NBA Offseason Primer

by Shaebaun "Suge" Benjamin

Been a little busy at work and finding new work so I'm putting this out there now. I planned on doing this before the draft, actually right after the Finals but this will suffice. In this I will cover trades that might, could, and should happen. Moves in free agency that might, could, and should happen. Other tidbits and I'll start with a draft review.

NBA DRAFT 2014

Things I liked:

• First and foremost let's talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers. I enjoyed a lot of what they've done this offseason. They've acted like a team building for a future. Ideally with Kyrie, Wiggins, Thompson, and Waiters all remaining healthy and improving, it could be like if they had Lebron, Boozer stayed, Dejuan Wagner didn't break down and lastly making a much better pick than Luke Jackson in 2004. They hired a coach without the Lebron seal of approval. Let me tell you something, for the entirety of MJ's career he had a GM that he cared very little for and who cared very little for him. Jerry Krause built a solid team not a team Jordan liked and they both have 6 rings to show for it. The coach they hired should be successful in a few years after being very successful overseas.
• The Lakers and Celtics made solid picks. I see Randle not as a franchise guy but as a terrific guy to play with. I think he is a really raw Zach Randolph and when he reaches his peak he'll be better than Z-Bo. The Celtics have to be getting prepared (not ready) to trade Rondo. He's a free agent soon and they are a ways away from winning. Rondo's value is "meh" at this point honestly, in my opinion. I feel like if they traded him anytime before he was a free agent it's going to being a trade like "oh that's what they got for him" but sometimes those trades are alright when you have replacements for him as in Marcus Smart.
• I'm a Knicks fan so let's get it out of the way...For most of the year I thought the Knicks had no picks and by about March I wanted the Knicks to make the playoffs if only because the Magics/Nuggets pick would not be a lottery pick. They got Cleanthony Early, a first round talent, a steal. Thanasis Antetekounmpo, not a star, not his lil bro Giannis, but he's a player. I compare him to a Michael Pietrus, might knock down a few shots and frustrate the shit out of whoever he's guarding. The French dude at the end, I know nothing about, all I know is he's not Patric Young so let's move on.
• Isaiah Austin...Adam Silver honestly is making a serious case for Sportsman of the Year, seriously.
• Quick hits: Charlotte is nice, Philly fans are going to stay away from Whateverbankownsthenamingrights Arena but will return in 2018 when Dario Saric is somewhere between Danillo Gallinari and Dirk & Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel are at least Hakeem and Sampson 2.0, Jabari will somehow keep the Bucks in Milwaukee unlike KD keeping the Sonics in Seattle.

Things I didn't like:

• Speaking of KD...the Brazilian Durant, really Toronto, really, at 20. I joked with a college friend that my dad had VHS porn from the 70s that was better quality than the highlight reel of the kid. It's not the pick, this dude may actually be the the Brazilian KD, but still it's the 20th pick of the deepest draft in the last 20 years or something. Pick him with your 59th pick not your 20th. They could have drafted Shabazz and traded him to Miami for the 25th,a future 1st rounder, and multiple second rounders (which based on this pick they'd presumably fuck up too).
• Speaking of Shabazz...really Miami? You got held up because this guy who there is a chance albeit a small chance might not be in a Heat uniform anymore wanted. I always said that I don't even know who Pat Riley is anymore. I see the Lakers/Knicks coach as Episode I&II Anakin Skywalker and 1995-2009 Pat Riley as full-on Order 66 Darth Vader. This Pat Riley today has to be the disintegrating pull off my helmet I can't breath Episode VI Darth Vader. Well if this is how soft Pat Riley's gotten then keep getting softer maybe his ghost will show up with Red Holtzman and other ghosts of Knicks past at the 2029 Knicks NBA championship celebration. I threw too many Star Wars references in there but still.
• Not enough trades. As in established player for established player. I mean there's only two teams or maybe just one that gets Carmelo and Lebron.

