Boston Celtics:
The Hornets overpaid to pry James Posey away from Boston, and the Celtics didn't make much of a priority to replace him. They ended up doing so by signing Darius Miles, which is a surprising move for a team coming off a Championship, as Miles hasn't played a game since the 05-06 season. Devean George was there for the taking and would have been a much safer signing.
Grade: D
Philadelphia 76ers:
My pick as the biggest offseason winners thus far. Elton Brand will give them a threat in the half-court game, Kareem Rush gives Brand a shooter to kick out to, Royal Ivey gives them depth at PG, and Theo Ratliff replaces the injured Jason Smith as the backup center. Also, they managed to bring back Iggy long-term.
Grade: A
Toronto Raptors:
They traded 4 players to get the injury-prone Jermaine O'Neal, so they are obviously putting a lot of faith in that J.O. will stay healthy and return to his old self. Other than that, they have done nothing else this offseason. Depth at PG would help. Jose Calderon can't play 48 minutes a night.
Grade: C
New Jersey Nets:
They must be rebuilding in attempt to get LeBron James in 2010, because I don't like they moves they've made at all. They did Milwaukee a favor by taking on Yi's overrated and inflated ego, and took on Bobby Simmons' awful contract in the same trade. Also, why would you sign a 31-year-old (Eduardo Najera) to a long-term contract?
Grade: D
New York Knicks:
Knick fans got so excited when Isiah was fired, but new GM Donnie Walsh is giving them nothing to look forward to so far, as this has been an extremely lazy offseason for New York. They're obviously overvaluing Chris Duhon if they give him the MLE and naming him their starting PG next season.
Grade: F
Orlando Magic:
I can't say that they upgraded their roster this offseason. Anthony Johnson was a nice pick-up, but he alone can't make up for the losses of Keyon Dooling and Carlos Arroyo. They replaced Mo Evans with Mickael Pietrus, who is a defensive upgraded over Evans but is dangerously inconsistent on the offensive end.
Grade: C
Washington Wizards:
Gilbert Arenas said he'd sign elsewhere if they didn't bring back 32-year-old PF Antawn Jamison. So, they signed Jamison to a 4 year/$50 million contract, and then followed it up by signing Arenas to a 6 year/$111 million dollar deal. That's $161 million right down the toilet, and only so they could keep that sexy stat machine (and not too much else) in Arenas. I guess they enjoy the 1st Round of the Playoffs so much that they never want to leave.
Grade: F
Miami Heat:
Drafting Beasley was huge, and James Jones was also a good shooter to pick up. I, however, would have shopped either Shawn Marion or Udonis Haslem for a good PG, because one of those guys would have to come off the bench with the addition of Beasley.
Grade: B
Charlotte Bobcats:
Adding Shannon Brown to a wing that already includes