State of the Organization » NBA Grapevine

Knicks; beasts of the East

Dec 082012

NYMAG.com

At 14-4, the New York Knicks have not only established themselves as the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference but as a legitimate threat to dethrone the Miami Heat in the East.

Before the Knicks start thinking about the playoffs, and making that previous statement come true they have a lot of work to do. Not only do they have their hands full with keeping up their current pace and incredibly high shooting percentages, but they will need a good hand of luck in limiting their injuries.

Already this season, the Knicks are without two of their proposed starters in Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert. Even the loss of these two players hasn’t slowed the Knicks, so their additions in the coming months should only strengthen their chances to succeed past the first round of the playoffs.

However, those are not the injuries the Knicks should worry about, losing Jason Kidd for a few games proved to be bad for this team. They did go 3-1 during his absence, but that one loss was to the Brooklyn Nets, and had they had Kidd’s services that night, would have most likely produced a different outcome.

Kidd is the difference maker on this Knicks squad, his defensive prowess and his veteran leadership to his on-court presence and uncanny ability to knock down the spot up three from the elbow has been what the Knicks have relied on for their most successful start in over a decade.

Can Kidd play 70-80 games this season at 25-30 mpg? That is a big question, and more important than that will be if he actually does succeed in playing big minutes in the regular season. If he is able to, will he be at full-strength come playoff time? It is a lot to ask out of Kidd.

The Knicks can lose Camby for a few games, same with Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace–especially when Amare returns. However, the Knicks do not have a replacement for Kidd, he is one of a kind.

State of the Organization: Phoenix Suns

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Oct 182012

Players Lost: Aaron Brooks (to Kings), Josh Childress (to Nets), Grant Hill (to Clippers), Ronnie Price (to Blazers), Robin Lopez (to Hornets), Hakim Warrick (to Hornets), Steve Nash (to Lakers), Jerome Dyson(to Hapoel Holon, Israel), Brad Miller

The Suns cannot expect Goran Dragic to fill the shoes left empty by MVP and hall of famer Steve Nash. But having lost Nash to the Lakers, that is precisely what they will try to do. There are very few players in the history of the league that you would comfortably say are better at the position than Nash, so this is an impossible fix for the Suns. The Suns also lost another veteran to Los Angeles; Grant Hill signed a new contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Let’s not put as much emphasis on the departure of Hill however, he was aging and surely winding down on how many improbably good seasons left in the tank. The real loss here is Nash; will Marcin Gortat be the same player as he was with Nash with a new point guard? Will the team be able to run that same fast paced offense that has become the staple of Phoenix basketball since the day Nash signed? These are all questions that many are wondering about the Suns. We all know Nash will be doing that this season, with Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard in L.A 1-10 Players Lost Score: 4

Players Obtained: Kendall Marshall (No. 13), Michael Beasley (from Wolves), Goran Dragic (from Rockets), Solomon Jones, Jermaine O’Neal, P.J. Tucker, Luis Scola (from Rockets), Wesley Johnson (from Wolves)

Just like Nash was the only player of importance that the Suns lost; Goran Dragic is the same for players added. Dragic is no stranger to Phoenix having played the better part of his career backing up Steve Nash. No longer will he be backing up Nash or even Kyle Lowry; Dragic will have the entire ship to himself. The still young southpaw has shown flashes of brilliance over his short career but has never been given a real opportunity to stand out. This year is all his and how well he replaces Steve Nash is going to be examined every game throughout the year. In the Suns’ defense, they couldn’t have obtained a player more similar to the style of play Nash would bring to the table, so this could possibly work out. Along with Dragic comes a few more interesting players who could thrive in the Phoenix offense. Michael Beasley will look to start a new career after an up-and-down few years with the Timberwolves. Wesley Johnson has always had the potential, but hasn’t impressed anyone, as of yet—this could be his year. The Suns also picked up Luis Scola who was amnestied by the Houston Rockets. He will fill in nicely next to Marcin Gortat in the starting lineup and should put up big numbers.

After losing one of the best point guards of all-time, the cards aren’t typically stacked in your favor. However, the Phoenix Suns wasted no time moving on a re-assembling a team that could similarly produce compared to Suns teams in the past. 1-10 Players Obtained Score: 9

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Short Term Outlook: The Suns are all of a sudden a young team. Young teams don’t often fare well in the NBA Grapevines State of the Organization, unless you happen to be the Oklahoma City Thunder. This team will be fun to watch, as is always the case with their style of play. Dragic should provide solid point guard play and elevate the performances of some of his teammates who have underperformed for most of their careers. Putting your money on a team with Michael Beasley in the starting lineup isn’t a safe bet; but there is no saying for sure that they won’t hover around the .500 mark for the better part of the season. In the Western Conference however, .500 won’t do it. Look for the Suns to finish in the 9-12 range in the West.1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 7

