NBA Training camps are set to open across the country and with it the start of the NBA season will be official. The NBA offseason can be a long one and once the free-agency period is over and the draft is concluded we are left to chew on NBA Summer League tidbits. The offseason saw a couple big free-agent signings and an NBA entry draft that was full of surprises despite the low expectations
We will be making stops at each division to recap the tumultuous offseason and to highlight the new faces on each team. With it we will provide a fantasy spin and impact of these new additions. How will these new players fit into their new spots? Will these players have as much of an impact as management had hoped or will they falter?
Miami Heat
When you are the two-time defending NBA Champions and you have the best trio of players on the planet it can be hard to add significant pieces particularly in this salary-cap era. What the Miami Heat look to do every offseason is find cast off veterans, returning from injury players and those who just aren’t wanted anywhere else and will take a minimum contract just to play.
With those principles in mind the Heat got to shopping and they found the oft-injured Greg Oden on whom they took a chance. Oden could be a very nice complementary piece, mind you it is all contingent on him regaining his health. If he returns healthy, Oden is still a formidable force in the paint who can protect the rim, rebound the ball and set some devastating screens. Will Oden return to form of yesteryear? Probably not anytime soon, but he can be a factor in the Heat’s quest to three-peat.
With Oden already on board, the heat turned their attention to NBA castoffs. One such player in particular seemed destined for the has-been pile, that is until Miami gave him a second….errr fourth? chance. Michael Beasley’s career seemed to be going up in smoke; literally in Phoenix. The Suns did the right thing and tossed him out on his dreadlocks and what is one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. The Heat saw the potential and believe that they can right Beasley’s destructive ways. Given Beasley’s attitude and tendency to act like a self-centered narcissistic crybaby; I see him falling out of favour quickly in Miami.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are in slow rebuild mode. They have a very nice nucleus of young and talented players to build around and they don’t seem to be in any hurry to add through expensive free agency. That being said, the Magic still have a roster to fill out and so they did add a couple new faces to the mix.
The best addition to the squad was the teams #2 overall draft choice in Victor Oladipo. The guard out of Indiana is a workhorse with great defensive tenacity. His scouting reports indicate that his offensive game needs work; however, that will come as the young man adjusts to the NBA game. Oladipo will be the backcourt feature for the Magic as the majority of their talent lies in the frontcourt.
Washington Wizards
Similar to their division counterparts in Orlando, the Washington Wizards are content to be in rebuild mode. They have two significant pieces to build around in John Wall and Bradley Beal; however they need more offensive firepower to be competitive.
The Wizards drafted Otto Porter with their third overall pick in the draft in hopes of addressing some offensive needs. The fix isn’t going to be immediate; however, as Porter struggled mightily in NBA Summer League action. Porter seemed to lack strength, ball handling skills and confidence in his shooting stroke. The Wizards will need to nurture him along if they are to reap any rewards out of him.
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks had a solid 2012-13 campaign as they finished second in this division. General Manager Danny Ferry was looking to sell that success to would be free-agents, unfortunately the big names all passed on hot-lanta. Hopes were high as the Hawks had the salary cap room to make a run at Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Turns out the Hawks were never in serious contention for the duo and now they will turn their attention to the free-agent crop in 2014.
The Hawks still added some quality talent to the roster as they inked Elton Brand to a one-year deal. Brand will serve as a veteran leader for the young squad and he will go about his business of posting 8 ppg and 8 rpg. A solid if not unspectacular fantasy option in deep leagues.
To further bolster their frontcourt the Hawks signed Paul Millsap to a two-year free-agent deal. Millsap will be a very solid fantasy option as he and Al Horford will pair nicely. With the addition of Millsap, I expect Horford’s numbers to dip slightly due to presence of other able bodied big guys on the lineup now. Millsap will still see his touches and his rebounding numbers should remain steady if not increase slightly. the weak side boards are going to be available as teams will have to focus on either Horford or Millsap, but blocking out both will be a challenge.
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats dipped their toe in the free-agent water and managed to land Al Jefferson with a three-year $40.5 million deal. On the surface the signing may seem a bit suspect as the Bobcats aren’t going to challenge for a playoff spot; however, the real significance of this signing is that they now have a low-post threat to run the offense through and they got a player who can open the lane for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to penetrate.
Jefferson will see plenty of minutes in Charlotte and so long as he’s healthy the fantasy potential here is very good. Jefferson will be a beast in the Eastern Conference as there are few big bodies that can match up with him for 30-plus minutes a night. I project Jefferson to post double-double averages and still sprinkle in those 30-point 20-rebound nights that are a real boost to your fantasy roster.