Post by WigNosy on Mar 12, 2014 12:44:21 GMT -6
Call these final grades because there's really no impact free agents left out there... and because I don't want to analyze the signings of a bunch of scrubs after Day 3.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
CELTICS - FORMER GRADE: A-
No additional signings for the Celtics on Day 2; would have liked to see them bring in one more bench player to solidify their rotation. NEW GRADE: B+
HEAT - FORMER GRADE: B-
A team had plenty of guards and needed a forward brought in... Jeff Malone, nominally a SF but really a SG. That's simply not the frontcourt help they needed. NEW GRADE: C-
KNICKS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
Bagged two big-time wing shooters on the relative cheap. Like the Eddie Johnson contract for just one year at his age, and the George McCloud contract is a bit of a gamble, but if he lives up to his potential, he'll be a steal. They're capped out and while I'm a little iffy if they have enough quality at SG, they're looking strong. NEW GRADE: B+
NETS - FORMER GRADE: D
The Nets managed to snag Nate McMillian on Day 2, filling their biggest need (point guard) perfectly... but probably handed him a deal that's too long given his age. They're going to be tight up against the cap for at least the next three seasons and their flexibility is gone for that period. They're all-in with this group of players, for better or worse. NEW GRADE: C+
MAGIC - FORMER GRADE: F
The good news for the Magic is that they at avoided handing out bad deals - Grant Long on a one-year deal isn't too bad, especially considering all the cap space they had to play with. But cap space alone doesn't win you games, as the Magic are probably going to find out this season. NEW GRADE: D-
76ERS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
The Sixers re-signed Dennis Scott to the super-max which I liked - Scott is only 24 and already a star - and promptly traded him to the Warriors for Ron Harper, who is a better two-way player now but who is signed to an even bigger super-max contract and who is 29... so decline is probably a couple of years away. They could have done much worse, but I suspect that Harper contract will look pretty bad in 4 years, and I think takes a little luster off their move. Signing J.R. Reid to a one-year deal gives them a serviceable backup big on the cheap, so that's not too bad. NEW GRADE: B
WIZARDS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
Liked the Humphries and Rivers signings - gives the Wizards decent point guard play - and the Gill, Chambers, and Workman signings are fine for guys who are likely in backup roles. They didn't get any impact players, but the Wizards retained their flexibility, which means while this Free Agency didn't help them much, it didn't hurt them, either. NEW GRADE: C
CENTRAL DIVISION
BUCKS - FORMER GRADE: B
Added Scott Brooks on a minimum deal, keeping with their "we don't need to get young just yet" theme. The Brooks signing is a push - it fills a roster spot they needed filled, but doesn't really impact them significantly bad or good. NEW GRADE: B
BULLS - FORMER GRADE: D
I noted in the last installment that they had a hole in the middle, and on Day 2 they made one big signing... guard Derek Harper, which does nothing to address their big man issue. But at least he's only a one-year deal, and he is a talented player... if you can't fill holes, you can at least accumulate talent, so the Bulls do get credit for that. NEW GRADE: C-
CAVALIERS - FORMER GRADE: D
Added PF Orlando Woolridge, who isn't really going to make much of an impact on the roster behind Barkley and Wilkins... but is a decent insurance policy for this year behind 'Nique. Still, that lone signing really doesn't move the meter either way. NEW GRADE: D
HAWKS - FORMER GRADE: C-
Needed someone to replace PF Pervis Ellison and spent big money bringing in... SG Johnny Newman? Like the Bulls, I have to give points from an "accumulate talent" point of view - there's now talk around the league that the Hawks may have the best backcourt rotation - but this signing doesn't really replace Pervis. The Greg Foster signing - 4 years at the veteran minimum for a guy in his early 20's - would be a great one if Foster had more potential, but he's a backup big so it's only a good move... to have him locked in on pretty much the cheapest contract possible means the Hawks are probably set at backup C/PF for a good long while at almost no cost if they want to be. NEW GRADE: C+
PISTONS - FORMER GRADE: A-
No signings on Day 2, but had no real needs to address. Anybody they sign at this point is not going to be in the rotation anyway. NEW GRADE: A-
PACERS - FORMER GRADE: D-
Grabbing Dee Brown at a fairly reasonable contract addresses their point guard hole somewhat, but I don't know if they did enough - in a division where the Pistons, Bucks, and Raptors look strong up and down the roster, and the Hawks have enough backcourt talent to maybe make things interesting, the Pacers needed another impact player or needed to get much younger... and I don't think they did. NEW GRADE: D+
