State of the Cap: Washington Wizards
With their 2 star FAs inked to long term deals, the question now is how far the Arenas, Jamison, Butler trio can take the Wiz.
The Superstar Theory: Revisited and Supercharged, Part 1
By Robert W. McChesney NBADraft.net July 11, 2008 (Three-part series) Kevin Garnett When the dust clears on the Boston Celtics unprecedented transformation from 2007 doormat to 2008 powerhouse and NBA champion, attention will rightfully turn to Celtics executive Danny Ainge, and his magnificent work in building this team. It is ironical that Ainge was repeatedly…State of the Cap: Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs appear to have a 2 year window to build a winner as Lebron has made no secret about his desire to play in the bright lights of NYC.State of the Cap: Portland Trailblazers
No team has improved more in a three year span than the Portland Trailblazers who appear on their way to forming a multiple champion.State of the Cap: Dallas Mavericks
After the Jason Kidd trade, the Mavericks suddenly find themselves a lot older and possibly further from contending.State of the Cap: New York Knicks
By Josh Redetzke 7/6/08 2008/09 New York Knicks Payroll: $96.4 million 2008/09 Estimated Salary Cap: $58 million Roughly $38.4 million over cap The Good The wicked witch of Madison Square Garden is dead! Isiah Thomas was given the boot by new GM Donnie Walsh. As his replacement, Walsh hired Mike D’Antoni to come in…State of the Cap: Denver Nuggets
By Josh Redetzke 7/4/08 2008/09 Denver Nuggets Payroll: $76.9 million 2008/09 Estimated Salary Cap: $58 million Roughly $18.9 million over cap The Good: Last season, Marcus Camby finally stayed healthy and responded with a Defensive Player-of-the-Year award. To follow that up, Camby played even better this season, setting a career high in rebounding…Extreme Makeover: NBA Edition
Ladies and gentlemen, your opening day roster for the 2005-06 Portland Trailblazers: Steve Blake Juan Dixon Jarrett Jack Darius Miles Travis Outlaw Ruben Patterson Joel Pryzbilla Zach Randolph Theo Ratliff Charles Smith Sebastian Telfair Martell Webster Not too pretty. But then, something incredible happened: GM John Nash was fired (Note to Jim Dolan – Notice…State of the Cap: Phoenix Suns
By Josh Redetzke 7/2/08 2008/09 Phoenix Suns Payroll: $72.4 million 2008/09 Estimated NBA Salary Cap: $58 million Roughly: $14.4 million over cap The Good: After four years in Phoenix, Steve Nash still hasn’t broken down or started showing his age. He only missed one game this season and managed to keep his numbers steady, averaging…2008 NBA Draft Diary
NBADraft.net guest columnist Thomas J. Gersey gives readers an irreverent take on this year’s draft in the spirit of Bill Simmons and Free Darko. Enjoy! Good day and welcome! After two years of taking potshots at Stephen A. Smith and discussing the various fashion faux pas of 18 year old millionaires-in-waiting, the Consigliari’s uncensored and…After the Lottery: Part II
In Part I, we talked about strategies that GMs take coming into the draft when there’s no clear-cut choice at their draft position. Now, let’s take a look at how these strategies have paid off in the past, and the players that current GMs should be paying attention to outside of the lottery. Best…
2008 NBA Draft: Top 5 Lists
Athleticism: 1. Eric Gordon 2. Derrick Rose 3. Joe Alexander 4. Russell Westbrook 5. Deron Washington Speed: 1. Derrick Rose 2. Mike Taylor 3. Bo McCalebb 4. Russell Westbrook 5. Jerryd Bayless Strength: 1. Joey Dorsey 2. Richard Hendrix 3. Kevin Love 4. DeVon Hardin 5. Eric Gordon Explosiveness (Guards): 1. Derrick Rose 2.…Team Needs: Atlantic Division
New York Knicks 2007-08 record: 23-59 Head Coach: Mike D’Antoni The first in what will be many steps in correcting the Knicks course was taken by firing then GM Isiah Thomas and bringing in the highly respected Donnie Walsh. Walsh’s first move as the new head honcho was to bring in Mike D’Antoni, seemingly prying…After the Lottery: Part I
This just in: The NBA Draft is more than the first 14 picks. 46 more, to be exact. Sometimes, successful drafting outside the lottery is just as important to a team’s future as the lottery picks themselves. The lottery is the easy part; everyone knows the 18 or so players that will compete for those…Team Needs: Southwest Division
Memphis Grizzlies 2007-08 Record 22-60 Head Coach: Marc Iavaroni The lowlight of the Grizzlies past season was the unexpected swift trade of the franchise’s best player, Pau Gasol. The deal was necessary, but the haste with which the franchise decided to cut costs and deal their centerpiece, they did not allow themselves to come close…State of the Cap: Memphis Grizzlies
2008/09 Memphis Grizzlies Payroll: $44 million 2008/09 Estimated Salary Cap: $58 million Roughly $14 million under cap The Good: The Grizzlies didn’t improve their win total of 22 from last season, but let’s give them a break; they were in the toughest division in the NBA and their best player was traded for…Risk and Reward
Jon Nichols explores why teams often go with the players with the most upside