1. Al Jefferson to the Jazz for two future first-round picks – for Utah, this is a steal. First off, Jeff is an offensive stalemate to Boozer; both men are quite gifted in his own way offensively. And second he’s just as poor of a defender. Essentially the Jazz traded two non-lottery picks for a younger, taller, equally as strong version of the guy who’s now playing in Chi-Town. Not too bad, I’m sure Deron Williams is sad to see Boozer go, but Jefferson will allow them to have a more traditionally sized PF.2. Big Z to the Heat via free agency – It’s good to see that Z is remaining loyal to his friend LeBron and gives the Heat a viable option at center. With Z now on the roster they have a versatile big man who can nail the 18-foot jump shot as well as make his free throws, rebound and block shots. Another solid move for Pat Riley and his staff who have done well in putting the pieces together for this juggernaut of a Heat team.
3. Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca to the Mavericks for Erick Dampier, Eduardo Najera and Matt Carroll – the only two names that really matter in this are Dampier and Chandler, at least for this season. Chandler is definitely a defensive and offensive upgrade to Dampier and will provide a lot of energy off the Maverick bench. Cuban has gotten a bit younger and more athletic on the bench and the
Bobcats have more of a gritty, veteran presence now with their additions, as well as a sharp shooter in Carroll. A win-win for each team here, but Dallas probably fared better in this trade in the long run.4. Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller to Heat via free agency – with this move, Miami now has a solid bench of Miller G/F, Haslem PF, Da’Sean Butler SF, and Dexter Pittman C. It should be no surprise by now that the Heat have made the list twice already – it would’ve been 3 times had the new ‘big 3’ signed more recently – they have been, easily the most efficiently active teams in the NBA. Their only key loss would be Jermaine O’Neal who’s a significant upgrade to Ilgauskas – Beasley for Bosh is an upgrade for them on both ends.
5. Bucks trade for Maggette – this was a huge deal for the Bucks, simply because it will take some pressure off of Salmons and Jennings in terms of scoring. One downside to this deal is that Maggette hasn’t been known to play great defense, nor is he a proven winner; but, to his credit he did spend most of his time on the wrong side of LA – with the Clippers – and with the Warriors.
Probably the most underrated move of the whole offseason is the Thunder’s addition of Daequan Cook and Mo Peterson. What people should notice about these acquisitions is that they still got their man in the draft – Center Cole Aldrich – and were able to add two proven shooters including the ’09 3-Point Shootout Champ (Cook). Shooting the three was a big weakness for the Thunder last season and was a big reason why they weren’t able to hold off the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. With these two guys coming off the bench, and Aldrich patrolling the middle of the court, this young team looks to make it much deeper in the playoffs this year. Did I mention that they didn’t lose a single player to free agency or trade either?The most overrated move: Golden State selling the farm for David Lee. They lost a solid
defender and shooter in Kelenna Azubuike, a defensive leader in Ronny Turiaf and a highly talented defensive forward in Anthony Randolph for an overrated defensive liability in Lee. When you think about it, is David Lee really what they needed? He’s not much of a leader, has never played for a winning franchise and couldn’t cover Darko Milicic in the post. I like him offensively but the last thing the Warriors needed was more offense, especially at the cost of nearly every defensive asset they had. I mean, what would you think if I told you that the leagues worst defense got even worse? My thoughts exactly.Honestly, I was skeptical about the Heat’s pursuit of its own ‘big 3’ at first; however, that was only the beginning for the mastermind that is Pat Riley. Honestly, I could coach that team and win 50 games; maybe even take them to the Eastern Conference Finals. They have their leader in Wade, a freakishly talented MVP in James and a low post threat in Bosh; but they also have
they key cogs underneath them that they needed to compete with the Celtics and Lakers for a championship. Their potential starting lineup would be Chalmers, D. Wade, LeBron, Bosh and Ilgauskas; that’s a solid, pass first guard who plays good defense, three young stars – two of the top three NBA players right now – and a 7’3 center who can shoot, rebound and block shots. That’s just silly, I can’t even believe that they can legally put that team on the floor and not be fined for unsportsmanlike domination.Two years ago, Chalmers proved to be a valuable pickup in the 2nd round; if even one of Miami’s picks this year can duplicate his rookie contributions, the Heat are a lock for the NBA Finals.
By Aaron Hilton
Follow me on twitter @Way_2_Tall401
