Finley signs with Spurs, Pargo goes abroad to Russia

Recent NBA signings:
Michael Finley resigns with the Spurs. Good move by the Spurs. They had Finley, Brent Barry, and Robert Horry who are all old and shoot threes. They resigned the youngest and most productive of the three. Finley averaged 10.1 ppg compared to Barry’s 7.1 ppg and Horry’s 2.5 ppg. It really showed at the end of the year that the team did not need all three of these players and needs to start getting younger. The writing on the wall showed that only one of them might return. The Spurs made the logical choice resigning the youngest most productive of the three. Finley had his choice of other title contenders to join (Celtics, Hornets, and the Cavaliers), but in the end, he chose to come back to the Spurs.

Jannero Pargo signs with Russian club Dynamo Moscow. Once it was clear that Pargo would not resign with the Hornets, the best thing for the Hornets would be if he went abroad. In game 7 of the playoff series with the Spurs, Pargo took far too many shots at the end and tried to lead the team as if he was the MVP of the team. That possibly could have caused problems in the Hornets wanting him back this year. He could be a dangerous player and could have come back to haunt New Orleans if he stayed in the division with San Antonio or even with Phoenix. He would have fit in perfectly with Phoenix by being able to run the floor and play both guard spots. But in the end, Pargo took the money for a year (1 year at $3.5 million) and will try to return to the NBA next year if he can get a long-term deal.

Cavs get Mo Williams in three team deal

The Cleveland Cavaliers just acquired Mo Williams in a three team deal in which the Cavs get Mo Williams, the Bucks get Damon Jones, Luke Ridnour, and Adrian Griffin, and Oklahoma City gets Joe Smith and Desmond Mason. Cleveland finally gets a true PG who can score, so Daniel Gibson can play his natural position more at the 2. Milwaukee wanted to dump Mo Williams because of his salary ($43 million over 5 years left), and the Cavs capitalized. It was definitely a win for the Cavs because they need to bring it quality players to convince LeBron to stay. All they had to give up were two backups (Jones and Smith) for a legitimate starting PG. Cleveland knows they have to work harder to keep James now because he announced he would go to Europe if the price is right during these Olympics while the world is watching. All the owners of teams in Europe were definitely listening. That gives some of the cap-free teams there two years to save up to get him. They may not want to spend $50 million to get LeBron or Kobe, but it is a possibility.

76ers Sign Iguodala, Complete Team

The Philadelphia 76ers and Andre Iguodala have come to terms on a 6 year $80 million dollar contract. Yes, they did overpay for him, but contracts for about $70-$80 million have been common for free agents this year. Philadelphia may have been able to get him for less, but the 76ers probably realized their spending spree for Brand would be pointless if they could not bring back Iguodala. A backcourt of Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala is solid with a great 6th man in Louis Williams. Brand should be a double-double machine at the power forward with Dalembert able to play the defensive shot blocking center position like Marcus Camby. Everyone loved Thaddeus Young last year, and apparently so did the team because it looks as if he’ll get the starting SF position.

The downside for this team is that they are thin in the frontcourt with a rookie, Marreese Speights, backing up Dalembert, and one of their first rounders last year, Jason Smith, now out with a torn ACL.

Philly improved a lot over the offseason getting Brand. Without him they gave Detroit a scare last year pushing the series to six games. They should now be in a great position to make a run in the playoffs and should at least break into the second round this year.

Analysis of Artest to the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets recently acquired Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings for a #1 pick in 2009, Donte Greene, and Bobby Jackson. Houston should have kept Donte Greene even though most first rounders are busts especially later in the first round. Not because he played well in summer league because that means nothing. The Rockets should have kept him because he’s 6′11″ and would have been the second tallest player on the Rockets. Getting Artest is basically announcing that getting Battier a couple years ago was a failure. Maybe there is something about players putting up stats on a horrible team can’t translate that into success for playoff teams. Pau Gasol, also from Memphis, was hailed before but then received criticism during these last finals for being soft. His success may depend on how well Andrew Bynum recovers and if he can keep progressing.

