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The grades below take into account how each team in the league has performed so far in remaking its squad, considering both the opportunities it had and the moves it made. The grades are not a ranking of which are the best teams in the league; just a device to track which teams have improved and which teams haven't.
On to the scores ...
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Key additions: Kevin Durant (extended contract), Daequan Cook (trade), Cole Aldrich (draft), Morris Peterson (trade)
Key subtractions: Rich Cho
The Thunder are the darlings of NBA analysts this summer. Virtually all of us have them ranked as the second-best team in the West and John Hollinger and I ranked them No. 1 in our latest edition of the Future Power Rankings. With the way Kevin Durant lit up the competition in the FIBA World Championship, you can make a strong argument that he, not LeBron or Kobe, is the best player in the NBA. The multiyear extension Durant quietly agreed to this summer earns the Thunder an A all by itself.
The Thunder have been patient every summer and this one was no different. The team waited for opportunities, used its cap space to take on other teams' trash and collect assets, and refused to deviate from the course. Its only significant player addition, Aldrich, was a solid choice, but he is unlikely to have a big impact in his first season.
If there was a downside to the Thunder's summer, it was the hit their front office took when Cho left OKC to take over as the GM of the Blazers. Few fans knew who Cho was, but he was a behind-the-scenes workhorse in Oklahoma City and one of the best minds in the NBA. I'm sure Sam Presti can manage without him, but losing him will sting a bit.
Grade: A
2. Sacramento Kings
Key additions: DeMarcus Cousins (draft), Samuel Dalembert (trade), Hassan Whiteside (draft), Antoine Wright (FA)
Key subtractions: Andres Nocioni, Spencer Hawes
The Kings hit a home run in last year's draft when they selected eventual NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans. They may have repeated that feat again this year by landing Kentucky big man DeMarcus Cousins with the fifth pick in the draft.
Cousins is an elite talent who can score both inside and outside and is a beast on the boards. He has an NBA body and a toughness that should allow him to contribute right away. There are plenty of legitimate questions about Cousins. He's struggled to stay in shape in the past and his attitude on the court means he might be the heir apparent to Rasheed Wallace. Pair him with Evans and the Kings appear to be on to something.
The team also made a clever deal before the draft, swapping Nocioni and Hawes for Dalembert. Dalembert not only gives the Kings a legitimate shot-blocker in the middle, but he also comes off the books at the end of the season, saving significant money for the Kings next season when they could have as much as $30 million in cap room. The team won't win much this season, but the future looks bright in Sacramento.
Grade: A-
3. Utah Jazz
Key additions: Al Jefferson (trade), Raja Bell (FA), Gordon Hayward (draft)
Key subtractions: Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews
Perhaps the best way to sum up the Jazz's summer is to say they swapped Boozer for Jefferson. As my colleague John Hollinger pointed out this summer, the Jazz probably came out ahead on that deal. Not only is Jefferson younger than Boozer, he also can play center and makes less money.
The team also lost sharpshooters Korver and Matthews, critical swingmen for them. Bell will help, but the long-term hope is that Hayward becomes a star.
The selection of Hayward wasn't popular in Utah, but he's got enormous potential. He's a better athlete and shooter than fans give him credit for and he's wiry tough. He may not play a lot this season, but in the long term he should be a critical part of the Jazz's future.
Grade: B+
4. Dallas Mavericks
Key additions: Dirk Nowitzki (re-signed), Tyson Chandler (trade), Brendan Haywood (re-signed), Dominique Jones (draft)
Key subtractions: Erick Dampier, Eduardo Najera
Mark Cuban had grand designs on luring LeBron James to Dallas, but they were never really more than a pipe dream. Instead, he took care of business, re-upping Nowitzki and Haywood (whose five-year, $41 million deal seems like a bit of a reach) and landing another big man in Chandler. The Chandler deal was a steal for the Mavs -- if healthy, he could be part of the best big man combo the Mavs have had in a long time.
The Mavs also head into the season loaded with more expiring contracts (Butler and Chandler are both in the last year of their deals) to make February trade deadline deals if the team feels the itch, as it did last season in the Caron Butler trade. At some point, Cuban's strategy of trading the future for immediate needs will come back to haunt him, but for the next few years, it's a practice that allows the Mavs to perpetually stay competitive.
The Mavs' summer may not have wowed us, but it wasn't a disappointment either. If this veteran team can stay healthy and if second-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois continues to show promise, the Mavs should be among the top two or three teams in the West this season.
Grade: B
5. Golden State Warriors
Key additions: David Lee (trade), Ekpe Udoh (draft), Charlie Bell (trade), Joseph Lacob (owner)
Key subtractions: Anthony Randolph, Corey Maggette, Ronny Turiaf, Chris Cohan
You can argue whether the Warriors overpaid for Lee or whether they blew it by trading Randolph. You can debate the merits of drafting a 23-year-old Udoh with the sixth pick in the draft.
But it's hard to find anyone ... and I mean anyone ... who doesn't think the Warriors hit a home run when Chris Cohan sold the team. We don't know much about Joseph Lacob as an owner. But he isn't Cohan and it seems virtually inconceivable that he'll keep Don Nelson and Larry Riley on to run the team.
Given the core base of talent in Golden State -- Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Lee, Brandan Wright -- the Warriors' future suddenly looks much, much brighter.
Grade: B
6. Los Angeles Lakers
Key additions: Steve Blake (FA), Derek Fisher (re-signed), Shannon Brown (re-signed), Matt Barnes (FA), Devin Ebanks (draft), Derrick Caracter (draft)
Key subtractions: Jordan Farmar
The Lakers, fresh off their second consecutive NBA title, weren't going to reinvent the wheel this summer. The team had most of its key players in place once Phil Jackson decided to return and really needed to address one big issue -- point guard.
The Lakers took care of business by bringing in free-agent guard Blake and then re-signing Fisher. Fisher is getting old and Blake won't light up the world, but together they're strong enough to lead the Lakers to a third straight title.
The Lakers' front office also did a solid job in the draft. With two second-round picks it landed Ebanks, a Trevor Ariza-like long, athletic wing, and Caracter, a low-post bruiser who can really score in the paint. Both players would've been potential lottery picks had their bad reputations not scared teams away. If Jackson, Kobe & Co. can keep them in line, the Lakers may have scored big in the second round.
Grade: B-
7. Memphis Grizzlies
Key additions: Rudy Gay (re-signed), Tony Allen (FA), Xavier Henry (draft), Greivis Vasquez (draft)
Key subtractions: Ronnie Brewer
The Grizzlies shocked just about everyone by offering Gay a max-type deal this summer. Given owner Michael Heisley's penny-pinching ways of late, a number of teams had targeted Gay as one of the restricted free agents you could pry away this summer. Re-signing Gay goes a long way toward reassuring fans that the Grizzlies are committed to building something in Memphis.
Of course, it's the Grizzlies we're talking about, so they must have screwed up something this summer. The team took the unprecedented step of not offering lottery pick Henry the customary 120 percent rookie scale contract. Instead the Grizzlies offered 80 percent of his contract (which, in fairness, they are allowed to do under CBA rules) and tied the other 40 percent to performance bonuses.
Heisley's defense is simple: He's allowed to do business this way. The problem is that Henry and his agent are outraged that Henry was the player singled out (the Grizzlies offered the full 120 percent to Hasheem Thabeet last year). Henry and Memphis' other first-round pick, Vasquez, are refusing to sign with the team. I don't know who blinks first, but you can guarantee that even more agents will refuse to let their players work out for the Grizzlies next spring. Very few players want to play for the Grizzlies as it is; this isn't helping things.
Grade: B-
8. Los Angeles Clippers
Key additions: Al-Farouq Aminu (draft), Eric Bledsoe (draft), Randy Foye (FA), Ryan Gomes (FA), Rasual Butler (re-signed), Craig Smith (re-signed), Vinnie Del Negro (coach)
Key subtractions: Travis Outlaw, Drew Gooden, Steve Blake, Mike Dunleavy
The Clippers had enough money this summer to make a big splash in the free-agent market, but after getting spurned by LeBron, they went completely in the opposite direction in landing the likes of Foye and Gomes to provide some support off the bench.
While their free-agent load wasn't much to speak of, they had a very solid draft, landing Aminu and Bledsoe, two super-athletic players who, with a little time, could ultimately fill the Clippers' two long-term needs at the point guard and small forward positions.
The Clippers also finally closed the door on the Mike Dunleavy era. Neil Olshey is now running the basketball operations full-time and Vinny Del Negro is the coach. Both moves were typical Donald Sterling low-budget operations, but Olshey does have an eye for talent and Del Negro was better in Chicago than people give him credit for.
Grade: B-
9. New Orleans Hornets
Key additions: Trevor Ariza (trade), Marco Belinelli (trade), Craig Brackins (draft), Quincy Pondexter (draft), Monty Williams (coach), Dell Demps (GM)
Key subtractions: Darren Collison, James Posey, Julian Wright, Morris Peterson, Jeff Bower
It was a pretty tumultuous summer for Hornets fans. Chris Paul demanded a trade, GM Jeff Bower was ousted and the team ended up making a major trade in August that gave away more talent than it received.
As of September, things are a bit more stable. Demps is the new GM, Williams has taken over as the new head coach, and together they seem to have pacified Paul in the short term.
