MVN - Most Valuable Network

The winners of this offseason thus far

Every offseason and free agency period, there are teams and players who come out smelling like roses.  This season is no different.  Let’s look at the winners of this summer this far…

Winners - James Posey, Chris Paul and the Hornets, Elton Brand and the new look Philadelphia 76ers, Andrew Bogut, Rony Turiaf, Patrick O’Bryant, Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas, Jose Calderon and Oklahoma City Thunder basketball fans 

James Posey - Meet the new Robert Horry.  Posey was a free agent this time last year, but didn’t garner the type of interest that followed this time around.  While the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett got all the attention, James Posey was the glue to the Celtics championship run.  His defense on Kobe Bryant and LeBron James proved invaluable.  The Hornets finished a strong season just short of the Lakers and the Spurs, so bringing in a guy like Posey figures to give them an edge this season.

Chris Paul and the Hornets - The Hornets locked up the face of their franchise for four more seasons after signing Chris Paul to an extension.  Combined with the acquisition of Posey, the franchise is showing a commitment to winning.  This is a nice change from owner George Shinn, who was previously known for letting coaches go instead of paying them what they were worth.  Basketball in New Orleans is alive and well.

Elton Brand and the new look Philadelphia 76ers - I got word around the training deadline that the Sixers were going to do everything in their power to clear cap room for Elton Brand.  Of course, he had to opt out of his contract first.  The campaign was on.  While Brand recruited Baron Davis to opt out of G-State, he ended up leaving the Clippers hanging.  The Sixers got their man and Brand got four more years of the roughly same money he was making before.

Andrew Bogut - The Aussie big man who roams the paint for the Milwaukee Bucks signed a huge extension this offseason.  You can mark it down among the latest in bad contracts for centers.  He ended up getting roughly $72 million over five years, which averages over $14 million a season.  That’s a lot of money for a poor man’s Chris Kaman.

Rony Turiaf - With the Lakers tight against the salary cap, backup center Rony Turiaf figured to be on the move.  The money came from Golden State to the tune of $17 million for four years.  Turiaf will escape the shadows of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol to get a chance to expand his role while expanding the wallet.  His energy and hustle are exactly what they need after letting Patrick O’Bryant walk due to his own motivational issues.

Patrick O’Bryant - Speaking of O’Bryant, how do you go from not cutting it as a deep backup for the Golden State Warriors to signing a contract with the defending champions?  Talk about second chances!  O’Bryant was all but written off as a bust until Danny Ainge and the Celtics started talking about his potential and the redeeming qualities of playing with championship caliber teammates.  The big fella needs to take full advantage of this opportunity because it could very well be his last.

Baron Davis - Boom Dizzle didn’t so much end up as a winner on this list as he did luck out following the debacle with Elton Brand.  Davis opted out to come to the Clippers and they ended up losing their franchise player.  Corey Maggette left for Golden State.  But the Clippers swung a trade for Marcus Camby.  Because they were left under the cap, they didn’t have to give up anyone to get him.  So, they didn’t.  And while the Clippers didn’t necessarily win out, Davis did by opting out and taking on a new face of a franchise with more job security.

Gilbert Arenas - Another former Warrior signed a new contract this offseason as Gilbert Arenas received a whopping $111 million over six years.  This is $15 million less than originally offered because even Agent Zero realized that there wouldn’t be enough cheese to pass out around him if he wanted to keep the Wizards nucleus in tact and play on a title contender.  Still, $111 million is a bit much for a guy who struggled with knee injuries all year.  The injury concerns must be a thing of the pass for the Wizards to go to the max here.

Jose Calderon - One of the most efficient point guards in the NBA last season, Calderon no longer has to play the role of part time duty with T.J. Ford.  Calderon showed what he could do as a full-time starter while the injury-prone Ford was in the shop and he was rewarded handsomely with a nice new contract.  To solidify Calderon as the full-time starter, the Raptors made a draft day trade with the Pacers to acquire the services of Jermaine O’Neal.  It was a win-win for both sides, until Jerryd Bayless fell to the Pacers at 11.  That was their problem though.

Oklahoma City Thunder basketball fans - Earlier this month, the relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics franchise to Oklahoma City was approved by the courts of our land and the city of Seattle awarded a settlement for all their woes.  This past weekend, the nickname of the team surfaced as the Oklahoma City Thunder.  16,000 plus fans reserved season tickets.  Unfortunately, the Thunder will have their growing pains and are not expected to be any good this year.  If the fans can show that they are in it for the long haul, the Thunder have the potential to turn things around and build a winner.

**Stay tuned as tomorrow we will discuss the losers.  Leave your questions and comments below or send your inquiries to mvnnbasource@gmail.com**

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 5:24 pm and is filed under Chris Kaman, Andrew Bogut, T.J. Ford, Corey Maggette, Jermaine O'Neal, Ray Allen, Andrew Bynum, Baron Davis, Patrick O'Bryant, James Posey, Australia, Oklahoma City Thunder, George Shinn, Jerryd Bayless, The NBA Source, Rony Turiaf, Jose Calderon, Marcus Camby, Paul Pierce, New Orleans Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Gilbert Arenas, Robert Horry, Elton Brand, Pau Gasol, Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Boston Celtics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.