Long Term Outlook: They are young, as we mentioned above in the Short Term Outlook. But they are not stacked with highly talented young players. They do have moderately talented young players, which means you can rely on 1 or 2 if you’re lucky to become legitimate NBA players for their entire careers. They aren’t locked into many large contracts, or at least untradeable contracts—so there is no saying that they couldn’t break things up a bit and bring in a high level talent like James Harden after next season. They have some nice pieces in place but with the current roster, don’t rely on this team ever being higher than 8^th or 7^th in the west, at best.1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 8

State of the Organization Index: 28 out of 40

State of the Organization: Houston Rockets

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Sep 132012

Players Lost: Goran Dragic (to Suns) Chase Budinger (to Wolves) Marcus Camby (to Knicks) Samuel Dalembert (to Bucks) Courtney Lee (to Celtics) Kyle Lowry (to Raptors) Josh Harrellson* Jerome Jordan* Jon Leuer (to Cavs) E’Twaun Moore (to Magic) Luis Scola (to Suns) Diamon Simpson Sean Williams

Daryl Morey entered the 2012 NBA offseason with one goal in mind, be the most active NBA team in terms of player movement. The Rockets were set on improving their roster and no player from last years roster was going to get in the way. There was a moment in time when the Rockets believed they were a legitimate contender to land the services of Dwight Howard. This leads us to our first player lost that will backfire. Luis Scola is by no means a top tier NBA big man; he can’t lead a team on either end of the floor nor do you want to him to. However, simply cutting a 6 foot 9 power forward who has missed just 8 games in the past 5 seasons and without any argument is good for about 18 points and 8 rebounds a night makes absolutely no sense to me. Not to mention the fact that he was being paid a modest $17 million (approximately) over the next three seasons. Not a bad price for a guy who has played almost every game for your team for the past 5 years.

The Rockets also lost a guy in Kyle Lowry who when healthy last season, was an all-star. The Lowry trade with the Raptors sent back Gary Forbes and a future first round pick. Lowry was certainly unhappy playing in Houston, but with a little more research and time the Rockets could have brought in a better package for the young point guard. Speaking of young point guards, the Rockets also lost Goran Dragic this off season. While he chose to leave via free agency on his own terms, the Rockets didn’t do much to up the offer the Suns had given Dragic.

In more understandable basketball moves, the Rockets also lost fan favorite Chase Budinger, veterans Marcus Camby, Samuel Dalembert and Courtney Lee.
1-10 Players Lost Score: 5.5

Players Obtained: Jeremy Lamb (No. 12) Royce White (No. 16) Terrence Jones (No. 18) Furkan Aldemir (No. 53)* Donatas Motiejunas (No. 20, 2011) Omer Asik (from Bulls) Carlos Delfino (from Bucks) Jeremy Lin (from Knicks) Scott Machado, Jon Brockman (from Bucks) Jon Diebler (from Blazers) Toney Douglas (from Knicks) Gary Forbes (from Raptors) JaJuan Johnson (from Celtics) Shaun Livingston (from Bucks)

We all know a thing or two about the Rockets off season. Before we get into the “Linsanity” of it all, let’s first discuss the powerful draft that the Rockets had. While it appeared to be an approach to land Dwight Howard, the Rockets stockpiled young talent that will all play a major role this coming season. Jeremy Lamb could end up starting alongside Kevin Martin at the two and three respectively. Royce White and Terrence Jones will both be fighting for the bulk of the power forward minutes vacated by the departure of Scola. The Rockets are slowly compiling a youthful roster with two rookies potentially starting and only Carlos Delfino cracking the 30 mark.

Another new starter for the Rockets will be that of the highly overpaid Omer Asik. Very big and young, and potentially talented but has never proved a thing, yet earned the same contract as Jeremy Lin. Only thing is, no one is talking about it. Asik was certainly a need for the Rockets, as they lost all low post presence they had in Camby, Dalembert and Scola but perhaps they could have spent the money better elsewhere.

All right, let’s do this. Do you guys remember last December when the Rockets signed Jeremy Lin for a few thousand bucks, but then cut him a couple weeks later for Samuel Dalembert? Yeah, that happened. But hey, like the Suns recently did with Dragic, successful NBA executives must realize and accept when they’ve made a mistake and fix it. Every argument about whether or not Lin deserves the contract he was given by the Rockets has already been had thus we will not spend too much time having it. The Knicks are the only team who could have justifiably given Lin the contract the Rockets eventually signed him to. Why? Well, answer me this. Who did the Knicks sign with the money they didn’t use to sign Jeremy Lin? That’s right, no one. That is because Lin was a restricted free agent and when you have a chance to spend more money on your roster than all other teams are allowed to then you take that opportunity. The Rockets used available cap space that they could have used to signed an all-star this off season or even next off season as they are certainly in a rebuilding phase. The Knicks lose big time here, but so do the Rockets.

