Did LeBron James and the champion Miami Heat do enough to repeat? Will the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Bobcats be as woeful as they were a season ago?

Let’s take a look at that and much more as I dive into my offseason grades for the Southeast Division.

May 23, 2012; Philadelphia, PA USA; Philadelphia 76ers point guard Lou Williams (23) reacts after making a shot against the Boston Celtics during the second half of game six of the Eastern Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers defeated the Celtics, 82-75. The 76ers tied the series at 3 games each. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

Atlanta Hawks

Players Added

NBA Draft: G John Jenkins, F Mike Scott
Free Agents: G Lou Williams
Trades: G Devin Harris, F Kyle Korver, G Johan Petro, F Anthony Morrow, F Jordan Williams, F DeShawn Stevenson

Players Lost

Free Agents: C Jason Collins, G Kirk Hinrich, F Vladimir Radmanovic, G Jerry Stackhouse
Trades: F Marvin Williams, G Joe Johnson
Waived: G Jordan Farmar

Is it too early to give Danny Ferry the Executive of the Year Award?

Just two weeks on the job, Ferry found the only general manager in the league willing to give up expiring contracts for the remaining $89 million left on Johnson’s contract, got another expiring contract for Marvin Williams, picked up a free-agent bargain in Lou Williams and suddenly has the team poised to be a serious player in the free-agent market of 2013.

Theoretically, the Hawks could add both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul next year. They’ll have just three players under contract. Even if they can’t persuade either All-Star to come to Atlanta, they’ll still have major room to attract other top-tier free agents.

They may be a little worse this season, but still have the talent to contend for a playoff spot, but this has been a very productive offseason for the Hawks. Grade: A

Charlotte Bobcats

Players Added

NBA Draft: F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F Jeff Taylor
Free Agents: G Ramon Sessions, C Brendan Haywood (amnesty awarded)
Trades: G Ben Gordon

Players Lost

Free Agents: G D.J. Augustin
Trades: F Corey Maggette
Waived: F Jamario Moon

The Bobcats had a nice draft adding MKG and Jeff Taylor and upgraded the point guard spot by essentially swapping D.J. Augustin for Ramon Sessions. But while they needed some shooting, taking on the $25.6 million still owed to Ben Gordon. While most rebuilding teams clear cap space, Michael Jordan just continues to add bad salaries. Grade: C+

Miami Heat

Players Added

Feb. 20, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Washington Wizards guard Rashard Lewis during game against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Wizards 104-88. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

NBA Draft: C Justin Hamilton
Free Agents: G Ray Allen, F Rashard Lewis

Players Lost

None

The champs lost no one and added two vets in Allen and Lewis. While they are both past their primes, in this Heat lineup they will be asked to just spot up and shoot 3′s, something both do very well. Grade: A-

Orlando Magic

Players Added

NBA Draft: F Andrew Nicholson, C Kyle O’Quinn
Free Agents: G Jameer Nelson (re-signed)
Trades: F/C Gustavo Ayon

Players Lost

Trades: F Ryan Anderson
Waived: F Von Wafer

The Magic added nothing and lost Ryan Anderson. In addition the Dwight Howard saga is completely out of control. It’s going to be a long way back for the Magic. Grade: F (could change if they get a nice haul for Howard).

Washington Wizards

July 18, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Cox Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Players Added

NBA Draft: G Bradley Beal, G Tomas Satoransky
Free Agents: F Cartier Martin (re-signed), G A.J. Price
Trades: F Trevor Ariza, C Emeka Okafor

Players Lost

Trades: F Rashard Lewis
Waived: F Andray Blatche (amnesty)

I wasn’t crazy about the deal for Okafor and Ariza. The Wizards sacrificed cap space for the future for two bad contracts. Teams that aren’t ready to win shouldn’t be making win-now type of trades. With that being said, a front-line of Nene-Okafor-Ariza could be pretty good and I love Washington getting Brad Beal in the draft. Washington could be a sleeper playoff team this season. Grade: B

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The Knicks have a few options to get depth at the shooting guard position next year. With Iman Shumpert likely out until January, Landry Fields possibly leaving, and J.R. Smith having a $2.5 million player option, the Knicks are in a heap of trouble at the 2-guard spot.

