Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Free Agency Review - Pacific Division

We're almost there: it's time for part 5 of 6, the offseason breakdown of the Pacific division. This division has certainly underwent a makeover through the past few years, and the Lakers will no longer enter the season as the favorites. I suck at these intros anyway, who am I kidding, so let's get into the meat of the breakdown.
                 

L.A. Clippers


Key additions: Jared Dudley, J.J. Redick, Darren Collison, Byron Mullens, Reggie Bullock

Key subtractions: Eric Bledsoe, Caron Butler, Chauncey Billups, Grant Hill, Lamar Odom, Ronnie Turiaf

The Clippers facilitated perhaps the most newsworthy trade of the offseason, shipping Caron Butler, and the young, coveted point guard Eric Bledsoe in exchange for Phoenix’s Jared Dudley and Milwaukee’s J.J. Redick to strengthen the backcourt depth of this roster. This trade enhances a guard rotation sapped of reliable outside shooting, as well as guaranteeing quality two-way bench play. Redick has gained quality recognition as one of the most reliable deep shooters in the entire league, and should perfectly compliment a Chris Paul-first style offense by spotting up around the arc. Dudley himself is simply a quality locker room presence; he has been noted around the league as a high character guy and an attractive teammate who can also function well in bench units and perhaps even start if Matt Barnes suffers injury or consistently struggles. One of L.A.’s necessities this offseason was quality outside shooting and they certainly have that with Dudley and Redick.

Unfortunately, the Clippers’ money and salary cap situation begins to come into play here after all of these signings. J.J. Redick’s new contract acquired through the sign and trade, Chris Paul’s extension, Darren Collison’s signing, the Jared Dudley acquisition and the retention of Matt Barnes will push L.A. just above the luxury tax, a mark most franchises desperately try to avoid, especially after the new CBA. The contractual combinations of salary and length project the Clippers to sit well above the salary cap for years to come, which could mark them as a repeat offender to the luxury tax.

But these monetary concerns don’t cloud the owner’s perception when the franchise has reasonable opportunity to win a championship, and after the Chris Paul 5 year extension, the Clippers’ window should stay open for a few more years. The bench has been beefed up even more than it was last year, and Doc Rivers has plenty of options in his arsenal to tinker with lineups to find the best possible combination late in games (since DeAndre can’t make free throws). Darren Collison provides a capable backup for Chris Paul, and became the lone bright spot among Indiana’s helpless bench in the 2012 playoffs.

The one qualm I have with L.A.’s offseason performance is the decision to not sign a 3rd big man to this roster, at least a quality name (Byron Mullens does absolutely not count here). Blake Griffin has certainly improved defensively since entering the league, and DeAndre Jordan has learned a thing or two, but Griffin is only “above average” as of right now, and Jordan lacks the awareness to effectively protect the basket Tyson Chandler style. L.A. projects to run out a top 5 (and perhaps league best) offense every night, but it’s more than unclear if a Griffin-Jordan defensive back line will be enough to propel this team to a championship.

Grade: B+

Golden State Warriors


Key additions: Toney Douglas, Andre Iguodala, Marreese Speights, Jermaine O’Neal

Key subtractions: Andris Biedrins, Brandon Rush, Richard Jefferson, Carl Landry, Jarrett Jack

Now THIS is good management.

After an unsuccessful 2011-2012 campaign, the Golden State Warriors netted a lottery pick, the 7th pick, in the 2012 NBA draft. Just one year later and this team is currently assembled (at least in my mind) to truly compete for an NBA title. This team casually placed in the top 10 in terms of points per possessions both offensively and defensively, and suddenly erupted in the playoffs, nearly surpassing San Antonio for a spot in the Western Conference Finals.

It’s certainly a team built for success; from the fluff on the bench to the core of the unit Golden State now possesses nearly all the pieces to succeed both offensively and defensively. Carl Landry’s absence is a minor setback, but Marreese Speights is a capable backup, as is Toney Douglas for Jarrett Jack.