All in all, great draft for the Rockets; terrible free agency spending.
1-10 Players Obtained Score: 8

Short Term Outlook: Don’t expect the Rockets to make a push on that tough 8th seed in the Western conference this year, or next year. Lin could return to the D-League, Asik might be overwhelmed with minutes and get injured, 1 of the 3 rookies drafted in the top 18 spots this off-season will end up being good, if they’re lucky. K-Mart is still not that good and is only getting older, also he probably won’t be on the team come midseason and certainly not by next year.

Or possibly Lin is an all-star and Martin averages 25 ppg, Lamb receives ROY votes while White and Jones successfully platoon at the 4 spot and Asik becomes the Tyson Chandler that every team needs. A lot will need to line up for the Rockets to be good in the short-term. With no real players to fall back on, the Rockets can’t be given the benefit of the doubt here.
1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 7

Long Term Outlook: Lin is 23, Lamb is 20, White is 21, Jones is 20, Asik is 26, Patterson is 23, Parsons is 23. You get my point, the Rockets are young. With even more than the above listed falling under the age of 25, the Rockets are almost guaranteed to find player worth building around. They’ll certainly be an exciting team to watch, but they’re no Oklahoma City.

The Rockets certainly seem to be building their roster much like the Thunder have built their roster. Only problem is, not one guy on the Rockets roster comes near the talent of Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka. However, with mostly small contracts over the next two seasons, the eventual expiring contract of Kevin Martin after this season and a GM willing to spend big money, the Rockets might end up landing a player who could lead this team deep into contention.
1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 8

State of the Organization: 28.5 out of 40

State of the Organization: Dallas Mavericks

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Aug 292012

Players Lost: Jason Kidd (to Knicks) Jason Terry (to Celtics) Kelenna Azubuike (to Cavs) Shan Foster (to Jazz) Ian Mahinmi (to Pacers) Lamar Odom (to Clippers) Brendan Haywood (to Bobcats)

The Mavericks were spurned by their two backcourt veterans this off-season. While the Mavericks were in constant communication with Jason Terry and knew the veteran shooting guard was considering offers from other teams, they never saw the departure of Jason Kidd coming. Kidd was expecting to resign with the Mavericks himself, but then all of a sudden he was a Knick. Even though they were aging, both players were still an effective combo that had postseason experience. The Mavericks also shed the contract of Lamar Odom, a move that couldn’t have come quickly enough for Mark Cuban. Other players lost this off-season include Ian Mahinmi, Kelenna Azubuike, Shan Foster and Brendan Haywood.
1-10 Players Lost Score: 7

Players Obtained: Jared Cunningham (No. 24) Bernard James (No. 33) Jae Crowder (No. 34) Chris Kaman (from Hornets) O.J. Mayo (from Grizzlies) Delonte West (re-signed) Darren Collison (from Pacers) Dahntay Jones (from Pacers) Elton Brand (from Sixers)

Mark Cuban wasted no time moving on from the loss of Kidd and Terry. The Mavericks first picked up three new players in this years draft. Jared Cunningham might be slated for a few minutes this coming season, as he slides perfectly into a Jason Terry type role. He certainly isn’t as lights-out on the perimeter or will be a leader the way Terry was, but he should bring athleticism and defense to the new Maverick backcourt. The Mavericks also picked up Bernard James who will enter the season as a 27-year-old rookie, having served 6 years in the Air-Force before finishing his degree from Florida State. Jae Crowder is another solid defensive forward who also completed his 4 years of college, starring for Marquette. After the draft, the real off-season began for the Mavericks. They obtained the services of NBA veteran Elton Brand, who was recently amnestied by the Sixers. Brand will bring a nice presence off the bench both scoring and with rebounding. The Mavericks then added to their frontcourt by bringing on Chris Kaman, who hasn’t been relevant for years but has been a solid center all along. He should play nicely alongside Nowitzki. In a move that works greatly for the Mavericks and not so well for the Pacers, the Mav’s moved the improving but unimpressive Ian Mahinmi to Indiana for their potential starting point guard Darren Collison as well as a nice bench guard in Dahntay Jones. The restructuring of the Mav’s backcourt was all but complete after this trade, but Cuban had one more move to make it complete. The Maverick’s signed O.J Mayo to a two-year 8-million deal with second year being a player option. This is an excellent pickup for the Maverick’s as many believe Mayo was lost in the shuffle for a stunted Grizzlies team. Mayo should start at the two-guard and regaining his close to 20 PPG average shouldn’t be too unrealistic. All in all, the Mavericks added 2 or 3 potential starters in Collison, Kaman and Mayo as well as some veteran bench players to all fit around the Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki. Not a bad off-season after starting so glum.

1-10 Players Obtained Score: 9

Short Term Outlook:

The Mavericks have certainly maid the right decisions this off-season and will certainly be back in the playoff’s this coming season barring any major injuries. Whether or not all of their moves will add up to create that perfect chemistry that had them winning the 2011 Championship is a little less guaranteed.

