The Melo Backpedal

This has been a very eventful summer for most NBA teams, and the leagues landscape is looking much different from what it was last season. The majority of the leagues fans are excited with the moves that their teams have made, and the future looks bright for several of them. On that note, it’s time to take an in-depth look at what each of the leagues teams did to improve themselves and which teams scored the highest grades this summer.

Milwaukee Bucks — C+
- Re-Signed Mo Williams ($52 million over six years)
- Drafted Yi Jian Lian (6th overall) and Ramon Sessions (56th overall)
- Signed free agent Desmond Mason
- Signed free agent Jake Voskuhl
- Lost free agent Ersan Ilyasova to Spanish League
- Lost free agent Ruben Patterson to LA Clippers

I sincerely like GM Larry Harris, and believe he’s one of the better GM’s in the league, but it’s tough to be too high on his roster moves over the summer. While I certainly agree that the Bucks should be a playoff team this upcoming year, and re-signing point guard Mo Williams was an essential part of making that happen, they drastically overpaid to retain his services. ESPN’s John Hollinger praised Harris’ job of fleecing Brian Colangelo and the Raptors out of Charlie Villanueva straight up for TJ Ford last summer, but by losing Ford, Williams and his agent had all the leverage they needed to re-negotiate a lucrative deal. The Bucks basically forced themselves to match any offer to retain his services — or take a huge step backwards in their building process.

Another move that was somewhat suspect from our end is the drafting of Chinese big man Yi Jian Lian with the sixth overall pick in the draft, when they hadn’t even been allowed to work him out prior to the draft. Yes, I know that they had scouted him extensively prior to the draft and that Larry Harris’ father, Mavericks assistant coach Del Harris, directed the Chinese national team to an eighth-place finish in the 2004 Athens Olympics. My issue is the fact that there was already speculation that Yi wouldn’t play in Milwaukee prior to the draft, and created an unfortunate situation by turning the fans against him before he had even signed his contract with the team. That’s not a way to start an era.

Even though they somehow coaxed him into playing in Milwaukee, where does he fit on a team that already has invested interest in Villanueva and Andrew Bogut?

They also lost a promising young forward in Ersan Ilyasova, who had a chance to be a second round steal down the road. Losing a veteran like Ruben Patterson could hurt, but I like the move of bringing back Desmond Mason, who’s a fan favorite from his previous stint in Milwaukee, and will be much better coming off the bench behind Michael Redd than he was in a starting role in New Orleans.

Overall, they Bucks stayed on par to take the next step towards the playoffs, but given the cap flexibility and draft picks they had this summer, they could have taken a huge leap forward.

Houston Rockets — A
- Traded Juwan Howard to Minnesota for Mike James
- Traded Vassilis Spanoulis and a future 2nd round pick to San Antonio for Luis Scola and Jackie Butler
- Drafted Aaron Brooks (26th overall), Carl Landry (31st overall), and bought the rights to Brad Newley (54th overall) from Orlando
- Replaced head coach Jeff Van Gundy with Rick Adelman
- Signed free agent Steve Francis
- Re-Signed Chucky Hayes

While new Rockets GM Daryl Morey had a tumultuous draft day, he’s more than made up for it over the last two months. Few GM’s in the league have had a more impressive first few months on the job. He’s quietly done what we’ve been telling the Rockets to do for the past year; put together a roster with some depth to compliment T-Mac and Yao.

Jeff Van Gundy is a fine coach in our book, but the obvious change-in-direction will allow the team to play to it’s strength, be more offensive-minded, and will likely allow them to score a lot more than they did last season. Van Gundy’s defensive schemes will certainly be missed, but Adelman’s experience and laid back personality should take them further in the playoffs than Van Gundy did. Replacing Van Gundy with just about anybody else could have been a step backwards.

As ESPN’s John Hollinger points out, hiring Adelman was especially important because of his relationship with Bonzi Wells, who was seldomly used by Van Gundy last season. He could be a value addition to a team that lacked depth last year, and seems genuinely excited about being reunited with Adelman, who coached him in Sacramento two years ago.

The acquisition of Mike James is an important one, but could have been a disastrous one if they hadn’t found frontcourt players to replace Juwan Howard’s production. Howard is on his last legs, and although James isn’t much younger, he gives them a slight upgrade over Rafer Alston at the point, who got himself into some serious legal trouble over the summer, and could be on his way out.

They were able to replace Howard’s production by getting a gift from division and cross-state rival San Antonio, who gave them the rights to Argentine big man Luis Scola and Jackie Butler in return for the sparingly used Spanoulis. Scola, who has been one of the best players in Europe, should be a major upgrade over Chucky Hayes as a starting power forward, and Butler isn’t a bad bruiser off the bench.

We were one of the first sites to bash Houston for Drafting Aaron Brooks, who will be a third string point guard, while they had serious needs up front. They’ve addressed those needs, and Brooks showed his worth during the summer league, so we’ll back off that stance a bit. However, they could have had their pick of Brazilian big man Tiago Splitter, Glen Davis, or Josh McRoberts — all of whom could have added depth to the front court — but they chose to go with Brooks instead. The belief here is that they will come to regret that move a few years down the road.

Perhaps one of the more underrated moves of the off-season was the signing of Steve Francis who, should he return to even half the player he was during his first stint in Houston, would have to be one of the best bargains in the league. They got his services for pennies on the dollar.

Overall, it’s tough not to like what the Rockets did this summer. They addressed so many of their needs and should be right in the mix in the Western Conference next season.

Charlotte Bobcats — A
- Re-Signed free agent Gerald Wallace ($57 million over six years)
- Re-Signed free agent Matt Carroll ($27 million over six years)
- Traded the draft rights to Brandan Wright (8th overall) to Golden State for Jason Richardson
- Drafted Jared Dudley (22nd overall)
- Lost free agent Brevin Knight to LA Clippers
- Replaced head coach Bernie Bickerstaff with Sam Vincent

I’m not so sure I understand where the cynics are coming from on the Bobcats acquiring Jason Richardson. While they claim that previously frugal Bobcats owner Robert Johnson only signed off on the Richardson deal was because he had to get over the minimum salary floor, acquiring Richardson fills a major need for a young team trying to take the next step towards the playoffs. When you compare the four years and forty-five million dollars left on his contract to the ridiculous deals lesser players like Rashard Lewis and Mo Williams received this summer, it’s actually not that bad of a deal for a player of his caliber. I applaud the Bobcats for pulling the trigger and only having to give up a draft pick to acquire a player who could very well take them to the next level.

Despite Richardson’s arrival, it was important for the Bobcats to resign Matt Carroll (for the right price), and it allows him to shift to a more suitable sixth-man role. The Bobcats also resigned Gerald Wallace, who is easily one of the most underrated players in the league, to a bargain deal. Wallace, who just turned twenty-five this summer, was the only player in the league to average over 17 PPG, 7 RPG, 2SPG, and 1.5 BPG, and shoot over 52% from the field over the last two years. Compare those numbers with Rashard Lewis’ and the fact that he’s three years his junior; and you can see they got Wallace at a great price.

Jared Dudley could be a nice find late in the first round, but I wonder where he fits in the rotation with so many young wing players. Jermareo Davidson has the talent to be a PJ Brown type of power forward in the league for many years to come, and his addition will certainly add some solid depth at the power forward position.

