If only it was as exciting as it sounds.  For all 12 of my dedicated followers I want to update you and let you know that I will be joining the team at http://www.frontofficefans.com/.  I’ll occasionally be updating the site here, but the majority of any new writing I do will be there.  Thanks to everyone for helping me launch my fledgling career in the world of blogging.

As the free agency period winds down, the contenders in the Eastern Conference remain much the same from last year.  There are a litter of teams in the East vying for the last playoff spots, but Cleveland, Orlando and Boston remain the favorites to come out of the East.  Let’s take a closer look at the moves these teams made during this offseason:

Boston Celtics:  2nd in the East, 62-20 record, eliminated in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals by the Orlando Magic

The Returning Players: The Celtics entered the offseason needing to address their depth after suffering injuries to numerous players last year, including Kevin Garnett.  The Celtics were able to survive a seven game thriller in the opening round against the Bulls and pushed the eventual Eastern Conference champions, Orlando Magic, to seven games in the conference semi-final.

Part of Boston’s ability to play tough in the playoffs came from Rajon Rondo’s emergence as a budding star point guard.  Rondo gives Boston a player, who can push the ball in transition, has no fear of contact and can finish in the paint.  Rondo’s speed and quickness puts constant pressure on the defense, he is an effective passer and a great rebounder for his size.  Rondo gives the Celtics an explosive dynamic that they lack and he emerged last year to make the Big Three into a Big Four.

The Celtics need to worry about Pierce, Allen and Garnett as they continue to age.  Pierce is 31, Allen, 34, and Garnett, 33.  This could be the beginning of the decline for the Celtics with aging veterans who started to show their age.  Allen was lights out in the first round series against the Bulls after his Game 1 debacle, but against Orlando Allen looked shot.  34 year-old jump shooters tend to break down and the Celtics would be smart to look for a solid backup that could reduce Allen’s minutes and step-in for a few games if Allen were to get hurt.

Pierce carried the Celtics through the regular season after Garnett was ruled out for the season.  Come playoff time however and it was a mixed bag of results for Pierce who looked fatigued and worn out at times.  He had his moments hitting a number of big baskets at the end of games, but he did not look like the player that was the 2008 Finals MVP.  If the Celtics can stay healthy, a big if, and Pierce doesn’t have to shoulder any extra load, he should be fresh come playoff time.  Out of their three aging superstars, Pierce certainly has the most game left.

Garnett’s recurring knee problems are the sign many big men face as their careers begin to decline.  Garnett should still be a very effective player, but the Celtics will need to reduce his minutes to keep him injury free and available for the playoffs.  In this vein I found some of the Celtics’ moves in addressing frontcourt depth, which was thin last year after Garnett and Leon Powe went down with injuries.

Offseason Moves: With an aging group of superstars, GM Danny Ainge needed to inject youth into the roster to provide relief and depth to guard against injuries.  The Celtics big move this offseason was to sign Rasheed Wallace to a two year deal for the full mid-level exception.  Wallace should be motivated more than he was in Detroit and gives the Celtics another veteran with playoff experience.  Wallace can hit shots from the perimeter as well as post up and is an excellent low post defender, for a team that already has Garnett and Kendrick Perkins guarding the rim.

Wallace will see time at both frontcourt positions, but after him there is very little the Celtics have up front.  The Celtics have extended the qualifying offer from Glen Davis, but rumors have Davis going elsewhere.  The Celtics may look to sign and trade him in order to get something back, but Davis was solid for the Celtics in the postseason and will be a loss for them.

In addition the Celtics let go of Leon Powe and Mikki Moore.  Powe is certainly a loss for the Celtics, but they chose not to re-sign him after he suffered an ACL injury that could keep him out for the majority of this season.  With free agency winding down, the Celtics still need to adress a need for a big combo guard that can guard 2’s, that can come in with Eddie House off the bench.

Other than that the Celtics will be looking for someone like J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker or Gabe Pruitt to emerge and begin contributing.  Ainge also is expected to sign Robert Swift, who he has had his eye since he entered the league.

X-Factors: J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker – They are bothe xtremely athletic wing players that could help the Celtics by providing a spark off the bench.  If these two can put in the work this offseason they both have NBA ability and skills to help the Celtics.

Outlook: With the addition of Wallace, a full recovery from Garnett, rest for Pierce and Allen and the continued development of Rondo, the Celtics will certainly challenge for the NBA title next year.  Their weakness continues to remain their depth, which Ainge will have to address through the remaining free agents on the market or via trade.

Expected Record: 61-21, 2nd in the East, eliminated in Eastern Conference Semi-Final by the Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic: 3rd in the East, 59-23 record, eliminated in the NBA Finals by the Los Angeles Lakers

The Returning Players: After making it to the NBA Finals with Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and an array of long range bombers the Magic revamped their roster and will be throwing out more conventional lineups next year.

Dwight Howard remains the centerpiece of the team.  Howard has evolved into the most dominant big man in the game, muscling his way to the hoop.  Howard is athletic enough to run and finish in the open floor and is a dominant force in the middle for Orlando.  If Howard wants to become one of the great centers he needs to continue to refine his post game and add more post moves.  He also needs to do a better job of shielding the ball and become better at going right up with the ball when he receives it rolling to the hoop.