However, the argument can be made that if the Maverick’s hadn’t lost their Jason’s–they would have never been as active this off-season as they were. The current roster is perhaps far better off now than it would be without Collison and Mayo (players they most likely wouldn’t have obtained if they held onto Kidd and Terry). I wouldn’t expect to see the Mavericks make it too far past the first round of the playoffs, but the same argument could have been made in 2011, so we really won’t know until we see this new team in action.
1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 8.5

Long Term Outlook:
The Mavericks have some big contracts beyond this season that are big question marks. It is almost certain that Nowitzki will retire a Maverick, but at what cost? Shawn Marion is set to make 18 million over the next two seasons but is still very serviceable. Kaman will come off the books and Mayo might too depending on how good of a season he has in year one. After losing out on Deron Williams this year, the Mavericks might be back into the Free Agent hunt this coming off-season. There are some interesting could be free-agents that could help this Maverick team, but with Nowitzki getting older they might need a player who can step in as the number one option and let Nowitzki take a back seat.

This is a lot to expect out this organization, so it should be interesting to see how Cuban handles the inevitable decline in Nowitzki and pairs him with another player or players who will keep this team as dominant as they have been for the past 10 or so years. With Cuban at the helm ,we have to expect this team will be relevant.
1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 7.5

State of the Organization: 32 out of 40

Courtesy of jimrome.com

State of the Organization: Current Rankings

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Aug 222012

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State of the Organization: Utah Jazz

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Aug 222012

Players Lost: C.J. Miles (to Cavs) Tadija Dragicevic (to Mavericks) Devin Harris (to Hawks)

Shedding the contract of Devin Harris was a great move for the Jazz. The former all-star has looked out of place for a few years, which is odd considering he should be in his prime right now. The Jazz have been wanting him out of town for a while as was seen last year when Harris went back and forth between the bench and starting lineup in tandem with the far less talented Earl Watson. In other insignificant moves, the Jazz moved C.J Miles to the Cavs and Dragicevic to the Mavericks. Miles is a talented player but doesn’t fit on this roster as the Jazz currently are overloaded in their back-court. Dragicevic was moved after being drafted by the Jazz to make room for their new point guard, not a bad move at all.
1-10 Players Lost Score: 8

Players Obtained: Kevin Murphy (No. 47) Randy Foye (from Clippers) Shan Foster (from Mavs) Marvin Williams (from Hawks) Mo Williams (from Clippers)

The Jazz have shaken things up a bit and continue to get younger. Before having moved Harris to Atlanta, the Jazz seemed to be compiling too many guards. But with Harris no longer in the picture, Mo Williams slides very nicely into the starting point guard slot. He should have a great season with the team that originally drafted him. In the Harris deal, the Jazz picked up a player that could be in line for heavy minutes at the three position in Marvin Williams. Marvin Williams has never blossomed into the player many were expecting him to. He has shown flashes of brilliance but never anything consistent. Maybe a new team with a more well-defined role will help the still-young forward develop into a great player. Late in the off-season the Jazz added a very formidable bench player in Randy Foye. This move will pay great dividends for the Jazz, as Foye is someone who is fine with either a bench role or the occasional spot start. The Jazz also drafted Kevin Murphy, an athletic shooting guard who likely won’t see many minutes playing behind Foye, Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward and a few others.
1-10 Players Obtained Score: 8

Short Term Outlook:

The Jazz had a very productive off-season and come into the 2012-2013 season a little more defined than the previous year. They are a young athletic team that has a lot of options to work with. Their starting lineup will most likely change many times during the year with big men Derrick Favors, Paul Millsap, and Enes Kanter all worthy of starting minutes. This team is also a prime candidate for a mid-season trade to strengthen their likely playoff push this coming season. They also have question marks with their small forward position; will Marvin Williams take that position and run away with it or will the young Jeremy Evans steal it away from him? The Jazz have a lot of questions that will need to be answered. With the West recently getting much stronger and top-heavy, the Jazz cannot rely on the team they have currently to make it much further than the first round of the playoffs.
1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 7

Long Term Outlook:

The Jazz have 7 players on their roster that contracts expire at seasons end. With Paul Millsap being one of them, I would anticipate the Jazz shopping the undersized big man to shore up their back-court. The Jazz have a lot of options and a lot of trade exceptions to work with that can make this team legitimate for years to come. They’re still young enough to go forward with the current team that is in place, but I wouldn’t expect this team to stay in tact for long. Look for them to be major players in the 2013-2014 off-season.
1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 9

State of the Organization: 32 out of 40

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State of the Organization: Orlando Magic

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Aug 102012

Players Lost: Dwight Howard (trade to Lakers), Jason Richardson (trade to Sixers), Ryan Anderson (trade to Hornets), Earl Clark (trade to Lakers), Chris Duhon (trade to Lakers), Daniel Orton (FA to Thunder), Ish Smith (FA)

Wow, where to begin; oh right, losing the best center in the NBA. What does a franchise do that has had two of the top 10 greatest centers of the last fifteen years and loses them both without being able to produce a single championship during their tenure? The fact is, when you lose a player like Howard, you must get substantial and tangible return on him, otherwise, you can’t cover up the gaping hole left by his departure. To make matters worse, the Magic lost Ryan Anderson, who had a breakout season last year and Jason Richardson, who was out of shape during the lockout season but can still be a respectable 7^th or 8^th man for an NBA contender. And to truly seal this horrible off-season, the Magic failed to get rid of Hedo’s awful contract and Quentin Richardson’s guaranteed money (is not even a replacement level player at this point and his head pound celebration is annoying). This score isn’t going to be pretty for the Magic.
1-10 Players Lost Score: 3.0 (They get two points for shedding Duhon’s contract and one point for finally resolving the Howard saga).

