team is returning for another year on the bench. Oh, and he has also won ten championships as a coach if you didn't already know.
Ron Artest may seem like he doesn't respect that many people, but he's got to bow down to the Zen Master's bling-bling.
The Cleveland Cavaliers also made a splash by getting one of greatest centers of all-time in Shaquille O'Neal via trade. Shaq certainly adds the inside presence the Cavs were lacking this past season, although another move could have definitely assisted them in their championship quest.
The Cavs could have signed Ron Artest. Whoops. Oh well, there's always Rasheed Wa...oh wait, he's already gone to another team too! You see, the Cavs had a chance to sign another piece to their championship puzzle, but are now stuck behind Boston and Orlando for best in the East.
Don't get wrong me: I am someone that believes that Vince Carter replacing Turkoglu isn't necessarily the best move. However, Vince Carter is a scorer at heart and will get much more open looks than he did in New Jersey, due to the commanding presence of the Magic's reigning Defensive Player of The Year Dwight Howard.
I see big things for Ben Gordon's future
The Detroit Pistons did themselves favors by negotiating with former Dallas Mavericks coach and current ESPN analyst Avery Johnson, who helped the San Antonio Spurs win their first NBA Championship as a player in 1999. Likewise, he led the Mavericks to the 2006 Finals as a coach.
Johnson and Pistons head honcho Joe Dumars agreeing to a deal remains to be seen.
In other Pistons news, they somehow snagged Ben Gordon from the Chicago Bulls, which to me, is more surprising than Turkoglu ditching the Blazers.
Based on reports prior to Gordon's agreement to a five-year deal worth $55 million, it seemed as though the former UConn standout would continue his career in Chicago. I guess that's not the case anymore.
And the Pistons were also able to agree to a deal with former Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva, who has shown potential to be a valuable contributor to any team, but was slowed down by injuries this past season.
As far as the real winners in the 2009 NBA free agency period go, I would put the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs at the top thus far.
The Celtics and Spurs were the biggest winners in free agency thus far.
The Celtics landed former Detroit Pistons' forward Rasheed Wallace, who while volatile by nature, is a big addition to Gang Green. He has one of the longest double-figures streaks in terms of points, experience, and is a proven winner.
He also fills two potential voids in the event forwards Leon Powe, that is assuming the Celtics do not offer him a contract even after his ACL is fully healed, and Glen "Big Baby" Davis are gone from the team.
On the western side of things, the San Antonio Spurs added Richard Jefferson to the already awesome lineup that still consists of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli. Sure, the Spurs had to give up defensive players Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas to get him, but it was well worth it.
The Spurs needed another scorer and most importantly, they desperately need youth, which Jefferson provides along with recently drafted college standout DeJuan Blair. Now, the question remains whether Duncan, Parker, Jefferson, and especially Ginobli can stay healthy enough for a long playoff run.
Perhaps, signing a a free agent such as Grant Hill might help their cause even more. Although, Phoenix Suns fans may have something to say about that one.
If Manu Ginobli and Kevin Garnett are healthy when it counts next season, then my money is on a Celtics-Spurs match-up in the NBA Finals.
Until the Cavs show me that someone other than LeBron and even Shaq can make a consistent contribution offensively in big moments, they are just behind Orlando in the East.
Speaking of Orlando, the Magic are second behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. With Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace, and a healthy (that's the keyword of the day) Kevin Garnett, Boston is poised to, at the very least, make it to the Conference Finals.
Throw in the rumors of possibly securing the services of Grant Hill and you have a Celtics team that may be older, but certainly wiser and most importantly—better. And until Dwight Howard shows off some of that post game that assistant coach Patrick Ewing apparently taught him, my money is on Boston to win the East.
Of course, as we saw this past season, that can all change. Players can get injured, trades can happen, and teams that were an afterthought (think the 2007 No. 8-seeded Golden State Warriors upsetting the No. 1 Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs) can surprise everyone.
I mean even the Memphis Grizzlies might be able to make such a big run that we'll all forget how bad of a general manager Chris Wallace is for trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers for Kwame Brown.....
JUST KIDDING.
Fred "The F-Bomb" Richani is an actor and writer for BleacherReport.com and 411Mania.com, and has been featured on ProWrestlingTorch.com, LayUpDrill.com, 1Wrestling.com, GOOGLE News, and CBSSportsline.com. He is also the host of his own web series FRIDAY NIGHT F-Bomb (Youtube.com/CaddyCads). He currently resides in Freehold, NJ with his family and cat Bella.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Los Angeles Lakers articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
2 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete