Losers of the offseason: Artest, Shaq and Nuggets top list
The NBA is a league of haves and have nots. With the collective bargaining agreement, salary caps and superstar agents, those gaps end up getting exploited far too often. Here are the players, teams and individuals who’ve lost out this offseason…
Losers - Ron Artest, Shaq, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Josh Smith, Shawne Williams, Rodney Carney, Luol Deng, Ronnie Nunn and Seattle SuperSonics fans
Ron Artest - Many assumed that Ron Artest would opt out after the season. After all, he was only slated to make $7.4 million this season. His talent is undeniable as one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders and solid second or third option on offense. Despite all his antics and insanity, there would be suitors for him on the free agent market. Yet, Artest elected to remain a King. Well, at least that was the first thought when he waived his option to become a free agent. Now, he’s seeking a trade to a contender. We’ve long since stopped trying to make sense of the Artest ordeal and recommend you just sit back and see how this plays out.
Shaq - For all the talk about winning a championship with the Suns following the big midseason trade, Shaq failed miserably to live up to his own inflated expectations. Not only that, he had the audacity this summer to freestyle a wack rap about Kobe needing him and telling the reigning MVP to taste his hind parts. Where’s MC Hack-a-Shaq when you need him? Shaq, your ass tastes like icy hot because we know you have to bathe in it after every game. Please, you were good in your prime. Now, you suck and you’re bringing down everyone with you. The sun is set on Shaq and the Suns. Look for Amare Stoudemire to score as many points as possible this year to at least make things interesting.
Denver Nuggets - Speaking of teams that try to score as much as possible, how defenseless are the Denver Nuggets? Management does their best to spin awful moves as positive changes for the franchise, but the truth is that they are royally screwed for being so far over the cap. That’s what happens when you pay Nene $60 million over six years. They literally gave away the 20th pick in the draft, saying that they had no roster spots to fill. Did my eyes deceive me or was that Kenyon Martin guarding Kobe Bryant in the playoffs? The only other guy who was committed to defense on that team was Marcus Camby. So, the next logical move was to give him away for nothing to the Clippers. With the talent of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, taking away your best defender and giving away a first round pick for nothing isn’t exactly a step in the right direction.
Golden State Warriors - They did their best, but essentially ended up replacing Mickael Pietrus and Kelenna Azubuike for Corey Maggette, Patrick O’Bryant for Rony Turiaf, and Marcus Williams for Baron Davis. Losing Davis and also having Elton Brand turn down $90 million made it impossible to recover. Davis was the engine that made things go for the Warriors. Without him, it will be interesting to see how it pans out. If Marcus Williams can emerge as a steady player, the Warriors might not be that bad off.
Josh Smith - Being a restricted free agent of the Atlanta Hawks is proving to be one of the worst positions any player could find themselves in. Just ask Josh Childress. The Hawks other restricted free agent decided to take another route and go for more dollars with a team in Greece. Smith has a lot of potential and room to grow. Unfortunately, he’s had issues with the coach and his team says they will match any offer. So far, nothing’s happened.
Shawne Williams - “I’m sorry officer. I don’t know how that weed got in my friend’s pocket!” Ok, maybe that isn’t how it happened, but Shawne Williams once again showed the ability to make poor choices. If there’s any lesson for the casual fan to take away from the latest saga, it’s don’t let your friends ride in your car with weed on their person. And if they must transport it with you, make them seal it up and swallow it. Or, just get better friends and stay away from the buddah. And make sure you wear your seatbelt for goodness sakes! Sheesh, Shawne!
Rodney Carney - The young swingman was finally getting comfortable in Philly as an option off the bench and the Sixers dealt him to clear up some cap space for Elton Brand. Carney’s position in Minnesota is less certain. He’ll have to compete with last year’s first round pick Corey Brewer for minutes. He has to learn a new scheme, which he says is completely different than the Sixers philosophy. The biggest change for him is going from a playoff team to a basement dweller. That is the main reason he ends up on this list.
Luol Deng - Really, I do not understand the facination with this guy. This time last year, he was considered untouchable in any trade discussions (ones involving Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, no less). One year later, he’s more of a known commodity as a complimentary player than a star. The Bulls would like to keep him, but the market isn’t as hot for him as it was last year. Deng is considering taking the qualifying offer so that he can hit the market as an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Ronnie Nunn - The past year of the Tim Donaghy scandal revealed troubling information of the need to revamp the NBA’s referee program. The director of officials for the last five years has just been reassigned to director of development - a position that reports to his old post now held by Bernie Fryer. It was a restructuring of the top three administrators of the referee program, with Fryer and Joe Borgia getting promotions while Nunn took a demotion. It’s yet to be seen if these changes will help, but the NBA is confident that the restructuring brings about positive changes.