Players Obtained: Arron Afflalo (trade from Nuggets), Al Harrington (trade from Nuggets), Nikola Vucevic (trade from Sixers), Gustavo Ayon (trade from Hornets), Andrew Nicholson (19^th Pick St. Bonaventure), Moe Harkless (trade from Sixers)

When the Denver Nuggets traded their disgruntled star, the Knicks sent a caravan of assets to the Mile High City—it was reported that in addition to Gallinari, Chandler, Mosgov and Felton, Knicks President James Dolan also included four jet skis from his Montauk Estate, a miniature elephant, a satchel filled with jewels and Donny Walsh’s infant grandson—not a bad haul for an “elite” player. So one would think the Magic would be able to at least get all the tea in china for the best center in the NBA…..enter Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington!

While they also got young big man Vucevic and three PROTECTED 1^st rounder’s, the Magic gave up Howard and received nothing in return that will guarantee them a return to relevance any time soon. Afflalo has shown talent but he is going to turn 28 next season, he has likely already reached his peak. Al Harrington, oh goodness, this journeyman gunner with no real position is a total drain on just about any team. Harrington belongs to a certain class of player who was able to score a lot of points for bad teams and then get overpaid for it while never rounding out the rest of his game. How do you end up taking a bad contract back in a trade that you are dumping a superstar for?

Gustavo Ayon will be cheaper than Ryan Anderson, and the reason why is because he is not really that great of a player. Given more than 20 minutes a game and Ayon’s limitations will be even more pronounced. The faint silver lining however, is the draft of Andrew Nicholson, a talented but slightly undersized PF from St. Bonaventure and the acquisition of the Sixers 1^st round pick, Moe “Don’t Call Me Moe” Harkless. The Magic should insert these kids into the starting lineup immediately and let them learn the NBA game while leading them to a 20 win season.
1-10 Players Obtained Score: 5.5

Short Term Outlook: 2012-2013 Projected Orlando Magic starting lineup:

PG. Jameer Nelson
SG. Arron Afflalo
SF. Hedo Turkoglu (Moe Harkless)
PF. Glen Davis
C. Gustavo Ayon

Watch out Bobcats, the Magic are coming for you!

1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 2.5

Long Term Outlook: Moe Harkless better be damn good and fast and Rob Hennegan better be a scouting genius if he is going to turn three 20^th – 29^th overall picks into a contending franchise. The Magic don’t have their amnesty pick anymore, having used it on Arenas last season, and are fairly limited in cap space until 2013 but beyond that they will have some room to move. However, their own future 1^st rounder’s just became a lot more potent and they will want to hold onto them. Or possibly they could package one with Turkoglu or Harrington to get an all-star player in return. The Magic will have some flexibility here, as Hennegan mentioned a few handfuls of times during today’s press conference.

More importantly, what is this teams identity going to be now that two successive super stars have walked away (three if you count Penny)? Will anyone want to play in Orlando? Will any Florida residents pay attention with LeBron playing down in Miami?

1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 7.5

State of the Organization: 18.5

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State of the Organization: Denver Nuggets

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Aug 092012

State of the Organization: Denver Nuggets (8/10/2012)

* The Nuggets were a huge player in the Dwight Howard mega-deal. So lets go back through the rankings and see where they are now.

Players Lost: With the previous mention of not getting rid of Al Harrington no longer being relevant as Harrington was traded along with Afflalo to Orlando and a pick, the Nuggets have cleared up a lot of space. We will upgrade their previous score of 8, to an 8.5.
Players Lost Score: 8.5 out of 10

Players Added:We knocked the Nuggets for only picking up a potential talent in Anthony Randolph and some draft picks. The Nuggets now have a guy named Andre Iguodala. What he will do for this team is substantial. The Nuggets were too young, and they didn’t have great defense on the perimeter. Iggy is a veteran team leader and plays ferocious defense on the perimeter. He is also versatile, capable of playing the point, shooting guard and small forward positions.
Players Obtained Score: 8 out of 10 (Previously 5 out of 10)

Short-Term Outlook:The Nuggets should come into the season on the attack. They will have a balanced team with a new weapon in Iguodala. This team is going to be scary good if they all gel.
Short-Term Outlook Score: 8.5 out of 10

Long-Term Outlook
If Iguodala picks up his player option for 2013-2014, the Nuggets will be set for another few years. If not, they will have some flexibility to replace him. Either way, the Nuggets long-term outlook is looking pretty good with all of their youth.
Long-term Outlook Score: 9 out of 10

