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AN OFF-SEASON BREAKDOWN

Other than free-agent forward Chris Andersen leaving Denver to sign with New Orleans, not much has happened this off-season. Right?

Just kidding. Anyone who follows the NBA realizes this has been a wild summer ride, as everyone from Shaquille O’Neal to Kenyon Martin to Tracy McGrady to Antonio McDyess (remember him?) has changed teams.

And every time I think all the moving around is about to slow down, someone else gets traded.

With that in mind, here are some quick team-by-team comments before we get into summer league stuff. By the way, you’ll notice that the teams are listed in their new divisions, which will be in place for the upcoming season (every once in a while, I’m actually on top of things). Anyway, just for fun I’ve also listed my favorite player on each team

OK, enough nonsense. Let’s take an off-season look at the NBA, in predicted order of finish:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

Philadelphia: Hey, someone has to win this division. Allen Iverson will be playing for his third coach in three years (Jim O’Brien), meaning the Sixers and their star are still working on finding some sort of stability. Favorite player: Iverson.

New York: So far, the same cast returns under Lenny Wilkens. That means we can expect pretty much the same results -- a slightly-above .500 record and first-round playoff exit. Favorite player: Allan Houston.

Boston: New coach Doc Rivers and Paul Pierce give the Celtics two reasons for hope. But outside of those two, Boston is too young and has too many guards. Favorite player: Rookie guard Delonte West.

New Jersey: Losing Kenyon Martin (traded to Denver) eliminates the Nets from contender status. The question is, will Jason Kidd be the next to go? Favorite player: Kidd.

Toronto: The Raptors have gone as far as they can with Vince Carter as the No. 1 option. They should trade him while they have the chance. Favorite player: Jalen Rose.

Central Division

Detroit: The defending champs have everyone back with the exception of Mehmet Okur, who will be replaced by McDyess (if healthy). A repeat is definitely possible. Favorite player: Rip Hamilton.

Indiana: Trading Al Harrington to Atlanta for Stephen Jackson was a good move, as Jackson will aid Jermaine O’Neal by providing consistent perimeter shooting. The Pacers could be even better than last season. Favorite player: Reggie Miller (still).

Milwaukee: The Bucks still have coach Terry Porter, shooting guard Michael Redd, and forward Keith Van Horn, so they should still contend for a playoff spot. And who knows? Maybe they‘ll pull off a postseason upset or two. Favorite player: Redd.

Cleveland: Losing Carlos Boozer (signed with Utah) was a punch in the gut, but LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilguaskas, and even underrated acquisition Eric Snow will keep the Cavaliers competitive. Is Karl Malone on his way to Cleveland? Favorite player: (tie) James and Snow.

Chicago: No drastic moves means no drastic improvement. Another season in the dumps thanks to bad drafting by former GM Jerry Krause. Favorite player: (tie) Eddy Curry and Kirk Hinrich.

Southeast Division

Miami: The Heaters could have thrown Dwayne Wade in the deal for Shaq and it STILL would have been a favorable trade for Miami. The favorites to win it all, even if they don‘t sign Karl Malone. Favorite player: O’Neal.

Washington: Adding Antwan Jamison and losing Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner (traded to Dallas) puts the Wizards near the top of the best off-season moves department. A year away from good things. Favorite player: Jamison.

Orlando: The Magic just keep losing superstars, from Shaquille O’Neal to Penny Hardaway to Tracy McGrady. Still, they would have been a playoff contender had they drafted Emeka Okafor instead of high schooler Dwight Howard. Favorite player: Rookie guard Jameer Nelson.

Atlanta: As of now, the Hawks have about three players under contract. Luckily for them, two of those guys are Jason Terry and Al Harrington -- which means they just might win 20-25 games. Favorite player: Terry.

