At the end of this season, Lee is going to be considered one of the better pickups of this offseason. He will improve immensely, and last year he was already ahead of the 8-ball in that he was a rookie that was both a competent offensive player and a competent defender. Most rookie wings are pretty bad defenders when they enter the league. Lee's defensive awareness is a weakness, but that's nothing that can't be acquired, and quickly. His actual defensive ability is pretty solid. Yes, around 2004, when LeBron was a rookie. Since LeBron has risen to MVP status, Z has been a jump shooter. Z was always a shitty defender. Coming off the bench and providing the offense he does is a huge luxury for the Cavs. Combine Orlando's and Cleveland's benches, and the three best players of those 9 or so are on the Cavs. Z can average double figures off the bench. We all know about Gibson's shooting abilities. They just picked up Anthony Parker, who since returning to the NBA has FG%s of .477, .476, .426, and 3P%s of .441, .438, and .390 in each respective season. The Cavs' 8 man playoff rotation is worlds better than Orlando's, and is equal to the Celtics (assuming Davis returns).
They lost last year's Lee which they replace easily with Barnes/Bass/Pietrus and they acquired extra depth in the process at a cheap price. They improved their backcourt immensely just by doing nothing as it is, and get to use Barnes/Pietrus at the 3 who have some familiarity with each other and Barnes is a perimeter enforcer-type. If not move Lewis to the 3 more this year and play Bass at the 4 for a few stretches a game. Z took less jumpers than a lot of PFs in 2006/2007 for example. 41% of his total shots, 44% respectively were J's. Z was a decent defender last year actually, not terrible at all overall. The Magic give them fits though. I do not expect him to cover Dwight obviously. Nelson/Carter/Pietrus/Lewis/Howard/Bass/Barnes/Filler-Gortat-whatever looks about as good as good as any Eastern playoff rotation though. If Boston stays healthy they'd be right there with the Magic, just depends on how much age affects them.
Jack is not underrated. He is a below average NBA player (career PER = 13.3) who is a decent 3rd guard coming off the bench - nothing more, nothing less. Delfino is also a below average player (career PER = 12.4). Again, an OK bench player. Besides, you haven't signed him yet. Word is he's injured and could be out for 6 months. Not sure how an injured, below average player who isn't on your roster makes you a top 3 team in the East. Hedo is VERY overrated. He is an average player (career PER = 15.1, 2008-09 PER = 14.8) whose value is inflated thanks to Orlando making the finals. He's a good passer, but a poor rebounder and weak defender. He shoots a lot at low percentages. He's a great role player who is an excellent fit as a 3rd or 4th scoring option on a contender, but he's not the kind of player that makes a 33-win team into one of the top 3 teams in the East. BNM
They lost many games last year (49 to be exact) because they were a poor rebounding, weak defending team. None of their off season moves have addressed those issues. With the addition of Hedo, their offense will be better than last season, but if anything their defense and rebounding will be even worse with the loss of Marion. I think over all they will be a bit better than last season, and have a shot at making the play-offs (possible 6th - 8th seed), but no way are they a top 3 team in the East. Jarrett Jack is a decent pick-up. He's a good 3rd guard coming off the bench. He plays hard, but is very turn over prone. He helps a bit, but not nearly enough to make Toronto a contender. They have too many other glaring weaknesses to address (defense, rebounding, starting SG, etc.). BNM
The Orlando Magic really improved for the regular season with the amount of depth on their roster. They should be the top seed coming out of the East with homecourt advantage, but I'm not sure if they've improved for playoff basketball. Hedo was vital to their offense in the post season and without him the Magic no longer have the mismatch advantage to run pick & roll down the stretch. Vince Carter can also create off the dribble, but he's a conventional SG and he'll be easier for teams to defend. Hedo was tougher to check because he's too fast for PFs and too big for SFs. The Boston Celtics are built for a long playoff run. They have size at every position, vet experience, and a lot of savvy role players. Marquise Daniels is the perfect combo guard off the bench because he can defend opposing SGs and run an offense which compliments what Eddie House can't do as a small two-guard. The Celtics match up well against Orlando and Cleveland on defense and if they stay healthy I think they defeat Orlando in ECF. I doubt Cleveland is going to eclipse their win total from last season despite adding Shaq. I'm not convinced Shaq is going to be motivated next season with all his extra curricular activities and sharing the spot light with King James. He's a real wildcard for the Cavs and I'm not sure one season together is enough for him and LeBron to gel. Shaq's also one of the worst centers at defending the pick and roll which doomed Cleveland last year against the Magic. It will doom them again this year against Boston come playoff time (assuming Boston 2 seed & Cleveland 3 seed)
Checking talent alone, up and down, the Orlando Magic are winners. Starting line-up: Nelson, Carter, Rashard, Bass and Dwight. (Conventional) Nelson, Carter, Pietrus, Rashard and Dwight. (Magic-like) Bench: Gortat, Bass or Pietrus, Barnes, Anderson, Redick and Johnson. Their only glaring back-up need IMO is PG, which won't be so glaring since Carter, does have some playmaking skill. Number two IMO would be the Cavs since they pretty much improved from last year with Shaq's addition for fillers, but they lack the players to go against the Magic's up and down talent. Even LeBron can't handle the entirety of that improved (IMO) Magic team. The third would be the Celts. This isn't as much as knock against them as it is Boston resting out it's aging stars in preparation for playoff time where I believe they will shine and represent the East in the Finals.
