Offseason Rankings: Eastern Conference

We love the NBA because it keeps us talking all year round, even when basketball isn't being played.

This offseason has been especially interesting.  Expected by many to be a quiet one, the poor economy has had an adverse effect on several teams' fiscal philosophy.  Every single contender made major transactions for a run at a title, while more than a few second-tier clubs joined in too.

It's simple: Either you have it, or you don't have it.  There is a huge gap between the teams trying to contend and the teams trying to save money, and the NBA has gone away from parity and towards an all out arms race.

Though the offseason isn't completely over (David Lee, Ramon Sessions, Nate Robinson and Allen Iverson are all still out there), the main frenzy is over.  Many teams' offseason is over and the next round for excitment will come when training camp opens up.

So, with the smoke mostly cleared, we'll take a look at what went down in both conferences, starting with the East today.

1. Orlando Magic

Additions: Vince Carter, Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson

Subtractions: Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Tony Battie

Recession?  What recession?  Craving more than just an Eastern Conference championship, Orlando’s front office is throwing all financial discretion out the window and investing in an all-out push for an NBA title.

Losing Turkoglu, their undisputed Playoff MVP, hurts, but Otis Smith did the best possible job in replacing him by trading for Carter.  Despite his advancing age, the efficient Carter is still a fantastic scorer and will give the team a bonefied go-to-guy at the end of ball games.

Plus, with the additions of Barnes, Bass and the severely underrated Anderson, this is not only one the most talented teams in the League, but one of the deepest as well. If Smith can find a trade partner for Marcin Gortat -- and there will be plenty of them at the deadline -- they’ll be even more dangerous come springtime.

2. Boston Celtics

Additions: Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels, Shelden Williams

Subtractions: Leon Powe

Sensing that Boston’s Big Three are getting up there in age, Danny Ainge decided to keep it going with the old people thing by bringing in the 35 year-old Wallace to shore up the team’s depth problems up front.  ‘Sheed will provide exactly what the Green were missing last season –size up front – while adding veteran savvy and perimeter shooting.  Potentially, the Celtics have one of the best frontcourt rotation in the League, but that’s dependent on the health of Kevin Garnett. If he’s really good to go, so are the Celtics.

The concern is still there, however.  As last year reminded us, a major injury to any one of their Big Three effectively shatters the Celtics’ fragile title hopes.  Like the Spurs out West, they will take a lower seed if it means keeping their key guys healthy for the Playoffs.

The Celtics will also be worrying over the karmic implications of releasing 2008 NBA Finals hero and all-around mench, Powe, who after blowing out his ACL for the third time in his career was deemed expired goods by Ainge.  Conference rival Cleveland picked up him on the cheap… will he come bHedo Turkogluack to haunt his old team come Playoff time?

3. Toronto Raptors

Additions: Hedo Turkoglu, Reggie Evans, Jarrett Jack, DeMar Derozan, Marco Belinelli, Antoine Wright, Rasho Nesterovic

Subtractions: Shawn Marion, Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono

If the NBA is a copycat league, then Bryan Colangelo may be the biggest feline amongst his GM peers.  Perhaps in an attempt to mimic the tall lineups used by the Magic and Lakers, Colangelo brought in the 6-10 Turkoglu and re-signed 7-0 Andrea Bargnani to a big extension.  They’ll be paired alongside Chris Bosh with the intention of creating some serious mismatches for opposing defenses.

The other thing here is Bosh, who is looking likely to enter free agency in 2010.  The pressure is on the Raptors to convince their franchise player that Toronto is the spot, and they responded by shaking up the roster in a major way.

So, is Colangelo’s $124 million summer good enough to catapult the Raps into the East elite and keep Bosh?  I remain skeptical.  Turkoglu and Bargnani don’t play defense, Bosh is still playing out of position at center, and the team as a whole is pretty soft.  The key guy here is Bargnani.  His first three years have been up and down.  If his game is on par with his new contract, the Raps will be a very tough matchup in the East.

4. Washington Wizards

Additions: Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Fabricio Oberto

Subtractions: Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, Oleksiy Pecherov

Change isn't just about politics in the Capital.  The Wizards made big moves on both the bench and on the court by hiring Flip Saunders and acquring Foye, Miller and Oberto.  Foye, when healthy, has shown flashes and will pack a good scoring punch off the team's bench while also providing excellent insurance for Gilbert Arenas.

With Saunders at the helm, the Wizards will be one of the most offensively prolific teams in the East.  But, in order to truly contend, Arenas needs to be totally healthy.  The reviews on his surgically repaired knee have been positive, but is it ready to stand up to a full season?