The team did that by trading backup point guard Collison for an athletic wing who could run the floor with Paul -- Ariza. Ariza should be on the receiving end of a lot of alley-oops during the season -- but can his addition, along with a healthy Paul, put the Hornets back in the playoff hunt?
The additions of Pondexter and Brackins should help with the long-term picture and Williams has a good reputation as a coach. But unless the Hornets start winning big, they may be stuck in the same situation next summer -- this time without a great backup like Collison. You can't fault the team for holding on to Paul this summer, but it's hard to imagine this working out well in the long term.
Grade: C+
10. San Antonio Spurs
Key additions: Tiago Splitter (draft), Richard Jefferson (re-signed), James Anderson (draft), Danny Ferry (assistant GM)
Key subtractions: None
The Spurs continue to find ways to stay relevant even as their core continues to age. Tim Duncan is 34. Manu Ginobili is 33. Antonio McDyess is 36. Jefferson, who signed an excessive four-year, $39 million deal this summer, is 30.
Fortunately the Spurs continue to add to their young core. George Hill and DeJuan Blair had solid seasons and the Spurs expect big things out of Splitter, who has turned into a very good basketball player in Spain. The three-year, $11 million deal for Splitter was one of the best bargains of the summer, and the hope is that he'll be able to help the Spurs manage Duncan's minutes better. The team is also hoping Anderson, who was one of the best scorers in college basketball, will contribute right away.
With Tony Parker heading into free agency in the summer of 2011, the Spurs may be more proactive at the trade deadline this season. They are still not in the same league as the Lakers, Thunder, Blazers, Mavs and Jazz right now, so they will need another big move or a big season from Splitter to get back in that elite company.
Grade: C+
11. Houston Rockets
Key additions: Luis Scola (re-signed), Kyle Lowry (re-signed), Brad Miller (FA), Courtney Lee (trade), Patrick Patterson (draft)
Key subtractions: Trevor Ariza
Daryl Morey made a strong pitch at Chris Bosh this summer -- but his creative approach, iPad included, didn't seal the deal. After trying several other alternative deals, he took a simpler approach to this summer -- wait and see.
Yao Ming is expected to be back and healthy after missing all of last season. Morey made major changes in February as well that have yet to totally mesh. So he was content to do some housecleaning. He re-upped Scola and Lowry and then removed a logjam at the 3 by trading away Ariza (whom he signed to a big deal last summer) for cap relief and Courtney Lee.
So it was a quiet summer in Houston. But if Yao's healthy and Kevin Martin meshes with this team, the Rockets could be the West's sleeper this season.
Grade: C
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
Key additions: Wesley Johnson (draft), Michael Beasley (trade), Martell Webster (trade), Luke Ridnour (FA), Darko Milicic (re-signed), Nikola Pekovic (draft), Kosta Koufos (trade)
Key subtractions: Al Jefferson, Ramon Sessions, Oleksiy Pecherov, Ryan Hollins
The Wolves started off the summer with the selection of Wesley Johnson with the No. 4 pick in the draft. There were better players -- see DeMarcus Cousins -- on the board, but Johnson filled a need and was a better fit, personalitywise, with the culture the team is trying to build. The Wolves also got a bit of a steal in early July when the team landed Beasley for essentially nothing. Beasley may not fit the culture, but he was the No. 2 pick in the draft two years ago and is a big-time talent. The move cost the Wolves little; there was only upside there.
On the downside, GM David Kahn threw money at questionable targets all summer. He spent a combined $46 million for Milicic, Ridnour and Pekovic. He also traded away the draft rights to Luke Babbitt for the right to pay Webster $10 million over the next two years.
But the biggest move of the summer came when he gave away Jefferson to the Jazz. Two years ago, Jefferson was the cornerstone of the team. An ACL injury hurt his value and his performance, but he still led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks last season. Yes, it was hard to see how he could continue to coexist with Kevin Love on the floor, but you wonder if Kahn played his hand well here. He got Kosta Koufos and two mediocre first-round picks in return. The Jazz's pick will likely be in the late first round. The pick the Wolves received from Memphis is heavily protected. The protections are top 14 in 2011, top 12 in 2012, top 10 in 2013 and top nine in 2014 and 2015. If the pick is unused by 2015, it turns to cash.
Where does all of that land the Timberwolves? In the same place they were last season -- as the worst team in the West and potentially, thanks to some improvements by the Nets, the worst team in the NBA.
The 2011-12 season could be a different story. The Wolves will have more cap room and they're crossing their fingers that Ricky Rubio comes to Minnesota. If Rubio joins the squad next season (a big if) he could really turns things around. But for now, the Wolves are stuck in the cellar despite Kahn's complete overhaul of the roster.
