NBA Free Agency Questions

Since NBA Free Agency began less than a week ago, one of my favorite players joined a team I have historically not liked, a "ball hog" went to Brooklyn, and an old guy moved to a big city.  I decided to ask and answer a few questions about some of these moves.

Did the Lakers really get better by adding Steve Nash?

Yes.  They added a two-time NBA MVP to a team that already made it to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.  Anyone who isn't sure the Lakers got better needs to never have an opinion about anything basketball related ever again.

With Nash on the Lakers, whose team is it?

Every Kobe fan just laughed out loud at this question and stopped reading the post.  They might not read another post I ever write.  "What?  Whose team is it?  Kobe's team!  Kobe should have won the MVP.  He's the best player in the league!  No one is better than Kobe!  LOOK AT THE RINGSSSSSSSSSS!"

Now that we have covered irrational arguments, let's take a look at this Lakers team.  Under Mike Brown, this Lakers team has had NO identity.  Kobe Bryant is allowed to take as many shots as he wants and thinks he needs.  Andrew Bynum is the only post player that gets touches where he can actually be effective and Pau Gasol has been so underutilized that Laker fans forgot that they went to three straight Finals after they added him.  These are problems.  Very large problems.

With the addition of Nash, one would think that these problems would disappear.  When the latest rumors had Nash going to New York, everyone started to question whether or not Nash would be able to thrive playing for a defensive minded coach, Mike Woodson.  These questions were dismissed by many who claimed "Steve Nash is the system."  I think this might be a little simplistic, but overall I would agree with this logic.  In general, the point guard should be the one in charge and needs to dictate a team's style of play, which means this SHOULD be Steve Nash's team.

Unfortunately, this is where we run into problems.  Under Mike Brown, Bryant has been the main facilitator.  He has been allowed to take the shots he has wanted to take when he has wanted to take them.  With Nash on the team, this should no longer be the case.  Bryant should defer to Nash and allow Nash to be the world-class playmaker that he is.  And honestly, I don't think this should be a problem. Bryant might fight it a little bit at first, but after a short time playing Nash, he will see just how easy life can be with an All-NBA point guard...I hope.  In the back of my mind though, I see Bryant being upset about ceding control to another player.  And it's not just any other player.  It's Steve Nash.  A former rival of his.  Someone he may not particularly like.  Like I said, I think Bryant is of a special type of mindset and will be able to easily make the the transition to working off the ball more often, but there is just something I can't shake about him.

The larger problem comes with Bynum and Gasol.  Nash is great in the pick and roll situation and both players should benefit from playing with him, but at the same time it may be difficult for them to figure out who gets to use the pick and roll.  Will Pau be able to be effective in the pick and roll with Andrew on the floor?  Will Pau be able to find the shooting touch and confidence that he had as a Laker in previous seasons?  I tend to believe that they will be able to figure out both of these questions because these four players are among the best in the league at their respective positions, but once again I have lingering doubts in the back of my mind.  I see Andrew Bynum childishly quitting on plays because he isn't getting touches and Pau Gasol hoisting 15 footers he isn't completely confident in, but still I just think there is too much talent on the floor for this not too work.

Does anyone remember Joe Johnson in Phoenix?

The guy that averaged 17.1 PPG, shot 46% from the field, and 47.8% from the three point line?

No.

How about the guy that Bill Simmons described as "a 24-year-old potential All-Star, the perfect swingman for their system, a deadly shooter who could even play backup point guard for them"?

Still not ringing a bell.

How about one of the highest paid players in the league that many people started to refer to Iso-Joe?

Ooohhh.  You said Joe Johnson.  Yeah, I know that guy.  He shoots too much and doesn't seem to try very hard.

This is my biggest problem with the reactions I've heard to the Joe Johnson trade.  Many people have been blinded from seeing Johnson's skill because of the huge contract he signed and the amounts of shots he has taken in Atlanta.  I don't really think you can blame Joe Johnson for either of these things.

Is he overpaid?  Probably.  But what did you want Johnson to do when the Hawks offered him the huge contract?  Was he supposed to give money back?

Does he force up some shots?  Probably.  But what did you want Johnson to do when there were very few viable offensive options in Atlanta?  Was he supposed to encourage Josh Smith to jack up ill-advised threes?

These two things were essentially out of Johnson's control.  Johnson was able to control his immense talent and get himself to into six consecutive All-Star Games.  He's been one of the best players in the Eastern Conference, but extremely forgettable because he was stuck in Atlanta on a team that would always make the playoffs, but would never truly contend.  Johnson was always the team's best player, but I've never thought he was truly comfortable in being the team's best player.  I don't think he ever enjoyed being the guy that had too take every contested jumper late in the shot clock and probably take a few too many shots each night.  This is why I think Johnson will love his move to Brooklyn.

In Brooklyn, Johnson will be able to get more catch and shoot opportunities and more open looks playing with a world-class point guard in Deron Williams.  Besides Chris Paul, you'd be extremely hard pressed to find a better point guard in the league than Williams.  He embodies exactly what you want out of a point guard.  He is a great decision maker who shoots the ball well and is extremely efficient.  Williams' ability as a point guard should help bring the best out of Johnson.  Johnson should hopefully be able to get more open shots and improve his efficiency which will ultimately turn the Nets into a contender in the Eastern Conference.

Is Jason Kidd old?

Yes.  Very old.  So old, in fact, that I think he makes little difference in New York.  I will concede that he will help the Knicks and fits well in New York because he doesn't really need any shots, but overall this doesn't turn the Knicks into a team that compete for an NBA Finals appearance.

The biggest question for the Knicks is whether Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony can coexist.  (I know Lin isn't officially a Knick, but it doesn't seem like they have much of a choice with him.  They need a point guard and will likely resign him.)  This question is especially annoying because we discussed it for about a month last year, but never got an answer because of the injuries to both Anthony and Lin.  For me, I just don't see it working.  Mike Woodson is a great coach defensively, but offensively he just doesn't have a clue.  The Knicks offense slowly regressed into an offense that relied nearly solely on isolation basketball.  That is just not going to work with Lin at point guard.  As much as Lin may help with ticket sales and fan base, he turns the Knicks offense into an absolute mess.