Category: NBA (Page 542 of 595)

Cap Situation

The Nets are on the books for almost $57 M next season and almost 80% of that is dedicated to the team’s three stars: Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson.

Kidd is set to make more than $59 M over the next three years and his EPM of .576, though impressive, doesn’t warrant that kind of money. Kidd is still one of the league’s best point guards, but he’s 33 and won’t be able to play forever. Luckily for the Nets, his game is not predicated on speed, so he should still be effective (though expensive) for the remainder of his contract.

Carter has been terrific for the Nets since he was acquired in a trade with Toronto two seasons ago. He has one year remaining ($15.1 M) on his contract, but has a player option ($16.4 M) for a second year. While he’ll probably take the extra year, he could turn it down and find another playoff team to play for to try to get a ring. His EPM of .571 is a decent deal for the money, but his on court statistics (24.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists) are great, save for his less-than-stellar 43% FG shooting. Most disconcerting was his 34% 3PT shooting, down from 43% the year before.

Jefferson will make almost $66 M over the next five years, and with an EPM of .535, he’s worth every penny. He averaged 19.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while shooting 49% from the field. He’s not very good from long range (32%), but that’s the only hole in his game.

Nenad Krstic improved his game this season, tallying 13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 51% from the field. The seven-foot Yugoslavian is only 22, and still has two years remaining on his rookie contract at a total cost of $3 M. At an EPM of .458, he is the definition of a bargain, with only six players producing more for the money.

Other than these four players, the Nets roster is pretty dismal. Jason Collins has the most egregious contract, which runs three more years at a total price of $18 M. Considering his EPM (.260) is horrible for a center, I’m sure the Nets are regretting his contract.

The Nets don’t have a bench to speak of and can only blame themselves. Other than Krstic, they haven’t drafted well in the last four years. Here’s a look at their last four drafts with the notable players they passed on in parenthesis:

2005 – Antoine Wright (Danny Granger)
2004 – no first round pick
2003 – Zoran Planinic (Josh Howard, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa)
2002 – Nenad Krstic

I’m sure the presence of Richard Jefferson played into the decision to pass on Howard, but why take a small forward in 2005?

Offseason Blueprint

Unless the team wants to jettison one of the big three, the Nets will have little cap room to work with in the foreseeable future. Rumor has it that the team is quietly shopping Jefferson, hoping to capitalize on the closing championship windows of Kidd and Carter. Considering that RJ is 26 and a good value at this point, I’m not sure trading him is the best idea. If they do decide to move him, they need a big player who can score in the post. Moreover, the guy needs to be able to contribute immediately as the clock is ticking on the careers of Kidd and Carter.

Regardless, for the team to compete for a championship next season, they’ll need to land a good player at the mid-level exception and find at least one immediate contributor in the draft. Chris Wilcox would be a great fit, but it’s highly doubtful that he’ll take mid-level money. Nene and Drew Gooden probably fall into the same category. Speedy Claxton and Marcus Banks would be options at the point guard, but with Kidd and Carter playing most of the minutes, it’s doubtful that they’d see much floor time. Melvin Ely, Jared Jeffries and John Salmons are some of the more affordable players out there that would fit in well with the Nets.

New Jersey has both the #22 and #23 picks in the draft, and NBADraft.net projects them to take big man Hilton Armstrong and point guard Rajon Rondo. The key is to find guys that are most ready to contribute in the next two to three years, and then rebuild around Jefferson when Kidd and Carter are gone.

Notes:

New Jersey’s EPM by player (league average = .445)

Player EPM League Rank
Jason Kidd 0.576 # 25
Vince Carter 0.571 # 29
Richard Jefferson 0.535 # 43
Nenad Krstic 0.458 # 113
Scott Padgett 0.415 # 157
Lamond Murray 0.380 # 218
Clifford Robinson 0.326 # 286
Jeff Mcinnis 0.299 # 303
Zoran Planinic 0.272 # 321
Jason Collins 0.260 # 332
Jacque Vaughn 0.259 # 333
Bostjon Nachbar 0.245 # 343

There’s a pretty big dropoff right now after Kidd, Carter, RJ and Krstic. Had the Nets drafted better in the last three years, they’d be challenging for the Eastern Conference title.

Cap Situation

The Los Angeles Clippers, longtime laughingstock of the NBA, finally got over the hump this season and made it to the Western Conference semifinals, eventually losing to the Phoenix Suns in seven games. If not for a couple of brainfarts in Game 5 (Sam Cassell’s eight second call and the team letting Raja Bell get open for a three to force overtime), the Clippers would have won the series. Regardless, it was a successful season and the team is in good shape heading into the offseason as they are only on the books for $42 M next year.

