Erick Blasco

There's nobody in the league that plays harder and tougher than Matt Harpring. In a league where so many players, to quote Bill Walton, "are winners of the genetic lottery," it's inspiring that a player can be successful by doing little more than working his [expletive] off. He gets the most out of himself, and people who get the most out of themselves should always be lauded.

C: Kendrick Perkins (3) PF: Tim Duncan (6) SF: Shane Battier (3) SG: John Salmons (4) PG: Deron Williams (6) Bench: Matt Harpring (will assume he costs 1 cause he's not on the list ), Rasho Nesterovic (2), Anthony Parker (2) Coach: Jerry Sloan, and I'm running the flex.

It's essentially the same exact Jazz team that went to the second round of the playoffs in 08. I don't think the same trust level is there, but it's the same roster. Phoenix will outscore the middle-tiered Eastern teams (except maybe Washington. They can win shootouts), and Houston's still going to be a bear to score against.

Luxury tax, the Bucks are right on the threshold of paying it. They can't take on salary.

Congrats, your posts always bring the goods.

Am I the only one who thinks he looks like Karl Malone?

I think the East is getting stronger than it's ever been during the decade, but it's nowhere close to the West. Even the expected lower-tiered playoff teams in the West, Phoenix, Houston, and Utah would probably finish 4th in the East. The East is better up top. They have more depth. But they still have strides to make to overcome the West.

Most of the transactions I wrote about were a few days old and I was catching up. Don't worry, I'll have top notch analysis of Philly's earthshaking Brezec acquisition in part 4, which, with my laziness this summer, should be up sometime in February. As for your second question? Hmm... *Estimates Charlotte will average 88 points per game. *Logs on to WNBA.com. *Is shocked WNBA.com exists. *Goes over to team stats. *Sees some team called the Mercury average over 90 points a game (what is with Phoenix and offenses?) I predict one WNBA team, the Mercury, will score more than the Bobcats. But that's assuming Felton comes back. If he doesn't, the Bobcats don't break 70 a game, and every team in the WNBA scores more than them.

A few trades sprinkled in between the free agent signings, here is the latest batch of players with new homes. Emeka Okafor—New Orleans Hornets Okafor certainly isn’t a stiff, but his athleticism and basketball movements are more mechanical than fluid. As such, his post moves are crude and clunky, and not reliable enough to be a featured player. He doesn’t pass well, doesn’t have great court awareness, and can’t shoot. He’s a diligent rebounder and shot blocker who can defend post scorers with some measure of success, though he has trouble navigating screens and defending the perimeter, and being in the right place at the right time. With David West in tow, Okafor will be a nice boost as a secondary post scorer, though on the flip side, his lack of fluidity may hinder New Orleans’s screen/roll sprints. Whereas Tyson Chandler could cut faster than defenses could react, Okafor isn’t as fleet. This could slow down New Orleans’ staple play. And defensively, Okafor isn’t as ferocious and energetic as Chandler. In fact, Okafor’s best quality as a human being may be his undermining as a player. He’s too well-rounded a person. Unfortunately, the best NBA players are those who obsess about the basketball and have the game traveling through their blood. Expect Okafor to be just good enough in New Orleans to ultimately disappoint. Tyson Chandler—Charlotte Bobcats When healthy, there are few better all-around defenders at the center position than Chandler. He’s a smart help defender, a ferocious shot blocker, and a terrific perimeter defender who can stay with a variety of perimeter oriented big men while having the speed to show on screens while recovering to his man. His on ball defense isn’t as good as he has a tendency to get overpowered by scorers with more bulk, which is why Larry Brown has indicated his desire to play Chandler as a power forward. Offensively, his repertoire is extremely limited to tip-ins, put backs, and dive cutting into dunks. Charlotte’s defense should actually take a step up this season—how they’ll manage to score is another matter altogether. Rasho Nesterovic—Toronto Raptors Nesterovic can eat space while blocking a shot or two down low. On offense, he has a very soft touch on his jump shots and around the basket. He’s also one of the slowest players in the league, something that can be compensated by Chris Bosh’s athleticism. For a team that needs toughness, brining back Nesterovic in a limited role is a good move. Marco Belinelli—Toronto Raptors The Raptors picked up Belinelli for nothing and now have him in a three-guard rotation at shooting guard with rookie DeMarr DeRozan, and Mavericks’ castoff Antoine Wright. While it’s an unknown as to just how good DeRozan could be, Wright earns his bones on the defensive side of the ball. That means Belinelli’s shooting stroke and quickness could be nice compliments, particularly off the bench where his inability to defend or understand complex offenses will be mitigated. Devean George—Golden State Warriors There’s no place for George in Golden State as a role player who can’t create his own shots and isn’t the defender he used to be. The Warriors just wanted to clear a logjam of wings and guards, and are hoping that George’s veteran presence will add some sanity to an organization falling apart at the seams. Drew Gooden—Dallas Mavericks Gooden can knock down mid range jumpers, handle, post up, rebound, and defend. However, because of a lack of focus and a low basketball IQ, he’s never been able to put his skills together to become anything more than a streaky supporting cast member. He’ll have a few games where he’ll provide everything Dallas needs on that given night, and follow it up with a mistake-filled clanker the next game. Tim Thomas—Dallas Mavericks A perpetual loser, Thomas won’t defend, rebound, pass, play hard, or play smart. Don’t expect him to escape Rick Carlisle’s doghouse. Malik Allen—Denver Nuggets A fluid 6-10 forward, Allen can shoot the basketball from anywhere within 20 feet. If his defense and rebounding are subpar, his jumper alone has value at the end of the bench. Ike Diogu—New Orleans Hornets Diogu is strong and active around the basket, but is undersized and lacks ideal athleticism. As a backup, he’ll pack more punch than Sean Marks, but isn’t as active cutting and playing defense. He’s young and cheap, though if New Orleans actually believed it could contend this year, they’d sign a veteran with more experience. Earl Watson—Indiana Pacers Watson can lead a break and be a pest defensively, but has trouble running an offense, finishing, and shooting. He’s still an upgrade over Travis Diener. Hakim Warrick—Milwaukee Bucks Warrick has the athleticism of a racehorse on a pogo stick. But he’s rail-thin, meaning he gets pushed around whenever contact is made. As a result, he’s a subpar screen-setter, defender, and rebounder. He gives the Bucks a runner and a leaper, but what Milwaukee needs most are athletes. Kevin Ollie—Oklahoma City Thunder Ollie’s a glorified assistant coach who’s role with the Thunder will be to play defense and move the ball for 16 minutes, while teaching Russell Westbrook about playing defense and reading the court as an offense. Since the Thunder are putting all their stock in the future, a mentor to Westbrook is more important than talent. Should Shaun Livingston fully return from his horrendous left leg injuries, then Livingston will slide into the backup point guard role over Ollie.

