Some Sort of NBA Draft Preview (missing a opening paragraph)

Portland Trailblazers
Offseason needs: Center, small forward, and starting point guard.
What they could do: The Blazers hold all the cards, if they decide that they prefer Durant, they can swap down with the Sonics, get their man and shed Darius Miles’ contract for their troubles. Or they could just pick whichever man they prefer. A franchise center, or a singular talent on the wing.
What they should do: Draft Oden.
What they will do: Draft Oden.

Seattle Supersonics
Offseason needs: A new arena, and a talent upgrade at every position on the floor.
What they could do: Well, assuming that Portland’s taking Oden, then I’d look to sign and trade Rashard Lewis and even look to see what Ray Allen’s trade value is. If Portland throws a curve ball, then draft Oden, re-sign Lewis, keep Allen and win your division next year.
What they should do: Select whomever Portland doesn’t, which means…
What they will do: draft Durant.

Atlanta Hawks
Offseason needs: Competent management, a starting point guard, and post play.
What they could do: Offer the number three pick, Marvin Williams, Josh Childress, Salim Stoudemire, and Tyronne Lue to Phoenix for Shawn Marion. This deal might not be enough to get Marion, but given the money it would save Phoenix, and the depth it would add, new Suns GM Steve Kerr would have to consider that deal.
What they should do: If Phoenix went for that deal, then Kerr should use that pick for (), but assuming Atlanta keeps the pick, then Billy Knight should take Al Horford, who would instantly stabilize the Hawks frontcourt.
What the will do: Oh, knowing Knight, it seems certain that the Hawks will take indifferent North Carolina forward, Brandon Wright.

Memphis Grizzlies
Offseason needs: Starting point guard, center, general depth.
What they could do: Trade Pau Gasol to Chicago for Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon, Tyrus Thomas, and the ninth pick in the draft. With the fourth pick Memphis could take Joakim Noah, and then swing the ninth pick to Toronto for Jose Calderon. Their lineup then looks something like this:
PG – J. Calderon, C. Duhon, D. Stoudemire
SG – B. Gordon, M. Miller
SF – R. Gay, H. Warrick, B. Cardinal
PF – T. Thomas, L. Roberts
C – J. Noah, S. Swift
With Marc Ivaroni leading them from the Memphis bench, this team could be right back in playoff contention next year.
What they should do: Well, obviously I think that they should go with the above move, but either way, they should draft Noah, who will pair well with Gasol.
What they will do: With all the smoke blowing about Noah, it seems as though West is blowing a diversion and will go with Mike Conley Jr.
Boston Celtics
Offseason needs: A direction for the franchise.
What they could do: They could continue to muddle through indecision by selecting Yi Jianlian, who might develop into the third best player in this draft. Of course, by then Paul Pierce might need his walker to get into the paint.
What they should do: Trade Pierce and commit to youth. Get a mix of talented youngsters, draft picks, and cap room. Then use their pick on Corey Brewer.
What they will do: Probably they take Brewer, keep Pierce and hope that they can get healthy, and win a weak Atlantic division next year.

Milwaukee Bucks
Offseason needs: A small forward, possibly a point guard, and better health.
What they could do: Having full seasons of health from Andrew Bogut, Charlie Villanueva, and Bobby Simmons would drastically help the Bucks’ cause, but they could help themselves by sending next year’s first round pick to Atlanta for the chance to move up to third and select Al Horford.
What they should do: That, but if not, then take Jeff Green, who can step in and help next year.
What they will do: Take Yi Jianlian, who will refuse to come to a city populated by six Chinese people.

Minnesota Timberwolves
Offseason needs: Trading KG, roster upgrades everywhere else.
What they could do: The Wolves should have sent KG to the Bulls when they had Gordon, Thomas, Nocioni, and cap space on the board. Now, unless the get Phoenix to bite on a Stoudemire deal, whatever they get for Garnett will be 45 cents on the dollar, but that total is rapidly dropping. So, for the love of God, find a deal for the talented big man.
What they should do: Trade Garnett and Marko Jaric to Phoenix for Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, Kurt Thomas, Marcus Banks, and Atlanta’s unprotected number one next year that Phoenix holds. Phoenix wont want to give up Barbosa, but jumps at the chance to include Marion over Stoudemire in a KG deal. If Minnesota uses their pick on Mike Conley, then they have a lightning fast, very versatile backcourt of Conley, Randy Foye, Barbosa. Paired with Marion, the Wolves would be athletic and exciting.
What they will do: Draft Spencer Hawes.

