This article looks at the new NBA landscape for the 2014-2015 season for the Eastern Conference. With the draft, first wave of free agency, and a certain interconference blockbuster trade in the past, it is time to take a preliminary look at how the rosters are shaking out and whether or not the moves that teams made will have a significant difference in how those teams performed from last season.
Like last year, each team will be separated by their nominal starting five (PG = point guard, SG = shooting guard, SF = small forward, PF = power forward, C = center), with most important players followed by the more replaceable parts (i.e, franchise player of the Big 3, followed by the other two starters). Also included are the rotation (6th man through 8th man), followed by the rest of the bench (up to the 13th man). New veteran acquisitions are marked by an asterisk*, rookies by a (1). Players who are uncertain to be ready for the season opener are kept out of the starting lineup and rotation and marked with a (+). Because of the heavy coaching and management turnover, those figures are listed as well.
To see my Offseason Preview from before the Draft, open here:
ATLANTIC DIVISION
Toronto Raptors (2013-2014: 48-34, 1st in Atlantic, 3rd in Eastern, First Round Loss to Brooklyn)
Starters: SG DeMar DeRozan, PG Kyle Lowry, C Jonas Valanciunas, PF Amir Johnson, SF Terrence Ross
Rotation: PG Greivis Vasquez, PF Patrick Patterson, SG Louis Williams*
Bench: C Chuck Hayes, SF James Johnson*, PF Tyler Hansbrough, SF Bruno Cabloclo (1), C Lucas Nogueira*
Head Coach: Dwane Casey
General Manager: Masai Ujiri
The Raptors needed to bring back Lowry and they did, ensuring that the starting lineup of the most surprising division winner stayed intact for the 2014-2015 season. Vasquez and Patterson also return, meaning the only change to Toronto’s rotation is the subtraction of graybeard John Salmons, replaced by Williams. Williams is coming off his quietest season since becoming a rotation player in 2007-2008, but he still scored 10.4 points per game last season, and he may be better after another year removed from major knee surgery. The addition of Johnson gives Toronto a plus-sized wing defender in the short-term, while surprise first-round pick Cabloclo is a longer-term project. Nogueira, a 2013 first-round pick, is another project who gives the Raptors some height and length they didn’t have a season ago. Stability is seldom a word associated with the Raptors, but they are well ahead in that department than the other teams in their sorry division.
Brooklyn Nets (2013-2014: 44-38, 2nd in Atlantic, 6th in Eastern, Semifinals Loss to Miami)
Starters: SG Joe Johnson, C Brook Lopez, PG Deron Williams, PF Kevin Garnett, SF Bojan Bogdanovic
Rotation: PG Jarrett Jack*, C Mason Plumlee, SF Andrei Kirilenko
Bench: PF Mirza Teletovic, SG Alan Anderson, PF Cory Jefferson (1), SG Sergey Karasev*, SG Markel Brown (1)
Head Coach: Lionel Hollins*
General Manager: Billy King
What a bizarre year from Brooklyn. Bringing Jason Kidd back into the organization to be a head coach was a headscratcher in foresight, but he oversaw a major turnaround after nearly losing his job over the holidays. The Nets won a thrilling first-round series with the Raptors before flaming out against a Heat team they swept in the regular season. Then Kidd completely lost it (presumably after watching Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher get overpaid this offseason), losing a power struggle and negotiating his way into another coach’s job. Brooklyn made it out of the coaching episode well enough, as Hollins was last seen coaching the 2012-2013 Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately, Brooklyn has more personnel issues than last year. After mortgaging their future to bring in future Hall-of-Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, they lose Pierce in free agency a year later. Lopez’ return from injury would seem to soften the blow, but he’s an injury red flag for the rest of his career, and Garnett looked truly ragged last season, especially at the power forward position. The player that helped trigger their January turnaround, Shaun Livingston, also left in free agency. Anderson was re-signed, and his shooting is superior to Livingston’s, but Brooklyn has a real problem on the wing defensively. Jack left Golden State to replace Livingston in Cleveland a year ago; now Livingston is in Golden State and Jack is in Brooklyn. Jack is another player who won’t help the Nets much defensively, and he’ll need to bounce back from arguably his least-effective season (41% FGs, career-low 1.9 FTAs per game). Brooklyn really lacks depth on the wing; Kirilenko looked just about done and can’t be relied on to play a full season, while the young guys (Bogdanovic, Brown) will need to show they can be professional defenders to dent the rotation. Hollins may be able to work something out with the bigs on the roster, as the extreme small ball of last season would be a complete departure from Hollins’ Memphis teams. But this is a shallow team severely lacking in athleticism.
