Boston Celtics
The Celtics have had a another good off-season and one which sets them up to remain a contender in the Eastern Conference for the coming year. The first and most pressing move, was to re-sign veteran forward Kevin Garnett. There had been some rumours suggesting Garnett was considering retirement but KG has ultimately decided to come back and give it two more years. With Garnett back, the Celtics looked to the draft to secure some front-court help for him. With the No. 21 pick in this year's draft, their choice of Jared Sullinger was a no-brainer. 'Sully', as Boston's fans are already calling him, was touted as a potential top ten pick before his stock dropped due to injury. He'll get plenty of minutes in Boston and can play an important role right away offensively. Look for Sullinger to get in the post and score with his back to the basket, - something which should help open up a Celtic's offense which struggled at times last season. Taking Fab Melo (who averaged only 7.8 ppg, and 5.7 rpg in college last season), with the No. 22 was not such a bright move. I understand the lure of any semi-skilled big guy late in the first-round, especially given the Celtic's current big man rotation, but Melo just seems like a major red flag to me. I'll be shocked if he's still in the rotation by December. The Celts also re-signed Brandon Bass, who earned his contract with a very solid showing last year.
On the perimeter, Boston made two significant moves. First, they let go of Ray Allen, replacing him with Jason Terry, and then they re-signed Jeff Green, who sat out last season with a heart condition. Both of these signings seem like good moves to me. Allen's time in Boston had clearly come to an end, and Terry should prove a more that capable replacement. He's not the shooter that Allen is, but he's a much better ball-handler and can create his own shot. Alongside Rondo and Avery Bradley, Terry gives the Celtics an excellent three-man guard rotation. Green can also be a significant contributor if he's healthy. He didn't have the best of times during his first few months in Boston, but Green has good upside is certainly over-qualified to back up Paul Pierce. He'll mostly play the three but could see plenty of time at power-forward too if the Celtics want to play a small-ball line-up.
Grade: A-
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets made some nice moves to fill out their roster, adding CJ Watson to be their back-up point guard, and re-signing Kris Humphries. Mirza Teletovic is another guy who could make an impact.
Grade: C+
New York Knicks
Where do I start? It's been a strange off-season for the Knicks, with the most obvious example being the Jeremy Lin debacle. In Lin's place the Knicks have a point-guard rotation of Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni. Hardly inspiring stuff. Kidd is way past his prime and should really only be playing a back-up role. Felton is much more of an enigma. He played his best basketball for the Knicks two seasons ago, but has faded remarkably since the Carmelo Anthony trade, culminating in last season's shameful campaign in Portland. Can MSG re-ignite Felton? If so it was a good trade for the Knicks, and he'll be a solid starter. Knicks fans will also be hoping Felton can help get Amare Stoudamire engaged again. The duo ran the pick-and-roll to perfection a couple of years ago, but that was Mike D'Antoni's system, and this is Mike Woodson's. Prigioni was impressive for Argentina in the Olympics, but he likely won't play much for the Knicks - barring injury. That said, he looks more than capable of filling in when called upon. Adding Ronnie Brewer will help shore up their perimeter defense until Shumpert gets back, and he's an excellent value acquisition at the vet. min.
Up-front the Knick's added veteran depth with Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, ironically the only remaining active NBA players from the 1999 Knicks team that made the finals as an eighth-seed. Thomas has shown he can still be a great 5th big man, and Camby's size continues to make him an effective player, though he's well into the twilight of his career. New York rounded out it's roster by re-signing J.R. Smith and Steve Novak. So, as you can see, it's been a somewhat tumultuous off-season for New York, and we haven't even mentioned the Steve Nash stakes.
It's very hard to know how these moves will effect the Knicks ability to contend next year, until we see how they co-exist on the floor. On paper, I certainly think New York has improved but they desperately need one of their point guard options to prove themselves worthy of the starting job. The elephant in the room, of course is Amare Stoudamire's seeming decline. If they can get Amare back to full health, and playing in tandem with 'Melo, the sky's the limit. If not, the Knicks are probably locked into four year of mediocrity given their salary cap situation.
Grade: C
Philadelphia 76ers
The biggest off-season move for Philadelphia is, of course, the recent arrival of Andrew Bynum from LA, as part of the four-team Dwight Howard trade. I broke down this trade shortly after it happened, and outlined why I feel it benefits Philly:
- Bynum is the second best center in the NBA, and has the potential to be a franchise player.
- His contract only has a year remaining so if injuries/maturity issues derail him, the Sixers can cut their losses and clear cap-space.
- If things work out, Bynum is a local guy and would probably be open to re-signing with Philadelphia.
- Most importantly: Boom or Bust, he will help the Sixers avoid the dreaded NBA middle ground
Bynum change's everything about the way Philadelphia will set up it's offense next season. Post-ups constitute 54.6% of Bynum's possessions (according to Synergysports.com). The Sixers will need use their perimeter players wisely to take advantage of the double teams Bynum will draw inside. With Elton Brand gone, Thaddeus Young should assume the starting power forward role, as he would be an ideal fit next to Bynum because of his ability to stretch the floor.
Other notable off-season moves for Philadelphia include singing Nick Young and trading for Dorell Wright. Both guys can shoot the ball, and they'll be valuable pieces for Philly. Kwame Brown's signing seemed ominous only a week ago, but given the new circumstances with Bynum's arrival, I've come around on that one. Brown is much maligned because he was a number one draft pick, and never lived up to expectations, but he's still a good player and a great guy to have coming off the bench. Re-signing Spencer Hawes seems a bad piece of business now, but the Sixers couldn't have predicted Bynum falling into their laps, so the Hawes contract is somewhat forgivable. Look for him to be on the move before the trade deadline if Philly can find a taker.
Grade: B+
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are another team who have had quite a turnover this off-season. They'll have an infusion of young talent next year, with Jonas Valunciunas arriving, as well their three draft choices from this year. Terrence Ross seemed like a reach with the No. 8 pick, but he should still be a good player and he'll be able to contribute. Quincy Acy, who they snagged with the No. 37 pick is another athletic young player who has some upside.
The real prize of the summer for Toronto though, is Kyle Lowry. Given the quality of point-guard play in the NBA right now, having a good point man is fast becoming essential. Lowry is just that. With Lowry on the perimeter, and Bargnani and Valunciunas inside, the Raptors have made big strides forward ahead of the coming season. Landry Fields is another new addition who could make an impact. The Raps overpaid for Fields to try and tie up New York's unsuccesful Steve Nash bid, but he is a good player and if he can regain the form of his rookie season, he could yet be worth the dollars. Toronto filled out it's roster with former Bulls John Lucas III and Aaron Gray, two perfectly fine, if likely unimportant, back-ups.
Grade: B
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