2011 NBA Free Agency: 3 Ways the NBA Playoffs Will Impact the Free-Agent Market
This year's playoffs were full of surprises.
We saw young teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls come into their own. But they were ultimately unsuccessful, despite the Thunder's All-Star duo of Russell Westbrook and league scoring champ Kevin Durant, as well as the Bulls, led by Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau and MVP Derrick Rose.
We saw the sweep of the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the West by the Dallas Mavericks, and in the East we saw a changing of the guard in terms of "Big Threes," as the team with the bull's-eye on its back, the Miami Heat made it to the Eastern Conference finals instead of the Boston Celtics.
Dallas and Miami are now in a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals. This time they have something in common—their rosters are packed with either past or current All-Stars and quality talent.
So while the Heat and Mavs battle it out for the title, the rest of the league is waiting to see what free-agent moves they'll be making as a result.
Here are five ways the playoffs (and Finals, to a degree) have affected NBA free agency.
Young Guns
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Everybody gets old.
No teams seem to have been touched by Father Time more than the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite their resurgence and renewed rivalry, both teams aren't getting any younger and, as a result, their play isn't necessarily getting any better.
The Celtics Big Three aren't in their 20s anymore and while Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and especially Ray Allen still have gas in the tank, it's hard for them to keep up with younger, faster and more talented teams like the Miami Heat, who took them out of the playoffs.
The Lakers on the other hand are approaching the twilight of their period of dominance. Kobe Bryant is still widely considered the best closer in the league, but eventually he'll realize that the LeBrons and D-Roses are going to lock him down or beat him off the dribble, eventually.
With the young guns like the Oklahoma City Thunder out West and the Chicago Bulls out East, age might not be just a number anymore.
Big Three(s)
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When LeBron James sent shock waves across the world by deciding to partner up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, almost every team in the league started thinking about loading up its roster.
Then Chris Paul was toasting at Carmelo Anthony's wedding talking about forming their own Big Three with Amar'e Stoudemire.
But when the Heat didn't get the start they wanted and the Denver Nuggets played better than 'Melo and his New York Knicks, people started doubting the collection of talents in one city.
Now, with the Heat in the NBA Finals, teams are looking to load up to stand a chance against a loaded lineup like the Heat or the Mavs.
Offense or Defense
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The Miami Heat are considered one of the top defensive teams in the league.
The Dallas Mavericks have some of the best shooting in the league.
The Dallas Mavericks' deadeye shooting was able to eliminate the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers from the playoffs in a four-game sweep, while the Miami Heat defense was able to outlast the top-seeded Chicago Bulls defense.
So, while each team naturally plays its own way, whomever comes out of this playoff/Finals gauntlet provides a blueprint to win an NBA title. Will it be loaded firepower from behind the three-point line, or rundown blocks and trapping defense?
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