Charlotte: With talents like No. 2 overall pick Emeka Okafor and young forward Gerald Wallace, the Bobcats have some nice building blocks. But it will take lots of patience. Favorite player: Okafor.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Southwest Division

San Antonio: Brent Barry was an underrated off-season addition, especially since the Spurs didn’t have to give up anything to get him. As long as Tim Duncan is around (and Shaq is in the East), you have to consider the Spurs the conference frontrunners. Favorite player: Duncan.

Memphis: The Grizzlies have outstanding chemistry and one of the top two or three coaches in the league in Hubie Brown. Surpassing last season’s win total of 50 games isn‘t out of the question. Favorite player: Shane Battier.

Dallas: Allowing Steve Nash to sign with Phoenix was a big mistake, especially since the Mavericks were unable to trade for Shaq or acquire a veteran point guard. Haven’t made a good off-season deal yet. Favorite player: Dirk Nowitzki.

Houston: Tracy McGrady is saying all the right things, but you have to wonder how valuable he really is when the team he played for last season finished with the worst record. Could you have ever seen that happening to, say, Magic Johnson? Favorite player: Yao Ming.

New Orleans: Other than hiring Byron Scott as coach, the Hornets haven’t made any moves and are sure to find life in the West a whole lot tougher. It’s like moving from Davenport, Iowa, to the Bronx. Favorite player: David West.

Northwest Division

Minnesota: Have had an off-season of stability, which counts for a lot when you were as good as the Timberwolves were last year. Again, Kevin Garnett and the gang will make a run at the championship. Favorite player: Garnett.

Denver: Acquiring Kenyon Martin from New Jersey gives the Nuggets a stacked frontcourt (Martin, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Nene) to go with their solid backcourt. All they need now is a shooting guard. Favorite player: Earl Boykins.

Utah: The Jazz have had a remarkable off-season, and don’t dare blame the Carlos Boozer fiasco on them. Besides Boozer, they landed Mehmet Okur, and two of the most ready-to-contribute rookies in the league in Kris Humphries and Kirk Snyder. One season away from very big things. Favorite player: Matt Harpring.

Portland: Well, at least the Trail Blazers still have Zach Randolph. Unfortunately, they still don’t know what to do with Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and failed with their first-ever lottery pick by drafting not-close-to-ready high schooler Sebastian Telfair. Favorite player: Abdur-Rahim.

Seattle: The Sonics still lack an inside presence, but Ray Allen is one of the league’s good guys and its best shooter. He alone could lift Seattle to a third-place division finish. Favorite player: Allen.

Pacific Division

Sacramento: If Chris Webber stays healthy, the Kings will run away with the division title. Still, another scorer in the backcourt wouldn’t hurt. Favorite player: Bobby Jackson.

Phoenix: A deeper bench and a decent center would make me feel more comfortable with this pick, but look for the maturing and talented Suns to be this season’s Memphis Grizzlies. Favorite player: Joe Johnson.

L.A. Lakers: Kobe plus Vlade hardly equals Kobe plus Shaq. Heck, Kobe plus any of the Lakers’ off-season moves won’t be nearly as effective as Bryant and O’Neal were together. In other words, trading Shaq was the worst move in franchise history, and the impact will be felt immediately. Favorite player: Well, it used to be Derek Fisher. I’ll go with Caron Butler now.

L.A. Clippers: For some peculiar reason, I absolutely love this team. Elton Brand and Corey Maggette are two big reasons why -- and two reasons the Clippers could finish as high as second in the division. Favorite player: Maggette.

Golden State: The Warriors are still a team in search of an identity, and you rarely win while remolding. They‘ll still be interesting, though. Favorite player: Derek Fisher.

SUMMER LEAGUE STUFF

-- As much as I hate seeing high schoolers killing the level of play in the NBA, I’ve been very impressed with Atlanta first-round pick Josh Smith in the Rocky Mountain Revue. Yes, Smith is the same guy who ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said “has the biggest potential to be a bust” of anyone in the draft. That could still be true, but so far Smith has looked very athletic, and underrated when it comes to having a grip on the fundamentals. In fact, he’s looked better than any high school player I’ve seen this summer -- including Dwight Howard.

