NBA 2009: Player Movement, 2010 Free Agents, Top Storylines

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

With camps finally open for the 2009, 2010 season, we can finally get a glimpse of what the top teams look like on the court.  The focus is still on the top tier teams, because they were the ones that made the most significant changes.  For them, the goal is to win a championship, or the season is a failure.

The Cavaliers probably have as much to lose as anyone.  They are banking on Shaq taking them to the promise land that they so desperately seek.  If this doesn’t work, they risk losing Lebron James to free agency.  Right now Lebron leaving is still a stretch, but if he can’t get the championship he craves in Cleveland, then he has to think hard about it.

Shaq will help some and give them a low post option in the playoffs, but he can be exploited on defense playing the pick and roll, and he can’t be counted on to make foul shots at the end of games.  The Cavaliers need athletic big men that are not one-dimentional, like Verejao and Ilgauskas.  Leon Powe will add depth and help a little, but depending on who who  they match up with in the playoffs, it may not get them over the hump.

I am going on record as saying that this move will not be enough to bring the bling back to Cleveland.  They had the best record in the East without Shaq last year, so this move is all about the playoffs.  Unless other Eastern Conference contenders fall apart, or have injury issues they will fall short again.

One of the more underrated moves was San Antonio adding Richard Jefferson to the fold.  They needed to get younger and more athletic on the wing, and Jefferson is a great fit.  Tim Duncan isn’t getting any younger, and Jefferson can run the court with Tony Parker, Roger Mason, and Manu Ginobilli to increase the amount of easy baskets they get.

If Duncan can be fresh come playoff time, they can beat anyone, including the Lakers.  Antonio McDyess was a good addition and will add toughness and a steady low post defense.  If DeJuan Blair from Pittsburg works out, the Spurs could really be scary good.

He is a beast underneath the basket, and if he can keep his knees healthy, he can really comeplement Duncan and McDyess and make them more physical.  Even with Parker, Ginobilli, and Duncan the Spurs bread and butter is on defense.  Their ability to get stops in prior years was what won them championships.

Jefferson and McDyess fit that mold, and if the rest of their core stays healthy, the Spurs may emerge as the favorites coming out of the West.

Kudos to the Lakers for recognizing they needed to get better to defend their NBA Championship.  Some might consider it risky making an investment in Ron Artest, but he helps L.A. in a lot of ways.  He can defend the other teams best player, taking the heat off of Kobe Bryant, and he can still rebound and run the floor. 

He can be frustrating to play with on the offensive end, but that will be Kobe’s job to keep him in check.  Artest adds much needed toughness to this team as well.  When Boston beat them for their championship in 2008 the Lakers were pushed around badly, and out and out right punked by the more physical Celtics.

Artest can help Kobe keep that from happening again.  The only thing that is dangerous about this move is if Artest flips out and undermines the team, or undermines Kobe.  Then they have a big problem.  Artest wants a championship so it is in his best interest to behave, even if his role is not as large as he thinks it should be.

Lamar Odom stepped up in the playoffs, and getting consistent play from him is vital to the Lakers success.  He can play more relaxed now that he knows, and has proved that he is an important piece to their puzzle.

All eyes will be on the Boston Celtics this year to see if Kevin Garnett is all the way back from his knee injury that kept Boston from defending their championship last year.  Regardless of what anyone says, he is the straw that stirs the drink in Boston.

Garnett is a huge part of their interior defense, as well as being a facilitor and scorer on offense.  He scores from the post as well as from the outside.  If he is all the way back, (and it might take a quarter of the season for him to get his legs under him) Boston should be the favorites to come out of the East.

Many point to the ages of their core players, but Paul Pierce is just one year removed from being a finals MVP, and Ray Allen probably has at least one more all star calliber year left in him, so I don’t see that being an issue this year.  Maybe next season, but not this one.

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