Seattle SuperSonics fans - The Sonics set sail for Oklahoma this summer after the city of Seattle was awarded a settlement and the Sonics granted a release of their lease on Key Arena. Sadly, the team already played their last game in Seattle. It remains to be seen where fans of the Northwest will go from here, but considering that the expansion Grizzlies moved from Vancouver to Memphis, the Portland Trail Blazers remain the only regional team left. They figure to contend for the playoffs this season as well. Can basketball fans of Seattle rally around their former rivals and root for the Blazers? That would give Blazer Mania a whole new meaning. It’s the only possible feel good story to be found among a sad state of affairs.
Tomorrow, the Euro vs. the dollar - why European expansion is coming whether David Stern wants it or not. Send your e-mails to mvnnbasource@gmail.com and leave your comments below. Thank you!
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 pm and is filed under Rodney Carney, Kenyon Martin, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Tim Donaghy, Mickael Pietrus, Marcus Williams, David Stern, Shaquille O'Neal, Baron Davis, Nene, Patrick O'Bryant, Shawne Williams, Corey Maggete, Bernie Fryer, Joe Borgia, Vancouver Grizzlies, Ronnie Nunn, Oklahoma City Thunder, Greece, Rony Turiaf, The NBA Source, Kelenna Azubuike, NBA Referees, Marcus Camby, Minnesota Timberwolves, Seattle SuperSonics, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Luol Deng, Pau Gasol, Allen Iverson, Corey Brewer, Amare Stoudemire, Portland Trail Blazers, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Ron Artest, Carmelo Anthony, Atlanta Hawks.
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7 Responses to “Losers of the offseason: Artest, Shaq and Nuggets top list”
July 24th, 2008 at 3:44 am
Your failure to understand what the Denver Nuggets front office has done this offseason - and, apparently, the fact that the offseason isn’t over yet - are making you look foolish.
You say: “They literally gave away the 20th pick in the draft, saying that they had no roster spots to fill.”
That is just false. They TRADED the #20 for a protected first round pick from the Bobcats - a protection that gradually gets weaker season by season, meaning that in all likelihood the pick they finally end up with will be a lottery pick rather than a lowly 20 will steadily increase. And that’s only if they choose to keep it at all. The fact that they traded for a future pick means also that they still retain that pick and can use it in a trade package, which increases their flexibility moving forward.
By trading away that #20 pick, they lost NOTHING, man.
You also say: “So, the next logical move was to give (Marcus Camby) away for nothing to the Clippers.”
Again, this is simply untrue. While it’s true that Denver did give Camby away, they gained two important things by doing so. One, immediate salary relief that will save them millions in direct cost and luxury tax this season assuming they don’t build the payroll back up to its previous level. It appears that they’ll be in the range of $5 million over the luxury tax threshold, rather than $15 million had they kept Camby, meaning (since of course every dollar is doubled) they’ll save approximately $20 million.
And the second and more important gain was the $10 million trade exception they received by trading Camby to a team far enough under the salary cap to absorb his salary. This can be used next summer after Iverson’s salary comes off the books and can then be spent in full while the team simultaneously gets under the luxury tax for the first time in years. Additionally, it can be used multiple times on multiple players, and you can bet that every player signed using that exception will be a younger player who can potentially be part of Denver’s future, unlike 34-year-old Camby and his fading performance.
Calling people - or teams - “losers” when you don’t know what it is you’re really talking about is a risky proposition, since you might not end up looking like such a “winner” yourself. ;)
D
July 24th, 2008 at 7:00 am
D,
Denver needed help now. They are mainly losers because they fail to commit to defense.
As for my foolishness, Beck said “I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me?”