With this roster, Houston will not win a championship or anything close. Everyone tries to preface that with, “if Yao stays healthy, they can win it all or go to the finals.” Not happening. Everyone is just high on them because they made the last big trade. Yao will not stay healthy, and they will not go on another 22 game win streak. They are a middle seed (4-6 range) playoff team at best in the West. They’ve got to be one of the smallest teams in the West but don’t have PGs (Rafer Alston and Aaron Brooks) that can run the show. The Rockets should try to get Steve Blake from the Trailblazers because he can run the point better than Alston but can easily be a fourth option to shoot.

McGrady will never win anything, and there is a reason he has never been out of the first round on the playoffs in 11 seasons. History should only remember him as Vince Carter’s cousin. Similarly, the Nets with Vince Carter haven’t done much since he showed up. They went to the NBA Finals two out of three years before he got there, and they haven’t gone to the Eastern Conference Finals since. Carter hasn’t failed to put up big numbers, which is all him and his cousin are able to do. Even Jason Kidd, who normally does not complain, started to hate the team, which at least had to partly stem from Vince Carter.

Atlanta Redeems Itself, Signs Josh Smith

After a plethora of horrible moves, the worst franchise in the NBA finally made a good move when they signed Josh Smith. Their mistakes of the past years’ free agencies and drafts have been well documented. This year, they let their supposed glue guy and super sub Josh Childress leave for Europe, which was a first for an American player of his pay level. Smith was the only guy from the ‘best of the rest’ (Iguodala, Deng, Okafor) to remain unsigned, yet the Hawks did not panic. They initially lowballed Smith with a 5 year $45 million dollar contract and waited for a team to make a fair offer to him. The Grizzlies did just that with a 5 year $58 million dollar deal. They probably avoided overpaying him like the Bulls (Deng – 6 years $80 mill) and 76ers (Iguodala 5 years $70+ mill) did for their top free agents. While the Hawks are starting to appear more stable on the court and could see another playoff berth this year, this is clearly a team that needs stability from the top (its owners). If that could be settled, this team, already in a great market where NBA players love to play, could become a real franchise.

2008 NBA Draft Winners

A few notes on the winners of the 2008 NBA Draft. You may not see a few teams you expect, just because Chicago took Derrick Rose first, I’m not giving them that much credit for the obvious pick. Next post will be the losers.

Winners:

Portland – Portland will probably be winners in every draft in the near future. Paul Allen’s wallet will be the main reason. He will probably buy a pick every year. They got Bayless, a top prospect, and Batum, a project. They filled their only hole at PG with Bayless and can put Blake where he belongs as a backup. They might have been better off with Darrell Arthur but traded him for Batum. This has got to be partially because they are already loaded with players and are better off leaving one of their picks overseas. Then they turned their 3 picks in the second round into 4 future picks, another great move and sign they do not have anymore room on the roster. They really need to see how this team will work together. After next season, they can take a look at what holes they have and what positions to draft.

Miami – The Heat are winners of the draft because they got Mario Chalmers. They lucked into Michael Beasley, made the right decision to pick him, and did not get a good enough offer to move him. PG was a huge need for this team along with another big man. With Wade in the backcourt with him, there is not as much pressure on Chalmers. Miami successfully addressed both of their needs with their two picks with great players, which is why they had one of the most successful drafts.

New Jersey – Some people criticize the Nets for supposedly clearing cap space for LeBron in 2010, which isn’t a bad idea. But another reason that is overlooked for them blowing up the team is that their roster could not win a championship. Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson’s team has been an early exit or a lottery team since Carter arrived. They needed to get younger at PG, cue Devin Harris, and bigger, trading RJ for 7 foot Yi and Bobby Simmons. They also drafted all big guys and came out with Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson. Anderson is probably a little overrated and Lopez should at least be decent. In the second round they took a chance on Chris Douglas-Roberts who should not have slid that far. CDR is a little unconventional, but teams should always take risks in the second round.

