The Cupboard Is Empty

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Photo credited to Wikimedia.

As the NBA season is quickly approaching, teams’ lineups have changed, but for the better or for the worse?

Raghu C., Writer

On just the 44th day of the free agency the last piece of china was taken from the cabinet when Carmelo Anthony officially signed with the Rockets. The best remaining free agents are limited to a couple of paper plates: Cavaliers point guard, George Hill and future Hall of Famer, Dwyane Wade.

Most teams have made several acquisitions to try to compete with the Golden State Warriors “Death Lineup,” while others, like the Trail Blazers and the Heat, have seemed to quit, staying relatively quiet. Some teams have targeted three-point shooting like the Rockets, while other teams like the Lakers have built a team around toughness in their athletes.

Let’s break down the teams with the best and worst off seasons:

Top 5

1. Oklahoma City Thunder Grade: A+

OKC brought PG back after the rumors he was considering the Lakers and they got Dennis Schroder for Melo. He will be helpful as Westbrook’s backup. Nerlens Noel will also be helpful in the second unit, behind Steven Adams.

2. Golden State Warriors Grade: A+

The Warriors got yet another all-star, Demarcus Cousins, who could be very helpful; if he comes back strong and healthy. Golden State addressed their problem with second unit shooting by signing Jonas Jerebko and drafting Jacob Evans who was  37.7% from behind the arc.

3. Los Angeles Lakers Grade: A

The Lakers were able to lure Lebron to LA and made several other additions including Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley and JAvale Mcgee. They did however waive Julius Randle, a talented young rookie.

4. Boston Celtics Grade: A

The Celtics kept all of their major pieces and even got center Robert Williams in the first round of the draft. He averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds at Texas A&M.

5. Dallas Mavericks Grade: A-

The Mavs finally got their center, Deandre Jordan, signing him to a 1 year $24.1 million contract. They also got Luka Doncic, the youngest Euroleague MVP, from the Hawks.

Worst 5

1. Miami Heat Grade: D+

The Heat have the exact same team as last year as they made no acquisitions and had no draft picks. The team awaits Dwyane Wade’s decision on his retirement.

2. Houston Rockets Grade: D+

The Rockets lost their defensive stars Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. They also signed CP3 to a 4 year $160 million contract and Clint Capela to a 5 year $90 million  contract limiting their cap space to become a better “superteam”. They did however acquire Carmelo Anthony and get rid of Ryan Anderson who will make over $41 million over the 2 years.

3. Portland Trail Blazers: C-

The Blazers went for shooting in free agency, adding Seth Curry and Nik Stauskas who shot 43.2% and 34.9% from beyond the arc, respectively. In doing this however, they lost Shabazz Napier and Ed Davis, two of their best bench players.

4. Charlotte Hornets Grade: C

The Hornets traded Dwight Howard, who averages 16.6 points for Timofey Mozgov, who averages 4.2 points a game. They also overpaid Tony Parker on a 2 year $10 million  contract.

5. Sacramento Kings Grade: C+

The Kings chose Marvin Bagley III with the 2nd overall pick which may come back to haunt them if Luka Doncic, the 3rd pick, has a better career than Bagley. They didn’t make any more big acquisitions, since they are not going on a championship run.