The Five Smartest Moves of the 2014 NBA Offseason

I’m going to shatter your expectations and write this entire article without mentioning Lebron James. If you’ve watched ESPN at all in the past, let’s say, decade, I think you’ve had your fair share of Lebron coverage. And while his return to Cleveland has clearly been the highlight of the NBA offseason, I’ve found a way around putting it on the list. Notice how I used the word “smartest”. I’m not glorifying the Cavaliers for having superlative judgement in their acquisition of Lebron. James Dolan has the ability to make that decision. If James Dolan can do it, it’s not ingenious. That’s something I call the “Dolan Rule”--spread the word, let’s make it a thing. I’m looking for the five most clever and strategic moves by an organization this offseason. So allow me to stop talking about the man and get this list started.

5. Chicago Bulls: Signing Pau Gasol They lost out in the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, but Chicago still found a way to improve this offseason by grabbing Pau Gasol. The 13-year veteran, four-time All-Star, and two-time NBA Champion will take over for Carlos Boozer as the big man alongside Defensive Player of the Year winner Joakim Noah. The Bulls will get Derrick Rose back, and with the addition of Doug McDermott, they have a lot of talent. Talent only gets you so far, though, so signing a proven winner really means everything for Chicago. A healthy Rose can mean one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference for the Bulls. Expect Gasol to be an integral part of their postseason run.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Trading For Kevin Love Love is a great talent, and has the potential to lead the Cavs to an NBA Championship, so of course I have to mention this trade. Still, for reasons I will explain later, it was not a move deserving to be at the top of the list. The other end of the trade will make an appearance at a higher spot, but for now, let’s focus on the positives. This man has averaged a double-double for the past five seasons. Put those numbers next to the numbers of “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”, add one of the best Point Guards in the league to the mix (Kyrie Irving), as well as top 3-point shooters (Mike Miller/James Jones), my vote for the league’s most underrated player (Dion Waiters) and a good amount of other tools around them (Shawn Marion, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao), and--well--wow. On the other hand...

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Trading Away Kevin Love Kevin Love is in the last year of his contract. And he was NOT signing with the Wolves again. Another year in Minnesota would maybe amount to a low playoff seed and a first round exit in the playoffs at best, so getting value for K-Love while they still could was brilliant. Even more brilliant was the value they were able to get for him. In exchange for an albeit remarkable player--but that would only stay with them for one more year and failed to lead them to the playoffs in all six seasons he spent there--Minnesota received: Andrew Wiggins - An absolute home-run for the Wolves, who were able to lock down the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Wiggins doesn’t share the same mindset as Love, as he’s excited about the opportunity to play on “whichever team wants [him].” He will step into Kevin’s old spot as Minnesota’s franchise player, but with better pieces around him, I’d expect Andrew to accomplish more for the franchise during his career than K-Love did. Anthony Bennett- This first overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft shows us a combination of size and mobility that should excite fans in the Twin Cities. He put up a poor rookie campaign, however he didn’t go a game in the 2014 Summer League without scoring double-digits, while averaging 8 rebounds as well. Thaddeus Young- And finally, add a man who averaged 17.9 PPG last season. After the strongest statistical season career, Young will bring a lot to the table--including much-needed playoff experience--at Small Forward for the Wolves. All that (and a $6.3 million trade exception) for a guy they would’ve only had for one more season. Ricky Rubio, smile.

2. Golden State Warriors: Keeping Klay Thompson SPOILER ALERT: The Golden State Warriors will be the most improved team in the Western Conference, and will make their way to the Conference Finals for the first time since Rick Barry led them that far in the 1975-76 season. All because they knew they didn’t need to shake their team’s foundation, but just add a few more pieces and be patient. When most people hear Klay Thompson’s name, they think “Splash Brother”, or “the guy that helps Steph Curry out a little bit”. First, yes, Klay is a knock-down shooter who becomes a more effective scorer every day. In his three NBA seasons, he’s averaged 12.5 PPG, 16.6 PPG, and 18.4 PPG, respectively. Notice a trend? But what makes Klay so invaluable is his defense. He’s beginning to rightfully be regarded as the best two-way Shooting Guard in the game. His capability to lock down forwards just as well as he can guards is a talent unmatched by any other man at his position today. And yeah, K-Love is great and would’ve made this team even scarier on offense, but it wouldn’t have made them a better team. They already have David Lee--who is a less-talented version of Love, but can do a lot of the same things. While Love would’ve been an improvement at that position, the downgrade at Shooting Guard would have been so dramatic that it would’ve sent Golden State on a path similar to the one they’ve been on for the last few decades--a path with no appealing destination. The Warriors will now benefit from the presence of Shaun Livingston and Head Coach Steve Kerr. While many people think they missed out by not grabbing Love, I think their commitment to Klay Thompson will get them a championship within the next three seasons.