It’ll be interesting to see how Raymond Felton is able to handle the point guard duties without Brevin Knight around, but our guess is that he’ll be just fine. Bernie Bickerstaff was a good coach, so Sam Vincent, who wasn’t even a lead assistant last season, has some big shoes to fill. Hopefully, he’ll be able to make the transition.

With the addition of a legitimate go-to scorer and the re-signing of a few important pieces, the Bobcats did very well for themselves this summer. When you put it all together, a playoff berth doesn’t seem too far out of the question.

New York Knicks — A
- Traded Channing Frye and Steve Francis to Portland for the Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones
- Traded a future second round selection to Portland for Demetris Nichols (53rd overall)
- Drafted Wilson Chandler (23rd overall)

Isiah Thomas hasn’t received enough credit for his work as a GM this summer, despite the fact that the Knicks should be in position to return to the playoffs with the moves that were made. Most critics don’t have faith in the ability of Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph to defend, or even coexist with each other on the floor at the same time. However, anytime you can pair two dominant low-post scorers together like Randolph and Curry, it’s a rarity you can’t take for granted. Even if they can’t coexist together, they gave up very little in return, and that’s what makes the deal so genius.

They essentially traded Frye, and a player they were begging teams to take off their hands in Francis, for not only Randolph, but two other quality rotational players in Dickau and Jones. Both are underrated additions to a team that suddenly has as much depth as anybody in the East.

I don’t believe the two coexisting will be a major issue. With the current core they have, they aren’t going to beat anybody defensively, but the offensive package is very appealing. Randolph is a complete animal in the post, and to clear the lane for Curry, he can play the high post where he has a nice mid-range jumper.

Rookies Wilson Chandler and Demetris Nichols, both who shined in NYC for the Big East tournament in college, proved their worth in the summer league. The summer time hasn’t always been true to telling how good a player can really be, but at least they didn’t disappoint. Nichols especially, showed his ability to consistently hit the open jumper and will be valuable to a team that will want to spread the floor for Randolph and Curry in the paint.

Something also has to be said about the financial moves of the Knicks this summer. Yes, they will have to pay more luxury tax now that they acquired Randolph, but the fact that they got him for a player they were likely to buy out anyway in Francis, is a huge plus. Instead of giving away roughly $30 million, they can spend it on a player who could be an All-Star in the East. Now that’s the way to spend your money, Mr. Dolan.

Phoenix Suns — C+
- Signed free agent Grant Hill
- Re-Signed Sean Marks
- Drafted Alando Tucker (29th overall) and DJ Strawberry (59th overall)
- Traded James Jones and the rights to Rudy Fernandez (24th overall) to Portland for $3 million
- Traded Kurt Thomas and two future 1st round selections to Seattle for a future 2nd round selection

As much as I want to bash Steve Kerr for ruining the Suns, most of the moves made this summer came under the direction of cheapskate owner Robert Sarver, so I’ll refrain. For the third straight year, the Suns sold one of their first-round draft picks. I don’t have too much of a problem with that, but when you sell your picks every year instead of acquiring future picks, your sending the message that money is more important than building a winner.

Giving away Kurt Thomas will really hurt. He added some much-needed depth in the front court and will certainly be missed. However, he may not hurt as much as the two first rounder’s they had to give up in order to entice Seattle to take the last year of Thomas’ contract. First rounders, even late first rounder’s, are typically a good way for teams to add quality talent at a cheap price. Late first round picks such as Tony Parker (29th overall in 2001) and Tayshaun Prince (23rd overall in 2002) helped their teams to a title during in only their first couple years in the league while making peanuts. If you’re a cheapskate owner, that’s the way you save your money, not by selling your picks.

When they did draft a player, they selected a battle-tested collegiate veteran who I really like in former Big Ten Player of the Year Alando Tucker, but he’s not the athlete or the shooter that typically thrives in the system coach Mike D’Antoni likes to run. It should be interesting to see how that one turns out.

I’m not sure where some people are coming from when they say Grant Hill will put the Suns over the top. When you’re a run-n-gun offensive team that flies up and down the floor, the last thing you want is an injury prone veteran wing player on his last legs. Now Grant Hill is a fine player, but there’s little to suggest that he’ll be able to put the Suns over the top. He’s as brittle as they come, and won’t be able to play the extended minutes they could need from him now that they “sold” James Jones for basically nothing. If healthy, they did get a great player at a great price, but that’s a huge “if” in my opinion. They should still be a really fun team to watch though.

Portland Trail Blazers — A
- Drafted Greg Oden (1st overall), Josh McRoberts (37th overall), and Taurean Green (52nd overall)
- Traded $3 million cash to Phoenix for James Jones and the rights to Rudy Fernandez (24th overall)
- Traded the rights to Derrick Byars (42nd overall) to Philadelphia for Petteri Koponen (30th overall)
- Traded Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones to New York for Channing Frye and Steve Francis
- Traded the rights to Demetris Nichols to New York for a future send round selection
- Signed free agent Steve Blake
- Re-Signed Travis Outlaw
- Lost free agent Jamaal Magloire to New Jersey
- Lost free agent Ime Udoka to San Antonio
- Bought out Steve Francis’ contract

It’s hard to remember such a huge off-season overhaul by any NBA team, and that’s not a bad thing at all. You have to respect Portland GM Steve Patterson for having the guts to make such extreme changes, knowing his job is on the line if things don’t work out. You have to like what the Blazers are building in the remote northwest corner of the country.

The biggest addition was easily Greg Oden, and although it’s tough to give Patterson credit for luckily getting the top overall selection in the draft, we do give him credit for taking the right player and for making moves that build around his new franchise player. Finding Josh McRoberts in the second round could eventually be called a steal, and essentially buying two first round talents in Fernandez and Koponen was pure genius. Both are great additions because they got them cheap and can both be stashed overseas for another year to avoid having too many rookies on the roster all at once.

You have to also like the move to acquire James Jones, who they basically got for nothing, and has the ability to contribute right away at a position of need. They were looking for a young small forward to come in and start, and they found it in James, who just fell into their lap.

The loss of Zach Randolph will hurt initially, but his absence should speed the development of LaMarcus Aldridge, who is the future at the position anyway. Should he stumble, or get hurt again, Channing Frye’s addition will be that much more valuable. Those are two nice young players to have at power forward, and Frye has had an incredible summer of workouts, according to sources. I don’t like the fact that they had to give up an asset like Randolph in order to buy out Steve Francis’ deal, but from a basketball standpoint, it probably wasn’t a bad move. Sure they could have gotten more for Randolph, but it’s sometimes better to just cut your losses and move on.

The notion that Jarrett Jack is better than Steve Blake, as some have argued recently, is complete hogwash. I’ll be the first to admit that I went on record saying that Blake wouldn’t last in the NBA, but he’s been very steady, and he’s a legitimate starting point guard in the league, unlike Jack. They do have a logjam at the point now, which isn’t good, but Jack should be a nice trading chip for the future and Blake can hold down the position until either Sergio Rodriquez or Koponen is ready to take over.