HORNETS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
Grabbing Spudd Webb and Tim Legler solidified their backcourt rotation, but I question whether either of those guys is truly a difference-maker. The thing I don't like about those deals is they ate up all of the Hornets' cap space next year - this was a team that probably needed to make a run at a superstar to change their fortunes in a hurry. Could be a long year here. NEW GRADE: D
RAPTORS - FORMER GRADE: A
No cap space, no signings, no need for any. NEW GRADE: A
MIDWORST DIVISION
MAVS - FORMER GRADE: A+
Their signings are "just guys" who will sit on the pine and make the minimum. No reason to change the grade here. NEW GRADE: A+
NUGGETS - FORMER GRADE: B-
The Nuggets needed to get a star or at least a couple of quality pieces to follow up the McKey signing on Day 1. Sam Bowie is not a star, and is only one quality piece... and they probably overpaid him this year (though they had the good sense not to give him a long deal). The Bottom Line is this team still needs a point guard and a significant talent upgrade and didn't get it. NEW GRADE: D-
ROCKETS - FORMER GRADE: B
The Rockets went on a minimum-signing binge; most of the players they signed mean nothing; however, the Chris Morris for the minimum deal is one they should be quite happy about. Still doesn't get them totally off the hook for Schrempf's large contract, but I like the way the squad shapes up. NEW GRADE: B+
GRIZZLIES - FORMER GRADE: F
Will "old backcourt" mesh with "young frontcourt?" The Grizz have to hope so. The Grizz' backcourt's defense is more legend than fact at this stage in their careers and training camp will determine if the signings blow up in their face or not. Daugherty and Gatling will have to carry this team again this year and in an improved division, I am not sure the Grizzlies didn't get worse. NEW GRADE: C-
TIMBERWOLVES - FORMER GRADE: D
I said in the first installment that their final grade "will depend on what else they spend their money on" and they spent it on nothing. Poor Webber. NEW GRADE: F
SPURS - FORMER GRADE: B-
If McHale doesn't get hammered in Training Camp, he's going to be an underrated signing, allowing Manning to stay at the SF spot. Seven-man rotation looks solid, they probably need to find one more solid backup big on Day 3 to get off the playoff bubble. NEW GRADE: B+
JAZZ - FORMER GRADE: C+
Like the Dale Ellis pickup because it provides the team with another outside threat and the one-year deal keeps them flexible. Team still needs another big man to pair with Perdue, though, and is out of cap space to pursue it with. NEW GRADE: B-
PACIFIC DIVISION
BLAZERS - FORMER GRADE: D+
No signings, but did clear the logjam at Point somewhat by moving PG Eric Murdock for the Warriors' SF Richard Dumas. Not bad there, saving some salary and getting younger. NEW GRADE: C-
KINGS - FORMER GRADE: B-
Joe Kleine isn't going to make a difference, bad or good, on a one-year deal. No need to change the grade. NEW GRADE: B-
LAKERS - FORMER GRADE: C+
Mark Eaton for the minimum is an attempt at a stopgap replacement for Benoit Benjamin, and aging, iffy one at that so minor points for the move. Thought I would see more out of the Lakers with the cap space they saved by moving Benjamin. GRADE: B-
SONICS - FORMER GRADE: C+
The Kevin Gamble grab was excellent, as they now have one offensive wing in his prime (Gamble) and one up-and-coming defensive wing (Christie) to play matchup games with. Maybe overpaid a hair for Gamble, but I think if they hadn't paid him that, someone else would have. NEW GRADE: A-
WARRIORS - FORMER GRADE: C-
As you can probably guess from my writeup on the 76ers, I think the Warriors benefitted from the Harper-for-Scott trade. That move erases the negative effects of handing out a long-term deal to Harper. The Richard Dumas for Eric Murdock deal was a nice one, too... they find a decent point guard who is still young. Bringing in Ricky Pierce means their backcourt scoring is going to be formidable. The Kemp-Scott-Murdock core looks nice long-term at 25-and-under; they could take a step back this season after overachieving last year, but if they can add one more young piece to the core, they'll be formidable for a while. NEW GRADE: A-
CLIPPERS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
Brought in a boatload of backup big men on the cheap - maybe one of them will develop, but the Clippers' roster looks a bit thin on talent at the moment. With Lohaus, Mills, Robinson, Sprewell, Scott, Hornacek, Van Exel, have the potential to play a very unorthodox "threes all day" lineup, which could get interesting. Will be curious to see if they try it. NEW GRADE: C (very hard to grade this one until I see what they do with their roster)
SUNS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete.