Golden State – Anthony Randolph should fit into their system nicely and should be able to play to his strengths there. Golden State is the best possible place for him to go while he gains some width to his body. The success of this team depends much more on how many of their free and restricted agents they can resign.

Minnesota – The Timberwolves were able to get the man they wanted, Love, and were able to turn their pick (Mayo) into a solid player in Mike Miller. GM Chris Wallace unsurprisingly made another stupid decision because they probably could have kept Miller and gave up less because it was well known that McHale really wanted Love. McHale proved in this draft who really was the worst GM in the NBA.

Cleveland – Drafted all big men for a team that needs youth on the front line. Either JJ Hickson or Darnell Jackson should develop into at least role men or a solid starter. Hard to argue getting a power forward and center from the national champion Jayhawks. I don’t really see Kaun coming back from Russia though. Everyone from Kansas slipped because they played very balanced good team ball and all realized their roles. Should be some steals in this draft from KU because at least a few players from should be able to develop nicely in the NBA.

Alexis Ajinca – Turned 5 points per game in the French league into a guaranteed NBA multi-year contract.

NBA Trades Right Before the Draft

The Pacers and Raptors just completed a deal and assuming physicals work out (which is not a formality in this case), Jermaine O’Neal will be traded for TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and the #17 pick in the draft. People say call this a risky trade for Toronto because O’Neal was hurt so much last year, but Ford is one more neck injury away from being out of the league. O’Neal at his best is much better than Ford at his best, and both of their injury histories and risks cancel each other out. The Pacers also get Rasho Nesterovic and the #17, which turn into a big man such as Robin Lopez, Roy Hibbert, or a random foreign. It looks like Toronto got the better of this deal, but that’s probably because they are a better organization. Toronto has three big men with Bosh, Bargnani, and O’Neal. They wanted to get rid of Ford anyway, and getting O’Neal for what they gave up was well worth it. At worst, O’Neal will be a good player who can bring much more than Rasho and a big man at #17 will. At best, this will rejuvenate O’Neal’s career and keep the Raptors in the top half of the Eastern Conference for at least a few years. The Pacers on the other hand, look like they are heading further south, even if they are trying to get rid of their players who don’t want to be there (O’Neal) or cause trouble (Tinsley). Hopefully for the Pacers, Dunleavy and Granger will continue to improve and TJ Ford will be able to work well with the team. The Pacers are starting to look like the Nets, good guards with horrible big men, which didn’t work too well for them this year (#10 pick). The Pacers might as well get two big guys and pray one develops. They can get a project like DeAndre Jordan, who has dropped from a few red flags, which I don’t understand because every center in this almost every draft is very risky.

New Orleans sold its pick to the Paul Allen Blazers for cash. I hate when teams do this just to save money. Hopefully New Orleans had to do this for cap reasons, but I doubt it. I don’t see why a team would not just pick a player and let him ride the bench or put him in the D league. Maybe they didn’t see anyone that could help them at #27, or maybe they were confused what to do because they have never picked that low in the draft before.

Denver traded their #20 to Charlotte for a protected future pick, which was probably a good idea for Denver depending on how protected. Charlotte won’t be picking any lower than #20 next year, so they essentially traded up in next year’s draft.

Pistons – overachieving or underachieving?

Are the Pistons an overachieving team or an underachieving team? At first, it may seem as if they are overachieving because they’ve won a championship and have made the conference championship six straight times. But something about the Pistons leaves the average fan unsatisfied, which is a large reason why Flip Saunders was fired recently.

Richard Hamilton has been the leading scorer on the team for too long in the regular season and the playoffs. Normally, I hate pretending like it is possible to project players stats on another team, but how many other teams would Richard Hamilton be the leading scorer? The Pistons have been such a bland team lately that changes have to be made. Someone needs to light a fire under Tayshaun Prince because he is the youngest of the Piston’s core, and the team needs him the most. It has been reported that Joe Dumars has stated that no one from that core is safe anymore, and Prince should really fear the most. Billups has shown he can elevate his game in the playoffs, even though he was up and down in these latest playoffs. Richard Hamilton is the leading scorer on the team from the playoffs, so why would he get the boot? This means that Tayshaun has the most to prove on this team from the guard position.