The move I don’t like, however, is essentially spending the money they could have used to resign Ime Udoka, to sign Steve Blake. Portland could have really used last year’s defensive stopper. I’m not sure I like that decision, even if it does bring back a fan favorite in Blake. I was glad to see they brought back Travis Outlaw, and believe he could be a nice piece to a serious playoff contender a few years down the road.

Overall, this team is only a few years away from being a legit title contender, so you have to like that. They could struggle next year, but this is a near-perfect model of how you rebuild in today’s NBA.

Boston Celtics — A+
- Traded Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and two future first round picks to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett
- Traded Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and the rights to Jeff Green (5th overall) to Seattle for Ray Allen and the rights to Glen Davis (35th overall)
- Drafted Gabe Pruitt (32nd overall)
- Signed free agent Brandon Wallace
- Signed free agent Eddie House
- Signed free agent Scot Pollard
- Signed free agent James Posey

I’ve been bashing Danny Ainge for ruining the Celtics for years, but he probably did more for his team (and for his job security) than any other GM this summer. Short-term, you have to like the three All-Star tandem of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett in the Eastern Conference. Boston fans can finally hang their heads high and have some pride in an organization that’s had none for the last decade. Plus, Ainge has proved over the years that he’s completely inept at rebuilding a team with young players, so making Boston a serious contender in the East without rebuilding the entire team was certainly a great move.

Long-term, this will likely hurt the Celtics, but you can’t think of that. Anytime you have a chance to pair three stars together and make a team in Boston relevant again, you do it. Some people are skeptical of who will play along side the big three, but there’s still a few quality players left on the roster, and finding players who’ll play cheap at the chance to go deep in the playoffs shouldn’t be hard.

The reason I like the move to bring in Ray Allen was the fact that they didn’t have to part with either Al Jefferson and / or Theo Ratliff’s expiring contract, so it left the door open for the Garnett move to put them in the contenders circle. Since they eventually ended up landing the other piece to the puzzle in Garnett, this team should have a similar turnaround as the Phoenix Suns had a few years ago after acquiring Steve Nash.

Drafting Glen Davis in the second round was a good move. He could eat his way out of the league in two years, but in the second round, you need to take a chance on a big man that has Lottery level talent. Gabe Pruitt could be another potential steal for the Celtics in the second round, but I haven’t been very high on him, so getting him in the second round isn’t quite the splash Davis was.

Adding James Posey was a great move as well, though he plays the same position as Allen and Pierce. He’s versatile veteran with championship experience that should be a huge help in getting this team deep in the playoffs.

It’ll be interesting to see how the deals that were made this summer will be perceived in ten years, but in our opinion, acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were fantastic short term moves and should be enough to pull the Celtics out of the cellar and into the winners circle once again. That has to be considered a grand slam for Celtic fans.

Seattle SuperSonics — A+
- Drafted Kevin Durant (2nd overall)
- Traded Ray Allen and the rights to Glen Davis (35th overall) to Boston for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and the rights to Jeff Green (5th overall)
- Traded the rights to Carl Landry (31st overall) to Houston for a future 2nd round pick and cash
- Traded a future 2nd round pick (via Houston) to Phoenix for Kurt Thomas and two future 1st rounder’s
- Signed-and-traded Rashard Lewis to Orlando for a future 2nd round pick
- Lost free agent Andre Brown to Memphis
- Replaced head coach Bob Hill with P.J. Carlesimo

New Sonics GM Sam Presti has had himself a very busy summer. He’s right up there with Portland GM Steve Patterson, who we gave props to for having the guts to overhaul his team and build around his future star. Kevin Durant should be an emerging star in this league, and the fact that he just signed a $60 million marketing deal with Nike is proof that he’ll be up there with LeBron and D-Wade as one of the leagues most recognizable faces before long.

The move to trade away Ray Allen was good and bad. First, the move was made with the idea of blowing up the old core and starting a new one, so it’s inevitable that it will set Seattle back in the short-term. That’s not my concern, however. My concern is that young players need savvy veterans to show them how to play, and above all else, how to be a professional. Nobody’s better than that than Ray Allen, and he would have been a perfect mentor for Durant in his declining year’s. Sure, Szczerbiak can play that role too, but to a lesser degree than Allen.

They acquired what could be a future star in Jeff Green in the process, so that wasn’t a bad thing at all. Green really has a chance to be a special player in this league, and is ripe enough that he will likely have a shorter learning curve than Durant will. I wonder, however, where he fits in the rotation once he and Durant are ready to be full-time starters. Both play small forward, and unless they run an up-tempo offense, like in Phoenix, it’s tough to see one of them playing power forward. Carlesimo isn’t exactly known for his knowledge of an up-tempo offensive scheme, so his hire was in interesting one, even if he and Presti do go way back from their days with the Spurs organization.

In what I believe was perhaps the most underrated deal of the summer, Presti did acquire some immediate help at power forward in Kurt Thomas, along with two future 1st round selections, when he traded a measly second rounder to Phoenix. Those two first round picks will be valuable, and Thomas will instantly add something the Sonics have lacked in the post for quite some time. He may only be there for one year until his contract expires, but the hope of an extension could prompt a big year out of him. That deal makes up for the fact that they only received a second round in return for departed free agent Rashard Lewis. They were smart to let him walk, and the trade exception they received in return will really come in handy.

Figuring out how to improve their deficient defense won’t be easy. They drafted big men Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Mohammed Sene in the first round over the last five years, and if one of them could emerge as a legitimate starter in the middle, Seattle could be a lot better than initially anticipated.

Like Portland, Seattle is rebuilding the right way, and they should be looking at the playoffs in two short years. Long term, this is a team that other teams will fear, and their strong off-season maneuvering was certainly a step in the right direction.

Golden State Warriors — C+
- Traded Jason Richardson and the rights to Jermareo Davidson to Charlotte for the rights to Brandan Wright
- Drafted Marco Belinelli (18th overall)
- Drafted Stephane Lasme (46th overall)
- Signed Kosta Perovic (2005 2nd round selection)
- Signed free agent Austin Croshere
- Re-Signed Matt Barnes
- Re-Signed Kelenna Azubuike
- Bought out Adonal Foyle (Orlando)

The Warriors, coming off a huge post-season, have had a rough-n-tumble summer so far. Their off-season reminds me a lot of my Chicago Bears, who had a magical playoff run last season, only to somewhat disappoint in the off-season following. Like the Bears, the Warriors coach who built the whole thing is looking for a contract extension. That’s the first of many issues. Like the Bears they also traded away one of their stars and are holding out on giving a long-term extension to a player who really contributed to the teams overall success.

Of course the player they traded away was Jason Richardson and the player they could lose to free agency is Mickael Pietrus. Both were big-time contributors last season. I don’t have a problem moving players who are disruptive or player who aren’t pulling their weight on the court, but Richardson and Pietrus don’t fall into either of those categories, which makes not bringing them back all the more confusing. Luckily, they brought back Matt Barnes, who was also a free agent, for below market value. Pietrus, meanwhile, has expressed interest in playing in Dallas, Cleveland, or Miami, so his potential departure only makes Richardson’s loss that much more severe.

I’m not on the same page as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who thinks the Warriors did a great job of unloading Richardson’s contract for a guy with the potential of Brandan Wright. In the end, I think Wright could be a fine player, but they just gave up a player in Richardson, who’s arguably one of the top ten players at his position, and in his prime, for a player that could be good down the road. Very risky move if you ask me.