October Addendum: Bogdanovic took advantage of Anderson’s absence this preseason and appears to have won a starting job.
New York Knicks (2013-2014: 37-45, 3rd in Atlantic, 9th in Eastern)
Starters: SF Carmelo Anthony, PG José Calderón*, C Samuel Dalembert*, SG Iman Shumpert, PF Jason Smith*
Rotation: SF J.R. Smith, C Amar’e Stoudemire, SG Tim Hardaway
Bench: PF Andrea Bargnani (+), PG Pablo Prigioni, C Cole Aldrich, SF Cleanthony Early (1), PG Shane Larkin*
Head Coach: Derek Fisher*
General Manager: Steve Mills
Mills holds the title of GM in New York, but President Phil Jackson is the czar here, and he is introducing Fisher to the ranks of head coach after Fisher won five championships in Los Angeles with Jackson. Anthony’s return is great; it keeps the Knicks from dropping off too far. Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton were flipped for Dalembert and Calderón, and New York also scored rookie Early in the draft (though Early has some work to do to break through in a crowded wing rotation). Chandler missed 27 games last season, so at the very least, the Knicks can expect Dalembert to stay available. Of course, Dalembert hasn’t averaged 25 minutes per game since leaving Philadelphia, and history says he’ll be in a new city by this time next year. Jason Smith was New Orleans’ starting center to begin last season, but he wound up missing 51 games; Smith has never played 1200 minutes in a season. Bargnani fell on his elbow in January and wasn’t heard from again – he’s back and will probably start over Stoudemire. Stoudemire’s minutes started to trend up to end last season, but his knees are a terminal concern, while Bargnani is a frustrating mix of inefficient offense and deficient rebounding and defense (not to mention, the Knicks were 15-27 when he played, 22-18 when he didn’t). Calderón is one of the best shooters in the league and annually impresses with his assist-turnover ratio; anyway you slice it, he’s a major upgrade on Felton. Larkin, a 2013 first-round pick, will be Fisher’s point guard project as he battles 37-year-old backup Prigioni. Anthony coming back, along with Fisher and Jackson’s placement, allow the Knicks to build something constructive for the first time since 2008. For the upcoming season though, New York looks completely barren in terms of players who can play significant minutes on both ends of the floor.
October Addendum: Bargnani is injured to start the season (hamstring), because that’s what he does.
Boston Celtics (2013-2014: 25-57, 4th in Atlantic, 12th in Eastern)
Starters: SF Jeff Green, PF Jared Sullinger, SG Avery Bradley, C Kelly Olynyk, PG Marcus Smart (1)
Rotation: SF Gerald Wallace, PF Brandon Bass, SG Evan Turner*
Bench: PG Rajon Rondo (+), C Tyler Zeller*, C Vitor Faverani, SG Marcus Thornton*, SF James Young (1)
Head Coach: Brad Stevens
General Manager: Danny Ainge
The Celtics have talent issues, but the only significant move made was the addition of lottery pick Smart. 2010 2nd pick overall Evan Turner has verbally agreed to a deal with Boston, but as of now, it’s not official (and Turner’s value was shot to pieces after Philadelphia dealt him to Indiana at the trade deadline). Smart replaces Jerryd Bayless, and he is blocked for major minutes by Rondo, who will be another year removed from major knee surgery. Zeller replaces Kris Humphries, who was quietly effective in Boston. Zeller has size and function, but he has to do a better job of defending without fouling. Thornton can get hot in a hurry, which stands out on a roster that lacks shooting. But he’s a poor defender on a young team, so it will be a surprise if he lasts the season in Boston. Young didn’t play much over the summer, but he should be gunning for Wallace’s minutes as the season progresses, especially if his jumper translates in his rookie year. Bradley returns as well, but he needs to show that he can play 2000 minutes. This was a terrible offensive team a year ago, and Stevens will have his work cut out for him again this season. He can start by making sure Sullinger isn’t taking 200+ threes; Sullinger’s 27 percent clip from downtown was the fifth-worst percentage by any player who ever shot at least 200 threes. (But only the third-worst of the 2013-2014 season, ahead of Michael Carter-Williams and Josh Smith – what does that tell you?!)
September Addendum: Turner finally signed with Boston.
