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But with all of the moving and shaking, one noticeable fact stands out — of the major moves being made this off-season, almost all of them involve top-tier teams. The Lakers and Spurs are top contenders in the West, as are the Cavaliers, Magic and Celtics in the East. So there was no paradigm shift in terms of the league superpowers — the best just got better. Now there were the lesser-heralded moves by teams like Detroit and Toronto. Although the signing of versatile forward, Hedo Turkoglu, could mean that Toronto makes the biggest leap from mediocre team to being a legitimate force — but by and large, those moves pale in comparison to the gigantic names that landed in Cleveland, L.A. and Boston. “The best teams got better,” said sports host Doug Stewart of radio’s “790 The Zone.” “It was unusual, [but] I really believe [that] in particular, the Ron Artest move to the Lakers was incredible,” he continues.
A number of small-market NBA teams are experiencing financial difficulties, so instead of pursuing big name and high-priced free agents this summer, they’re pinching pennies and saving assets to make a push for the “Big Free Agent Boom of 2010” when guys like Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Toronto’s Chris Bosh and others become available. It should also be noted that three of the players that switched jerseys; O’Neal, Carter and Jefferson arrived via trades by teams who needed to shore up their rosters. The other two, Wallace and Artest, were signed for what amounts to peanuts. So for the 2009-10 season, don’t look for any major changes in terms of the NBA hierarchy — but the postseason will feature plenty of drama and new faces. –todd williams
