There has been a lot of action this offseason and I'm here to talk about some of the signings and trades over the past month and a half.
We all know about the big time signings; Elton Brand to the Sixers and Baron Davis to the Clippers. A lot has gone down this summer, and here is a little recap of the events so far. The Clippers made more moves than any team but still won't make the playoffs. The Warriors also made too many moves, and they will be sitting at home with the Clippers and their popcorn come playoff time. But teams such as the Rockets and Sixers made some big moves that will make their teams better, while the Cavaliers and Clippers really screwed up.
The Sixers have had a very productive offseason. They signed Elton Brand, Kareem Rush, and Royal Ivey,but they also brought back two key pieces to their team last season in Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams. The signing of Elton Brand instantly puts them into Eastern Conference contention, and gives them a great low post player. The Lou Williams' deal was perfect. A five year, 25 million dollar deal suits him for the near future, and is just what I was expecting the Sixers to offer him. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the Sixers contract agreement with Mr. Iguodala. 80 million dollars for a player who has played well over the past year and a half. 80 million dollars for a player with a terrible jump shot, decent ball handling skills, forces bad shots at all times of the game, and, and, a player who choked in the playoffs averaging just 13.2 points per game on 33.3% shooting from the field. Does anyone else see the problem with this? I am very happy that Iggy is back for the Sixers, but I am so disappointed with the management for the first time since Ed Stefanski took over as general manager last December. This deal over pays Andre so much. I really hope he comes out and proves me wrong over the next six seasons.
As you all know the Rockets officially acquire Mr. Ron Artest yesterday, and Houston now has a big three of its own in Yao, T-Mac, and Ron Ron. Whether or not these three can play together is unknown, because after six years with each other, Yao and T-Mac still cannot do anything in the playoffs. And at this point, it's kind of embarrassing. The Rockets added a player similar to last year's starting small forward Shane Battier with the acquisition of Artest, except Artest can score the ball and attracts attention on both ends of the floor. With the addition of Artest, the Rockets should have even less excuses if they get ousted in the first round of the playoffs again this season.
And finally, the Cavaliers and Clippers. Let's start with the Cavs, who acquired Mo Williams yesterday. LeBron finally got some good help, right? Well, it's a start, but this team still doesn't have what it takes to get past the Celtics. In the trade, they dumped a huge part of their team in Joe Smith. Let me be the first to say how stupid that was. Smith is a veteran big man who came off the bench and gives you anywhere between 8 and 15 points on any given night. He's consistent, he's a leader, and he knows how to play the game. Take him out of the rotation, and Anderson Varejao now has to dominate. With Ben Wallace on the decline, and Z not getting younger, Varejao now has to not only backup Z, but backup Big Ben as well. Yes, they just drafted JJ Hickson out of NC State, but he won't be ready to step right into Joe Smith's shoes. Although the Cavs got the point guard they have been hoping for, they could've done much better and should not have made this move. And for the Clippers, well, they have four returning players on their roster. Can a team succeed with 11 new players coming in? NO!. I have no idea as to what this organization was thinking when they not only let Elton Brand walk out the door, but also Corey Maggette. What were they doing? Sleeping? They did bring in some good pieces, but this team has no chance in hell of making the playoffs. Good try Elgin Baylor, maybe you can bring in 12 new guys next summer and hope it works out. That's all for now. Go watch USA basketball beat the Spaniards tomorrow. Viva USA!
You're absolutely right, Iggy is overpaid. I wanna start taking bets on how long is takes Yao to miss a game because Ron Artest caves his chest in during practice after calling him "soft"...
Posted by: k. will | Friday, August 15, 2008 at 05:29 PM