NBA notes June 30, 2008

Miami Heat
With the addition of new players in Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers the Heat not only got its hands on players that had legendary success in college, it insures they’re adding players that aren’t used to losing. That might be an important factor in turning the team around but not in that they are used to winning. How are they going to deal with losing. The Heat are going to lose right away and either they’ll respond to the competition or they’ll fold. One thing Beasley has going for him is that he’s coming from a program in college that wasn’t used to being a national center of attention. Going to the NCAA tournament and being excepted to do something there was a new thing for Kansas State. He’s going to be used to playing on a team with a losing history.

New Orleans Hornets
It’s a legitimate to talk about the strain put on some of these athletes that are going to play for the Olympic team this summer and the story today was right to bring of the fact that the team’s franchise player Chris Paul will have played in 112 games by the time the Olympics are done, assuming the United States makes it to the medal round. There is a lot of money at stake with the ticket sales and all, but that’s not really concerns me. Those millionaires are going to continue to make money whether or not Paul is playing. It’s worse for the fans, who want to root for the team at 100-percent. There is no clear way to solve that problem other than not allowing the NBA players to play or make a team up of less than franchise players. A team of all-stars can be formed that probably would make for a competitive team since there are very few foreign franchise players, but that would be getting away from the idea of sending the best. That might not be that important, but giving the fan something to cheer about every night when the get home from work is important. Maybe even more important that winning a gold medal.

New York Knicks
The Knicks have to get rid of Marbury. He is supremely talented, but too much of a loser. His teams have rarely been successful in the NBA and its too bad because he could have been one of the best players in history if he didn’t cause the demise in his team every year. But what if Marbury is just misunderstood? He’s a player that if he was willing to accept a team role then he could fit in and be a great player. Maybe on a team like the Lakers, whose offense forces everyone to share could be a place where Marbury could make an impact. The problem is that he’s a player like Allen Iverson that needs to dominate the ball in order to be effective. Without the ball in his hands he feels uncomfortable, not a productive and ultimately threatened. This has to change or he’s destined to do the same thing wherever he goes that he did in New York, New Jersey, Phoenix…and the next team.

Orlando Magic
There is a story in today’s Orlando Sentinel talking about the possible return of Corey Maggette to the Magic. How is this a good fit? One of the last things the Magic need right now is another small forward. They have two with Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkolu. The Magic has enough scoring with those two and Dwight Howard. Maggette is also going to command a decent financial package. If they go bring him in to play small forward then the Magic would have Hedo at shooting guard, which isn’t that bad given he has the skill to play there offensively, but then Lewis would be back and the power forward spot for another season. The only way to get it to word would be if Maggette is willing to play the role of a sixth man. As far as the starting lineup, the biggest thing the Magic needs right now is a banger to help absorb some of the inside force that’s was all concentrated on Howard last season.

Phoenix Suns
It doesn’t make any sense that the Suns are looking to lower Steve Nash’s minutes next season as a 34-year-old point guard yet they appear to be willing to part with Leandro Barbosa, who might be the NBA’s best backup point guard. That doesn’t make sense along with the Suns’ apparent interest in 37-year-old Allan Houston. The Suns have figured out a way to go from a team that had a youthful, energetic feel to one that seems to have a geriatric at every position. Steve Nash is getting up there, although players that rely on guile more than athletic ability can play longer. Shaq is clearly on his last leg. He was not able to dominate anyone in playoffs last year and it’s almost hard to believe Grant Hill is still playing. Adding Houston to this collection is laughable.


Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are talking about the deal they made to send Kyle Korver to Utah, which allowed them to free up cap space for this offseason. In order for it to be considered a good deal they’ll have to get someone in return that is more of an impact player than Korver was. Unfortunately for them this is considered a weak free agent class. One of the players talked about in a story today was the addition of Elton Brand, who will make 16.4 million this season if he doesn’t opt out of his contract with the Clippers. If I’m the 76ers GM it would be difficult to bring in Brand and pay him more money than 16.4 million, which is what he would want. He’s had major injuries and it doesn’t make sense to give someone coming off that kind of injury that type of money, not matter who much they need a low-post scorer. Golden State’s Andre Biedrins is a more attractive prospect. They wouldn’t have to pay him the same amount of money and he would come with a more accurate picture of what he can do.