2008-09 NBA Team PreviewsThis year's offseason was a mess. Perhaps it was
Anderson Varejao's hold out last year that set this off, but two all-stars, and several other very good players remain unsigned. Not to mention the stupid signings, and the mysterious waiving of
Chauncey Billups. What happened?
Atlanta:C - Magloire/Pachulia/Horford/Cochrane(R)
PF - Horford/Williams/Smith
SF - Smith/Williams/Childress
SG - Johnson/Childress/Law
PG - Bibby/Claxton/LawWith a new GM and coach, the future with either be very bright or very bleak. As far as roster moves go, the Hawks got much deeper in the frontcourt, acquiring Centers Magloire and Cochrane, and signing PF Craig Smith. Magloire should help Horford's development, but is this enough to finally vault the Hawks into the playoffs?
Boston:C - Perkins/Ratliff/Scalabrine
PF - Garnett/Scalabrine/Jones
SF - Pierce/Griffin(R)/Ellison(R)
SG - R. Allen/T. Allen/Ellison(R)
PG - M. Williams/Rondo/CarterThe Celtics went from stacked to extremely stacked. The addition of Maurice Williams gives them a quality point guard and yet another scoring threat. Carter replaces Sam Cassell. Draftees Griffin and Ellison give them energy off the bench, and succeeders to Pierce and Allen. Ratliff and Jones give them more depth up front. It should be another great year for the Celtics.
Charlotte:C - Okafor/Mohammed/Maximilian(R)
PF - Haslem/May/Turiaf/Pollard
SF - Morrison/Turiaf/Khryapa
SG - Richardson/Pinnock/Morozov(R)/Morrison
PG - Felton/Morozov(R)/RichardsonThe Bobcats are a mess. Someone forgot to tell them they already had Emeka Okafor, Nazr Mohammed and Sean May before they went and signed 4 guys who all could play Center. This also leaves them with no real backup at the Point Guard, meaning 6'1", 230 lb rookie combo guard Artur Morozov will likely man that position. I don't get it.
Chicago:C - Noah/Tyrus Thomas/Gooden
PF - Nocioni/Gooden/Thomas/Noah
SF - Deng/J. Roberts(R)/Nocioni
SG - Hughes/Brown/Chernov(R)/Bell/House/Roberts(R)
PG - Hinrich/House/BellSame team from last year pretty much minus Gordon and Duhon. Replacing them are 6 Shooting Guards. Yikes.
Cleveland:C - Ilgauskas/Varejao/Wallace/Booth
PF - Wallace/Joe Smith/Varejao
SF - James/Linton Johnson
SG - Szczerbiak/Damon Jones
PG - Vick(R)/Snow/Watters(R)/JonesThe Cavs have yet to resign Boobie Gibson. However, with 4 Point Guards, they probably won't sign him. Then again, manning the position are two rookies, and two scrubs... Otherwise the team looks solid.
Dallas:C - Krstic/Dampier/Voskuhl/Nowitzki
PF - Nowitzki/Krstic/Voskuhl/Howard
SF - Howard/Delfino/Stackhouse/Nowitzki
SG - Stackhouse/Wright(R)/Aidan Davis(R)/Terry
PG - Terry/Lue/BareaPoor Mavs... first they stupidly trade their future for an aging Jason Kidd... only to fall in the second round of the playoffs, then Kidd retires, and all they have to show for it is a shattered future and trouble at the PG position. At the moment, undersized SG Jason Terry will play the point. Meanwhile, the Mavs acquire a solid Center in Krstic, and a decent backup swingman in Carlos Delfino. Really doesn't make up for losing Kidd, or all those guys they traded for him for that matter.
Denver:C - Camby/Nene/Hunter
PF - Kenyon Martin/Nene/Najera/Ongonozi(R)
SF - Anthony/Andres(R)/Kleiza/Ongonozi(R)
SG - Posey/Andres(R)/Iverson
PG - Iverson/AtkinsDenver got some great rookies. Too bad they were both forwards. Like the Bobcats, they are frontcourt heavy and suffer with depth in the backcourt. Can an Iverson/Posey backcourt win a title?
Detroit:C - Rasheed Wallace/Carlos(R)/Ruffin
PF - Maxiell/Carlos(R)/Johnson
SF - Prince/Brown(R)/Artest
SG - Artest/Brown(R)/Hamilton/Afflalo
PG - Hamilton/Smush Parker/QuinnRumor has it that Isiah Thomas has taken over GM duties for over half the league. Thats the only way waiving franchise player Chauncey Billups, then signing Ron Artest would make sense. Good luck playing PG Rip.
Golden State:C - Biedrins/Gadzuric/P. Davis
PF - A. Harrington/B. Wright/P. Davis
SF - S. Jackson/Carlos(R)/A. Harrington
SG - Belinelli/Azubuike/S. Jackson
PG - B. Davis/R. Mason/McKieA deeper version of last year's team. Adding Paul Davis and Gadzuric will subtly help their backcourt. Because they haven't made any retarded moves, the Warriors should have a solid year.