Brought back Skiles and Les, added PF Ken Norman. Skiles may have been a bit overpaid, as was Norman, so I can't give full marks, but the addition of Norman gives them a dimension at PF they didn't have last season, when they just made it into the playoffs. They'll try to ride Hakeem as far as they can again and hope for the best, but I see only a small step forward at best, and Training Camp has the potential to undo that. GRADE: C+
ATLANTIC DIVISION
CELTICS - FORMER GRADE: A-
No additional signings for the Celtics on Day 2; would have liked to see them bring in one more bench player to solidify their rotation. NEW GRADE: B+
HEAT - FORMER GRADE: B-
A team had plenty of guards and needed a forward brought in... Jeff Malone, nominally a SF but really a SG. That's simply not the frontcourt help they needed. NEW GRADE: C-
KNICKS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
Bagged two big-time wing shooters on the relative cheap. Like the Eddie Johnson contract for just one year at his age, and the George McCloud contract is a bit of a gamble, but if he lives up to his potential, he'll be a steal. They're capped out and while I'm a little iffy if they have enough quality at SG, they're looking strong. NEW GRADE: B+
NETS - FORMER GRADE: D
The Nets managed to snag Nate McMillian on Day 2, filling their biggest need (point guard) perfectly... but probably handed him a deal that's too long given his age. They're going to be tight up against the cap for at least the next three seasons and their flexibility is gone for that period. They're all-in with this group of players, for better or worse. NEW GRADE: C+
MAGIC - FORMER GRADE: F
The good news for the Magic is that they at avoided handing out bad deals - Grant Long on a one-year deal isn't too bad, especially considering all the cap space they had to play with. But cap space alone doesn't win you games, as the Magic are probably going to find out this season. NEW GRADE: D-
76ERS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
The Sixers re-signed Dennis Scott to the super-max which I liked - Scott is only 24 and already a star - and promptly traded him to the Warriors for Ron Harper, who is a better two-way player now but who is signed to an even bigger super-max contract and who is 29... so decline is probably a couple of years away. They could have done much worse, but I suspect that Harper contract will look pretty bad in 4 years, and I think takes a little luster off their move. Signing J.R. Reid to a one-year deal gives them a serviceable backup big on the cheap, so that's not too bad. NEW GRADE: B
WIZARDS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
Liked the Humphries and Rivers signings - gives the Wizards decent point guard play - and the Gill, Chambers, and Workman signings are fine for guys who are likely in backup roles. They didn't get any impact players, but the Wizards retained their flexibility, which means while this Free Agency didn't help them much, it didn't hurt them, either. NEW GRADE: C
CENTRAL DIVISION
BUCKS - FORMER GRADE: B
Added Scott Brooks on a minimum deal, keeping with their "we don't need to get young just yet" theme. The Brooks signing is a push - it fills a roster spot they needed filled, but doesn't really impact them significantly bad or good. NEW GRADE: B
BULLS - FORMER GRADE: D
I noted in the last installment that they had a hole in the middle, and on Day 2 they made one big signing... guard Derek Harper, which does nothing to address their big man issue. But at least he's only a one-year deal, and he is a talented player... if you can't fill holes, you can at least accumulate talent, so the Bulls do get credit for that. NEW GRADE: C-
CAVALIERS - FORMER GRADE: D
Added PF Orlando Woolridge, who isn't really going to make much of an impact on the roster behind Barkley and Wilkins... but is a decent insurance policy for this year behind 'Nique. Still, that lone signing really doesn't move the meter either way. NEW GRADE: D
HAWKS - FORMER GRADE: C-
Needed someone to replace PF Pervis Ellison and spent big money bringing in... SG Johnny Newman? Like the Bulls, I have to give points from an "accumulate talent" point of view - there's now talk around the league that the Hawks may have the best backcourt rotation - but this signing doesn't really replace Pervis. The Greg Foster signing - 4 years at the veteran minimum for a guy in his early 20's - would be a great one if Foster had more potential, but he's a backup big so it's only a good move... to have him locked in on pretty much the cheapest contract possible means the Hawks are probably set at backup C/PF for a good long while at almost no cost if they want to be. NEW GRADE: C+
PISTONS - FORMER GRADE: A-
No signings on Day 2, but had no real needs to address. Anybody they sign at this point is not going to be in the rotation anyway. NEW GRADE: A-
PACERS - FORMER GRADE: D-
Grabbing Dee Brown at a fairly reasonable contract addresses their point guard hole somewhat, but I don't know if they did enough - in a division where the Pistons, Bucks, and Raptors look strong up and down the roster, and the Hawks have enough backcourt talent to maybe make things interesting, the Pacers needed another impact player or needed to get much younger... and I don't think they did. NEW GRADE: D+
