Latest Offseason moves

Cleveland signs free agent Anthony Parker, resigns Anderson Varejao:

I love the Parker move. Love it. Many fans will see it as a low-profile signing, one that could have been replaced by a bigger name, but in this free agent market, Parker is top notch. As one who lives in Israel saw Parker on a regular basis when he was playing for Maccabi Tel-Aviv, I can tell you that Parker is extremely underrated: excellent defender, creates his own shot, very good rebounder for his position (led Maccabi in rebounding as a SF). He wasn't the Euroleague MVP just because he's american. Great signing.

As for Varejao? Look, Cleveland had to resign him, and he had to resign. Both parties are perfect fits - there is no system better for Varejao than Cleveland. But at 6 years, 50 million? In this market? For a role player? I have no idea how Danny Ferry can defend this one. Good general thinking, terrible negotiating.

Antonio Mcdyess to Spurs

The Spurs do it again. After bringing in Richard Jefferson in a deal whose only downside was frontcourt depth, the Spurs use free agency for... wait for it... frontcourt depth! Perennialy one of the few franchises in the league who actually know what they're doing, the Spurs continue to retool around their big 3 in an attempt to get Tim Duncan his 5th championship. And they're great at it. Mcdyess is a legitimate starting center for any team in this league, and completes perhaps the best 5 in the NBA (I don't say starting 5 because Ginobili is a "bench player").

Chris Andersen resigns with Denver

Actually, I just wanted to talk about the Nuggets, with the Birdman just serving as a perfect example for my case. The Nuggets overachieved last year in the sense that they played much better than they were expected to. However, this was the result of basically everything falling into place for them: every single player on that team had something to prove, and every single one of them did. But what are the chances of that happening two years in a row? Look at Andersen. Last year: playing for the league minimum, after being suspended for drug use, trying to redeem himself. This year? fit for the rest of his career with a 5 year, 26 million deal which pays him until he's 36. Which player do you think will be more motivated?

Looking at the Denver Nuggets, they're virtually unchanged (Dahantay Jones left to the Pacers, Ty Lawson was brought in via draft). But inner complacency, combined with the Spurs retooling and the Blazers gaining valuable experience tells me that the Nugs will probably compete for the second round of the playoffs next year, and no more.