October Addendum: Rondo broke his hand and won’t be ready for the start of the season.
October Addendum, part II: Olynyk appears to have won the starting center job, pushing Bass to the bench.
Philadelphia 76ers (2013-2014: 19-63, 5th in Atlantic, 14th in Eastern)
Starters: PF Nerlens Noel, SG Hollis Thompson, C Henry Sims, SF Luc Mbah a Moute*, PG Tony Wroten
Rotation: SG K. J. McDaniels (1), PF Brandon Davies, SF Chris Johnson*
Bench: C Joel Embiid (1) (+), PG Michael Carter-Williams (+), SG Jason Richardson (+), SF Jerami Grant (1), PG Alexey Shved*
Head Coach: Brett Brown
General Manager: Sam Hinkie
This is almost a waste of an exercise, but here goes nothing: the 76ers are a lot closer to the team that lost an NBA-record 26 games in a row than they are to the team that started 12-21. The 76ers are trying to take what the early 1980s Rockets did to the extreme, completely dismantling the roster that was in the playoffs only two seasons ago in an effort to draft their way to the top. With Hinkie and Brown on the same page, only the NBA can stop them, just like the NBA put the draft lottery in place after the Rockets collected centers Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon with consecutive no.1 overall picks. Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala were shown the door in 2012, Andrew Bynum and Jrue Holiday were moved in 2013, Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes were shipped out during the season, and now Thaddeus Young has been moved. While Noel will play this upcoming season, Embiid will take his spot on the indefinite sideline, while the 76ers used their other lottery pick to Euro-stash Dario Saric. Philadelphia also has three intriguing 2nd-round picks in K.J. McDaniels, Jeremi Grant, and Jordan McRae, but their contracts have yet to be worked out. It is unlikely that Richardson is part of the team’s plans after he missed all of last season with a knee injury, though he did opt into the last year of his deal. Mbah a Moute will have more value in the locker room than on the court, as he adds nothing offensively except some offensive rebounds. Shved has been dreadful in his short NBA career (36 percent from the field in two seasons with Timberwolves). The 76ers released James Anderson after the season; he was the only 76er to make 100+ threes, though he shot a lukewarm 33 percent. Save for reigning Rookie of the Year Carter-Williams and ROY candidate Noel, this team is going to be borderline unwatchable on the court, as 70 losses look like a real possibility. But for lottery, trade, and social media purposes (Embiid), Philadelphia will be very interesting.
September Addendum: Philadelphia signed second-round pick Grant in time for media day, but not yet McDaniels. McRae will play in Australia. Carter-Williams (shoulder surgery) may not be ready to start the season on time.
October Addendum: Philadelphia signed McDaniels to a one-year deal and cut Jarvis Varnado.
October Addendum, part II: Philadelphia traded Arnett Moultrie to New York for the right to waive Travis Outlaw. Former Boston swingman Chris Johnson made the team over Elliot Williams.
CENTRAL DIVISION
Indiana Pacers (2013-2014: 56-26, 1st in Central, 1st in Eastern, Conference Finals Loss to Miami)
Starters: C Roy Hibbert, SG Rodney Stuckey*, SF C.J. Miles*, PF Luis Scola, PG Donald Sloan
Rotation: SF Chris Copeland, C Ian Mahinmi, SG Solomon Hill
Bench: SF Paul George (+), PF David West (+), PG George Hill (+), PG C.J. Watson (+), C Lavoy Allen
Head Coach: Frank Vogel
General Manager: Kevin Pritchard
The Pacers were already looking at two steps back when they failed to retain Lance Stephenson, replacing him with the inefficient Stuckey instead. Paul George’s catastrophic injury should keep the Pacers at the bottom of the league offensively, while robbing them of one of the most valuable perimeter defenders in the league. The Pacers will still be big (and slow) with Hibbert and West, but they don’t have a single healthy player on their roster who can carry an offense. Since entering the league in 2007, 185 players have attempted at least 600 threes: only Tyreke Evans and Josh Smith have shot worse than Stuckey’s 29 percent during that span. Hill was a versatile player at the University of Arizona, but he didn’t show anything in 226 minutes as a rookie. Miles replaces Evan Turner, and should give the Pacers a shooter. The wheels came off for the Pacers at the trade deadline, and though they recovered well enough to make it to the Conference Finals, they just had the worst offseason in the league.