Grade: C
13. Portland Trail Blazers
Key additions: Wesley Matthews (FA), Luke Babbitt (draft), Elliot Williams (draft), Rich Cho (GM)
Key subtractions: Martell Webster, Juwan Howard, Kevin Pritchard
After three years of prosperity and calm, the Blazers reverted back to their dysfunctional ways -- firing successful GM Kevin Pritchard just an hour before the NBA draft. Pritchard stayed on to conduct the draft, but the damage was done.
Pritchard has a great eye for talent and was popular with the media, and owner Paul Allen came out of the situation looking out of touch and ready to destroy all the ground the Blazers have made up over the past several years.
The Blazers made their only significant move of the summer without a GM. They signed Matthews, an undrafted rookie last year, to a whopping five-year, $32 million deal. He was a great steal on a minimum contract, but the cost here was well above market value.
Thankfully, for Blazers fans, the team finally hired a GM and largely made up for its mistake with Pritchard in getting Rich Cho. Cho and Pritchard couldn't be more different. Pritchard is a scout at heart with a charismatic personality. Cho is a system guy who likes to keep a low profile.
Cho will likely inject some discipline into the system and won't make any moves for the sake of ego. Most likely the Blazers will stay the course that Pritchard charted off the court. If Greg Oden can finally get and stay healthy, they'll continue to challenge the Thunder as the best young team in the league.
Grade: C-
14. Phoenix Suns
Key additions: Hedo Turkoglu (trade), Josh Childress (trade), Channing Frye (re-signed), Hakim Warrick (trade), Lon Babby (president), Lance Blanks (GM)
Key subtractions: Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa, Steve Kerr
After one last run in the playoffs for the always fun Suns, the sun began to set on Phoenix this summer. Steve Nash, the heart and soul of the Suns, is still plugging away at age 36. But the rest of his teammates have, one by one, left the team. Of the original run-and-gun Suns, he's the only remaining member.
The biggest defection of the summer came when Stoudemire bolted the team for the Knicks. If you've followed the Suns at all the past couple of years, you saw this coming, but when it finally went down, it still stung a little.
GM Steve Kerr also left the team, leading to an awkward situation where owner Robert Sarver used an NBA agent, Lon Babby, to help him navigate the summer free-agent waters without a GM. In the process, one of Babby's clients, Turkoglu, and one of his former clients, JChildress, landed in Phoenix and Barbosa was shipped off to Toronto. When the summer was over, Sarver hired Babby as the team's new president.
Babby is a respected agent and has been a voice of reason over the years, but his first moves this summer didn't wow anyone. Turkoglu is a good fit in the Suns' system but he's grossly overpaid with four years, $40 million left on his contract. Childress is super versatile, but was he worth a six-year, $33.5 million contract? And did I mention that he and Turkoglu both play the same position as another Babby client -- Grant Hill?
Meanwhile the Suns are very thin up front. Frye turned one good season shooting the ball off the bench into a starting gig and $30 million. The team also paid Hakim Warrick $12.75 million over three years to help back him up. Third-year big man Robin Lopez is the team's only true physical presence in the middle.
Gentry and Nash will still figure out how to get the most out of this squad and maybe even sneak the team into the playoffs -- but the direction the Suns are heading is clear and it won't be long until darkness covers the land of the sun.
Grade: D+
15. Denver Nuggets
Key additions: Al Harrington (FA), Masai Ujiri (GM)
Key subtractions: Linas Kleiza, Johan Petro, Mark Warkentien, Rex Chapman
However you want to categorize what's going on in Denver right now, it doesn't look as though it's going to end well. Carmelo Anthony wants out. The entire infighting front office has been replaced and the team's only key pickup this summer was Al Harrington.
The Nuggets have had a good run the past few years, but it doesn't look sustainable. Chauncey Billups' best years are behind him, ditto for Kenyon Martin. And J.R. Smith doesn't seem to be able to mature.
The only three future bright spots for the Nuggets are Melo, a renewed Nene and up-and-coming point guard Ty Lawson. That might be enough to keep a lot of players interested in playing in Denver. But after watching his buddies bolt for Miami and New York, Melo has bigger ideas.
To get out of Denver, Melo will have to take two gambles. First, he will have to turn down a max contract extension offer by the Nuggets and pray he doesn't get injured this season. Second, he's going to have to hope that the new collective bargaining agreement that gets negotiated next year will pay him something close to what the Nuggets are offering him now. Those are two pretty big ifs. That's why Melo is playing hardball with the Nuggets. He's hoping that Denver trades him to a team that he wants to go to, and then he signs that extension before the season ends.