Charlotte Bobcats
Offseason needs: upgrades at point, small forward and depth up front. A sense of direction and leadership from ownership would also help.
What they could do: They could actually decide that they want to be part of the National Basketball Association and then spend some money to upgrade their anemic roster.
What they should do: The Bobcats sit in a position where they can just sit back, wait, and pick up whoever slips from the Noah, Green, Conely, Wright, Yi group. Especially if Minnesota loses their mind and reaches for Hawes, then the Bobcats could be choosing between two, but otherwise, at eight, if he’s still on the board, Wright’s an obvious choice.
What they will do: If Yi’s still on the board, I’d be very surprised if the Bobcats didn’t trade this pick to someone.

Chicago Bulls
Offseason needs: Low post scoring.
What they could do: Well, obviously they’ve been trying to get Garnett for years, and they’re at the top of Kobe’s wish list, but I still think that the perfect player to pair upfront with Luol Deng and Ben Wallace is Zach Randolph. Portland wants a second pick in the draft, they also need a small forward and perhaps some veteran leadership, so some sort of sign and trade with Nocioni and/or PJ Brown would seem to fulfill needs for both teams.
What they should do: If Yi’s still on the board, John Paxson will be doing back flips.
What they will do: Look to deal, but ultimately grab whoever’s left from the top nine.

Sacramento Kings
Offseason needs: A complete and total overhaul.
What they could do: There are all kinds of rumors circulating about a deal in which the Kings send Bibby and Artest to the Heat for some expiring contracts, Dorell Wright, and the 20th pick. Frankly that makes me throw up a little in my mouth, but obviously the Kings need to find a new home for both players.
What they should do: Begin the post-Bibby/Artest era by drafting Thadeus Young, who is his name, but also has the greatest upside of anyone left at this point.
What they will do: Draft Al Thornton who has less upside, but is ready to contribute now, which is great if you have a team worth competing on…

Atlanta Hawks
Offseason needs: see above.
What they could do: Well, apparently they were looking into dealing this pick to Seattle for Luke Ridnour, but if Sam Presti had that trade on the table, I’m sure he’d have taken it, so I’d make a similar offer to Toronto for either of their point guards.
What they should do: If they keep this pick they have to go point guard, and Acie Law has the moxie to lead this team. Yes he’s a shoot first guard, but with the unselfish Joe Johnson in the backcourt, it can work the same way it worked for Detroit with Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton.
What they will do: Oh, who knows, since before the took Wright, how about now lets have them taking the equally indifferent Julian Wright. With those two upfront with Marvin Williams, this is a team that could beat anyone, on that one given night per year when all three decided to play hard.

Philadelphia 76ers
Offseason needs: Help at both of the forward spots.
What they could do: After their surprisingly strong finish, the Sixers seem in a better place than anyone could have predicted for the post-Iverson era (short of getting Oden or Durant of course). They probably can make a playoff run right now, so it might behoove them to just take the player most likely to help them in 2008.
What they should do: Al Thornton definitely qualifies as that, given that he can play some four, and will solidify their rotation at the three.

New Orleans Hornets
Offseason needs: Shooting, athleticism on the wing, low post scoring.
What they could do: Build a time machine, go back to last summer, and NOT give peja Stojakovic all that money.
What they should do: Well, I’ve purposely let Kansas’ Julain Wright fall, because despite having, perhaps the third most talent in this draft, he strikes me as the enxt Tim Thomas. Worlds of talent, no drive, and thus a painful player to live with. But as Thomas showed during his brief stint in Phoenix, having a great point guard can help the talented motor less player. The Hornets have the great player, so Wright’s worth the risk.