Elton Brand gets the biggest bite of that pie, and is set to make $46 M over the next three years. With an EPM of .727 (#3 in the league), he’s a great deal at that price. A career 20-point scorer, Brand upped his average to 24.7 and for the sixth time in seven years, averaged 10 or more rebounds. And for the fifth consecutive year, he averaged two or more blocks per game. Brand is simply one of the best players in the league and the Clippers have him locked up for three more years. To think, the Chicago Bulls traded him away after back-to-back 20/10 seasons.

Cuttino Mobley is the team’s second-highest player, and is set to make $35 M over the next four years. I still question the team’s decision to let Bobby Simmons go and to bring in Mobley, but he played okay, averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. His shooting percentage (43%), three point percentage (34%) and EPM (.373) leave something to be desired, but he’s not a bad deal for the price.

Corey Maggette is set to make $24 M over the next three years. The team offered up Maggette in exchange for Ron Artest during the season, but the Pacers called off the trade due to Corey’s foot injury. Maggette’s feelings got hurt and, during the playoffs, he was under the impression that he wouldn’t be back with the team. Considering that he was second in the league (to Dwayne Wade) in free throw attempts per minute (.271), the Clippers would be crazy to trade him away. The only thing holding him back from being a star is his tendency to get injured. He had the team’s second highest EPM (.526), and just needs to find a way to stay healthy.

Chris Kaman (EPM=.524) has developed into one of the league’s best centers. He averaged 11.9 points and 9.6 rebounds, while shooting 52% from the field. He has improved every year he’s been in the league and the team should extend his contract this summer. He’s worth $10 M or more per season, and the Clippers would be smart to try to lock him in soon. But there are rumors that the team owner, Donald Sterling, isn’t a big fan. It’s too bad, because Kaman is going to be a Top 5 center for the next 7-8 years.

Shaun Livingston has two more years remaining on his rookie contract at a total cost of $7.9 M. The point guard position is the team’s biggest question mark going into this offseason. Livingston turns 21 in September, so he could use another year or two of seasoning. On the other hand, he’s probably capable of running the team now.

Offseason Blueprint

To Cassell or not to Cassell: that is the question. The wily vet wants to play two more years before returning to his home world, and he’d like to retire a Clipper. However, he’s looking for a pay raise from his $6.1 M salary last year. Some say that Cassell was the catalyst for the team’s run in the playoffs and that he deserves a two-year contract. Others say that he’s on the verge of being washed up and that the team shouldn’t invest $16 M or so in a guy that is going to turn 37 at the beginning of the season. Normally, I’d agree with the latter, but I say give Sam the contract, and here’s why…

If the team thinks that Shaun Livingston is their future point guard, then they would be better served signing Cassell for two more seasons, and continue using the two guards as they did last season. Next summer, they would exercise the $4.4 M option on Livingston in 2007-08, while also working out a five-year extension that would probably save the team around $2 M per season for the length of the contract. Why? Livingston’s value would be slightly diminished around the league because – with Cassell’s presence – teams didn’t get to see him run the point for a full season.

Vladimir Radmanovic is also a free agent, but the team shouldn’t re-sign him. He’s always had an inflated opinion of his worth (just ask the folks in Seattle), so he’ll probably be looking for a long-term contract averaging $7-$8 M per year. That’s a high price to pay for a one-dimensional offensive player. Though it is unlikely that the team would want to take on another contract, the Clippers do have the cap space, so a sign-and-trade is a distinct possibility. He’s probably worth an expiring contract along with a protected first round pick.

The Clippers have a great core of young players in Brand, Kaman, Maggette and Livingston and they’d be wise to keep that group together as long as possible. They should keep Maggette and they should sign both Kaman and Livingston to five-year extensions when each player is eligible, which this summer for Kaman, and next summer for Livingston.

The team doesn’t have a first round draft pick this year, but they do have the #34 pick overall. The Clippers have enough talent that GM (of the Year) Elgin Baylor can afford to take the best available player. I’ve been really impressed by Baylor over the last several years – he’s been able to manage the team beautifully while dealing with the league’s most frugal owner.

Notes:

The Clippers’ EPM by player (league average = .445)

Player EPM League Rank
Elton Brand 0.727 # 3
Corey Maggette 0.526 # 49
Chris Kaman 0.524 # 52
Sam Cassell 0.514 # 59
James Singleton 0.468 # 101
Vladimir Radmanovic 0.427 # 141
Cuttino Mobley 0.373 # 227
Zeljko Rebraca 0.373 # 228
Shaun Livingston 0.362 # 248
Quinton Ross 0.257 # 334
Daniel Ewing 0.246 # 342

Brand, Maggette and Kaman make up a monster front line efficiency-wise. Livingston’s numbers aren’t impressive, but he’s only 20 and he still needs some time to mature. In light of Mobley’s mediocre numbers, I sincerely wonder if Baylor regrets letting Bobby Simmons get away last summer for the same money.