1990 Off-Season Grades

[Craig]

Boston Celtics
Key Additions: Oscar Schmidt, Craig Hodges, Jim Paxson, Duane Causwell
Key Losses: Benoit Benjamin, Buck Williams, Dominique Wilkins, Larry Drew
The Celtics, after a few disappointing seasons, decided to execute a major shakeup by sending Benoit Benjamin, Dominique Wilkins, and Buck Williams (plus a draft pick) to the Kings for Oscar Schmidt and Jim Paxson. This sacrificed a lot of depth, but Oscar is just far & away the #1 SF in the league and forms a 1-2 punch with Scott that is arguably the best in the league. The C’s also got a few low-budget acquisitions in rookie big man Duane Causwell and veteran PG Craig Hodges to sneakily round out the lineup. Expect the Celtics to be battling for the top seed in the East after the off-season’s moves.
Grade: A-

Miami Heat
Key Additions: Elden Campbell, Otis Birdsong
Key Losses: None
The Heat didn’t make any big splashes but accomplished important tasks in retaining veteran Dennis Johnson and superstar Joe Barry Carroll. They also added some depth with rookie big man Elden Campbell and veteran scorer Otis Birdsong, who should both help the team improve on last year’s 43 wins. There were no major departures from last year’s rotation. The ceiling for this team still seems a bit limited, but it seems like they can get 45-50 wins and you never know what can happen in the playoffs with a guy like Carroll on board. Not splashy, but a solid off-season.
Grade: B

New Jersey Nets
Key Additions: Cedric Ceballos
Key Losses: Luke Chen
Not a lot of significant off-season activity in New Jersey, which isn’t too surprising after another Finals run. SF Cedric Ceballos was added in the draft, but he could be buried in the rotation a bit on a very good team. Seems like they were counting on some growth from young C Stacey King, but he may or may not have delivered on that, leaving the frontcourt slightly lacking. Regardless, the Nets kept a Finals team together (and importantly their Big 3), so look for them to remain near the top of the East.
Grade: B-

New York Knicks
Key Additions: None
Key Losses: Jack Sikma
The Knicks have made it clear they are looking to start the re-building process but look like they’re going to remain patient waiting for worthwhile returns on guys like Kevin Duckworth and Clark Kellog. The only significant move they made was letting staple big man Jack Sikma go without a fight to the Indiana Pacers. Bill Cartwright was on the roster for a hot minute but was quickly dealt for what some around the league believe to be less than optimal value. There will likely be moves to come during the season, but the off-season didn’t really yield any significant results pulling them any closer to the top or bottom of the standings.
Grade: C-

Orlando Magic
Key Additions: Darryl Dawkins, Hank Gathers, Reggie Williams
Key Losses: None
The Magic are in the midst of a long, slow re-build. They are still quite a way away from being a playoff team, but they’ve added enough talent to at least not be flirting with single digit wins for the season. Newcomers Darryl Dawkins, Vlad Tkachenko, and #2 pick Hank Gathers should ensure they are respectable on the boards, but they’ll still struggle to get too many wins, it would seem. Their draft pick made sense and they’ve added cheap talent on one-year deals to preserve future cap space, so while not earth-shattering, I’d call the off-season a positive one for Orlando.
Grade: B

Philadelphia 76ers
Key Additions: Vlade Divac, Mike Gminski, Chris Morris, Stefano Rusconi
Key Losses: None
After receiving big lottery luck and jumping to pick #3, the Sixers made the somewhat controversial decision to trade out of that slot, and likely selection of Gary Payton, with the Suns for Vlade Divac, Chris Morris, and a future pick. Both of these players are recent top 10 picks and have shown solid growth in their careers (particularly Vlade), so the jury is still out on this deal, but so far it looks like a win-win. They were also very successful with later 1st round draft picks, picking up Stefano Rusconi and Milos Babic, both of whom look to have bright futures. Between these two, recently re-signed star Roy Tarpley, and the aforementioned Divac, the Sixers’ frontcourt looks to be in pretty good shape moving forward.
Grade: B+

Toronto Raptors
Key Additions: Alec Kessler
Key Losses: Jamie Benshoof
The Raptors roster didn’t have a lot of wiggle room going into the off-season, so not a ton of new faces, but they were one of the best teams in the entire league last year, so there didn’t need to be. They replaced backup big man Jamie Benshoof with what looks like a draft day steal in Alec Kessler, but otherwise bring back a really good team. Moses “MVP” Malone remains in the middle to carry the team, so look for the Raps to be an Eastern conference contender again.
Grade: B-

