2011 NBA Playoffs: Chris Paul and 8 Players Who May Not Be Back for Their Teams
Friday night marked the end of the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs.
For some, it will also mark the end of their stints with their respective teams.
Whether through trades, free agency or even retirement, some faces will be in new places.
Here are the top names that may not be back with the team they played for in the past week.
8. Antonio McDyess, Spurs
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McDyess has almost certainly played his last game. Both as a Spur and an NBA player.
He said that he is ready to retire now after 16 seasons in the league.
McDyess was once a young star, but injuries derailed his potential stardom. He eventually made an inspirational transition to a very effective role player.
The forward/center will be missed by San Antonio and many across the league.
7. Kenyon Martin, Nuggets
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There have been conflicting signals from Martin about whether he wants to return to Denver or not. He stated that he will sign with a winning team, but also said that Denver could be a winning team.
Martin posses good rebounding and defensive skills, and occasional offensive skills. Many winning teams would love to add a veteran with his size and skills.
Denver will have to decide if they want to commit to rebuilding and sever ties with a couple of their long-time players. Martin could help them, but they may have to look at the long run.
Miami, the Lakers, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Atlanta and Portland would be among the many interested if Martin goes for a change of scenery.
6. Carl Landry, Hornets
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Landry is a very talented power forward. He stepped up for the Hornets in a big way after David West suffered an injury, and was probably second best on the team from that point on.
Landry has never made a lot of money by NBA standards, and may be looking for a big pay-raise. There is a large market for players of his abilities. Any team could use a post-scorer/rebounder and there are few available as good as Landry.
The Hornets will have some tough decisions to make this off-season. Whether to make a big offer to their backup power forward will be one of them.
5. Jason Richardson, Magic
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Fresh off a first round defeat, and with the prospect of losing their star, the Magic will have a lot to think about this off-season.
I thought Orlando tied their own hands by trading for Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas. Those moves will really limit their salary cap and trade flexibility. They may not want to commit a lot of money to Richardson as well.
For Richardson, it may be his last big pay-day before looking to join a winning team on a low salary. There will be several teams willing to give him at least the mid-level exception, primarily because his three-point shooting and athletic abilities.
Orlando may well spend a lot again in one more effort to build a championship team. That is, if the new labor terms allow them to do so.
4. J.R. Smith, Nuggets
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As far as talent goes, Smith sometimes seems like one of the better players in the league. Unfortunately, because of maturity issues and inconsistency, he has not been able to put it all together.
Smith recently made remarks indicating that he may not return to Denver.
The Nuggets may well be looking to move on from Smith as well. They have several talented guards in Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo and Raymond Felton already.
Besides, Smith has caused George Karl and the Nuggets more headaches over the last few years than anybody not named Carmelo. Advil will lose a lot of their business in Denver if Smith leaves.
Despite all this, it is hard to give up on a player with a lot of talent like J.R. has. The Nuggets may well try to retain him.
The best fit for Smith would be to head to a veteran team like San Antonio or Chicago where he can both mature and put his talents to use.
It would also be interesting to see him head to a team like Charlotte, Minnesota, or another lottery team. There he could have to potential to be a team leader, which could help him mature a la Zach Randolph in Memphis.
3. Nene, Nuggets
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Of the three Nuggets' players on this list, Nene is the most likely to return. He has made statements indicating he would like to sign an extension, and Denver would be crazy to not want him back.
Nene has proven to be a top 10 big man in the league. He is probably Denver's best all-around player right now.
Nene may not even enter the free agent market, as he can return next year making over $11 million.
If he does enter the market, any team would like to have a big man like him. There are few with the money to make him a legitimate offer though, and he is not at the stage of his career yet to take less for a winning team.
I see Denver retaining him, but if not it will be a huge move.
2. Chris Paul, Hornets
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Now we get in to the really big names.
The Chris Paul trade rumors have been out there for a long time now. He made a joke about going to New York last summer to join the big three. Paul has carried the Hornets on his back for a long time, but he may get tired of early exits.
If the Hornets know that he is not happy, they may do well to trade him before he leaves for nothing. They may wait until the trade deadline to do so, like Carmelo this year. Going for it in the summer would be a better idea though, as it would make it harder for Paul to force a trade to his team of choice.
I am not 100% convinced that Paul is completely ready to leave, but if he is the Hornets should pull the trigger now.
Dallas, Houston, Portland, Orlando, and of course the Knicks would be among the many interested.
1. Dwight Howard, Magic
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Dwight is one of the most valuable players in the league. He is really the only elite center right now.
Trade rumors have cropped up in the past year involving Howard. Those will only get worse now that the Magic have been eliminated.
The Magic will probably just ride out the storm hoping that he will eventually re-sign. Many teams would offer quite a bit for Superman, but there are probably not going to be any that make them bite.
Orlando will have to get creative to improve the team around Dwight at this point though.
If Dwight did decide to leave, Orlando would be in much worse rebuilding position than the Nuggets, and maybe worse than the Cavaliers as well.
