what teams do you think took a step backwards

I would say (besides, obviously the Rockets) the Pistons. They dont look like a playoff team. Maybe if they overachieve they will be a 7th or 8th seed

The pistons are a contender in the east now

My choice is New Jersey…..it will be a cold season in Jersey

Without a doubt the Hornets, Bobcats, & Heat….All these teams haven’t made any improvements this offseason. The Heat haven’t signed anybody yet. They may lose Moon. Wade needs major help. Right now they are not a playoff team. The Bobcats aren’t a playoff team either. They drafted Henderson & Brown but neither guy will be a factor this year. They let Sean May go and might not resign Felton. They haven’t added any free agents yet which is cheap & stupid. The Horntes had an OK draft. They got quality backups in Collison & Thornton. However this team needed to add another big body in the post and a better scoring SG which they havent done yet. The Hornets are still a playoff team but they will likely get beat in the 1st round. All three of these teams better wake up before all the good free agents are gone.

Yea the Heat arent doing good either.

being a Nets fan I’d have to agree we took a step backwards to go for youth… thats why we kept Lawrence Frank around for another year because we are far from a playoff contender, we want to prepare for the huge free agency season next year… although we do have a nice core of young guys but I have my doubts wither they’ll mesh or not…

we’ve been taking steps back the last few years from JKidd- thats when we offically gave up on the playoff runs… because if we didn’t he was the guy we HAD to keep but Devin Harris is a heck of a player I’m happy with the move.

and they are done with their moves this year I’m sure…

PG. Devin Harris/ Rafer Alston/ Keyon Dooling

SG. Courtney Lee/ Terrence Williams (sf?)/ Chris Douglas Roberts

SF. Yi Jian Lan- too soft for PF but an excellent shooter for his size/ Terrence Williams/ Jarvis Hayes/ Bobby Simmons

PF. Josh Boone/ Eduardo Najera-nice hustle guy/ Yi JianLan could go here because we’re weak at PF

C. Brook Lopez/ Tony Battie/ Sean Williams (pf possibility)

extras: Trenton Hassel, Maurice Ager- but we’ll probally let him go since hes a FA

but to sum up- the recent moves of getting rid of our core players Kenyon Martin, Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, Vince Carter… shows we have certainly taken a step back…

Other candiates: Utah if they lose Millsap and Boozer, NY Knicks- depending on how their offseason progresses, Chicago- the loss of Ben Gordon will hurt and they haven’t made noise lately…

Hornets looked really good but now they look really bad

I HAVE TO SAY DETROIT…DUMARS SAID TRADING BILLUPS WOULD FREE UP MONEY…THEN TO GO OUT AND SIGN BEN GORDON WHO IS JUST A SHOOTER..AND ADD CHARLIE V WHO RARELY PLAYED DEFENSE..MAKES NO SENSE TO ME..BILLUPS AND HAMILTON WAS THE BEST BACKCOURT IN THE LEAGUE..BUT I THINK AUSTIN DAYE WILL SURPRISE A FEW PEOPLE IN A YEAR OR 2…

they let the key to there winning leave to toronto. they traded a great young player in c-lee for a aging, overpaid, vc. and then they waste money on brandon bass. take the money u put at vc and resign hedo. u would have the same core to grow and compete next year. use alstons deal to get a bass-like player for less. this team will not be making the nba finals within the next 3 or 4 years whereas if they kept hedo they would have a great shot to go to the finals again.

I agree with corningkingsfan. Orlando should have kept Hedo and Lee. Hedo was arguably the most clutch player in the playoffs. In the cleveland series he made more big shots at the end of games than anyone, including Lebron. I would much rather have both lee, alston, and Hedo than Bass and Carter. Plus now they don’t have anyone who can guard Lebron. Carter isn’t big enough and Lewis isn’t fast enough. Hedo did the best job on him. Big mistake. Why would you break up an NBA Finals team? They should have waited and let their team grow. They would’ve been even better. Guess what is better than the nba finals???

great points dwat4444

do you guys realize that orlando wanted to keep hedo? they made him an offer and he refused it so they pulled the trigger on the VC deal. they would have wanted to keep hedo but it just wasnt meant to be. now the raptors will be a playoff team but thats all theyll be. as for the magic. they are going to finish 3rd in the eastern confernce

I dunno. Hedo was good in the playoffs but his reg season numbers decreased. You gotta do well in the reg season to get to the playoffs and finals.