Rashard Lewis also returns serving as one of the shooters who stretches the floor for the Magic.  Lewis disappeared in the Finals and if the Magic want to make a repeat performance, they will need Lewis to be more consistent throughout the playoffs.  Though undersized, Lewis played defense well enough against opposing power forwards throughout the regular season and playoffs.

Jameer Nelson also returns back from a torn shoulder and he should be back to full health when the season starts.  Nelson was an All-Star last year before he was injured and the Magic will be looking for him to get back to that  level.  Nelson is a much better passer than departed point guard Rafer Alston and also a more consistent shooter as well.

Michael Pietrus will also be back in his role off the bench for the Magic, where he excelled in the playoffs, particularly against Cleveland.  Pietrus is a good on the ball defender who has the ability to harass elite wing players like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant effectively.

The Magic will also have Marcin Gortat back after matching Dallas’ offer sheet for him.  Gortat was one of the best backup centers in the league last year and his presence would have been missed by the Magic.  His defensive play is very good, with his ability to block shots and he is also solid at finishing around the hoop when he gets the ball on offense.  If nothing else Orlando will be able to use Gortat as a valuable trade chip for teams looking for big men to protect the hoop.

Offseason Moves: The Magic simply could have re-signed Hedo Turkoglu and Gortat and their offseason would have been considered a success.  However, GM Otis Smith was not content with a roster that made it to the NBA Finals last year and went about retooling it.

On draft day, Orlando sent Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie to the New Jersey Nets for Vince Carter and Ryan Andersen.  I am on record with my doubts about this trade, but the Magic certainly win on talent alone.  Carter gives them a player that can create his shot as well as for others and can take over end of game shooting duties from the departed Turkoglu.  If Carter can play within the flow of the offense instead of excercising his penchant for holding the ball, he will provide a boost for the Magic offensively.

Andersen is a nice young player, who should find some minutes for himself in Orlando’s frontcourt rotation.  Andersen can stretch the floor for the Magic with his ability to hit from the perimeter, something very critical in the Magic’s offensive game plan.

The other big acquisition the Magic made was to sign forward Brandon Bass to a deal.  Bass is a rugged, athletic forward, who has a decent post game and a solid mid-range jumper.  He will certainly help the Magic on the glass where they needed help.  After struggling to match-up in the Finals with the Lakers’ frontcourt, the Magic needed to add depth and versatility which did in signing Bass.

Matt Barnes was also signed and gives Orlando another versatile player, who can play on the wing, or in a small ball lineup, can play power forward.  Barnes is long and athletic and can hit a decent clip from long-range.  Barnes is a decent ball handler and is a willing defender.  Barnes was another solid addition to the roster and gives the Magic a lot of depth.

X-Factor: Mickael Pietrus – Pietrus’ emergence in the Eastern Conference Finals, gave the Magic the added punch off the bench they needed to advance past the Cavaliers.  If Pietrus can stay helthy and again be the spark plug for Orlando, the Magic will have a good shot at advancing to the Finals again.

Outlook: The Magic added a lot of bench depth and versatility to the roster.  Carter gives them another bonafide scorer and creator, while Howard’s continued development will also help the team.  If Stan Van Gundy can mix and match all the new parts this team will be as dangerous as any team.

I do worry about the Magic becoming a more conventional halfcourt team and not being able to spread the floor as effectively.  This could limit Howard’s effectiveness and make it easier to send double teams his way.  Look for the Magic to get off to a slow a start with a number of new players finding their roles and then flourishing midway through the season.

Expected Record: 58-24, 3rd in the East, eliminated in Eastern Conference Finals by the Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers: 1st in the East, 66-16 record, eliminated in Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Mgic

The Returning Players: The Cavaliers did a good job of keeping their core together this offseason.  They were able to re-sign Anderson Varejao to a 6-year, $50 million deal.  Varejao is effective at moving off the ball and is also a willign defender.  If he can make his jumper more consistent that can help the Cavs.

Lebron James is clearly the key to this team.  Without him the Cavaliers would become one of the worst teams in the league immediately.  James needs to improve his shot from outside, but more importantly needs to refine his post-up game.  With his size, strength and speed, if James can develop a drop step and a fadeaway, he will truly become unstoppable in the post.  Expect to see Lebron get more minutes at power forward this season as well, as the Cavaliers should experiment more with small ball.

Other than that the Cavaliers have a solid supporting cast, with Mo Williams, Delonte West and Zydrunas Ilgauskas all capable of taking advantage of the opportunities that James provides them on offense.  West is a very strong on the ball defender and constantly harasses opponents.  Mo Williams will need to step up in the playoffs after he capped it off with an awful performance in their series against the Magic.  Ilgauskas is aging, but he is still effective on the pick and pop with James.

Offseason Moves: After being exposed by the Magic for their overall lack of athleticism and inability to defend Dwight Howard, the Cavaliers went into the offseason ready to make moves.  They started off with a big one, trading Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace and a second round pick to Phoenix for Shaquille O’Neal.  You can’t question the move too much as the Cavaliers traded away little to get a player of Shaq’s caliber, but at his age it’ll be interesting to see how much he can help.

Shaq certainly gives the Cavs a presence inside, but the Magic were able to abuse the Cavaliers by utilizing the high pick and roll with Howard.  Shaq has struggled his entire career to defend that very same play and at 37 years old it’s unlikely he’ll be getting better at it.  Shaq however does give them a primary option when James is sitting, which they have lacked in the past.