October Addendum: West (ankle), Hill (knee), and Watson (foot) will all miss at least a week, because the basketball gods haven’t finished punishing them yet.
Chicago Bulls (48-34, 2nd in Central, 4th in Eastern, First Round Loss to Washington)
Starters: C Joakim Noah, PG Derrick Rose, SG Jimmy Butler, PF Pau Gasol*, SF Mike Dunleavy
Rotation: PG Kirk Hinrich, PF Taj Gibson, SG Tony Snell
Bench: C Nazr Mohammed, SF Doug McDermott (1), PF Nikola Mirotic (1), PG Aaron Brooks*, PF Cameron Bairstow (1)
Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau
General Manager: Gar Forman
I find it mildly amusing that folks can say #WithoutRose when the Bulls disappoint in the postseason, place the Bulls as immediate contenders, then hold the carrot by saying “if Rose is healthy.” I don’t believe Rose will approach his MVP-level performance from 2010-2011. He struggled to stay healthy in the lockout season before tearing his ACL in the postseason, missed all of the 2012-2013 season, and was thoroughly ineffective to start the 2013-2014 season before ending up sidelined again. For all of the players Chicago added (and they are certainly deeper), Rose is still theoretically the only player who can carry an offense. The bar isn’t high for Rose (Hinrich and the since-departed D.J. Augustin were last season’s point guards), but he’s not a difference-maker defensively while he will need to re-establish his place in the game as an effective, high-usage scorer and playmaker after multiple setbacks. In the case of another extended Rose absence, Brooks isn’t a bad insurance policy. The addition of Gasol gives Chicago a replacement for Carlos Boozer, and Thibodeau has the option of starting two of the best big men passers in the league in Gasol and Noah, or going with the proven defensive wall of Gibson and 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Noah. Lottery pick McDermott and Snell shot hot fire over the summer, and they’ll serve as quality backups for core defender Butler and veteran shooter Dunleavy. It’s not out of the question for McDermott to start over Dunleavy if he picks up the defense. Mirotic gives Chicago another shooter, and with Gasol showing decreased durability and stamina entering his 14th NBA season, Mirotic will be needed. The Bulls have been an elite defensive squad every season under Thibodeau, and the added offensive skill should get Chicago out of the bottom-five in the league rankings even if Rose misses time. That said, this Bulls team should not be projected as one that will have Rose available for 3000 minutes and 25 points per game.
September Addendum: Chicago re-signed Mohammed, though he shouldn’t be the fourth big man anymore with the additions of Gasol and Mirotic to the roster.
September Addendum, part II: Doesn’t sound like Thibodeau is interested in playing the young, sharpshooting forwards. That is, until his old forwards (Dunleavy, Gasol) get hurt.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2013-2014: 33-49, 3rd in Central, 10th in Eastern)
Starters: SF LeBron James*, PF Kevin Love*, PG Kyrie Irving, C Anderson Varejao, SG Dion Waiters
Rotation: SF Shawn Marion*, PF Tristan Thompson, PG Matthew Dellavedova
Bench: C Brendan Haywood*, SG Mike Miller*, PF Lou Amundson*, SF James Jones*, SG Joe Harris (1)
Head Coach: David Blatt*
General Manager: David Griffin
Just to state the obvious: Cleveland won the offseason. I did not believe that there was any chance that James would return to Cleveland and their disrespectful owner. It happened, as he takes Luol Deng’s spot. Cleveland drafted Andrew Wiggins first overall, then shipped him and 2013 top pick Anthony Bennett to Minnesota for All-Star Kevin Love. Oh yeah, and Irving signed a huge long-term deal. I wanted to see how the Cavaliers would look with Wiggins locking things down defensively and running with James on the break, and Cleveland will remain starved for rim protection with the big men currently on hand. I’m also wondering who exactly is supposed to score off Cleveland’s bench (with or without in limbo free agent Ray Allen). There is also the question of how rookie coach Blatt, primarily an offensive mind, will get this team to defend at the top-ten level necessary to win a championship. Finally, how much better can James make Irving, Love, Waiters, etc. around the rim? But for now, Cleveland’s four-year nightmare is over. James’ new big three has more defensive questions than the Miami triumvirate, but Irving and Love are better shooters and are much younger. Marion softens the blow of Wiggins’ departure in respect to the need for a perimeter defender; he replaces C.J. Miles on the roster. Haywood is slimming down after missing all of last season, but Cleveland knows they should try and upgrade the center position if they want to avoid a Minnesota-style layup line at the basket. Rookie Joe Harris has a low bar to surpass in terms of the play of last season’s rookie, Sergey Karasev. Miller and Jones are two of James’ henchmen from Miami who will shoot threes and do little else. Cleveland essentially turned Andrew Bynum and Earl Clark into Luol Deng and Spencer Hawes, then turned Deng and Hawes into James and Love. Just keep that in mind when watching this team.
