Breaking Down The Deals

[Erick Blasco]

The first wave of free agency has passed with aspiring contenders making the biggest splash. Let’s see which players will allow their new teams to hang ten, and which will belly flop in the surf.

Ron Artest—Los Angeles Lakers

 

When surrounded with a no-nonsense head coach, and mature, disciplined players, Artest is least vulnerable to going off the deep end. This is why Artest behaved himself in Houston, and with Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, and Pau Gasol in LA, the Lakers have the support group to handle any of Artest’s potential shenanigans.

 

Artest is guilty of a few boneheaded possessions a game, but he isn’t the perpetual ball-stopper some of his attackers make him out to be. He’s an accurate standstill shooter, who at worst, should duplicate Trevor Ariza’s success when spotting up behind the arc. Artest is also quick enough and powerful enough to drive all the way to the cup and finish, though his pull up game is extremely erratic.

 

Artest is a willing, if not talented, passer, a ferocious rebounder, and a bear in the pivot.

 

Remember, the triangle offense is extremely dangerous when a wing player can successfully operate in the post. It forces individual mismatches, unconventional double teams, and allows more spacing for various shooters and cutters.

 

The Bulls were at their best when Michael Jordan, and occasionally Scottie Pippen would back their defender into the post and attack from the inside. Last year’s Lakers were at their best when Kobe Bryant was able to dominate his defender in the post and create easy scores.

 

However, with an assortment of long or strong post-defending wings existing in the Western Conference—Shane Battier, James Posey, Andre Kirilenko, Richard Jefferson, Matt Harpring, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, Shawn Marion—Kobe is rarely able to simply overwhelm an ace defender down low.

 

Having Artest on board will punish teams who play their strongest post defender on Kobe, since Artest is much too strong down low for most forwards, and all but the most rugged of two-guards.

 

Should Artest figure out the triangle, not revert to his ball-stopping ways on lesser teams, and continue to be on his best behavior (none of the three is a guarantee), then his presence should open innumerable options for the Lakers’ halfcourt offense.

 

Defensively, Artest is a touch overrated because he no longer has the quickness to shut down the fastest players in the league. Who he will excel against are the stronger wings who either have, or can do serious damage to Los Angeles—Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce, Richard Jefferson, and LeBron James to name a few.

 

And since the one player Artest can’t guard is also his teammate, his relative lack of quickness won’t even be a damning factor.

 

Essentially replacing Ariza with Artest leaves the Lakers with less team speed and athleticism which will hurt their full-court game, but their ability to execute in the halfcourt on both ends of the court will more than make up for it.

 

The Bottom Line: Should Artest retain his marbles, he’s gives the Lakers a lockdown defender, and an offensive battering ram. The favorites before the signing, the Lakers just got better.

 

Trevor Ariza—Houston Rockets

 

Ariza can sprint and soar, knock down standstill threes, and finish athletically on the break. He has lightning quick reflexes on defense and tremendous instincts, meaning any wayward pass or dribble in his vicinity has the chance to be intercepted. Given his athleticism, those interceptions are often converted into slam dunk touchdowns.

 

What Ariza can’t do is create his own shot within the arc, pass, or consistently defend bigger, stronger wings at a consistent level.

 

The Bottom Line: With Yao Ming out indefinitely, Ron Artest in Houston, and Tracy McGrady a likely candidate to miss a chunk of the season (if he doesn’t find himself traded), the Rockets need a player who can create offense, something Ariza can’t do. They have a feisty enough defense to perhaps survive a trip to the playoffs, but the Rockets need firepower, not another role player.

 

Rasheed Wallace—Boston Celtics

The absence of Kevin Garnett, and to a lesser extent, P.J. Brown, from last year’s Celtics exposed a chink in Boston’s armor. There was very little length on Boston’s second unit.

 

The addition of Rasheed Wallace, whether he starts or backs up Kendrick Perkins, provides the Celtics with another long, disciplined defender, and a ferocious rebounder. He’s versatile enough to defend centers and bigger fours, and his belligerent trash talking will fit right in with his teammates.

 

Offensively, Wallace can occasionally score going towards the hoop in the post, or by dropping his pet reverse-pivot fall away from the left box. However, he’s lacked the desire to bump and bag for nearly half a decade. What he prefers to do is lounge around behind the three-point line and launch jump shots, which can still be an asset with Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce making their living attacking the hoop, and Kevin Garnett or Perkins playing in the low post.

