InsideHoops.com - NBA Basketball News, Rumors, Articles, Interviews

  NBA NEWS & RUMORS
News
NBA rumors
Media Links
Basketball Blog

  EMAIL & FORUMS
Message Board
Free Email

  SCORES & STATS
Scores
NBA Stats
Previews
Recaps
Standings
NBA Video
Schedule
Transactions

  NBA FEATURES
Fantasy Basketball
Power Rankings
NBA Awards Watch
NBA Articles Archive
NBA Salaries
Free Agents
Interviews
Depth Charts
MVP Race
Rookie Watch
NBA Draft
NBA Mock Draft




  MORE BASKETBALL
History
NBA All-Star Weekend
Business
Playing Tips
NBA Throwback Jerseys

  MORE LEAGUES
Olympics
World
USA
Minors
Summer

  WEBSITE INFO
About Us
Write For Us
Advertise
Contact Us


nba basketball news rumors



InsideHoops NBA [Home]

Players benefitting from offseason changes

 


"LIKE" US ON FACEBOOK


 






/ Oct. 2, 2004

With training camp only a few days away NBA fans are curious to see who will benefit and who will suffer based on the fury of personnel changes that took place this off-season. Here is a look at ten players who should have significantly better seasons then a year ago.

Brent BarryBrent Barry: By going to San Antonio Barry not only joined a team with a good chance of winning the NBA title, but also joined a group of players who complement his strengths very well. With Tim Duncan constantly being double teamed and Tony Parker and Emanual Ginobili using their slashing capabilities to force defensive help even Bruce Bowen has become one of the biggest three point threats in the game. Look for Barry to kill teams from behind the arc. Additionally, this team has a lot of speed and should look to push the ball, which will suit Barry well because his skills flourish in the open floor.

Jonathan Bender: Bender has a ton of talent. So much that Indiana broke up its 1999 Eastern Conference Championship team by trading Antonio Davis for his draft rights. A skinny body, lack of defense, and logjam of forwards have prevented Bender from getting consistent minutes thus far in his career. Bender has the height and versatility to be the first player off the bench at four positions. With Al Harrington in Atlanta, he has an opportunity to get consistent minutes for the first time in his career.

Steve Francis: Moving from Jeff Van Gundy to Johnny Davis is big. Getting Grant Hill back (if he really does make it back) is bigger. Not only will Francis regain the freedom to breakdown his man off the dribble early in the offense, like he had under Rudy T, but he will do it with the prototypical complimentary side kick. Grant Hill's unselfishness and ability to run the offense so Francis can concentrate solely on creating will be the key to the rebirth of the Franchise.

Willie Green: Willie Green averaged almost 15 points in less than 25 minutes per game during the last month of the season. That was enough for new coach Jim O'Brien to decide that Green needed to be on the floor this season. Since Green isn't a point guard, O'Brien made the decision to return Allen Iverson to the position he hasn't played since his rookie season. Consequently, Billy King traded away starting point guard Eric Snow. You can bet that if O'Brien hadn't come to town then Iverson would still be at the two guard spot, Snow would still be in Philadelphia, and Green would still be sitting at the end of the bench.

Allen Iverson: O'Brien will also greatly benefit Iverson. Not necessarily by sending him back to the point. The energy he will have to expend bringing the ball up will cancel out the punishment he took coming around screens trying to get open. But O'Brien is a player's coach, especially if you are a star player. Just ask Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. In Boston, O'Brien put most of his emphasis on defense and gave his stars free reign on the offensive end. All indications suggest that will also be the case with the Sixers. If Iverson is committed to being at practice and playing defensive, O'Brien will give him all the offensive freedom he wants.

Christian Laettner: Christian Laettner's days of being in the upper portion of the leagues power forwards are over. But playing next to Shaquille O'Neal may add another year or two to his career. One thing Laettner knows how to do is shoot the mid range jumper and he is smart enough to be in the right spot when Shaq gets doubled. Horace Grant extended his career by at least three years by hitting wide-open fifteen-foot jumpers. Now it's Laettner's turn.

Andre Miller: Last year Miller was solid. He looked more like the player who led the NBA in assists with Cleveland, instead of the player who was very ineffective with the Clippers. By acquiring Kenyon Martin, Denver added the type of player that Miller loves to play with. He's going to hit the defensive glass to start the break, run the floor, and finish inside when Miller delivers him the ball. What he won't do is pop out to the wing demanding the ball to go one on one (like Miller's former Clipper teammates), and eliminate Miller's natural playmaking abilities.

Shaquille O'Neal: The Lakers picked Kobe over Shaq. The Big Fella is motivated. The team doesn't have much depth but unlike last year Shaq will get the ball when he calls for it on the block. If he can stay healthy expect the MVP award to be traveling to Miami.

Paul Pierce: With Danny Ainge holding a fire sale last year Pierce was the only real offensive threat the Celtics had. He responded by hoisting the ball up almost every time he touched it no matter how many defenders were covering him or how off balance he was. If Gary Payton reports to camp he is still capable of scoring and distributing out of the low as well as getting the team running again. If Ricky Davis can keep his head on straight and Raef Lafrentz can stay healthy the Celtics will have a much more balanced offense. That is a lot of ifs but it is unlikely opposing defenses will be able to focus solely on Pierce again this year.

Amare Stoudemire: No one will benefit more from the addition of Steve Nash than Stoudemire. Nash constantly found Dirk Nowitzki both in the half court set and on the break in Dallas. Stoudemire isn't as naturally skilled or have nearly the shooting range as Nowitzki, but he is much stronger and more athletic. Nash knows how to play to his teammates strengths and will make it a point to find the young power forward. The addition of Nash and Quentin Richardson to a team that already featured 3 point threats Joe Johnson and Casey Jacobsen will also further stretch out opposing defenses making it dangerous to double team Stoudemire in the post.










MAIN BASKETBALL SECTIONS
NBA Basketball
College
High School
Streetball
Basketball Forum
BASKETBALL SOCIAL MEDIA
RSS (of our blog)
On Twitter
On Facebook
On Instagram
On YouTube
KEY BASKETBALL WEBSITE INFO
About Us
Contact Us
Advertise
Write For Us

All content copyright 1999-2025, InsideHoops.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.