Orlando did very well. They got Bass, Gortat, Carter and Anderson. All 4 will contribute and will keep Orlando in contention.

The issue is not to guard Lebron, It’s to guard everyone else.

Lee, Alston, & Hedo or Vince, Bass, & Ryan Anderson

I’m taking the 2nd option everytime. The Magic are better than they were last year.

Watch some games:
Carter>Hedo
Bass>Lee
Anderson>Alston

Somebody please explain to me how Orlando took a step back.? They are the best team in the East.

Some of yall have no idea what you are talking about I’m sorry but d*&n

Thank you Gator.

Carter or Hedo? That’s not even for discussion.

Did anyone see Orlando Summer League? Anderson had a couple good games.

they were already the best team in the east and proved it by going to the finals…no team, can ever make that many changes, and still be as good as they were. they took a step back for sure. a young c-lee who liked to play defense and was good at it. a very effective hedo who can create for everyone on that team. just wait til orl gets to see vcs great playmaking…..not!

hes a softy pf who likes to stretch the floor…..i think they already have one of those…..and rashard lewis is leaps and bounds better than anderson

Orlando, just went from being finals bound again to be back to those teams that make the play-offs and just lose early or mid……..they lost young talent for vince carter which is not a total upgrade over hedo…..and plus they wasted too much money on a back-up that doesn’t want to come back…..hard to believe they just came back from the finals

Lewis can play SF now….2 good shooter over 6-10?

with VC who can give you 23ppg?

Howard who adds another post move?

Nelson coming back?

Bass, Gortat and Pietrus off the bench?

looks like another big year in Orlando to me…

Yea Orlando in no way took a step back. They lost Hedo and Lee. But picking up Vince, Bass, and Anderson makes them a better team. It allows all players to play their natural positions. The only thing their missing is a good backup PG. They could still be the best in the East, but Boston is going to give them a run for their money.

now u want to start anderson??!?! hes was 3rd option at pf in NJ!!!!! now u want him to start for the defending eastern conference champs?

to play there natural positions….i think they did pretty damn well last year. with nelson coming back, who knows what this team woulda ended up like. now you change the whole gameplan. and if your team isnt playing at a semi-fast pace and drive and dish……rashard lewis isnt the greatest at creating for himself…..

Uh. You can! Over have Bass Start.

You guys are getting too hype over Hedo’s playoff success. He is not that good. We will see in Toronto as they miss the playoffs

Anderson can start. Bass can start. It doesn’t matter. You still have 2 solid backups. If I was Orlando, I would start Anderson because he and Lewis can strech the defense and pull the double-team off D-Howard…

Uh. You can! Over have Bass Start.

You guys are getting too hype over Hedo’s playoff success. He is not that good. We will see in Toronto as they miss the playoffs

Anderson can start. Bass can start. It doesn’t matter. You still have 2 solid backups. If I was Orlando, I would start Anderson because he and Lewis can strech the defense and pull the double-team off D-Howard…

we Know Orlando Is Going To Be Good…….But Good Enough to win a championship….or even make it to the finals ??

Can you please explain to me what’s so great about bass and anderson? Bass averaged 8 and 4. Anderson averages 7 and 5. Alston averaged 12 and 5. Lee averaged 8 and is going to improve cuz he was a ROOKIE. Carter’s skills are diminishing. You can argue all you want but it’s true. Hedo is at a peak in his career. From what I’ve heard Hedo didn’t want to resign only because carter was there. Don’t you think good management would realize that and not pull the trade? When your most clutch player doesn’t want to be the last option on a team shouldn’t you listen to him. By the way don’t say I haven’t watched any games. Orlando is one of my favorite teams.I watch all their games.

I Agree With Dwat……they lost more then they gained

Anderson will not start don’t get hyped up…….the guys has not yet proven to start…..don’t be suprised if pietrus comes to start and lewis continues to play his PF position

Anderson was a rookie as well, so he wont improve? Come on now. Bass will be a solid player next to Dwight. Anderson can be better next to Dwight because Ryan can shoot.

Carter still has 2 or 3 good years in him. Thats enough. Howard is improving, Nelson will improve as well.

I think Redick will get some PT as well. Pietrus will be a solid shooter and defender.