The only problem is that a Shaq pairing with either Varejao or Ilgauskas is doomed to failure, so look for him to be sharing time in the frontcourt with Lebron James, J.J. Hickson and the Cavs’ other free agent signing, Jemario Moon.

Moon is a hyper-athletic player, who can give them minutes at both forward positions.  Moon is a great finisher on the fast break and should benefit from playing alongside James.  Moon is also a decent three point shooter, hitting 35% for his career from downtown.

The Cavs also added free agent guard Anthony Parker.  Parker is an excellent defensive player on the wing and will be able to switch onto the opposing team’s best perimeter player, which should help both Mo Williams and Lebron.  Parker also is not a player that demands the ball, but he is proficient from deep and shoots %41.5 from downtown for his career.  Parker gives Cleveland more depth in the backcourt and he also has the ability to play small forwars as well.

X-Factor: Shaquille O’Neal – If he can be comfortable with playing limited minutes and not be the focal point of the offense Shaq can help this team.  Even in last years in the league, Shaq is still a force in the paint and his ability to check Dwight Howard may well determine this team’s fate.

Outlook: The Cavaliers certainly added a number of new pieces, much like the Magic.  However both Parker and Moon should have no problem stepping right into the rotation and fitting in.  If coach Mike Brown can solidify a frontcourt rotation between Shaq, Ilgauskas, Varejao and Hickson then the Cavaliers will be in good shape.

The Cavaliers had more than their fair share of opportunities against the Magic, but their role players need to step up and make shots when they need too.  Shaq should help instill a winning mindset with this team and if Lebron can take another step in his game, the Cavaliers have enough to compete against any team in the league.

Expected Record: 63-19, 1st in the East, Eastern Conference Champions

Hedo Turkoglu came to terms on a 5-year, $53 million contract with the Toronto Raptors.  Turkoglu is a great perimeter shooter, who also has the ability to beat players off the dribble, pull up for a jumper or take it to the hole. Turkoglu is also a very good passer, particularly off the pick and roll and also is a tough matchup for most small forwards because of his 6′10 frame.

There should not a long adjustment period for Turkoglu to get used to playing in the Raptors’ system who like to get up the floor.  He’ll be playing with an effective pass-first point guard in Jose Calderon, who will certainly look to make use of his new teammate and he also has Chris Bosh who should be deadly playing the pick and roll or the pick and pop with Turkoglu.

The Raptor, specifically GM Bryan Colangelo, have enough other problems on their team however that are certainly a cause for concern.  They don’t have the cap space to make many moves and in fact will certainly have to let go of Shawn Marion, Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino to make space for Turkoglu to officially sign his deal.

Toronto needs to acquire more players that can stretch the floor and adding more depth in the backcourt is a must.  Calderon cannot play 40 minutes a night and be expected to compete at a high level and they also have issues at their shooting guard position with rookie project DeMarcus Derozan the seeming starter right now.

Colangelo certainly has some work cut out for him in cleaning out the current mess he has on his hands in Toronto.  They may be able to split their mid-level exception on a few shooting guard prospects like Rodney Carney, who is extremely athletic and showed significant improvement in April, when he shot extremely well from the field.  They may also choose to look at Von Wafer who providided some useful long range bombing for the Rockets.

Unfortunately Colangelo cannot afford to strike out on his signings this summer like Jason Kapono, or if he chooses to trade he must avoid a situtation like the Jermaine O’Neal debacle last year.  The Raptors need results more than anything to show Chris Bosh, a free agent at the end of the year, that this team is not too far from being a contender.  From the looks of it however the Raptors will not be challenging the Cavaliers, Magic or Celtics anytime soon.

The team still has a number of flaws which must be addressed with limited cap space and a lack of trade assets.  If the Raptors are looking for a boost in a big way from Turkoglu who they need to play as he did in the playoff series against Cleveland all-season long.  Turkoglu  is 30, so if his production does not lead to improvement this year it is doubtful Bosh will stay to play alongside an aging playmaker.  They are also on the books for him until he is 35, when most small forwards, particularly players that slash to the hoop see a significant dip in their game after they turn 30.

The Raptors also need to see continued improvement from Andrea Bargnani who was phenomenal in his last 20 games.  During that span he averaged 19.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.  He also shot a near %41 from long-range last season.  Bargnani needs to become a better rebounder and with his size needs to make strides defensively and become a shot-blocking presence in the lane.  He has developed a reputation for being soft and if he can change that the Raptors will certainly be a better team.

At this time looking at the options the Raptors have in front of them, Colangelo certainly has not put them in an unenviable situation and his signing of Turkoglu looks like a last ditch gambit to turn around the team’s fortunes.  Unless he finds a way to address the team’s backcourt needs and improve its overall depth, they may be looking at a seed somewhere between No. 5- No. 8 and the likelihood of Chris Bosh leaving via free agency.  If Bosh leaves Colangelo will and should get the ax.

I’ll be gone for the next couple of days.  I’ll be updating this weekend.  Everybody enjoy your July 4th.

Last Thursday in the hours leading up to the NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic and the New Jersey Nets finalized a trade that brought Vince Carter and Ryan Andersen to Orlando.  In exchange the Magic gave up Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie.  Looking at the trade and its immediate repurcussions the Magic effectively traded Courtney Lee and Hedo Turkoglu for Air Canada.

Can Vince Carter play second fiddle to Orlando's Dwight Howard?

The Magic will be now depending on Vince Carter to be an important cog in a system centered around Dwight Howard.  The phrase “addition by subtraction” is often times used when a team benefits by losing a key player, which allows other players on the team to emerge.   In this case the Magic while adding an incredibly talented, All-Star caliber player in Vince Carter at the cost of a very good swingman and a rookie shooting guard will certainly be taking away from their overall success as a team.

Turkoglu is almost certain to not sign with the Magic again and should cash in elsewhere on his playoff heroics in helping the Magic reaching the NBA Finals.  GM Otis Smith also made this trade with that knowledge as Turkoglu had already turned down a 4-year, $35 million contract at the time that the trade was consummated.

Trading away Alston should also not be a problem given Jameer Nelson’s recovery from injury and Anthony Johnson’s consistent play at the backup point guard spot.  Giving away Battie may give them some problems as they are also not expected to match any offers for Marcin Gortat north of $5 million which he is likely to get.  Though I feel they would be better served re-signing him to the mid-level exception the Magic will surely be in the market for veteran big men during free agency. Nonetheless Battie’s production, or lack thereof, will not be missed by Orlando.

Now back to the real heart of the trade.  The Magic gave up two players, one a veteran scorer who came through with a number of clutch baskets in the playoff and the other, an emerging rookie who showed much promise in Orlando’s playoff run.  In return they receive an aging veteran shooting guard, who has a penchant for holding on to the ball and jacking up an inordinate amound of threes considering his natural ability to get into the lane.

My biggest issue with this is the Magic breaking up a team that seemed to have a breakthrough in this year’s playoffs and had tremendous chemistry.  Their ball movement in the postseason, particularly from Game 7 against the Celtics onwards, was fluid and served them well with players at all four positions able to hit the three.  Turkoglu was deadly playing the pick and roll with Dwight Howard, because of his ability to either drive the ball to the basket, pop a jumper or find the open man, something the Cavs can attest too.

Turkoglu also was the Magic’s finisher come playoff time. He came up with a crucial game winner in Game 4 against the Sixers in the first round and a near game-winner that was topped by a miracle shot by Lebron in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Additionally Courtney Lee was an excellent perimeter defender who often times found himself guarding the likes of Lebron James and Kobe Bryant in the playoffs and not backing down.  Lee was particularly effective against Ray Allen against the Celtics hounding him all series long, averaging only 13.4 points a game in the series.  Lee also had a decent offensive game and seemed to find his rhythm from the second half of the season onwards and provided another decent scoring option for the Magic.

The Magic will hope that Mickael Pietrus can stay healthy and provide the kind of perimeter shooting and defensive play that he was able to summon off the bench in the playoffs all year in the starting lineup.  They can also expect Andersen, who had a decent rookie campaign and is only 20 years old, to provide an option in the frontcourt off the bench.

Carter has never been part of a team where he is not the primary scorer.  In Toronto he was the franchise player.  When he got traded to the Nets, Jason Kidd was the point guard, but Carter did most of the scoring.  In fact Carter’s addition took away from Richard Jefferson’ success.  This can be attributed to both of them being slashers and is less a product of Carter’s failures as a player and more about Rod Thorn rolling the dice and looking to give the Nets another crack at an NBA Finals berth.

Trading Hedo Turkoglu and Courtney Lee will hurt Orlando's depth and they must find a way to replace their production.

Nonetheless Carter throughout his career has been a noted chucker, who has lost the courage to drive to the rim at the slightest hint of physical play.  Carter tends to hold on to the ball for extended periods of time, which is not suited for Orlando’s pick and roll offense, predicated on players finding the open man for a three or dumping it into the post to Howard.

Carter’s defense is essentially non-existant which could pose a concern for the Magic, though Dwight Howard’s ability to alter shots in the lane has helped shape them into the best defensive unit in basketball.  All Carter will have to do is funnel his opposing number into the middle of the lane towards Howard and make correct rotations when necessary which could be a problem.

Looking at the trade, it seems to me the Magic would be have been better off re-signing Turkoglu to a deal for around 9-10 million anual for four years and then using the mid-level exception to re-sign Gortat.  Instead they will now be paying Carter $16.3 million next year, $17.3 million the year after that and $18 million the next.  They will also be inserting a second-year player in Ryan Andersen into their frontcourt rotation, while also hurting their depth at both the shooting guard and small forward positions, placing more pressure on Pietrus to perform this year.

They could have moved Alston’s and Battie’s expiring contracts later in the summer, or perhaps at the deadline next year to address any issues of need.  Looking at this trade as a whole, while the Magic definitely won in terms of talent, it looks like come playoff time next year the results will tell a different story.

First off the U.S. was amazing in completely reversing its fortunes in the Confederations Cup after they lost the first two games to Italy and Brazil by a combined score of 6-1.  To beat Spain in the semi-finals and really step up and challenge Brazil in the finals was remarkable and certainly shows that this team has more talent than it is given credit for.  Landon Donovan had positive touches on the ball and was aggressive in attacking the defense as opposed to his play in the 2006 World Cup.  Clint Dempsey was also fantastic, making the most of his opportunities and the U.S. looks like they have found an effective centerback pairing in Oguchi Onyewu and Jay Demerit.