Atlanta Hawks
Key Additions: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Key Losses: None
The Hawks are another team that went into the off-season with little flexibility due to salary constraints and roster spots. The only major transaction was them drafting their 450th PG at #7 in Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. He looks to be a solid floor general but hasn’t shown a ton else yet. They haven’t really made any proactive moves to improve the roster since acquiring Wayman Tisdale at the ’88 trade deadline, which includes this off-season, so not much to write home about here.
Grade: D+

Charlotte Hornets
Key Additions: Tony Massenburg, Rumeal Robinson, Bo Kimble
Key Losses: Danny Ainge
Not a ton of major splashes in Charlotte this off-season, counting on internal growth within the roster. They did make a few draft picks, most notably guard Bo Kimble at #10. Word is he’s been a bit disappointing in his transition to the pros, but he’s still young so there is time. Their most ready rookie looks like it may be 2nd rounder Tony Massenburg, but he may be buried behind a relatively deep frontcourt rotation, with recently lottery picks Rik Smits and Danny Ferry taking the lion’s share of the minutes. The Hornets continue to retain all their picks and some salary flexibility, but without a major positive acquisition through free agency, trade, or the draft, the off-season was only so helpful.
Grade: C-

Chicago Bulls
Key Additions: John Paxson
Key Losses: None
The Bulls made a few moves in-season last year and liked what they saw, so there were no major changes to the roster and they retained their starting five. Bill Laimbeer was retained on a value contract and John Paxson is an upgrade at backup PG. This team looks to be improved when deploying their new lineup for a full year, but this work was done last season, so the off-season grade is pretty insignificant.
Grade: C+

Cleveland Cavaliers
Key Additions: Ken Barlow, Dallas Comegys, Bill Garnett
Key Losses: None
The Cavs were another good team with limited resources this off-season. They were able to bring back Bernard King and Dudley Bradley on good contracts, which is a win. They also added Dallas Comegys and Bill Garnett for bench depth. Their biggest move was bringing in Ken Barlow for the SF spot while giving up only a likely late 1st round pick. With Olajuwon/Johnson protecting the rim behind him, his defensive limitations are less concerning, and he provides a much-needed scoring spark for the team. They didn’t acquire any world beaters but did well to improve the squad without much to work with.
Grade: B+

Detroit Pistons
Key Additions: Reggie Theus, Felton Spencer, Terry Cummings, Terry Mills
Key Losses: Chuck Nevitt, Ron Harper
The Pistons added a decent amount of talent without sacrificing any real future assets or losing anything that they’ll miss. Their draft picks (Spencer, Mills) seem like solid value but will just take some time to develop. They retained Orlando Woolridge and signed Reggie Theus away from Indiana, either of whom could potentially net them a future asset. They still look to be a late lottery/fringe playoff team but maintained their future flexibility.
Grade: B-

Indiana Pacers
Key Additions: Jack Sikma, Loy Vaught, Sean Higgins
Key Losses: Mike Gminski, Reggie Theus
The Pacers seem to have gotten good value out of the draft with Loy Vaught and Sean Higgins joining. Both look to be in the rotation this year. The Pacers also brought in veteran big man Jack Sikma to help out their young guys up front. Losing Gminski hurts less with the Sikma signing, but losing Reggie Theus hurts their backcourt a bit. The growth/brilliance of David Robinson with his new frontcourt mates may lead to an improved record for the Pacers this season. I think I’d call the off-season positive, overall.
Grade: B-

Milwaukee Bucks
Key Additions: Buck Williams, Kendall Gill, Mark Price, Jon Koncak
Key Losses: Chris Washburn
The Bucks didn’t lose any real important rotation players and Kendall Gill was a very solid draft pick, but I’m not a huge fan of the other moves. Buck Williams was acquired for what may end up being a lottery pick, which I think is sub-optimal value. Jon Koncak and Mark Price were signed to bloated contracts that I dislike as well. The team has unquestionably improved its talent and they will be a better team than last year, but I’m not thrilled about the asset management.
Grade: C+

Washington Bullets
Key Additions: Tyrone Hill
Key Losses: Ken Barlow, Calvin Duncan
Not a lot occurred in D.C. this off-season. Tyrone Hill is not off to a great start in his career as the team’s lottery pick. Calvin Duncan left the team for a modest contract with a title contender and Ken Barlow was traded for what looks like a late 1st round pick. They kept all their picks and maintained salary flexibility, but that’s about it.
Grade: D+