State of the Organization Score: 34 out of 40

Courtesy of zimbio.com

State of the Organization: Denver Nuggets (8/09/2012)

Players Lost: Rudy Fernandez (FA Real Madrid), Chris Anderson (Amnestied)

Rudy Fernandez made another stop along his stunted NBA tour back to Spain as he now plays for Real Madrid, while talented; it was unlikely he was going to be a legit contributor for an NBA contender. The mercurial career of Birdman continues as the Nuggets used their valuable Amnesty Clause to pay Anderson to not play for them in order to give minutes to younger big men such as McGee, Randolph and Mosgov. Nuggets fans will have a mixed bag of memories for the Birdman. While the departure of these players will not affect the Nuggets, it is questionable that they did not Amnesty the severely over paid Al Harrington (21 mil, 3 years).
Players Lost Score: 8 of 10

Players Obtained: Evan Fournier (20^th Pick, SG, France), Quincy Miller (38^th Pick, PF, Baylor), İzzet Türkyılmaz (Forward, 50^th Pick, Turkey), Anthony Randolph

Fournier is a talented French guard who is just 19 years old, not a bad pick for the 20^th spot considering he was thought of by many to be the top European talent in the draft. However, with Andre Miller, Carlos Arroyo, Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler all getting minutes on the wing ahead of him, it will be very difficult for him to make any sort of impact in the next year or two. Quincy Miller (who appears to have the most robust Wikipedia profile ever for a 38^th pick) appears to be destined for a predictable bench warming career as a tweener SF/PF without the size to post and haul in boards and without the touch to be a threat from the outside. Türkyılmaz is overseas and will not play in the NBA this season.

And last but certainly not least….Anthony Randolph. Despite bouncing around the league (and between the bench and the court) for five years, Randolph is only 23 and still is lauded for the great P word. However, Randolph must start delivering on that potential. With Javale McGee in the pivot, the Nuggets are boasting the most athletic front court in the NBA, the problem is that neither of them know how to play the game of basketball. With the PF position in Denver being manned by sophomore Kenneth Faried who had a tremendous rookie season, an undersized Wilson Chandler and an aging and position-less Al Harrington, this may be Randolph’s greatest opportunity to assert himself, additionally, Coach George Karl may be the best coach that Randolph will get a chance to play under. Ultimately though, it is hard to see how the Nuggets improved this off-season and whether adding another unreliable young player will have a cumulative effect on one another.
1-10 Players Obtained Score: 5 of 10

Short Term Outlook:

The Nuggets were first in points and assists last season and 29^th in points allowed last season. While essentially keeping the same team intact, the major x-factor will be whether or not McGee can increase the interior defensive presence for this team while finally putting a complete package of skills together. Carlos Arroyo must rebound from his disappointing 2011-2012 campaign and deliver on the contract he signed last off-season. Another major component will be the continued maturation of Gallinari, has he already reached his peak?

Overall, in a weakened Western Conference, the Nuggets will be in the running for a 5-6 seed again but will not be able to overtake the lethal Thunder for the Northwest Division lead. This team has a ton of talent and a nice blend of youth and veteran presence, however, their defense must improve while they maintain their offensive attack. Unfortunately for this squad, they simply do not have the players to go head-to-head with the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals—if they were to even make it that far.
1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 8.5 of 10

Long Term Outlook:

With so much talent on the roster, mostly at reasonable rates, it is hard to feel bad about the long term prospects of the Nuggets. However, with the resigning of Javale McGee, the Nuggets are putting the bulk of their gambling money on one very talented but unreliable horse.
1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 9.5

State of the Organization Index: 31 of 40

State of the Organization: Atlanta Hawks

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Aug 062012

Players Lost: Kirk Hinrich (to Bulls) Vladimir Radmanovic (to Bulls) Jerry Stackhouse (to Nets) Jason Collins (to Celtics) Willie Green (to Clippers) Joe Johnson (to Nets) Marvin Williams (to Jazz) Jordan Farmar

From a basketball point of view, you can argue that the Hawks didn’t get much better this off-season. Shedding big names and large contracts in Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams and getting back much smaller contracts in return will greatly benefit the Hawks in the long run, but not for this coming season. It is going to be a rebuilding year for the Hawks, and understandably so as they failed to make it past the second round of the playoffs for the past few seasons. It was a good run for Joe Johnson in ATL, but it obviously wasn’t going to work out for the Hawks to be able to justify his max deal. Finding a team to take his massive contract is a big win for this team, even more so is finding a taker for the contract of Marvin Williams. Other than those two players, the Hawks lost a bunch of players who will be easily replaced. It will be a different looking team for the Hawks this year and I wouldn’t expect them to be a contender late in the season. But with a good young core still in tact, several big trade pieces left in Horford and Josh Smith along with many expiring contracts the Hawks have a lot of options to build their next team.
1-10 Players Lost Score: 9