Claudio Reyna and the rest of the U.S. squad set a new standard for American soccer after they advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2002 World Cup.

Now with all that being said the U.S. is once again at a crossroads that was supposed to have been crossed back in their unexpected and highly succesful 2002 World Cup run.  That year the Americans led by captain Claudio Reyna exuded a confidence that U.S. Soccer had sorely needed and advanced all the way to the quarterfinals where they gave eventual runner-up Germany all they could handle, losing 1-0.  Along the way the U.S. beat a world power in Portugal, tied hosts and semi-finalist South Korea and thoroughly dominated CONCACAF foe, Mexico in the round of 16.

At the time we heard that now U.S. Soccer had established itself on the international stage and from now on could be expected to at the least be competitive against the top competition.  Since that point American soccer however has really gone nowhere.  The 2006 World Cup preceded with much hype an increased expectations, ended in great disappointment with the U.S. losing their first game 3-0 to Czech Republic, tied Italy and then fell to the Ivory Coast 2-1 in their final group game.  The U.S. would have advanced with a win in that final group game, but failed to capitalize on a number of chances in that game.

Now fast forward to the Confederations Cup 2009 and the U.S. seems to once again be on the verge of becoming a team not to be taken lightly, but certainly not by learning lessons that should have been learned in 2002.  To make the next step we cannot be content to simply believe that this is the best this team can put forward and that minor tweaks should fix all the problems.  In fact some of the weakness of this team may only be able to answered by taking some risks and that’s what Sunil Gulatil, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation and national team coach, Bob Bradley are going to have to do over the course of the next year, leading up to the World Cup.

Now fundamentally as is the general feeling among many is that the U.S. played great soccer against Spain in defeating them 2-0 and nearly beat Brazil in the final 2-3.  This evaluation is wrong in that while these two games are certainly good results, the problems that have plagued American soccer still remain, though to a lesser extent.

Let’s start from the U.S. performance in the second half of each of these games.  Heading out of haltime with a 1-0 lead against Spain, the U.S. came out with the intent of defending that lead and to do this they were going to keep players back, which led to a complete imbalance of possession in the second half.  The U.S. defended great in that game and the Spaniard could not unlock the key to the U.S. defense, which eventually lead to a succeful counterattack that made the game 2-0, the margin the American would go on to win by.

Luckily the Americans were not punished for this transgression in the semi-final, but against Brazil it came back to haunt them.  The Americans played extremely well in the first half of the game, defending and pressuring the Brazilians, not allowing them to find their flow in the attack with disruptive play in the midfield and on the wings, in particular to Jonathan Spector, who was spectacular in tracking Kaka on the left wing the entire game.

However after gaining a 2-0 lead after Donovan’s strike in the 26th minute, the U.S. played uptight the rest of the half and understandably so.  It was their first final in a FIFA competition, against a team they had a record of 13-1 against going into the game.

Now coming out halftime, Brazil struck quickly on a fantastic goal by Louis Fabiano who managed to turn and shoot with Jay Demerit who was all over him.   A genuinely brilliant goal the U.S. could do little about other than to tip their hat and continue playing.  However what was disappointing was the Americans’ negative play the entire second half.

Charlie Davies often found himself as part of a one man U.S. attack in the second half of the Confederations Cup Final against Brazil.

The U.S. was unable to sustain possession of any substance due to a combination of a few things.  The lack of technical ability and creativity of a number of players on the American team as well as their continued reluctance on getting numbers into the attack.  The attack generally consisted of Charlie Davies made forays forward with no support at all coming from Altidore, who looked spent in the second half or either from the American midfield.  Even Donovan and Dempsey who had played brilliantly throughout the entire tournament seemed content to sit back and defend against the Brazilians.

To compound their general disinterest in offensive possession, the U.S. defensive strategy was also questionable.  The American played low pressure defense, allowing Brazil to advance the ball easily, particularly on the wings where Maicon, Kaka and Robinho where allowed space with which to operate.  They lack of on the ball pressure allowed the Brazilians to get numbers up and carefully choose whether they wanted to play the ball in the box, switch the point of attack and/or take players on in one-on-one situations.

To allow a team with as much talent as Brazil that much freedom to operate was a poor gameplan and was exposed in the second half, particularly later on as the constant pressure took a tool on the U.S. defenders and Brazil increasingly able to make successful runs to get behind the U.S. defense.  In particular Louis Fabiano’s second goal was an example with Kaka crossing the ball from the left side and after an initial stop, was carromed in by Fabiano.

If the American are serious about becoming a real player on the internation stage in FIFA tournaments this needs to change.  They need to believe that they can take some chances and get more players involved on the attack.  I did not see any overlapping runs from the outside fullbacks, something Brazil used to great affect.  More disappointing was how little confidence U.S. players had in holding the ball for possession, it almost seemed like a rush to play a number of fruitless balls into the box from midfield, rather any patience in building up an attack.  These are qualities that the 2002 World Cup team possessed that have not been shown in international play by the U.S. since.