September Addendum: Cleveland traded second-round pick Dwight Powell and three other players to Boston for the right to waive Keith Bogans. Amundson is one of the fringe veterans battling for a spot at the end of the roster. Amundson has played only 2001 minutes over the last four seasons combined.
Detroit Pistons (2013-2014: 29-53, 4th in Central, 11th in Eastern)
Starters: C Andre Drummond, PF Josh Smith, PG Brandon Jennings, SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF Kyle Singler
Rotation: PG D.J. Augustin*, C Greg Monroe, SF Caron Butler*
Bench: SG Jodie Meeks (+), PF Jonas Jerebko, SF Cartier Martin*, C Joel Anthony*, PG Spencer Dinwiddie (1)
Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy*
General Manager: Jeff Bower*
The elephant in the room is the status of restricted free agent Greg Monroe, a poor fit with Smith in the frontcourt. Van Gundy has full control as head coach, and was in the NBA Finals just five years ago with a dominant physical force at center. Drummond is Van Gundy’s new Dwight Howard, and the Pistons made an effort to add as much shooting as possible to a team that finished 29th overall in three-point percentage (Meeks, Butler, Augustin shot 40, 39, and 41 percent from three, respectively). However, outgoing GM Joe Dumars left one last mess, as Smith is one of the NBA’s worst shooters – and he’s under contract for another three seasons. Jennings lit up the Drew League, but he’s another questionable fit for Van Gundy, as he’s never had such a shot-dominant point guard before. Less shots would be better for Jennings, one of the worst finishers out of all the players who shoot nearly four times a quarter. Meeks was paid a lot to replace Rodney Stuckey; Meeks made 162 threes last season, while Stuckey made 182 in seven seasons in Detroit. Meeks will push Caldwell-Pope for a starting job. Augustin replaces Chauncey Billups but will have to prove that his resurgence in Chicago wasn’t a fluke after flaming out in Charlotte, Indiana and Toronto. Gray will replace Josh Harrellson as Drummond’s backup; Gray only had five games of 20+ minutes last season. Getting shooters is nice, but Van Gundy is going to have some issues with this team, with or without Monroe.
September Addendum: Monroe will return to the Pistons for 2013-2014, then will become an unrestricted free agent in 2015.
September Addendum, part II: Gray is out indefinitely due to a cardiac episode. Detroit signed Thabeet, who was drafted over, well, everybody except Blake Griffin five years ago.
October Addendum: With Monroe set to be suspended for the start of the season, look for Smith to get the first crack at the starting power forward job.
October Addendum, part II: Will Bynum was traded to Boston for Joel Anthony, and Hasheem Thabeet was released.
October Addendum, part III: Meeks is out until December with a stress fracture in his back. Singler will retain his starting role. Gray was released. 2014 2nd-round pick Dinwiddie is healthy after tearing his ACL January.
Milwaukee Bucks (2013-2014: 15-67, 5th in Central, 15th in Eastern)
Starters: PF Jabari Parker (1), SG Brandon Knight, C Larry Sanders, SF Khris Middleton, PG Kendall Marshall*
Rotation: SF Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF Ersan Ilyasova, PG Jerryd Bayless*
Bench: C John Henson, SG O.J. Mayo, C Zaza Pachulia, PG Nate Wolters, SF Jared Dudley*
Head Coach: Jason Kidd*
General Manager: John Hammond
20 years after the Bucks passed up Jason Kidd to take Glenn Robinson in the 1994 NBA Draft, Kidd comes to the team he always wanted to be a member of! And he gets to coach Rookie of the Year contender Jabari Parker and the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo! All jokes aside, the Bucks followed up the worst season in franchise history with a major weasel move, bringing on Kidd to replace Larry Drew as head coach. Now, Drew was terrible, failing to win consecutive games all season while overseeing the worst defense in the league. All Kidd needs to do to be an improvement over Drew in Milwaukee is win back-to-back games and avoid spilling drinks on the floor. There should be competition at every spot on this roster. Ilyasova has spent most of the last five seasons as Milwaukee’s starting power forward, but Parker’s a clear talent upgrade. At the other forward spot, Middleton quietly outplayed Antetokounmpo last season, but Antetokounmpo has a physical package that dwarfs that of Middleton. Knight was the team’s best player a year ago, which explains a lot. Mayo and Knight were supposed to start together last season, but Mayo got completely out of shape and fell off. Bayless replaces Ramon Sessions, and will be attempting to hold off true PGs Nate Wolters and Kendall Marshall for playing time. Dudley is another player who got out of shape a year ago, and he was traded with a first-round pick for an unhealthy Delfino and a third-string center. Sanders had an awful season on and off the floor, while Henson failed to earn more playing time – they both get to compete with Drew favorite Pachulia. There’s some talent here, but most of this roster features players who have a lot of work to do to restore their reputations. Come to think of it, their head coach is in the same boat.
