With the obvious exception of the Olympics, the time has come for me to forget about basketball for a while and immerse myself fully into football. I generally don’t pay that much attention to the start of the NBA season, pay more attention to the hard court when the college season starts, and really get into basketball fully once college football ends and the NFL winds towards the less interesting (in my opinion) later rounds of the playoffs. Before I say goodbye, though, there were a couple of moves today that caught my attention and will factor into betting decisions down the road.
1. Renaldo Balkman traded to the Nuggets. I love this deal. Balkman has done virtually nothing of note on the scoresheet in his career, but he has talent that hasn’t been recognized or exploited by the ridiculous circus that the Knicks organization has become. He’ll likely welcome the move, and the more free flowing Denver offense will give him room to move, and the absence of a defensive presence on the team should give him a niche. Denver gave up nothing of note for Balkman, so I have a serious suspicion that this move is going to look like a steal down the road. Balkman won’t be an all-star, but he’ll be a totally different player than people have thought he is up to now.
2. Ricky Davis signed with the Clippers in a multi-year deal. Remember when Ricky Davis used to be good? Now he’s just a space filler as far as I am concerned. He had solid numbers with Miami last year, but nothing that happened in Miami last year means anything. Davis is on the decline, and this is yet another move that will tie up salary cap space and ensure that this team is just barely average.
3. Andris Biedrins re-signed with the Warriors for six years and $62 million. I am torn on this deal. Biedrins is a solid player who won’t disappoint. On the other hand, the team has now committed almost $130 million and six years to Biedrins and Monta Ellis. That will be a great move if both players put together solid careers and continue on their current trajectories. That amount of money takes a way a lot of flexibility, though, and I am not convinced that this team has enough going forward to be competitive (a point guard of note, for example). I can’t be hugely critical of this deal or the Ellis one, but it might not work out. Either way, I’m pretty sure that I won’t spend a lot of time betting on this team next year.
That’s it for now. Unless something earth shattering happens, I will touch on the NBA only in passing for a few months. The NBA have a good relationship, but we need time apart to remember what we miss about each other.