Houston:C - Yao/Scola
PF - Scola/Battier
SF - Battier/Pietrus/McGrady
SG - McGrady/Francis/Head
PG - Alston/Tuttle(R)/B. Jackson/FrancisWith the NBA trend being getting a bunch of frontcourt guys, the Rockets have decided to try small ball, and thus decided to only draft guards and leave Yao and Luis Scola without true backups. Golden State 2!
Indiana:C - J. O'Neal/Blount/Q. Ford(R)
PF - Murphy/Diogu/Tarik(R)/O'Neal
SF - Granger/Dunleavy
SG - Cook/Granger/Dunleavy/Williams
PG - Tinsley/WilliamsThe Pacers are pretty congested in the front court, but thats just one of the team's many problems. When will they ditch O'Neal and rebuild?
LA Clippers:C - Kaman/M. Taylor/Cato
PF - Brand/Stevenson(R)/M. Taylor
SF - Maggette/Thomas
SG - Thornton/Mobley/Cole(R)
PG - Knight/LivingstonNow at full health, the Clippers haven't made any spectacular changes to the roster, but with Brand healthy, they should be above average.
LA Lakers:C - Bynum/Gasol/Mbenga
PF - Gasol/Radmanovic/Odom
SF - Odom/Walton/Radmanovic/Hayes
SG - Bryant/Hayes/Monia
PG - Farmar/Fisher/Serrano(R)The only major addition to the Lakers was swingman Jarvis Hayes. Hayes is a servicable backup for Kobe, and could be the thing that pushes the good Lakers team to great. Who knows?
Memphis:C - Lehmann(R)/Brown/Tanner(R)/Milicic
PF - Green/Milicic/Warrick
SF - Gay/Warrick/Green
SG - Navarro/M. Miller/Crittenton
PG - Conley/Lowry/CrittentonDespite making one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, the Grizzlies still suck, and will suck for some time to come.
Miami:C - Buck(R)/R. Swift/L. Wright
PF - Marion/Smirnov(R)/Wright/Croshere
SF - Wallace/D. Wright/Marion
SG - Wade/M. Daniels/C. Miles
PG - Banks/Miles/WadeThey are still weak at the 1 and 5 positions, but adding Gerald Wallace should keep them in the East's upper echelon.
Milwaukee:C - Bogut/O'Bryant/Hollins(R)
PF - Villanueva/Yi/Bogut
SF - Mason/Simmons/Sefolosha
SG - Redd/Pavlovic/Sefolosha
PG - Hudson/R. PriceLosing Williams really hurt the Bucks. With the little improvements made in the offseason, the Bucks are solid at every position but the 1. Even with the trend being stupid offseason moves, there probably won't be playoff basketball in Milwaukee for at least another year.
Minnesota:C - He(R)/Madsen/Jefferson
PF -A. Jefferson/Gomes/Madsen
SF - C. Brewer/Snyder/Tanner(R)
SG - Foye/Mccants/Buckner
PG - Nelson/Richard(R)/FoyeThey are a bit thin in the frontcourt save for Al Jefferson, but the Timberwolves don't look that bad this year. Is the addition of Jameer Nelson and Guo He enough to finally catapult them into the playoffs?
New Jersey:C - Diop/Nesterovic/Jason Collins
PF - Bosh/Mitchell Miller(R)/Boone
SF - Ager/Hassell/Carter
SG - Carter/Stuckey/Hassell
PG - Marcus WilliamsThey pulled off two hugely beneficial trades last year yet they narrowly missed the playoffs. Now with Devin Harris still unsigned, the Nets are left with a relatively thin backcourt. This team is a mess now... I'm glad I'm not Rod Thorn right now.
New Orleans:C - Chandler/Dwyane Jones/H. Armstrong
PF - David West/Giles (R)/Armstrong
SF - Stojakovic/R. Butler/Gelabale
SG - Peterson/Fitzgerald(R)/R. Butler/Stojakovic
PG - Paul/James/Fitzgerald(R)Last season was a bit of a disappointment, but the Hornets still managed to make the playoffs. With some minor adjustments to the bench, the Hornets look to build on last year's playoff appearance.
New York:C - Curry/L. Simmons(R)/Lee
PF - Lee/Randolph/Balkman
SF - Q. Richardson/J. Jeffries/Balkman
SG - Crawford/F. Jones/Richardson
PG - M. Collins/Marbury/RobinsonIsiah is finally starting David Lee! Additionally, he has benched team cancer Stephon Marbury, who may be on the trading block now. The core Knicks team is the same as last year's though; so they are still dismal.
Orlando:C - Howard/Foyle/Sow/Battie
PF - Turkoglu/Cook/Battie/Howard/Lewis
SF - Lewis/Walter(R)/Turkoglu/Bogans
SG - Redick/Bogans
PG - Kelly(R)/IveyThe Magic have a pretty stacked frontcourt, but they have the worst backcourt in the NBA. Can Howard, Turkoglu and Lewis push their Guard-challenged team to the top?