At the moment it seems that they’ll have a hard time replicating the magical ending to last season. People are already talking up Belinelli as a legitimate replacement for Richardson after his blazing summer league effort. We’ve already said that he’ll be a baller in our Potential Draft Steals article, but matching what Richardson gave on a nightly basis could be a huge stretch at first.

As for Wright, you have to like him as a prospect, especially in Nelly’s system, but it will likely be a couple years down the road. Can Baron Davis and company wait?

Long term, GM Chris Mullin may have cleared a little cap space and still prepared himself for the future, but most of us would have expected him to build on his teams success last year. Losing some rotational players from last year will likely hurt Golden States playoffs chances this year.

Memphis Grizzlies — B
- Drafted Mike Conley (4th overall)
- Signed free agent Andre Brown (from Seattle)
- Signed free agent Casey Jacobsen
- Signed free agent Darko Milicic ($21 million over three years)
- Traded a future first round pick to Washington for the rights to Juan Carlos Navarro
- Lost free agent Chucky Atkins to Denver
- Lost free agent Alexander Johnson to Miami
- Lost free agent Lawrence Roberts
- Replaced head coach Tony Barone with Marc Iavaroni

The Grizzlies really improved their team without blowing everything up, which certainly had to be a temptation. I really like what they did in shoring up key positions through the draft and free agency.

Point guard was an obvious need with the free agent defection of Chucky Atkins and the age of Damon Stoudemire. The fact that they play against Tony Parker and Chris Paul eight times combined each year means they needed youth and talent at the point and they got it with Mike Conley. Conley should make an impact in year one, but because of his inexperience, he should be much more valuable as a long term solution at the point.

They also traded for Gasol’s buddy Juan Carlos Navarro, a combo guard who should be able to given them quality minutes at both backcourt positions. It’s believed that the pick was for 2008 (top 19 protected), and with all the talent out West, it looks like Washington might be getting a pick way down the road because the Grizzlies will likely be in the Lottery again next season.

The Grizzlies also wanted a young stud to stick in the middle, so they snagged Darko Milicic away from Orlando, which is close enough. Milicic could still be a very good player in this league and he should be a dependable frontcourt partner for Pau Gasol, who they now appear to be keeping.

The addition of up-and-coming coach Marc Iavaroni should help the Grizzlies in the win column immediately. With the additions and the development of youngsters like Rudy Gay and Hakim Warrick, the Grizzlies should be on the cusp of returning to the playoffs in the future, even if it isn’t this year.

Chicago Bulls — B
- Drafted Joakim Noah (9th overall), Aaron Gray (49th overall) and JamesOn Curry (51st overall)
- Signed free agent Joe Smith
- Re-Signed Andres Nocioni ($38 million over five years)
- Lost free agent P.J. Brown

GM John Paxson has once again done a valiant job filling his team’s holes and the Bulls should be right back in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race as a result. However, with the way several teams in the East have improved over the summer, he may have made a gigantic mistake not trading for a low post scorer like Pau Gasol or Zach Randolph while he had the chance.

Clearly Paxson is high on his promising young stud at power forward in Tyrus Thomas, or the Bulls would have added the veteran they so desperately need on the low-block. Paxson also added an energetic defensive player in Joakim Noah through the draft and the veteran experience of Joe Smith to fill the need.

At first glance this doesn’t seem like the flashiest way to fill the void, but after doing some analyzing, I’m sold. First, you don’t want to stunt the growth of Thomas by adding a full-fledged starter to the roster, yet getting Smith will add the veteran presence they’ve been looking for, albeit at a cheap price. Few people know this, but Smith averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, including eight double-doubles, in his final 34 games of 2006-07. Not bad at all for a player most people didn’t even have on their radar when free agency began.

Now Smith and Noah aren’t the answer to the team’s problems scoring in the post, but they give Chicago more assets should the team rekindle trade talks. With Luol Deng and Ben Gordon looking for extensions soon, this summer would have been a great time to unload one of them to acquire the post presence they’ve been looking for. It’s hard to criticize the Bulls for not trading away either Deng or Gordon to acquire the legitimate low-post scorer they need, but the fact that they could have likely gotten a player like Zach Randolph at a cheap price has to make you wonder.

Bringing Nocioni back was a good move. Although he could have been sent in a sign-and-trade deal, it’s good that they didn’t lose him for nothing and didn’t necessarily overpay to keep him around either. In the end, the Bulls certainly took a step forward, but I’m not sure they took as big of a step as they could have this summer.

Orlando Magic — D+
- Signed free agent Rashard Lewis ($113 million over six years)
- Signed free agent Adonal Foyle
- Traded the rights to Reyshawn Terry (44th overall) to Dallas for the rights to Milovan Rakovic (60th overall).
- Traded the rights to Brad Newley (54th overall) to Houston for cash
- Lost free agent Grant Hill to Phoenix
- Lost free agent Darko Milicic to Memphis
- Lost free agent Travis Diener to Indiana
- Replaced head coach Brian Hill with Stan Van Gundy

Getting Rashard Lewis has to bring some immediate excitement to Orlando, who could have a dynamic duo for several years with Lewis and Dwight Howard. However, once the initial excitement dies down and you start to analyze everything, you realize that this is the type of contract that can cripple a franchise. Not only did the Magic dramatically overpay for Lewis, but they bid against themselves and likely could have gotten him at half the price. If Gerald Wallace, who is arguably just as good as Lewis, got $57 million over six years, why did the Magic pay so much to get their guy?

They also had to renounce the rights to Darko Milicic, a promising young big man who they gave away a first round pick to acquire less than 20 months ago. Had they worked out a way to sign Lewis to a smaller long term contract and still retain Milicic, the present and the future would be much, much brighter in Orlando.

Darko’s departure leaves the frontcourt looking awfully thin, and I’m not sure that Tony Battie or Adonal Foyle are the answer next to Dwight Howard — but they’ll have to be for now. Grant Hill’s leadership will be missed, but it was good to finally get that era over with. One thing is for sure, they’ll get more production from Lewis than they did from Grant Hill during the seven years he was in Orlando.

The future of Hedo Turkoglu has to be up in the air now that Lewis is on board. They’re both similar type of players, so it’s not too clear how both can be on the court at the same time. However, if they find a way to trade him for a legitimate big man, their off-season grade would certainly improve.

One major addition is bringing in Stan Van Gundy as the new coach. Billy Donovan was likely to get fans more excited, but Van Gundy was the better coaching candidate. He was clearly one of the best coaches available on the market this summer, and his reputation suggests he should improve the Orlando’s defense quite a bit.

Overall, there are a lot of things to consider here. It looks like the Magic could be more fun to watch, but I’m not too sure it effects them in the win column much. The fact that Rashard Lewis will turn 33 prior to the last year of his new contract, when he’ll be making over $20 million in one season, would scare the crap out of me if I were an Orlando fan.

