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With the superstars and pseudo-stars long accounted for, it’s been nothing but role players, backups, and bench-fillers changing teams the past few weeks. Let’s examine which minor moves may have major ramifications. Linas Kleiza—Toronto Raptors Kleiza’s not an outstanding athlete, and don’t expect much defense, but he can certainly put the ball in the basket. He’s a stocky player whose best attribute is three-point shooting though he’s also a strong finisher on the break and after driving along the baseline. With Hedo Turkoglu now in Phoenix, Kleiza will have the first crack at the starting small forward position in Toronto. With the Raptors’ offensive spacing, he should thrive as a spot up shooter who would also duck in to the basket from time to time, especially against weaker defenders. With Toronto having such a poor defensive roster, Kleiza’s defensive weaknesses would become even more exacerbated though. The Raptors would once again field an all-offense, no-defense lineup. They’d be hoping that the offensive talents of Kleiza and the rest of the roster would overcome their defensive ineptitude. If it didn’t work with Chris Bosh in tow, why would it work without him? Grade: C+ Jordan Farmar—New Jersey Nets Farmar is a good backup who can create his own shot off the dribble, knock down threes, and push the pace. He’s not a particularly effective defender, and he’s not athletic by NBA point guard standards, but he’s not a bad decision maker and can create offense in a pinch. Grade: B Anthony Morrow—New Jersey Nets Morrow is a spot-up shooter who doesn’t do too much else. Without Golden State’s gimmicky offense generating open looks, Morrow would have to hope that Devin Harris’ drive and kick game can free up open looks. Double-teaming Brook Lopez won’t necessarily open Morrow up because teams would double off Harris because of his iffy jump shot. Off the bench is where Morrow would be most effective. With Morrow, Jordan Farmar, Terrence Williams, Travis Outlaw, and Kris Humphries, the Nets bench would have some giddy-up. So long as the Nets can get enough stops, Humphries is a good enough rebounder to trigger New Jersey’s transition game, an attack which should create open looks for Morrow while defenses are trying to stop the ball and protect the basket first and foremost. Morrow’s also insurance should Courtney Lee suffer through another disappointing season. Grade: B Travis Outlaw—New Jersey Nets Outlaw has mastered a step-back jumper in the halfcourt, and is an athletic specimen in the open court. He’s even made himself into a respectable three-point shooter. He won’t pass so he can’t start, but he can certainly be the featured player off New Jersey’s bench. Grade: B+ Johan Petro—New Jersey Nets Petro is an athletic big who won’t embarrass himself, but he isn’t a disciplined defender, has trouble guarding the post, doesn’t have any notable offensive skills, and is mistake prone. There are worse third centers in the league, but the more the Nets need Petro, the worse off they become. Grade: D Jermaine O’Neal—Boston Celtics O’Neal always has been totally soft on both ends of the court so it’s a wonder how exactly he’ll fit in with the Celtics. He’s still a somewhat reliable jump shooter from 16-feet out who loves to face up, take one dribble going left, and then pull-up for the jumper. He’ll also take his left hand to the basket against novice defenders who forget that he plays one-handed. It’s hard to run screen/fades with O’Neal because he’s such a poor screen-setter. Plus, aside from a few games a month, O’Neal is strictly a turnaround jump shooter in the post. As such, Boston will probably use him as a safety valve baseline jump shooter, much the way P.J. Brown strictly shot jumpers from the baseline during Boston’s 2008 title run. It’s odd that such a fragile player, and one with a notorious history of being a postseason dud (and who can forget his robust 21% shooting percentage against Boston last with the Heat last postseason) was signed by a team that builds its roster for deep playoff runs. At least when Kendrick Perkins returns from injury, O’Neal will be relegated to the bench. Grade: D+ Wesley Matthews—Portland Trail Blazers Matthews plays solid positional defense, is a capable shooter, and has a tremendous basketball IQ. If he’s not adept at creating his own shot, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Andre Miller take up the bulk of the scoring responsibilities for the Blazers. Matthews will be a designated stopper as their main perimeter defender, and will work without the ball to generate offense. The Blazers hope Matthews can develop into a long term defensive ace they can plug at small forward. Nicolas Batum isn’t quick enough to defend two-guards the way Matthews can and Matthews is a more-well rounded offensive player. However, Portland also wants to win a playoff series this year. Given how Matthews had some measure of success containing Carmelo Anthony, and how Portland’s interior defense is much better than last year’s Utah squad, and the Blazers should once again field an effective defensive team. The Blazers are still low on perimeter players who can create their own jump shooting, something only Roy and Jerryd Bayless (in streaks) are adept at. Will Matthews’ presence supply enough offense for the Blazers to advance in the postseason? Grade: B Hilton Armstrong—Washington Wizards Armstrong can block a shot or two, but he’s a weak, foul-prone, inadequate defender with limited offensive skills. The Wizards already have to deal with JaVale McGee’s growing pains and Andray Blatche’s immaturity, why didn’t they target a more veteran presence as a third center? Grade: F Quentin Richardson—Orlando Magic Richardson was given a small role on the Heat last year and produced the most efficient season of his career. He’ll be asked to fill a similar role with Miami as a small forward who won’t play more than 30 minutes a game but can stretch the floor with three-point shooting while working hard on defense. Q-Rich also has some post up skills that can be put to use against select opponents. Richardson will effectively be replacing Matt Barnes as Orlando’s starting small forward. Barnes covers more ground than Richardson as he’s a step quicker and a better jumper. Because of this the Magic can expect a drop off in their ability to get layups in transition and a drop off in their defense. On the other hand, Richardson is a much better shooter than Barnes so Orlando’s spacing and half court offense will see a boost. Is he quick enough to force LeBron James or Dwyane Wade into designated