The offseason is nearly over in terms of additions and subtractions (although big pieces Jennings, Oden, Neal, etc. have yet to be signed). With that in mind, I'll start with the Eastern Conference teams today and give them their grade for the offseason. Remember, each team was already graded on their draft nearly a month ago, but we know more about the entire roster now and have seen many of the rookies play in summer league.
Atlanta Hawks
Many in the media looked at Atlanta as a team that failed to bring in the free agents they really wanted. I mean, they lost Josh Smith, failed to get big Dwight, and were in the running for Brandon Jennings and/or Monta Ellis and didn't get either. Essentially, people thought they wasted all that cap space. But in reality they did a bunch of things well:
1. They likely held onto a playoff spot by keeping Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, and signing Paul Millsap, Elton Brand, and DeMarre Carroll to appropriate deals. In fact, the Paul Millsap deal was likely the best valued deal in the NBA this season (2 years, 19 million). These players join a roster that still has Al Horford, Lou Williams, and other role players, which will keep them in the running for another playoff birth.
2. They improved their young talent giving them great hope for the future. I liked their draft that included Lucas Nogueira, Dennis Schroeder, and Mike Muscala, but I LOVED it after watching them in Vegas. Lucas and Dennis were two of the most promising and exciting rookies in the event, so the Hawks have to be thrilled.
3. They stayed flexible in terms of cap space for 2014. In fact, without much wiggle room at all they can bring in a max player next year. And if you read my blog from yesterday, their are TONS of superstars that will be free agents next year.
Overall Grade: A-
Boston Celtics
Ouch. The Celtics went from a team that's competed for NBA Championships for the last 5 years, to a bottom feeder. They lost star players Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in a trade that didn't bring them any young players to build around. All it brought (in terms of actual players) were overpaid bench fodder that will simply be dumped a year from now. They also lost Doc Rivers, one of the best coaches in the league. Obviously, this team is in rebuilding mode.
There is a hope though in the years to come... They brought in Brad Stevens who is an extremely promising young head coach (Butler Bulldogs). They seemed to find a nice player in the draft in the selection of Kelly Olynyk, who dominated the Orlando summer league. They acquired 4 future first rounders from other teams (mostly unprotected) in return for Pierce, Garnett, and Rivers. They seem to be in position to land a high draft pick next year (because they will suck) in a loaded 2014 class. And by dumping some of the bad salaries, they could be primed to make noise in free agency a year from now. So we'll see...
Overall Grade: C-
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets made it clear they are chasing a championship. They obviously aren't worried about the future (no cap space and not many picks in years to come). But, with an owner who isn't afraid to spend money regardless of any taxing, this is a team that can win now and can figure it out as they go on.
By bringing in Pierce and Garnett as I mentioned from the Celtics, they boast on of the best starting 5's in the league (Pierce, Garnett, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez). They also made some nice moves to keep their bench potent: Andrei Kirilenko, Shaun Livingston, Andray Blatche, Jason Terry, Reggie Evans, Mason Plumlee (draft pick), etc. all on their bench.
The question is this: Can new head coach Jason Kidd blend all these players together in 1-2 years before this team gets too old and then broken apart? The pressure is now enormous.
Overall Grade: A
Charlotte Hornets
There are two sides to this story. The good news is that they brought in a big-time free agent at a position of need in center Al Jefferson. They also seemed to draft appropriately with Cody Zeller, who was the most impressive rookie in Vegas. They were atrocious inside last year as a team, but with Zeller and Jefferson here, they will see that change. The backcourt is still together and young (assuming they resign Gerald Henderson, which seems like a done deal), but can Kemba, Henderson, or MKG turn into the stars they are hoping?
The bad side is that they slightly overpaid Jefferson, in large part because Charlotte is not an ideal free agent destination. They still look to be terrible on offense and don't have any go-to scorer. And they still are massively overpaying Ben Gordon, and weren't able to dump him. Is this an improved team... yes. Is it a good start... yes. But there is still so much work to do here.