May 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen (20) reacts during the first half in game one of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The salary cap situation became less confusing and complex one at the moment due to Jeremy Lin, and Steve Novak getting their Bird rights.

Back in May HoopsHype attempted to sort out the Knicks salary cap situation. They came to the conclusion the Knicks should have around $6.58 million to sign roughly six players if Lin and Fields’ offer sheets are matched. As of now these theoretical numbers are all we can base hypothetical contract offers on.

June 1, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen (20) reacts to making a three point basket during the first quarter against the Miami Heat in game three of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

While the Knicks are still awaiting the decision on the hearing concerning the Bird rights of waived players, veteran players such as Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Ray Allen have expressed interest in possibly playing in the Big Apple on 2013.

However, while all of the attention is nice, adding an aging vet won’t solve the Knicks’ problems.

One of the natural reasons is financial.

The Knicks will be in a tough salary cap position for a couple of years, especially if the decision goes against the players union like many expect it to.

Nash would certainly command a multi-year deal and the Knicks simply can’t invest money that ties up the salary cap in aging veterans, who one day could wake up and not be the same players they were.

Guys like Kidd and Allen are already there and while they likely could be had for a one-year deal, it almost certainly wouldn’t be for the veteran’s minimum and that creates a problem. Knicks’ general manager Glen Grunwald can’t spend money he doesn’t have, which means guys like Kidd and Allen are probably out as well.

However, signing the big name, while it may look good on a press release, doesn’t address the Knicks’ major problems.

There are priorities the Knicks must address first.

One major one is frontcourt depth. They have to find a body or two that can rebound and play defense. New York should have enough scoring, what they need to do is become tougher defensively.

Everyone saw what a different team the Knicks were when Tyson Chandler wasn’t on the floor in 2012 and adding a big body or two to prevent that drop off is a must.

Re-signing Lin and adding a backup point guard are also musts for Grunwald.

While Nash and Kidd are point guards, they aren’t likely affordable if the Knicks lose the Bird rights’ hearing. What Grunwald needs to focus on are guys that can fill a roles.

Adding depth and guys that can fill certain roles is the only thing that makes the Knicks better.

Everyone, including myself, would like to see Nash, Kidd and Allen in a Knicks uniform, but signing them wouldn’t necessarily make the team better.

There’s only one ball and most of the time it’s in Carmelo Anthony’s hands. With that being the way it is, you don’t know how adding former stars will work out chemistry wise and the Knicks have enough problems dealing with that on their current roster.

The Knicks don’t need aging vets right now, what they need is guys that can come in and do specific jobs.

If that’s not the approach, there’s no guarantee the Knicks will be a better team in 2013 then they were in 2012.

‘Melo knows how to draw in defenders. Ideally he receives the ball in the post or at the wings and continues to work his way toward the basket or into a double-team.   He could probably make the shot even with the extra help defense, but if ‘Melo is playing smart he will pass to the now open perimeter shooter, (i.e.. Steve Novak).

This formula worked out pretty well for the unknown sharpshooter turned local celebrity. How about looking at it when you include the greatest 3-point shooter of all time?

The future hall of famer helped lead the Celtics to winning their championship alongside Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Now, 5 years since the trade that brought them all together, it looks as though Ray Allen may be leaving the Celtics. He was replaced in the starting line-up by up-and-comer Avery Bradley this past season. On top of that, if Kevin Garnett retires (which is being speculated by the media), then Allen has even less reason to stay.

If he does leave, then it is being reported that his top choices are the Knicks and the Heat.

