The Knicks and Nets will begin their battle for ownership of New York City on opening night of the 2012/13 season at the Barclays Center. With the Nets adding and retaining key pieces like Joe Johnson and Deron Williams to their roster, the team looks to be more formidable heading into the season.
The Knicks weren't quiet either during the offseason as they strengthened their bench in a series of different moves that netted Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby, among others. The question becomes which team will finish the season with the most wins and be able stake claim to the title of best team in New York City.
Earlier today, HoopsWorld's Mark Nugent wondered in a column whether the Bulls are still title contenders with the likely absence of Derrick Rose for most of the season and several changes to their roster.
With this in mind, which team do you think will win the Central Division in 2012/13? Will it be the Bulls, or will the Cavs, Bucks, Pacers, or Pistons overtake them?
We recently asked you, the reader, which free agent signee is the most overpaid player of the summer—a list from which there are plenty of worthy options. Now we’re flipping the question around, asking who may have signed for less than what was expected.
Each time it negotiates a new CBA, the league seems to prioritize finding ways to limit ways for teams to overpay players. Yet as the first offseason under the latest CBA demonstrates, there's really no way to completely eliminate deals that seem regrettable from the start.
Of course, many of the players listed below could exceed expectations and live up to their contracts, but it seems likely they all owe thank-you cards to their agents. Some, like Omer Asik, Landry Fields and Jeremy Lin, benefitted from the Gilbert Arenas Provision in an unprecedented fashion. Others, like Gerald Wallace, Jameer Nelson and Jason Thompson re-signed with their own teams for amounts of money and lengths of time that raised eyebrows. Feel free to use our Free Agent Tracker to compare these signings with others and see if there's another player out there who seems even more overpaid to you.
The 2012 Summer Olympics in London are underway and USA Basketball is off to a strong start thanks to a 98-71 victory over France. Strong play from Kevin Durant and a host of other players led the way for the convincing victory as Team USA begins its quest for another gold medal. International play has had a history of improving the skills of young players as they return from overseas to return to their NBA teams.
With young players such as Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis being afforded the opportunity to play in the Olympics for the first time, the question becomes how will the experience impact them during the 2012/13 season and beyond.
There are still two months left until training camps open and three months until the regular season, but many of the offseason's highly anticipated moves have already happened. There's plenty, including a Dwight Howard trade, that can happen between now and the fall, but it seems like an appropriate time to take stock of what we've seen so far.
The five teams listed in the poll have been in the news a lot this past month. The Nets landed the top free agent target in Deron Williams and pulled off a trade for Joe Johnson. Their crosstown-rival Knicks loaded up on veterans, but let go of Jeremy Lin. The Heat snagged Ray Allen from the Celtics, pilfering from a key rival. The Lakers got a top-flight point guard in Steve Nash. The Timberwolves missed out on Nicolas Batum, but added Brandon Roy and Andrei Kirilenko.
Of course, you may think someone else is doing better, like the Hornets, who added a pair of top-10 picks, retained Eric Gordon, and today acquired Robin Lopez in a sign-and-trade. Others, like the Hawks and Mavs, deftly cleared cap space for next summer's free agents.
So, tell us which team you believe is having the best summer. For a cheat sheet, at least as far as free agents are concerned, consult our free agent tracker.
Earlier today, it was reported that the Bulls are expected to pass on matching the three-year, $25.1MM offer sheet that Omer Asik signed with Rockets. Houston managed to land the restricted free agent with a gameplan eerily similar to the one they used to ink Jeremy Lin. While the Bulls made it known publicly that they planned on matching any offer, it turns out that the hefty, backloaded deal was too rich for their blood.
Are the Bulls making a mistake by letting the 7'0" center walk? Mark Potash of the Chicago Tribune certainly doesn't think so. Potash writes that the $15MM cap hit that Asik would carry in the final year of the contract would loom over the team and simply wouldn't be worth it for a player who is as offensively challenged as Asik. While the Turkish big man shines in the low post defensively, he averaged just 3.1 PPG in 14.7 minutes per contest which would translate to 7.6 PPG per 36 minutes. Of course, it's hard to imagine Asik seeing that much playing time as he is firmly entrenched as a member of the club's second unit.
Still, even Potash admits that Asik's presence will be missed when the Bulls go head-to-head with the Heat. And while the Bulls found a suitable backup in Nazr Mohammed, it's hard to imagine the club getting similar output from him. It's your turn to weigh in – are the Bulls making a mistake in letting Asik go?
The conversation surrounding Dwight Howard's future as a member of the Magic has consumed the thoughts and minds of front office executives, members of the media and fans across the globe. Month after month, rumors have surfaced with information that Howard's headed to one particular team in exchange for some group of players, picks and prospects, only to seemingly lose credibility and fall apart just as quickly as it came to fruition.
With no deal in sight, the Magic announced on Saturday that they hope to move Howard by the beginning of August to gain some sense of closure heading into the new season. The question becomes which team will win the sweepstakes and add arguably the best big man in the league to its roster.
With the Knicks set to acquire point guard Raymond Felton from the Trail Blazers, the team is left to decide whether it should match Jeremy Lin's backloaded offer sheet from the Rockets. The Knicks would have four point guards on their roster if they elect to retain Lin's services, which could make for a very crowded backcourt.
There's no denying the impact Lin made during the 2011/12 season, but he only managed to play in 35 games and suffered a season-ending injury in late March. However, the team's record with Lin on the court (20-15) was significantly better than when he was on the bench or injured (16-15). Should the Knicks pay Lin or should New York simply let the former Harvard star take his talents to Houston?