Right now, Orlando is the 2nd best team in the East

“Why let them play their natural positions.” That doesnt even make sense. If you have the pieces to let the players play their positions why not let them? There is no need for Rashard Lewis to play PF anymore when they have Anderson and spent money on Bass

Thank You Knicksboy. They will be the 2nd best team in the East. Last year they werre the first. Isn’t that stepping back?

They were never the Best team in the East. They were always 2nd. If Boston never got hit with the Injury Bug, Boston would have been in the Finals

Everyone knew Orlando had Cleveland’s number

Houston fell down the whole stairs

Who cares who starts the game for the Magic, it matters who finishes. There are plenty of below average and just ok starters in the NBA, and teams like Milwaukee and New York start almost an entire team of players like this. (No offense but its true) It matters how the pieces work together. Obviously the Rafer Alston / Jameer Nelson situation had to be resolved and the Magic were pretty convinced they wouldn’t be able to keep Hedo anyways. The only real valuable piece they lost was Lee who had a great rookie season but honestly would probably be better giving a team 20-25 minutes off the bench. Carter is an upgrade over Lee, obviously Hedo is a loss, but they brought in great depth in the frontcourt so it helps the team in the end.

Exactly sir

Well Said.

i cant say miami took a step back because 1 jermaine will be more healthy so he should play a lil better..beasley will be in his second year so of course his game will be much better as well as mario and cook(even though he wasnt a rookie)so even though they didnt get a free agent they didnt take a step back because of the young players getting better…i think orlando is better with vince..hedo did have a great playoffs and a pretty good regular season but vince brings another star and rashad can move to the sf..and you can put a average pf next to howard as long as they can shoot the midrange

it’s just not very logical to say the heat took a step back. if they lose moon, then people are right…if they can keep him…then they stayed the same..and not getting any better or worse doesn’t mean you take a step back……

Toronto thought jermaine was 100% healthy and he did as well…………injuries are suprises and come anytime

wasnt moon hurt for the second half of the season?..i wouldnt consider it a real big lost because beasley will fill moons shoes this year..i feel its logical that they will take a step foward..but we shall see

Rafer Alston is a backup PG. Courtney Lee is a backup SG. I know all about Lee, I went to WKU. I’ve seen him play in person many many times. Hedo got way overhyped because of the playoffs.

Bass is real good. I’ve seen him play in person. He brings the magic something they didn’t have last year. A tough PF.
Ryan Anderson is a deadly shooter. He wasn’t the 3rd string PF for the Nets either like somebody said…he was actually 1st on the depth chart…do your research before you start talking out of your a$$ He is also very young and will continue to get better. He was lighting up summer league.
Vince Carter is a semi-star…He is simply better than Hedo…come on guys

Orlando is clearly better than Last Year….they are the best team in the East period.

Some of yall really look stupid by saying the Magic took a step back…..wow

Really think about what yall are saying….which lineup would you rather have

PG- Nelson/Alston
SG- Lee/Pietrus
SF- Hedo
PF- Lewis
C- Howard/Gortat

PG- Nelson/Johnson
SG- Carter/Pietrus
SF- Lewis
PF- Bass/Anderson
C- Howard/Gortat

Like I said earlier: this is a fact
Carter> Hedo
Bass>Lee
Anderson>Alston

Take a look at their PER (effeciency ratings)…. that is another things that backs up what I am saying

I feel its logical the Heat take a step back because they haven’t improved while clearly other teams in the East have gotten better. Heat probably aren’t going to make the playoffs unless they make some moves in free agency.

I feel the heat improved just buy the young players getting better..sometimes teams get better just by letting players develop which i think is the case with the heat..as far as orlando yeah they did get better but losing alston will hurt if nelso gets hurt and yes lee is a back up now but in the future that can change..the players orlando got back are also back ups now ..the thing that put the magic over the top on this trade was vince carter

After an exciting 7 game series with the 2007 NBA Champions, the Chicago Bulls have lost their main offensive spark and 20 point scorer Ben Gordon who they apparently didn’t even make an offer to. They replaced him with FA shooting guard Janerrio Pargo who will give you 6ppg, and drafted a small forward and a poor man’s Tyrus Thomas in Taj Gibson, when Chase Budinger, Tony Douglass, and Sam Young were still on the board. They have a really good young nucleus with Rose, Noah, Salmons, Thomas, with veterans Hinrich and Miller off the bench, but they went from a potential 3-5 seed with Gordon next year to a 7-8 seed by merely failing to address their needs at shooting guard, far from a good offseason

