Notes on the NBA offseason

The offseason for the NBA officially began on Wednesday, and by the looks of it, it will essentially be over by next week. An abundant of talented players on the market has forced many teams to move at a frantic pace – trying to keep up with their rivals. But some players have other ideas, as they try to hold out for more money or a better destination.

NBA fans have seen a potential career ending injury force a team into rebuilding mode; an old team with championship hopes trying to sign an old guy; and the best team in basketball improve (if that was possible). The 2009 offseason is proving to be a great introduction for the potentially stacked 2010 offseason. The pace has kept up after the trades of Shaquille O’Neal, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson, but can the NBA sustain its momentum into the summer.

The Houston Rockets Achilles heel: Yao Ming’s left foot - Ming’s foot injury has changed the dynamics of the Rockets offseason. They were once a team with two superstars. Now, they are a team with two injured superstars who both may have played their last games for Houston. With Ming and Tracy McGrady possibly missing most (if not all) of next year, the Rockets are no longer looking to contend for at least a year. It’s time for them to rebuild around their role players and free up cap space for 2010 (when they will make their final decision on the often injured Ming). In doing so, they swapped veteran Ron Artest for the potential-filled Trevor Ariza. Ariza will finally get the playing time he wants, and the NBA will find out if he is as good as his 2009 playoff numbers.

Los Angeles Lakers finally get their man: Artest – For years, the Lakers and Artest have wanted each other. Yet, it never worked out until this offseason. The Lakers clearly did not want to over pay to keep Ariza so they signed a veteran who was willing to take a pay cut in hopes of winning a ring. While this move improves the Lakers talent-wise, it’s a risky move. Artest is a firecracker waiting to explode on July 4th. He could ruin the chemistry of the team. Or he could finally provide the Lakers with a shut down defender who can create offense. My best guess is Artest plays nice and boosts the odds of the Lakers repeating. And even if he is a troublemaker, the odds of Ariza repeating what he did in the 2009 playoffs are very slim. Don’t forget about Austin Croshere’s 1999-2000 playoffs. He peaked at the right time, helped the Indiana Pacers reach the NBA Finals, received a nice contract in the offseason, and then never matched that production again. Let’s just call it a case of the “Contract Year Phenomenon.” Kevin Millwood has made much money off of those years.

The Boston Celtics like to court in groups – The Celtics have decided that Rasheed Wallace is the player that will help put them over the top. Even with Wallace’s fiery, self-destructive ways, I actually agree with this move. No one knows how Kevin Garnett’s knees will react this season. The Celtics obviously need a big man to back up Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. Glen “Big Baby” Davis did an admirable job this past season, but he’s not tall enough (but definitely wide enough). Wallace has at least three inches of height on Davis and can rotate between power forward and center. Plus, the Celtics won’t lose any toughness or shooting range by trading Wallace for Davis. If anything, the Celtics gain another emotional player who blurs the line of dirty and tough play. Perkins and Wallace should start rooming together. They will become the best of friends as long as they don’t elbow each other. However, Wallace has made it clear to his suitors this offseason that he will take his time making a decision. This could leave the Celtics out of luck if they miss out on signing him to the Cleveland Cavaliers or San Antonio Spurs.

Introducing the pro-UConn Huskies – The Detroit Pistons wasted no time in signing the players they wanted this offseason. After the Chicago Bulls failed numerous times to resign Ben Gordon, the Pistons swooped in and signed him to a modest contract. Then, when the Milwaukee Bucks made it clear they didn’t want to keep Charlie Villanueva, the Pistons made it clear they wanted Villanueva. With those two additions, the Pistons now have three potential starters who played for the Huskies. These moves make the Pistons younger and officially indicate the Pistons are not going to waste a year rebuilding. But the biggest story in Detroit is how will Gordon and Richard Hamilton co-exist. Both are off-the-ball shooting guards who can come off screens with the best of them. Some might believe the Pistons will shop Hamilton this offseason, but that could mean a quick death for Pistons General Manager Joe Dumars. Hamilton’s fans and teammates love him like Jason Giambi loved performance enhancing drugs. By the way, anyone see Giambi’s stats this year. He’s a bigger flop than Land of the Lost. If anything, Gordon and Hamilton could create fits for opponents on the offensive end. However, playing time will become a factor. Neither one of them are great ball handlers so it makes you wonder how either Hamilton or Gordon will get the ball if point guard Rodney Stuckey is not on the court. The Pistons could move Hamilton to small forward but then where do they play Tayshaun Prince? It’s a good conundrum to have, but it could lead to some disgruntled players. The Pistons clearly are not done this offseason.

Read more about the NBA offseason at these blogs:

• Deals, Deals, and more deals
• Free Agency – Same Faces, New Places
• Bulls a better team without Ben