NBA Free Agency Chaos
Well... It has been an... an interesting start to NBA Free Agency, I must say. That might be putting it lightly..
And let me just start by saying, why do people complain about the "tampering" period before the minute Free Agency starts? I must've watched about an hour of people on TV jumping down players, coaches, management, and agents throats for having deals agreed to before it was technically "legal" to sign. WHO CARES?! It is absolute must see TV! Wondering why Paul George is flying into OKC to go to a party at Russ Westbrook's palace is must see tv. DeAndre Jordan opting out and Mark Cuban hitting the redial button from 2015. Hell, Aron Baynes sitting in his uniform, seemingly ready to set a pick and pop play, getting ready to let his people know his intentions.
I guess the only way they want things to be is it to be a fair shake for teams from the get-go. I get it. Give teams opportunity to wine and dine these players to try to convince them to come to our city, our franchise, etc. I get it. But that's boring. We live for the drama! We love to hear backdoor conversations with someones grandfathers, nephews, cousins, sister -in-law, who has a friend that high fived LeBron James future wife in high school, to try to get an edge when it comes to trying to sign someone. Does it make it right? Hell no. But does it make it entertaining? Of course it does. Everyone does it. Everyone will do it. So people should enjoy it. And if any of you or your teams do or did the same thing, signed a player, yet still complained about the process, I'm coming for you.
But I digress...
Free Agency started out very crazy. Deals up the wazoo. Refreshing Twitter feeds like a fiend. Injecting it into our veins with every swift refresh swipe down. Obviously there is a ton of time to go in the offseason in terms of signings, trades, etc. It's been extrememly entertaining thus far. All eyes, again, seemingly on LeBron James and what his intentions are. Though he did say he wanted a quick and swift free agency period, we had all assumed that that meant whoever he wanted to play with, better sign or get traded to where he wants to spend the next few years of his career. Players like Paul George. Players like Kawhi Leonard. Things needed to be set in stone. But most reports were wrong and we took the bait. No one waited. Paul George, who we all assumed was Los Angeles Lakers bound after everything he told his "inner circle", didn't even take a meeting with Magic and crew, signing or re=signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Didn't wait. DeAndre Jordan, didn't wait. Signed with the Dallas Mavericks. Even Kevin Durant was a free agent. Not a sniff of another team. Back to the Warriors. Chris Paul. Banana Boat crew teammate. Stays in Houston. Most things revolve around LeBron James. Later Sunday, LeBron had spoken. This offseason has not to this point and I think the fans that love the game appreciate that. It made the beginning of Free Agency enjoyable. No waiting around. CHAOS!
Lets list a good chunk of the signings thus far and see what's up:
In no particular order...
Paul George - Thunder, 4 years, $137M
DeAndre Jordan - Mavericks, 1 year, $24M
LeBron James - Lakers, 4 years, $154M
Chris Paul - Rockets, 4 years, $160M
Doug McDermott - Pacers, 3 years, $22M
Aron Baynes - Celtics, 2 years, $11M
Jerami Grant - Thunder, 3 years, $27M
Will Barton - Nuggets, 4 years, $53M
Nikola Jokic - 5 years, $148M
Rudy Gay - Spurs, 1 year, $10M
Tervor Ariza - Suns, 1 year, $15M
Kevin Durant - Warriors, 2 years, $61.5M
Marco Belinelli - Spurs, 2 years, $12M
Ersan Illyasova - Bucks, 3 years, $21M
Derrick Rose - Timberwolves, 1 year, vet min
Omri Casspi - Grizzlies, 1 year, vet min
Fred VanVleet - Raptors, 2 years, $12M
Aaron Gordon - Magic, 4 years, $84M
Lance Stephenson - Lakers, 1 year, $4.5M
Just to name a bunch. So far i believe the real winner very early on is the Oklahoma City Thunder. They blindly traded for Paul George fully knowing that his intention was to play for Lakers. But they spent the entire year convincing him that he could stay, build around him and Russell Westbrook while making a legitimate run out of the West. I could say the Warriors but Durant staying was a foregone conclusion. I would have also said that the Rockets retaining Chris Paul was a big deal, and it was, but losing Trevor Ariza, in my opinion, was a fairly large blow. I like what the Suns did there. DeAndre Jordan joining a young core and potentially a new Lob City is intriguing. Aron Baynes, all of Australia, staying in Boston for a fraction of what he could have gotten on the market was a very big deal.
Lots of money being thrown around. But I will say, from my perspective, I thought Magic Johnson was blowing it. Other then the LeBron rumors, there was nothing else. Rumors of Kawhi Leonard going to LA from San Antonio was falling apart. Paul George didn't take a meeting and Brian Windhorst was pissing and moaning that it appeared that no one wanted to play with LeBron this year. Poor guy. But with LeBron in tow, they instantly become relevant again. Something they have not been in some time. Does adding LeBron, right this second, make them a title contender? Absolutely not. But he does get them into the playoffs. But it had appeared that the Lakers were blowing it. Which as the Celtics fan in this duo, i LOVE!
Also, the biggest thing that I hate about LeBron not only leaving Cleveland, but leaving the Eastern Conference, is the NBA fandom and even some Celtics fans saying "PHEW! An easier road to the Finals for Boston!'' "YAY! LeBron leaving the East! We've got a shot!". As a Celtics fan, I HATE HEARING and READING THIS! Its not always about the easier road to get there. The Celtics were right there against LeBron with a depleted roster, granted LeBron's wasn't in the greatest of shapes. As a diehard, I don't always want the easiest route. I believe that Boston has all the pieces to get to where they want and need to go. And Adam will always call me a homer for what I think about my teams, but that's why i'm writing this and his ass is reading it at some point, but I believe Boston can win it all. If not this year or next and going through LeBron in the East would have made that taste a whole lot sweeter.
Boston is without a doubt the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference. If healthy, they can most certainly get there. Philadelphia will have a say, Toronto will have a say, Milwaukee will have a say, Washington will have a say. But having LeBron in the East gave it substance. No I'm not turning this into an article about LeBron. I'm simply stating going through him would've been more satisfying. AND I will say that as much as I have had a disdain for LeBron over the course of his career from a rival perspective, I won't be seeing him play as much as I had been used to seeing him play. People need to remember this and embrace the type of player he is and will be because once he's gone, there will not be another like him.
In turn, Free Agency got off to a wonderful start but for most teams with aspirations of an NBA Title, there is still a lot of work to be done.
What did your teams do? What do you think was an overhyped signing or an underrated one? Let us know what you think. In the meantime, I posted a solo podcast without Adam knowing I did and I really don't care. Listen to me preview Free Agency before it started:
While you're there, check out our other podcasts as well.
And as always,
Long Live & Prosper, Biatch!
Alex
Aka A-Wash