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2009-10 Predictions: Best Newcomer
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John Raoux, The Associated Press
Continuing my stealing borrowing of ESPN's breakdown of summer forecast, I thought I put my own 1/2 cent in on this summers best new acquisition.
A lot of teams were very busy this summer as they tried to improve their roster and contend now.
Richard Jefferson is thought to be the best pickup this summer and he will surely help the San Antonio Spurs with his athleticism, three-point shooting and ability to get to the basket.
I've always liked RJ's game, but people are forgetting that he did spend a year in Milwaukee playing next to no D at all. I'm sure this won't be a problem playing under Greg Poppovich, but it'll be interesting to see if he commits himself to that side of the ball.
I've had numerous conversations on Shaquille O'Neal now anchoring the middle for the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that won 66 games last season before falling to the Orlando Magic in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
At 37, I wonder how much he have left. He has been doing everything this summer, including wrestling, boxing and now Shaq Vs.
Yes, a rejuvenated Shaq did average 17 ppg and 8rpg last season, but without the aid of the Suns training staff, which is a huge reason why Steve Nash elected to sign an extension, you have to wonder how his body holds up this season.
I believe Ron Artest is that hungry for a title, he will buy into the triangle and Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson are enough to keep him in check.
I like Andre Miller to Portland. He should get them some easy transition buckets and provides leadership at the point position as well.
Rasheed Wallace has always been one of my favorite players. I'm interested to see which version of Sheed shows up in Boston. Will he be in shape?
Having guys like Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen makes Wallace role a small one, but if he can come off the bench, provide scoring, defense and continue to be a walking mis-match, the Celtics could return back to the Finals this June.
I wanted to name Hedo Turkoglu the best offseason acquisition. He gives the Raptors a huge front line alongside Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.
I wonder if he'll be playing any point-forward because of Jose Calderon, but he's sure to take a lot of pressure off Bosh and make life a lot easier for Bargnani.
My pick for best offseason acquisition is none other than Vincent Lamar Carter.
Some critics will say VC is a downgrade from Turkoglu, but the only thing the Magic lost is length. Simply put, Carter is a better player than Hedo.
Carter will have the benefit of playing with a much improved Dwight Howard this season and should get tons of open looks. He'll also be able to create lots of easy opportunities for Howard, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson and a very deep Orlando team, as that's one of Carter's many strengths that doesn't get enough attention.
Orlando's game is to push the tempo and shoot the three ball and Carter can still fill lanes and finish with the best of them, he has shown no signs of losing a step and his three-point shooting percentage should go up from (38.5%) from last season.
Losing Turkoglu hurt, but shouldn''t have stopped the Magic from being named Eastern Conference Finals favorites, this season.
This is a team, once again playing with a chip on its shoulder and a star playing in front of his hometown crowd. Don't be surprised if there is a Disney World parade next June.
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