Overall Grade: B
Chicago Bulls
Chicago took the approach of essentially getting healthier and developing from within. Obviously, Derrick Rose will return this year, young guns Jimmy Butler and Marques Teague will be better, and hopefully they won't get the injury bug come playoffs. But they stood still in terms of their roster...
They lost Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli. Those were two extremely important players late last year. They added Mike Dunleavy Jr. who will fill the shooting role, but their only other real addition was Tony Snell in the draft, who will be a little used rookie. The only reason I won't give them an F is that they will still compete for a championship simply by getting Rose healthy.
Overall Grade: D-
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs were rumored in so many scenarios leading up to the draft and even after. It's not their fault nobody bit on a big trade offer. But it may have worked out better for them. As I noted a few weeks ago, they did well in the draft getting some players that can help some now, but could be stars in the future. As much as I was surprised by Bennett, he has the talent to be a star. They saw that same thing in Irving and that turned out well.
In terms of free agency, Andrew Bynum was a huge get. The way the deal is structured, it wasn't massively risky, so I see a lot of upside there. Jarrett Jack was another great addition. He will be a nice backup to Irving and will likely play alongside him a lot, like he did with Curry last year in Golden State. Earl Clark is also a sneaky good bench add. All these moves those accomplished another goal too: they remained flexible enough to add a max player next year, possibly even King James!
Overall Grade: A-
Detroit Pistons
I really like was Detroit did this year. They had a bunch of young talent already (Knight, Monroe, Drummond) so they added a great veteran piece and a star. The star is Josh Smith, who will play at both forward positions this year. The vet is Chauncey Billups, who is beloved in Detroit going back to his championship days nearly a decade ago. These moves alone likely will deliver them a playoff birth. And they weren't really in position to do much in free agency next year since Greg Monroe will be up for a huge contract.
And don't forget, they also had a solid draft. Caldwell-Pope is a guy that can score the basketball. He has huge upside, as does second round pick Tony Mitchell. These are players that they can add to that young core. Peyton Siva is someone to keep an eye on, because he could become a solid guard off the bench if he makes the roster.
Overall Grade: A
Indiana Pacers
I view what they did as similar to Chicago. They too get a star back in Danny Granger this year. They also kept their core (young) together and focused on the bench, once they resigned David West. While I loved that they added CJ Watson and Chris Copeland, I hated that they lost Tyler Hansbrough and seemingly didn't replace him inside. They make a living on beating teams up, but all of a sudden they are weak inside on the bench. And if they play Copeland at power forward instead of small forward, they will not be too pleased with their defense and rebounding. So that whole situation was confusing.
I was very critical of their draft because I thought Solomon Hill was a huge reach. But after watching Hill in the Orlando summer league, I'm slightly encouraged by what I saw. Still, with Paul George, Danny Granger, and Chris Copeland on the team, Hill is way down on the depth chart unless they move those other guys around.
Looking ahead, they will clear Granger's salary next year only to use it on Paul George. They won't be able to bring in any big name free agents due to that and resigning Lance Stephenson. So I don't see tons of hope for big improvements in the years to come. I think they blew a big chance by not trading Granger. I would have loved to trade him to Cleveland for #1 and taking Victor Oladipo...
Overall Grade: D+
Miami Heat
I'm going to be harsh on the defending champs... they got worse. Honestly, they simply kept their team basically intact and said that was good enough. They did add James Ennis as a draft pick, but they had to lose Mike Miller to free up some money. That's all they did. Since the Miller loss hurts much more than the Ennis gain, I say they got worse.
There are three caveats... First, they are a finalist for Greg Oden. They suck inside so if he signs that would actually help them out barring injury. Secondly, they remained flexible heading into next summer. They could nearly lose every player on the roster, but that means they would be able to essentially bring in whoever they wanted in 2014. The third caveat is that they are the two-time defending champs, so they didn't have to make any moves cause they were already the best.