Allen has career averages of 20.0 ppg and 40.0 % from beyond the arc. He is an elite athlete with an amazing routine that keeps him incredibly fit for any age, let alone that he is 36. Speaking of his age, to me it is not an issue. Shooters don’t lose their touch due to age the way a high flying player would. Allen could be shooting well far into his retirement.

So what am I failing to mention to you? Oh yeah, The Knicks have almost zero chance of signing him due to their salary restrictions. It is most likely that the arbitrator that is assigned to the Players’ Union case about retaining bird rights after being picked up on waivers (allowing Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak to be resigned without going against our cap) will rule against the Union. In other words, Lin will take the MLE, while Novak may demand the bi-annual exception.

That leaves a veteran’s minimum (1.4 million dollars) contract available for good old Ray. I am sorry to report that he is almost certainly not going to accept such  an offer. There is a chance that the arbitrator will help out the Knicks by giving the Union what they want, and as unlikely as this is I still hope for it on a daily basis.

Ray Allen fits with this team because he spreads the floor with his shooting ability, and if you include his veteran playoff experience he becomes a significant contributor. We need someone who can guide the young talent on the team, and on top of that he would fill the need of starting shooting guard, at least until Iman Shumpert is healed come January.

It seems like everything is banking on the results of the hearing which should be revealed within the next couple of weeks. The Ray Allen possibility will have to wait, but one thing is clear: he can help lift this team to the next level.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, future Hall of Famer Ray Allen is interested in joining the New York Knicks. Mannix said via Twitter that the Knicks and Miami Heat top Allen’s wish list.

Prediction: KG retires, Ray Allen walks (Miami, NY are atop his list, I’m told), Pierce is dangled in a trade.

— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) June 10, 2012

That’s great news but before you get too excited, it’s very unlikely that the Knicks can afford to bring Allen aboard for the 2013 season.

First comes Wednesday’s hearing about Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak’s Bird right’s. If it doesn’t go in favor of  the Knicks, which is more than likely. If that’s the case, general manager Glen Grunwald will have to use a portion of their $5 million mid-level exception to re-sign Lin. In that case Novak likely walks and there’s very little money left for Grunwald to add to the 2013 team.

June 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers talks to Ray Allen (20) against the Miami Heat during the first quarter in game seven of the 2012 NBA Eastern Conference finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Even if they get lucky and don’t have to use the MLE to keep Lin, that money will be better spent on a backup point guard and some frontcourt depth.

You also have to consider the upcoming decision of guard J.R. Smith, who must decide soon whether or not to pick up his player option. If he does, naturally there’s less money to spend but the 2-guard spot would already be quite crowded with Smith, Iman Shumpert when he returns and possibly Landry Fields if he’s re-signed.

I’ve always been a big fan of Allen, but it seems very unlikely the Knicks could afford to bring him aboard. With other teams likely to be in on his services, he will get a competitive offer somewhere which will be much more than the veteran minimum the Knicks would need him to sign for.

Grunwald is going to have the tough job of using the little money he has wisely and although it may be nice to see Allen in a Knicks uniform, realistically it’s probably not in the cards at this time.

This is also assuming (knock on wood) that the arbitration ruling in June goes in their favor and New York won’t be forced to use their MLE to keep Jeremy Lin in the Big Apple.

If that’s the case, everyone expects a portion of that MLE to be thrown the way of Steve Nash, but if that doesn’t work out, here’s a look at a few other potential targets general manager Glen Grunwald could look at rather cheaply.

Marcus Camby

April 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Houston Rockets center Marcus Camby (29) against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Camby would like to return to Houston as his first choice, but if that doesn’t work out the Knicks should take a look at bringing Camby back to New York.

He’s 38 and entering his 17^th NBA season, but can still be an effective rebounder and shot blocker, even at his age.

We saw how much of a struggle it was with Tyson Chandler not on the floor a season ago and a guy like Camby can help sure up the second unit defensively.

Antawn Jamison

Jamison is coming off a good year in which he averaged 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds and has always been an efficient scorer and rebounder.