The entire SB Nation of blogs is pretty cool. So is ballerblogger.com

Oh man, I completely forgot about Jack. That one's on me.

Bowen wouldn't want to play for a team that won't win a ring, and the Raptors have so many shooting guards that Iverson would just make a muddy situation even muddier.

With Milwaukee's cap situation, they don't want to take on any salary. Since they're totally committed to Jennings, they're at a situation where they're almost forced to put all their eggs in his basket.

I like that move. Felton should be a talented backup for the Magic. My guess would be that the Magic would want someone with more experience but they could do a lot worse. They'll almost certainly have to trade for him, I'm pretty sure they used up their exceptions.

They don't really have much cap space or cap room, but they can use him as one of their backup small forwards. If McGrady doesn't come back and perform, the Rockets have Ariza and not much else at the three. At the two, they'd have Shane Battier and Brent Barry would be the backup. One more wing could do wonders for them.

Also, with the Nets, they have a glut of good backup-type big men like Josh Boone, Eduardo Najera, and Tony Battie, plus the Sean Williams and Yi Jianlian experiments. There's no room for more forwards. Iverson would sell seats, even if he does hinder Courtney Lee's development. That may be reason alone to sign him with the way the Nets lose money.

As the calendar turns the page into August, most of the NBA’s premier free agents have long been scooped up. Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Hedo Turkoglu, Rasheed Wallace, Andre Miller, and Jason Kidd are off the market, and even the majority of lesser-tiered role players have determined their 2009-2010 addresses. Still, a handful of big names, smart backups, and improving youngsters are there to be had. Some of those players could be signed outright, while a few others would have to be plucked through the murky waters of restricted free agency. Here are the best treasures up for grabs. Allen Iverson—Unrestricted Free Agent As evidenced by his tenure in Detroit last season, Iverson can’t fit in to balanced offensive approaches and won’t sacrifice for the good of a team. Worse, age has caught up to him as his electric athleticism is fizzling, while injuries have begun to take their toll. Iverson’s pride can’t allow him to accept a bench role, so his options are limited to bottom-feeding teams where he’d be guaranteed to massage the ball and take as many shots as he’d like. However, the majority of those teams are in penny-pinching mode and can’t afford to waste money on a player who won’t make their team better. Charlotte is a rumored destination, but it’s hard to believe Larry Brown would want to stomach the indigestion he suffered from coaching Iverson in Philadelphia. The Timberwolves would be a great fit, as they need perimeter scoring to match Al Jefferson’s interior post game. But given that they don’t have a coach yet, a novice signal caller would face extra stresses from coaching an ego of Iverson’s magnitude. Milwaukee could use him but doesn’t have the money to spend. Sacramento is too entrenched in a youth movement to take a flier on Iverson. The Knicks have shown interest but the answer they’re more concerned with involves clearing cap room for next offseason. Given the individual-centered, pass rarely, play defense never approach Don Nelson has to basketball, it’s clear the only place for Allen Iverson is the Golden State circus. David Lee—Restricted Free Agent: New York Knicks Lee is a bouncy rebounder who can knock down wide open jumpers, occasionally drive to the basket, and who always plays with maximum hustle. Conversely, his defense is non-existent and he has trouble creating his own offense consistently. Both Lee, and his agent Mark Bartelstein, overvalue Lee’ worth, asking for star money at $10 million dollars annually. Instead, in a perfect world, Lee is a high-end bench player on a great team, or a fourth option on a good one. The Knicks had plans to try to acquire two major free agents in 2009-2010, including mega-stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, among others. With the sinking economy and news of a lower salary cap, the Knicks won’t have as much cap room as they anticipated, which is why they’re more than willing to try to let another team set the market for Lee. The Hawks would love Lee’s ability to rebound and run. So too would the Sixers and Hornets. The Lakers would love an upgrade over Josh Powell, though it’s doubtful Lee would want to be a fourth big man in a rotation. Golden State puts no premium on defense, so Lee’s athleticism and rebounding will find playing time by the bay. In the end though, Lee’s best bet is to stay with the Knicks. Nate Robinson—Restricted Free Agent: New York Knicks Robinson has a world of talent. He has unlimited range, can leap skyscrapers, is a tough finisher, has a lethal first step and a filthy crossover. What can’t he do?Stop his emotions from getting the