If the Nuggets call his bluff, Melo might just re-up. But does new GM Masai Ujiri have the courage to find out?
Grade: Incomplete
-ESPN
On to the scores ...
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Key additions: Kevin Durant (extended contract), Daequan Cook (trade), Cole Aldrich (draft), Morris Peterson (trade)
Key subtractions: Rich Cho
The Thunder are the darlings of NBA analysts this summer. Virtually all of us have them ranked as the second-best team in the West and John Hollinger and I ranked them No. 1 in our latest edition of the Future Power Rankings. With the way Kevin Durant lit up the competition in the FIBA World Championship, you can make a strong argument that he, not LeBron or Kobe, is the best player in the NBA. The multiyear extension Durant quietly agreed to this summer earns the Thunder an A all by itself.
The Thunder have been patient every summer and this one was no different. The team waited for opportunities, used its cap space to take on other teams' trash and collect assets, and refused to deviate from the course. Its only significant player addition, Aldrich, was a solid choice, but he is unlikely to have a big impact in his first season.
If there was a downside to the Thunder's summer, it was the hit their front office took when Cho left OKC to take over as the GM of the Blazers. Few fans knew who Cho was, but he was a behind-the-scenes workhorse in Oklahoma City and one of the best minds in the NBA. I'm sure Sam Presti can manage without him, but losing him will sting a bit.
Grade: A
2. Sacramento Kings
Key additions: DeMarcus Cousins (draft), Samuel Dalembert (trade), Hassan Whiteside (draft), Antoine Wright (FA)
Key subtractions: Andres Nocioni, Spencer Hawes
The Kings hit a home run in last year's draft when they selected eventual NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans. They may have repeated that feat again this year by landing Kentucky big man DeMarcus Cousins with the fifth pick in the draft.
Cousins is an elite talent who can score both inside and outside and is a beast on the boards. He has an NBA body and a toughness that should allow him to contribute right away. There are plenty of legitimate questions about Cousins. He's struggled to stay in shape in the past and his attitude on the court means he might be the heir apparent to Rasheed Wallace. Pair him with Evans and the Kings appear to be on to something.
The team also made a clever deal before the draft, swapping Nocioni and Hawes for Dalembert. Dalembert not only gives the Kings a legitimate shot-blocker in the middle, but he also comes off the books at the end of the season, saving significant money for the Kings next season when they could have as much as $30 million in cap room. The team won't win much this season, but the future looks bright in Sacramento.
Grade: A-
3. Utah Jazz
Key additions: Al Jefferson (trade), Raja Bell (FA), Gordon Hayward (draft)
Key subtractions: Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews
Perhaps the best way to sum up the Jazz's summer is to say they swapped Boozer for Jefferson. As my colleague John Hollinger pointed out this summer, the Jazz probably came out ahead on that deal. Not only is Jefferson younger than Boozer, he also can play center and makes less money.
The team also lost sharpshooters Korver and Matthews, critical swingmen for them. Bell will help, but the long-term hope is that Hayward becomes a star.
The selection of Hayward wasn't popular in Utah, but he's got enormous potential. He's a better athlete and shooter than fans give him credit for and he's wiry tough. He may not play a lot this season, but in the long term he should be a critical part of the Jazz's future.
Grade: B+
4. Dallas Mavericks
Key additions: Dirk Nowitzki (re-signed), Tyson Chandler (trade), Brendan Haywood (re-signed), Dominique Jones (draft)
Key subtractions: Erick Dampier, Eduardo Najera
Mark Cuban had grand designs on luring LeBron James to Dallas, but they were never really more than a pipe dream. Instead, he took care of business, re-upping Nowitzki and Haywood (whose five-year, $41 million deal seems like a bit of a reach) and landing another big man in Chandler. The Chandler deal was a steal for the Mavs -- if healthy, he could be part of the best big man combo the Mavs have had in a long time.
The Mavs also head into the season loaded with more expiring contracts (Butler and Chandler are both in the last year of their deals) to make February trade deadline deals if the team feels the itch, as it did last season in the Caron Butler trade. At some point, Cuban's strategy of trading the future for immediate needs will come back to haunt him, but for the next few years, it's a practice that allows the Mavs to perpetually stay competitive.
The Mavs' summer may not have wowed us, but it wasn't a disappointment either. If this veteran team can stay healthy and if second-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois continues to show promise, the Mavs should be among the top two or three teams in the West this season.
Grade: B
5. Golden State Warriors
Key additions: David Lee (trade), Ekpe Udoh (draft), Charlie Bell (trade), Joseph Lacob (owner)
Key subtractions: Anthony Randolph, Corey Maggette, Ronny Turiaf, Chris Cohan
You can argue whether the Warriors overpaid for Lee or whether they blew it by trading Randolph. You can debate the merits of drafting a 23-year-old Udoh with the sixth pick in the draft.