Dallas Mavericks
Key Additions: Antonio Davis
Key Losses: Jon Koncak, Darryl Dawkins
The Mavs have entered a re-build and let their veteran big men from last season (Koncak, Dawkins) walk in free agency to make room for Patrick Ewing, Hot Rod Williams, and rookie Antonio Davis. They also acquired a 1st round pick in a sign-and-trade of Dennis Rodman. Not a lot else happening in Dallas as they look toward the future.
Grade: C+

Denver Nuggets
Key Additions: Tim Kempton
Key Losses: Mario Gress
The Nuggets have been shopping around trying to make some changes without success. They are out most of their picks and have a pretty dicey cap sheet, limiting their flexibility. They let Mario Gress walk in free agency, allowing Nick Anderson to take over the SG position and they added Tim Kempton for some frontcourt depth. They really need to make some changes, it would seem, but the pieces they need to move (Bird, Stockton) don’t seem to be attracting much in the way of trade offers. With better health, the team may compete for a playoff spot this year.
Grade: C-

Houston Rockets
Key Additions: Gary Payton, Greg Foster
Key Losses: Scott Skiles
The Rockets made one big move in the draft to move up two spots to take what many believe to be the best player in the draft in Gary Payton. They capitalized on the Suns’ aversion to drafting a PG and moved up without giving up a ton to do it (perpetually top-10 protected 1st), which is a win, I think. Greg Foster also looks like he was a value pick in the 2nd round. Otherwise, the Rockets kept the powder dry in free agency to gun for a top 4 pick in next off-season’s draft.
Grade: B+

Minnesota Timberwolves
Key Additions: Steve Alford, Jerod Mustaf, Chuck Nevitt
Key Losses: Jon Sundvold, Dallas Comegys
Minnesota is tough to grade since Steve Alford does not have much of a track record to evaluate as a starting PG. If I were betting, I’d say the swap from Jon Sundvold to Alford is relatively neutral, which ideally keeps the Wolves in the thick of the playoffs. Chuck Nevitt provides good bench depth and Jerod Mustaf looks like he was definitely a value pick in the late 1st round.
Grade: B

Phoenix Suns
Key Additions: Mark Eaton, Benoit Benjamin, Dennis Scott, Derrick Coleman, Mario Gress
Key Losses: Vlade Divac, Chris Morris, Otis Birdsong, Tim Kempton
The Suns, along with Boston and Milwaukee, might’ve made the most drastic changes this off-season. They drafted Derrick Coleman #1 overall, which so far looks good but not great. They essentially traded Divac, Morris, and a 1st for Dennis Scott and a 1st, which is a big bet on 3-D, and included a trade with Houston that probably wasn’t great value, but it may end up paying off in the end. With their pick this year heading to Philly, they added frontcourt defense that they were sorely lacking in veterans Mark Eaton and Benoit Benjamin. Their young guys still need some development before they’re contenders, but they’ll likely compete for the playoffs this year.
Grade: B

San Antonio Spurs
Key Additions: None
Key Losses: None
The Spurs did basically nothing this off-season, which isn’t the worst thing considering they have one of the most complete starting units in the league that won 52 games last season. Going to give them a neutral grade with a slight bump for not doing anything dumb.
Grade: C+

Utah Jazz
Key Additions: Scott Skiles, Kenny Williams
Key Losses: Steve Alford, Terry Cummings
The Jazz were pretty quiet this off-season but made some decent resource plays with swapping backup PG Steve Alford for rookie wing Kenny Williams. This was after also signing Scott Skiles to back up Leon Wood at PG, so overall this was a net gain I think, as Williams looks like he has a bright future. Not a big fan of the Sabonis extension, but the Jazz tend to have some struggles retaining their players in free agency, by their own admission. They lost a little depth in Terry Cummings but shouldn’t miss him too much. I see them performing similarly to how they did last season
Grade: B

Golden State Warriors
Key Additions: Jon Sundvold
Key Losses: Dennis Rodman, Mark Price
The defending champions lost a couple of key rotation pieces during free agency, but it remains to be seen how impactful that will be. Price getting a 4-year max contract is easy to justify not matching and they can likely make up for his absence with Carson Nichols and newly signed Jon Sundvold. A lot of the team’s success came after benching price last year anyway. The loss of Rodman, while not an All Star or anything, hurts the team’s frontcourt depth with Finals MVP Danny Manning moving to SF. It remains to be seen whether Bill Wingate and Orlando Graham can hold down the fort. Perhaps they end up moving a young wing (Quinnett, English) for help on the front line.
Grade: C

