Post by TimPig on Jun 5, 2018 20:18:54 GMT
Atlanta Hawks2002 Record: 47-35; 3rd in the Central
Key Additions: Kevin Knox
Key Losses: Josh Okogie, Ayo Dosunmu, Kobe Maggette
Analysis: JHB and the Hawks once again took advantage of the Bulls striking out in free agency, giving up some future assets in the form of picks and young players to clear up cap space. With that cap space, they signed Kevin Knox to a max deal. At 22, 6’10, and possessing small forward eligibility, Knox has the tools to become worth every penny of that contract.
Knox is a good young player, LiAngelo Ball has potential, and Deng Adel looks to be next in line for Hawks breakout wings after a nice training camp. I still wonder how the makeup of this roster, which still needs time to develop, is going to mesh with point guard Benji Hammon, who is 33 and nearing the end of his career. Additionally, it looks like one of either Knox or Adel will have to play power forward and Mitchell Robinson will have to line up at center. I think this team has a lot of good pieces, but I’m not sure how well it all fits together.
2003 Record Prediction: 51-31
Charlotte Hornets2002 Record: 19-63; 8th in the Central
Key Additions: Vince Carter, Brad Daugherty
Key Losses: Trevon Duval, Austin Wiley
Analysis: Fecta finally didn’t get totally screwed over in the lottery, and he should be glad he didn’t. He should also be glad that Vince fell to pick three. If he didn’t, it sounds like Fecta would’ve gone for Rashard Lewis, who had a pretty rough pre-preseason. Anyway, this team looks like it’s finally starting to make some moves to try and get themselves out of the Central and Eastern Conference basements.
In my mind, the Hornets have handed the point guard reins to Cecil Exum far too quickly. He was pretty average as a rookie and is getting pretty much every penny the Hornets have for upgrades put into him. We’ll see if Vince has superstar potential, as a trio of him, Brad Daugherty, and R.J. Barrett has quite a few question marks but have already been heavily invested in. Daugherty’s rebounding and free throw shooting aren’t elite and his pre-preseason was really bad. The Hornets sent Austin Wiley and Trevon Duval to their Central Division rivals in Chicago, along with a pick in 2004 that has a very good chance of ending up in the lottery.
The bottom line for this team is that no player on this roster, in my mind, is a sure thing and trading a potential lottery first could have dire consequences.
2003 Record Prediction: 27-55
Chicago Bulls 2002 Record: 31-51; 6th in the Central
Key Additions: Antawn Jamison, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Ayo Dosunmu, Austin Wiley, Josh Okogie
Key Losses: Brad Daugherty, Romeo Langford, Austin Luke, Jontay Porter
Analysis: Not many teams made more moves than the Bulls this offseason. Gone are three starters from last year’s team in Brad Daugherty, Romeo Langford, and Austin Luke, as well as super-sub Jontay Porter, who saw significant minutes at both forward positions. Daugherty is now in Charlotte and still has plenty of time to make a career for himself and make the Bulls regret their decision to trade him. Romeo Langford left Chicago for a max contract in Seattle, which might mean he’s paid enough to afford rent on a one-bedroom apartment. Luke fell apart when given any serious minutes and is now in Dallas.
The team added two lottery picks in Antawn Jamison (good pre-preseason) and Sarunas Jasikevicius (bad pre-preseason), as well as Ayo Dosunmu who is young and has the height, scoring grades, and potential to perhaps become a player. In my mind, the Hornets overpaid for the one-dimensional Daugherty, who is efficient, but likely doesn’t have the strength that’ll ever make him a dominant all-around big. Losing a lottery pick and Wiley, who is worse than Daugherty but not by much, was a high price to pay.
With Bamba, Perkins, Jamison, and Ingram all in the fold, the Bulls should have four of five positions filled for the next number of years. None are elite scorers from a volume perspective at this point in their career, but the balance across the board should serve them well enough.
2003 Record Prediction: 38-44
Cleveland Cavaliers 2002 Record: 22-60; 7th in the Central
Key Additions: Mike Bibby
Key Losses: Benji Wilson
Analysis: We need a new Cavs GM. Bibby is bad and can’t even start. Benji Wilson is good and was let go for nothing.
2003 Record Prediction: 11-71
Detroit Pistons2002 Record: 59-23; 1st in the Central
Key Additions: None
Key Losses: Chris Chiozza
Analysis: The Pistons surprised last year to win the Central and go deep in the playoffs, but they’re one team who got worse over the offseason. No significant additions and the loss of Chris Chiozza, who averaged 21/5/8 after a breakout training camp last year, should put this team in a worse position, though not that much worse as they still have Shamorie Ponds there to hold down the point.