But it's hard to find anyone ... and I mean anyone ... who doesn't think the Warriors hit a home run when Chris Cohan sold the team. We don't know much about Joseph Lacob as an owner. But he isn't Cohan and it seems virtually inconceivable that he'll keep Don Nelson and Larry Riley on to run the team.
Given the core base of talent in Golden State -- Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Lee, Brandan Wright -- the Warriors' future suddenly looks much, much brighter.
Grade: B
6. Los Angeles Lakers
Key additions: Steve Blake (FA), Derek Fisher (re-signed), Shannon Brown (re-signed), Matt Barnes (FA), Devin Ebanks (draft), Derrick Caracter (draft)
Key subtractions: Jordan Farmar
The Lakers, fresh off their second consecutive NBA title, weren't going to reinvent the wheel this summer. The team had most of its key players in place once Phil Jackson decided to return and really needed to address one big issue -- point guard.
The Lakers took care of business by bringing in free-agent guard Blake and then re-signing Fisher. Fisher is getting old and Blake won't light up the world, but together they're strong enough to lead the Lakers to a third straight title.
The Lakers' front office also did a solid job in the draft. With two second-round picks it landed Ebanks, a Trevor Ariza-like long, athletic wing, and Caracter, a low-post bruiser who can really score in the paint. Both players would've been potential lottery picks had their bad reputations not scared teams away. If Jackson, Kobe & Co. can keep them in line, the Lakers may have scored big in the second round.
Grade: B-
7. Memphis Grizzlies
Key additions: Rudy Gay (re-signed), Tony Allen (FA), Xavier Henry (draft), Greivis Vasquez (draft)
Key subtractions: Ronnie Brewer
The Grizzlies shocked just about everyone by offering Gay a max-type deal this summer. Given owner Michael Heisley's penny-pinching ways of late, a number of teams had targeted Gay as one of the restricted free agents you could pry away this summer. Re-signing Gay goes a long way toward reassuring fans that the Grizzlies are committed to building something in Memphis.
Of course, it's the Grizzlies we're talking about, so they must have screwed up something this summer. The team took the unprecedented step of not offering lottery pick Henry the customary 120 percent rookie scale contract. Instead the Grizzlies offered 80 percent of his contract (which, in fairness, they are allowed to do under CBA rules) and tied the other 40 percent to performance bonuses.
Heisley's defense is simple: He's allowed to do business this way. The problem is that Henry and his agent are outraged that Henry was the player singled out (the Grizzlies offered the full 120 percent to Hasheem Thabeet last year). Henry and Memphis' other first-round pick, Vasquez, are refusing to sign with the team. I don't know who blinks first, but you can guarantee that even more agents will refuse to let their players work out for the Grizzlies next spring. Very few players want to play for the Grizzlies as it is; this isn't helping things.
Grade: B-
8. Los Angeles Clippers
Key additions: Al-Farouq Aminu (draft), Eric Bledsoe (draft), Randy Foye (FA), Ryan Gomes (FA), Rasual Butler (re-signed), Craig Smith (re-signed), Vinnie Del Negro (coach)
Key subtractions: Travis Outlaw, Drew Gooden, Steve Blake, Mike Dunleavy
The Clippers had enough money this summer to make a big splash in the free-agent market, but after getting spurned by LeBron, they went completely in the opposite direction in landing the likes of Foye and Gomes to provide some support off the bench.
While their free-agent load wasn't much to speak of, they had a very solid draft, landing Aminu and Bledsoe, two super-athletic players who, with a little time, could ultimately fill the Clippers' two long-term needs at the point guard and small forward positions.
The Clippers also finally closed the door on the Mike Dunleavy era. Neil Olshey is now running the basketball operations full-time and Vinny Del Negro is the coach. Both moves were typical Donald Sterling low-budget operations, but Olshey does have an eye for talent and Del Negro was better in Chicago than people give him credit for.
Grade: B-
9. New Orleans Hornets
Key additions: Trevor Ariza (trade), Marco Belinelli (trade), Craig Brackins (draft), Quincy Pondexter (draft), Monty Williams (coach), Dell Demps (GM)
Key subtractions: Darren Collison, James Posey, Julian Wright, Morris Peterson, Jeff Bower
It was a pretty tumultuous summer for Hornets fans. Chris Paul demanded a trade, GM Jeff Bower was ousted and the team ended up making a major trade in August that gave away more talent than it received.
As of September, things are a bit more stable. Demps is the new GM, Williams has taken over as the new head coach, and together they seem to have pacified Paul in the short term.
