While the Heat upgraded, adding veterans Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, the Knicks signed a few of their own in the offseason. And if go well, the Heat and Knicks could meet in the second round or even conference finals next spring.
All-Star Dwyane Wade told ESPNNewYork.com early Thursday morning in Beijing, where the Heat are playing a preseason game against the Clippers, that the Knicks-Heat rivalry this season will be competitive.
“Oh, man. It’s going to be exciting to see,” he said.
J.R. Smith believes the Knicks can upset arguably the top teams in the East and West. In fact, he’s making a guarantee that the Knicks will win the chip this season.
“In my eyes, yeah,” he told NYPost.com at a fashion event over the weekend.
Knowing that winning back-to-back NBA championships is inherently more difficult than winning the initial title, Pat Riley refused to let the defending NBA Champion Miami Heat rest on their laurels. During the offseason, the Heat acquired veteran sharpshooters Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.
Before Dwight Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-team deal, the Eastern Conference race was a spiritless two-team contest between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. The Chicago Bulls bowed out of playoff contention for a year due to the Derrick Rose‘s injury.
The Orlando Magic were non-factors since Howard would inevitably leave Orlando before the season. The Boston Celtics will fall out of the running because Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have timed out as stars who can help a team go deep in the playoffs.
Other teams, like the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, seemed interesting, but not good enough to contend for a shot at the NBA Finals.
Then, with the deal finalized on Friday, per ESPN, the Philadelphia 76ers hopped into the race by grabbing a big man who’s capable of transforming a team into a contender.
While they handed their long-time swingman Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless to the Orlando Magic, they gained Andrew Bynum, the NBA’s second-best center.
In the 2011-12 season, Bynum reached the small stage of elite NBA centers—one that includes only Howard, Al Jefferson and Bynum.
Bynum had the fifth-highest total rebounding rate (18.7 percent), third-best rebounding average (11.8), sixth-best average in blocks (1.9), fourth-best field-goal percentage (55.8 percent) and fifth-best defensive rebounding rate (26.1 percent).
The Plainsboro, N.J., native was rewarded with a starting spot on the Western Conference All-Star team and a spot on the All-NBA second team.
Furthermore, Bynum, along with Howard, is one of only two centers who are capable of dominating on both offense and defense. Bynum is excellent at controlling the defensive glass and blocking shots.
He’ll transform the 76ers frontcourt. Previously, Philadelphia was expected to start Kwame Brown at center, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Brown, the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft, is one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history. Brown has averaged double figures in scoring just once and averaged seven rebounds per game once. Also, he’s only averaged 24 minutes per game three times.
Bynum boosts the Sixers’ profile at center tremendously and gives them a promising frontcourt overall. Spencer Hawes is a nice starting power forward who is capable of making a dent on the boards and aggressive in blocking shots.
Reserve big man Lavoy Allen turned the corner in the postseason, averaging 6.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Thaddeus Young provides a great scoring burst, having averaged 16.6 points per 36 minutes in 2011-12.
This strong frontcourt provides an intriguing counterbalance to a Heat team that lacks anything significant in the frontcourt aside from Chris Bosh. Rashard Lewis is capable of making an impact with his perimeter shooting, but generally doesn’t look to be a high-energy guy.
Udonis Haslem rebounds well, but has seen his role diminish incrementally in the last few years. Dexter Pittman and Joel Anthony fail to catch anyone’s eye.
The combination of Bynum, Hawes and Allen would out-rebound a Heat team that relies on LeBron James to lead the attack on the boards. Each of these three guys would be quicker collapsing on the glass and better at positioning themselves for rebounds.
As for the Pacers, Bynum is capable of neutralizing Roy Hibbert and David West. Hibbert‘s combination of length and quickness are remarkable, but Bynum can overpower him on the glass. West is capable of making an impact on offense, but Bynum can smother him.
The backcourt comparison isn’t as fair for the Sixers as the frontcourt comparison. Sixers guards Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner pale in comparison to Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade. Also, they’re not as good as Paul George and Danny Granger.
However, the Sixers rival the Heat and Pacers with the balance in their lineup. The balance of the Bynum-led frontcourt and the Holiday/Turner guard duo puts them on the level of the Pacers.
After all, Bynum’s world-beating skills on both ends of the floor make up for whatever the guards lack. When the guards fail to stop a guy up top, Bynum can clean up inside. When the guards can’t find good shooting opportunities, they can simply feed it to Bynum.
Indeed, Bynum and company will face quite the challenge to push their way past the Heat to make the NBA Finals. The quartet of LeBron, Wade, Bosh and Allen is difficult to overcome. At the very least, the Sixers can break past the Pacers if they face off in the second round, and compete well with Miami in the conference finals.
Bynum will force the issue on the inside, where the Heat are lacking. That will make things interesting.
Before Friday, the East lacked the intrigue that the Western Conference race had with the derby involving the Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. Now that Bynum has gone to Philadelphia, the Sixers have added dimension to the race in the “other” conference.
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After winning the championship in the 2011-12 NBA season, the Miami Heat are looking to repeat with their core of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh. The Heat also feature new faces in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. This season, the Heat have 31 nationally-televised games, including 10 games on ESPN, 10 on TNT, six on NBATV, and five on ABC.