1. Washington Wizards: Signing Paul Pierce I’m not going to make any crazy claims about the Wizards success this season, but this list is about the smartest moves of the offseason, and Pierce is the perfect fit in Washington. I hated Brooklyn’s decision to give up so much for him and Garnett (refer to my blog post last April praising the Celtics for offloading them). And I’m realistic about his shortcomings as far as what is left in the tank. But when I looked at Washington’s roster at the end of last season, I saw that they had athletes that I viewed as top-10 guys at their positions at every spot but Small Forward (John Wall, Bradley Beal, Nene, Marcin Gortat). I also saw that young leaders were struggling to really carry the load and get past other veteran leaders in the playoffs. Enter Paul Pierce. The Wizards killed two birds with one stone in getting a solid Small Forward and one of the most experienced veterans in the league in Paul Pierce. It’s the perfect fit for Paul, who can complement John Wall very well as a leader, and perhaps make the Wizards a serious contender in the Eastern Conference this year. I wouldn’t set my expectations too high for Washington, but as far as moves that actually make too much sense, put this one at the top of your list.

Why the Bulls-Cavaliers Trade Means More than You Think

When Chicago Bulls superstar point guard Derrick Rose tore his meniscus in late November, the team’s carefully assembled championship plan fell apart. Their decision to build around their young, explosive centerpiece seemed a risky decision in hindsight, given that two successive Rose knee surgeries would end up depriving the organization of nearly two full seasons of his talents.

Crucial decisions made in the preceding seasons, including the one to let Omer Asik sign with Houston, were undoubtedly second-guessed. Smaller roster moves, such as signing shooter Mike Dunleavy to a two-year, $6 million dollar deal, would matter little for the middling playoff team the Bulls had become. In the end, improving from a first-round playoff exit to a second-round defeat doesn’t mean a whole lot. 

If there’s a silver lining here for the Bulls, it’s that they’ve come to terms with reality and accepted this. Bulls' GM Jon Paxson and Gar Forman understand that the focus has shifted from the present to the future. There is simply no way they can compete with Indiana and Miami for a shot at winning the East, let alone aspire to win the Finals in June. So it became more about getting under the salary cap this season and acquiring picks and assets for future championship runs (assuming Rose returns to the MVP-level player he has been).

In this view, dealing Luol Deng and his expiring contract for Andre Bynum, who was immediately waived, and a collection of draft picks and possible future selections makes total sense. As Zach Lowe of Grantland reported, the Bulls save $20 million this year in salary owed to Deng and payments that would have been made to the NBA for exceeding the salary cap.

Seeing as how Deng recently rejected a three-year, $30 million offer from Chicago, noted by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, and still reportedly harbors ill will towards the organization over how it dealt with his spinal tap health complications during last year’s playoffs, it was a good bet that the All-Star small forward would not be resigning this offseason. If that’s the case, then it’s better that the Bulls got something rather than nothing for him. Adding in the chance to move up in a few future drafts and add a couple second round picks, this transaction fits nicely with Chicago management’s desire to look ahead reload on the fly for future Rose-led title runs.

While the Deng trade made serious financial and business sense for the Bulls, that doesn’t mean it was a bad deal for the Cavaliers. Ever since signing Andrew Bynum to a two-year, $24 million gamble of a deal this summer, Cleveland has been crossing its fingers and holding its breath hopping from one Bynum fiasco to another.

The undeniably talented seven-footer has shot an abysmal 42% from the field and reportedly failed to impress with his practice and conditioning habits. Before a $6 million portion of his salary became guaranteed this season, Cleveland had to move him. He had just become too expensive for a weak team struggling just to hold onto a playoff spot in a historically bad Eastern Conference.

Adding Deng’s salary this season and subtracting Bynum’s still leaves the Cavaliers under the salary cap thanks to some previous cap space. Thus the deal is nothing but a win on the court, as Kyrie and the Cavs add a floor-spacing glue guy who will make them better in every aspect of the game. His presence will likely be enough to spur Cleveland into the playoffs.

But there are still too many holes for the Cavs to seriously contend for supremacy in the East and hope for a chance to make the Finals. Did Cleveland mortgage some of their future by dealing so many picks for a temporary upgrade on a middling team? Perhaps. But if they can resign Deng (which many believe they have better odds at doing than Chicago did) then Dan Gilbert and company can point to that as upward trajectory for the franchise.

Owing greatly to the Cavaliers traditional lower-rung status league-wide and smaller media market, they’ve never been a team that has commanded attention in free agency or sparked much fan enthusiasm. Year after year of futility, minus LeBron’s glory days, have been very much all the city has seen from its professional basketball team.

While it is laudable to try to stock up through the draft and wait for the right moment to go all-in during the supposed “championship window” that opens up in superstar players’ primes, there is something to be said for management, at a certain point, deciding that they need to slide their chips in and just try to win as much as possible right now. That moment appears to have arrived, as the Cleveland brass has grown tired of trying (and failing) to rebuild year after year in the wake of LeBron’s decision to ship off the South Beach. On an emotional, human level, no fan can blame the Cavaliers’ owner for saying enough is enough.

