RealGM Analysis
With the 2008-09 NBA season only six weeks away, we here at RealGM are going to bring back our annual six-part series that will break down the off-season maneuvers of each team, taking a look at who went where, and posing burning questions that will plague each team as it prepares for the start of the regular season. With potential star players emerging from this year?s incoming draft class, the (hopeful) debut of last year?s top pick Greg Oden, and plenty of migration from the NBA to foreign nations overseas, there are many issues to become aware of prior to the Opening Tip. Stay tuned as RealGM prepares you for the 2008-09 NBA season.
The first part of this six-piece series will spotlight the Northwest Division.
- Denver Nuggets -
The Nuggets made some questionable moves this past off-season. The trade that sent starting center and nearly back-to-back NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby to the Clippers for a mere second round pick swap, which was then sent to New York for supersub Renaldo Balkman, caused a few heads to turn around the league. The Nugs shipped out their best defensive player to save some dough but weaken a team already playing on the final fumes of Allen Iverson?s career.
NBA Draft Picks: Sonny Weems (No. 39 ? trade from Chicago)
Key Additions: Renaldo Balkman (trade ? New York), Chris Anderson (Free Agent ? New Orleans), Dahntay Jones (FA)
Key Losses: Marcus Camby (trade ? L.A. Clippers), Eduardo Najera (FA ? New Jersey), Yakhouba Diawara (FA ? Miami), Bobby Jones (trade ? New York), Taurean Green (trade ? New York)
The biggest move was the Camby for Balkman virtual trade, but an equally threatening subtraction may be the loss of Eduardo Najera. He brought energy and intensity to the court every night off the bench and could step out and hit the long range shot. Balkman will give them some punch off the bench, but his shot is sicker than Tara Reid after 11 shots.
Burning Questions
- Will the Nuggets even reach the playoffs this year?
- Will Melo?s Gold Medal inspire the team to perform this season?
- Will Nene finally become an effective starting center?
- Is Allen Iverson finished yet?
- Will Renaldo Balkman get enough burn?
- Will Chris Anderson resist the urge to be Mile High in the Mile High City?
Person on the Hot Seat: Nene
Now that The Camby-Man is gone, who will be there to swat shots in the paint? The big man rotation is extremely weak; Kenyon Martin might suffer another setback to his knees, and all of the pressure will be resting on the massive shoulders of The Brazilian Bust this season.
Team Outlook
Following a season in which the Nuggets squeaked into the playoffs, they will surely lose ground in the West. Every team in their division got tougher while they sat still and did nothing but worsen their defense, thin out their bench, and continue to address the fact that they don?t have a real point guard. Why not take a shot on Shaun Livingston? If he returns healthy, he?d be perfect next to The Answer.
- Minnesota Timberwolves -
The Wolves shook the foundation of the league last summer by gift-wrapping the championship for Boston with the Kevin Garnett trade. Now, they have made some very wise moves and somehow find themselves with a decent amount of talent on the payroll. Give them a year or two, and we might even be talking playoffs in the Twin Cities.
NBA Draft Picks: Kevin Love (No. 5 ? trade from Memphis), Nikola Pekovic (No. 31)
Key Additions: Mike Miller (trade ? Memphis), Rodney Carney (trade ? Philadelphia), Brian Cardinal (trade ? Memphis), Calvin Booth (trade ? Philadelphia), Jason Collins (trade ? Memphis)
Key Losses: Marko Jaric (trade ? Memphis), Antoine Walker (trade ? Memphis), Michael Doleac (FA ? unsigned)
The O.J. Mayo for Kevin Love trade was a great trade for Minnesota. They may have traded one of the best talents in this year?s Draft, but the best part of the deal was that they were able to jettison Antoine Walker and Marko Jaric all the while adding Mike Miller to the team. Sure, they had to take back Brian Cardinal, but having another big white man on the team is better than having a 52nd point guard (Jaric) doing nothing but having a stupidly hot fianc?. The Love and Jefferson frontcourt is going to be a joy to watch, and the T-Wolves landed a steal when they absorbed Rodney Carney from the Sixers for nothing but a little bit of cap relief (so Philly could steal Elton Brand from Los Angeles).
Burning Questions
- Will K-Love?s game translate to the pros?
- Will he pair with Al Jeff to become a great duo in the paint?