best of himRun an offenseDo anything defensively besides reaching and gamblingFollow a coaches’ instructionsMake simple plays instead of trying to hit home runs on every possessionUnderstand shot selectionGrow up Where’s the best place for Robinson? Disneyland or Six Flags Great Adventure. Any free-wheeling, fun-loving, team that doesn‘t care about discipline or is starved for talent. Golden State, Phoenix, the Clippers, Sacramento, Minnesota, and Milwaukee fit those descriptions best. It should be noted that if Robinson ever experiences puberty, not a single team in the league wouldn’t love to have his nuclear talents. Raymond Felton—Restricted Free Agent: Charlotte Bobcats Felton is a rare commodity in Charlotte—he’s actually respectable at creating his own offense—so it’s doubtful the Bobcats won’t match any offer made for him unless it’s a gross overpayment. But bad teams looking for starting point guard or good teams looking for a backup could use Felton. Sacramento, Indiana, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston make sense, but he’s Charlotte’s to lose. Ramon Sessions—Restricted Free Agent: Milwaukee With Brandon Jennings the future, and Luke Ridnour the backup, Milwaukee won’t match any decent offer made for Sessions. He’s a small, quick playmaker who makes the most of his opportunities. His lack of size and stature has scared off many teams, but any squad looking for a talented young backup would love Sessions. Especially, Atlanta, Indiana, Toronto, and the Knicks. Bruce Bowen—Unrestricted Free Agent Bowen isn’t the standout he once was, but he can still play above-average defense for spot minutes off the bench. It’s likely he’d only go to a contender so that eliminates two-thirds of the league, and most teams already have a handful of defensive stoppers. But Boston has never found a replacement for James Posey and it’s a lot to ask of Paul Pierce to be the team’s primary scorer, and primary stopper. For 12-15 minutes a game, Bowen could be invaluable to the Celtics. Glen Davis—Restricted Free Agent: Boston Celtics Davis is a tough rebounder who can hit mid-range jumpers and bull his way into points inside the paint. But he’s not a particularly quick perimeter defender and is undersized down low. With Leon Powe and Kevin Garnett returning from injuries, and Rasheeed Wallace added to the mix, Davis could be the fifth big in Boston’s rotation, meaning the Celtics might not match a sizable contract offer made to Big Baby. The Bobcats would love Davis’ versatile, if limited offense, and his energetic, wrecking ball hustle. Portland could use more brawn at the power forward position, as would the Wizards. In the end, because of Boston’s frontcourt age, expect the two sides to reach an agreement where Davis stays in Boston. Leon Powe—Restricted Free Agent: Boston Celtics Powe falls into roughly the same category as Davis as he too could be a fifth big man in a rotation, lessening the chances he’s resigned. However, Powe is coming off microfracture surgery, which probably means he won’t have the same athleticism and explosion he had before the surgery. Still, Powe is rugged, physical, and can score from the post, all valuable commodities to winning teams. If a team is willing to weigh the injury risk, they may wind up with a great backup or a low-end starter. Sacramento isn’t going anywhere, and it’s doubtful Sean May will be better than a post-microfracture Powe. Toronto can use his toughness, as can Portland. Because of his injury though, expect him to be given a qualifying offer and stay in Boston. Linas Kleiza—Restricted Free Agent: Denver Nuggets There’s little reason for the Nuggets not to sign Kleiza, a valuable shooter with good toughness. Kleiza can’t defend, and he’s not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, so his role as point-maker off the bench is perfect for him. Other teams that can use his scoring include the Rockets, Heat, Bobcats, Pacers, and Kings. Von Wafer—Unrestricted Free Agent Wafer can put the ball on the floor to create his own shot, and can plug his open jumpers. Any team looking to bolster its bench offense can use Wafer. He’d be an auto-upgrade over Sasha Vujacic in Los Angeles, and would bring valuable offense back to Houston. Miami and Philadelphia would be his next best options. Stephon Marbury—Unrestricted Free Agent His days as a valuable basketball player may be over, but what bottom-feeding team couldn’t use a Vaseline-eating car-wrecking disaster to distract fans from the on court disasters during games? Given that the Knicks appear headed for another fruitless season, it’s only proper that Marbury take his side show back to New York City. Knicks fans will need a scapegoat after they realize they won’t be able to sign LeBron in 2010, and Marbury, as always, needs the biggest spotlight possible. If that bridge has been burned down, what better way for the Sacramento Kings to prove they still exist than by having Marbury refuse to enter a game sometime next January? Geoff Petrie, the ball is in your hands.

