We Know What You Did This Summer:
Pacific Division
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Updated: August 29
9:07 AM ET
Chat with Chad Ford about the NBA live at 12 p.m. EDT
Has anyone ever had a better summer than Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak?
For a mere six million dollars, Kupchak added two future Hall of Famers, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, to a team that already has the two most dominant players in the league, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Write off Kupchak's miracle all you want. Sure, it's a short-term fix. We'll give you that neither Payton nor Malone is in his prime. Yes, the Lakers' mystique allowed him to pull something off that no other team could've accomplished. Still, you have to hand it to Kupchak. He understood what Malone and Payton desired and he was in a position to give it to them.
While other prognosticators (including me) were urging him to sign role players like Juwan Howard or P. J. Brown, Kupchak was thinking big. Sixty wins next season wasn't enough to rectify a disappointing 2002 campaign. Kupchak wanted to dominate one of the toughest conferences in all of sports. Seventy wins isn't out of the question this year. Anything less than a NBA title will be a disaster.
The Lakers have rewritten the playbook on how to lock and load in the summer. The Kings, T-Wolves, Spurs and Mavs? Nice moves, but all in desperation.
The only thing that can stop the Lakers? Themselves. A Kobe rape conviction. A Payton hissy fit. A Malone ego surge. A Shaq toe stub.
The Lakers aren't invincible. But they're pretty damn close.
Today, Insider wraps up our grades special with the Pacific Division. Next week I'll be in Africa with Tony Ronzone and a delegation of NBA players and coaches checking out the top 100 young prospects in the continent.
Also see: Atlantic Grades | Central Grades | Midwest Grades
Los Angeles Lakers
Key Additions: Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Brian Cook, Luke Walton
Key Subtractions: Robert Horry, Samaki Walker, Mark Madsen
Roster breakdown: Lakers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The Lakers take losing hard. In the aftermath of an embarrassing second-round defeat, GM Mitch Kupchak didn't try to just add some depth. He added two Hall of Famers, giving the Lakers arguably the most impressive starting four of any team in the last 15 years. To make matters worse for Western Conference teams, they also had a stellar draft, adding versatile forward Cook and Walton, who many scouts claimed was the best passer in the draft. It's not often a team fixes its short-term situation and bolsters its future prospects. The Lakers did both this summer. Whatever you think of them, it's hard to come up with a team that's had a better summer. Now, if Kobe can just stay out of jail.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: A+
Sacramento Kings
Key Additions: Brad Miller, Anthony Peeler, Tony Massenburg
Key Subtractions: Keon Clark, Hedo Turkoglu, Scot Pollard
Roster breakdown: Kings Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The Kings couldn't sit idly by and watch the Lakers stock up. Their most pressing need was down the road. The team knows that Vlade Divac has only one or two good years left in him. Credit the Maloof brothers for taking the initiative and grabbing the best center left on the free-agent market now before disaster strikes. How will Miller fit in this year? That's less important than how he'll fit in next year when Divac comes off the books.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: B
Phoenix Suns
Key Additions: Zarko Cabarkapa, Leandrinho Barbosa
Key Subtractions: None
Roster breakdown: Suns Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The Suns were one of the pleasant surprises of 2002. This year, they appear poised to make some noise in the West. The team has young players at every position, but used the draft to bolster its small forward and point guard positions. If Cabarkapa's play in the summer league and Barbosa's play at the Olympic qualifying tournament are any indications, the Suns are fortifying their lock on the label of best up-and-coming team in the NBA. If they could move Tom Gugliotta now (his contract expires this summer) for a little more depth, their grade moves up to an "A".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: B-
Los Angeles Clippers
Key Additions: Chris Kaman, Eddie House
Key Subtractions: Lamar Odom, Michael Olowokandi, Andre Miller, Eric Piatkowski
Roster breakdown: Clippers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The good news is Donald Sterling forked out a record $124 million to re-sign Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. The bad news is that he balked at paying Gilbert Arenas and Odom what it took to build a young dream team in L.A. Brand and Maggette are good starts. But without Odom (albeit his contract was a huge risk) and Arenas (they should've thrown the cash at him) the team is still a player or two away from being a serious contender for the playoffs. Oh well, at just a $35 million payroll this year, Sterling should turn another profit this season.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: C+
Seattle Supersonics
