The Roberts Roundball Report

NBA Off-Season: Making Sense of the Chaos

(Above: Can Mr. Technical mesh with the Boston “Three Party”?)

I’m sure even the most casual NBA fan is getting sick of this. Hell, even the most casual sports fan has probably had enough.

Now that the NBA Draft is old news, it’s time to review all the huge trades that went down during and after the draft.

Several teams are feeling pretty good about themselves, as they landed a stud or two via trade, and possibly even shored up their roster with a solid draft.

Here’s a look at the top ten trades and signings that went down, and what they mean for those team’s prospective futures.

10. Jamal Crawford Sent to Atlanta

Crawford has worn out his welcome with Don Nelson, while Atlanta wasn’t high on bringing back Mike Bibby for big money. Update: Hawks signed Bibby to a three-year, $18 million deal, ensuring him a starting spot.

This puts Crawford in a bench role, or could shift Joe Johnson to small forward, depending on what happens with Marvin Williams, as well as Josh Smith’s trade requests.

Crawford is more of a shooting guard, but has excellent ball handling and passing abilities, which allows him to play at three positions, if needed.

This is a questionable move by Atlanta, whereas Golden State actually acquired Acie Law and “Speedy” Claxton, two solid guards to add depth.

9. Zach Randolph to Memphis

The Clippers agreed to send Randolph to Memphis for Quentin Richardson, finally giving Memphis a consistent low-post threat.

Unfortunately, the offense Memphis runs is more up-tempo, which is not necessarily the best style suited for Randolph’s low-post game.

There have been rumors that Memphis was extremely high on David Lee and wanted to bring him in, but decided he was too expensive.

Still, adding Randolph to a team with Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Hasheem Thabeet shows the city of Memphis that this franchise is serious about getting better.

It appears they are well on their way.

8. Richard Jefferson Traded to Spurs

While Milwaukee was unloading Jefferson simply to save money for 2010 free agency, San Antonio was putting the finishing touches on a championship contender.

Jefferson’s arrival and Bruce Bowen’s departure give the Spurs a star-packed set-up of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Jefferson, Tim Duncan, and Drew Gooden.

Regardless of all the others moves, this solid addition puts San Antonio back among the elite when talking about title contention.

7. Wizards land Randy Foye and Mike Miller

The Minnesota Timberwolves clearly were more high on Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn than they were on Randy Foye, so trading him and Miller for a second top-10 pick was an easy decision.

A smart decision? Well, that remains to be determined.

Washington, on the other hand, obtained a dynamic guard in Foye, one who can penetrate and create for teammates, but also score by himself and hold down the other team’s guard.

Mike Miller is an excellent shooter with triple-double credentials, as well. He brings trusted outside shooting, as well as great versatility and leadership.

The Wizards were decimated by injuries and poor play last year. With these two new additions, they could be looking at a huge turn-around.

6. Vince Carter to Orlando

Back when Carter was a free agent, there were rumors of him finding his way to Orlando, so this trade wasn’t really too surprising.

Acquiring Carter meant that the Magic either didn’t want to bring Hedo Turkoglu back, or they knew they couldn’t afford him.

Regardless, they gain one All-Star, and lose another.

Carter brings great scoring, outside shooting, and a whole new dimension to Orlando’s offense.

They will miss Turkoglu, but adding Carter to their potent offensive machine should keep them within title contention.

5. Detroit lands Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva

It’s the tale of two seasons.

Last year, Detroit looked like a bunch of fools, trading away Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, and then barely reaching the playoffs.

They rectified that, however, by bringing in two elite, young talents that should inject youth and excitement into the franchise, as well as the city.

Gordon gives them the star scorer they’ve been looking for, as he can pair with Richard Hamilton on the offensive end, and can even help with the fluidity of the rest of the offense.

Villanueva can play multiple positions, and has good range on his shot, allowing the Pistons to use him in a number of ways.

Gordan and Villanueva replace the departed Iverson and Rasheed Wallace, respectively, and are considerable upgrades as far as talent and youth.

4. Rasheed Signs With Boston

Rasheed Wallace may not have another title run in him, but Boston made the right decision in “wanting to find out”.

The fact is, Wallace won’t be asked to carry the load or play out of his element in Boston. He’s there to play gritty defense when needed, and to make some big shots.

The Celtics are getting older by the day, but adding Wallace creates match-up problems, and gives Boston one of the more star-studded line-ups in the league.

Considering how close Boston was to getting back to the Eastern Conference Finals, a healthy Kevin Garnett and a newly determined Wallace could mean bad things for the rest of the NBA.

3. Ron Artest to Lakers

Out goes Trevor Ariza, in comes Ron Artest.

Ariza would probably have been the safer and more logical pick, considering his already high skill-set, youth, and ceiling.

However, Artest is an All-Star caliber player, with a sound offensive game, as well as the ability and tenacity to match-up with the game’s best offensive players.

Artest adds a whole new attitude to the Lakers starting five, as he brings some new fuel for a run at a championship.

2. Hedo Turkoglu Spurns Blazers, Heads to Canada

It was clear he wasn’t going to Orlando after Vincanity began, so Turkoglu began discussions with the up-and-coming Trail Blazers.

However, something wasn’t quite right, whether it be money or philosophy, and Turkolgu backed out at the last minute.

Later than night reports were fielded, saying he signed with the Toronto Raptors, guaranteeing him a fat paycheck, as well as a spot with a team that was only a piece or two away from being a serious playoff contender again.

Turkoglu could be that final piece that Toronto needs.

After saying good-bye to Jason Kapono through a trade, the Raptors were looking for some solid outside shooting, and they got that-and then some.

Turkoglu will take over as the offensive director of the team, probably only second to Jose Calderon.

After adding DeMar DeRozan at shooting guard in the draft, Toronto is quickly piling together a crop of talent that could surprise a lot of people.

1. Shaq to Cleveland

It doesn’t matter that he’s 37 or that Phoenix didn’t go to the playoffs last season. Shaq can still get it done.

What’s even more important is that the team he’s now with, Cleveland, was a few close games away from reaching the NBA Finals, and are manned by the league’s biggest star, LeBron James.

Shaq brings a defensive presence that Cleveland has never had, while also giving James a second dependable scoring option, something he’s been searching for ever since he got into the league.

This move easily makes the Cavaliers the favorites to reach the Finals for the Eastern Conference.