But the big fish signed this summer was Andre Iguodala, only after Golden State pawned draft picks and salary in the form of Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson onto the books of Utah to clear the path for Iguodala. Iguodala brings perimeter defense that will be much needed when Bogut sits, and a capable ball handler to run the offense and enhance Curry’s potential even more as he runs through an array of off-ball screens. I’m practically drooling of the thought of Iguodala running a pick and roll with David Lee as Curry and Klay Thompson spread the floor… Holy freaking crap

And even beyond the on-floor implications of this move may be the cap implications for the Warriors going forward. What a great move to dump salary on Utah for a couple of low value draft picks in the next few years to not only clear way for Iggy, but also duck the luxury tax by quite a large margin. And while they’ll have some decision making to do once Bogut and Thompson become eligible for extensions next summer, they still have plenty of cap flexibility going forward if there are significant injuries.

Injuries are the key here. David Lee, Curry, and Bogut all have poor health history, and in my mind that could be the only setback that prevents this roster from a Western Conference Finals appearance or even deeper. David Lee is skilled offensively from everywhere on the floor as well as a rebounding maniac, Bogut is perhaps one of the best defenders in the entire league when healthy, Curry and Klay are two of the best long range shooters in the league, and Iguodala is a jack of all trades type. Color me as impressed; this team is one of my teams to watch.

Grade: A

 (Who knows why the font changes, I tried tinkering with it for hours and no luck. That's what you get when you blog for free)

L.A. Lakers

Key additions: Jordan Farmar, Wesley Johnson, Chris Kaman, Nick Young
Key subtractions: Earl Clark, Chris Duhon, Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, DWIGHT HOWARD, Antawn Jamison, Darius Morris, Metta World Peace
Let’s get this out of the way, I will be calling them the LOLakers this year.
Honestly though, as much as I hate the Lakers (I’m so unbiased right?), I can’t really criticize them for under performing this offseason, simply because they really didn’t under perform. When dealing with an elite superstar stuck in a kindergardner’s body, only so much persuasion and incentivising  tactics can be employed before simple luck runs its course, and Howard quickly bolted to “greener pastures”.
Howard was originally seen as the Laker’s next dominant superstar, a player that could take L.A. to the top season after season. But there’s not much a big name can do during free agency (even the lakers) after coming up empty on a coveted superstar besides wait until the next year. L.A. invested all of their marbles in the unstable Howard jar, and while it turned out sour, there will be no change of plans in Los Angeles. The Lakers will continue to hit the big name free agency pool for summers to come. L.A. ensured cap flexibility going forward by signing all of their free agents to 1 year contracts after Dwight Howard bolted. Chris Kaman, Jordan Farmar, Wesley Johnson, and Nick Young all signed for one year deals to ensure L.A. has max max max cap room next summer.
The bad news however, is that all of the above names bring little to nothing to the table. In fact, most of them suck. Yes, they still have Kobe and Pau, but both players are currently undergoing rapid decline in production; Pau has been injury prone as of late and it’s completely unclear how effective Kobe will be next year. Even worse, as Jared Dubin pointed out, L.A. won’t actually be able to lure in the ultra huge names next year because of cap holds, unless Kobe settles for a significant pay cut which isn’t going to happen.
A lot will happen between now and next summer, and we never know how much time Kobe has left in the NBA, but as of right now it appears that the lakers will be pretty bad this season, at least by the lofty standards of the western conference. It’s unclear how motivated L.A. is to duck the luxury tax, but this season they are well above the $71 million tax level, and could easily slide into that again as a repeat offender next season if they aren’t careful.
There have been many debates regarding the effectiveness of the new CBA, but one of its original intentions, keeping flashy teams from continuously overspending, has certainly come to fruition here. The Lakers will suck this year and I will mock them.
*Announcer’s voice* “LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat take on Kobe, Nick Young and Chris Kaman of the Lakers! It’s the NBA on TNT!!”
I can’t wait.
Grade: B-

