Post by KingsOfKings on Mar 23, 2008 0:26:32 GMT -5
These are signings of players that I mentioned in my previous article.
Bucks - signed Mike Conley Jr. and Wayne Simien - The Bucks used their cap space with two big signings. They picked up my #1 point guard in Conley and my #5 center in Wayne Simien. The better centers appear to be going for a much higher price, and Simien is young enough that he might stick for a while. I gotta give Milwaukee an A+ offseason for using their cap space well and picking up two impact players in FA. I'm actually regretting not offering my MLE to Simien now.
Pistons - signed Allen Iverson - One could argue that this wasn't really at a position they needed, but it's simply a great singing. They picked up an elite scorer that can pass and defend at PG as well. Sure, they'll have to get creative with playing time with Pargo, Lawson, and Iverson across 3 positions, but I would take that problem any day. It's curious that the Pistons abandoned their plan of bidding on Kenny George, but this signing will work out for them.
Cavaliers - signed Acie Law IV - They got him for an excellent price, and Law should be happy to try to prove what he's capable of. His signing should give Cleveland a true SG and allow them to trade Telfair and move Gibson back to PG.
Jazz - signed Michael Redd - It's probably nitpicking a little since turning cap space into a player is basically a great way to conserve resources like picks and young talent, but it seems like Redd could've been signed for more like 16M and the Jazz could've picked up another keynote FA for about 10M. Now their cap space has dwindled t o 6.7M and they'll probably have to settle for a lesser player. The positive is that they can steal players that don't want to settle for the MLE.
Heat - signed Jermaine O'Neal - they dodged another "high asking price" bullet by getting Jermaine back in FA again. By continuing to sign one-year deals, they're avoiding the 15% raises. Great signing again to get my #1 ranked center, but they didn't really have a choice.
Celtics - signed Paul Pierce and Daequan Cook - Getting Pierce back was totally necessary for keeping this team relevant. Getting him back for such a reasonable price was just a great move. They were able to have enough cap room left over to get a next-to-impact player. I think Cook is more of a borderline starter or one of the first two off the bench, but it's still a fairly good signing.
Atlanta - signed Pau Gasol - Wow, it's good to have cap space. The Hawks didn't have to break the bank at all. Gasol/Ogilvy in the middle will be pretty formidable. Gasol's defense should provide the toughness that they were missing last year. Complaining about their signing of Downey and Duhon is kinda out of scope for this, but I think adding a dynamic SF to split time with Marvin Williams would've best helped this team. Even if it was one of my borderline starter guys like Turkoglu or Battier, they could've improved their contender status.
Wizards - signed Allan Ray - This contract is just right for a player who looks like a promising scorer, but hasn't shown much career-wise. He'll be a 3-year bargain starting at 2.5M per year, and with starter minutes, they can probably expect 15 ppg from him, so it's a great signing.
Still Available from my list
Top Centers - Kenny George, Eddy Curry
borderline - Sam Dalembert, Jamaal Magloire, Chris Wilcox, Etan Thomas, Darko Milicic
Top Power Forwards - Dirk Nowitzki, Nene Hilario, David West
borderline - Chuck Hayes, Jason Maxiell, Ryan Gomes, Antawn Jamison, Antoine Walker, Jared Jeffries
Top Small Forwards - Boris Diaw, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Jefferson
borderline - Darius Miles, Shane Battier, Lamar Odom, Hedo Turkoglu
Top Shooting Guards - Kevin Martin
borderline - Francisco Garcia, Stephen Jackson
Top Point Guards - Aaron Brooks, Earl Watson, Luke Ridnour
borderline - Leandro Barbosa
Bucks - signed Mike Conley Jr. and Wayne Simien - The Bucks used their cap space with two big signings. They picked up my #1 point guard in Conley and my #5 center in Wayne Simien. The better centers appear to be going for a much higher price, and Simien is young enough that he might stick for a while. I gotta give Milwaukee an A+ offseason for using their cap space well and picking up two impact players in FA. I'm actually regretting not offering my MLE to Simien now.
Pistons - signed Allen Iverson - One could argue that this wasn't really at a position they needed, but it's simply a great singing. They picked up an elite scorer that can pass and defend at PG as well. Sure, they'll have to get creative with playing time with Pargo, Lawson, and Iverson across 3 positions, but I would take that problem any day. It's curious that the Pistons abandoned their plan of bidding on Kenny George, but this signing will work out for them.
Cavaliers - signed Acie Law IV - They got him for an excellent price, and Law should be happy to try to prove what he's capable of. His signing should give Cleveland a true SG and allow them to trade Telfair and move Gibson back to PG.
Jazz - signed Michael Redd - It's probably nitpicking a little since turning cap space into a player is basically a great way to conserve resources like picks and young talent, but it seems like Redd could've been signed for more like 16M and the Jazz could've picked up another keynote FA for about 10M. Now their cap space has dwindled t o 6.7M and they'll probably have to settle for a lesser player. The positive is that they can steal players that don't want to settle for the MLE.
Heat - signed Jermaine O'Neal - they dodged another "high asking price" bullet by getting Jermaine back in FA again. By continuing to sign one-year deals, they're avoiding the 15% raises. Great signing again to get my #1 ranked center, but they didn't really have a choice.
Celtics - signed Paul Pierce and Daequan Cook - Getting Pierce back was totally necessary for keeping this team relevant. Getting him back for such a reasonable price was just a great move. They were able to have enough cap room left over to get a next-to-impact player. I think Cook is more of a borderline starter or one of the first two off the bench, but it's still a fairly good signing.
Atlanta - signed Pau Gasol - Wow, it's good to have cap space. The Hawks didn't have to break the bank at all. Gasol/Ogilvy in the middle will be pretty formidable. Gasol's defense should provide the toughness that they were missing last year. Complaining about their signing of Downey and Duhon is kinda out of scope for this, but I think adding a dynamic SF to split time with Marvin Williams would've best helped this team. Even if it was one of my borderline starter guys like Turkoglu or Battier, they could've improved their contender status.
Wizards - signed Allan Ray - This contract is just right for a player who looks like a promising scorer, but hasn't shown much career-wise. He'll be a 3-year bargain starting at 2.5M per year, and with starter minutes, they can probably expect 15 ppg from him, so it's a great signing.
Still Available from my list
Top Centers - Kenny George, Eddy Curry
borderline - Sam Dalembert, Jamaal Magloire, Chris Wilcox, Etan Thomas, Darko Milicic
Top Power Forwards - Dirk Nowitzki, Nene Hilario, David West
borderline - Chuck Hayes, Jason Maxiell, Ryan Gomes, Antawn Jamison, Antoine Walker, Jared Jeffries
Top Small Forwards - Boris Diaw, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Jefferson
borderline - Darius Miles, Shane Battier, Lamar Odom, Hedo Turkoglu
Top Shooting Guards - Kevin Martin
borderline - Francisco Garcia, Stephen Jackson
Top Point Guards - Aaron Brooks, Earl Watson, Luke Ridnour
borderline - Leandro Barbosa
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