This is from about.com,
http://probasketball.about.com/od/newsrumo...offseason05.htmand I will do the Eastern Conference soon. Recognize that all the grades of B, are shown as a smilie, so when you see one it is a B. That is something this board did.
Any opinions?
Rankings
Memphis Grizzlies
Portland Trailblazers
Seattle Sonics
Utah Jazz
Sacramento Kings
Phoenix Suns
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets
Golden State Warriors
New Orleans Hornets
Minnesota Timberwolves
LA Clippers
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
LA Lakers
DALLAS MAVERICKS (Overall Grade: C-) Best Move: Mark Cuban embraced a little fiscal responsibility and parted ways with Michael Finley, one of the franchise's greats but a guy who makes too much money and produces nothing but jump shots.
Worst Move: What's Doug Christie bringing to the table that you're willing to invite his wife along to dinner with him?
Drafted (Grade: N/A)
None
Signed (Grade: C)
Christie, SG, Orlando
DeSagana Diop, C, Cleveland
Darrell Armstrong, PG (Re-signed)
Josh Powell, PF (Undrafted rookie/2004)
Rawle Marshall, SG (Undrafted rookie)
Acquired (Grade: N/A)
None.
Lost
Finley, SG, San Antonio
Shawn Bradley, C (Retired)
New Rotation:
SF: Josh Howard
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Erick Dampier
SG: Marquis Daniels
PG: Jason Terry
6th Man: Jerry Stackhouse
DENVER NUGGETS (Overall Grade: C) Best Move: Drafting a pair of guys in Round 1 with a little fight in 'em.
Worst Move: We're still waiting for the Nuggets to find a guy who can hit from outside -- and not the one-dimensional, Wesley Person-types either.
Drafted (Grade: B-)
1. 20) Julius Hodge, SG, North Carolina State
1. (27) Linas Kleiza, SF/PF, Missouri
2. (35) Ricky Sanchez, PF/C, IMG Academy
2. (52) Axel Herville, PF, Belgium
Signed (Grade: N/A)
Luke Schenscher, C (Undrafted rookie)
Acquired (Grade: N/A)
None.
Lost
None.
New Rotation:
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: Kenyon Martin
C: Marcus Camby
SG: Voshon Lenard
PG: Andre Miller
6th Man: Earl Boykins
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (Overall Grade: B-) Best Move: Easy ... not spending any money after last summer's vapid gluttony.
Worst Move: There's some congestion at the swing positions and Mike Dunleavy never delivered, so it's time to move him before Chris Mullin mulls another ridiculous contract extension for him.
Drafted (Grade: B )
1. (9) Ike Diogu, PF, Arizona State
2. (40) Monta Ellis, PG/SG, High School
2. (42) Chris Taft, PF, Pittsburgh
Signed (Grade: N/A)
None.
Acquired (Grade: N/A)
None.
Lost
Nikoloz Tskitishvili, SF, Minnesota
Rodney White, SF (Released)
New Rotation:
SF: Dunleavy
PF: Troy Murphy
C: Adonal Foyle
SG: Jason Richardson
PG: Baron Davis
6th Man: Mickael Pietrus
HOUSTON ROCKETS (Overall Grade: B-) Best Move: You're nuts if you think Stromile Swift now becomes a regular 18-point, 10-rebound stud -- but he does fit the profile of exactly the power forward Houston needed with his athleticism and ability to make things happen amid chaos.
Worst Move: We're not saying Luther Head is a bad player, but did the Rockets really need another combo guard? And are they really considering signing Nick Van Exel to further crowd things?
Drafted (Grade: C-)
1. (24) Head, PG/SG, Illinois
Signed (Grade: B+)
Swift, PF, Memphis
Derek Anderson, SG, Portland
Dikembe Mutombo, C, (Re-signed)
Jon Barry, PG/SG, (Re-signed)
Ryan Bowen, SF, (Re-signed)
Acquired (Grade: N/A)
None.
Lost
Scott Padgett, SF/PF, Phoenix
Clarence Weatherspoon, SF/PF (Released)
New Rotation:
SF: Tracy McGrady
PF: Swift
C: Yao Ming
SG: David Wesley
PG: Bob Sura
6th Man: Mike James
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (Overall Grade: C+) Best Move: The Clippers needed a conscience-less outside shooter to hang around outside and chuck. They got two: Cuttino Mobley and Sam Cassell. Who knows is they can co-exist, but Cassell has a history of excelling his first year in new surroundings in order to score a new contract.