help assignments? Is he big enough to contain James and Paul Pierce? Ultimately Richardon won’t be a difference maker. Grade: C Tony Allen—Memphis Grizzlies Allen is one of the best on-ball defenders in basketball. He’s strong enough to get into an opponent’s kitchen directing the offensive player to one direction, and he’s quick enough to keep pace with even the fastest scorers. His top-notch athleticism also makes him a menace in passing lanes which will create fast break opportunities for the young Grizzlies. Allen’s athleticism allows him to finish on the break, and he’s an excellent baseline runner in the halfcourt, but his shooting is atrocious, and he can’t handle or pass. Fortunately, the Grizzlies have a world of offensive talent to alleviate Allen’s offensive flaws, and he provides the kind of top-flight defender the Grizzlies have lacked since Shane Battier was traded for Rudy Gay. The Grizzlies needed defense to have serious designs of making the playoffs, and they acquired one of the best defenders out there. A win-win. Grade: A Dorell Wright—Golden State Warriors Wright is a good athlete who can shoot, handle, and create. He’ll thrive playing alongside Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, and like any competent offensive player in Golden State, you can expect big numbers. Sadly, Wright has the potential to develop into a good defender with his good combination of size and quickness, but still made too many mistakes based on not paying attention to detail. With Golden State, expect Wright’s defensive potential to go unrealized. Grade: B Josh Childress—Phoenix Suns Childress is a really versatile player who can do a number of different things. He has size, speed and handles so he can get to the basket and create off the dribble, plus he can knock down perimeter jumpers. Defensively, his huge wingspan allows him to swoop into passing lanes to end up with a host of deflections and steals. Playing alongside Steve Nash will allow Childress to simply use his athleticism to find easy baskets because if Childress is open, Nash will find him. Plus, Childress shoots well enough to keep Phoenix’ spacing on high screen/rolls. His rangy, disruptive defense ties into what Phoenix likes to do, as the steals he picks up will be converted into fast break opportunities. He’s the right player for the right team. Grade: A- Ian Mahinmi—Dallas Mavericks Mahinmi is an athletic project big, who has good measurable, but hasn’t developed a go-to offensive move, and can’t defend without fouling. With two veteran centers on the roster, Mahinmi will have a pair of tutors to try and speed up his development. Grade: B- Sheldon Williams—Denver Nuggets Williams can’t catch a cold, gets bullied under the basket, doesn’t move well, and is just about useless during any meaningful stretch of action. He was an unmitigated disaster for the Celtics during the course of last season, and won’t provide any substantial boost to Denver this season. If the game is close and Williams is in, the Nuggets are in trouble. Grade: F Al Harrington—Denver Nuggets Harrington can score off the dribble, will drill three-pointers, rarely moves without the ball, doesn’t play defense, and lets his emotions get the best of him when a game hangs in the balance. In other words, he’s more of what the Nuggets have and don’t really need. Couldn’t Denver stock up on some role players who can do the dirty work on defense, or some players who won’t lose their heads when a game begins to slip from their grasps? What need do they have for another shot-happy offensive player? Grade: D- Mike Miller—Miami Heat Miller is an extremely accurate long distance shooter who will thrive off of the penetrations of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. He’s a veteran who knows how to move without the ball to get himself open, is totally unselfish, and is better than most spot-up gunners at creating his own offense and getting to the rim. In this case, he’s not one-dimensional which opens up more opportunities for Miami’s offense, and he’d provide some measure of insurance should LeBron or especially Wade suffer a serious injury. Miller’s not a particularly effective defensive player, but with LeBron and Wade’s defensive capabilities, Miller would probably defend the opponent’s weakest offensive wing anyway. A perfect signing for a talented complementary player. Grade: A+ Zydrunas Ilgauskas—Miami Heat As Zyggy Il ages, his ability to play effective basketball diminishes exponentially. Ilgauskas can still occasionally hit a turnaround jumper over a shorter defender, but his offensive game now consists squarely of being an average mid-range jump shooter, and dropping in putbacks. His defense is worse. Because Ilgauskas is basically shackled to the floor, opponents will always have success attacking Ilgauskas with a quick move, or forcing him to make a quick rotation. At least Ilgauskas is big enough to be a one-man wall when opponents attack the paint, but he’s a complete defensive liability. Ilgauskas can still have some success as a part-time backup off the bench, but he’s not a championship-caliber starting player. Grade: D+ Juwan Howard—Miami Heat As Howard’s NBA career winds down, he’s more important in the locker room than on the court, as his experience, work ethic, and professionalism are his best qualities. He’s a respectable team defender, who knows where to be on the court, and he won’t make many mistakes. He’s not the worst third string power forward. Grade: C Raja Bell—Utah Jazz Bell can still play rugged defense but he’s lost a step from his Phoenix days and isn’t the stopper he used to be. He’ll still get under opponents skin though, in many ways allowing weak-minded opponents to beat themselves. However, for a Jazz team which needs to get better defensively, Bell won’t be a huge upgrade. Offensively, Bell has the toughness to set good screens, the stroke to hit mid-range and long-range jumpers, and the smarts to move without the ball to find open shots. In other words, he’s a perfect fit as a backup for Utah’s flex offense. Grade: B- Keyon Dooling—Milwaukee Bucks Dooling is a lithe, quick point guard who can pressure the ball on defense and knock down jumpers on offense. Scott Skiles loves point guards who can apply full court ball pressure, and Dooling will be a defensive upgrade over Brandon Jennings and last year’s backup, Luke Ridnour. Dooling can also create offense in a broken field which is always a plus. The Bucks are in trouble if Dooling is pressed to start, but he’s a good backup who’ll fit in nicely in Milwaukee. Grade: B+

Racist ice cream truck? No. Dumbass black guy? Yes.