So in the end this could actually be a trade where both teams turn out to be winners. The Bulls jettison salary they don’t need and prepare for a future bright enough they hope it will block out memories of painful 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. The Cavaliers decidedly improve their team while simultaneously hoping to build on whatever sliver of success they achieve this season. Maybe the Bulls will be judged to have won this deal economically, but Cleveland will argue that there’s more to it than that.

NBA Preview Three-Pointer

This is Part I in a two-part series previewing the National Basketball Association season on Sports Business Society's Tipoff Week.  Click here to read the conclusion.

1. Can We Expect Anything from This Rookie Class?

No. Well the possibility is highly unlikely. Victor Oladipo would be the obvious answer, but he might not even start on a team that seems to have already booked its return trip to the lottery. Anthony Bennett has the skillset to provide some entertainment but will unlikely find many minutes on a team that wants to make the playoffs and already has a solid frontcourt of Earl Clark, Tristan Thompson and Andrew Bynum.

Almost everywhere you look lottery picks from this summer’s draft are second on the depth chart Otto Porter’s behind Trevor Ariza, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's behind behind Chauncey Billups and what Shabazz Muhammad lacks in commonsense he will also lack in minutes this year as he appears to have fallen to third at his position on Minnesota’s depth chart. At least the Bucks' Greek rookie can provide entertainment simply by people’s vain attempts to correctly pronounce his name. The one rookie who was likely going to get the best chance to put up numbers was Trey Burke, as the starting point guard for the Jazz, but now he’s out for a few months with a hand injury.

The two fleeting glimpses of hope for this rookie class are Cody Zeller and Ben McLemore. Zeller is slotted to start for Charlotte, although not too much should be expected from a production standpoint with The Black Hole (Al Jefferson) and Kemba taking most of the shots. McLemore should be somewhat of a focal point in Sacramento’s offense, the Kings’ unfortunate recent history of ruining players leaves me skeptical towards McLemore’s potential

2. Are There New Rivalries Brewing in the East?

As two of the league’s top teams, playing in the same division, the Bulls and Pacers will cross paths for what should be some hot-blooded affairs. The potential for bad blood between these two teams was escalated when Bulls star Derrick Rose overlooked the Pacers as a potential rival, stating that the Heat were the Bulls’ main concern in the Eastern Conference. The teams square off for the first time with a nationally televised game on November 6. This should set the tone for their next three games. The smart money is one at least one altercation this season. Rose’s comments won’t sit well with Indiana, and with the physical nature of their frontlines (Boozer, Hibbert, Noah, West), emotions could easily spill over.

Since LeBron first took his talents to South Beach, the Celtics and Heat have not liked each other one bit. It appears that KG and The Truth have taken this animosity with them to their new home in the Empire State. Most would assume that Brooklyn and their new starters would naturally most concern themselves with their crosstown rival. Up to this point, however, it appears that the Heat are on Brooklyn’s immediate radar. Heat players called for an apology from Garnett and Pierce over their treatment of Ray Allen, to which KG politely told LeBron to worry about his own team. The teams meet four times this season in games that appear to have a sudden extra meaning. The first of which comes opening week, November 1, on ESPN.            

Lastly, although not new, look for the Detroit-Cleveland rivalry to pick up for the first time since King James use to go at it with Rip Hamilton and the crew. Both teams seem poised for a run to end their postseason droughts and will likely fight each other for seeding at the bottom of the conference. If no extra-curricular activity arises from these two , at least their matchups will pin two of the league’s top up-and-coming PG’s against each other.

3. Sophomore Slump?

Although this rookie class lacks a certain oomph, last year’s showed some tremendous signs of promise. Damian Lillard, last year’s ROY, has all the makings of an NBA star. This year, his Blazers team brought in the help that D Lil. desperately needed. This help, should get Portland more wins, but look for Lillard’s production to drop with more offensive options and increase in viable backups at his position, C.J. McCollum and Mo Williams.

Harrison Barnes (aka The Black Falcon, aka HB-angout), had a coming out party during the Warriors’ playoff run last spring.  Two words will provide all the reason for his inevitable sophomore slump, Iguo Dala. Dub Nation's offseason acquisition will seriously reduce Barnes' minutes. 

The second year trio of Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond and Dion Waiters should carry the weight for 2012 draft class. All of whom are slotted to start and should see a quality amount of minutes based on a lack of depth for their teams at their respective positions. Of these three, look for Beal to have the most productive year, as he should be the secondary offensive option for the Wizards. No one else from this group will be asked to score at the same clip. 

This is Part I in a two-part series previewing the National Basketball Association season on Sports Business Society's Tipoff Week.  Click here to read the conclusion.