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Rating the early offseason winners
by Marc Narducci / August 5, 2004

A flurry of offseason transactions has left many NBA teams with a radically different look. Both superstars and journeymen alike haven't been spared this summer from changing addresses. Even though final grades can't be distributed until teams open the season in November, there are some clear early offseason winners and losers.

While it's easy to praise what Miami and Houston have done in acquiring superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Tracy McGrady respectively, the biggest early winner looks to be Denver. Unlike Miami and Houston, which also traded multiple starters, Denver only had to deal three future No. 1 draft choices to acquire Kenyon Martin from New Jersey. And keep in mind that Denver had stockpiled six future No. 1's, so the Nuggets didn't even mortgage their future.

Not only did the Nuggets acquire Martin, but they re-signed Marcus Camby. That gives them a front line of Camby, Martin and Carmelo Anthony, along with Nenê. It means that Anthony could also play some two-guard, giving Denver great flexibility, not to mention size. For a team that won just 17 games in 2002-03, the Nuggets look like a legitimate contender in the Shaq-less Western Conference.

While Miami got O'Neal in a trade that makes it a serious Eastern Conference contender, the Heat did trade away three starters – Caron Butler, Brian Grant and Lamar Odom. That means the Heat will have to find somebody other than Dwyane Wade who can hit an occasional jump shot against defenses that will be sagging on Shaq.

Still, anytime a team gets to acquire the most dominant player in the game, it has to be a plus. But Miami still has plenty of work left in building the parts around Shaq.

As for Houston, getting McGrady to team up with Yao Ming gives the Rockets a potentially explosive scoring combination, but one question remains unanswered – who is going to play point guard?

The Rockets had to give up erratic All-Star Steve Francis and his backcourt sidekick Cuttino Mobley as part of the McGrady deal.

It's possible that the new point guard could be Tyronn Lue, who was acquired from Orlando in the McGrady deal. Lue is a nice change-of-pace player off the bench, but is he a championship caliber starting point guard who can give a team extended minutes? Actually, an underrated part of the deal was Houston getting Juwan Howard, a certified third option on offense who should prosper after languishing in Orlando last year. So right now Houston's final grade is on hold until we see if there are any further developments in the backcourt.

A major offseason winner has been Utah, although the Jazz needed to slightly overpay – to the tune of $118 million – for free agents Mehmet Okur from Detroit and controversial Carlos Boozer from Cleveland. Those two, along with emerging star Andrei Kirilenko give the Jazz a more than serviceable frontcourt. The Jazz appear headed back to the postseason after those signings.

While other teams made big splashy moves, San Antonio has quietly enjoyed a highly productive offseason – one that could position the Spurs toward a third NBA title since 1999. First, the Spurs succeeded in their No. 1
offseason priority by re-signing Manu Ginobili. They also re-signed defensive specialist Bruce Bowen. Then the Spurs landed Seattle free agent Brent Barry. A proven sniper, Barry was second in the NBA in three-point
field goal percentage (.452) this past season. He is a career .426 shooter from beyond the arc in the playoffs, although he has only played in 13 career postseason games. Barry should be involved in more than that this
season alone.

While losing Boozer after allowing him to opt out of his contract, Cleveland did a decent job of damage control. The Cavs acquired Drew Gooden from Orlando, now on his third team as he enters his third NBA season. Gooden has been a true tease – somebody with immense talent who doesn't always bring it to the arena. Some have suggested he might be soft. He averaged 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds for the woebegone Orlando Magic last season. Serviceable numbers for sure. It's just that most feel he is capable of more and he must replace one of the true lunch-pail workers in Boozer. Gooden's NBA grade to this point is incomplete. In a solid move, the Cavs acquired point guard Eric Snow from Philadelphia. Snow is a heady team-first player who brings a high level of maturity and savvy to what is still a young team.

Phoenix is another team whose grade is on hold, but the Suns no doubt improved their backcourt with free agent signings of Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson from the Los Angeles Clippers. This is a team without a viable center and it may use some perimeter players such as forward Shawn Marion or swingman Joe Johnson in a deal for more size. Still, with Nash and Richardson, this is now a potential playoff team.

Detroit receives a high grade mainly because the Pistons kept an NBA champion virtually in tact. Losing Okur was off-set by signing oft-injured but potentially productive forward Antonio McDyess and re-signing Rasheed
Wallace, the key move in the Pistons' offseason. While most in the league wouldn't go near Derrick Coleman, the moody forward-center acquired from Philadelphia has played well for Pistons coach Larry Brown in the past. If anybody could squeeze something out of Coleman, it's Brown and if that happens, Detroit will have an even deeper bench.

Minnesota didn't make many moves, but the Wolves didn't have to. In retaining Latrell Sprewell and re-signing defensive specialist Trenton Hassell and perimeter threat Fred Hoiberg, the Wolves will have most of last year's main components in order and should make another serious NBA title run. The Wolves are among many teams that may not yet be done dealing, so even more improvement is possible.

The biggest loser no doubt has been New Jersey. New owner Bruce Ratner might replace LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling as the NBA's newest skinflint. He unloaded 40 percent of his starting lineup – Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles – for the equivalent of $24 and a set of beads. The Nets received three No. 1's and a No. 2 choice for their two starters. And now Ratner has alienated superstar point guard Jason Kidd, who still could be shipped to Dallas or elsewhere. The Nets went from a team that had NBA champion Detroit on the ropes in the Eastern Conference final to a likely lottery contender.

At least the Nets won't have to travel too far for the NBA's Lottery, which is held in nearby Secaucus, New Jersey.

The Los Angeles Lakers, while acquiring three potential starters from Miami for O'Neal, still lost the player who has the biggest impact on the game. For that trade, Showtime could turn into no-go time. After losing to Detroit
in the NBA finals, the Lakers now have the look of a potential 6-8 Western Conference seed.

In Dallas, owner Mark Cuban has put together a team that, well, we don't exactly know what he's trying to do. The Mavs lost Nash to Phoenix and traded Antawn Jamison, Antoine Walker and Danny Fortson. Their return included streaky point guard Jason Terry, two potential headaches in Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner, untested first-rounders Devin Harris and Pavel Podkolzin, journeyman center Calvin Booth, oft-injured forward Alan Henderson and questions whether this team can even qualify for the playoffs.