The Pistons believe that Prince is the key to the success or failure of the team, but this cannot be a complement because it states his inconsistency. Rasheed Wallace is the poster boy for his inconsistency and uninspired play on the team, which is why he may be on a new team next year. But I still believe that Dumars can find a new coach that can inspire this group of players to be better and play at the same level from the Larry Brown era. There is enough veteran talent mixed with young talent from the emergence of Rodney Stuckey and Jason Maxiell that this team still has a few more years to make a run at the title. The smartest thing Dumars can do is find a veteran coach who can inspire these players and bring them back to the NBA finals rather than just the conference finals. It starts with finding a way to motivate Rasheed and Tayshaun. This team has been underachieving recently, but with a great coach, they can overachieve by making the NBA finals the next two out of three years if they can beat the Celtics.

Fining refs in the NBA

Why not fine refs in the NBA? David Stern has found a way to fine everyone else, players, coaches, and owners. Why are the refs protected? They are under a lot of scrutiny and constantly under the microscope for incorrect calls, but is that different from the players, coaches, GMs, and owners? Every move those people make are under much more criticism than refs are, but they are professionals and paid plenty for this scrutiny. This is why they deserve to be held to a high standard. Why is that so different from a referee though? They are the best and brightest referees, and their calls can make or break a game. This has been magnified recently due to the Fisher no call and Tim Donaghy. If they blow a call similar to that Lakers-Spurs game, they should be fined. The NBA should at least review each game, identify missed calls, and then make the results public for people to see at the end of each season. People make claims against refs that they are horrible for whatever reason, but no one ever has any numbers to go off of, except in Donaghy’s case. Big mistakes refs make should result in a fine just as some mistakes players make result in a fine. Small mistakes refs make should be documented, then make the results public at the end of each year, unless the NBA has something to hide…

Why Kobe shouldn’t be the MVP

Yes, Kobe has lifted his team throughout the season and in these playoffs, but on the one year anniversary of his tirade to be traded, I feel it’s appropriate to state why he should not be the MVP. Part of the problem with the MVP in the NBA is that there is no strict definition. There were cases made for Chris Paul, KG, Lebron, and Kobe all for different reasons. Chris Paul helped revive a franchise and has them set to be a western conference power for years to come as did KG to a certain degree. Lebron is Lebron, but his supporting cast probably limited him the most in the MVP, which is ridiculous when you think about it. Any one of those players is deserving of the MVP, but the MVP usually goes to the top player on one of the best teams in a conference.

Kobe certainly fits that definition, but his trade demand one year ago today should have disqualified him for the MVP. The media and fans are too quick to forget how he wanted to quit on his team and go elsewhere. People laugh about how funny it is how the year played out for the Lakers. He stated in an interview today that he “had no choice” but to leave his team. Really? No choice but to stay with the team that you agreed to play with in your contract? It’s understandable that he wants to play on a championship contender while he is in his prime, but what he did is too selfish. No player should be above a franchise, even if it is Kobe Bryant. Players have to trust their GM will do what it takes to make the team a championship contender, which is what Mitch Kupchak has successfully done. Pau Gasol was a gift, but people forget that any team could have been aggressive and found a way to take advantage of Memphis GM Chris Wallace. People are hard on Chris Wallace, but the worst decision that involved the Lakers this year was the Chicago Bulls not pulling the trigger on the trade to get the best player in the NBA. Sometimes the worst decisions made are not what the media discusses such as the MVP choice or Memphis’ return from the Gasol trade, but the trades that fall through.

Gasol probably helped Kobe win the MVP this year as much as anyone because no one can make an argument that Kobe has elevated his game this year. He is the same player as last year, but his supporting cast has improved/matured to allow him to win the individual award.

What’s your take?

-YTS