Post by princemaharajah on Nov 23, 2009 23:24:09 GMT -5
Boston Celtics- Moving up in the draft, the Celtics targeted point guard Kirk Hinrich out of Kansas with the fourth pick. Hinrich will most likely be the point guard of the future and should be plenty of chances to see what he can do. With the second pick the Celtics picked Matt Bonner, the 6'10 power forward out of Florida. And with their third and final pick, concluding their off-season moves, the celtics went with a backup point guard out of Boston College, Troy Bell. Celtics were quite during free agency as most they are planning to make a big splash next off-season.
Atlanta Hawks- A team that did not make any noise during the draft, the Hawks went to work in free agency. The Hawks resgined centers, Stanley Roberts and Felton Spencer. They also added a plethora of big men in Priest Lauderdale, Kresimir Loncar, and Olumide Oyedeji.
Miami Heat- Another team that was silent in the draft went to work right away at the start of free agency. Heat brought back Igor Rakocevic, Dee Brown, Igor Rakocevic, Johnny Schmaltz, and Antonio Daniels, Eduardo Najera and added William Avery.
New Jersey Nets- The New Jersey Nets finally parted ways with their point guard. Billups was moved to the Lakers in exchange for Prince and Diop and draft picks. A solid move for the Nets, they still weren't done. The Nets brought in Jason Richardson, Hu Weidong, Clifford Robinson and a first round pick for Jalen Rose for Zydrunas Ilgauskas. A good off-season without any pick selections or free agent signings.
New York Knicks- After signing James Posey to an MLE deal, the Knicks made a move to make up for the loss of Shawn Marion. In a deal that sent Posey and Bowen to the Pistons for Manu. Knicks also added Francisco Elson, Chucky Atkins and Troy Hudson to the roster.
Orlando Magic- After losing Anthony Parker in free agency, the Magic brought him back with Peter Fehse for Theo Ratliff and a draft pick. The Magic also brought in Sharone Wright for the MLE and Mikki Moore to make up for the loss of Theo Ratliff.
Philadelphia 76ers- In the middle of a GM change the 76ers off-season was rather dull in comparison to the above teams but were still able to pull off some moves. They added Zarko Cabarkapa in the draft as a second rounder. However, the most important move they made was bringing back Penny Hardaway. They also resigned Darrick Martin and Dragan Tarlac and added John Wallace.
Washington Bullets- Entering the contract year, the Bullets did not have easy choices to make. Resigning Terrell Brandon and Hu Weidong were important but they moved him in a deal with Jason Richardson where the Bullets would get Jalen Rose. Bullets also signed Shawn Respert and point guards Marco Anthony and Shammond Williams.
Charlotte Hornets- Starting in the draft the Hornets did not make a hesitation and drafting Emeka Okafor out of the University of Connecticut. Hornets were not done; with the 13th pick of the draft they selected David West. Later in the draft the Hornets selected Aleksandar Pavlovic, Carlos Delfino, Nick Collison and Jason Kapono. After the draft the Hornets were active in trade talks that would send them Tim Duncan where the Hornets ended up trading him back to Cleveland. As mentioned earlier, the Hornets signed Anthony Parker to a big deal and sent him back to the Magic for Theo Ratliff and a future first round pick. The Hornets concluded their trade talks in the off-season where they received Juan Carlos Navarro and a first in a three way deal that sent the Grizzlies Tim Duncan from Cleveland. The Hornets also resigned Christian Laettner and picked up Brevin Knight from the Sixers.
Chicago Bulls- The Bulls selected Tommy Smith toward the end of the second round and went into the off-season to sign back up small forward Billy Owens for the LLE and former Pacer great, Harold Miner. Bulls also added to their front court with the loss of Barkley to sign Eurelijus Zukauskas and Kurt Thomas.
Cleveland Cavaliers- Under the new management again, the Cavaliers were content to make the team, "their own." After numerous talks, back and forth conversations. The Cavaliers, finally parted ways with Duncan, sending him to the Grizzlies in return for their draft picks and Josh Howard. Outside the numerous tries in trying to send Duncan away, the lone off-season move was acquired Keith McLeod in the second round.
Detroit Pistons- After losing Michael Jordan to retirement, the Pistons are trying to build their way back up. Resigning Ron Artest and bringing in Manu, the Pistons quickly moved him for James Posey, Bruce Bowen, Charlie Bell and a future first. Pistons also added Rod Strickland to their roster and brought center back Todd MacCulloch.
Indiana Pacers- A team in rebuilding mode, with the 7th pick the Pacers selected Darko Milicic and added Carl English in the second round. They also brought in point guard Nick Van Exel.
Milwaukee Bucks- The finals winners, added some nice depth to their team with Luke Walton and signed Robert Horry as a backup to the LLE. Outside of that, not much else for the Bucks.
Toronto Raptors- With the 6th pick of draft the Raptors selected Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph's. An interesting selection considering they already have Steve Francis at point guard as well. Raptors also drafted Mike Sweetney in the first round and added Jarvis Hayes in the second round. Not done adding depth to the point guard slot, the Raptors signed Jason Terry, Korleone Young, Devan George, Kendrick Brown, Greg Ostertag and Antoine Walker to fill out the roster.
