NBA Off-Season Grades - Eastern Conference
This NBA offseason has had a lot of movement, both via trade and free agency, as well as some incredibly childish behavior that completely destroyed any good will generated between the NBAPA and teams during the last collective bargaining agreement. But before that, let's talk about the East.
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics - The Celtics picked up David Lee and got out from under Gerald Wallace's deal (who wasn't helping), so that's a minor victory. But a quiet offseason of striking out in the trade and free agent market can't be ignored after the team has rebuilt for so long with very little to be optimistic about. C-
Brooklyn Nets - The Nets, who were going nowhere before the offseason, handed huge contracts to Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young. They released the still functional Deron Williams from his deal, and then won the Andre Bargnani sweepstakes. If the Nets still had full rights on their next pick, I'd be more upset about the lottery hell they've ensured themselves of for the next half decade. But ten years from now, the franchise formerly in Brooklyn will look back to this offseason as the one that sealed their fate. F-
New York Knicks - The Knicks struck out on every marquee free agent on the market. Given the state of their roster, this is not surprising. I didn't like the pick of Porzingas. He doesn't defend or have any NBA instincts, and he isn't particularly athletic either. Sure, he can hit a shot. But I doubt he'll be able to do much else. And if he does, it's a long way off. Picking up Robin Lopez and Aaron Affalo were good moves if the team had a better core, but those players immediately become the core here which is a serious problem. More lotteries to follow. D
Philadelphia 76ers - Phili has been rebuilding for a while, and has gotten nothing but flack for it across the league. You won't here that from me. What Philidelphia is really doing is bypassing overpaying middling players to get to their lottery pick. Kudos to them for sticking with their plan. Landing Okafor helps ease the sting of Joel Embiid possibly never playing a game in the NBA. Somehow, they were also able to land former lottery pick Nik Stauskas for nothing. The 76ers are really not that far off from the end of their plan, even if they've been delayed. B
Toronto Raptors - The Raptors won the Atlantic last year, and based off their offseason they'll run away with it again. The Raptors made a huge pickup in DeMarre Carroll who immediately becomes the best player on their roster. They were able to nab Corey Joseph as a cap casualty of the Spurs on a very team friendly deal to backup the point. Joseph is a great defender and a much better bench option than Louis Williams, as the Raptors shouldn't have problems scoring. Small deals with Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola help make this team deeper. Toronto is better than last year, even if they're not quite elite. A
Central Division
Cleveland Cavaliers - Cleveland followed up an impressive run to the NBA Finals - without two of there three key players - by locking up Kevin Love long term and securing Iman Shumpert and Timothy Mozgov. They also brought back Mo Williams on a low cost deal. Oh, and someone named Lebron James opted in. Tristan Thompson is still a restricted free agent, but even if he signs elsewhere the Cavs are likely to match. If this team is healthy, it rolls to the finals. If it isn't, it probably still will. A+
Chicago Bulls - What a difference an offseason makes. Last year, the Bulls were amongst the offseason leaders. It didn't play out that way. Derrick Rose didn't return to form, but rather showed he's a below average player and a ball hog. Noah, Gibson, and Gasol all proved to be made of glass come crunch time. The emergence of Jimmy Butler as a bonafide two way star and the bright future for Nikola Mirotic have given the Bulls some hope, especially with Butler's new max deal, but doing nothing but firing the head coach is a severe miscalculation. The rest of the East got better. The Bulls just got older, and are probably just out of the reach of the lottery. F
Detroit Pistons - The Pistons predictably lost/let go Greg Monroe in free agency. To pair with their elite big man Andre Drummond, Stan Van Gundy's squad picked up two floor spacers in Ersan Ilyasova and Marcus Morris. That's a good fit. Unfortunately, the Pistons spent the bulk of their cap retaining Reggie Jackson - for $80 million - based off of less than half a season of games. There were a lot better ways to spend that money, and it's unlikely that money was awaiting Jackson elsewhere. C+
Indiana Pacers - The Pacers are making a bold shift in playing style with the signing of Monte Ellis. Losing both of their bigs in David West and Roy Hibbert doesn't leave a lot of good depth there. My assumption is they plan to play Paul George more at PF and compete small. It's not the worst idea in the East. It may put the Pacers back at the bottom of the playoff picture. B
Milwaukee Bucks - While Cleveland put the best East team together this offseason, no good team improved as much as Milwaukee does with the addition of Greg Monroe. For all the talk of how Monroe isn't an elite defender, he is serviceable. The Bucks great defenders will help cover his deficiencies, and Monroe's low post scoring will help cover for the Bucks shooting deficiencies. If Jabari Parker is healthy to start the season, this is the East's best chance at stopping the Cavs from returning to the finals. A+
South East
Atlanta Hawks - After failing to reach the NBA finals despite the East's only 60 win season, Atlanta had some ups and downs this offseason. The loss of DeMarre Carroll is a huge blow to their chances to continue the momentum they created with last year's team. They were able to retain Paul Milsap and swing a deal with the Spurs to grab Taigo Splitter in a salary dump. While the Hawks won't win 60 again next year, they will be a very different kind of good and will have an even bigger advantage in the paint against most East teams. B
Charlotte Hornets - I can tell you one thing: Charlotte is going to be a jump shooting team. After finishing dead last in three pointers last year, Charlotte targetted players like Nicholas Batum and Jeremy Lin to shore up their shooting. Getting the Clippers to take Lance Stephenson's contract was a win, even if they're losing a major talent. He was dead weight with the squad. C+
Miami Heat - The Heat brought everyone back this offseason. That's about all they could expect to do, and they accomplished it. With continued improvement from Hassan Whiteside and better bench contributions from newcomers Gerald Green and Amar'e Stoudemire, there is a bit of upside here. B
Orlando Magic - The big thing here is Orlando retained Tobias Harris. Which means they'll still be bad, and will still play bad defense. Nothing to look at here. C-
Washington Wizards - The Wizards suffered a blow when veteran Paul Pierce decided to bolt for LA. They picked up Jared Dudley, but he doesn't bring the same presence - or big shot ability. The Wizards take a step back. D-