Worst Move: All those consonants must make Elgin Baylor dizzy because the Clippers inexplicably drafted Yaroslav Korolev way too high and with far better prospects still on the board, then gave Zeljko Rebraca $9 million over three years in exchange for six points and three rebounds a night.
Drafted (Grade: D)
1. (12) Yaroslav Korolev, SF, Russia
2. (32) Daniel Ewing, PG, Duke
Signed (Grade: B )
Cuttino Mobley, SG, Sacramento
Zeljko Rebraca, C, (Re-signed)
Acquired (Grade: B )
Sam Cassell, PG, Minnesota
Lost
Bobby Simmons, SG/SF, Milwaukee
Marko Jaric, PG/SG, Minnesota
Kerry Kittles, SG (Waived)
Rick Brunson, PG, Seattle
Mikki Moore, C, Seattle
Lionel Chalmers, PG, Minnesota
Mamadou N'Diaye, C (Waived)
New Rotation:
SF: Corey Maggette
PF: Elton Brand
C: Chris Kaman
SG: Mobley
PG: Sam Cassell
6th Man: Shaun Livingston
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (Overall Grade: C-) Best Move: Kobe Bryant answers to only one man and it's Phil Jackson, and although they'll be bumps along the way, Jackson will keep him accountable.
Worst Move: If Kwame Brown wilted under the heat that Michael Jordan put on him, how do you expect him to thrive with Bryant riding him?
Drafted (Grade: D)
1. (10) Andrew Bynum, C, High School
2. (37) Ronny Turiaf, PF, Gonzaga
2. (39) Von Wafer, SG, Florida St.
Signed (Grade: B-)
Aaron McKie, SG, Philadelphia
Luke Walton, SF, (Re-signed)
Smush Parker, PG, Phoenix
Acquired (Grade: D)
Brown, PF/C, Washington
Laron Profit, SF, Washington
Lost
Caron Bulter, SF, Washington
Chucky Atkins, PG, Washington
Brian Grant, PF/C (Waived)
New Rotation:
SF: Lamar Odom
PF: Brown
C: Chris Mihm
SG: Bryant
PG: Sasha Vujacic
6th Man: Walton
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (Overall Grade: B+) Best Move: Professionalism proved not to be the Grizzlies' strong point last season and so getting rid of the chief instigator, Jason Williams, and replacing him with one of the biggest winners in the game, Bobby Jackson, was a wise step in the right direction.
Worst Move: Taking on the unsightly contract of Eddie Jones and parting ways with the underrated James Posey were tough concessions to get Williams out of town.
Why not finish the job and throw malcontent Lorenzen Wright into the mix instead?
Drafted (Grade: B+)
1. (19) Hakim Warrick, SF, Syracuse
2. (55) Lawrence Roberts, PF, Mississippi State (via trade w/Seattle)
Signed (Grade: B+)
Damon Stoudamire, PG, Portland
Acquired (Grade: B )
Jones, SG, Miami
Jackson, PG/SG, Sacramento
Raul Lopez, PG, Utah
Lost
Stromile Swift, PF, Houston
Williams, PG, Miami
Posey, SG/SF, Miami
Wells, SG/SF, Sacramento
Andre Emmett, PG/SG, Miami
New Rotation:
SF: Mike Miller
PF: Pau Gasol
C: Wright
SG: Jones
PG: Stoudamire
6th Man: Jackson
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (Overall Grade: C+) Best Move: Talk about killing two birds with one stone: Marko Jaric was a hot commodity on the market after finally realizing his potential as an impact combo guard last season, while Sam Cassell was shaping up to sabotage the team again this season after failing to get a contract extension.
Worst Move: Overhauling the team to make it more professional is a step in the right direction -- that's what makes the drafting of Rashad McCants and his arsenal of "the dog ate my homework/my stomach hurts" excuses so confounding.