The free-agent frenzy during each NBA offseason is one of the most exciting times of the year for fans and teams alike. Each team is discussing potential deals with free agents, some big and some small, hoping to make themselves better for the next season.
The Miami Heat are the example that all teams taking this approach wish to emulate. The Heat continue to make their team better even now, two years removed from their free agent assault that saw them sign LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in one offseason. This offseason, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis have both agreed to free-agent deals with Miami, taking less money to be part of a potential sure champion.
However, with this approach also come risks. Free agents often don’t live up to the hype they are given, and sometimes teams miss out on free agents despite doing everything they could to sign them.
Free agency is nothing close to sure science. In fact, it is one of the most dangerous approaches a team can take in building its squad.
Is He Really Worth That Much?
Often times, teams are desperate when going after a free agent and assume that overpaying is worth it if they get the superstar they want. Instead being fiscally responsible and building a team within their means, they break the bank on one big star.
It is great if that one star really pans out, but repeatedly, we have seen these “big” stars that end up being hugely disappointing compared to the expectations of their contract.
Take Joe Johnson in Atlanta. In the big free-agency period that sent James and Bosh to join Wade in Miami, Johnson was another highly-touted free agent. The Hawks signed him to a $119 million deal to stay in Atlanta. Even at the time, we all knew he was not worth that. Atlanta was desperate to keep its star, even if it severely handicapped them financially. New Atlanta GM Danny Ferry was incredibly lucky to get rid of Johnson’s contract.
A similar situation occurred in 2008, when Gilbert Arenas became a free agent and threatened to leave the Washington Wizards. Desperate, Washington convinced him to sign a six-year, $111 million deal. Fast forward four years later and Arenas has been traded and amnestied by two separate teams.
The examples abound: Amar’e Stoudemire has become a shell of himself in New York. He signed a $100 million deal two years ago. Rashard Lewis was the highest-paid player in the NBA last season, despite disappearing for two years. Brook Lopez was just offered a max deal, despite being nowhere near worth one.
Teams overpay for these people, crippling their payrolls for the better parts of decades. Granted, not all free agents come at such a steep price, but the name guys do. That is something that probably won’t change.
Strike Out
Another example of the free-agent team-building strategy gone wrong is this year’s Dallas Mavericks. They got rid of everyone on their team other than Dirk Nowitzki in hopes of landing Deron Williams and potentially Dwight Howard.
Instead, they have landed Chris Kaman and Elton Brand, along with Darren Collison in a trade. Those results are obviously a far cry short of Williams and Howard. In addition, both Brand and Kaman will be free agents at the end of next season, forcing Dallas to try this all over again.
Now, the plan seems to be for Dallas to try for Chris Paul next offseason, which seems unlikely given their lack of success in this offseason.
The New York Knicks are another example of a team that has struck out multiple times in free agency. They always seem to sign players for far more than they are worth, which they can do as one of the richest teams in the league. Then, those players under-produce and are shipped off for more bad contracts.
Right now, the Knicks have Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler taking up the majority of their payroll. They had better hope those three—two of which were signed as free agents—could start winning. Otherwise, they will just be more in a line of unsuccessful yet overpaid players.
We Can Be the Next Miami, Right?
The inherent risk in building a team on the backs of free agents is that you are betting your franchise on the fact that players who performed well elsewhere will perform similarly or better in your environment. You are also taking a chance on how much you pay them and hoping that you get enough bangs for your buck.
The Miami Heat are one of very, very few examples of a team that used free agency to build a championship contender. It is extremely difficult to do and even requires a large bit of luck.
Other teams that have tried have overpaid, struck out or just had sheer bad luck with the players they chose to sign. Most teams fall into those categories, as opposed to the one Miami is in.
It is not easy, and it probably is not worth it in most cases, but teams will keep doing it. It is like when someone offers you a million dollars now or a thousand a day for the rest of your life. The million right now looks good, but it is not really the more valuable option.
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The Miami Heat have done some noteworthy work this offseason in acquiring Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to augment the bench’s depth.
However, Miami still has trouble with the center position. Yes, they drafted Justin Hamilton out of LSU, but that’s a reach. Joel Anthony can play the position well, but offensively, he isn’t much to work with. He’s there primarily for rebounding and blocking/defense.
The Heat could go small, like in the finals, with their lineup of Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, Shane Battier, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. That could work in the playoffs, but through a season, it will be difficult to ask James to play power forward and Bosh to play the center position.
So, with Marcus Camby officially joining the New York Knicks, the Heat can go after one man who has seen dominance and a bit of fatigue in his career.
Miami can take a gamble with Greg Oden, a former No. 1 pick. His agent recently said that he’s open to playing this season. For a man who hasn’t played since December of 2009, it’s a risk, but indeed a risk worth taking for the veteran’s minimum.
Who knows how much he has in the tank. Perhaps him just giving the Heat a good 10 minutes could be beneficial. When he’s playing at the top of his game, Oden is as dominant as they come.
