by jubba910 on Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:19 am
Season Review – Lottery Teams
30. Phoenix Suns (22-60)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: Udonis Haslem (70)
No surprise that the Suns didn’t have an uptick in performance post-All Star break, as they cleaned house and brought in a new wave of the future. Now all about potential, including two first round draft picks in this year’s draft, should see the Suns form a solid core around young pieces Michael Beasley & Greg Oden. Next year should be a lot better from the Suns, but could also be a year when they offload more of their bad money contracts (Jason Richardson) in the hunt for more young talent. Udonis Haslem is the only notable piece they may look to re-sign this offseason, while also securing Dorrell Wright for a few more years as Grant Hill enters the last year of his contract, and looks to set to possibly retire before then.
29. New York Knicks (27-55)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: David Lee (80), Al Harrington (77), Nate Robinson (74), Chris Duhon (72), Larry Hughes (71)
Another team that isn’t surprising to be in this position, though deadline trades may have soured a once ripe crop of talent for them to spend money on. With Chris Bosh locked up in Toronto, and Amare Stoudemire & Dwyane Wade linking up in Miami, the Knicks will have all resources on deck to heavily pursue LeBron James as their landmark free agent. The absence of Amare & Bosh in the offseason leads to the belief that the Knicks will retain David Lee down low, but if they come up empty in landing LeBron, may have to move some young pieces to get back in winning ways.
28. Chicago Bulls (31-51)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: Tyrus Thomas (72), Randy Foye (71)
A season to forget in the Windy City, with the young core of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas & Joakim Noah struggling to find a rhythm, and possibly missing the scoring of Ben Gordon more than expected. A mid-season trade saw them acquire Randy Foye and Jose Calderon, however the Bulls look to be missing something that can bring them back to the postseason.
27. Minnesota Timberwolves (31-51)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: None
Still coming to grips with the loss of Kevin Garnett over two years ago, the Wolves look set in their front court with the combination of Kevin Love & Al Jefferson. A shock exit of rookie PG Jonny Flynn saw them acquire a slightly older Aaron Brooks, however they stand to still face a tough conundrum with the inevitable addition of another PG in Ricky Rubio in the coming seasons.
26. Sacramento Kings (31-51)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: None
A good year in preparing the Kings for the future. An extremely youthful back court in the consensus Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans & Brandon Jennings, they look to cause huge problems for years to come. With no major pieces leaving, look for the Kings to strengthen their front court, hunting some mid-level PFs.
25. Washington Wizards (34-48)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: Mike Miller (71)
The once big 3 of Washington is no more, with Caron Butler out the door at the deadline. Despite his age, Antawn Jamison still proved productive throughout the year, while Gilbert Arenas earned All-Star starter honours. Securing the services of young former Raptor Amir Johnson will be a certain task, as the Wizards will have to begin the balance of an aging core and giving opportunities to youth.
24. Philadelphia 76ers (35-47)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: None
Not the worst year for the Sixers, but a definite fall-off post All-Star break was evident. With a still young core, Elton Brand becomes the outlier, with Marreese Speights proving a valid argument as a starting PF. Louis Williams shined as PG, but with Jrue Holiday waiting in the wings, it’s a question of how long Holiday will accept coming off the bench. Samuel Dalembert will also be hot on the trade wire, as acquired Sun Robin Lopez looks to be the franchises long-term Center option.
23. Detroit Pistons (35-47)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: Richard Hamilton (79), Ben Wallace (73)
In a similar boat to the Wizards, the aging production of Richard Hamilton & Tayshaun Prince has been matched with the likes of Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey and Jason Maxiell. The Pistons still look to be missing a special something to get them back into Playoff contention, but the future looks bright with their young prospects.
22. New Jersey Nets (36-46)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: None
Though no postseason for the Nets, they can rest happily acknowledging the outstanding production of their two stars, with both making All-NBA squads. While Yi Jianlian also went above and beyond, with recognition as a MIP nominee. The Nets need some wing scoring, so be it via Free Agency or the Draft, they’re a team to watch grow.
21. Golden State Warriors (37-45)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: None
It was hard to be disappointed with the Warriors result this year. The ruthless Western Conference wreaked havoc on the Warriors, especially housing two top 4 teams in the Lakers & Clippers. Still youthful with Monta Ellis, Anthony Randolph & Stephen Curry, another year of development should hopefully do wonders. Corey Maggette & Stephen Jackson’s large contracts could hamper Golden State at their ages, so it wouldn’t be out of the question for a contender to pick up either for picks.
20. Milwaukee Bucks (37-45)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: Kurt Thomas (71)
In a season wrapped in the controversy of the loss of Brandon Jennings, the Bucks bounced back well with a diligent long-range squad pairing with the rebounding of Bogut down low. A lot of promise is seen in their pick-ups of Jason Thompson and Omri Casspi, and a renewed focus of building around a new foundation.
19. Dallas Mavericks (38-44)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: Josh Howard (77), Drew Gooden (70)
A season to forget for the Mavericks, with their old core underperforming in a tough Conference. The Mavericks are in a unique position where they may have to put all their chips in on older pieces to have a chance at winning a Championship in their current window.
18. Oklahoma City Thunder (39-43)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: None
So close yet so far, the young Thunder came ever so close to a first playoff berth, with a continued focus on developing their extremely young core, with James Harden perfectly complimenting Westbrook, Green & Durant. The fact they got this close surprises most, and is certainly only another stepping stone towards a potential dynasty.
17. Denver Nuggets (41-41)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: None
For the Nuggets, this season can’t be seen as anything else but a failure. With Carmelo Anthony missing the last three weeks of the season, the Nuggets went 3-4 to end the season, finishing agonizingly close to the 8th seed, losing out by half a game to the Jazz. Big questions are to be asked of an aging frontcourt of Kenyon Martin & Nene, as well as whether Carmelo will opt-in next year to stay in Colorado. One shining light this season has been J.R. Smith, who has blossomed into an explosive scorer to pair with Melo.
Last edited by
jubba910 on Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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