Drafted (Grade: C-)
1. (14) McCants, SG, North Carolina
2. (47) Bracey Wright, SG, Indiana
Signed (Grade: C-)
Eddie Griffin, SF/PF (Re-signed)
Mark Madsen, PF (Re-signed)
Nikoloz Tskitishvili, SF, Golden State
Dwayne Jones, C (Undrafted rookie)
Acquired (Grade: A-)
Jaric, PG, L.A. Clippers
Lionel Chalmers, PG, L.A. Clippers
Lost
Cassell, PG, L.A. Clippers
Fred Hoiberg, SG (Heart surgery)
Ervin Johnson, C, Milwaukee
New Rotation:
SF: Wally Szczerbiak
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Michael Olowokandi
SG: Trenton Hassell
PG: Marko Jaric
6th Man: Griffin
NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (Overall Grade: B-) Best Move: The Hornets continue to stockpile young, inexpensive talent with the intent of throwing them in the pool to see if they'll sink or swim. New Orleans is maintaining a realistic outlook on its present while building for a bigger and better tomorrow.
Worst Move: Did Bostjan Nachbar and Chris Andersen show anything to warrant lengthy contract extensions of three and four years, respectively?
Drafted (Grade: B )
1. (4) Chris Paul, PG, Wake Forest
1. (33) Brandon Bass, PF, LSU
Signed (Grade: C+)
Arvydas Macijauskas, SG/SF, Lithuania
Nachbar, SG/SF, (Re-signed)
Andersen, PF/C, (Re-signed)
Acquired (Grade: C+)
Rasual Butler, SF, Miami
Kirk Snyder, SG, Utah
Lost
Roberto Duenas, C, Miami
New Rotation:
SF: J.R. Smith
PF: P.J. Brown
C: Jamaal Magloire
SG: Macijauskas
PG: Paul
6th Man: Butler
PHOENIX SUNS (Overall Grade: B-) Best Move: That testicular fortitude that Phoenix showed in breaking up a 62-win team to make it more Playoff-ready was impressive. As a result, the Suns are more balanced, deeper and better equipped to handle adversity when the shots ain't falling.
Worst Move: The unnecessary signing of Raja Bell to a baffling five-year contract may have been the last straw for Joe Johnson's fragile psyche that felt unappreciated by Phoenix's front office. Maybe it was coincidental that the Suns collapsed when he got injured in the Playoffs, but shouldn't Shawn Marion, and not Johnson, have been made to feel like the odd man out after the series with the Spurs?
Drafted (Grade: D-)
2. 54) Dijon Thompson, SG, UCLA (via trade w/New York)
Signed (Grade: C+)
Bell, SG, Utah
Brian Grant, PF/C, L.A. Lakers
Scott Padgett, SF/PF, Houston
Pat Burke, C, Spain
Acquired (Grade: A-)
Kurt Thomas, PF/C, New York
Boris Diaw, PG/SF, Atlanta
James Jones, SF, Indiana
Lost
Johnson, SG, Atlanta
Quentin Richardson, SG/SF, New York
Steven Hunter, C, Philadelphia
Jake Voskuhl, C, Charlotte
New Rotation:
SF: Marion
PF: Amare Stoudemire
C: Thomas
SG: Jim Jackson
PG: Steve Nash
6th Man: Bell
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (Overall Grade: B ) Best Move: Juan Dixon never lived up to his First-Round billing and never developed into a true point guard with Washington, but make no mistake: he can play. Few were more productive in the spot-start capacity as Dixon and his impact in the postseason demonstrated his standing as one of the elite combo guards off the bench.
Worst Move: Coaches, even successful ones, are not valued commodities in the NBA. Nate McMillan won one Playoff series in five years with Seattle -- apparently that's good for $27.5 million of Paul Allen's play money.
Drafted (Grade: B-)
1. (6) Martell Webster, SG/SF, High School
1. (22) Jarrett Jack, PG, Georgia Tech (via trade)
Signed (Grade: B )
Dixon, PG/SG, Washington
Charles Smith, SG, Italy
Sergei Monia, SG, (2004 No. 1 Pick)
Acquired (Grade: N/A)
None.
Lost
Damon Stoudamire, PG, Memphis
Nick Van Exel, PG, San Antonio
Derek Anderson, SG, Houston
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, PF, Sacramento
New Rotation:
SF: Darius Miles
PF: Zach Randolph
C: Joel Przybilla
SG: Martell Webster
PG: Sebastian Telfair
6th Man: Dixon
SACRAMENTO KINGS (Overall Grade: B-) Best Move: The Kings moved quick to pluck Shareef Abdur-Rahim from the wreckage of a failed deal with New Jersey. The sweet-shooting Abdur-Rahim should thrive with all the open looks he'll get in Sacramento.
