2011 NBA Free Agency: What Each Eastern Conference Playoff Team Should Add
The NBA playoffs have gotten off to a good start.
Chicago and Miami have looked the best so far. LA and San Antonio got off to rocky starts. Boston and Oklahoma City have taken care of business. Dallas and Atlanta look to have the upper-hands in their series but it could go either way.
For many teams, they have an obvious need to fill before they can really truly compete. Even the really good teams like Miami and Chicago are not perfect and could use some different parts.
Here is a look at what each Eastern Conference playoff team should look to add this summer in order to make the playoffs again or to become or remain contenders.
To read about the Western Conference, click here.
Chicago: A Shooting Guard Who Can Score
1 of 8
I thought all the talk this year about how badly the Bulls need an upgrade at the two was a bit exaggerated. Their committee of shooting guards has done fine through the regular season.
In the playoffs however, the Bulls have been forced to rely on Derrick Rose heavily on offense because Carlos Boozer hasn't shown up and Luol Deng hasn't been playing great.
If they could find a shooting guard who can create his own points sometimes and knock down shots, but who doesn't always need the ball or tons of minutes, that could be what pushes them over the top.
A guy like Jamal Crawford would fit the bill if he bought into the Bulls' defense. Chicago could also look to trade, possibly for O.J. Mayo.
Miami: Depth
2 of 8
Miami has a center by committee, Big Z, Joel Anthony, and Erick Dampier. The point is manned by Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers. I hear that they also have some pretty decent players at the shooting guard and forward positions.
The Heat supporting cast has done a decent job. The main problem for them once they got used to each other was injuries.
If they could add some depth this offseason, it would be a big help. Also, their centers have together done a fine job, but none of them are really starters.
If they could get Samuel Dalembert with their mid-level exception, that would be a big boost.
Boston: Re-Sign Their Guys and Add Some Youth
3 of 8
This offseason, the Celtics have a myriad of free agents. Jeff Green, Glenn Davis, Nenad Kristic, and Delonte West are among the Celtic free agents. Ray Allen and Shaq have player options.
Boston should look to re-sign at least Green, Davis, and West, plus Allen if he opts out (unlikely in my opinion).
After re-signing their guys, they will need to add one or two more role-players to stay in the championship race. Preferably younger ones.
Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy, and Willie Green are among those who may want to join Boston in hopes of a championship. Any of these would boost Boston's wing depth.
Orlando: Depth Up Front, a Perimeter Player Who Can Create His Own Shot
4 of 8
The Magic kind of killed their cap flexibility when they signed Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson plus traded for the horrible contracts of Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas. They are now well over the luxury tax threshold and won't have any cap-space for the near future.
They should try to re-sign Jason Richardson. Dwight Howard has been forced to play big minutes, and when he is out, a power forward has to slide to center. There are several big men out their who could fill the backup role at a low cost.
The thing that has really killed the Magic is that they can't win without hitting their threes because their perimeter guys haven't been able to create their own shots often. They need to add someone who can come in and get some points that aren't fast break scores or open threes.
They already have Gilbert Arenas, why not add JR Smith to the mix?
Atlanta: A Starting Center/Jamal Crawford
5 of 8
A big man to start at center has long been on the Hawks' wish list. Al Horford, a power forward, has been forced to start at center for the past couple years. He would be much better suited playing his natural position.
Unfortunately, there are not many teams out there who wouldn't like to get a starting quality center, so it will be tough.
If they could get Dalembert or someone like that it would be huge, but that is far-fetched.
They should definitely try to re-sign Jamal Crawford, their dynamic bench scorer. If they lose him, they will have some depth issues that will need to be addressed.
New York: Depth Up Front
6 of 8
The Knicks don't have a lot of depth on their roster right now. Besides Amar'e Stoudemire, they are forced to use a rotation of Jared Jeffries, Ronny Turiaf, and Shelden Williams in the paint.
They will need to look to upgrade their center position by adding a body or two. They could also use some more help in the guard and forward positions, but center will be the main concern.
Complicating this will be the Knicks desire to maintain cap-space to sign Chris Paul. Anybody they sign will have to agree to a one-year deal.
Any decent player who would accept the minimum for one year is fair game for New York.
Philadelphia: Size, Experience, Thaddeus Young
7 of 8
The Sixers have some nice pieces in place. They have shown their weaknesses in this year's playoffs, though.
Their three-point shooting at times has not been there for them. They already have Andres Nocioni and Jason Kapono, two good shooters on the bench, though and could just play them.
Spencer Hawes is not bad, but he is no elite center. Marreese Speights has talent but all he does is shoot when he gets the ball.
There are not too many options out there for them. Maybe they could bring back Reggie Evans, who could help with their rebounding problems. Their best hope is to find a gem in the draft who could go on to become a starting big.
Other than that, if they could grab another veteran or two, plus re-sign Thaddeus Young, that would be an OK offseason for them. The question will be whether or not they can hold on to Young and Andre Iguodala.
Indiana: One More Key Piece, Experience
8 of 8
With Danny Granger, Darren Collison, Paul George, and Roy Hibbert, the Pacers have a pretty good core in place. Tyler Hansborough has also shown his game beginning in the late season.
The OJ Mayo trade that almost went down may have been the deal that really could have made the Pacers scary. They may look to re-open those discussions.
They also have a lot of cap-space, which they could use to pursue a shooting guard or power forward. Crawford, Arron Afflalo, Carl Landry, and David West could be options. More likely, they could use that cap-space to pull off a trade.
Their biggest issue right now is their inexperience. Their players are mostly young, and because they hadn't made the playoffs for so long, even older players Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy are in the postseason for the first time. Jeff Foster is the only one with significant playoff experience.
One or two more vets couldn't hurt.