Players Obtained:John Jenkins (No. 23) Mike Scott (No. 43) Lou Williams (from Sixers) Devin Harris (from Jazz) Kyle Korver (from Bulls) Anthony Morrow (from Nets) Johan Petro (from Nets) DeShawn Stevenson (from Nets) Jordan Williams (from Nets)

The Hawks pulled off an incredibly bold move this off-season by shedding the contract of Joe Johnson. Then in response went out and signed Lou Williams to a mid-level exception. At just 25 years old, Williams is entering the prime of his career and has shown flashes of brilliance at times. But at 6 foot 1 and considered more of a shooting guard and having never really been apart of a starting rotation, this could end up being an ill-fit. Regardless, the smaller contract and the versatility of Williams will prove to be far more valuable than the black hole Johnson had cast over the Hawks salary cap. The Hawks also traded for the expiring contract of Devin Harris who might benefit from a change of scenery. Also included in the Joe Johnson mega deal to the Brooklyn Nets was Anthony Morrow, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson and Jordan Williams. Morrow is one of the best 3 point shooters in the game and will provide great offense off the bench. Stevenson is a lock-down defender who always seems to find his way onto winning teams. (not including the Nets) Petro and Williams are young big men who have shown little talent but could be useful on a team that already has its center in place for years to come in Al Horford. Playing alongside Morrow will be another 3-point ace in Kyle Korver. The Hawks also added two draft picks in the late first and second rounds. Jenkins is an undersized shooting guard with a great touch on his jump-shot, and Mike Scott is an undersized power forward who might actually get a chance to play some minutes at the 3 and 4 spots.

All-in-all the Hawks did a tremendous job at finding cheap and talented players to fill the void Johnson left when he was traded, but it appears that many of their players share similar talents. Jeff Teague, Lou Williams, Devin Harris, Korver, Morrow, Stevenson and even Jordan Farmar and John Jenkins will all be looking to log minutes at the 1 and 2, but there just wont be enough minutes to go around. The Hawks will likely run a lot of small lineups which won’t get them far in the Eastern Conference.
1-10 Players Obtained Score: 7

Short Term Outlook: The Hawks have consistently been anywhere in the 4-7 range in playoff seeding these past few years and shouldn’t expect the loss of Johnson to equate to any higher than that. They would actually be lucky if they can secure a playoff spot with so many teams on the rise in the Eastern Conference. They will be a different team, and probably an exciting one too. This new team could bring Josh Smith to life and elevate him to a level everyone believes he has the ability to play on. If Smith can take that next step and become the leader on this team alongside Al Horford, then the Hawks are just a few trades away from a return to relevance. But with the uncertainty of Smith’s impending Free Agency this coming off-season and Horford’s recent track record of injuries, you can never call the Hawks a safe bet. There are too many uncertainties and question marks surrounding this team to accurately position this coming season.
1-10 Short Term Outlook Score:5

Courtesy of Sports-kings.com

Long Term Outlook: This is one area Hawks fans can now consider looking forward to. A little over a month ago the Hawks Long Term Outlook would be highlighted with an aging Joe Johnson. Now that they’ve handed over that burden to the Brooklyn Nets, they’re in the free. The Hawks currently have 4 contracts on the books after this season; Horford, Teague, Jenkins and Williams. Of those 4, only Horford is making a considerable amount of money. Josh Smith and his 13-million dollar expiring contract will most likely be either traded away for pieces this season or the Hawks will re-sign him again. There are so many ways in which the Hawks could bring in a whole new crop of talent, so it will be interesting to see which route they take. Either way, if you’re team isn’t expected to be a contender then it is at least exciting to know they have options and aren’t handcuffed to players who are keeping them from improving. This is exactly where the Hawks are.
1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 9

State of the Organization Index: 30 out of 40

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State of the Organization: New York Knicks

New York Knicks, State of the Organization, The NBA Vine Report 1 Response »

Aug 052012

Players Lost: Jeremy Lin (Rockets) Landry Fields (Raptors) Toney Douglas (Rockets) Josh Harrelson (Rockets) Dan Gadzuric (Blazers) Jerome Jordan (Rockets) Jared Jeffries (Blazers) Kostas Papanikolaou (Blazers) Giorgos Printezis (Blazers)

The Knicks have probably had the most media coverage this off-season so far, and we all know why. From the time in which Jeremy Lin first became a restricted free agent to the day where he was officially a Houston Rocket, the Knicks were in the spotlight. With all of the attention they got for the loss of Lin, how well were they actually graded for their off-season work thus far? Is Lin going to be a good player? Yes, he most likely will be very good; but was he worth 25 million to the Knicks is another question. Losing Lin is by no means a good basketball move for the Knicks, especially considering the fact that it is just money lost. They could only use that type of money on Lin and decided to just let it go for nothing. He would have been an affordable player for the first two years of his contract and would have only been a burden on their luxury tax for one year; and even at that there were ways the Knicks could have avoided financial destruction from Lin’s back-loaded contract. But we don’t want to spend too much time evaluating one move by the Knicks, we’re merely evaluating teams on their current value. The Knicks lost another handful of players outside of Lin; Landry Fields will be making more money than Ray Allen and Jason Terry (other FA SG’s on the market this off-season) which is crazy, the Knicks had to let him go. They also traded away Douglas, Harrelson, Gadzuric, Jordan, Jeffries and two rookies who never played for the Knicks in Papanikolaou and Printezis.

