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Authored by Jason M. Williams - 25th September, 2007 - 7:00 pm
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With the 2007-08 NBA season only a little over a month away, we here at RealGM decided to offer a six-part series that will break down the off-season maneuvers of each team, take a look at who went where, and pose burning questions that will plague each team as it prepares for the start of the regular season. With great potential surrounding this year’s incoming draft class and plenty of big names migrating from the Western Conference to the East, there are many issues to become aware of prior to the Opening Tip. Stay tuned as RealGM prepares you for the 2007-08 NBA season.
Part 1 – 19th September, 2007 – Atlantic Division Season Preview
The second part of this six-piece series will spotlight the Central Division.
- Chicago Bulls -
After coming up short against the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the postseason, the Chicago Bulls knew that they were still very young and missing very few components to building upon the strong foundation already in place. Rather than overpaying on trade offers for Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, or Pau Gasol, John Paxson decided to continue to be conservative this off-season by upgrading his most vulnerable positions. With a gaping hole on the low block in the paint, he knew he needed to add some big men who can put the ball in the hoop. He looked not only to free agency, but also to the Draft for some help.
NBA Draft Picks: Joakim Noah (No. 9), Aaron Gray (No. 49), JamesOn Curry (No. 51)
Key Additions: Joe Smith (Free Agent – Philadelphia)
Key Losses: Malik Allen (FA – New Jersey), P.J. Brown (FA – unsigned), Michael Sweetney (FA – unsigned)
The Bulls basically exchanged P.J. Brown and Mike Sweetney for Joe Smith, Joakim Noah, and some likely bench scoring from Aaron Gray. That is a huge upgrade. They did not overspend and did not have to part with any of their young core in order to deal for a big name power forward. With the same team coming back plus these three additions, watch for the Bulls to make a move on the defending Central champion Detroit Pistons now that they have a very scrappy front line consisting of Ben Wallace, Tyrus Thomas, Joe Smith, and Joakim Noah.
Burning Questions
- Will Tyrus Thomas develop an offensive game?
- Will Aaron Gray battle for minutes up front?
- Will Thabo Sefolosha continue to push Nocioni and Deng for minutes?
- Will Ben Wallace start to break down physically?
- Is Joe Smith going to be enough offense in the paint?
- Is Joakim Noah the same player as Tyrus Thomas and Ben Wallace?
Person on the Hot Seat: Joe Smith
It’s tough to label the ‘new guy’ as the guy on the hot seat, but Joe Smith comes to Chicago with heavy expectations. When the Bulls passed on scoring centers Spencer Hawes and even Jason Smith, Bulls fans knew that the post scoring duties officially belonged to newcomer Joe Smith. Will he be able to produce? Or will the Bulls be on the horn mid-season trying to sure up their scoring in the paint?
Team Outlook
The Bulls have been steadily improving over the past couple of years, but will it continue? They still rely too much on their shooters and their athletic big men who can do nothing but dunk. If Joe Smith can put up 18 points in the paint per night, watch out for these Baby Bulls. If not, it could be another mediocre 45-win season with a second round playoff exit.
- Cleveland Cavaliers -
LeBron James put this team on his back and carried them into the NBA Finals. However, it was obvious that the squad was lacking depth and had too many overpaid veterans that were holding them back rather than propelling them forward. The Cavs enjoyed a magical season in 2006-07, and superstar King James may be enough to get them back to the Finals again this year, but they were still no match for the mighty San Antonio Spurs .
NBA Draft Picks: None
Key Additions: None
Key Losses: Scot Pollard (FA – Boston)
It’s almost amazing that the Cavs didn’t do a single thing this off-season. At this moment, they still have not offered contracts to two of their top five players, Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao, both of whom are restricted free agents. It is widely believed that Danny Ferry is scared to abuse the luxury tax threshold, so he is waiting for other teams to sign offer sheets to Pavlovic and Varejao before making a move. This way, he can offer them the one-year tender, and take his chances with them becoming unrestricted free agents next summer. Either way, it seems way too risky since both have evolved into such integral players on the squad.
Burning Questions
- When will the Pavlovic and Varejao extensions get done?
- After last postseason, how will Daniel Gibson’s minutes be increased this year?
- Will they finally deal for Mike Bibby to solve their woes at the point?
- Will they find takers for overpaid underachieving veterans Damon Jones, Eric Snow and Donyell Marshall? Will anyone absorb the deals of Larry Hughes or Big Z?