Los Angeles Clippers
Offseason needs: A pulse. Reducing ticket prices to get Bill Simmons back in their seats. Maybe a better coach, GM, owner. Wow that’s a lot of needs to fix in one offseason.
What they could do: Trade this pick to Toronto for Jose Calderon. Seriously, he’s that good. Then explore trading for Paul Pierce, who would find a home playing alongside Elton Brand.
What they should do: Draft the best player left on the board, in this case that would be USC alum Nick Young, who instantly offers an upgrade over Cuttino Mobley.
What they will do: Oh who knows, perhaps they take Hawes, because they don’t yet have enough lumbering seven feet white guys, or perhaps they take Wright so that he can call Thomas sensei, and properly learn the nuances of not caring for 73 of the 82 games, or perhaps they draft some Russian kid twenty spots higher than anyone else had him pegged, then watch him rot on their bench for two years before declining his option… what they did that two years ago? Oh well, it’s the Clippers, between Elgin Baylor and Donald Sterling, who the hell knows what they’re going to do.

That’s what makes this year’s draft so much fun. You have a loaded draft, and more talent available on the table than ever before, but the guys driving the bus are Billy Knight, Chris Wallace, Danny Ainge, Kevin McHale, Michael Jordan, and Elgin Baylor. Obviously the worst collection of general managers ever assembled. Seriously, anything could happen, or they could all get clammy hands, grab a bottle, hide under the table and rock back and forth, while hauntingly calling for their Mommies until the darft’s finished and their franchises are exactly the same. The NBA… it’s FAN-tastic!

Billy Knight and his flightless Hawks...

Since taking over the Hawks in April 2003, Billy Knight has taken his team from a 35 win team to a 30 win team. While that represents an impressive negative five increase in the win column, we would be remise if we didn’t point out that the 30 wins represent a high water mark in King’s spectacular run as Hawks GM. While the Hawks do, seemingly, have talent on their roster, King has made pundits scoff as he acquired athletic wing after athletic wing, while finding nobody qualified to run the show. As Deron Williams tears up the Spurs, Hawks fans (all four of them), can’t help but dream of Williams penetrating and dishing to an open Joe Johnson. Instead they have Marvin Williams taking baby steps towards respectability. Personally, despite the great strides taken by Deron Williams this year, I’d still have selected Chris Paul, but lets be honest, either would have put Atlanta in the playoffs this year.

That was a bad, bad decision, but it probably wasn’t even among Knight's five worst choices since taking over as GM. Lets take a look at five of his most questionable moves.

5) Traded Rasheed Wallace to Detroit in a three team deal that sent Chucky Atkins, Lindsay Hunter, and Detroit’s first round pick to the Celtics, for Bob Sura, Chris Mills, Zeljko Rebraca, Bucks 2004 first round pick.

Along with Wallace, Detroit also received Mike James, essentially trading five irrelevant bench pieces for one very important bench piece, and Wallace. There’s very little question that without Wallace, Detroit doesn’t win Larry Brown’s only NBA title, nor are they in the conference finals for the fifth straight year. For Atlanta’s part, they finished the complicated job of clearing the roster of bloated contracts (a cleaning which began with the trade of Shareef Abdur Rahim and Theo Ratliff for Wallace), and they got a draft choice which they turned into Josh Smith, but all that cap space hasn’t really gotten them anywhere (see below), and while Smith could be awesome, he has yet to make this trade anything more than a downright landslide, first round victory for the Pistons.

4) Traded Jason Terry and Alan Henderson to the Mavericks for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk. Followed seven months later by Knight moving Walker to the Celtics for Gary Payton, Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart, 2006 Lakers’ pick which the Celtics owned.

Look, Terry isn’t the greatest player in the world, and he was something of a misfit on the Hawks, but he was their best player and they essentially traded him for more cap space and what eventually turned out to be the 21st pick in last years draft. Cap space does have value, but too much of it, in a weak year can lead to paying good players like great ones, and marginal ones like good ones. Knight has done both. The draft pick didn’t even really help, as Knight used it to help him overpay said player.