Los Angeles Clippers
Key Additions: Dwayne Schintzius
Key Losses: None
The Clippers retained Jim Brogan on an expensive (though short) contract and drafted Dwayne Schintzius to add to their stable of young big men. Brogan’s salary is a little tough to trade or fit in with the hard cap, but he is one of the best PG’s in the league. Schintzius has shown good early development signs but may be buried in the rotation for quite a while behind Seikaly, Kemp, and Perdue. Would have liked to maybe see them make a splash somehow but they own all their picks so they can afford to take it slow.
Grade: C+

Los Angeles Lakers
Key Additions: Toni Kukoc, Michael Ray Richardson, Danny Ainge
Key Losses: None
The Lakers resisted the temptation to move up in the draft for Gary Payton and just took their guy at #4 in Toni Kukoc. I think he was a very solid pick but will take some time to develop. Without their pick this upcoming season, it seems they signed a few veterans to try & get a few more wins than the piddly 11 they got last season. These signings include Michael Ray Richardson, Danny Ainge, Jamie Benshoof, Devin Durrant, and Kenny Gattison. Not exactly the cream of the crop, but they should at least finish ahead of the Rockets this year.
Grade: B-

Portland Trailblazers
Key Additions: Calvin Duncan, Dennis Rodman
Key Losses: Freeman Williams
The Blazers were hit by a surprise retirement from Freeman Williams, which hurts, but with limited resources they were able to snag a few depth pieces for the team. Calvin Duncan is an efficient wing who plays good defense and Dennis Rodman has championship experience to bring with his defense and rebounding. There wasn’t a lot of flexibility the team had but they did a solid job of improving.
Grade: B

Sacramento Kings
Key Additions: Jayson Williams, Chris Washburn, Freddie Banks
Key Losses: Oscar Schmidt, Jim Paxson
The Kings went into straight re-building mode very quickly this off-season. They traded franchise cornerstone Oscar Schmidt for half the Celtics’ starting lineup and netted themselves 4 1st round picks for those players they got from Boston, which is a good start to the re-build. The draft choice of Jayson Williams is also looking like decent value for #18.
Grade: A-

Seattle SuperSonics
Key Additions: Johnny Dawkins
Key Losses: Mark Eaton, Ennis Whatley
The Sonics may have taken a bit of a step back this off-season in losing big man Mark Eaton, but they still have a lot of talent to be in the thick of the playoff race. Trading a future 1st for Johnny Dawkins was a little dicey in my opinion but it could end up working out. They are exactly on the hard cap so making any moves during the season will be difficult.
Grade: C+

Vancouver Grizzlies
Key Additions: Dominique Wilkins, Joe Dumars, Les Jepsen
Key Losses: Michael Ray Richardson, Johnny Dawkins, Freddie Banks
The Grizzlies had a successful off-season in retaining Magic Johnson while adding Dominique Wilkins and Joe Dumars to the starting lineup. Dumars was acquired for pretty cheap and they also acquired a future 1st round pick for a PG they didn’t want to play in Johnny Dawkins. Richardson leaving in free agency may have been addition by subtraction anyway but replacing him with a great fit in Wilkins makes it a definite win.
Grade: A-

[UOducksTK1]

Well done! Fun article. I skimmed through it, but will read it more later.

[lukeyrid13]

Great article and good summary of all the squads really.

[FlDuckFan]

Orlando Magic
Key Additions: Darryl Dawkins, Hank Gathers, Reggie Williams
Key Losses: None
The Magic are in the midst of a long, slow re-build. They are still quite a way away from being a playoff team, but they’ve added enough talent to at least not be flirting with single digit wins for the season. Newcomers Darryl Dawkins, Vlad Tkachenko, and #2 pick Hank Gathers should ensure they are respectable on the boards, but they’ll still struggle to get too many wins, it would seem. Their draft pick made sense and they’ve added cheap talent on one-year deals to preserve future cap space, so while not earth-shattering, I’d call the off-season a positive one for Orlando.
Grade: B

TRUST THE PROCESS.

[jibbajabba614]

Very true. Didn’t want to lose Mookie for Oscar. I just feel like he can be a great player once guys in early 30’s aging. Cap wise I’m good. Buck had 1 yr deal. Kellogg has 2 year deal and cost more to get. Cap management. Learnt from others contenders and their cap situation. And you gonna over pay in free agency.

[Craig]

Whenever this is finalized:

Sean Elliot
-Handling
-Strength
-Jump Shot

Dennis Scott
-Handling
-Strength
-Jump Shot

[Oregon Ownage]

Sean Elliot
-Handling

Done