Key Additions: Nick Collison, Luke Ridnour, Antonio Daniels
Key Subtractions: Elden Campbell, Kevin Ollie
Roster breakdown: Sonics Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The Sonics made their big move in February, trading Gary Payton to Milwaukee for Ray Allen. The team's biggest need, power forward, was addressed in the draft, but Collison won't be enough to turn the Sonics' fortunes around in the paint. Daniels should be a pretty good fit at point guard, but until the Sonics find a way to package one of their incredibly overpaid centers with Brent Barry for a legit power forward, they're just too weak up front to make any sort of run in the West.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: C
Golden State Warriors
Key Additions: Nick Van Exel, Clifford Robinson, Mickael Pietrus, Speedy Claxton
Key Subtractions: Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Earl Boykins, Danny Fortson
Roster breakdown: Warriors Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: There's a lot of debate about the Warriors' big moves this summer. If you believe that Van Exel will play like an all-star, second-year forward Mike Dunleavy will bloom, and Robinson and rookie Mickael Pietrus will solve the Warriors' defensive woes, then they probably deserve a higher grade. If any one of those factors fails to happen, however, the Warriors are in trouble. Losing Arenas was a major blow. Compounding it by dumping Jamison and Boykins probably will make things worse. As it stands, it seems impossible that the Warriors can keep up the scoring pace they set last year. Given that the team is still terrible defensively, that can't be a good thing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: C-
Portland Trail Blazers
Key Additions: Travis Outlaw
Key Subtractions: Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis, Antonio Daniels
Roster breakdown: Blazers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: Poor John Nash. He takes one of the most coveted jobs in the league only to find out that his free-spending owner has now turned into a fiscal conservative. Nash was supposed to clean house, but so far, all he's done is let three of the Blazers top citizens walk away. The team undoubtedly still has talent, but with five teams in the West all making major advances, is this the year the Blazers finally slip out of the playoffs? Things got much tougher out West and Outlaw won't be enough to counter the moves by the Lakers, Kings, Spurs, Mavs and T-Wolves .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: D
Around the League
Was the firing of Isiah Thomas just the first step in a process that will eventually dismantle a large portion of the Pacers? Several opposing GMs told Insider on Thursday that they expect Larry Bird to break up a few key components of the Pacers to make the team conform to his (and Rick Carlisle's) basketball philosophy.
Who might be gone? At this point it's all speculation. None of the GMs Insider talked to had discussed actual trades with Bird. They all had consistent ideas about who will be available once Bird gets his coaching staff in place, however.
Al Harrington
Forward
Indiana Pacers
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
82 12.2 6.2 1.5 .434 .770
Al Harrington and Ron Artest are the two most likely targets. According to the GMs, Bird prefers Austin Croshere's style of play and will want to open up minutes for him without creating a huge controversy. This certainly jibes with Insider's report on Thursday that Carlisle and Harrington didn't get along because of Carlisle's preference for Croshere's style of play.
Bird has been citing chemistry problems for the past seven weeks and those same GMs believe he is referring to Artest. While Bird loves Artest's defense, his erratic offensive play combined with his anger management issues raise too many red flags.
The good news is that Bird knows that both Harrington and Artest have high trade values at the moment. Artest will be a base-year compensation player this year, but because his salary isn't too large, he could still be traded if packaged with a player like Harrington and Danny Ferry.
When will it happen? There's more debate on that subject. With the summer winding down and training camps just a month away, the Pacers may not have time to shake things up before the season starts. Some expect Bird to see how the team responds to Carlisle before pulling the trigger on any moves. Others think Bird will act quickly to get the team he wants in place.
Pacers president Donnie Walsh, in an interview with Insider on Wednesday evening, admitted that Bird may not be done putting his stamp on the Pacers. With a new head coach and, presumably, a new style of play, Walsh said that "we've got to take another look at this team and see if the right pieces are here."
However, Walsh also claimed that he was comfortable with the team he has right now. Like everything else in Indiana right now, things are subject to change.
Jermaine O'Neal is still seething over Larry Bird's decision to fire Isiah Thomas.
Jermaine O'Neal
Forward-Center
Indiana Pacers
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
77 20.8 10.3 2.0 .484 .731
O'Neal told the Indianapolis Star that he couldn't commit to playing for the Pacers past this coming season.