Overall Grade: D
Milwaukee Bucks
I'll admit, what Milwaukee has done this offseason is puzzling, but I'm not nearly as down on the moves as others. They lost Dalembert, Dunleavy Jr., and Ellis (1 big and 2 wings) via free agency. They brought in Zaza Pachulia, OJ Mayo, and Carlos Delfino (1 big and 2 wings) though via free agency. They lost Mbah a Moute and Redick via trade (getting picks in return), but added Antetokounmpo and Wolters via the draft. Overall, they seemed to stay steady, which means they'll compete for the playoffs once again.
The wildcard here is Brandon Jennings. He still hasn't resigned and has said to want out. The Bucks made an offer to keep him however. My guess is that he'll return, simply because nobody else in the league seems to want him right now, or are able to take his salary on. The other thing to consider is the future is unknown. They will have to pay Larry Sanders a lot next year to keep him, but they could still have decent cap space available, especially if Jennings leaves.
Overall Grade: C
New York Knicks
Similar to the Bucks, people have hated what the Knicks have done. I'm in another camp. Unlike other top teams in the East (Miami, Indiana, Chicago), the Knicks went out and got better, or at least brought in new guys to potentially make them better. The biggest difference I have is how I view the trade... They gave up bench guys (and picks) for Andrea Bargnani. I like it. This gives them another option at power forward if Amar'e isn't healthy again or if they want to keep Carmelo at the 3 to play more traditional. If nothing else, Bargnani can come in and provide bench scoring. The other guys (that they traded) weren't important anyways so this will either keep them the same or make them better. It can't hurt at all.
In terms of free agency they did lose Chris Copeland, but they resigned other shooters in JR Smith and Pablo Prigioni. They also added another small forward in Metta World Peace. That is a HUGE addition in my opinion. It makes them tougher, better defensively, adds depth, gives them more options and variety within the lineup, and honestly gives them a solid veteran presence who has won a championship. Throw in a solid first rounder in Tim Hardaway Jr. and they have added plenty of help.
Will they still struggle a little defensively... yes. Will they fret when Carmelo becomes a free agent next summer... yes. But if they stay healthy this year, they could compete with all the other top Eastern Conference teams.
Overall Grade: B-
Orlando Magic
The Magic are tough to judge. They didn't really lose anyone, but they didn't add a ton either. They are clearly rebuilding so this summer wasn't as important. Next summer will be, both in the draft and even free agency.
What I can judge them on is did they acquire anything that can help them rebuild? The answer is OH YEAH. Victor Oladipo was my favorite player in the draft and #1 on my board. He dominated the Orlando summer league and can become a star. So I give them props to selecting him.
Overall Grade: B-
Philadelphia 76ers
Right on board with Orlando, they are rebuilding for sure. They lost Andrew Bynum, Dorell Wright, Nick Young, and Jrue Holiday. Why do I say that's okay? Because I liked the draft picks they acquired, money that got freed up, and the young players they got in Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, and Royce White. There is a LONG way to go, but I think it was smart to simply start over and rebuild.
Overall Grade: C+
Toronto Raptors
Outside of the Bargnani trade, they didn't do much. They got garbage in the trade, picked up some bench guys in free agency, and didn't have a draft pick. The good news is that they added picks and became much more cap friendly now and in the future. They have an important summer in 2014.
Overall Grade: D+
Washington Wizards
Similar to some other teams in the East, one of the best things going for them is that they should almost certainly be healthier this year than last. That will help them improve on the court. Another thing they had going for them this year is that they didn't really lose players. But they did add a few...
In free agency they picked up Eric Maynor, who will serve as a great backup point guard to John Wall. They also did great in the draft by adding wings Otto Porter Jr. and Glen Rice Jr. Neither did that great in Vegas, but I think their games weren't perfectly suited for summer league.
None of these things will help massively now, but they did manage to keep their young core together while resigning some guys at fair value. The future looks decent too once the Ariza/Okafor duo gets off the book next summer. Both could also be great trade candidates midseason with expiring contracts.
Overall Grade: B
By: The Sports Guys
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