That is a lot of players gone, so it is going to be another off-season for the Knicks where they need to incorporate a huge slew of players into the mix. This is never a good thing, fortunately this season they will have a few months to do so.
1-10 Players Lost Score: 6

Players Obtained: Ronnie Brewer (Bulls) Chris Copeland, Jason Kidd (Mavs), James White, Marcus Camby (Rockets) Raymond Felton (Blazers) Kurt Thomas (Blazers) Pablo Prigioni (Saski Baskonia) Chris Smith

The Knicks grew up this off-season. Meaning, they got a lot older. They have been ripped apart for going after players like Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas and Pablo Prigioni. But people aren’t giving the Knicks any credit for what they’ve done with limited financial flexibility this off-season. Camby and Kidd will play significant minutes for the Knicks this year, but neither will be anywhere near their career average for minutes per game. This should result in a more consistent and injury-free season for Kidd and Camby. Camby could still be a starter on a team and playing behind Tyson Chandler should prove to be one of the most imposing big man duos in the game. Kidd essentially replaces Baron Davis and Mike Bibby; and assuming Felton plays well and doesn’t lose the job, Kidd will just need to stay healthy and provide steady backup minutes. Felton seems rather motivated to quiet people who are questioning whether or not he can return to his level of play that Knick fans once knew, and this could be just as valuable for Felton as it could be for Stoudemire. But perhaps the most underrated and intriguing signing the Knicks have had thus far is the signing of Ronnie Brewer for the veterans minimum. Brewer will help fill-in for the loss of Shumpert, and with the loss of the neophyte until sometime after Christmas, Brewer should step into either the starting two-guard or 6th man role (Smith and Brewer will compete for these two positions) and should provide something the Knicks don’t often have, a defensive minded wing player who will be able to guard players like Kobe and Lebron. Prigioni and Kurt Thomas will be 3rd stringers who should see a few minutes per game; but if injuries occur to either Camby or Kidd, the Knicks will have players ready to step in. James White is an interesting player who could surprise a lot of people this year; expect him to get a chance to prove himself. Copeland and Smith might not make the team, but are both worthy of end-of-the-bench roles.
1-10 Players Obtained Score: 9

Short Term Outlook: The Knicks fan base has been waiting a long time for their team to be relevant. For the past two seasons, they have been just that and nothing more. This year things could be different though. They have a more well-rounded coach who fits better with the current set of players on the team and they will now have an entire off-season to properly gel and become accustomed to one another. Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire will need to learn how to benefit from one another the way Wade and James have done down in Miami. The Knicks have a deep team and will need everyone to play at their best. The Knicks have the defensive player of the year in Tyson Chandler and a backup who has twice earned that honor. They have a point guard in Raymond Felton who is two years removed from all-star relevance playing alongside his go-to man in Stoudemire. Backing up Felton is a future hall of fame point guard in Jason Kidd and an ageless Argentinian point guard in Prigioni. They will have a trio of two-guards to work with in Shumpert, JR Smith and Ronnie Brewer who will all be fighting for starting minutes. They have a sharp shooter in Steve Novak who was just rewarded with a big contract and will need to continue to be the leagues best three point shooter. The Knicks have no excuses not to fight for the Atlantic Division and they could climb as high as the two-seed which might finally result in a 1st round playoff win. It should be an exciting year for the Knicks.
1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 9

Courtesy of theimpactnews.com

Long Term Outlook: The Knicks long term outlook is more or less the same as the short term outlook. With little-to-no wiggle room financially speaking over the next few years and having moved several of their draft picks, this team will look the same for the next 2 or 3 years. This could be precisely what the Knicks need. When was the last time the Knicks held onto the same group of players for more than 2 seasons? Over the next few years, Carmelo Anthony and Amare will get more and more in sync with each other and will also learn how to involve other up-and-coming players into the game. One player who could have a tremendous impact on the Knicks long term outlook is Iman Shumpert. Shumpert is coming off a terrible knee injury in the playoffs and won’t return until January at the earliest. However, Shumpert is only 21 and the Knicks are hoping he returns to full strength. He has the skill-set to become an elite player in this league, both defensively and offensively. Brewer and Smith may not be on the team after this season, so Shumpert could very well be the starting shooting guard for years to come for the Knicks. Yes the Knicks are old, but the core group is still very young. The Knicks can’t get any worse than they were last year; so for that, the Knicks should be just fine for years to come.
1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 9

State of the Organization Index: 33 out of 40

For more insight on the current state of the Knicks, please read a recent Grapevine article here.

Up Next- State of the Organization: Atlanta Hawks

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