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From winning the NBA Championship to barely squeaking into the Western Conference Playoffs and being swept out of the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder; it was a drastic drop-off for Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks. For the first time in quite a while, the Mavs enter the off-season with some cap flexibility and could be due for a roster makeover.
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All things considered, the Utah Jazz showed steady progress this season when some expected them further drop off post-Deron Williams trade. Now the Jazz enter the off-season with a glaring need; upgrading their talent in the backcourt.
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Mediocrity just doesn’t cut it in the NBA anymore. The Houston Rockets are entering a pivotal off-season in which they have the flexibility and assets to make some major moves, and possibly turn their franchise from one that has narrowly missed out on the playoffs the past few years, to becoming a major player in the Western Conference.
With Steve Nash hitting the market as an unrestricted free agent this off-season, it could be the end of an era for the Phoenix Suns and the beginning of a re-building effort. Here is a look at the Suns’ off-season team needs.
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40 games into the 2011-2012 NBA season and the Minnesota Timberwolves were actually competing for a Western Conference playoff spot. An injury to Ricky Rubio derailed the T-Wolves surprising start to the season but proved that there is reason for optimism in Minnesota and that the team doesn’t need to make any drastic moves this off-season. Still, a few upgrades could help them get back into post-season next year.
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The one time Eastern Conference power Detroit Pistons missed out on the post-season for a third straight season. Coincidentally enough, that streak started when general manager Joe Dumars wasted his abundant cap space by overpaying Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to long-term deals. The franchise is still in recovery mode from those signings and doesn’t figure to make any major moves this off-season.
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Year two of the Toronto Raptors’ post-Chris Bosh re-building effort yielded a similar result as year one. The Raps once again finished well out of the playoff picture and now enter the off-season in need of an influx in talent. They will Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas, their 2011 first round pick, but what else can Toronto do to improve their roster and get themselves back as a relevant Eastern Conference team?
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Now that the NBA regular season is over, fourteen teams are already looking ahead to next season. The 2012 NBA free agency class features more talent than the 2011 class but still nowhere near 2010 when guys like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, and David Lee were all on the market. Here are the top ten NBA unrestricted free agents available this summer. Click here for The Sports Bank’s 2012 NBA Mock Draft.
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Not many NBA teams will be in search of acquiring a point guard via free agency this summer which is a good thing since the crop of 2011 NBA free agent point guards is weaker than “The Situation’s” game. That will all change in summer of 2012 when Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, and Raymond Felton are all scheduled to hit the open market. Until then, here are the top free agent point guards for this off-season.
By: David Kay
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