I love the NBA….off-season!
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by user JasonComack
I consider myself a draftnkick. I can watch enough NFL draft coverage to make most peoples eyes bleed. The drama of Brady Quinn dropping, seeing who your favorite team drafts/where your favorite college players go. I could go on and on gushing about the NFL Draft.
As much as I love the NFL off-season nothing in sports is as captivating as the NBA off-season.
It’s the penalty shot of off-season’s
This Thursday the NBA off-season kicks off with the draft. I think it’s an appropriate time to explain why I find the off-season so captivating.
(In no particular order)
The expiring contract
The soft cap in the NBA really kills parity. Sure everyone has to be “under the cap”, but a team like the Knicks can have a 140 million dollar payroll. The Bobcats on the other hand have a payroll of only 40 million dollars. That’s a 100 million dollar difference! So how do teams over the cap stay over the cap?
Because of the expiring contract
Theo Ratliff is going to be a key trading chip this off-season. That’s 34 year old Boston Celtics Forward/Center Theo Ratliff. He played in all of two games last year.
So how does such a useless player become a key barging chip?
Because of the expiring contract
Ratliff’s 12 million dollar contract expires after this season, so whatever team acquires him is acquiring him not to contribute to their team but to provide salary/luxury cap relief in the future. Also because the NBA cap rules state that teams over the cap making a trade must match salaries almost identically a player like Ratliff, without any long term commitment becomes important.
I love the expiring contract because players who are so irrelevant/useless are the key to blockbuster trades.
P.J Brown (sign and trade) is also in line for a big one year contract that he doesn’t deserve. Brown and Andres Nociono are going to be key contracts in a Kobe or KG trade.
Expiring contracts, or the lack there of, are also the reason the Knicks can’t acquire Kobe Bryant.
Speaking of Kobe and KG
Start Powered Trades
You really won’t see this in any other sport. LaDanian Tomlinson is getting traded, either is Peyton Manning or Albert Pujols. However this NBA off-season there’s a real possibility that the best player in the league could be wearing a different uniform come opening day.
KG and Kobe are just the “mega” stars that can be dealt this off-season.
Rashard Lewis, Shawn Marion, AK-47, Jermaine O’Neal and Zach Randolph are just some of the other big names that are likely to be moved this off-season.
The Draft
The NBA Draft contains more subplots than a bad episode of LOST
-Unlike other sports one player really makes a team in the NBA.
The Blazers can go from doghouse to penthouse in one off-season
If They take Oden, trade Randolph for a small forward (Jamison/Jefferson type) all of a sudden they can trot out this lineup
Oden
Aldridge
SF acquired by trade
Roy
Jack
That can be a devastating core for years to come.
Jamarcus Russell (unless he can play all five O-Line Positions) isn’t turning the Raiders around. In fact he won’t start by the day one starter!
-His name is Kevin Durant…His name is Kevin Durant
Durant is a phenomenon. We haven’t seen a player like him, his upside is limitless.
He might also be the most fun to watch player in the NBA immediately.
I don’t watch college basketball but I made sure to watch as much Durant as I possible could. What’s not to love about the kid?
Durant and Oden are also putting their teams in the National Spotlight. The Sonics are going to get infinitely more prime time games than in years past.
-The Atlanta Hawks
Every year the Hawks pass on a point guard in the draft. They could have had Chris Paul or Deron Williams. This year their poised to once again pass on a promising point guard (Mike Connelly) for another swing forward like Al Hoford.
-The New York Knicks
If Isaiah Thomas has one positive quality it’s his ability to draft. Lee, Robison, Fyre all look like solid prospects. Even Rolando Blackman and Mardy Collins did much more than anyone expected. I can’t wait to see what random ass player he takes with our pick.
-The Foreign Players
Yi Jinlain…this doesn’t need an explanation.
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It’s a shame that the NBA off-season is better than both the NBA regular season and post season.
But hey look on the bright side, at least after a horrible postseason the 3 NBA fan’s left in the world have something even better to look forward to.
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