 

The question becomes, how hard does Wallace want to compete in order to win a championship? He’s had an inglorious history of checking out of situations he couldn’t master. Should Cleveland or Orlando prove to be potent, will Wallace be game to join the fray, or will his tail tuck in between his legs as he fumbles around in the post, or launches ill-fated treys in crunch time?

 

The Bottom Line: The less responsibility given to Wallace, the better he’ll play, especially offensively. Since the Celtics have a stacked roster, adding Wallace could be the move that puts Boston over the hump.

Antonio McDyess—San Antonio Spurs

 

Antonio McDyess is a hard working defender and rebounder, who sets solid screens, and is positively lethal on 18-foot baseline jumpers. He can also finish around the basket and guard both centers and power forwards. The pick-and-roll, and pressure release possibilities are endless for the Spurs.

 

The Bottom Line: The Spurs still can use an athletic shot blocker up front, but McDyess is the quintessential Spurs-quality role player—talented, professional, and unassuming.

 

Ben Gordon—Detroit Pistons

 

Gordon is a streaky, but prolific perimeter scoring who torches nylon when he’s on one of his hot streaks. He has unlimited range, and can create his own jump shot off the dribble. He’s also never been afraid to take, and often make, big-time jump shots in big-time situations.

 

What can’t/won’t Gordon do?

 

Defend, fight through screens, guard the post, abstain from taking a half dozen bad shots a game, or finish at the rim.

 

Because of his lack of stature, Gordon gets punished by bigger stronger opponents, and he has the distinction of being somebody who gives up on plays—traits that aren’t suited to championship-contending teams.

The Bottom Line: The Gordon acquisition, along with the other deals the Pistons have made (or failed to make) signify the dissolution of their rugged, defense-first identity. Gordon gives the Pistons more youth and athleticism, but it’s doubtful it will translate to playoff victories, should the Pistons even get there.

Charlie Villanueva—Detroit Pistons

 

Charlie Villanueva is athletic enough to score from near and far, but he’s also a soft finisher, an erratic shooter, and a useless defender. Like Gordon, he’s best served as a scorer off the bench, though the Pistons will probably start him.

 

The Bottom Line: While Rasheed Wallace lived on the perimeter, at least he played exceptional defense. The Pistons hope they’ll be able to outscore team—they better, because aside from whoever Tayshaun Prince is checking, the Pistons will be hard pressed to stop anybody.

 

Brandon Bass—Orlando Magic

 

Bass is a bouncy rebounder and shot blocker who is a capable finisher, and a terrific mid-range jump shooter.

 

His presence will likely indicate Orlando’s return to a conventional lineup with a center, small forward, shooting guard, and point guard, with himself taking the role of power forward.

 

He gives Dwight Howard some much needed help on the boards, and is tougher, more athletic, and more reliable than Tony Battie.

 

The Bottom Line: A small upgrade, but an upgrade nonetheless.

 

Quintin Ross—Dallas Mavericks

 

Quinton Ross is strictly a one way player, but he’s one of the better wing defenders in the business. He’s improved his shooting range enough to keep from being a complete offensive liability.

 

The Bottom Line: For a team that struggled with depth at the wing, Ross gives the Mavericks back-end defensive depth off their bench.

 

Channing Frye—Phoenix Suns

 

Channing Frye is diaper soft at both ends, and loses confidence in his shooting when defenses start contesting his mid-range jump shots. When left alone, he’s a classic pick-and-pop shooter from 18 feet.

 

The Bottom Line: A soft, defenseless shooter? He’ll fit in perfectly in Phoenix.

 

Dahntay Jones—Indiana Pacers

 

Jones has the athleticism, strength, and disposition to harass shooting guards and point guards alike. And his underhanded tactics give him an edge as the stakes get raised. On the other side of the ball, Jones is a dynamic finisher, who can sometimes sneak to the cup off the bounce, and sometimes hit the uncontested jump shot. More often than not, though, he’s collecting his points by filling lanes, running the baseline, and finishing broken plays.

The Bottom Line: Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy can carry the load offensively, but with a sluggish frontline, the Pacers are often overmatched defensively. Jones isn’t a savior, but he’s a step in the right direction.

 

Anthony Parker—Cleveland Cavaliers

 

The other Tony Parker, this one can do a little bit of everything. Parker can shoot, pass, defend, and occasionally post up or create his own offense off the dribble. If he isn’t a terrific playmaker, he’ll be a supporting option on a team that will feature LeBron James, Mo Williams, and Shaquille O’ Neal. Considering how much attention that trio will garner, Parker should thrive under the radar.