-- Lottery picks Ben Gordon and Luol Deng have been very sharp for Chicago, and you have to like second-rounder Chris Duhon’s chances of making the team. I didn’t think Duhon had a prayer when he was drafted, but his gritty summer play has me convinced otherwise. That’s especially true if Chicago trades Jamaal Crawford, as expected.

-- Bernard King Jr. is currently playing for San Antonio’s summer team, but is considered a long shot to receive an invite to veterans’ camp. Guys who have impressed me that are playing for the Spurs: Marquee Perry, Vincent Yarborough, and Devin Brown, a solid contributor to last season’s team.

-- Former Michigan State point guard and NBA journeyman Mateen Cleaves is playing for Seattle, as is ultra-athletic shooting guard Jeff Trepagnier. Cleaves and Trepagnier stood out in the NBDL last year, and I’m pulling for both of them to find a spot somewhere.

-- Matt Carroll and Brandin Knight have been two of the best players on Golden State’s summer team. Carroll is a shooter who is two years removed from Notre Dame and played for Toronto and Portland last season. Knight, a point guard, is the younger brother of Brevin Knight and is two years removed from Pitt.

-- I really like undrafted swingman Bryant Mathews, who led the Big East in scoring last season as a senior at Virginia Tech. Mathews has played summer ball for Detroit and the Lakers, and it sure seems to me like he belongs in somebody’s camp, somewhere.

-- Terence Morris, who I called “the steal of the draft” three summers ago, is now clinging to NBA life by playing summer ball with the Clippers. I love the guy, but he reportedly has a lousy work ethic.

MORE HIGH SCHOOL RANTINGS

-- If you’re getting the vibe that I would love it if the NBA was filled with nothing but American college players, you’re pretty much right. During the draft, I wanted to hug Dick Vitale when he blasted NBA GMs for their lack of logic. And Vitale’s right -- why would you want to select a high school player who won’t contribute for three years, when you could draft a Jameer Nelson-type who will make an immediate impact? As Dickie V might say, “It’s absolute lunacy, baby!”

-- Yes, I know all about LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, blah, blah, blah. But how many of those players led their teams to winning seasons during their rookie years? The answer: Not a one. Why wait to win? Why, why, WHY?? Granted, James is a special talent and is an exception. But Kwame Brown? Tyson Chandler? Dwight Howard? J.R. Smith? C’mon, everyone. Draft people who already can play at this level.

-- For me, the poster child for preps-to-pros players isn’t James or Garnett. It’s Darius Miles. He’s been in the league for four years and still, all he knows how to do is dunk. He can’t shoot, he can’t pass, he can’t rebound, he can’t defend, he can’t dribble. He can dunk, and that‘s it. And the fact so many people are willing to sit around and wait for him to develop his skills is what has worsened the product.

-- Don’t get me wrong, I love dunks as much as the next guy. And it’s not the high schoolers’ fault that people are willing to draft them. Lousy management is what’s killing the league. In other words, there’s no need to set an age limit. All the league needs is smarter people running its teams.

-- If you think I write too much about the drafting of high school players … well, too bad. I’m old enough to have seen the league before all these preps started jumping directly to the pros, and I promise you, it was much, much, much better basketball. And let me ask you this: How many high school players have led their NBA teams to a title? Kobe Bryant doesn’t count, because he hasn’t won without Shaq. The truth is, high schoolers don’t get that big-game experience like the college players do. Even Kobe didn’t play for his first title until he was 20.

-- Finally, none of this is to say that NO high schoolers should EVER be drafted. If a player is worthy at 18, like LeBron James, then draft him. BUT STOP DRAFTING PEOPLE ON POTENTIAL ALONE. Besides, I guarantee you that in five years, Jameer Nelson will STILL be a better NBA point guard than Sebastian Telfair. Guarantee it.

-- On that note, I’ll be looking for your e-mails and watching more summer league games. As always, thanks for even bothering to read.

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