5. Atlanta Hawks

Additions: Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague

Subtractions: Solomon Jones, Speedy Claxton, Acie Law

Are we sure this is still the Atlanta Hawks?  After years of ridicule, the front office finally deserves some praise for the work they’ve done this offseason. The Hawks not only kept their Playoff core intact by re-upping/overpaying Zaza Pachulia and Marvin Williams, they also upgraded the overall depth of the team by drafting Teague and trading for Crawford on the cheap.  The numbers on both Pachulia and Williams are too steep, but at least the organization is showing an effort to build a winning team.

They don’t have all the right pieces to make a deep Playoff run yet, but they’ve got a core to build around and that’s something for ATLiens to get excited about.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers

Additions: Shaquile O’Neal, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Leon Powe

Subtractions: Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic

With the Big Eth, Parker and Moon coming in to fix the vertically challenged Cavaliers, why do they only come in at number six?

One, this whole Shaq thing isn’t going to work.  The Cavs were shredded by Orlando’s pick and roll game and bringing in the second most immobile center in the League (Shaq) to team up with the most immobile center in the league (Zydrunas Illgauskas) isn’t going to fix that.  He's still physically imposing enough to have plays run through him, which means the Cavs will be less reliant on LeBron to do everything, but the negatives (defense, age, injury) greatly outweigh the positives.

Second, while I like the versatility Candace Parker’s brother brings, neither him nor Moon are the caliber of free-agents Danny Ferry was looking to bring in.  The Cavs missed out on every first and second tier free-agent they targeted.  Why should I reward a team that failed to get any of the guys they wanted?

And by not re-signing in order to “keep his options open,” LBJ is also as unimpressed as I am with the Cavs' offseason.  Can you blame him?  Why commit to an inept franchise that does stupid things like letting Mike Brown near an offensive playbook and sabotaging valuable 2010 cap room by throwing Andersen Varejao $50 million?

7. Chicago Bulls

Additions: Jannero Pargo, James Johnson, Taj Gibson

Subtractions: Ben Gordon, Tim Thomas

With tons of cap space to pursue a big name next summer, Gar Foreman was wise to let someone else pay for the one-dimensional Gordon and pickup Pargo -- the poor man's BG -- at a fraction of the cost.  True, Derrick Rose and the rest of the Baby Bulls will miss his scoring next year, but developing its players and remaining financially flexible in order to build a championship squad is the most important thing for this team – even if that means the team takes a step backwards next season.

8. Miami Heat

Additions: Quentin Richardson

Subtractions: Jamario Moon, Mark Blount

The Heat are another team waiting patiently for 2010.  The team passed on acquiring Carlos Boozer and lost out on Lamar Odom, but would have adding those two have made the Heat a contender?  This writer doesn’t think so.

By basically sitting out this offseason, the team will instead focus on developing its young core, most notably Michael Beasley.  Pat Riley and Erik Spolestra are penciling him in at small forward.  If he can mature and focus in on the defensive end, he’ll make frustrated Heat fans – and more importantly, Dwyane Wade – quickly forget about a relatively quiet summer.

9. New York Knicks

Additions: Darko Milicic, Jordan Hill, Toney Douglas

Subtractions: Quentin Richardson, Chris Wilcox

Like it or not, Donnie Walsh has had a clear plan ever since he arrived in New York and he’s sticking to it.  He’s attempting to clear out as much cap space as possible for 2010, and he’s not signing anybody, including David Lee or Nate Robinson, to big money deals that would ruin his dreams of landing a superstar player. So, it doesn't bug me too much that the Knicks couldn't get Jason Kidd, Grant Hill or Andre Miller to play in MSG this year -- it's all about 2010.

The Knicks were unlucky in the Draft by picking eighth in a seven player draft.  Hill will need time to figure things out but will eventually become a solid NBA player.  Douglas looked great in Summer League (how many times have we heard that?) and could be a steal in Mike D’Antoni system.

The Knicks will stink next year, and they won’t have their draft pick to fall back on (The NBA: Where Isiah Thomas happens).  Next summer, all of the speculation will finally end, and we'll see whether or not Walsh's master plan comes to fruition.  In the mean time, we won't be watching the Knicks on League Pass for yet another year.