 

He gives the Cavs a little more size than Delonte West when defending two-guards, can play the three with LeBron at the four to give the Cavs a smaller, quicker lineup, and can team with West in the backcourt to give the Cavs its best defensive unit. Plus, he’ll take the pressure off of LeBron so James doesn’t have to guard the opposition’s best wing.

 

The Bottom Line: The Cavs get much more versatile and talented on the perimeter. After only the first handful of games, the likes of Sasha Pavlovic and Wally Szczerbiak will be long forgotten.

 

Jannero Pargo—Chicago Bulls

 

Jannero Pargo’s a shoot-em-up guard who’ll operate as a facsimile of Ben Gordon. Playing defense, running an offense, finishing at the hoop, and doing anything off the ball aren’t in Pargo’s playbook, but he can shoot the Bulls into fluky wins when he isn’t turning sure wins into losses.

The Bottom Line: As long as Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich are in Chicago, Pargo won’t have to play point guard. As a backup shooting guard, Pargo has value as a bombs-away gunner.

 

Shawn Marion—Dallas Mavericks

 

On the downside of his career, Shawn Marion isn’t the athletic specimen he was in his salad days. Even so, Marion can bring a lot to the table. He’s an excellent finisher on the break, cuts well around the basket, is an above-average defender, and against mediocre defenses, can create his own shot opportunities. At worst, he’s a huge upgrade over Antoine Wright and Jerry Stackhouse.

The Bottom Line: Marion gives the Mavericks a touch more toughness and athleticism, both characteristics in need of replenishment. Still, he’s not the creative scorer or ace defender the Mavs will need to overtake the Lakers and Spurs. They’re still a second-tier contender.

 

Hedo Turkoglu—Toronto Raptors

 

Both Hedo Turkoglu and Toronto will quickly realize that Turkoglu and Orlando were perfect for each other.

 

Without a dominant post presence, defenses won’t have to suck in harder on Turkoglu’s screen/rolls in Toronto, meaning defenses won’t be left as open. Plus, Chris Bosh isn’t strong enough to wipe defenders out, at least not as well as Dwight Howard. This means that the screens Turkoglu would use to perfection in Orlando won’t have the same crispness in Toronto.

 

Turkoglu also isn’t exceptional at creating his own offense one-on-one, something that will plague the athletically starved Raptors. And with Turkoglu in and Anthony Parker out, Toronto has subpar defenders all over the court.

 

What will Turkoglu deliver to the Raptors?

 

Big time shot-making in the final seconds of games. More court awareness, more ball movement, and a touch more firepower, but not enough to make up for Toronto’s other deficiencies.

 

The Bottom Line: The Raptors needed an athletic scorer, not a clever playmaker. They still don’t have the firepower or muscle power to be anything more than a blip on the Eastern Conference radar.

Edited July 15, 2009 by Erick Blasco

[Cleveland's Finest]

Good analysis for Anthony Parker. And our fans already have forgotten Sasha and Wally soon hopefully lol. Finally someone didn't diss Parker for his age. He's a young 34 is all I can say. Nice job on all the trade breakdowns here.

[OldChili]

I agree with you on all accounts unlike your other thread. Good read.

[His Greatness]

You should change the title. Marion is the only player that was traded.

 

Solid job as always despite the misleading title. Which team do you think has had the best offseason thus far?

[JWaLL]

No love for the Wizards trading for Miller and Foye? At least that one was a trade, most of the ones mentioned in your post are signings.

Edited July 15, 2009 by Gil-Zero

[Erick Blasco]

You should change the title. Marion is the only player that was traded.

 

Solid job as always despite the misleading title. Which team do you think has had the best offseason thus far?

 

Yeah I realized that after the fact (it should be deals), but how do I change the thread title? It only lets me edit the article itself.

[OldChili]

Yeah I realized that after the fact (it should be deals), but how do I change the thread title? It only lets me edit the article itself.

When you click edit, click on full edit instead of quick.

[Erick Blasco]

When you click edit, click on full edit instead of quick.

 

Ahhhh, thanks!

[Check my Stats]

No love for the Wizards trading for Miller and Foye? At least that one was a trade, most of the ones mentioned in your post are signings.

 

I think that was terrible value for Ricky Rubio.