If you look back at the loss to the Germans in the 2002 World Cup, the American really dominated that game, creating a number of opportunities and deserved to win.  If the U.S. is to take the next step they need to develop players that not only can be solid, but at times spectacular particulary the strikers and midfielders.  Dempsey’s a natural goal scorer that should be utilized at striker more often and the U.S. need to be patient in developing Jozy Altidore who has the potential to be a world-class striker.

Fullback Dani Alves made runs and got involved in the attack, something the Americans lacked

Another thing the U.S. has lacked since 2002 and Tony Sanneh’s retirement is a fullback that has the ability to get involved in the attack and can make long runs from the back.  Sanneh’s play in that tournament has been forgotten by many, but his ability to make overlapping runs, service balls into the box and also ability in the air truly gave the Americans a weapon few knew they possessed.  Looking at their last two opponents in Spain and Brazil, the value of having fullbacks that can attack is apparent.  Brazil possesses a number of these like Dani Alves, whose deadly free kick in the semi-final against South Africa, sent the Salecao into the finals.

Being satisfied with these results are not an option and seeing some of the U.S. players’ reaction after the game it may be a sign that they will be willing and able to take the next step.  Donovan talked about how at this point they don’t just want respect, but they want to win.  Dempsey was in devastated and was in tears even when he received the Bronze Ball award for his play.

The way it plays, the American have two options heading to the World Cup.  They could choose to be satisfied with a team that’s solid and may advance to the elimination rounds, but lacks the firepower, creativity and technical flair to be a real threat.  On other hand, they have the opportunity to take a look at some young players like Freddy Adu and Maurice Edu among others, while challenging the current members on the team to be better than they are currently and take the real necessary steps to become a real contender.

Shaq Traded to Cleveland to Pair Up With Lebron

The big news so far today is that Shaquille O’Neal has been traded to the Cavs in exchange for Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace and a 2nd round pick.  This trade was a salary dump for Phoenix and should signal the end of a long successful run for the Suns.  Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash are likely to leave in the summer of 2010 if they aren’t traded before then.

This trade for the Cavs doesn’t hurt them, but I’m not sure how much it actually helps them in matching up with Orlando.  Shaq has never been particularly good at defending the pick and roll, which is what the Magic burned them with throughout their conference finals series.  Shaq will also clog the lane offensively which will reduce the effectiveness of James’ drives into the lane.  This makes it more imperative that Lebron gets a consistent jumper this offseason and that the cavs front office add a versatile, athletic big man that can stretch the floor from the four spot.

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Ainge Blasts Rondo in Morning Radio Interview

The other big player in the news in the past few days has been Rajon Rondo.  The Celtics have been rumored to have offered up Rondo in trades to a number of teams.  GM Danny Ainge just added more fuel to the fire this morning during a radio interview on WEEI where he criticized Rondo saying that he had to “grow up” and that his presence hurt the Celtics in their series against the Magic.  He also went on to say that Rondo was not a “max contract player”.

Danny Ainge so far in his time as Celtics GM has done an excellent job, but I think he has really botched this situation up a lot.  First off the Celtics seeming desperation to move Rondo puts them now in a situation gives them less leverage in trade talks.  The Celtics are not dealing from a position of strength for a player who is now a top-5 point guard in the league.

Generally speaking, it’s also not a good idea to trade a player who is coming into his own as one of the premier players at his position.  More importantly, it’s not good basketball sense to trade somebody of that caliber.  Now if the case is that Rondo is spreading some kind of negative energy in the locker room then I can understand why you are looking to trade him, but by airing their dirty laundry in the media all they have succeeded in doing is to hurt Rondo’s market value.

Now Ainge may just be trying to get under Rondo’s skin and motivate him to become a better teammate and a different player by criticizing him and puttin him up in trade offers.  If that’s the case then I can slight understand what he’s doing, but I still don’t agree with making a difference between a player and management news open for the media to speculate on.

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Memphis, OKC Could Look to Trade Picks

Memphis is still hanging onto the No. 2 pick in tonight’s draft but are still definitely listening to trade offers.  The main suitors are the Minnesota Timberwolves who can dangle the No.5 and No.6 pick and the New York Knicks.  Both teams are looking to land Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio.

The Knicks and the Grizzlies have already agreed on a trade that will send Darko Milicic to the Knicks in exchange for Quentin Richardson.  While the Knicks are not willing to give up Wilson Chandler, they may be able to offer up David Lee, a restricted free agent in a sign and trade to Memphis.  This seems unlikely as Lee has stated previously that he does not wish to play for Memphis amid rumors last year that the Knicks were trying to move up to draft O.J. Mayo.

A more likely trade partner may be Oklahoma City who has interest in Lee and were rumored to be making a possible run at him in free agency this summer.  Lee would add to a promising nucleus of Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green.  The Knicks would likely have to give up the No. 8 pick as well in order to secure the No. 3 pick.  Not sure if there are any talks going right now, but the Knicks may explore this option as the day progresses.  A deal involving Lee could not be finalized until July 8, the first day teams can sign free agents.

The Knicks are also looking to buy a pick at the end of the first round.

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Bulls, Blazers Looking to Move Up in Draft

There could be a number of trades during tonight’s draft with a lot of rumors of the Bulls trying to move up and secure the No. 13 pick from Indiana or the No. 14 pick from Phoenix in order to draft BJ Mullens who the Pistons are targeting at No. 15.  The Bulls would probably have to trade their No. 16 and their No. 26 pick.