The team did that by trading backup point guard Collison for an athletic wing who could run the floor with Paul -- Ariza. Ariza should be on the receiving end of a lot of alley-oops during the season -- but can his addition, along with a healthy Paul, put the Hornets back in the playoff hunt?
The additions of Pondexter and Brackins should help with the long-term picture and Williams has a good reputation as a coach. But unless the Hornets start winning big, they may be stuck in the same situation next summer -- this time without a great backup like Collison. You can't fault the team for holding on to Paul this summer, but it's hard to imagine this working out well in the long term.
Grade: C+
10. San Antonio Spurs
Key additions: Tiago Splitter (draft), Richard Jefferson (re-signed), James Anderson (draft), Danny Ferry (assistant GM)
Key subtractions: None
The Spurs continue to find ways to stay relevant even as their core continues to age. Tim Duncan is 34. Manu Ginobili is 33. Antonio McDyess is 36. Jefferson, who signed an excessive four-year, $39 million deal this summer, is 30.
Fortunately the Spurs continue to add to their young core. George Hill and DeJuan Blair had solid seasons and the Spurs expect big things out of Splitter, who has turned into a very good basketball player in Spain. The three-year, $11 million deal for Splitter was one of the best bargains of the summer, and the hope is that he'll be able to help the Spurs manage Duncan's minutes better. The team is also hoping Anderson, who was one of the best scorers in college basketball, will contribute right away.
With Tony Parker heading into free agency in the summer of 2011, the Spurs may be more proactive at the trade deadline this season. They are still not in the same league as the Lakers, Thunder, Blazers, Mavs and Jazz right now, so they will need another big move or a big season from Splitter to get back in that elite company.
Grade: C+
11. Houston Rockets
Key additions: Luis Scola (re-signed), Kyle Lowry (re-signed), Brad Miller (FA), Courtney Lee (trade), Patrick Patterson (draft)
Key subtractions: Trevor Ariza
Daryl Morey made a strong pitch at Chris Bosh this summer -- but his creative approach, iPad included, didn't seal the deal. After trying several other alternative deals, he took a simpler approach to this summer -- wait and see.
Yao Ming is expected to be back and healthy after missing all of last season. Morey made major changes in February as well that have yet to totally mesh. So he was content to do some housecleaning. He re-upped Scola and Lowry and then removed a logjam at the 3 by trading away Ariza (whom he signed to a big deal last summer) for cap relief and Courtney Lee.
So it was a quiet summer in Houston. But if Yao's healthy and Kevin Martin meshes with this team, the Rockets could be the West's sleeper this season.
Grade: C
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
Key additions: Wesley Johnson (draft), Michael Beasley (trade), Martell Webster (trade), Luke Ridnour (FA), Darko Milicic (re-signed), Nikola Pekovic (draft), Kosta Koufos (trade)
Key subtractions: Al Jefferson, Ramon Sessions, Oleksiy Pecherov, Ryan Hollins
The Wolves started off the summer with the selection of Wesley Johnson with the No. 4 pick in the draft. There were better players -- see DeMarcus Cousins -- on the board, but Johnson filled a need and was a better fit, personalitywise, with the culture the team is trying to build. The Wolves also got a bit of a steal in early July when the team landed Beasley for essentially nothing. Beasley may not fit the culture, but he was the No. 2 pick in the draft two years ago and is a big-time talent. The move cost the Wolves little; there was only upside there.
On the downside, GM David Kahn threw money at questionable targets all summer. He spent a combined $46 million for Milicic, Ridnour and Pekovic. He also traded away the draft rights to Luke Babbitt for the right to pay Webster $10 million over the next two years.
But the biggest move of the summer came when he gave away Jefferson to the Jazz. Two years ago, Jefferson was the cornerstone of the team. An ACL injury hurt his value and his performance, but he still led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks last season. Yes, it was hard to see how he could continue to coexist with Kevin Love on the floor, but you wonder if Kahn played his hand well here. He got Kosta Koufos and two mediocre first-round picks in return. The Jazz's pick will likely be in the late first round. The pick the Wolves received from Memphis is heavily protected. The protections are top 14 in 2011, top 12 in 2012, top 10 in 2013 and top nine in 2014 and 2015. If the pick is unused by 2015, it turns to cash.
Where does all of that land the Timberwolves? In the same place they were last season -- as the worst team in the West and potentially, thanks to some improvements by the Nets, the worst team in the NBA.
The 2011-12 season could be a different story. The Wolves will have more cap room and they're crossing their fingers that Ricky Rubio comes to Minnesota. If Rubio joins the squad next season (a big if) he could really turns things around. But for now, the Wolves are stuck in the cellar despite Kahn's complete overhaul of the roster.