- Will Carney eat up all of last year?s pick Corey Brewer minutes on the depth chart?
- How much would you pay to watch Mark Madsen vs. Kevin Love in a practice scuffle?
- Did Ryan Gomes make the right decision by re-signing with the team?
Person on the Hot Seat: Corey Brewer
It?s got to be him. Brewer was their first pick last year and showed glimpses of being a great lockdown defender with a decent stroke from outside. But his game was very inconsistent, and his body proved to be too weak for this level. The addition of Rod-Carn makes things more difficult for C-Brew, and this could be the best match-up in camp as the Wolves try to evaluate their rotation.
Team Outlook
They have plenty of nice pieces, but the playoffs may be just out of reach this year for the rebuilding Wolves. But boy, they sure did parlay that third pick (O.J. Mayo) into a very sweet deal for the future of this franchise.
- Oklahoma City Thunder -
Speaking of future franchises, welcome to the Oklahoma City Era! The Seattle SuperSonics are no more. In case you?ve been in a coma since the NBA Finals in June, the Sonics have left the city of Seattle and are headed to storm into OKC. While I was praying they would choose the team name Oklahoma City Bison, they decided to go with the Thunder instead. Yawn.
NBA Draft Picks: Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Serge Ibaka (No. 24), D.J. White (No. 29 ? trade from Detroit), Kyle Weaver (No. 38 ? trade from Charlotte), DeVon Hardin (No. 50), Sasha Kaun (No. 56 ? signed in Russia)
Key Additions: Joe Smith (trade ? Milwaukee), Desmond Mason (trade ? Milwaukee)
Key Losses: Luke Ridnour (trade ? Milwaukee), Francisco Elson (FA ? Milwaukee), Adrian Griffin (trade ? Milwaukee), Donyell Marshall (waived ? signed by Philadelphia), Ronald Dupree (FA ? unsigned)
The then-Seattle Sonics did a great job landing a ton of players with thunderous upside on Draft night. They will add Westbrook to their core of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green while D.J. White and Kyle Weaver can come in and contribute immediately. They finally unloaded Luke Ridnour, which made Earl Watson hate life slightly less after he realized he must now compete with Westbrook and Weaver. In the same deal, Sam Presti showed some savy moves by landing Joe Smith and Dez Mason as veterans to provide leadership and experience to his young roster.
- Is Kevin Durant ready to take it to the elite level?
- Will Jeff Green continue his hot finish to last season?
- Is Russell Westbrook the next point guard bust? Or defensive stopper? Or All Start point?
- Is Robert Swift still in the NBA?
- Is Serge Ibaka the next Sonics/Thunder center to hate eating food?
- How many times will loud cracking thunder boom from the PA system before children in attendance begin to cry?
Person on the Hot Seat: Earl Watson
Ever since being acquired from Denver, Watson has been in constant competition with Luke Ridnour, and now that he?s gone ? he?s got newly rich Russell Westbrook knocking on his door asking him to step aside. It also didn?t help that Kevin Durant was glowing with excitement (standing only 10-15 feet behind RealGM?s Andrew Perna and yours truly) when the then-Sonics selected the speedy point guard from UCLA.
Team Outlook
There is a ton of talent on this roster. But all of that talent is very young and very raw ? much like the state of the franchise. It will be exciting to watch this team and city grow around the team, and don?t be surprised if they do better than anyone is giving them a chance to do. Joe Smith and Desmond Mason for Ridnour could end up being one of the most underrated moves of the off-season.
- Portland Trail Blazers -
If the Blazers were on the doorstep last year, then this year they are ready to be at the head of the dinner table. They were the darlings of the first half of last season and received tremendous seasons from LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy. Now, add in a bit of Rudy Fernandez, a splash of Jerryd Bayless, and a big pile of Greg Oden ? and this team might be scary good.