The center is interested in Miami, as reported by NBC Miami. There are the concerns with health after his surgeries, but if Oden is motivated to return, he’s worth the risk of the veteran’s minimum.
Obviously the biggest factor is how much the former Portland Trail Blazer will be able to give the Heat. For his career, he’s been able to shoot 55 percent from the field when healthy. He also averaged 8.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
An alarming statistic is that over five years, Oden has only appeared in 82 games, which equals just one season overall (if he were to play every game.) However, over that time, Oden averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game.
It’s not about the money—the Heat would be getting him for a discount, so to speak. The Heat could finish their offseason free-agency work with a solid pickup of Greg Oden. It’s worth a shot.
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The Chicago Bulls have had a relatively quiet offseason, but landing free agent O.J. Mayo would be just what the doctor ordered for the Bulls to successfully improve their roster heading into the 2013 season.
While most contenders have made moves to bring in more talent, the Bulls have been relatively quiet. The Heat did what they could to bring in additional help—signing both Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis with the little cap flexibility that they have.
Despite a first-round exit in the playoffs that suggests the team should make a few moves to cope with the absence of Derrick Rose, the Bulls have stood pat. Other than basically giving away Kyle Korver to save some cap space (h/t Chicago Tribune) and most likely watching Omer Asik go to the Houston Rockets, the Bulls haven’t made any blockbuster moves.
However, if the Bulls can find a way to bring in Mayo, they would instantly become one of the offseason’s biggest winners. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the Bulls are one of four teams interested in acquiring the shooting guard.
Free agent G OJ Mayo getting interest from Lakers, Chicago, Phoenix and Dallas and hopes to make decision in next 10 days, source tells Y!
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 14, 2012
The acquisition of Mayo is undoubtedly the best scenario for the Bulls. He would provide a great running mate for Rose in the backcourt and a consistent scoring threat when Rose is off the floor.
The Bulls rode a suffocating defense to the Eastern Conference’s best record last season and figure to be great on the defensive side of the floor. However, when the Bulls lost Rose to an ACL tear in the playoffs, the offense struggled mightily as the Bulls were ousted by the eighth-seeded 76ers.
The Bulls lacked a consistent scoring threat aside from Rose in the backcourt even in the regular season. Rip Hamilton, C.J. Watson and Ronnie Brewer all saw time in the starting lineup, but none were able to average more than 12 points per game.
Mayo could easily outplay all three of those options and would be sure to give the Bulls the extra kick that they have lacked on offense in the Rose era. Mayo averaged 12.6 points per game as the Memphis Grizzlies’ sixth man in the 2012 season and should see his numbers increase given that he would be a starter with the Bulls.
The Bulls should be an enticing option for Mayo, too. After posting solid numbers as a starter in his first two seasons (18.5 PPG and 17.5 PPG, respectively) he has spent the last two years coming off the bench and his numbers suffered (11.3 PPG and 12.6 PPG, respectively).
Mayo’s willingness to come off the bench was admirable, but playing for the Bulls would afford him the opportunity to once again be a starter while remaining on a contender.
With Mayo and Rose joining forces in the backcourt, the Bulls would be bona-fide contenders in 2013 and beyond.
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But Mike Woodson said such veteran experience is crucial for championship contention. He pointed to the Heat signing Allen and Rashard Lewis (a bit younger at 32), and the Knicks’ acquisitions of Kidd and Camby.
“Everybody’s trying to jockey and get better as a ball club, and we definitely have to do the same thing,” Woodson said on Thursday.
Grant Hill is reportedly inching towards Los Angeles.
And the veteran small forward would be a great fit with the Lakers.
John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR in Phoenix tweeted on Friday:
Hearing Grant Hill leaning towards Lakers after big push by Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo620) July 13, 2012
Hill, age 39, certainly isn’t the athletic dynamo he was back in the day. Age, as well as injuries, have slowed him down.
But Hill would bring depth to the Lakers, not to mention defense and leadership.
The Lakers currently have Metta World Peace and Devin Ebanks on the roster. Unrestricted free agent Matt Barnes is not expected to be brought back to the team.
The Lakers need some stability behind World Peace. Hill—who has also been linked to the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder—would be able to provide that for them.
You won’t be getting a lot of offense with Hill. He shot 44.6 percent last season—his worst since the 2001-2002 campaign—and he shot 26 percent from downtown.
But you will be getting defense. Despite losing some quickness and athleticism, Hill is still a very heady, lengthy defender, and he can guard multiple positions on the floor (much like Barnes). The Phoenix Suns matched him up with some of the great stars of the game as recently as last season.
Hill has also appeared in the playoffs seven times during his 17-year NBA career, most recently in the 2009-2010 season.
The Lakers held opponents to 43.7 percent shooting from the floor last season, ninth-best in the NBA. Hill will add to the defense on the perimeter, and he won’t turn the ball over much on offense (he averaged 1.3 turnovers in 28 minutes per game last season).
The Heat were prime contenders for Hill’s services before James Jones announced he would be returning and they signed Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Now, it’s looking like Oklahoma City is Los Angeles’ main competition for the veteran.
But don’t be surprised if Hill follows Nash from Phoenix to L.A.
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