I think the Grizzlies always get a Martin Luther King Day Game on TNT. I too am disappointed that Houston didn't get a game, but casual fans want offense and star power. Also a shame Charlotte didn't get a National TV game. Though if I were commish, I'd mandate at least one national TV game for every team in the league. Even the Kings.

Utah's been hamstrung by resigning all of their own free agents. Miami really needs depth and hasn't done anything.

Most of us are. The question is: Are you pumped for Primoz Brezec?

I don't think Marco plays good enough defense to start, and he seems like he'd be at his best in an uptempo sixth man role. I think the Raptors will start Wright until they feel DeRozen is the real deal, and then make the switch. If DeRozen is a defensive liability, they may just start Wright anyway, and use DeRozen as a backup too.

I think Shane Battier can shut down Sun Yue on every possession.

It's maddening why they play so slow. It's as if, whenever they don't have a fast break, they walk the ball up and can't get into any set that doesn't involve a screen/roll. They've become so predictable and the good teams in the league have really learned to adjust. I do feel that Chandler and West were the catalysts for the team. Whenever West played with energy and whenever Chandler was healthy, the team played at such a high level. Two years ago, Chandler was one of the best defensive players in the league. His defense against the Mavs in the opening round was ferocious, and he held Tim Duncan to some awful games in round two. Last year he was never healthy and New Orleans played stale, uninspired basketball. I strongly feel that Chandler's energy resonated stronger for the Hornets than anything Chris Paul has done. With him out of the picture, Okafor isn't really an energy guy and one of his flaws is that he's said to play mechanically. That's why I don't think the Hornets will excel this season with Okafor. Chandler gave them a lot that they'll miss. Plus, Chandler has great instincts as a help defender, defends screens well, and can defend the perimeter. The Hornets need an athletic wing more than they need a secondary post player. As for Charlotte, aside from the first three teams (and I'd say Chicago), all of those teams are very mediocre. The Sixers will suffer without Miller running their offense, and the rest of the teams are one-man bands, one dimensional, or unathletic. The Bobcats did a lot of nice things in the second half last year, like beating Philly, Atlanta, Toronto, the Lakers, Portland, and Phoenix, and the Lakers, Philly, and Toronto wins all came on the road. So saying they aren't going to come close to making the postseason doesn't do them enough justice.

It's true, which is why they won't go very far over 500. But with some of the players they have, they'll be fine manufacturing points. They can score on the break, with halfcourt continuity with Diaw, and with Wallace's skills. Replace Wallace with Allen Iverson and you have a team that looks a lot like Brown's Sixers that went to the Finals. Wallace is no Iverson, but the Bobcats should be alright.

Imagine trying to score against Diop, Chandler, Wallace, Bell, and Felton? It will be like the Pistons all over again. I can see Charlotte going 500 winning a bunch of 79-73 type of games.