Between the rumors, speculation, actual trades and signings, my friends and I have been in an NBA frenzy the past handful of days.
Let me sort some things out with a team-by-team examination...
New Jersey Nets: My poor Nets. The CP3 trade to the Lakers gets vetoed and L.A. subsequently becomes the frontrunner to land Dwight Howard. We can never seem to catch a break. The Nets have C Brook Lopez and two first round picks on the table -- a reasonable offer -- but the Lakers have more to offer in the combination of PF Pau Gasol and C Andrew Bynum. It seems, at this point, that L.A. is still trying to determine if Gasol and Bynum are too much to part with. I hope general manager Mitch Kupchak decides he'd be getting the short end of the stick, which would keep the Nets and GM Billy King in serious contention for Dwight.
If Dwight ends up in L.A. or Dallas (I think the Mavs are a long shot though), I hope New Jersey lands PF/C Nene Hilario. The Nets have been linked to Nene in many reports, but a plethora of other teams have justified interest in him as well.
If Billy King doesn't pick up Dwight or Nene with the most cap space in the league, I'm going to have a difficult time watching the Nets this season. The next set of possible additions drops off to guys like SFs Andrei Kirilenko and Richard Jefferson. Ugh.
New York Knicks: Is it worth it to add SG Jamal Crawford if they have to subtract G Toney Douglas? I'm not entirely sure. Crawford is superior to Douglas, but not by an awful lot. Crawford is one of the premier ballhandlers in the NBA and he's a more skillful passer than Douglas, but he doesn't look to pass very often. "JCross" is (and always has been) a shoot-first player. And there's nothing wrong with that, as long as Crawford's head coach utilizes him correctly. Larry Drew and the Hawks had the right idea using JCross as his sixth man and leader of Atlanta's second unit.
If the Knicks can add Crawford without losing Douglas -- which is obviously their preferred scenario -- it will be interesting to see how head coach Mike D'Antoni handles New York's backcourt rotation. He would have Crawford, Douglas, newly-acquired Mike Bibby and Landry Fields for two starting spots. Of course there's a possibility that Fields gets included in a sign-and-trade for Crawford.
As far as the C Tyson Chandler signing goes, he's a perfect fit for the Knicks. New York added explosive offense in Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire last season, but they clearly lacked a strong defensive presence in the paint. Chandler will be that guy, and he's also well-equipped to run with D'Antoni's wide-open offense. Chandler is long, lean, athletic and an explosive open court finisher. Outstanding pick-up for New York.
New Orleans Hornets: David Stern is delusional. SG Kevin Martin, PF Luis Scola, F Lamar Odom, PG Goran Dragic and a first round pick aren't enough for one player?
I understand that the one player, Chris Paul, is one of the top 10 players in the NBA, but it can be argued that Martin, Scola and Odom are all within the top 35-to-40. Martin is one of the premier scorers in the game, Scola is a tough, skilled power forward and we all know Odom is as versatile as they come. Dragic has a good reputation around the league as a lightning quick, up-and-coming point guard with some nice, natural ability.
I actually believe that the Hornets franchise would be in better shape with those four players (and the first round pick) than CP3 by his lonesome. Maybe that's just me, but I'm not devaluing the quality of that package simply because Martin, Scola and Odom don't have the "superstar" label.
Los Angeles Lakers: I've already discussed the Dwight Howard possibilities, but what if the CP3 deal went through? Would they definitely be better by adding Paul and subtracting both Gasol and Odom? That would leave the injury-prone Bynum as their only impact player in the paint. I love the idea of Kobe and CP3 playing side-by-side, but if Bynum went down (as he generally does) the Lakers' once-powerful frontcourt would be non-existent. It would have been a risky trade for Kupchak. Paul is injury-prone as well.
Dallas Mavericks: Lost Chandler and will likely lose JJ Barea, but added Odom and likely Vince Carter. They've downgraded but at least they aren't standing pat. It will certainly be difficult for them to repeat without Chandler and Barea who were clearly two of Rick Carlisle's most valuable players. It's going to be tough, but worst comes to worst, they still have last season's championship to cure any and all ills.
More to come whenever I have the urge.
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