DWade knows that team is in trouble. Yeah Beasley & Chalmers may be a little better but you cant count on them being able to really help Wade. Also Haslem & Oneal got older. You have to account for them getting worse as well. Overall the Heat are probably the 10th best team in the East right now. Considering they were the 5th seed in the East last year I think they definitely took a step back.

i dont think they drop because of lou deng comming back and the fact john slmons is a very good player…they will miss those threes that ben provided though

James Johnson was a really good pick. Taj Gibson was a really bad pick. No way would I have paid Gordon $10 million…the Bulls were smart to let him go. They weren’t going to win a title with him starting at SG I promise you. Combo guards really aren’t that valuable. Pargo is descent but you are right he isn’t as good as Gordon. The thing you have to take into account though is that Deng is back & Salmons can now play SG. I think the Bulls are better now than they were last year.
PG- Rose/Hinrich
SG- Salmons/Pargo
SF- Deng/Johnson
PF- Thomas/Gibson
C- Noah/Miller

I thought I would weigh in on the whole Orlando thing since it is such a hot topic. I really think Orlando took a step sideways and maybe a slight step back. I think the one thing in their favor was having Lewis play pf. He is more of a matchup problem at pf than he is at small forward. It’s a lot different when you have guys who aren’t used to playing on the perimeter go out there, which is one thing I really like about Ron Artest defensively. Plus Lewis still has some athleticism that he can use to his advantage that other guys that guard him may not have.

One could say that Anderson is going to give you that same matchup problem. I think he’s a nice young piece, but he’s more of just a spot up guy. It’s going to be hard for a lot of guys to go out to guard him, but they will still have a better job of containing him on the perimeter once they are out there.

Hedo didn’t have a great season, but he stepped up at a lot of crucial moments in the playoffs and did well to keep everyone involved. Not this past season, but the one before, I would actually say that Hedo was easily the best player on Orlando’s team and I would probably say the same for the playoffs in total this past year. With that being said, he was overpaid, but again, in the NBA it seems like most guys are either over or underpaid.

As for Vince, I’ve always loved to watch him play, but I’m not a big fan. I don’t think he has the mentality to be a true star. He is in decline, but the one thing he will always possess is the ability to shoot. That is where his value should really stand out. He is also an underrated passer, though not as good at it as Hedo. Hedo also plays better D.

Lee was a big loss. In two years, I think you’ll see a very nice player emerge in New Jersey. Overall I think Orlando lost some of what they had that made them special, but having a healthy Nelson and hopefully improved Howard should be a big boost to them. I guess we’ll have to let the season play out. Boston should be better than Orlando again this year, especially once they finish with their signings. Keep in mind that they probably have the 3 best defenders to guard Howard. KG will torch their 4s and Peirce, Allen and Rondo should destroy their guards.

The only Heat player that will give them any chance of getting to the playoffs (besides Wade) is Beasley That could be a stretch too if he doesnt try harder on D. I dont think Chalmers is going to get alot better, and Daequan Cook is like a scorer off the bench, and they tend to not have that big an effect on teams reaching getting over the hump.They could be the worst team in the Southern division (them or the Bobcats). Also Taj Gibson is a power forward, and he wont play alot in Chicago because he is too limited offensively.

Yeah, I guess Salmons probably would make a better two guard than a 3 with Deng playing there, I just really didn’t like that Gibson pick, I really thought Tony Douglas would have been a good pick there or even Nick Calathes or Budinger,

JoeWolf1- I agree with you about Gibson definitely. It was stupid to pick him when they already had Thomas. A guy like Blair would’ve made more sense. Calathes would’ve been a great pick.

you made a good point that i never really though about double…even though i dont think hedo is as good as carter he did cause orlando to have match up problems for other teams and those same match up problems wont exist now that hedo is gone..and gator im half wit you half not wit you..im willing to bet cmario will get alot better because history tells us that rookies tend to play alot better in there second year then in there first when they are getting the playing time…another thing thats been overhyped is beasley and playing no defense..yes he isnt the best defender but i watched alot of games(although late since i cant watch most live when im not in the country) and alot of rookies played bad defense but wasnt talked about much because of how people said from the get go that beasley needs to mature which ment he was w3atched alot closer…its gonna be the same case with jennings..youll hear just about every lil thing wrong that he does more then you would hear about another rookie…a couple of rookies whos defense was suspect was rose,randolph,speights,darnell aruther. i think his defense will get better since he does have the tools just like most rookies though it may take some time the same way melo and lebron needed time to step up there defensive game. rondo is another player whos game took a step foward from year one to year 2. to be honest mario had a very good first year and definatly didnt hurt the heat