The Blazers are also reportedly aggressively trying to move up in the draft and they have some picks as well as a number of their own excess of talented players that they could look to trade.

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Basketball Prospectus’ Kevin Pelton has an excellent write-up today on the backcourt prospects in this year’s NBA Draft and how their games project to the NBA.

The NBA Draft for many fans is a time during the offseason where your team has the opportunity to fix areas of need.  It’s also the most exciting time for fans of teams that are perpetually in the lottery as its the only time during the year where they take center stage.  However with all the hype and hoopla that surrounds the draft it isn’t clear whether or not your team is likely to have succeeded in improving itself or not.  In fact its nearly impossible to determine the success of a team’s draft until three or four years in the future.

That doesn’t mean that you should sit there without any reaction to your team’s picks.  It is clear that there are often times that a team makes a mistake and it is apparent from the get go, such as Atlanta taking Marvin Williams over Chris Paul and Deron Williams.  However the idea of grading a team’s draft in comprehensive fashion the day after the draft is utterly ridiculous looking at the past.

Carlos Delfino and Darko Milicic were supposed to help the Pistons continue their championship success for years to come.

In the 2003 NBA Draft the Detroit Pistons had the No. 2 overall pick and as we all know passed on Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and a number of other to take, at the time, the European superprospect Darko Milicic.  At the time all the analysts and writers were praising the Pistons calling this a great move for the future with Milicic expected to develop into a power forward who was athletic, could run the floor and spread the defense with his perimeter shooting.  However what few people remember is the Pistons were also lauded in that draft for the next pick they made at No. 25 in the first round, Carlos Delfino.

At the time many experts were calling this a double steal.  Many were saying that if Delfino had come out a year later with more exposure to the draft process he would have easily been at the least a top-10 pick and more likely gone in the top-5.  While Delfino has had his moments for Argentina’s men’s basketball team, his NBA career developed into something far less than what draft prognosticators envisioned.  After two years in Detroit, Delfino was traded to Toronto for a second round pick.  He played one more season with the Raptors and now is playing for the Khimki Moscow Region in the Russian Superleague.

Needless to say the draft evaluations the day after in which the Pistons were praised were within three years proven worthless.  Neither player remained on the Pistons roster and Milicic is often mentioned among the biggest draft busts of all time in the same vein as Sam Bowie.

The team that perfectly illustrates how unimportant the immediate draft reactions and evaluations are have been the San Antonio Spurs over the years.  In the 1999 NBA Draft, the Spurs drafted high schooler Leon Smith at No. 30, who they then immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Gordan Giricek and a secound round pick in 2000.  With their second round pick at No. 57 the Spurs, without much fanfare took Manu Ginobili a shooting guard from Argentina who was playing in Italy at the time.

Two years later the Spurs drafted Frenchman, William Anthony “Tony” Parker No. 28 overall, the last pick in the first round.  Spurs coach Gregg Popovich though still questioning Parker’s toughness took a chance on the speedy point guard hoping that with a few year’s coaching Parker would develop into a solid playmaker for the Spurs.  Needless to say at the time, this pick garnered little attention.

Parker immediately began playing for the Spurs during the 2001-2002 season, became the starting point guard and by the end of the year had turned heads being voted to All-Rookie First Team.  Though the Spurs would go on to be eliminated by the Lakers that year in the playoffs Parker’s play turned some heads.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, both late draft picks, have became integral players that helped the Spurs win championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007

The following year Parker continued his development and was joined by 1999 draft pick Manu Ginobili.  During the 2002-2003 NBA season Parker continued his growth as a player, while Ginobili was a key reserve and made All-Rookie Second Team.  During the playoffs both players continued their growth and helped the Spurs past the favorited Lakers team and into the NBA Finals, where the Spurs captured their second NBA championship over the New Jersey Nets.

The two players became integral parts of the team and helped lead the Spurs to championships in 2005 (over the Pistons with Delfino and Milicic) and 2007 as well.  San Antonio is now consistently mentioned as a team that other franchises attempt to model themselves after due to their ability to find extremely effective players deep into the draft and their history of sustained success.

None of this means that when your team makes a pick that puzzles you that you shouldn’t react poorly or that we should not critically evaluate a team’s draft day performance.  It does however suggest that perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to throw a team under the bus for a draft selection and at the same time we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves and crown one team a winner in the year’s draft.  The history of the NBA is littered with too many players that never panned out as expected and draft classes that turned into nothing but cautionary tales (take a look at the the 2000 NBA Draft).

The NBA Draft is based on potential and rather than rushing to crown winners and losers it’s important to be patient in evaluating the players from that year’s draft to see if they develop as expected.  More than not it takes three years to truly look back at a draft and be able to determine who drafted well and who has nothing to show for it.

After a 3 week vacation to India where most of the NBA Finals games I was able to watch at 6AM were interrupted by power cuts I am back and plan to start blogging within the next couple of days once I get caught up with the world of sports.  I’ll be up soon with some semblance of a look at this year’s NBA Draft as well as a log of some interesting finals experiences I had while in India.

Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Orlando Magic (2) Orlando Leads Series 3-1

Game4: Orlando 116 – Cleveland 114 F/OT

If you are Mike Brown, you should look in the mirror and accept your share of the responsibility for this loss.  Why has Lebron James been guarding Rafer Alston in this series?  This decision been exploited consistently by the Magic and has put Delonte West in the position of guarding Hedo Turkoglu.  This mismatch with Turkoglu running the pick and roll with Dwight Howard has been the most successful weapon for Orlando in this series and Cleveland has not had an answer.

It was mind-numbing to watch the start of the game yesterday and seeing Ilgauskas and Varejao starting together again in the frontcourt again at which point Cleveland proceeded to fall behind 19-12 with a little over 6 minutes left in the first quarter.  Brown immediately inserted Sczerbiak into the game, moved Varejao to the 5 and took Ilgauskas and moved James to the 4 which produced some of Cleveland’s best basketball of the series.  They went on a 13-2 run to close out the quarter with a 25-21 lead with Sczerbiak defending Lewis and Varejao’s quicket feet neutralized the effectiveness of Orlando’s pick and roll offense.

The Cavaliers offense was better yesterday with Delonte West adding 17 points and 7 assists and Mo Williams adding 18 points.  However neither was able to hit from deep even when they had several wide open looks.  West missed one late in the fourth quarter from the right corner with the Cavs down 96-93.  This opportunity along with mostly everything the Cavs had in the second half was created by James’ penetration and kick outs.  Cleveland’s inability to hit from deep even when they had doomed them as they shot an abysmal 27.3% from the field on 6-22 shooting.

Lebron James shoots over Dwight Howard in overtime

James was phenomenal again scoring 44 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists.  He had the ball in his hands on nearly every possession in the fourth quarter and overtime.  He did have 5 turnovers combined in those two periods, but it was obvious to see he was pressing trying to create opportunities when there were none.  The pressure of carrying his team at every occasion must be wearing on James and with a continued inability to hit shots from his supporting cast the load for Lebron is continuing to increase.

The Magic are in a groove right now offensively and everything looks easy for them.  Their ball movement off the pick and rolls has been amazing and it has been their ability to make the 2nd and 3rd passes to the open man that has helped them take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.  Turkoglu’s ability to penetrate and make smart decision has paid off and he scored 15 points to go along with his 7 rebounds and 8 assists.  Howard was a beast last night putting in 27 points and 14 rebounds.  He dominated the overtime period scoring 10 of the Magic’s 16 points.

Rashard Lewis played huge down the stretch after being invisible the first 3 periods with only 3 points.  In the final two sessions of play Lewis put in 14 points including the three that put the Magic up 100-98 with 4.2 seconds left in regulation.  The biggest star perhaps for the Magic last night was Rafer Alston who was unconscious in the third quarter scoring 15 of his team’s 28 points in the period and getting them through a point in the game where nobody else seemed able to score for them.

Mickael Pietrus provided a huge lift off the bench again for the Magic scoring 17 points and continuing his hot shooting from deep on 5 of 11 shooting from three point range.  Pietrus also did as good a job as possible against James throughout the second half giving him nothing easy and doing his best to keep him off the foul line.

Pietrus celebrates after hitting one of his five three pointers in the first half

Cleveland still has a chance, though a very slim on to win this series.  They have lost games now by margins of 1, 2 and 10.  In all these games they have had a chance and their inability to convert on open looks has cost them dearly against the Magic.  Mike Brown has to make the necessary adjustments.  Start Varejao at the 5 and James at the 4 and shuffle between Mo Williams, Delonte West, Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic and Wally Sczerbiak to fill in the other three positions on the court.  This gives them their most athletic lineup and also will do a better job of limiting the Magic’s effectiveness on their pick and rolls.

Bringing Ilgauskas off the bench will give them an added scoring punch, especially if Big Z can take advantage of playing against the bench players for the Magic.  He may also be able to avoid matching up with Howard for significant periods of time who has completely dominated him in this series.  Cleveland should win Game 5 at home out of desperation, but will need a supreme team effor to win a Game 6 in Orlando.

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Horrible officiating down the stretch of this game once again took away some of the luster from an otherwise phenomenally played game.  With the Magic down 98-97 Lewis took a three from the corner with 10 seconds left in the game after Turkoglu kicked it out to him.  He missed the look and as the ball ricocheted out towards midcourt Delonte West had a beat in the ball.  Dwight Howard barreled into him knocking West off his feet after he was about to grab the ball and it carromed out of bounds off his fingers.  No foul was called on the play and Orlando got the ball and Lewis made his second attempt from three.  If West had gotten the ball Orlando would have fouled and had West made both the Magic would have needed a three to tie with Cleveland almost certain to foul and send them to the line.

The refs were also consistent in giving both James and Dwight Howard superstar treatment throughout the course of the game.  James drew a number of blocking fouls that were at best no calls and in this watered down version of the NBA would have been charges.  I’m not sure if the refs are watching, but nearly everytime Howard set a screen in the second half he moved into the defender with his hips or elbows.  In mentioning his elbows the refs need to make Howard keeps him down as he developed a tendency to swing his elbows without any reason or provocation.

The technical foul on Howard last night was almost comical.  Howard was pumped up after making a basket and was celebrating for which he immediately received a technical foul.  The NBA needs to figure this out, because what has been an amazing NBA playoffs so far has been somewhat overshadowed at times by absolutely horrific officiating.  Over the course of the past 3-4 years the officiating has gotten worse and worse and this playoffs may be the nadir.