But In his 14-year career, Jamison has made the playoffs six times, but has never made it past the second round so signing with a contender could be priority No. 1.

Not only that, but Jamison would provide insurance for Amar’e Stoudemire and would be an upgrade at the defensive end of the floor.

Ray Allen

The Knicks missed a lot of open shots in the playoffs and bringing in the all-time leader in three-point shooting makes some sense.

Allen’s career is trending downward, but in a role when his job is to come off the bench and knock down shots from the perimeter, he could be very effective still.

I doubt Allen would settle for the veteran’s minimum, but it’s certainly worth a look.

John Lucas III

The Knicks are going to likely sign a pair of free-agent point guards and Lucas is a guy who could add quality depth.

Lucas proved valuable for the Bulls in the frequent absences of Derrick Rose and while his overall numbers aren’t impressive, in games where Lucas played at least 20 minutes, his scoring average jumped up to 14.6 points per game.

Omer Asik

Again, bringing in a quality backup for Tyson Chandler needs to be a priority this offseason.

He won’t provide much offensively, but Asik is a mobile big man with great defensive awareness and shot-blocking skill.

Matt Barnes

Barnes will likely want to stay in Los Angeles, but he’s also a guy who won’t cost a lot of money and brings energy and a little bit of production off the bench.

He’s tough, rebounds well and runs the floor very well. That’s all he would be asked to do in a Knicks uniform.

STAT - Standing Tall And Talented. Maybe that should be the nickname for the whole team, not just Stoudemire.

Stan Chin gives his view on last night’s Knicks game against the Boston Celtics:

Hey Knicks fans,

Big game last night… scratch that HUGE game last night. Win or lose, this game was a measuring stick, to see where the Knicks stand against one of the elite teams in the NBA.

Quarter by Quarter Thoughts:

(more…)

Is J.R. Giddens a good defender? Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala looks skeptical. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Like with most of New York  -Hell, like with most of America, we here at Buckets have recently become a teeny, eensy, weency bit obsessed with this summer’s upcoming free agency extravaganza.  However, in our desire for newness, we shouldn’t completely forget about what we already have.  Thus we return to our ongoing Clash-song-inspired series, Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?, where we look at our players from last season who don’t have fully guaranteed contracts with the Knicks for next year.  We’ve gone alphabetically, already covering the following:

Earl Barron

Jonathan Bender

Chris Duhon

And now we bring you our first player with whom we hold all the cards: JR Giddens.   (more…)

Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks

As we discussed after the recent Knicks/Hawks game, JJ has a nice relationship with Coach Mike D’Antoni from their time together in Phoenix, plus the Knicks have somehow managed to look competitive this year in the three games he played against us.  When JJ was on those D’Antoni Suns teams, although he was huge for them, at the time he was considered to be at best their fourth most important player (after Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudamire & Shawn Marion).  Joe rightly felt he could be more, a centerpiece, and he wanted to be paid accordingly.  Having achieved all that with the Hawks, he now has reached the point most vets get to: the main thing he wants now is the chance to play for a championship.  He is even one of the few stars who has literally put his money where his mouth is and has stated he’d be willing to take a bunch less money to be on such a team.

Now don’t misunderstand: he knows he has a very good thing going with the Hawks and that they are a really, really good team.  He’s not gonna just leave them to play on a mid-level Knick team.  So ignore this quote in the NY Daily News:

(more…)

That disclaimer aside, the Knicks played worlds better against the Celtics (a team that’s one of only like 4 or 5 legit title contenders at this point), plus this good showing was in Boston so they didn’t even have the home crowd behind them.  Well, there was one exception.  New acquisition, Eddie House, got a standing ovation from his former fans.  Likewise, new Celtic, our former L’il Him, Nate Robinson, got tons of applause when he checked into the game to play his first minutes as a Celt (Krypto-Nate had been ill so he hadn’t played in any of Boston’s last few games).