"I'm going to come back, be a professional and play for the Pacers this year, and I'm going to approach this season the same way I approach every season," O'Neal said. "But outside of this year, I don't know where my future stands with the Indiana Pacers. I don't know where the trust is. I don't know if I can believe anything they tell me anymore."
"Right now I'm a Pacer and I'm not going to shortcut the fans, my teammates, anybody," he added. "I'm not going to show up with a chip on my shoulder. And this has nothing at all to do with Rick Carlisle. I'm not going to take any of this out on him. But my word is all I've got in this world, and hopefully everybody else feels that way and acts that way. I've been deceived, and that's a hard thing to swallow."
O'Neal told the paper that he was also promised that the Pacers would upgrade his supporting cast this summer. So far, he's been unimpressed.
O'Neal also felt he was led to believe the Pacers would dramatically upgrade the cast around him.
Asked if he felt the team has gotten any better, O'Neal laughed. "You tell me," he said. "You tell me. I'll leave that up to you and let you figure out how I'm feeling right now."
Despite O'Neal's unhappiness, he has little recourse. He just signed a seven-year deal with the Pacers. He cannot opt out of his contract until after the 2007-08 season.
It's also highly unlikely that O'Neal would be traded this season. O'Neal is a base-year compensation player. Because of his enormous $13.1 million starting salary this year, he'd be virtually impossible to trade until July 16, 2004.
Want a sign that the Mavs are probably on the verge of another major blockbuster deal? Donnie Nelson , the Mavs' president of basketball operations, said on Thursday that the Mavs probably are finished with trades or big free-agent signings this summer.
"The chances of a trade now are pretty much dead," Nelson told the Dallas Morning News.
Usually, days after the Mavs say something like that, they pull off the trade of the century. In this particular case, the Mavs have been trying to get someone to take Chris Mills and his expiring contract off their book.
The San Antonio Express News is reporting that Danny Ferry will return to the Spurs as the director of basketball operations.
Right now, Ferry is still the property of the Pacers. However, his contract is non guaranteed. The Pacers are trying to use Ferry's contract as part of a trade, but if nothing materializes in the next month, they won't pick up the option and Ferry will be free to go.
-------------------------------------
Pacific Division
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Updated: August 29
9:07 AM ET
Chat with Chad Ford about the NBA live at 12 p.m. EDT
Has anyone ever had a better summer than Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak?
For a mere six million dollars, Kupchak added two future Hall of Famers, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, to a team that already has the two most dominant players in the league, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Write off Kupchak's miracle all you want. Sure, it's a short-term fix. We'll give you that neither Payton nor Malone is in his prime. Yes, the Lakers' mystique allowed him to pull something off that no other team could've accomplished. Still, you have to hand it to Kupchak. He understood what Malone and Payton desired and he was in a position to give it to them.
While other prognosticators (including me) were urging him to sign role players like Juwan Howard or P. J. Brown, Kupchak was thinking big. Sixty wins next season wasn't enough to rectify a disappointing 2002 campaign. Kupchak wanted to dominate one of the toughest conferences in all of sports. Seventy wins isn't out of the question this year. Anything less than a NBA title will be a disaster.
The Lakers have rewritten the playbook on how to lock and load in the summer. The Kings, T-Wolves, Spurs and Mavs? Nice moves, but all in desperation.
The only thing that can stop the Lakers? Themselves. A Kobe rape conviction. A Payton hissy fit. A Malone ego surge. A Shaq toe stub.
The Lakers aren't invincible. But they're pretty damn close.
Today, Insider wraps up our grades special with the Pacific Division. Next week I'll be in Africa with Tony Ronzone and a delegation of NBA players and coaches checking out the top 100 young prospects in the continent.
