Sudden Improvement is the New NBA Trend

(Photo courtesy of DGA Productions)

By: Greg Payne

I've never been one for following trends, but sometimes one comes around that simply cannot be ignored. Back on June 24, the San Antonio Spurs raised the bar by trading for swing man Richard Jefferson. By doing so, San Antonio added some much needed punch to an already potent lineup, as well as a younger, athletic force to an aging, half court team. Or simply put, they just got better.

Next came the Orlando Magic, who traded away two key pieces of last season's championship run (Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee), in order to acquire eight-time All-Star Vince Carter, mostly to combat losing Hedo Turkoglu, who has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Portland Trailblazers. While that move was questioned by some, including this writer, it's difficult to argue adding an eight-time All-Star to your roster, who's hungry to finally win something in this league.

Then, the Cavaliers traded for Shaquille O'Neal, who's every high scoring swing man's best friend because he has this insane knack for bringing them championships. Maybe that's what went wrong in Phoenix. Maybe he needed a swing man rather than a point guard who's taken home two MVP trophies. Either way, Shaq and LeBron equals a whole lotta muscle in Cleveland. The rest of the league is just fortunate Ron Artest wasn't added to the mix, because then the Cavs would have had the biggest big three in the league. Literally.

Speaking of Artest, apparently those nightly feuds with Kobe Bryant in last year's postseason were all for show, as the two are now about to team up to attempt to win a second straight NBA title. Now L.A. sports arguably the game's best offensive weapon AND its best defensive presence as well. Throw in Pau Gasol and the Lakers' new big three is nothing to snuff at. Does Phil Jackson returning make it a big four?

The Lakers taking Artest under their wing meant they had to ditch Trevor Ariza, who was promptly picked up by Houston for the full mid-level exception. Uh...I thought the trend called for teams to improve? With Yao Ming finished for the foreseeable future and Tracy McGrady fighting off knee woes of his own, will Ariza end up as Houston's first option on offense? Rockets fans should shudder. Fans of other teams should salivate. Like taking candy from a baby.

Then there's Portland, which continues to attempt to defy all logic and win with a seemingly young basketball team. Not exactly something that happens year in and year out. Well, adding Hedo Turkoglu will add both age and experience to an already deep pool of talent pulled from both the homeland and the far corners of the globe. Kudos to Portland GM Kevin Pritchard for not being afraid to look outside these continental United States for ways to improve his basketball team. With San Antonio adding Jefferson and Portland bringing in Hedo, the Lakers' ride to the Western Conference Finals might hit a few snags along the way. And just imagine what would happen if Greg Oden actually contributed...

So that leaves two of the league's other top teams waiting on the sideline, itching to get in the game and make a fearless move of their own: Our very own Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets.

I suppose Denver resigning Chris Andersen would count as a legitimate roster move, but they certainly must have their eyes on someone, right? There's certainly no way they can just sit by and let San Antonio, Los Angeles and Portland bring in such key additions to their respective rosters and not counter with any moves of their own. If the Lakers can knock off the Nuggets without Artest, they will undoubtedly breeze by them with him in tow.

Fortunately for the Celtics, it appears they are THISCLOSE to making their first free agent splash of the summer, by signing Rasheed Wallace. The offer is on the table, simply waiting for the nod from 'Sheed himself. It's also fortunate that the Celtics seemed interested in his services prior to these other moves being made by some of their top competitors. It was a given that the Celtics needed to revamp their bench, but with the aforementioned squads making their moves, it would be irreconcilable for Danny Ainge not to fight back with a notable signing of his own. After Rasheed joins the ranks (hopefully), there's still the matter of possibly signing Grant Hill, Anthony Parker or even Tyronn Lue. We see your Shaq, Cleveland and we raise you our 'Sheed.

So maybe the addition of Wallace is as much a matter of want as it is of need. And not only because passiveness would call for Ainge's head, but because the Celtics probably just wouldn't win without some sort of addition.

It's been a very interesting free agency season already. But something tells me it's only going to get better.

Stay Tuned.