Philadelphia:C - Dalembert/Jason Smith/Brezec
PF - T. Young/B. Blake(R)/R. Bowen
SF - Iguodala/Carney/Young
SG - W. Green/Adams/Morris(R)
PG - A. Miller/Morris(R)Overall, pretty much the same team as last year, with important bench players Evan, Williams and Ollie being replaced by rookies. Could squeak into the playoffs as a low seed.
Phoenix:C - A. Stoudamire/Skinner/Foster/Diaw
PF - Carlos(R)/Palmer(R)/Diaw/Stoudamire/Foster
SF - Diaw/Hill/Tucker
SG - Barbosa/Tucker/Hill/Diaw
PG - Nash/Owens(R)/BarbosaLosing Shaq to retirement sucked, as they had nothing to show for losing Marion (aside of the 15 million in cap space). The Suns are still solid, but are they still title contenders?
Portland:C - Oden/Frye/Aldridge
PF - Aldridge/Frye/Miles
SF - Webster/Outlaw/J. Jones
SG - Roy/J. Jones/ J. Jack/Webster
PG - Blake/Jack/Hartley(R)/Xing(R)The Blazers are about the same as last year, but unless they have a Chicago Bulls type regression, the future looks bright for the Blazers. Too bad they wasted their draft picks on crap PG's.
Sacramento:C - S. Williams/Hawes/Moore
PF - Abdur-Rahim/Bass/Moore
SF - Salmons/Brett(R)/Power(R)
SG - Kevin Martin/Douby/Salmons
PG - Garcia/Wilks/DoubyArtest and Miller are gone, and it now looks like the Kings are the worst team in the league. With Kevin Martin being the Kings only player capable of being a good starter, look for Sacramento to come in last in the Pacific.
San Antonio:C - Oberto/Barron/Duncan
PF - Duncan/Bonner/Oberto
SF - Udoka/Ross/Becker(R)
SG - Ginobili/A. James(R)/Ross
PG - Parker/Stoudamire/VaughnThe Spurs lost the majority of their bench plus Bruce Bowen to retirement or Free Agency. Is the Spurs sort-of-dynasty over?
Seattle:C - Wilcox/S. Swift/Sene
PF - Collison/Marshall/Wilcox/Swift
SF - Durant/Vinicius/Marshall/A. Griffin
SG - Griffin/Rodolfo Lopez(R)/Durant
PG - Ridnour/Watson/Lucas(R)What were they thinking when they traded Jeff Green for Stromile Swift?? With that major setback, expect the Sonics to be just as terrible or worse than last year.
Toronto:C - Muller/M. Jackson/Bargnani
PF - Bargnani/Garbajosa
SF - Jefferson/A. Parker/Kapono/Garbajosa/Graham
SG - Kapono/Graham/A. Parker/Jaric/Ford
PG - Ford/Anthony Johnson/B. BirdWithout Calderon and Bosh, the Raptors go from playoff regulars to a subpar basketball team. The dynamic duo of Ford and Jefferson probably won't be enough to keep the Raptors from sucking.
Utah:C - Okur/Millsap/Boozer
PF - Boozer/Millsap/Harpring/Okur
SF - R. Brewer/Kirilenko/Munoz(R)
SG - Korver/Lehmann(R)/Almond/Brewer
PG - D. Williams/Hart/AlmondBy keeping the championship core together, the Jazz look like the favorite to win it all this year too. Third year swingman Ronnie Brewer, who largely outplayed Andrei Kirilenko last season gets the starting nod this year.
Washington:C - Haywood/Blatche/Harrison
PF - E. Thomas/Costa(R)/Fortson
SF - C. Butler/A. Carlos(R)/Augustine
SG - Stevenson/Carlos(R)/Arenas/Butler
PG - Arenas/A. DanielsGilbert Arenas has decided not to opt out, but after this season when his contract really runs out, the perennial all-star will likely leave due to Jamison's refusal to resign.
Major Free Agents:Chauncey Billups
Ben Gordon
Antawn Jamison
Monta Ellis
Devin Harris
Ricky Davis
Michael Finley
Bruce Bowen
Jose Calderon
Eddie Jones
JR Smith
Juan Dixon
Alonzo Mourning
Bonzi Wells
Earl Boykins
Gerald Green
Chris Webber
Delonte West
Robert Horry
Jason Williams
Trevor Ariza
Daniel Gibson
Antonio McDyess
Chris Duhon
Gordan Giricek
Ruben Patterson
Yakhouba Diawara
Devean George
Jumaine Jones
Maurice Evans
Sergio Rodriguez
Dahntay Jones
Jalen Rose
Juwan Howard
Ronald Murray
Keyon Dooling
Dermarr Johnson
James White
Francisco Elson
Walter Herrmann
David Wesley
Michael Olowokandi
Chuck Hayes