The NBA has had a new active collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for only a few days now, but there have been a lot of roster transactions with more rumors, negotiations, and moves ahead. Here is a look at some of the early moves.
- Irving, Thompson, and Casspi to the Cavaliers. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson and acquired Omri Casspi as potential franchise cornerstones. In the process, the team traded away popular rising post player J.J. Hickson. The Cavs have some decisions to make regarding the amnesty clause with Baron Davis, re-signing Anthony Parker, and trading Ramon Sessions. While Irving has drawn many comparisons to Chris Paul, the team would be better served to keep Davis or Sessions in front of Irving for at least his rookie year. While Paul had two full years of highly competitive NCAA basketball at Wake Forest, Irving had one injury-shortened season of 11 games at Duke. Past point guard apprenticeships for the Cavs include Mark Price (behind John Bagley), Terrell Brandon (behind Price), and Andre Miller (behind Brevin Knight). In Knight's case, he went from starting under coach Mike Fratello to All-Rookie First Team status to coach Randy Wittman's doghouse to journeyman over the course of a few years--no one wants to see that happen with Irving, so they need to groom him the right way. While Thompson will need to improve his free-throw shooting and jump shooting, his defense and offensive rebounding should be exciting to watch. Likewise, Casspi is a great fit in coach Byron Scott's Princeton offense, offering sharpshooting and unselfish team play. The Cavs still need to figure out the center position, with Anderson Varejao, Ryan Hollins, and Semih Erden currently being the only 3 options. It will be interesting to see what the team does with Davis and Sessions or if teams such as former coach Mike Brown's Lakers come calling about Varejao or Daniel Gibson.
- Battier and Curry to the Heat. The majority of analysts and fans have said that the Miami Heat need help at center and point guard. In general, additional bench help and youth also are high priorities. The Heat have responded by trading for draft pick point guard Norris Cole on NBA Draft night, who should be a solid addition. The team has also re-signed point guard Mario Chalmers and sharpshooting swingman James Jones. For veterans, the team has added Shane Battier and Eddy Curry. Battier is a solid swingman and rotation player; his defense and perimeter shooting are his primary assets. However, on a Heat team that plays Dwyane Wade and LeBron James 37-43 minutes a game at shooting guard and small forward, it will be hard for Heat fans to watch Wade and James play inconsistent defense in key games down the stretch with Battier on the bench left to watch. James needs to play some power forward or Wade some point guard for the Battier signing to fully work. Meanwhile, Curry is a huge question mark. His fight with health and fitness problems the past few years may render him a non-factor, much like Jamaal Magloire and Erick Dampier last season. However, more help may be on the way if Chauncey Billups opts to sign with the Heat. Billups' floor leadership and clutch shooting would be a huge gain for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
- Chandler and Bibby to the Knicks. After picking up Iman Shumpert and Josh Harrellson in the NBA Draft, the team waived Chauncey Billups to clear cap room, then traded Ronny Turiaf to bring in Tyson Chandler and signed Mike Bibby. The move to add Chandler to the New York Knicks rotation is overall solid. Chandler is a good complement to Amar'e Stoudemire because he will provide the power and defense that Stoudemire lacks. At the same time, Stoudemire did not mesh well with Shaquille O'Neal on coach Mike D'Antoni's Phoenix Suns roster, so the move might not go as smoothly as expected by analysts. Still, Chandler in his prime will likely complement Stoudemire better than Shaq did past his prime. Meanwhile, Bibby's play has declined quite a bit over the past couple of years, so moving Billups in favor of Bibby may be a net loss at point guard. Only the season will tell how much better--or, gasp, worse--these moves make the Knicks.
- Odom and Carter to the Mavericks. The team is looking to move on without Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, and Peja Stojakovic and possibly J.J. Barea as well. In their places, the team has added Rudy Fernandez, Lamar Odom, Vince Carter, Brandan Wright, Andy Rautins, and draft pick swingman Jordan Hamilton. Of the outgoing players, Chandler is clearly the biggest loss. Now, had the team been adding Vince Carter by himself to be a cornerstone, the signing may have been viewed skeptically. However, the influx of swingmen and combo forwards gives the team lots of versatility, takes a large amount of pressure off the aging Carter to impress, and shows that the Mavericks want to keep winning games and championships--now and in the future. Furthermore, Odom's ability to play anywhere from point guard to power forward will help with opponents' mismatches, allowing the Mavs to create their own mismatches on the court. It should be a good season for Dallas; the postseason, as always, is to be determined. Beyond that, the team needs to extend its commitment to Jason Terry or else find a new franchise point guard to cover for his and Jason Kidd's eventual departures.
- West and Hill to the Pacers. The Indiana Pacers were a rising franchise last year that changed head coaches midseason. Needing to add some veteran experience to bolster the roster, the team has added power forward David West and point guard George Hill; more moves are anticipated. The Pacers are picking a very good time to make moves towards championship contention and stability, as the East's best teams are mostly going the flashy route to build up their teams. On teams with a "Big Three" group of players, an injury, conduct concerns, or poor chemistry can break a team fast. However, the Pacers appear to be building up a deep, well-rounded team. If West, Hill, Darren Collison, Tyler Hansbrough, and potential pickups (like O.J. Mayo) can step up with Danny Granger, Indiana may be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years.
- Butler to the Bulls. The Chicago Bulls have been relatively quiet thus far, adding steady rookie swingman Jimmy Butler in the NBA Draft. Butler's perimeter defense and spot-up shooting should fit in well and help and team compete with top contenders like the Heat and Celtics. The Bulls should see some additional moves before the season kicks off, with veterans such as Rip Hamilton adding much needed support to Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer. There is a chance Dwight Howard could make it to the Bulls, but if the team refused to move Joakim Noah to bring in Carmelo Anthony a few months ago, it is hard to believe a strong enough trade package could be put into place to get Howard from Orlando.
- Davis and draft picks to the Magic. Before the lockout, the Orlando Magic made nice NBA Draft pickups in Deandre Liggins and Justin Harper. After the lockout, the Magic made a nice trade in sending decent backup big man Brandon Bass to Boston for rising post player Glen Davis. The team was also able to release quirky former All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas via the amnesty clause. Unfortunately, the Magic also have a bit of a crisis going on, with Dwight Howard asking to be traded as soon as possible. It is not clear what a trade of Howard will bring back to Orlando, but the team needs at least one cornerstone in return or else risk falling back into rebuilding mode in the next 2-3 years. GM Otis Smith may fall victim here or could prove his true value to the franchise. Stay tuned.
- Hickson, Salmons, Biyombo, Fredette, et. al. to the Kings. The Sacramento Kings found themselves in a win-win situation in acquiring J.J. Hickson from the Cavaliers. Both Hickson and Casspi should get good experience and exposure playing for new teams. Hickson may or may not start to start, but he offers good protection behind foul-prone youngster DeMarcus Cousins and inconsistent youngster Jason Thompson. While Salmons brings some veteran leadership and stable play at small forward, Biyombo and Fredette are both considered projects at the NBA level. Early on, the ceilings seem high for both players, so it will be interesting to see them playing alongside potential rising stars in Hickson, Cousins, Thompson, and point guard Tyreke Evans. Hopefully for the Kings, some of these young players reach their full potential. Otherwise, rebuilding efforts may end up taking place in a city other than Sacramento.