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A cruel, cruel summer? Not for every team

Sporting News, The, Oct 7, 2005 by Sean Deveney

If you live in San Antonio, just turn the page. Go on. Skip this; it doesn't apply to you. The Spurs are the defending NBA champs, and their biggest loss this offseason was local hero Devin Brown. They replaced him by signing--ahem--Michael Finley, a two-time All-Star. Kind of takes the sting out of losing Brown, don't you think?

No other team had the summer the Spurs did, though. While they were dancing through the tulips with new signees Finley, Nick Van Exel and Fabricio Oberto, 29 other teams were high-stepping through a minefield. Every positive came with a negative. The Bucks signed Michael Redd and Bobby Simmons, but it cost them $138 million (to put that in perspective, that's 138 million hot dogs on $1 hot dog night). The Cavaliers got to keep Zydrunas Ilgauskas' offense, but they had to keep his defense, too. In Los Angeles, they're saying, "Welcome back, Phil. Good luck with Kwame."

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Even in Miami, which added bright-light names Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey, the over/under on when one Heat player attempts to remove the head from the shoulders of a teammate has settled around mid-January.

Nearly every transaction this summer came with an asterisk. The negatives abound. But let's not allow the glass-half-empty folks to ruin things, shall we? Surely, some teams came out of the offseason looking better.

Cavaliers. They didn't get Larry Brown, which was the first thing that went right for Cleveland. Let's be honest: New general manager Danny Ferry came into an idiot-proof situation--$28 million in cap space and LeBron James on the roster. Ferry immediately addressed the team's needs--playmaking, ballhandling and perimeter defense (Larry Hughes) and perimeter shooting (Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones). New coach Mike Brown is walking into a job where 45 to 50 wins seem guaranteed.

Rockets. Houston took pressure off Tracy McGrady by signing Derek Anderson, who can provide offensive support and is tall enough (6-5) to avoid being a defensive liability. Anderson, though, usually is hurt on days that end in "Y." Putting him on the same team as Juwan Howard--who separated Anderson's shoulder on a hard foul during the 2001 playoffs--could give Anderson night terrors. Still, the Rockets' biggest need was a quality backup forward, and they got one of the best by signing Stromile Swift.

Trail Blazers. It has been a while since there was something positive to say about Portland, but the franchise finally seems to have direction. Consider this a parole for the Jail Blazers. Sebastian Telfair, Travis Outlaw and Viktor Khryapa had good summers and will be expected to show significant improvement. Portland picked up Wizards reserve guard Juan Dixon and has signed Steve Blake to an offer sheet. Rookie guards Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack are on board. And though the Blazers gave up Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Damon Stoudamire for nothing in return, they got coach Nate McMillan free of charge (other than that $6 million annual salary, of course).

speed read

The Hornets will be based in Oklahoma City this season, but the league is doing the right thing by nudging the team into playing five to 10 home games in Baton Rouge. LSU's Maravich Center is not exactly NBA-ready--it lacks the luxury suites and capacity the NBA prefers in its arenas--but the league wants the Hornets to play in Louisiana to show support for hurricane victims.

INSIDE DISH

PG Gary Payton was close to signing with the Suns, but Payton's conversations with C Shaquille O'Neal convinced him that his best chance at a title is in Miami. Payton will be on a short contract--one year, $1.1 million--and his signing will not affect the Heat's plans to start PG Jason Williams. Payton even could play shooting guard if coach Start Van Gundy wants to give Dwyane Wade some time at the point. * Even when Serbia and Montenegro won the 2002 World Championship, the team was fractured--there was a fight on the team bus, and SF Vladimir Radmanovic was thrown off the club during the tournament. Little surprise, then, that more fisticuffs broke out at this year's Euroleague championships. After the team was bounced from the tournament by France, coach Zeljko Obradovic told reporters there had been a fight between Gs Marko Jaric (now with the Timberwolves) and Igor Rakocevic (formerly of the Timberwolves). Obradovic also said Radmanovic was in a fight with F Dejan Tomasevic. * Better news from the Euroleague tourney for the Blazers: F Viktor Khryapa was inconsistent with his outside shot and made too many turnovers, but he played well in the paint and averaged 9.5 rebounds. Entering the season, the Blazers probably will use Khryapa as the backup for PF Zach Randolph. * Radmanovic, a restricted free agent, agreed to a contract with the Sonics last week, but he chose a one-year qualifying offer rather than the three-year contract in the realm of $20 million (plus incentives) the Sonics were offering. Radmanovic will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and he's hoping for a bigger payday then.

A cruel, cruel summer? Not for every team

Sporting News, The, Oct 7, 2005 by Sean Deveney

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