NBA Notes: Eastern Conference

By Michael Schneid

Some analysis and thoughts on what the Eastern Conference teams have done through the first week of the off-season.

76ers are the only NBA team without a coach. There was a rumor on twitter over the weekend that Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson may be the front-runner for the job.

There should be a lot of shots for OJ Mayo with the Bucks. They have a lot of front court depth, but only Ersan Ilyosava can really be relied on for points.The return of Brandon Jennings is still a big issue, if he goes elsewhere the Bucks need a PG. They could consider coach Larry Drew's former PG in Atlanta, Jeff Teague.

Bulls might have gotten the biggest steal thus far signing Mike Dunleavy to a two year, $6 million deal. Considering some of the insane money teams are throwing at players, Dunleavy is a steal at $3 million, and will play a big role off the bench with Nate Robinson and Marco Bellineli gone.

Bobcats gave Al Jefferson a 3 year, $41 million deal and is now maybe the best player in franchise history. Jefferson is a double-double machine and will provide Charlotte with some much needed points down low for the Bobcats.


Jarrett Jack is a very good signing for the Cavs. Ironically, he will make more money than both starting guards, but he can spell Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters at anytime and can help both with their development.


Celtics hiring Brad Stevens was a bold and exciting move. It shows Boston will be back in the hunt sooner than later. They intend to build around Rajon Rondo and have other pieces, such as Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, and Avery Bradley.

Hawks missed out on Dwight Howard but signed Paul Milsap at PF. They are still talking to RFA Jeff Teague and are also interested in Monta Ellis. Milsap averaged 14 ppg, 7 rpg, numbers that are likely to improve as his minutes will increase with a less crowded front court than the one he played with in Utah.

Not much the Heat can do, given their cap situation, but re-signing Chris Anderson is their main priority, and that should be resolved one way or another this week. If Anderson chooses not to re-sign, Miami will have $3 million mid-level exception to shop around to free agents.

 

The Knicks chose to keep PG Pablo Prigioni over forward Chris Copeland. Given both players status and the Knicks cap situation, they were likely only to keep one.The Knicks retained 6th man of the year, JR Smith, which came as a surprise to some people. Knicks need help down low and have been talking to Elton Brand.

The Magic have been quiet but in retrospect are the winners in the big 4-team trade last off-season. Philly, Denver, and LA won a combined 2 playoff games and all three players, Andrew Bynum (who never played), Andre Iguodala, and Dwight Howard have all moved on. The Magic meanwhile move forward with Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, and Aaron Afflalo.

Kyle Korver pased on the Nets because the Nets couldn't pay him more than $3 million a year. Brooklyn will reportedly use that money to pay 2011 second round pick Bojan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic would back up Paul Pierce and can shoot from behind the arc. Obviously, the Nets biggest move came during the draft when they acquired Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry.

 

Pacers were one game away from going to the NBA Finals, and they have improved thus far in the off-season. They upgrade their backup PG with CJ Watson replacing DJ Augustin, signed Chris Copeland, and second year forward Miles Plumlee should play a role as should first round pick Solomon Hill. Plus, Danny Granger returns as well after missing most of last season due to injury. 

Pistons signed former Haws forward Josh Smith to a 4 year, $56 million deal. Not sure where Smith fits in. Pistons need a SF with Brandon Knight/Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in backcourt and Greg Monroe/Eddie Drummond in the front court. Smith will likely supplant Drummond at PF, because he can not shoot well enough to be SF.

Raptors rebuffed Pistons inquiry about Rudy Gay, offering the expiring contracts of Charlie Villanueva and Rodney Stuckey. Toronto is in the business of "tanking" in 2013 as they pursue Canada's own Andrew Wiggins in the 2014 draft.

Wizards made a big mistake paying Martell Webster big money. Webster is a backup, after Washington drafted Otto Porter 3rd overall. They could have found a cheaper swing man option. They did make a good move signing Eric Maynor to backup John Wall.