Happily, once again Chris Duhon did not get off the bench (I believe I may’ve seen him wearing a suit, so maybe he wasn’t even on the active list for the game).  Sergio Rodriguez, still a bundle of energy, already has grown to better understand how to run D’Antoni’s offense.  He played 38 minutes, racking up 18 points on a fabulous 7-of-10 shooting, with 3 three-pointers, five rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block to top it all off nicely.  This is a guy who was a third-string point guard for a team mired in mediocrity (the Sacramento Kings) who couldn’t get off the bench.  He’s always shown flashes of brilliance, but no NBA team has ever let him just go to town.  If he can keep up this level of play, I’m betting the Knicks will try to bring him back for next season (at a reasonable low salary).  This is a win-win situation for both sides.  We’re giving him a chance to prove himself, and in return we might get a great bargain for the future.

If we're gonna assume the Knicks lost from now on, we can also assume David Lee had a great night on offense and the boards. At Boston he racked up 28 points and 15 rebounds. Dang.

House gets a standing ovation from the crowd. Except for the rich people in front. They don't get up for nobody. Damn rich people.

Surprisingly, instead of Toney Douglas coming off the bench, D’Antoni gave new shooting guard Bill Walker some minutes.  I’d always assumed Walker was end-of-the-bench material who was thrown in to make salaries work in the Nate Robinson trade.  Sorta like how we also tossed in Marcus Landry who was our 15th man who rarely got to see the floor.  Now of course there’s the possibility that D’Antoni gave Walker some extra burn ‘cuz we were going up against his old team, but the kid looked good.  Yeah, he accumulated four fouls in just thirteen minutes, but he’s got some serious athleticism and potential.

Is it just me or does this look like one of them Lord Of The Rings shots were they digitally shrunk Eddie House so he'd look like a hobbit next to normal humans?

There was fear Tracy McGrady wouldn’t be able to play last night since we’d played the night before and he’d talked about how he was feeling all these minutes in his surgically repaired knee.  Again, he drove several times which was friggin’ awesome.  He did put up one or two ill-advised outside jumpers.  That, combined with him not getting some foul calls that he should’ve gotten, resulted in a less-than-stellar 3-for-8 shooting night for a mere six points.  Plus he only had enough energy to play 27 minutes.  But as I said, just the fact that he played at all was a great sign.  And while his shooting stank like skunk poo, that court vision was in full effect, allowing him to get eight assists.  Most point guards don’t even get that many assists in a game, so to get that from a shooting guard is a beautiful thang.

Battle Between Two Formerly Exciting All-Stars With Bad Knees Who Are Now Shadows Of What They Once Were. On A Tuesday Night.

Between McGrady, Rodriguez & Eddy House, we got nearly 20 assists, which resulted in us getting a ton of easy baskets against one of the best defensive teams in the league.  How easy, you ask?  We shot a sick 52.5% from the field.  The other thing that kept us in the game?  Our rebounding.  The Celts have taller big men than us in Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace, plus much stronger big men in Kendrick Perkins and Glen “Big Baby” Davis.  Not only did we not let them dominate us on the boards, we actually out-boarded them by one!

The last impressive part about the game was that even though we got down by something like 14 points within the first quarter, the team never gave up.  In the fourth quarter we got within one point and were in it until the very end.  With less than 50 seconds remaining, we were down by three.  After several great passes getting the Celts out of position, we got it to Wilson Chandler for an easy lay-up at the basket with no one in front of him.  Then a truly unexpected thing happened.  Ray Allen, never known as a good defender and having lost a bunch of lift in his legs, came and blocked Chandler from behind.  Probably if Chandler had just dunked it instead of flipping it up it would’ve gone in, but there was no way he could’ve anticipated being blocked from behind by Ray friggin’ Allen.  It would’ve been a one-point game with less than a minute to go, giving us a real shot at stealing the game.  ‘Course if we did that, then I could’ve turned to you and said, “Guess what?  We won the lottery today.”

Sergio: "Hey, how come Nate's shooting at our basket?? What, he's not a Knick anymore?"