October Addendum: Lord knows who is going to start for this team. Of the 11 players Kidd has started this preseason, none of them are Mayo or Wolters.
October Addendum, part II: Antetokounmpo isn’t a point guard, but he and Parker played the most minutes for Milwaukee in the preseason.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Miami Heat (2013-2014: 54-28, 1st in Southeast, 2nd in Eastern, NBA Finals Loss to San Antonio)
Starters: C Chris Bosh, SG Dwyane Wade, SF Luol Deng*, PF Shawne Williams*, PG Norris Cole
Rotation: SG Mario Chalmers, C Chris Andersen, SF Danny Granger*
Bench: PF Josh McRoberts* (+), PG Shabazz Napier (1), PF Udonis Haslem, SG Shannon Brown*, SF James Ennis
Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra
General Manager: Pat Riley
Instead of a recommitment of The Decision, LeBron James took his two rings and went home. The ripple effect was supposed to include Bosh, but he signed a massive new contract to stay. Wade also stayed, along with Chalmers, Andersen, and Haslem. Shane Battier retired, and he’ll be replaced by fellow Blue Devil McRoberts. McRoberts made 58 threes in his first six NBA seasons, but he made 105-of-291 (36 percent) starting next to Al Jefferson in Charlotte last season. Battier made 271 threes at 38 percent in his three seasons in Miami, and that was with James on the roster; McRoberts will be hardpressed to match that efficiency. McRoberts also came out of nowhere with 333 assists last season (4.3 per game); he had 342 total assists combined the previous three seasons. He is not a standout defender, but he is bigger, younger, and more athletic than Battier, Haslem, and the departed Rashard Lewis. Deng has the unfortunate task of replacing James; he fell off in a major way in Cleveland last season, but at least he’s not Jamario Moon or Alonzo Gee (Cleveland’s 2010-2011 James replacements). Miami would gladly take Deng’s Chicago numbers from last season (19 points per game, 45 percent FGs, 6.9 rebounds per game, 3.7 assists per game), but his durability isn’t much better than Wade’s at this point of his career, his range was missing most of the season, and his athleticism is in decline. Another severely declining player is Granger, who is all the Heat have to show for Ray Allen’s roster spot at the moment. It’s been five years since Granger was an All-Star, and after missing most of 2012-2013, he shot only 38 percent from the field and was only able to play 30+ minutes three times all season, none after Indiana traded him and he wound up with the Los Angeles Clippers. With Wade’s knees a major concern, Miami added retreads Brown and Reggie Williams; that may be an improvement on Toney Douglas and Michael Beasley, but that’s not saying much. Shawne Williams can make some threes, but so could Rashard Lewis. Napier went from being LeBron’s favorite point guard in the draft to competing with Chalmers and Cole for minutes, struggling mightily in Summer League in between. Somehow, this is still a team littered with injury-prone players past their primes. Spoelstra has his work cut out for him to return this team to the playoffs, especially when Wade, Deng, and Granger need to miss time.
October Addendum: McRoberts may miss the start of the season as he recovers from toe surgery. Reggie Williams was released. Cole appears to have beaten out Chalmers for the starting job, which also opens up playing time for Napier.