3) Signed Speedy Claxton to a four year, 25 million contract.

Speedy’s, well, Speedy’s not so speedy any more. Age and leg injuries have taken something from his legs, and since he was a borderline starting point guard to begin with, he’s much better suited to the bench. Unfortunately, Knight’s paying him to start, for three more years.

2) Drafted Sheldon Williams with the fifth pick in the draft, three spots before Rudy Gay, two before Randy Foye, and one spot before 2007 NBA ROY Brandon Roy. Williams was a massive stretch at five, he played exactly as pundits thought he would, giving the Hawks a solid workmanlike rotation big man. That’s great if the very next player hadn’t been Roy. Again, Knight showed a complete lack of understanding of relative value and it cost his team. They should have just drafted Roy, but at worst they should have moved down to ninth before drafting a player nobody had near the top five.

1) Traded Boris Diaw, that Lakers pick, and their own number one (top three protected this year, unprotected next year) in a sign and trade for Joe Johnson.

This was a harebrained idea to begin with. For starters, Knight wanted Johnson to come be the Hawks point guard, which despite his gifted passing is something he was never going to be successful at, since he isn’t good at penetrating. Second, they surrendered a considerable amount of assets considering, 1) Johnson had already made it clear he didn’t want to return (and be the fourth wheel) to Phoenix, and 2) Phoenix wasn’t going to add a fourth ten plus million salary to their already top heavy roster. So, they overpaid to overpay Johnson. Which isn’t to say that Johnson isn’t a great player, because he is, but just because he rolled with Carmelo, LeBron and Dwayne Wade in Japan last summer doesn’t mean he actually rolls in their basketball class. He’s a very good shooter, who defends well, but isn’t great at creating his own shot or getting to the line. A salary of around 10 million would have been more in line with what he provides, 12 would have made sense given that the Hawks were terrible and terrible teams often have to overpay for talent. Instead Johnson is making an average of 14 million per, which means he’s the big enchilada, and the man on who’s shoulders the team’s poor results should rest. This deal sent the Hawks ownership group into an ugly power struggle that continues to handicap the franchise, making you wonder if Joe Johnson was worth all of that.

Why does any of this matter? Because the East is so pathetic that with a competent offseason, not even a good one, but a competent one, the Hawks could put themselves in position to challenge for a playoff spot in the East. That in turn will lessen the effects of the Johnson trade (it doesn’t make it any better of a trade, it just would make the Hawks lucky it wasn’t worse), by keeping next year’s pick from being a lottery choice. It wont take a lot really, just some astute choices in this year’s draft, but then would you want Billy Knight making those decisions?

The "Real" NBA Season Begins

With the NBA season finally, mercifully, finished, it’s time to swing our… “What’s that Sweetie? It’s not over? There’s still another game tonight?” Oh, well, whatever… With the NBA finals mired in something close to irrelevance, it seems appropriate to take a quick look at what could be the most exciting, action packed offseason since, well, ever. Just look at the names that might be available: Jermaine O’Neal, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire, Pau Gasol, Zach Randolph, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Lamar Odom, Mike Bibby, Ron Artest, Andrei Kirilenko, and oh yeah, this guy out of LA you might have heard of… Kobe Bryant. And that doesn’t even get us started on the inevitable Kevin Garnett rumors. On top of the bevy of all star talent available, there’s also that small thing about what may be the greatest draft ever, and a free agent class that lacks the headline star power of the trade market, but still includes Chauncey Billups, Rashard Lewis, and potentially, Vince Carter.

So, after a shockingly slow trade deadline, and an obnoxiously boring playoffs (record low ratings for the finals is a bad sign, no matter what David Stern might say to Bill Simmons), it might just be time to get excited about basketball again. With a few good moves teams like Portland, Milwaukee, and even Atlanta can jump from the lottery to the playoffs, and others, namely Chicago, Houston, and Utah could put themselves into championship contention. With that in mind, lets look at how the offseason shapes up by answering five questions about each conference.

The five biggest issues facing the Eastern conference this offseason.

1) Has LeBron now taken over the Eastern Conference for the next decade?