Yommy, Jackie Moon, Luke Maye, and Ponds are a good enough group to get this team to the second round of the playoffs and possibly to the Conference Finals, and if they can add a strong power forward, they could find themselves winning the East. Maybe Mark Alarie, a forgotten man last year after a solid rookie season, is the guy to fill that void, but he’ll need some help in the lab if this team is to truly contend. The departure of Chiozza means that Ponds can’t be a super sub at both guards, which makes me think depth will become an issue.
2003 Record Prediction: 54-28
Indiana Pacers2002 Record: 50-32; 2nd in the Central
Key Additions: Michael Porter Jr., De’Anthony Melton
Key Losses: None
Analysis: Heebs once again finds himself in a sticky situation at the point. Does he keep trying to mess with Cortezzee and/or Taurasi to make one of them point guard eligible, or does he let G-League stud De’Anthony Melton run the show? I like Melton’s defense and rebounding a lot if Heebs does choose to go that route, but four turnovers per game during pre-preseason isn’t fun.
The Pacers return a good duo of bigs in Shabazz and Hall, both of whom are solid D/R guys, and don’t take much away from the guys in their backcourt. The guard situation will be figured out between some combination of Cortezzee, Taurasi, and Melton and whoever doesn’t end up starting will make a nice backup at both spots. What this team really needs is a rebound season from Keita Bates-Diop, who came out of nowhere in his sophomore season but struggled with some added responsibility last year. His pre-preseason numbers were nice and if he can maintain his 20/10 numbers and shoot over 45% from the field, this team is once again my pick to win the Central.
I tried to sign Michael Porter Jr. for more than what the Pacers got him for, and with some love I could see him being another sleeper find for Heebs, much in the same way Bates-Diop was. MPJ is eligible to play both forward positions and can stretch the floor. With some help in the lab, he could become a very good sub at small forward and power forward.
2003 Record Prediction: 56-26
Milwaukee Bucks2002 Record: 34-48; 5th in the Central
Key Additions: Paul Pierce
Key Losses: None
Analysis: The Bucks have been one of the luckier lottery teams, finishing right around the eight seed the past two seasons but winning the third overall pick both times, which were spent on Champ Godbolt and Paul Pierce. Godbolt looks nice after a promising rookie season, but Pierce’s pre-preseason leaves a lot to be desired. The volume isn’t there right now, but he’s still getting plenty from DeAndre Ayton, Tacko Fall, and Godbolt. With three starting-caliber bigs and a serious hole at point guard, I expect Trofie to be on the hunt for some help in the backcourt, which could get this team up into the four or five seed out East.
A lot of the Bucks’ future success rests on the development of Pierce, as both Ayton and Godbolt are young and should be in Milwaukee for some time. Trofie shocked some by selecting Pierce over Vince Carter, who I thought would’ve filled a bigger need. At this time, his backcourt starters appear to be...Shavon Shields? Devin Lonc? Cassius Winston? I just don’t know, but I do see Trofie making some moves this season as he’s made it clear he’s willing to deal his draft picks, which, at this point, have just enough of a chance to be lottery picks that he could get a nice return.
2003 Record Prediction: 42-40
Toronto Raptors2002 Record: 39-43; 4th in the Central
Key Additions: Cuttino Mobley, R.J. Cole
Key Losses: Sim Dump
Analysis: Breaux’s mission has become clear -- build around Miles Bridges, with Carsen Edwards and Nick Richards acting as serviceable starters. It seems just about everyone else is pretty disposable, and Breaux isn’t afraid to use his cap room on assets and then flip them (hello, Troy Brown). I see nothing wrong with this strategy as he’s a long way from contending, so banking on any of these short-term contracts coming back and being key pieces would be unwise in my opinion. He missed out on a good opportunity to get something for Sim Dump, whether that was a few bucks or a late pick.
Over the offseason, he added R.J. Cole via free agency and Cuttino Mobley through the draft. Cole’s grades and age are promising enough that he might eventually prove useful, though he’s also on a one-year contract and I could see him being trade bait at the deadline. Mobley had a nice preseason and may turn out to be the wing that accompanies Bridges long term in the way that Dick Mumma clearly is not. Mobley’s got solid strength based on his combine results, and his pre-preseason showed good efficiency and good-enough volume. Rodman unfortunately looks like a bust as he doesn’t score, rebound, or get blocks with any sort of volume.
For this team, it’s about continuing to try and add pieces one at a time to fill out the starting lineup, which still has some major holes. If they lose Bridges this offseason, they’ll be in for a world of hurt.
2003 Record Prediction: 28-54