Washington Wizards (2013-2014: 44-38, 2nd in Southeast, 5th in Eastern, Semifinals Loss to Indiana)
Starters: PG John Wall, C Marcin Gortat, SF Paul Pierce*, PF Nenê, SG Glen Rice
Rotation: PG Andre Miller, PF Kris Humphries*, SF Otto Porter
Bench: SG Bradley Beal (+), SG Martell Webster (+), C Drew Gooden, PF DeJuan Blair*, C Kevin Seraphin
Head Coach: Randy Wittman
General Manager: Ernie Grunfeld
Washington had a decision to make with free agents Gortat and Trevor Ariza. They picked the big man and replaced Ariza with future Hall-of-Famer Pierce. The Truth will help in the locker room, but he’ll be 37 when the season starts, and he started at power forward most of last season while averaging under 30 minutes for the first time in his career. Pierce has been durable as he ages; after missing 35 games in 06-07, he’s missed only 33 games since in seven seasons. He’s made 100+ 3s 14 seasons in a row, and he is still an effective player. But Washington is going to need Porter to be ready for a much larger role. In addition to Pierce’s prohibitive age, Webster is coming off of another back surgery, so there will be a lot of minutes available for Porter. Humphries takes Trevor Booker’s roster spot, and he should be an upgrade with his ability to shoot and challenge shots. Washington added another big body in Blair, who takes Al Harrington’s roster spot. The Wizards haven’t won a playoff series in back-to-back seasons or won at least 50 games since 1979. Both goals should be in place next season.
October Addendum: Beal had surgery to repair a broken wrist and will be out until December. In the meantime, Summer League star Rice (Glen’s son) is getting a shot at filling in for Beal with Webster out indefinitely.
Charlotte Hornets (2013-2014: 43-39, 3rd in Southeast, 7th in Eastern, First Round Loss to Miami)
Starters: C Al Jefferson, PG Kemba Walker, SG Lance Stephenson*, SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, PF Marvin Williams*
Rotation: SG Gerald Henderson, C Cody Zeller, PG Brian Roberts*
Bench: PF Noah Vonleh (1), SF P.J. Hairston (1), C Bismack Biyombo, SG Gary Neal, SF Jeff Taylor
Head Coach: Steve Clifford
General Manager: Rich Cho
After ten seasons and an 0-8 postseason record, the Charlotte Bobkittens are no more. Welcome back, Hornets! Despite re-signing Henderson to a three-year, $18 million deal last year, Charlotte brought in the mercurial, yet dynamic, Stephenson on a three-year, $27.5 million deal (after striking out on a Gordon Hayward offer sheet). It’s clear that the Hornets were looking for a player who could help improve their annually shoddy perimeter offense, and while Stephenson can be a reckless team player, he is an upgrade on Henderson as a playmaker (league-leading five triple-doubles in 2013-2014) and shooter (Henderson has made 95 threes in five NBA seasons at 30 percent, Stephenson made 86 threes at 35 percent just this past season). Henderson should still play plenty as a valuable piece of the rotation; Chris Douglas-Roberts is the odd man out here. The Hornets used their lottery pick from Detroit on Vonleh, despite adding Zeller the year before. However, neither player is expected to start despite the departure of Josh McRoberts – Williams and his comparable three-point range will hold it down instead. Williams has never been a strong passer like McRoberts and isn’t a difference-maker defensively, but that’s what Stephenson and Kidd-Gilchrist are there for. Vonleh is a talent upgrade over Anthony Tolliver, but he may start the season slowly. Roberts replaces Luke Ridnour; he’s a good shooter (especially from the free throw line) who had to start after Jrue Holiday’s season-ending injury. Hairston and Neal are shooters/gunners who will have a ton of competition for minutes, while Taylor is coming back from a torn Achilles to challenge for Kidd-Gilchrist’s minutes. The Charlotte locker room will be interesting, but the buzz around this team should compare to the Hornets of 20 years ago.
September Addendum: Taylor was arrested and is facing domestic violence charges. He is away from the team indefinitely.
