Break the Curse

Gradebook: 22 most influential off-sesason moves(Part 4 of 4)

3 Lamar Odom re-signs with the Los Angeles Lakers (4-yrs, $33m)
Resigning Odom is a very big deal for the Lakers, especially at less than 9 million per year.  Odom had the second highest roland rating(see glossary for explanation) on the Lakers behind Kobe.  He has led the team in on court +/-.  Odom’s presence makes the Lakers super versatile and hard to match up.  Los Angeles can play big or small, fast or slow with no problems.  I think it would be very interesting to see Odom play some point forward with Kobe, Artest, Gasol, and Bynum against oppositions with slower point guards.  Odom can matchup against the opposite 3.  I doubt this will ever happen but it would be very intriguing to watch.

Grade: A+ (Los Angeles Lakers)

2 Milwaukee Bucks traded Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs for Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas
The Spurs made a trade to upgrade their starting lineup in acquiring Richard Jefferson.  They really did not give up much.  Bruce Bowen is basically a corpse on the court and they signed McDyess in place of Kurt Thomas.  Jefferson shot 39% from 3s last season and as long as he can keep it at that range, the Spurs will be hard to defend.  Jefferson is a very good defender and an established scorer.  He fits into the mold of Popovich’s Spurs. The Spurs gave up 3 old, crippled guys for a former all-star who will buy into Popovich’s system.  Although this may or may not bring them back to championship level, it is still a very good acquisition.

Grade: A (San Antonio Spurs)

1  Orlando Magic traded Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Tony Battie to the New Jersey Nets for Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson
However much I despise Vince Carter for being the biggest waste of talent ever, he is still a much better player than Turkoglu.  If you thought Vince settled for too many 3s(29% of his shot attempts) then consider Turkoglu.  A whopping 36% of his shot attempts are 3s.  That is a lot for someone who is initiating the offense and someone who only makes 35% of his 3s.  Carter shot 38.5%.  So the Magic upgraded their SG/SF position while adding Ryan Anderson.  They did have to give up Courtney Lee who was really coming into his own at the end of last season.  Ryan Anderson should add to their three-point attack and Battie wasn’t going to see any playing time behind D. Ho and Gortat.  It is impossible to know if the loss of Turkoglu going to affect their chemistry.  If Vince wants to be remembered for something other than his dunks, he would savor this opportunity.

The Nets weren’t really going anywhere with Vince.  They dumped his contract for the young Lee and Alston’s expiring contract.  Lee should be a solid player along side Devin Harris and Brook Lopez.

Grade: B+ (Orlando Magic), A (New Jersey Nets)