Courtney Lee 6’5″ SG 8pts 2reb 1ast 1stl 45%FG 40%3pt 83%FT PER 10.8 25minutes
Hedo 6’10” SF 17pts 5reb 5ast 41%FG 36%3pts 81%FT PER 14.8 37minutes
Alston 6’2″ PG 12pts 3reb 5ast 1stl 39%FG 34%3pt 75%FT PER 13.8 32minutes

Bass 6’8″ PF 9pts 5reb 1ast 1blk 50%FG 87%FT PER 16.5 19minutes
Anderson 6’10” PF 7pts 5reb 1ast 1stl 39%FG 37%3pt 85%FT PER 13.6 20minutes
Carter 6’6″ SG 21pts 5reb 5ast 1stl 44%FG 39%3pt 82%FT PER 19.4 37minutes

Look at what Carter compared to what Hedo did playing the same amount of minutes. Carter is clearly better. Also Hedo had way more help around him.

It is clear people are really sleeping on Bass. Considering what he did in Dallas playing only 19 minutes was impressive. He is clearly WAY MORE productive than Alston or Lee.

Lets just add up the combined stats also. Together Lee, Hedo, & Alston in a total of 94 minutes produce 37pts 10reb 11ast 2stl
Meanwhile Bass, Anderson, & Carter put up these stats in 76 minutes 37pts 15reb 7ast 3stl 1blk

Clearly the Magic are a better team now. They are more productive & have better size.

im not uderstanding how bass is CLEARLY wayyy for productive then lee..you are taking into account that lee put up those numbers while playing with 4 all stars on his team right while bass did his numbers with one all star on his team? and you arent taking account that match ups is a VERY VERY improtant thing come playoff time..it will hurt not to have the same match up advantage that they had last year..you of all people should no that its not just stats that tells you if a team is better..though i think the magic are better as a regular season team i do know for a fact that they lose the advantage of creating the same bad match ups for other teams…and im not sure peopel are sleeping on bass..yes he will be a pretty good player but hes no allstar now or future nor a star

Anderson is better than people think. Also it is still to early to say who has improved when you still have a lot of big name free agents out there. Teams that do not have money are playing the wait and see. I could see a post of who has helped themselves out the most.

They can still cause matchup problems easy. You don’t think Carter playing minutes at SF & Pietrus at SG & Lewis at PF doesn’t cause matchup problems? The Magic have the depth and a variety of different skill players that they can change up lineups depending on the team they are facing. The Magic didn’t have a powerful PF last year…Now that have Bass….now other teams can’t cause Orlando matchup problems

yea but not as big of a match up then a 6’10 sf who can shoot and post up …in this situation yeah they gained but they also lost they didnt just gain carter while keeping there match up problems..and when you move carter to the three the toher teams there can post up and score easier on the block then if they had a 6’10 guy there ..you see what im saying..and what alot of peopel dont know is all that post banging takes awhole lot out of youre legs when that 4th quarter rolls around which affects youre shot. like i said i think they will be a better team but cant cause the match up problems that they could before

I agree somewhat… If a shooter loses his legs things go downhill quick. Also yeah banging in the post against bigger players will wear you down.

They don’t have to have Vince guard SFs though. Pietrus can guard them.

Also the only team last year that they really caused matchup problems for was Cleveland. They will still beat the Cavs.

PG- Nelson vs. Mo
SG- Carter vs. Parker
SF- Lewis vs. LeBron
PF- Bass vs. Varejao
C- Howard vs. Shaq

Orlando doesn’t have to worry about the matchups. They have a slight edge at every position except SF IMO. Also Orlando has the better bench now.

stop talking about signing ben gordon and Charlie V bad should of waited for 2010, FA’s next year the big one are kmostly going to stay with there team because bird years they can pay them more so getting gordon and charlie V was good becuase teams like the knicks are not going to get anybodt if there lucky get one person by way over paying them like 22mil