Phoenix Suns

Key Additions: Eric Bledsoe, Archie Goodwin, Gerald Green, Alex Len, Miles Plumlee
Key Subtractions: Michael Beasley, Jared Dudley, Wesley Johnson, Luis Scola
The Suns’ offseason was highlighted by two main story lines: the new uniforms (which I have mixed opinions of) and being the main facilitator of the trade bringing Eric Bledsoe (and originally Caron Butler’s expiring contract) to Phoenix and sending Jared Dudley to contend in L.A. Meanwhile Phoenix has subtly been accumulating assets on the side (1st round pick in 2014 and Miles Plumlee from Indiana).
This isn’t going to be a great year in terms of performance for Phoenix, or even a good one; the Nash days are over and Phoenix will jump on the rebuilding track. Bledsoe is the most promising prospect on the roster, at least in terms of immediate performance, and it appears Phoenix’s smart front office will evaluate his performance this year before offering him an extension. There’s a risk-reward standard in play when acting this way, but the reward of saving a few dollars by signing him now as opposed to later is much riskier than waiting until next offseason.
Luis Scola and Jared Dudley leave the roster as well, a beneficial move for both teams as Phoenix let’s its quality locker room guys compete on true championship contenders. Caron Butler was also shipped faster than he was received, as he goes to Milwaukee to clear cap space from Phoenix’s books, and the suns look to have max cap room as soon as next summer. Phoenix could have a valuable asset on their hands at the trade deadline, as Marcin Gortat’s expiring contract could be beneficial for teams who need a quality back up center and the Suns should have little use for him by then.
They’ve made all the right moves thus far by hoarding picks and cap room (and finally releasing Michael Beasley), and while it may be a while before they recover from the Steve Nash era, Phoenix should be back in contention within a few years. This year will be a tanking project, but I like what the front office is doing, and the key development to watch going forward will be how Hornacek manages his young talent.
Grade: A-

Sacramento Kings

Key Additions: Carl Landry, Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, Ray McCallum, Ben McLemore, Greivis Vasquez
Key Subtractions: Cole Aldrich, Toney Douglas, James Johnson, Tyreke Evans
It’s no secret anymore; Sacramento is doing everything in it’s power to create the best environment for Demarcus Cousins to succeed, and they even sunk as low as to sign high character teammates such as Carl Landry and Luc Richard Mbah A Moute to enhance the atmosphere (that Cousins constantly dampens). It’s no doubt that Cousins has value, and such an impressive health record for a starting NBA center is quite impressive.
But having to sign a specific clientele to keep your star happy isn’t ideal for any sports franchise, not to mention a star who consistently get’s picked apart in the pick and roll and can’t protect the rim. Cousins is no slouch; he’s one of the league’s most proficient rebounders and has elevated his play in terms of passing and overall offensive skill, but he doesn’t warrant a max contract (yet), and he certainly isn’t worth going to extremes to work around his character issues.
I’ve said this before and I absolutely believe it to be true: big guys need more time to develop than any other player (Joakim Noah is a prime example), but this is Cousins’ 4th and perhaps most crucial season thus far, and Sacramento has plenty of analyzing to do to determine if they can continue with Big Cuz as the cornerstone of their offense going forward.
Let’s be honest, this organization is completely dysfunctional as of late and it’s going to take quite an overhaul by new general manager Pete D'alessandro to achieve the notoriety this franchise had in the early 2000s. Marcus Thornton is set to soak up $16 million over the next two years, and John Salmons’ contract doesn’t look to friendly either. Shipping out Tyreke Evans proved to be a cost effective decision (considering he requested $44 million), but there are now no potential superstars on this roster aside from Cousins. Cap room is somewhat in their favor as soon as next summer, but the Kings will need to pull some strings to get good, quality talent on this roster.
Grade: C+

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