10. Detroit Pistons

Additions: Ben Gordon, Charlie Villaneuva, Chris Wilcox, Ben Wallace, Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers

Subtractions: Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Amir Johnson, Aaron Afflalo

The financial conservativeness that is true with the Knicks cannot be said about the Pistons.  Armed with loads of cap space that the Iverson-Billups swap brought, Joe Dumars spent enormous amounts of money to transform a team that perennially contended for an Eastern Conference championship, into one that will perennially contend to lock up a four seed in the East.

He re-signed Richard Hamilton knowing full well that he thrives off of a true point-guard dishing him the rock.  But, instead of tweaking an already talented roster, Dumars traded the wrong guy, Billups, his most indespensible player, for cap space in the wrong year.  After the deal, names like Boozer and Bosh were being thrown around.  Now, after the dust has settled, it's Wilcox and Wallace -- not the big names we were expecting -- that are Pistons.

Dumars has spent money just to spend it, and clearly had no clear plan this past year, quite surprising for such a normally calculated GM.

11. Charlotte Bobcats

Additions: Tyson Chandler, Gerald Henderson

Subtractions: Emeka Okafor, Sean May

Not understanding the criticism being lobbed at Charlotte for the Okafor-Chandler swap.  Okafor just isn't that good and it's not like what Charlotte had was working.  So what if Chandler doesn't work out this season?  They'll still be as bad as they woud have been with Okafor, only they'll have a big expiring contract to play with after the season's over.

And if Bob Johnson sells the team, which was the real reason why this trade was made, isn't that a good thing for the Bobbers?

12. Philadelphia 76ers

Additions: Jason Kapono, Primoz Brezec, Jrue Holliday

Subtractions: Andre Miller, Reggie Evans, Theo Ratliff

The 76ers get some sympathy from Hoops Daily because it’s not their fault that nobody in Philadelphia wants to pay to see the most exciting group of young players outside of Oklahoma City. The financial situation made it impossible to keep Miller, whose ability and leadership will be sorely missed next season.

I like the Kapono deal -- he immediately addresses the team's three-point shooting woes -- but I'm cold on the Holliday pick.  He's not overly athletic and doesn't do anything well.  He struggled in Summer League, and I expect him to continue those struggles once the season starts.

13. Indiana Pacers

Additions: Dahntay Jones, Solomon Jones, Earl Watson, Tyler Hansbrough

Subtractions: Marquis Daniels, Rasho Nesterovic, Jarrett Jack, Jamaal Tinsley

The Pacers are another smaller market team facing the harsh reality of today’s economic atmosphere.  And like some of these teams, the Pacers are trying to build a cost-efficient roster through the Draft and shrewd free-agent pickups.

The problem is, they’re just not doing a very good job.

For the last two years, the Pacers have drafted Hansbrough and Roy Hibbert, rotation players with absolutely no upside.  If the goal is surround Danny Granger with another marquee player, why not roll the dice and draft some guys with upside?  And furthermore, if T.J. Ford is your point guard, why are you wasting picks on slow footed half-court players?

As for the squad's free-agent crop? Not good.  I think they would struggle to find consistent run on an expansion team.

If Mike Dunleavy Jr. recovers from a career threatening injury, and everybody else stays relatively healthy, the Pacers have a real shot at the Playoffs, despite a bad offseason.

14. Milwaukee Bucks

Additions: Hakim Warrick, Amir Johnson, Brandon Jennings

Subtractions: Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villaneuva

In contrast to some other economically affected teams, the Bucks have given up trying to be competitively viable altogether.  First, Jefferson was shipped to San Antonio for an authentically made burrito.  Then, they allowed Charlie V to leave for Detroit.  Now, Ramon Sessions, whom the team originally indicated they were going to re-sign, is likely to bolt for another city because an extension requires payment of money.

Warrick shocked everybody by spurning the LeBron and the Cavs for the opportunity to play alongside Andrew Bogut, but I'm putting that down has a fluke.  In today's NBA market, the Bucks are an outlet store willing to get rid of expensive goods (Bogut or Michael Redd anyone?) for slashed prices. This is the most depressing franchise in the League and I'm sorry if you have to watch this team on a nightly basis next year.

15. New Jersey Nets

Additions: Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Tony Battie, Terrence Williams

Subtractions: Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson

If you’re wondering what direction the Nets are trying to move in after dealing away Vince Carter for Lee and two expiring contracts, you only need to look across the Hudson.  The Nets are trying to move to Brooklyn. 

That's really the only reason to keep tabs on the Nets, because on the court they are going to stink this season.  Actually, they're probably going to stink next season, too.  Other than Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, the Nets have no real foundation to build around and are going to be in rebuilding mode for a good while.