- Will the Cavs regret not making a single off-season move?
- Will former Spartan scorer Shannon Brown be a contributor this season?
Person on the Hot Seat: Danny Ferry
He is the one who took over for Jim Paxson and squandered mountains of cap space with lucrative deals on quick fix veterans. While yes, he did get the roster that he engineered to the NBA Finals, he also might have been able to get there with LeBron and a bunch of rookies in the East. If Ferry can swing a deal for a battle-tested point guard like Mike Bibby, or even Jason Williams, the Cavs will be a much improved team. It’s difficult to win when the offense is being run by a group of wingmen, whether or not one of them is LeBron James.
Team Outlook
The Cavaliers were the toast of the East in last year’s postseason, but everyone in their division improved except them. Don’t be surprised to see the Cavs struggle to get to 45 wins this year in the newly improved East.
- Detroit Pistons -
After the Pistons were ousted by the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring, there was much talk of breaking up the team and building anew. That talk lasted about one week. With team leader Chauncey Billups entering free agency, and the trio of Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince at their highest trade values of their careers, it would have been easy for Joe Dumars to construct a blueprint for a new direction of success in the D. However, he held tight, and this year’s version of the Bad Boys just might be the best edition yet.
NBA Draft Picks: Rodney Stuckey (No. 15), Arron Afflalo (No. 27), Sammy Mejia (No. 57), Cheick Samb (2006 second rounder – contract purchased)
Key Additions: Jarvis Hayes (FA – Washington)
Key Losses: Chris Webber (FA – unsigned), Dale Davis (FA – unsigned)
Joe Dumars kept his Core Four together by resigning Billups and instead added the exact pieces that he was missing. He brought in Jarvis Hayes to finally give Tayshaun Prince a suitable backup at the forward spot. He resigned Amir Johnson, who many believe can develop into a dominant low post presence. He drafted a steal in Rodney Stuckey, who can finally give the Pistons a scoring point guard who can attack the rim, break down defenses, and find teammates in traffic similar to a young Steve Francis or Stephon Marbury.
Burning Questions
- Did the Pistons overspend on a 31-year-old point guard?
- Will Amir Johnson get minutes this season?
- Will Jason Maxiell continue to develop off the bench? Will he start?
- How will Flip Saunders use Nazr Mohammad?
- Will Afflalo see time at the two-guard position? Will Flip Murray continue to get time?
- Will Antonio McDyess be the starter next to Rasheed?
Person on the Hot Seat: Flip Murray
He was brought in last summer to be a spark plug scorer off the bench, but seemed like he wasn’t living up to the expectations that the organization had set out for him. Now, he comes to camp and must battle with the ultra-quick Rodney Stuckey, the ancient Lindsey Hunter, and the solid collegiate star Arron Afflalo.
Team Outlook
This might be the best Piston team since they won the title in 2004. Expectations in Detroit are high and they are frustrated with the past two exits in the Conference Finals. Anything less than an Eastern Conference title and a shot at the Larry O’Brien Trophy will seem like a failure in Auburn Hills this season.
- Indiana Pacers -
The Indiana Pacers are on a downward spiral into the depths of the Eastern Conference cellar and are, for some reason, holding onto Jermaine O’Neal in the same fashion that the Timberwolves punished Kevin Garnett for years in Minny. With a recent purge of the “problem players” on the team, they have given away, at worst, fringe All-Star caliber players in Ron Artest, Peja Stojakovic, Al Harrington, and Stephen Jackson for basically two career underachieving and overpaid stiffs, Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy. These moves are inexplicable, and now the face of the franchise, JO, must sit and watch as his prime is taken away from him with no one left to go down with him.
NBA Draft Picks: None
Key Additions: Travis Diener (FA – Orlando), Stanko Barac (trade – Miami)
Key Losses: Maceo Baston (FA – Toronto), Orien Greene (FA – Sacramento), Keith McLeod (FA – unsigned), Rawle Marshall (FA – unsigned)
Again, the Pacers did nothing this off-season to help give Jermaine O’Neal any help. What Larry Bird needs to do is access the situation realistically at the All Star break. There is really nothing he can do at this point except pull a Kevin McHale and deal away JO for sixty-five cents on the dollar. However, if his team is mired in a black hole of losing, twenty some-odd games out midway through the season, then it is time to fold up shop, deal him for as many young prospects and picks as possible, and shoot for the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. We all saw how McHale waited two or three extra years before he should have dealt Garnett, let’s not see another hero from the Celtic dynasty banish one of the game’s top big men to a culture of losing.