Worst Move: Sacramento will have its hands full evangelizing Bonzi Wells to their selfless, jump-shooting offense. To make matters worse, the Kings traded their heart and soul, Bobby Jackson, to get him.
Drafted (Grade: A)
1. (23) Francisco Garcia, SG, Louisville
Signed (Grade: C)
Jamal Sampson, C, Charlotte
Ronnie Price, PG (Undrafted rookie)
Acquired (Grade: B-)
Abdur-Rahim, PF, Portland
Wells, SG/SF, Memphis
Jason Hart, PG, Charlotte
Lost
Jackson, PG/SG, Memphis
Cuttino Mobley, SG, L.A. Clippers
Greg Ostertag, C, Utah
New Rotation:
SF: Peja Stojakovic
PF: Abdur-Rahim
C: Brad Miller
SG: Wells
PG: Mike Bibby
6th Man: Kenny Thomas
SAN ANTONIO SPURS (Overall Grade: B-) Best Move: The Spurs' lack of initiative and hustle on the glass was exposed by the Pistons in the Finals. While Fabricio Oberto isn't the dynamic offensive player Luis Scola is, his maturity and work ethic are a better fit at this point in serving San Antonio's needs.
Worst Move: Have the Spurs seen Michael Finley play lately? His game is more reminiscent of Allan Houston than the slashing Finely of old, and certainly not worth jerking Manu Ginobili in and out of the lineup again.
Drafted (Grade: C)
1. (28) Mahinmi, PF, France
Signed (Grade: B )
Finley, SG, Dallas
Nick Van Exel, PG, Portland
Robert Horry, SF/PF (Re-signed)
Oberto, PF/C, Argentina
Acquired (Grade: N/A)
None.
Lost
Linton Johnson, SG/SF, New Jersey
New Rotation:
SF: Bruce Bowen
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Nazr Mohammed
SG: Ginobili
PG: Tony Parker
6th Man: Finley
SEATTLE SONICS (Overall Grade: B ) Best Move: Sure, the Sonics caved and paid Ray Allen superstar money. But the team held firm and bit their lip for the long-term health of their franchise by letting Antonio Daniels, Jerome James, and even head coach Nate McMillan walk away for exorbitant money in other locales.
Worst Move: Seattle has begun to embrace the Moneyball philosophy of evaluating players based on pure statistics. This is a good thing, but the signings of Rick Brunson, Mikki Moore and the re-signing of Damien Wilkins speak to a possible overvaluing of guys who produce big in limited minutes, thinking they'll maintain those averages in expanded minutes.
Drafted (Grade: B )
1. (25) Petro, C, France
2. (48) Mickael Gelabele, SF, France
Signed (Grade: B+)
Allen, SG, (Re-signed)
Vitaly Potapenko, C, (Re-signed)
Damien Wilkins, SG (Re-signed)
Rick Brunson, PG, L.A. Clippers
Mikki Moore, C, L.A. Clippers
Acquired (Grade: N/A)
None.
Lost
Daniels, PG, Washington
James, C, New York
New Rotation:
SF: Rashard Lewis
PF: Reggie Evans (Not yet signed)
C: Potapenko
SG: Allen
PG: Luke Ridnour
6th Man: Vladimir Radmanovic (Not yet signed)
UTAH JAZZ (Overall Grade: B ) Best Move: Fate handed the Jazz the fifth pick in the Draft. Utah, unlike so many other teams, didn't take the position it was handed and instead traded up to get the guy it HAD to have in Deron Williams.
Worst Move: Unless the team finds a legitimate outside shooter in the backcourt real soon -- Latrell Sprewell (no) and Kerry Kittles (maybe) are the best left from a dwindling lot -- opposing defense will be given free reign to clog the area inside the arc.
Drafted (Grade: B+)
1. (3) Williams, PG, Illinois
2. (34) C.J. Miles, SG, High School
2. (51) Robert Whaley, PF, Walsh
Signed (Grade: C)
Milt Palacio, PG, Toronto
Acquired (Grade: C)
Greg Ostertag, C, Sacramento
Lost
Raja Bell, SG, Phoenix
Curtis Borchardt, C, Boston
Raul Lopez, PG, Memphis
Kirk Snyder, SG, New Orleans
New Rotation:
SF: Andrei Kirilenko
PF: Carlos Boozer
C: Mehmet Okur
SG: Gordan Giricek
PG: Williams
6th Man: Matt Harpring
