With the sun rising on another NBA season, there are several teams that made moves during the off-season, hoping for brighter days.
These moves didn’t get the headlines that Dwight Howard or Ray Allen received, but could be the difference between reaching the playoffs or looking toward the draft lottery.
Just as a recap, the Miami Heat added Allen and forward Rashard Lewis and the Los Angeles Lakers added Howard and point guard Steve Nash.
The Lakers off-season didn’t include just superstars, the team gave a much needed upgrade to its bench by adding forward Antawn Jamison and 3-point specialist Jodie Meeks.
Jamison has averaged at lest 14.8 points per game for 10 of his 11 NBA seasons and has a career scoring average of 19.5. The former North Carolina alum also adds more veteran experience to the Lakers roster.
Meeks joins the Lakers after being a key contributor for the Philadelphia 76ers off the bench during their playoff run last season. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 8.4 points per game last season after a career-high 10.5 points per game in 2010-11.
- Antawn Jamison provides the Lakers bench a much needed scoring punch.
With Bulls point guard Derrick Rose sidelined for most of the season, the Celtics are once again the primary challengers to Miami in the Eastern Conference.
Boston found the perfect replacement for Allen in their lineup by adding shooting guard Jason Terry.
Terry can hit big shots in big games similar to Allen and is a little more aggressive to the basket, which is a plus for the Celtics offensively.
The 12-year veteran was a major weapon for the Dallas Mavericks during their championship run and has had success against the Heat.
The Celtics also picked up guard Courtney Lee from the Houston Rockets, which adds offense and defense to the starting lineup. Lee, however, is an undersized guard and will be a match-up issue against bigger guards.
Dallas made some moves as well indicating its going to make one more run at a championship behind Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks weren’t active at all last year and it was evident in a first round sweep versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The additions of guards O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison will provide more offense and play making to go along with Nowitzki. Mayo will get an opportunity to step out of the shadows that he was in with Memphis and needs to take advantage.
Collison will give more speed at the point guard position and will have plenty of open shots that he will need to knock down.
The Heat, Lakers and Thunder come into this season clearly as the top teams to beat, but the season is always filled with surprises. Can the Clippers build on their success last season? Will the Brooklyn Nets make any noise in the Eastern Conference?
These are only a few of the questions waiting to be answered as the regular season quickly approaches.
