Pipe Dreams and Realistic Schemes With nearly all of the bigger names in free agency already signing on the dotted line, NBA rosters are just about set as we slide into August. A few notable teams on the cusp of championship contention have made moves to try and take it to the next level, while a couple of teams mired in mediocrity have decidedly taken a couple more steps back to try and position themselves for the supposedly stacked draft class of 2014. There’s no doubt that despite losing a key Finals contributor in two of their last two championships, Miami will still enter next season as the hands down team to beat, but a couple of teams have their sights set on preventing the first three-peat in over a decade. When it became clear that Danny Ainge was decided to go on full-tilt rebuilding mode, Doc Rivers knew it was something he didn’t want to be part of. This set off a chain of events that could eventually threaten the balance of power in both conferences. For two years of Lob City, the Los Angeles Clippers finally escaped the role of NBA punch line to have their most successful two-season run in franchise history. Unfortunately, in those two seasons, when the rigors of the playoffs came along, it saw them falter against smarter defenses that had time to scout just a single opponent for an entire series. This inevitably put the onus on former head coach Vinny Del Negro and his supposed inability to design offensive sets outside of just allowing Chris Paul’s mastery to take its course. And after coaching (depending on how you look at it) the Clippers to their first Pacific division title and their best regular season ever, Del Negro was promptly fired. The Clippers now enter the season as one of the favorites to come out of the west, almost based solely on Rivers’ coaching pedigree. This might just turn out as one big false assumption as the Celtics in the past few seasons haven’t exactly been known for their offensive fluidity in spite of having one of the NBA’s best assist men in Rajon Rondo. When the package of Rivers and Garnett didn’t make it to Los Angeles, Garnett and the Celtics went for plan B and engineered a trade that officially brought and end to Boston’s Big Three era. Pierce and Garnett’s move to the borough immediately (at least on paper) turns the Nets to realistic threats to Miami’s throne. But we’ve seen this before. In fact, just last year when the Lakers attempted to form a superior starting five that was only superior until they actually had to play the games. Another thing that might make this ambitious move by Prokhorov result in a vodka bingeing spree (although that might just be the case whatever happens to this Brooklyn season) is that rookie coach Jason Kidd will be manning the bench just months removed from competing in the playoffs. Sure, Kidd has always been the coach on the floor when he played, but this is an entirely different beast he will be facing. Not only will it be his first attempt at being an NBA head coach, but expectations from Nets fans will be sky high. Add to that the question of how much both Pierce, Garnett, and maybe even Joe Johnson has left in the tank, and they might just be looking up, not just at Miami, but the Pacers, Bulls and Knicks as well. One team that will almost certainly enter the next season as a much better version of themselves will be the Indiana Pacers. They gave the Heat all they could handle in a seven-game series loss with nearly non-existent bench production. This offseason has seen them address that need, and then some. First off, Larry Bird will be back. No, he won’t be coming off the bench, but his presence and influence will definitely be felt by the whole organization. They also re-signed David West, which ensures that their two-headed frontline monster that gave Miami fits will be back for another go run. For the bench, Danny Granger, or whatever’s left of Granger will finally be back. He may not return to his all-start form, but having him come off the bench is still an improvement over whatever it was that they had a season ago. C.J. Watson should also be considered as an upgrade from D.J. Augustin as a backup point, and if Chris Copeland manages to shoot anywhere near the 42 percent he shot from three last year, the Pacers bench shooting is already miles from where they were last time around. The most recent move that might end up being the difference for the Pacers is the acquisition of Luis Scola. Scola gives the Pacers a solid option upfront should either West or Hibbert get into any kind of foul or health trouble, and consistent big man in a conference that lacks its kind. There’s high hopes for a number of teams coming into the 2013-2014 season, but none might be as realistic as the one they have over in Indiana.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 12:41:15 +0000
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