Also see: Atlantic Grades | Central Grades | Midwest Grades
Los Angeles Lakers
Key Additions: Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Brian Cook, Luke Walton
Key Subtractions: Robert Horry, Samaki Walker, Mark Madsen
Roster breakdown: Lakers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The Lakers take losing hard. In the aftermath of an embarrassing second-round defeat, GM Mitch Kupchak didn't try to just add some depth. He added two Hall of Famers, giving the Lakers arguably the most impressive starting four of any team in the last 15 years. To make matters worse for Western Conference teams, they also had a stellar draft, adding versatile forward Cook and Walton, who many scouts claimed was the best passer in the draft. It's not often a team fixes its short-term situation and bolsters its future prospects. The Lakers did both this summer. Whatever you think of them, it's hard to come up with a team that's had a better summer. Now, if Kobe can just stay out of jail.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: A+
Sacramento Kings
Key Additions: Brad Miller, Anthony Peeler, Tony Massenburg
Key Subtractions: Keon Clark, Hedo Turkoglu, Scot Pollard
Roster breakdown: Kings Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The Kings couldn't sit idly by and watch the Lakers stock up. Their most pressing need was down the road. The team knows that Vlade Divac has only one or two good years left in him. Credit the Maloof brothers for taking the initiative and grabbing the best center left on the free-agent market now before disaster strikes. How will Miller fit in this year? That's less important than how he'll fit in next year when Divac comes off the books.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: B
Phoenix Suns
Key Additions: Zarko Cabarkapa, Leandrinho Barbosa
Key Subtractions: None
Roster breakdown: Suns Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The Suns were one of the pleasant surprises of 2002. This year, they appear poised to make some noise in the West. The team has young players at every position, but used the draft to bolster its small forward and point guard positions. If Cabarkapa's play in the summer league and Barbosa's play at the Olympic qualifying tournament are any indications, the Suns are fortifying their lock on the label of best up-and-coming team in the NBA. If they could move Tom Gugliotta now (his contract expires this summer) for a little more depth, their grade moves up to an "A".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: B-
Los Angeles Clippers
Key Additions: Chris Kaman, Eddie House
Key Subtractions: Lamar Odom, Michael Olowokandi, Andre Miller, Eric Piatkowski
Roster breakdown: Clippers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The good news is Donald Sterling forked out a record $124 million to re-sign Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. The bad news is that he balked at paying Gilbert Arenas and Odom what it took to build a young dream team in L.A. Brand and Maggette are good starts. But without Odom (albeit his contract was a huge risk) and Arenas (they should've thrown the cash at him) the team is still a player or two away from being a serious contender for the playoffs. Oh well, at just a $35 million payroll this year, Sterling should turn another profit this season.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: C+
Seattle Supersonics
Key Additions: Nick Collison, Luke Ridnour, Antonio Daniels
Key Subtractions: Elden Campbell, Kevin Ollie
Roster breakdown: Sonics Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: The Sonics made their big move in February, trading Gary Payton to Milwaukee for Ray Allen. The team's biggest need, power forward, was addressed in the draft, but Collison won't be enough to turn the Sonics' fortunes around in the paint. Daniels should be a pretty good fit at point guard, but until the Sonics find a way to package one of their incredibly overpaid centers with Brent Barry for a legit power forward, they're just too weak up front to make any sort of run in the West.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: C
Golden State Warriors
Key Additions: Nick Van Exel, Clifford Robinson, Mickael Pietrus, Speedy Claxton
Key Subtractions: Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Earl Boykins, Danny Fortson
Roster breakdown: Warriors Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: There's a lot of debate about the Warriors' big moves this summer. If you believe that Van Exel will play like an all-star, second-year forward Mike Dunleavy will bloom, and Robinson and rookie Mickael Pietrus will solve the Warriors' defensive woes, then they probably deserve a higher grade. If any one of those factors fails to happen, however, the Warriors are in trouble. Losing Arenas was a major blow. Compounding it by dumping Jamison and Boykins probably will make things worse. As it stands, it seems impossible that the Warriors can keep up the scoring pace they set last year. Given that the team is still terrible defensively, that can't be a good thing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: C-
Portland Trail Blazers
Key Additions: Travis Outlaw
Key Subtractions: Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis, Antonio Daniels
Roster breakdown: Blazers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Skinny: Poor John Nash. He takes one of the most coveted jobs in the league only to find out that his free-spending owner has now turned into a fiscal conservative. Nash was supposed to clean house, but so far, all he's done is let three of the Blazers top citizens walk away. The team undoubtedly still has talent, but with five teams in the West all making major advances, is this the year the Blazers finally slip out of the playoffs? Things got much tougher out West and Outlaw won't be enough to counter the moves by the Lakers, Kings, Spurs, Mavs and T-Wolves .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade: D
Around the League
Was the firing of Isiah Thomas just the first step in a process that will eventually dismantle a large portion of the Pacers? Several opposing GMs told Insider on Thursday that they expect Larry Bird to break up a few key components of the Pacers to make the team conform to his (and Rick Carlisle's) basketball philosophy.