Atlanta Hawks (2013-2014: 38-44, 4th in Southeast, 8th in Eastern, First Round Loss to Indiana)
Starters: C Al Horford, PF Paul Millsap, PG Jeff Teague, SG Kyle Korver, SF DeMarre Carroll
Rotation: SG Thabo Sefolosha*, C Pero Antic, PG Shelvin Mack
Bench: PF Mike Scott, SF Kent Bazemore*, PF Adreian Payne (1), PG Dennis Schröder, C Mike Muscala
Head Coach: Mike Budenholzer
General Manager: Danny Ferry
The Hawks will welcome Horford back to the lineup after he tore another pectoral in late December; Atlanta had a 16-13 record when Horford was ruled out for the season. Payne, a first-round pick, takes Elton Brand’s roster spot for now, but he’ll have to battle Antic and Scott for playing time. Antic had one of the worst postseasons ever for a starting center (7-for-42 from the field, 3-of-25 from three, 26 fouls, 22 points in seven games), and Scott also fell in love and died by the three; hopefully Atlanta doesn’t leave Payne behind the three-point line to rot. Speaking of poor playoff performances, Sefolosha lost his starting job in Oklahoma City and will take Lou Williams’ roster spot. Sefolosha has never averaged double-figures scoring even as a starter, and though he is a defensive upgrade on Williams, it is clear that Atlanta’s second unit will struggle to do anything offensively except launch threes. Bazemore’s contract hasn’t been announced, but he’s an intriguing addition to Atlanta, replacing Cartier Martin. Bazemore will need to stay healthy and improve his free throw shooting, but he is an athletic defender who plays with an edge. He’s the wild card on Atlanta’s bench, and he could wind up taking Sefolosha’s minutes. Atlanta has a good system in place, but their unimpressive depth will threaten their seven-year postseason streak, longest in the Eastern Conference currently.
Orlando Magic (2013-2014: 23-59, 5th in Southeast, 13th in Eastern)
Starters: C Nikola Vucevic, PF Tobias Harris, PG Elfrid Payton (1), SG Evan Fournier*, SF Maurice Harkless
Rotation: SF Aaron Gordon (1), PF Andrew Nicholson, PG Luke Ridnour*
Bench: SG Victor Oladipo (+), PF Channing Frye* (+), C Kyle O’Quinn, SG Ben Gordon*, C Dewayne Dedmon
Head Coach: Jacque Vaughn
General Manager: Rob Hennigan
No team has lost more games than Orlando since Vaughn and Hennigan got together, but now they have three recent top-ten picks on the roster. Signing veterans like Frye is a sign that the team is trying to win, but this roster still looks messy. Aaron Gordon and Harris are both capable of playing either forward position, and while Aaron Gordon is better defensively and has the higher ceiling, Harris can score the basketball now. Harris is preparing for minutes at power forward, while Frye does little more but start games and shoot threes. Harkless started 41 games last season, but Orlando should bring him off the bench behind Aaron Gordon if they plan on starting Frye. Aaron Gordon represents the biggest talent upgrade on the roster, as Orlando was overstocked with guards last season. Frye replaces Jason Maxiell. The other Orlando lottery pick, Payton, replaces ten-year veteran Jameer Nelson on the roster. Nelson isn’t the player he was five years ago when he was an All-Star, and he was always a liability defensively, but he can still shoot and pass. Payton will need to show that he can make the leap from Lafayette to the pros as a rookie starter at the point – he struggled with turnovers and wasn’t a good shooter in college. But he is a strong driver, has great size, and is already a major upgrade on Nelson defensively. The Magic traded leading scorer Arron Afflalo after a career-year for Fournier, clearing a starting role for Oladipo. Like Payton, Oladipo needs to work on his shooting and control, especially with Afflalo no longer around. But Oladipo, Payton and Aaron Gordon should form an overwhelming perimeter defensive trio. Fournier will be 22 when the season starts and is a decent shooter, though he does nothing else particularly well at this point in his career. Ridnour replaces E’Twaun Moore as the other backup guard; Orlando will be in a world of hurt if he’s forced into extended minutes, as he’s not a good shooter and is coming off of his worst season after being traded from Milwaukee to Charlotte. Ben Gordon got a two-year, $9 million contract to replace guys like Ronnie Price and Doron Lamb; sharing an agent with Oladipo may have had something to do with that. Like Ridnour, Gordon completely fell off last season (99 total points, 34 percent FGs, 28 percent threes), and Charlotte even waited to release him during the season, preventing him from participating with a playoff team. Orlando certainly has a full load of intriguing, young talent. But with youth comes inconsistency, and the second-worst offense in the league doesn’t have a single player who looks capable of carrying an offense over the course of a full season on the roster right now.
September Addendum: It appears that Aaron Gordon has some depth chart climbing to do if Harris starts at small forward. I think Gordon should play, but it’s not like being a top-five draft pick guarantees you a rotation spot (see: 2013 NBA Draft).
October Addendum: Orlando has been rocked by preseason injuries. Oladipo got over a sprained MCL just in time to smash his face into an elbow; he’ll be out a month. Frye is still recovering from his MCL injury.
NBA 2014 Summer Moves: Western Conference
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