Grade: C
13. Portland Trail Blazers
Key additions: Wesley Matthews (FA), Luke Babbitt (draft), Elliot Williams (draft), Rich Cho (GM)
Key subtractions: Martell Webster, Juwan Howard, Kevin Pritchard
After three years of prosperity and calm, the Blazers reverted back to their dysfunctional ways -- firing successful GM Kevin Pritchard just an hour before the NBA draft. Pritchard stayed on to conduct the draft, but the damage was done.
Pritchard has a great eye for talent and was popular with the media, and owner Paul Allen came out of the situation looking out of touch and ready to destroy all the ground the Blazers have made up over the past several years.
The Blazers made their only significant move of the summer without a GM. They signed Matthews, an undrafted rookie last year, to a whopping five-year, $32 million deal. He was a great steal on a minimum contract, but the cost here was well above market value.
Thankfully, for Blazers fans, the team finally hired a GM and largely made up for its mistake with Pritchard in getting Rich Cho. Cho and Pritchard couldn't be more different. Pritchard is a scout at heart with a charismatic personality. Cho is a system guy who likes to keep a low profile.
Cho will likely inject some discipline into the system and won't make any moves for the sake of ego. Most likely the Blazers will stay the course that Pritchard charted off the court. If Greg Oden can finally get and stay healthy, they'll continue to challenge the Thunder as the best young team in the league.
Grade: C-
14. Phoenix Suns
Key additions: Hedo Turkoglu (trade), Josh Childress (trade), Channing Frye (re-signed), Hakim Warrick (trade), Lon Babby (president), Lance Blanks (GM)
Key subtractions: Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa, Steve Kerr
After one last run in the playoffs for the always fun Suns, the sun began to set on Phoenix this summer. Steve Nash, the heart and soul of the Suns, is still plugging away at age 36. But the rest of his teammates have, one by one, left the team. Of the original run-and-gun Suns, he's the only remaining member.
The biggest defection of the summer came when Stoudemire bolted the team for the Knicks. If you've followed the Suns at all the past couple of years, you saw this coming, but when it finally went down, it still stung a little.
GM Steve Kerr also left the team, leading to an awkward situation where owner Robert Sarver used an NBA agent, Lon Babby, to help him navigate the summer free-agent waters without a GM. In the process, one of Babby's clients, Turkoglu, and one of his former clients, JChildress, landed in Phoenix and Barbosa was shipped off to Toronto. When the summer was over, Sarver hired Babby as the team's new president.
Babby is a respected agent and has been a voice of reason over the years, but his first moves this summer didn't wow anyone. Turkoglu is a good fit in the Suns' system but he's grossly overpaid with four years, $40 million left on his contract. Childress is super versatile, but was he worth a six-year, $33.5 million contract? And did I mention that he and Turkoglu both play the same position as another Babby client -- Grant Hill?
Meanwhile the Suns are very thin up front. Frye turned one good season shooting the ball off the bench into a starting gig and $30 million. The team also paid Hakim Warrick $12.75 million over three years to help back him up. Third-year big man Robin Lopez is the team's only true physical presence in the middle.
Gentry and Nash will still figure out how to get the most out of this squad and maybe even sneak the team into the playoffs -- but the direction the Suns are heading is clear and it won't be long until darkness covers the land of the sun.
Grade: D+
15. Denver Nuggets
Key additions: Al Harrington (FA), Masai Ujiri (GM)
Key subtractions: Linas Kleiza, Johan Petro, Mark Warkentien, Rex Chapman
However you want to categorize what's going on in Denver right now, it doesn't look as though it's going to end well. Carmelo Anthony wants out. The entire infighting front office has been replaced and the team's only key pickup this summer was Al Harrington.
The Nuggets have had a good run the past few years, but it doesn't look sustainable. Chauncey Billups' best years are behind him, ditto for Kenyon Martin. And J.R. Smith doesn't seem to be able to mature.
The only three future bright spots for the Nuggets are Melo, a renewed Nene and up-and-coming point guard Ty Lawson. That might be enough to keep a lot of players interested in playing in Denver. But after watching his buddies bolt for Miami and New York, Melo has bigger ideas.
To get out of Denver, Melo will have to take two gambles. First, he will have to turn down a max contract extension offer by the Nuggets and pray he doesn't get injured this season. Second, he's going to have to hope that the new collective bargaining agreement that gets negotiated next year will pay him something close to what the Nuggets are offering him now. Those are two pretty big ifs. That's why Melo is playing hardball with the Nuggets. He's hoping that Denver trades him to a team that he wants to go to, and then he signs that extension before the season ends.
If the Nuggets call his bluff, Melo might just re-up. But does new GM Masai Ujiri have the courage to find out?
Grade: Incomplete
-ESPN
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