Philadelphia 76ers — B+
- Drafted Thaddeus Young (12th overall)
- Traded the rights to Daequan Cook (21st overall) and cash to Miami for the rights to Jason Smith (20th overall)
- Traded the rights to Petteri Koponen (30th overall) to Portland for the rights to Derrick Byars (42nd overall) and cash.
- Traded the rights to Kyrylo Fesenko (38th overall) to Utah for the rights to Herbert Hill (55th overall).
- Lost free agent Joe Smith to Chicago

As mentioned before, Joe Smith was surprisingly one of the keys to Philadelphia’s strong second-half play last season, but losing him shouldn’t be the end of the world. They added two draft picks in Jason Smith and Herbert Hill who should be able to fill the void and then some. Smith has a chance to be a really good power forward in this league with his combination of size, shooting touch, and athleticism.

I don’t like the trade of Petteri Koponen, but having three first rounder’s battling for playing time isn’t ideal, and Derrick Byars could be a real find in the second round. He was getting serious first round buzz prior to the draft. Although trading away Fesenko to Utah was a way of paying them back for taking Alan Henderson’s contract last season and thus helping them avoid the luxury tax, getting Hill in exchange may not be such a bad thing. He’s another young guy who has a nice combination of size and athleticism.

In what was one of the most underrated selections of the 2007 NBA Draft, the Sixers acquired a player in Thaddeus Young should be a fantastic compliment to Andre Iguodala on the wing. I fully expect Young to be one of the best players this draft produces, and he and Iguodala should be a fun duo to watch for many years to come. His arrival boosts their off-season grade dramatically.

There might not be much difference in the win column next year, but the future is certainly looking a bit brighter. This was easily one of the best off-seasons in GM Billy King’s tenure.

San Antonio Spurs — B+
- Traded the rights to Giorgos Printezis (58th overall) to Toronto for a 2008 second round pick
- Traded Jackie Butler and the rights to Luis Scola (2002 pick) to Houston for Vassilis Spanoulis
- Drafted Tiago Splitter (28th overall) and Marcus Williams (33rd overall)
- Signed free agent Ime Udoka
- Re-Signed Matt Bonner
- Re-Signed Fabricio Oberto
- Re-Signed Jacque Vaughn
- Waived James White
- Waived Vassilis Spanoulis

The first thing that stands out to me is that fact that they Spurs, typically one of the smartest front offices in the league, handed the Rockets, a division rival, the power forward they desperately needed in Luis Scola. While we understand that they may not have had the room or the money to spend on Scola, they will regret giving him away for so little to a division rival. The Spurs made the move because they wanted to get rid of Butler’s contract to get under the luxury tax threshold, and this trade allowed them to do just that. It still doesn’t justify what they did.

At the same time, much like Houston, the Spurs got bailed out by some good luck. Making the trade allowed them to snag defensive stopper Ime Udoka, whose rights were recently renounced by Portland, for a very cheap price. Udoka is basically a reincarnation of Bruce Bowen, and with Bowen hitting his late thirties, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the motive here.

When it comes to the draft, few teams did better than the Spurs. Getting a guy who can play both the four and the five, like Splitter can, should pay dividends immediately. He and Marcus Williams, who was getting Lottery buzz last February, could both be potential steals for the Spurs.

Re-Signing Oberto was icing on the cake. Had the Spurs not traded away Scola, who’s one of basketball’s biggest stars in Europe, to a division rival for so little, they’d certainly be receiving an “A”.

Miami Heat — D
- Traded the rights to Jason Smith (20th overall) to Philadelphia for the rights to Daequan Cook (21st overall) and cash considerations
- Traded Stanko Barac (39th overall) to Indiana for a 2009 second round pick
- Signed free agent Anfernee Hardaway
- Signed free agent Smush Parker
- Signed free agent Alexander Johnson
- Lost free agent Jason Kapono to Toronto
- Lost free agent James Posey to Boston

Remember when the Heat acquired Shaquille O’Neal in the summer of 2004? You also probably recall that shortly after that they brought in Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and James Posey, giving the Heat one of the highest payrolls in the entire league. Everybody knew they’d be title contenders for a few years, but then they’d have these ridiculous contracts and have to rebuild. Well everybody, that time has come.

It’s hard to convince the city of Miami that they’re run is over, and it’s hard to rebuild with Shaquille O’Neal’s huge contract still on the books, but they need to at least try. Either they had a hard time moving some of the older players this summer or the front office is delusional enough to think this team can still compete. Either way, it wasn’t a good summer in Miami.

Although their efforts to acquire free agent point guard Mo Williams were valiant, they made a mistake by essentially putting all their eggs into one basket. By doing so, they missed out on the opportunity to sign other decent point guards such as Steve Blake, Derek Fisher, and Chucky Atkins. It’s not like any one of those guys, including Williams, would have instantly made them a contender anyway. Smush Parker is who they end up settling on. Enough said.

You have to love, too, how Alonzo Mourning of all people was ripping Mo Williams for supposedly rescinding on his verbal commitment to sign with the Heat when the Bucks upped their initial offer. After all, wasn’t it Mourning who forced his way back to Miami by refusing to play in Toronto following his trade from New Jersey three or four years ago? He’s really not in a position to criticize.

Contrary to what you might think, point guard isn’t the only area that needs fixing. Kapono’s departure takes away their most reliable shooter, which is an important commodity when you consider all the attention focused on Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. Another reliable, but aging shooter is James Posey, who might be on his way out the door as well. That would leave Miami without two of their most valued wing players from last season. It didn’t take long to figure out Antoine Walker wasn’t the answer at small forward either, but he’s basically impossible to move given his less-than-stellar reputation around the league. I’m still disappointed that he — and not Karl Malone or John Stockton — has a championship ring.

Daequan Cook is a shooter who might be able to spread the defense for Wade in the future, but he isn’t likely to contribute much right out of the gate. He’s still very young, so I’m not too sure how his arrival will give immediate help. Keeping Jason Smith may have been the smarter move. Ime Udoka, among others, is still available and could probably aid the rebuilding process right away.

Most important of all, news that Wade’s recovery from off-season knee and shoulder surgery might force him out of training camp and beyond, make this an even more difficult summer for the Heat.

Atlanta Hawks — B
- Drafted Al Horford (3rd overall) and Acie Law (11th overall)

Although the Hawks didn’t make many drastic moves, as anticipated, adding two more Lottery picks to a young core that already includes rising stars Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, and suddenly the Hawks look like an up-and-coming team. Adding a veteran through free agency would have been nice, but either way, this team looks really nice on paper.

Horford was clearly one of the top players in an extremely strong draft, and he showed why in summer league play. Expect him to be one of the top candidates for Rookie of the Year. He and Sheldon Williams, last year’s Lottery pick, should able to handle the middle — where the Hawks have been badly undermanned in the past.

We recently claimed Law could be one of this years draft busts, but he should be a legitimate upgrade over the trio that handled point guard duties last year. When we said he could be a bust, we were implying that he wouldn’t be the savior some believe he’s going to be. On the bright side, he can’t be any worse than that trio was last year.

With the improvement of Atlanta and Charlotte, it makes you wonder who’s going to be missing the playoffs in the Southwest Division, Miami, Washington, or Orlando. It looks like Charlotte or Atlanta could make a serious push if they can remain healthy.