Burning Questions
- Will Jamaal Tinsley play like the old Jamaal Tinsley this year? Will he play at all?
- Will JO survive the season in Indy?
- Will Stanko Barac contend for the Rookie of the Year award?
- Will Ike Diogu finally make the Golden State trade seem somewhat worth the expense?
- Will Danny Granger continue to be the second-best player on the roster?
- Will Murphy and Dunleavy turn around their careers with a full season in Indy?
- Will Marquis Daniels regain the form he displayed in Dallas?
Person on the Hot Seat: Larry Bird
His trades over the past couple of seasons have made the rest of the league seem like he is drawing a blank upstairs. While his deals have ridden the team of the cancerous trouble makers like Artest and Jackson, they have also depleted the roster of bona fide talent and instead eliminated any cap flexibility down the road for years. He needs to either pray that his team can become competitive again, or start finding a deal for O’Neal that will appease the fans of the city while restoring hope that the franchise will once again succeed.
Team Outlook
The Pacers were a decent team until the crazy Golden State trade last year, and instantly became a mess. They need to learn to play with one another’s strengths and hope that veterans like Jamaal Tinsley return to prime form. However, it seems unlikely that they will do too much this season and will most likely finish in the basement of the division, and potentially at the bottom of the conference.
- Milwaukee Bucks -
The Milwaukee Bucks suffered through 2006-07 with the most games missed due to injury in the league. They once again lost Bobby Simmons for the season, missed star shooter Michael Redd for stretches of the year, and also Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut missed plenty of time. Along with restocking the bench with free agents and draft selections, they instantly become one of the more improved rosters in the league just by getting their wounded back.
NBA Draft: Yi Jianlian (No. 6), Ramon Sessions (No. 56)
Key Additions: Jake Voskuhl (FA – Charlotte), Desmond Mason (FA – New Orleans), Awvee Storey (FA – Europe), Royal Ivey (FA – Atlanta), Michael Ruffin (FA – Washington)
Key Losses: Ruben Patterson (FA – L.A. Clippers ), Earl Boykins (FA – unsigned), Ersan Ilyasova (FA – unsigned), Damir Markota (released), Lynn Greer (released),
The Milwaukee Bucks made sure to get three guys on their roster, regardless of whether or not they wanted to be there in the first place. Both of their point guards Maurice Williams and Charlie Bell attempted to escape Milwaukee and join the Miami Heat in South Beach. Williams received a lot more money to stay against his first choice, and the restricted free agent Charlie Bell was forced to stay because the team matched the offer sheet he had in place with the Heat. Even more interesting was the Bucks front office decision to pass on proven collegiate stars like Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, Brandan Wright, and Al Thornton, and instead select Yi Jianlian of China, who specifically indicated that he did not want to go to Milwaukee. While it may seem like this Buck team is being assembled the wrong way, they are now stocked with one of the deepest rotations in the league with talent at every position. While their methods of player retention may seem questionable, Larry Harris has given his team a chance to compete in the strong Central division.
Burning Questions
- Will Bobby Simmons come back to play a full season in Milwaukee?
- Will the return of Desmond Mason make the fans forget that Simmons exists?
- Will Yi Jianlian be as good as advertised?
- Will Charlie Villanueva stay healthy this season?
- Will Charlie Bell get over the offer sheet match and play effectively?
- Will Mo Williams evolve into a top flight point guard?
- Will Andrew Bogut ever live up to the number one overall pick hype?
Person on the Hot Seat: Bobby Simmons
Simmons was signed to a massive deal two summers ago that pays him over $9M annually and did not touch a basketball for the Bucks at all last season. He is still signed for the next three seasons at an alarming total of just under $30M. The Bucks envisioned him as being the perfect compliment to Redd and the big men. If he can come back and play in 70-plus games the way he did in his first season in Milwaukee, that will allow Desmond Mason to come off the bench and really solidify this Buck team as being a legit contender in the East.
Team Outlook
The Bucks are really a crapshoot because their entire probability of success revolves around the health of their players. On paper, a starting five of Williams, Redd, Simmons, Villanueva, and Bogut with Bell, Mason, Yi, and Dan Gadzuric is as good if not better than most teams in the conference. If they stay healthy, don’t be surprised to see the Bucks battling, potentially deep into the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts. He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments or questions. |