Well, in a word… No. No doubt LeBron took a giant step forward in the Detroit series and he could dominate the Eastern conference for the next decade, but as was shown in the San Antonio series, LeBron’s cast aren’t Pippen, Rodman, or Steve Kerr, and LeBron isn’t Jordan. The conference is still open. Dwayne Wade’s supporting cast has one foot in the grave, but when healthy he probably plays LeBron to a draw, and while Detroit is on the way down, with a good offseason Chicago could take another step forward and block LeBron’s path back to the finals.

2) Will the East recover from May 22?

After almost a decade of suffering from a seriously lopsided league, two talents came along, who --- along with James and Wade --- could have immediately reduced the talent gap. If Oden had landed in Boston and Durant in Milwaukee, both of those teams would have been title contenders in two years. Instead, the top two picks landed in the West, the northwest to be specific, and the East got another kick to the nards. What does this mean for the East? That they’d better hope that Garnett and Kobe are traded their way (which if they are traded, it’ll probably be East), that Chicago should be aggressively pursuing Zach Randolph (assuming Garnett isn’t available), and that David Stern should force Billy Knight, Isaiah Thomas, Billy King, and Danny Ainge to be relocated to Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, and Portland respectively. That more than the presence of Durant and Oden should have the desired effect of making the East better, while drastically reducing the quality of play in the West (I actually really look forward to the prospect of Isaiah trading Tim Duncan to the Knicks for Stephon Marbury and a few draft picks).

3) What will Atlanta do with the third pick?

With Portland and Seattle’s choices locked in stone (and no, Durant’s workout didn’t affect anything other than the vocal chords of a few loud mouthed idiots), Atlanta really holds the keys to this draft. What they desperately need is a competent presence in the middle, and somebody to run the show. They could take Mike Conley higher than most peg him, they could draft another athletic swingman, or they could trade down to one of the teams that want Al Horford, gain an asset, and then take Conley. But, given the logic, Knight will draft Brandon Wright, who’ll be another enigmatic talent, hanging out on the wing, with Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, and Josh Childress.

4) Is there any doubt the Celtics are now cursed?

Whether it’s because of Len Bias, or whether Red reneged on some Faustian deal that has led to their demise, can there be any doubt that the Celtics are cursed? Or is it just terrible management? Whatever the case, after seeing their Oden-Durant dreams descend into the murky waters of Yi-land, and watching Tim Duncan ascend to one of the all-time greats, the Celtic faithful must be starting to wonder about possible curses (after all, these are the same fans who spent 86 years fearing the curse of the Bambino). More than anything, Boston needs direction, but confoundingly, they seem content to be committed to their youth, while also believing they can compete right now. Danny, trade Pierce for more assets, or trade some of the kids. You might be cursed, but that’s no reason to be dumb.

5) A ridiculously early playoff prediction for the East?

So, who has the best offseason? As I said above, even the Hawks could make the playoffs if they made some smart moves this offseason, but… what are the odds of that happening? With Billy Knight in charge? Not bloody likely, but the point remains that the East is so terrible, that someone who was terrible last year, could jump into the playoffs by making a smart move or two. That’s all it would take, but that seems unlikely to come from Atlanta, Boston, the Knicks, Charlotte, or Indiana. Philly seems on the cusp, and Milwaukee certainly has enough talent where some health and better coaching could land them in the playoffs. The givens are Detroit (on the way down, but with a lot of room left), Chicago, Cleveland, and Toronto. I think that if Gilbert Arenas remains healthy Washington remains in, same for Wade and Miami. Which leaves Orlando and New Jersey, ahhh… Dwight Howard takes another step and pushes out the grey beards in the swamp.

Five Questions for the Western Conference.

1) Will Kobe be traded?