Washington Wizards — B
- Drafted Nick Young (16th overall) and Dominic McGuire (47th overall)
- Signed Oleksiy Pecherov (2006 1st round pick)
- Traded the rights to Juan Carlos Navarro to Memphis for a future first round draft pick
- Re-Signed Deshawn Stevenson ($15 million over four years)
- Re-Signed Andray Blatche
- Lost free agent Jarvis Hayes

This has to be an encouraging off-season for the Wizards, who needed to improve their roster to have any hope of retaining Gilbert Arenas when he opts out of his contract next summer. However, it doesn’t look like their done dealing. If they can somehow retain, or get some value for, Andray Blatche, then they should be one of the top teams in the East next season.

Although they need help inside, sending Etan Thomas’ contract out with Navarro would have left an even bigger hole inside. Now that Navarro is gone, they should stay content with what they have and make the best of the contract they have with Thomas.

Something has to be said about the Navarro trade. Although he was a star in Europe, getting a potential Lottery pick in return from Memphis was like striking Gold. That’s a huge reason they get a good grade this summer. If they get a Lottery pick out of Navarro, they will have the opportunity to really take a huge step forward in the summer of 2008.

There have been rumors of an Antawn Jamison deal all summer, but I’m not sure if it makes sense. He’s in the least year of his contract and he’s still a valuable player in the Wizards system, so getting equal value in return isn’t likely. Keeping him allows them to get back to the playoffs — keeping the fans, and more importantly, Arenas happy — and allows them to restructure his contract next summer. If they play their cards right, they can have him and Arenas back for 2008 with new contracts.

Bringing back Stevenson was the right thing to do. He played for peanuts as a starter last season, and needed to be rewarded. Yet they didn’t overpay to keep him. Plus, we’re very skeptical of Nick Young as the starting two guard, as we mentioned in an earlier article. He’s likely to contribute something, however, and with Jarvis Hayes out of the fold, they’ll need him.

We’re really excited to see Pecherov play this year, after staying in Europe for a year after being drafted just outside of the Lottery in 2006. He should add some much-needed frontcourt help. His arrival only adds to a quietly productive off-season for the Wizards.

New Orleans Hornets — C+
- Signed free agent Morris Peterson ($23 million over four years)
- Re-Signed free agent Jannero Pargo
- Drafted Julian Wright (13th overall) and Adam Haluska (43rd overall)
- Lost free agent Desmond Mason to Milwaukee

The Hornets really put themselves into a tough position when they didn’t address their need for a shooting guard in the draft, which forced them to slightly overpay to get Morris Peterson. If they hadn’t done that, they would have taken a major step backwards as Desmond Mason was already packing his bag to leave for Milwaukee.

Having said that, acquiring Peterson solidified their starting rotation and they should be in position to compete for a playoff spot if they can actually stay healthy this year.

Although having Peterson and first-round selection Julian Wright on the wings should be an upgrade on the Rasual Butler/Desmond Mason combo that played there last season, we certainly have our doubts about Wright. He’s not a shooter, and his slashing will be plagued by his inability to shoot free throws. If he works on his game, however, he has the skill and athleticism to be special.

Toss in Peja’s return from injury, and the Hornets could really be a playoffs threat in 2008.

Sacramento Kings — D+
- Drafted Spencer Hawes (10th overall)
- Re-Signed Justin Williams
- Signed free agent Mikki Moore ($10 million over three years)
- Lost free agent Ronnie Price to Utah
- Replaced head coach Eric Musselman with Reggie Theus

We’ve said it many times; the Kings are the least attractive organization in the league. GM Geoff Petrie was one of the best executives in the league just a few years ago, but you have to wonder if he’s lost his magic touch. When he recently claimed, “I like our (current) roster”, and denied that major changes were going to be made, you have to wonder if he’s hiding something or if he needs to be checked into the local psychiatric ward. Either way, they Kings have a lot of work to do before we can feel good about their prospects again, and not a whole lot was done this off-season to change that.

Who knows if Theus can coach or not, but Eric Musselman, who did a fine just previously in Golden State, couldn’t even do anything in this messy situation. A change certainly needed to be made to the coaching staff, but only time will tell if replacing Musselman with a guy who’s never coached in the NBA ends up being for the better. Nobody doubts Theus’ ability, but he may be in over his head.

We let it be known prior to the draft that we really liked Spencer Hawes, but not in this situation. He, Mikki Moore, and Brad Miller are all quality players, but essentially play the same position. They needed a power forward in the worst way, in the sense that signing Joe Smith would have been a major find. Instead, they go back to the drawing board and hope that the Abdur-Rahim / Kenny Thomas experiment can hold up for another year.

Although Moving Mike Bibby and his ridiculous contract would have been ideal, there’s simply no excuse for not moving a player like Ron Artest, who has clearly won out his welcome. It’s hard to believe that a combination of David Lee, who would immediately address their power forward issues, and Quentin Richardson wouldn’t be an upgrade over Artest. The Knicks deny ever offering that, but several sources say that deal was on the table and Sacramento wanted more. Not a smart move on Sacramento’s part, in our opinion.

Expect the Kings to once again be one of the worst teams in the league this year, with Bibby and/ or Artest finding suitors before the trade deadline in February.

Los Angeles Lakers — C+
- Drafted Javaris Crittenton (19th overall), Sun Yue (40th overall), and Marc Gasol (48th overall)
- Signed free agent Derek Fisher ($16 million over three years)
- Re-Signed Chris Mihm
- Re-Signed Luke Walton
- Lost free agent Smush Parker to Miami

We simply refuse to spend anymore time writing about Kobe Bryant and his ridiculous trade demands, but it did make for some off-season fun. The Lakers front office is easily one of the most inept groups in the entire league (Kwame Brown for Caron Butler? Hello!), and they didn’t do nearly enough this summer to dispel that opinion around the league.

They did, however, do a few things right. The first thing they did right was bringing back Chris Mihm and Luke Walton, two key figures who stayed in Los Angeles for arguably less money than they would’ve gotten on the open market. That was a good move.

They also brought in a point guard in Javaris Crittenton, who should be a perfect fit for Phil Jackson and the triangle offense. He’s big, can score, and has some solid point guard skills. The bad part of drafting Crittenton is that he’s not likely to make in immediate impact and his arrival means they essentially wasted a pick on Jordan Farmar, who they should look to get value for while they still can.

Bringing back Derek Fisher was a good move as well. He’s a good friend to Kobe Bryant, which should help with damaged control, and he’s a veteran who knows the triangle offense as well as anyone. So what if they supposedly overpaid to bring him back? He’ll be worth the money because of the veteran leadership and on-court production he’ll bring to the team.

The one thing that prevents the Lakers from getting a higher grade is the fact that several sources claim the Pacers had an offer on the table to send Jermaine O’Neal to the Lakers in exchange for Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Jordan Farmar. The Lakers didn’t pull the trigger in hopes of getting Kevin Garnett, but the deal remained on the table for weeks and the Lakers still didn’t pull the trigger after KG was out of play. Now you can’t tell me that the Lakers wouldn’t be scary with those two playing together; and they wouldn’t have to blow their team up to get it done.

We’re not too sure this off-season was enough to make Kobe rescind his trade demand, but it should help. Having Fisher back will be nice, and hopefully we’ll see enough from Andrew Bynum to justify the Lakers for not trading him. Still, they aren’t a top five or six team in the Western Conference.