Who might be gone? At this point it's all speculation. None of the GMs Insider talked to had discussed actual trades with Bird. They all had consistent ideas about who will be available once Bird gets his coaching staff in place, however.
Al Harrington
Forward
Indiana Pacers
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
82 12.2 6.2 1.5 .434 .770
Al Harrington and Ron Artest are the two most likely targets. According to the GMs, Bird prefers Austin Croshere's style of play and will want to open up minutes for him without creating a huge controversy. This certainly jibes with Insider's report on Thursday that Carlisle and Harrington didn't get along because of Carlisle's preference for Croshere's style of play.
Bird has been citing chemistry problems for the past seven weeks and those same GMs believe he is referring to Artest. While Bird loves Artest's defense, his erratic offensive play combined with his anger management issues raise too many red flags.
The good news is that Bird knows that both Harrington and Artest have high trade values at the moment. Artest will be a base-year compensation player this year, but because his salary isn't too large, he could still be traded if packaged with a player like Harrington and Danny Ferry.
When will it happen? There's more debate on that subject. With the summer winding down and training camps just a month away, the Pacers may not have time to shake things up before the season starts. Some expect Bird to see how the team responds to Carlisle before pulling the trigger on any moves. Others think Bird will act quickly to get the team he wants in place.
Pacers president Donnie Walsh, in an interview with Insider on Wednesday evening, admitted that Bird may not be done putting his stamp on the Pacers. With a new head coach and, presumably, a new style of play, Walsh said that "we've got to take another look at this team and see if the right pieces are here."
However, Walsh also claimed that he was comfortable with the team he has right now. Like everything else in Indiana right now, things are subject to change.
Jermaine O'Neal is still seething over Larry Bird's decision to fire Isiah Thomas.
Jermaine O'Neal
Forward-Center
Indiana Pacers
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
77 20.8 10.3 2.0 .484 .731
O'Neal told the Indianapolis Star that he couldn't commit to playing for the Pacers past this coming season.
"I'm going to come back, be a professional and play for the Pacers this year, and I'm going to approach this season the same way I approach every season," O'Neal said. "But outside of this year, I don't know where my future stands with the Indiana Pacers. I don't know where the trust is. I don't know if I can believe anything they tell me anymore."
"Right now I'm a Pacer and I'm not going to shortcut the fans, my teammates, anybody," he added. "I'm not going to show up with a chip on my shoulder. And this has nothing at all to do with Rick Carlisle. I'm not going to take any of this out on him. But my word is all I've got in this world, and hopefully everybody else feels that way and acts that way. I've been deceived, and that's a hard thing to swallow."
O'Neal told the paper that he was also promised that the Pacers would upgrade his supporting cast this summer. So far, he's been unimpressed.
O'Neal also felt he was led to believe the Pacers would dramatically upgrade the cast around him.
Asked if he felt the team has gotten any better, O'Neal laughed. "You tell me," he said. "You tell me. I'll leave that up to you and let you figure out how I'm feeling right now."
Despite O'Neal's unhappiness, he has little recourse. He just signed a seven-year deal with the Pacers. He cannot opt out of his contract until after the 2007-08 season.
It's also highly unlikely that O'Neal would be traded this season. O'Neal is a base-year compensation player. Because of his enormous $13.1 million starting salary this year, he'd be virtually impossible to trade until July 16, 2004.
Want a sign that the Mavs are probably on the verge of another major blockbuster deal? Donnie Nelson , the Mavs' president of basketball operations, said on Thursday that the Mavs probably are finished with trades or big free-agent signings this summer.
"The chances of a trade now are pretty much dead," Nelson told the Dallas Morning News.
Usually, days after the Mavs say something like that, they pull off the trade of the century. In this particular case, the Mavs have been trying to get someone to take Chris Mills and his expiring contract off their book.
The San Antonio Express News is reporting that Danny Ferry will return to the Spurs as the director of basketball operations.
Right now, Ferry is still the property of the Pacers. However, his contract is non guaranteed. The Pacers are trying to use Ferry's contract as part of a trade, but if nothing materializes in the next month, they won't pick up the option and Ferry will be free to go.
-------------------------------------