NBA Draft Picks: Rudy Fernandez (from 2007 NBA Draft), Jerryd Bayless (No. 11 ? trade from Indiana), Nicolas Batum (No. 25 ? trade from Houston)
Key Additions: Ike Diogu (trade ? Indiana), Luke Jackson (FA ? Miami), Steven Hill (FA), Jamaal Tatum (FA)
Key Losses: James Jones (FA ? Miami), Jarrett Jack (trade ? Indiana), Brandon Rush (Drafted No. 13 then traded to Indiana), Josh McRoberts (trade ? Indiana)
The one key thing about the significant additions to this Portland team is the fact that not only are they getting a speedy young point guard in Jerryd Bayless, along with the ultra-talented shooting guard from Spain Rudy Fernandez ? but they are ALSO adding Greg Oden for his NBA debut this season. Those three additions to last year?s already talented team give Portland very high expectations that will look like failure if this team can?t grasp a playoff spot in the weakened West.
Burning Questions
- Will Greg Oden remain healthy?
- Will Channing Frye heal before the season begins?
- Is Rudy Fernandez legit?
- After all the great moves over the past three years, why did they sign Luke Jackson?
- Will Ike Diogu ever do anything?
- Where is Petteri Kopenen? Do they even need him yet?
- How is Raef LaFrentz still making $11M per year?
Person on the Hot Seat: Martell Webster
I hate to put such a good character guy on the Hot Seat, but I really have no other choice. Martell has been a steady player for the Blazers since being a top 10 pick a few years back but now is facing some intense competition for minutes. You figure that three definite starters are going to be Roy, Aldridge, and Oden. Then at point there is Steve Blake, Roy, and Bayless. Now competing for that small forward spot is Webster, Travis Outlaw (since he wants to be a starter this year), Rudy, and Luk...ok just kidding, not Luke Jackson. But in all seriousness, with all the new additions, it appears that Martell may be the one whose minutes might drop off a bit this season if he fails to produce.
Team Outlook
When healthy, this team has as much talent on the floor as anyone in the NBA. But do they have the experience and leadership? If they can get that this season, build some momentum, and come together as a unit, then they will be the most dangerous team in the postseason that no one wants to play.
- Utah Jazz -
The Jazz had one of the finest seasons in franchise history but still came up short against the Lake Show in the West Semis. They really didn?t do much this off-season and will now have to play wait-and-see throughout the season while sitting on contract years for cornerstones of the franchise?s recent turnaround Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur. On the bright side, they locked up star young point guard Deron Williams to a long term deal, and both he and Boozer represented the USA en route to the Gold in Beijing.
NBA Draft: Kosta Koufas (No. 23), Ante Tomic (No. 44), Tadija Dragicevic (No. 53)
Key Additions: Brevin Knight (trade ? L.A. Clippers)
Key Losses: Jason Hart (trade ? L.A. Clippers)
They had to grab a big guy. They wanted Roy Hibbert. They may have lucked out (down the road) with Kosta Koufas. The big man out of Ohio State could turn into a nice pro in a couple of years, and his upside will be an asset for the Jazz in the immediate future. Otherwise, nothing much notable took place for Utah this off-season
Burning Questions
- Will this be the final season for Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur in Utah?
- Will Deron Williams continue to flourish and speed past Chris Paul for status as the top young PG?
- Will a full season of Kyle Korver make the Jazz that much more dangerous?
- Can Jerry Sloan get this team to the Finals?
- Will the Jazz please finally trade AK47 or at least trade Boozer to the Warriors for his virtual twin brother Andris Biedrins?
Person on the Hot Seat: Morris Almond
Again, there aren?t many weak links on this roster, and most of the guys outperformed the low expectations they have on themselves. Rather than continue my life pursuit of picking on AK47, I have decided to call out Morris Almond this year for the Utah Jazz. Last year, I selected Ronnie Brewer, and he responded forcefully. Almond was an All Star in the NBDL a year ago, posting 25.6 points per game on 35.4% shooting from deep for the Utah Flash. Almond was disgusting at times, lighting up the minor league circuit with a 53-point game, a 51-point game, and 11 total games scoring over 30 points. His marksmanship is just what Utah needs opposite of Korver, and I expect this former first rounder to be carrying the Utah Jazz this year rather than the Utah Flash.
Team Outlook
Once again, they are stacked. But they are still missing something. The Jazz play at such a high level yet are missing the low post shot-blocking intimidator that would have helped slow down Pau Gasol and Co. in the Lakers series. Now that Andrew Bynum is due back this season, that only further strengthens Utah's need for some toughness in the paint. The Jazz need to get tougher in the middle if they wish to reach the NBA Finals this season.
Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts. He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments or questions.