TRADES THAT OUGHT TO HAPPEN

• One reason I wanted to put this out there a while ago. I knew one person that was being traded before the 2014-15 NBA season was Tyson Chandler. He had to be. The Knicks had only one tradable asset and it was their defensive anchor. Why is he valuable? The only reason the Knicks are keeping Sam Dalembert is because there is no one out there to replace Chandler. An idea I kicked around was the Thunder getting Tyson and Shumpert for Westbrook and the 21st or 29th pick. I think the Thunder would get the better of that and be closer to the title because they could give some of the 60 shots KD and Russell take and give them to the other Thunder players & no one is approaching the rim with Ibaka and Chandler guarding it. The trade that did happen was pretty good, the Mavs got a person they were missing the last three years and without him they could beat most teams out West and EVERY TEAM IN THE EAST. There I said it. The Knicks got a prospect in Shane Larkin, someone I liked but the Mavs picked him first, two picks that turned into Cleanthony and Greek Freak the Elder, also solid prospects. And they got rid of Felton...so two hands up to the Lord.
• Kevin Love- If the only thing keeping a trade of Love to Golden State is Klay Thompson, just stop. I believe the proposal is Thompson, David Lee and the 2015&17 Warriors' picks for Love and Kevin Martin. Thompson and Martin are the same player in 2014 as far as production. Thompson in 2017 is going to be Earth and bounds better that Kevin Martin. If you told me in ~2000~ the Raptors could have gotten Alonzo from the Heat with Eddie Jones for T-Mac, Charles Oakley, and two 1st rounders, I'd say "The Raptors gave up a shot a the Finals probably to be a decent playoff team with a developing T-Mac and by the time he does, everyone on the team is too expensive to keep?" Golden State fired Mark Jackson so I don't really expect them to make smart decisions.
• I fully expect the Rockets to end up with nada in the hoopla. Meaning no Melo, no James. Why? They play in the West where they could probably get both and still lose or play a tiring series in the first round. In the East you could leave a brick on the gas pedal and let the car loose and your team still probably makes it to the Conference Final. In the case when you lose out on a big free agent frenzy, what do you do? PANIC!!! Panic signing, Panic trade. In this case, panic trade, the Rockets probably panic and trade for Rudy Gay's final year, somehow someway.

FREE AGENCY

Let's start with the two people that really matter...

Carmelo Anthony

• I fully and totally expect Melo to remain a Knick, all Knick fandom aside. I think Melo gets it. I assume the man walked around the Garden a few times and bumped into Mark Messier. He's been around the city, he's met Derek Jeter and Eli Manning. This is a city that loves and idolizes their winners. People outside of New York snare at it but it is true, there is really nothing like winning here. We respect the hell out of people that ride it out and despise you if you don't (looking at you Tiki Barber). The only reason A-Rod didn't get booed post-steroids scandal at Yankee Stadium is because he helped get the 2009 title. All that aside he can sign for at least one more year, whether he signs for less to help build a team around him is left to him. I also really believe him when he said he doesn't want to uproot his family being that he moved as a young kid which I know personally is difficult. I really don't see LaLa as a Houston person either.

LEBRON!!!!!!

• Cleveland and Miami. Honestly that's it. Going back to Cleveland would be a nice story. Redeem him with a lot of people. For basketball reasons I think it would be great. He's the winner now. Let old man Suggie tell you a story...A man named Lew Alcidor later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won a title with the Milwaukee Bucks then was traded to the Lakers and won more championships when he had a couple young players named James Worthy and Magic Johnson help him out. I would love to see that for Lebron. If he stays with Miami, cool, I enjoyed watching them get dogged and lose to San Antonio in the Finals. It was awesome. But when Lebron is hauling knee-less Wade and not as effective Bosh through the playoffs and losing a second round series to the Wizards in 2016 and a first round series to the Cavs, Hornets, or whoever in 2017 with no help in sight would be nirvana...the Lebron hater in me wants that but the basketball fan in me wants the Cleveland reunion with Wiggans and Kyrie welcoming him back.

Other things to watch:

• For the champs, a move I'd like to see is a bold move to trade for or sign Greg Monroe to an offer sheet. The Duncan, Parker, Ginobilli era may soon end but remember it followed the Robinson, Duncan, Elliot era so to pair Monroe up with a mentor like Duncan in his last few years to groom him to be in a future duo with Kawhi would be helpful.
• Once again I bring up the Knicks not just because I'm a fan but because I'm curious about Phil's vision for the team. I foresaw the Chandler trade because I assumed that Phil would replace him with Andrew Bynum on low cost 1 year "redeem yourself" deal. Even before Phil came I thought they would kick the tires on a potential deal for Pau Gasol and reports are saying they likely will. The other thing I have heard is them going after Pau's little brother in the next offseason. Marc Gasol would be a solid replacement for Chandler on the defensive end being that he is also a former Defensive Player of the Year. So we're going to have the Spanish Olympic basketball team as our starting five and Melo? If it happens nice, it'd be nice to see some Penelope Cruz type chicks around the city bars watching Knick games.
• Wade and Bosh. People are saying that these two should take a massive paycut for Lebron to stay and be able to give him all the money he deserves and be able to provide other role players. I say no. Lebron didn't win those championships by himself. Wade had a ring before he came and has one more than Lebron for the foreseeable future. He probably can't get a max contract but he wouldn't have to take a massive paycut to play for Chicago or Dallas. Bosh on the other hand can still make a ton of money in a winning situation too. Playing in his home state of Texas with Dallas or Houston, he'd make max money and compete.