This is the single biggest issue of the offseason. Does Kobe get moved anywhere? Two weeks ago I would have thought that the Lakers make some moves, and Kobe backs off his demands, but… Based upon his recent conversation with Jerry Buss, it would appear that Kobe’s sticking to his guns and wants to be traded, if that’s the case then the offseason is guaranteed to be massive. Where would Kobe go? Well, first of all, the Lakers aren’t sending him to any Western conference teams, so the Suns, Mavs, and Clippers (especially the Clippers) can forget about him. Second, with his no trade clause, he’s not going to a small market, so Charlotte, Milwaukee, and Toronto can just assume he’s not on the market, and the Lakers aren’t getting LeBron or Dwayne Wade straight up, so he’s not landing in Cleveland or Miami. Realistically, that leaves Chicago (supposedly Kobe’s first choice), Philly, Boston, and the Knicks. Of those, only Chicago really has the assets to make an attractive offer, but as we’ve seen in recent years, as the trade demand drags on, teams settle for packages that at first would have been laughed off (if in doubt, then see: O’Neal, Shaquille; McGrady, Tracy; Iverson, Allan, and worst of all Carter, Vince). Additionally, one cannot forget that Lakers’ GM Mitch Kupchak will be the one masterminding any trade, and, well, he doesn’t exactly have the best record on this subject (again, see: O’Neal, Shaquille).

2) What about Garnett?

The T-wolves have staunchly refused to address trading Garnett in the past, which clearly was the wrong decision. Now, as they flounder in mediocrity, their division just became exceedingly tougher with the addition of Oden and Durant, their roster continues to be bogged down by mid level contracts for minimum players, and their management has shown nothing in a decade to give Minnesota fans hope. So no, Minnesota isn’t trading Garnett. At least not this offseason, but… If owner Glenn Taylor decides to shove Kevin McHale in a closet for two weeks, and take over the negotiations, he might realize that a deal with the Celtics that sends Garnett East for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastion Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and the fifth pick. That’s a lot of future cap space, a dominating low post presence, a streaky, but very young wing player, and the fifth pick to add to the seventh in a loaded draft. If they came away from the draft with Florida stars Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah, then they’d have a young core that set up like this: Randy Foye, Green, Brewer, Jefferson, and Noah. (Just for the record, I agree with Bill Simmons’ take, that this trade is the wrong move for the Celtics).

3) Can the Spurs secure their dynastical place in history by winning back to back championships?

In my opinion, if the Spurs win their fifth title in ten years, not to mention their second straight, next year then all of this hoopla about whether they’re a dynasty can be put to bed, with the answer a resounding yes. So can they? Of course they can. After their first title, Tim Duncan was injured during the following playoffs, and they ran into the Shaq-Kobe-Phil juggernaut, so it wasn’t happening that year, but after their 2003 title, they were outplaying the Lakers until Derek Fischer’s miracle game four winner, and in 2005 they were a dumb ass Ginobili foul away from defeating the Mavericks in game seven. Either of those plays go the other way and the Spurs probably win titles in those years (and yes, I’m betting that the Spurs don’t melt down in last year’s finals like the Mavs did against Wade and the Heat). So, it’s not as though there’s some fundamental flaw in them that makes it so they can’t repeat, but as each of the Spurs first three titles showed us, winning back to back championships isn’t just a walk in the park, so if I had to choose between the Spurs and the field, I’d take the field.

4) What about the Suns?

After recently handing over their GM responsibilities to Steve Kerr, the Suns enter a pivotal offseason. Owner Robert Sarver doesn’t want to pay the luxury tax, but with Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire, and Steve Nash all making south of 10 million, there’s not a lot of room for the extensions to Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa. So, does someone convince Sarver that this team was one Big “Cheap Shot” Bob knock away from winning a title this year, and thus should be given one more run, or do they move Marion to save some money?

5) Who makes the playoffs out West?

Well, if this was tough in the East, it’s nearly impossible to predict the West, but for opposite reasons. Lets just go with the obvious off the top: San Antonio, Phoenix, and Dallas aren’t going to miss out (a massive injury aside), I think that Houston, Utah, and Denver each come in on the next tier. The final two spots are going to be fought out between the Lakers, Clippers, Golden State, New Orleans, and Portland. I think that even with a rookie Oden in Portland, the Blazers make the dance, and the Clippers have the least issues to address this offseason so I’ll nominally put them eighth right now (although, no doubt Elgin Baylor could blow that).