It’s the fourth of July. As the country prepares to celebrate another year of the American Dream, NBA general managers and agents are still at work on the holiday. Although the off-season is still relatively young, there have been many players changing addresses. This is obviously the norm during this time of year, but what makes this year unique is the number of buyers trying to haul in the big fish. The economic depression has forced some franchises to start shedding salaries in order to save money, while the upcoming glorious class of 2010 free agents has others gearing for free cap space to lure a star or two. These two events have impacted the quality and quantity of championship contenders for the upcoming NBA season.
Barring a blockbuster trade during the summer (Amare Stoudamire, the next expected superstar to be traded), rosters are falling into place and teams are beginning to be separated into three significant categories: contender, cap-space clearer, and rebuilder.
Contender: your team is a legitimate championship contender. You will win your division and will be in the upper-echelon of your conference. Here we have got the Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, Celtics, Magic, and Cavs.
Cap-space clearer: your team possesses expiring contracts just to clear up cap-space in the hopes to sign King James (not pointing any fingers Knicks fans). These teams have will be competitive this season as some may coast into the playoffs, but will most likely not win a title. Here we have the Knicks(obviously), Heat, Bulls, and Jazz.
Rebuilder: your team is young, developing and hoping to be competitive within a couple of years. A team may squeak into the playoffs, but has virtually no chance at winning at all. The Thunder, Kings, Bucks, Clippers, Nets, Pistons, Suns, Pacers, Warriors, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Rockets.
As you can see, majority of these teams fall into the rebuilder category. Also, you will notice that I failed to mention nine teams. These teams, most of them a piece or two away from actually becoming contenders, will take up the remaining playoff spots. There are up and coming teams, such as the Blazers, Bobcats, Hawks, and Sixers, and others expected to compete within their conferences, the Hornets, Mavericks, Raptors, and Wizards (God forbid another Gilbert Arenas injury).
It is these teams in the middle that must either open up their wallets or willing to mortgage the future to add the missing pieces to the puzzle: win now, or go home. They must match the perennial powerhouses of the NBA, who have undoubtedly bolstered their rosters: the Lakers with Artest, the Spurs with Jefferson, the Cavs with Shaq, the Magic with Carter, and the Celtics most likely with Rasheed Wallace. These transactions have made it even harder for these teams to compete with the big boys of the league. Also, with most of these middle teams without much cap space, the only possible way to add pieces would be through sign-and-trades.
On the other hand, this summer may be a perfect opportunity for teams to play it safe and set their rosters for the next three years or so. As teams gear up for next year’s free agency, it is apparent that there will be only a couple of winners and many losers. Remaining status quo until 2011 may be your team’s best bet.
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