Toronto Raptors — B
- Signed free agent Maceo Baston
- Signed free agent Jason Kapono
- Lost free agent Morris Peterson to New Orleans
- Traded a future 2nd round pick to San Antonio for the rights to Giorgos Printezis (58th overall)

GM Brian Colangelo has done it again. He didn’t add big pieces this off-season, but the Raptors got younger, and they added some valuable pieces around their core. Jason Kapono is somewhat of a wash for Mo Pete, but he’s a few years younger and a little bit of a deadlier shooter, even if he did come at a greater expense.

Morris Peterson was a solid player in Toronto, but isn’t likely to be missed too much. The team did fine with him in a reserve role last season, and Kapono is more than capable of reproducing similar production, if not more.

Maceo Baston was an underrated signing in our opinion. He’s another big guy who can play quality minutes behind Chris Bosh, and he came at a premium price. The former Michigan star following the fab-five days was a Euroleague star for several years before playing for the Pacers last season.

The key in Toronto is that added some solid role players who can compliment their core guys. The result should help Toronto get past the first round and perhaps beyond in 2008.

Detroit Pistons — B
- Drafted Rodney Stuckey (15th overall), Aaron Afflalo (27th overall), and Sammy Mejia (57th overall)
- Re-Signed Chauncey Billups ($60 million over five years)
- Re-Signed Amir Johnson ($11 million over three years)
- Re-Signed Antonio McDyess
- Signed free agent Jarvis Hayes

The Pistons may have slightly overpaid to keep Billups around, but I agree that you reward guys for what they’ve done in the past, and they’ll certainly continue to get quality production from their All-Star for a few years to come. The last couple years, when he’s in his kid thirties, could be tough to swallow though.

Amir Johnson, who spurned his collegiate eligibility at Louisville before even playing a game for Rick Pitino, only to get drafted in the second round by the Pistons in 2004, has finally turned into the player most thought he could become. They actually extended his contract at a good price, as he can add some much-needed youth to the frontcourt that currently includes thirty-something’s Rasheed Wallace, Chris Webber, and Antonio McDyess.

I’ll admit I wasn’t solid on Stuckey coming out of the Big Sky conference after only his sophomore season, but after watching his summer league play, he certainly looks like the real deal. He should give Detroit a guy who can fill in at both guard positions and add some scoring punch lacked by last years reserve guards, Flip Murray and Lindsey Hunter.

Overall, it’s still tough to see the Pistons being a title contender, but it’s probably not quite time to start rebuilding. There’s plenty of talent around to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference next year.

Denver Nuggets — C
- Signed free agent Chucky Atkins
- Lost free agent Steve Blake to Portland

It’s tough to fault a team that should be among the top six or seven next year, for standing pat and being content with where they are, especially if that team doesn’t have the cap space to make any moves. However, the Nuggets only won one playoff game last year, and although they should be better this year with the return of Kenyon Martin and the chemistry the team has built, they still needed to do some work if they want to compete for a title in 2008, and that didn’t happen.

While some people actually like the signing of Chucky Atkins after letting Steve Blake walk, we really don’t. While it’s true that Atkins can shoot the lights out, he isn’t nearly the playmaker the Nuggets need to get the ball to ‘Melo and Iverson for their twenty shots per game. He’s also a defensive liability due to his size, and isn’t productive enough when he’s not shooting the ball, which will take shot attempts away from the other two, and Kenyon Martin. I’m just not sure how comfortable I would be competing for a championship with Chucky Atkins as my starter at the point.

Compared to the moves made by other Western contenders, Denver can’t be thinking it gained ground this off-season. We get the feeling it will take at least one move to put the Nuggets into the elite in the Western Conference. Maybe they’ll stand pat until the February trade deadline and see where they’re at before they make a move, however.

Minnesota Timberwolves — B+
- Traded Kevin Garnett to the Celtics for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and two future first round picks
- Drafted Corey Brewer (7th overall) and Chris Richard (41st overall)
- Traded Mike James and Justin Reed to Houston for Juwan Howard
- Bought out Troy Hudson’s contract

Kevin McHale isn’t the leagues best GM, but trading Kevin Garnett while he still had the chance goes a long ways towards changing that image. This deal was huge for the future of the franchise. There were so many deals involving KG that have been discussed over recent months, but sending him out of conference to the Celtics was the smart move, and certainly helps the Wolves rebuilding effort. If McHale hadn’t pulled the trigger on this deal, it could’ve crippled the franchise for years to come, and the grade for this summer would have been very low.

Instead, you can’t help but like this Wolves team for the future, with a core than includes a young stud on the low block in Al Jefferson, two solid wings in Gerald Green and Corey Brewer, and Randy Foye in the backcourt. Sebastian Telfair has a chance to pump some life back into his career, and Rashad McCants and Craig Smith are capable of giving solid minutes off the bench. It’s also very likely that the Wolves will get one of the top picks in next years loaded draft, where they should be able to find someone to fill the middle or perhaps find their point guard of the future.

Don’t underestimate the cap space and future draft picks as well. The team should also have close to $20 million in cap space available next summer when the contracts of Theo Ratliff, Ricky Davis, and if he doesn’t pan out, Telfair, come off the books. Having that cap space, along with the additional draft picks, is huge for the future building of the team.

Trading for Juwan Howard made little sense to us. He’s one of the oldest players in the league, is a reserve, and although he filled a need in the frontcourt, losing Mike James leaves an big-time hole at point guard. Buying Troy Hudson out of his contract only makes the point guard position even thinner, even if they believe Randy Foye is the future at the position.

Had they not traded Garnett to the East, received young assets and cap space in return, this grade would be one of the worst in the league. However, moving Garnett while he still has value, and before he becomes a free agent made all the difference. Now the team is no longer delaying the inevitable rebuilding process and they have a chance to have a really good young core for the future.

New Jersey Nets — C+
- Re-Signed Vince Carter ($60 million over four years)
- Drafted Sean Williams (17th overall)
- Signed free agent Jamaal Magloire
- Lost free agent Mikki Moore to Sacramento
- Lost Clifford Robinson to retirement
- Waived Hassan Adams

There’s been a little bit of good and bad mixed together for the Nets this off-season. The biggest news was that the Nets have apparently decided that they are ditching the rebuilding promo and trying to get back into the mix in the Eastern Conference. Although we previously wrote that they should move Carter and Kidd this summer, sure, I think I can go along with keeping them, and trying to put together a winner. You have to wonder however, if Kidd and Carter can be content to stay with an organization that seems to have lost a step on their Conference counterparts. The belief here is that they’ll likely want to be moved to a contender before their contract is up, and they Nets won’t get nearly as equal value as they would have had they moved both of them this summer.

The moves they made after that, however, left me puzzled as to how they are planning to do that. First, they left an offer on the table that would have acquired themselves Jermaine O’Neal in exchange for oft-injured Richardson Jefferson and Nenad Krstic. Now both those player are solid, and we especially like Krstic, but getting Jermaine O’Neal to play along side Carter and Kidd would instantly make the Nets a contender in the East. Maybe they feel once Jefferson and Krstic are healthy, they’ll be a contender anyway, and that could certainly be true.

Mikki Moore was coming off a fantastic season, but he’s unlikely to reproduce those numbers, so the Nets were wise not to match Sacramento’s offer sheet. Signing Magloire, however, isn’t exactly an upgrade at the position, they overpaid him to the degree that they had to waive Hassan Adams to avoid the luxury tax.