HORNETS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
Grabbing Spudd Webb and Tim Legler solidified their backcourt rotation, but I question whether either of those guys is truly a difference-maker. The thing I don't like about those deals is they ate up all of the Hornets' cap space next year - this was a team that probably needed to make a run at a superstar to change their fortunes in a hurry. Could be a long year here. NEW GRADE: D
RAPTORS - FORMER GRADE: A
No cap space, no signings, no need for any. NEW GRADE: A
MIDWORST DIVISION
MAVS - FORMER GRADE: A+
Their signings are "just guys" who will sit on the pine and make the minimum. No reason to change the grade here. NEW GRADE: A+
NUGGETS - FORMER GRADE: B-
The Nuggets needed to get a star or at least a couple of quality pieces to follow up the McKey signing on Day 1. Sam Bowie is not a star, and is only one quality piece... and they probably overpaid him this year (though they had the good sense not to give him a long deal). The Bottom Line is this team still needs a point guard and a significant talent upgrade and didn't get it. NEW GRADE: D-
ROCKETS - FORMER GRADE: B
The Rockets went on a minimum-signing binge; most of the players they signed mean nothing; however, the Chris Morris for the minimum deal is one they should be quite happy about. Still doesn't get them totally off the hook for Schrempf's large contract, but I like the way the squad shapes up. NEW GRADE: B+
GRIZZLIES - FORMER GRADE: F
Will "old backcourt" mesh with "young frontcourt?" The Grizz have to hope so. The Grizz' backcourt's defense is more legend than fact at this stage in their careers and training camp will determine if the signings blow up in their face or not. Daugherty and Gatling will have to carry this team again this year and in an improved division, I am not sure the Grizzlies didn't get worse. NEW GRADE: C-
TIMBERWOLVES - FORMER GRADE: D
I said in the first installment that their final grade "will depend on what else they spend their money on" and they spent it on nothing. Poor Webber. NEW GRADE: F
SPURS - FORMER GRADE: B-
If McHale doesn't get hammered in Training Camp, he's going to be an underrated signing, allowing Manning to stay at the SF spot. Seven-man rotation looks solid, they probably need to find one more solid backup big on Day 3 to get off the playoff bubble. NEW GRADE: B+
JAZZ - FORMER GRADE: C+
Like the Dale Ellis pickup because it provides the team with another outside threat and the one-year deal keeps them flexible. Team still needs another big man to pair with Perdue, though, and is out of cap space to pursue it with. NEW GRADE: B-
PACIFIC DIVISION
BLAZERS - FORMER GRADE: D+
No signings, but did clear the logjam at Point somewhat by moving PG Eric Murdock for the Warriors' SF Richard Dumas. Not bad there, saving some salary and getting younger. NEW GRADE: C-
KINGS - FORMER GRADE: B-
Joe Kleine isn't going to make a difference, bad or good, on a one-year deal. No need to change the grade. NEW GRADE: B-
LAKERS - FORMER GRADE: C+
Mark Eaton for the minimum is an attempt at a stopgap replacement for Benoit Benjamin, and aging, iffy one at that so minor points for the move. Thought I would see more out of the Lakers with the cap space they saved by moving Benjamin. GRADE: B-
SONICS - FORMER GRADE: C+
The Kevin Gamble grab was excellent, as they now have one offensive wing in his prime (Gamble) and one up-and-coming defensive wing (Christie) to play matchup games with. Maybe overpaid a hair for Gamble, but I think if they hadn't paid him that, someone else would have. NEW GRADE: A-
WARRIORS - FORMER GRADE: C-
As you can probably guess from my writeup on the 76ers, I think the Warriors benefitted from the Harper-for-Scott trade. That move erases the negative effects of handing out a long-term deal to Harper. The Richard Dumas for Eric Murdock deal was a nice one, too... they find a decent point guard who is still young. Bringing in Ricky Pierce means their backcourt scoring is going to be formidable. The Kemp-Scott-Murdock core looks nice long-term at 25-and-under; they could take a step back this season after overachieving last year, but if they can add one more young piece to the core, they'll be formidable for a while. NEW GRADE: A-
CLIPPERS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete
Brought in a boatload of backup big men on the cheap - maybe one of them will develop, but the Clippers' roster looks a bit thin on talent at the moment. With Lohaus, Mills, Robinson, Sprewell, Scott, Hornacek, Van Exel, have the potential to play a very unorthodox "threes all day" lineup, which could get interesting. Will be curious to see if they try it. NEW GRADE: C (very hard to grade this one until I see what they do with their roster)
SUNS - FORMER GRADE: Incomplete.
Brought back Skiles and Les, added PF Ken Norman. Skiles may have been a bit overpaid, as was Norman, so I can't give full marks, but the addition of Norman gives them a dimension at PF they didn't have last season, when they just made it into the playoffs. They'll try to ride Hakeem as far as they can again and hope for the best, but I see only a small step forward at best, and Training Camp has the potential to undo that. GRADE: C+