Sure, the postseason isn’t over and the fat lady isn’t singing, but it is my opinion that the cap is killing sports in general. Childress signs with a club in Greece and the Nuggets give away one of the league’s best centers in a lopsided trade. I just sensationalized it by saying “nothing”. And it is the direct result of paying Nene that awful contract.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:36 am
The thing is, the main point is that the Nuggets aren’t about “now” anymore. They’re about “the future”. The Camby trade was their acknowledgment of that, their admission of how badly the team failed in the playoffs, and how badly things need to change in order to give the young core (meaning Melo, JR and Nene, and NOT meaning AI and Camby) a chance to succeed by restructuring the team, a process that will take a couple seasons.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Ok, that’s a good point. Thanks denbutsu. I take it that you are regretting trading for AI in the first place?
July 24th, 2008 at 10:12 am
No, I think it was a no brainer to try that when they had the chance - it was absolutely worth a shot. I’m really disappointed at the outcome, but I don’t blame AI or Melo alone for that - the team building around them was inadequate, and George Karl should have kept Iverson at the point the entire time. I guess they’ll get one more shot at it, but this will be a transitional season for sure.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Jon,
Your analysis of the off season moves of the Warriors is just wrong and/or short-sided.
First, you say we replaced Pietrus and Buike for Maggette. Well, since you wrote this before the Warriors matched the Clippers’ offer, I’ll give you some slack.
However, coming from a fan who watched many Warrior games, Pietrus’ contribution to our success diminished greatly after our great playoff run. While at times he showed flashes of excellence, he became the source of consistent disappointment this year. Moreover, his public calls for more time or a trade only made it a sure thing he had to go. As for Buike, it would have been a sore loss had we not matched the Clips’ offer, yet had we not, I would still take Maggette over Buike and Peitrus. His ability to drive hard to the basket is something we lacked last year greatly. Not only that, his sheer amount of points he can score is something Pietrus and Buike will never do.
But the bigger point is, in Nellie ball, many different guys can cover for other guys’ positions. So it’s not as if Pietrus or Buike had their own unique tasks and duties. They were players in a greater scheme.
Next, you seem to claim (I’m not totally sure by the ambiguity of your article) that it was bad to replace Patrick O’Bryant (a high draft bust with exceptionally small averages and no role in our system) with Ronny Turiaf, an energetic, proven big man who started for much of the year on the Western conference champs.
Remind me why this is bad for our team?
We may have over paid Turiaf some, but don’t forget he is still relatively young, and we needed to bulk up. The price for his services was inevitable.
Lastly, you claim that we replaced Marcus Williams with Baron Davis. This is what I mean by being short sided.
First of all, the entire organization and fans realize we cannot simply replace Baron Davis. His individual personality and style of play were the bedrock of the team… however, what are we to do, whine about this all year?
What I’m trying to say is this: MONTA ELLIS is the replacement for Baron Davis, NOT Marcus Williams.
Williams was a highly touted point guard who was drafted by a team with one of the best point guards of all time.
He never received ample time, and is reportedly excited about joining the Warriors as the back up and revamping his career.
In backing up the new pg Monta Ellis, Williams’ excellent passing abilities should blossom much more, as he will receive more playing time than he did on the Nets.
As for Monta, he is the obvious choice to lead the team. His averages speak for themselves. He is nearly impossible to stop in transition, and the list goes on and on.
Then you end your article by stating that if Marcus Williams has a good year, we might be alright.
Again… Williams??
Believe me, the fate of this team is not in Williams’ hands. Don’t get me wrong, the back-up pg is important, however.. Monta, Jackson, Maggs, Harrington, Beans, and arguably Wright/Bellinelli (but certainly the first five I mentioned) are the primary keys to the Warriors’ success. Not Williams.
Cheers.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Sam,
Thanks for the comments. I stand corrected - the Warriors matched Azubuike. I thought that was a good move.
I was all over the map on my reply to the Warriors. My contention with trying to make up for the loss of Davis boils down to two things. Either you’re expecting big things out of Marcus Williams or you’re expecting Monta Ellis to be your point guard. Ellis is a good player, like Leandro Barbosa, but he’s primarily a scorer. Who is going to run the offense? Right now, it’s Marcus Williams or by committee (with help from Capt Jax, Bellinelli and others). Because Ellis is not a pure point. I’ll admit I don’t fully understand the scheme, but I think you’re expecting too much out of Monta Ellis this season. He’s going to be asked to do more than he should to fill the void left by Davis. At least that’s how I see it. You’re welcome to disagree.
No, Turiaf for O’Bryant was a good move. The context of that was me trying to say that all the moves can’t make up for the loss of Baron. I love Maggette, but also feel that Pietrus decline was not entirely his fault. He just got lost in the shuffle.
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