Sean Williams could, when it’s all said and done, be a huge steal in the middle of the first round — but he’s got to make sure he stays clean. His troubled past is what caused him to slip, and from what we’ve been seeing around the world of sports, bad behavior won’t be tolerated. He does fill a need, however, and the Nets would be a great shape is he turns out to be the player they think he is.

Utah Jazz — B
- Signed free agent Jason Hart
- Signed free agent Ronnie Price
- Drafted Morris Almond (25th overall)
- Traded Herbert Hill (55th overall) to Philadelphia for Kyrylo Fesenko (38th overall)
- Waived Derek Fisher

Although some feel Derek Fisher did the Jazz a favor by walking away from the final three years of his contract, his veteran leadership and ability to handle both guard positions will certainly be missed.

The Jazz who, in turn, wanted to do the right thing and not be portrayed as the “bad guy”, let him out of his contract without seeking compensation from a team that signs him, like they probably should have. If Miami can get a second round pick from Orlando for hiring Stan Van Gundy, who they fired, than the Jazz should have been able to get something in return from the Lakers for signing Fisher. The Jazz may have missed out on that one, but you can’t blame Fisher for that.

The move should be a blessing in disguise though. It should allow the Jazz to play Ronnie Brewer more, and even Rookie Morris Almond, who’s the shooter they’ve been looking for. CJ Miles may also be back. Short-term, Fisher’s departure leaves a hole, but it’s good for the long-term development of the team.

Jason Hart should take over minutes behind Deron Williams and should certainly help at the defensive end. Dee Brown may not be back if he doesn’t sign his qualifying offer, and Hart, a long-time veteran, should be similar in production to Howard Eisley of the late 90’s.

If CJ Miles walks away from the qualifying offer on the table, it shouldn’t be that big of a blow now that Brewer and Almond are in place to replace and exceed his production.

Rookie Kyrylo Fesenko could be a nice player down the road, but isn’t likely to contribute much right away. He has legitimate size and strength to man the middle, which should bode well down the road. He was getting first round buzz prior to the draft, so getting him in the second round has to be a small victory in and of itself.

Losing Fisher, however, coupled with the fact that other Western Conference playoff teams improved themselves makes the difficult task of getting back to the Conference Finals even harder.

Cleveland Cavaliers — D+
(No Moves)

The one good thing the Cavaliers have going for them this summer is that it looks as if they won’t lose anybody from their 2007 Finals team. Lucky for them, restricted free agents Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic didn’t like the market and will be back in Cleveland for at least one more season.

On the other hand, the team is loaded with bad contracts, didn’t have any draft picks in a great 2007 draft, and they currently have very limited trade assets. Desperate for point guard, adding a player like Mike Bibby via trade may be tougher than most people had initially anticipated.

Hoping to get back to the Finals, they clearly can’t feel good about where they stand considering how Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, and Boston, among others, have improved. Adding Bibby might not be the answer anyway, but it would at least have to be considered now that Varejao is back, making Drew Gooden expendable.

Indiana Pacers — D
- Signed free agent Travis Diener
- Signed free agent Kareem Rush
- Lost free agent Maceo Baston to Toronto
- Replaced head coach Rick Carlisle with Jim O’Brien

Carlisle is a terrific coach, but the Pacers needed a change. Although O’Brien isn’t the same caliber coach as Carlisle, we like the move, and feel O’Brien’s offensive scheme and focus on shooting lots and lots of 3-pointers might actually help. Marquis Daniels and Troy Murphy, in particular, should benefit right away from a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality.

You’d have to be concerned that the Pacers implosion at the end of last year, meaning this year might not be much brighter, but maybe a radical overhaul wasn’t the answer after all. You can’t say the team hasn’t at least tried to move Jermaine O’Neal, their star, for pieces that may fit O’Brien’s perimeter attacking style. They just haven’t had much success yet, that’s all.

It’s hard to get excited about the arrival of Diener and Rush, two guys who’ve spent their fair share of time in the D-League, but given their cap situation, there’s not much else they could’ve done. There were no draft picks either, which makes rebuilding that much more difficult. They may be in better position, however, to move O’Neal during the season, picking up an expiring contract or two along with a pick in the 2008 Draft, which should have more overall depth than 2007 had anyway.

This team has quickly become the Kings of the East. They had very few tradable assets and a slew of mismatched parts and un-tradable assets. Although they get an “A” for effort, since they did little to address those issues this summer, it’s hard to give them a respectable grade.

Dallas Mavericks — D+
- Drafted Nick Fazekas (34th overall) and Renaldas Seibutis (50th overall)
- Signed free agent Brandon Bass
- Signed free agent Eddie Jones
- Re-Signed free agent Devean George
- Re-Signed free agent Jerry Stackhouse
- Traded the rights to Milovan Rakovic (60th overall) to Orlando for the rights to Reyshawn Terry (44th overall)

Given credit to GM Donnie Nelson and Owner Mark Cuban for not hitting the panic button and making drastic moves after their 67-win season went up in smoke following a first-round playoff exit to the Golden State Warriors. After all, they were far an away the best team during the regular and one bad playoff series, where they were out-coached more than they were outplayed, isn’t reason enough to break up the team.

The Mavs are still loaded and following a change in philosophy this summer, look for the Mavericks to be back full-throttle next season.

Having said that, bringing in Nick Fazekas, a poor man’s Austin Croshere, isn’t the answer to their problems. Neither is re-signing Devean George, or adding free agent Brandon Bass. Now they didn’t need to address their core unit too much, but adding an athletic wing player would have gone a long ways towards helping the Mavs against the quicker, more athletic teams like Golden State and Phoenix, and aging veteran Eddie Jones doesn’t certainly count.

Los Angeles Clippers — C+
- Drafted Al Thornton (14th overall) and Jared Jordan (45th overall)
- Lost free agent Jason Hart to Utah
- Signed free agent Brevin Knight
- Signed free agent Ruben Patterson
- Signed Guillermo Diaz, their 2006 second round pick
- Waived Daniel Ewing
- Waived James Singleton

Unlike some, we actually like the move to not sign Steve Francis, even if it wasn’t their choice. Elton Brand would never see the ball again, and adding Francis would only hinder the progress of their young players, even if they are desperate for another point guard now that Jason Hart and Daniel Ewing have moved on.

Shaun Livingston is likely to be out until the All-Star break, rehabbing his injured knee, so Jared Jordan should get decent minutes behind Cassell at the point. Drafting him was honestly one of the most underrated second round selections of the draft, as he can play right away and should provide enough juice to compensate for the temporary loss of Livingston.

They also needlessly waived Singleton, even though he looked like a halfway decent player during his limited opportunities in Los Angeles. Plus, Corey Maggette is still in town, so you have to wonder if his name is still being shopped, especially after they Clips drafted an athletic wing man in Al Thornton.

As for Thornton, the fact that he — and in many cases several years older — apparently hasn’t caught on with everyone yet. A lot of people don’t have high hopes for him in the pros, because of the fact that he was at least a year older than everyone he played against in college, but he could be an immediate solution should they trade Maggette. Plus, is it really that big of an issue if a collegiate athlete is a year or two older than the competition? Than what’s the excuse for Greg Oden? He’s easily into his thirties, isn’t he?