1994 Off-Season Grades

[Craig]

Boston Celtics
Key Additions: Bimbo Coles, Craig Hodges
Key Losses: Derek Harper, Tom Hammonds
The defending champs are bringing back almost their entire roster from last season (why not, right?), with one notable exception at the PG spot. Gone is veteran, steady hand Derek Harper and arriving is Bimbo Coles, who spent 3 of his first 4 seasons in Boston, so even he is a familiar face. Harper’s stout play and assist-turnover ratio was a huge part of the team’s success, but he is starting to show signs of age and Coles (26) is starting to show a lot of skills. This swap could end up being a net neutral as one of the better outcomes, but it remains to be seen. With Oscar Schmidt getting up there in age as well, this trade-off will be an important piece to the championship puzzle. The other big transaction made was re-signing Sean Higgins to a very large multi-year contract, which is a big bet to make on a guy who plays little defense. But his offensive production outweighs that, I think, and he’ll be bridging the gap as Schmidt and Scott age out of superstar status.
Grade: B-

Miami Heat
Key Additions: Grant Hill, Isiah Thomas, Brad Sellers, Jayson Williams
Key Losses: John Paxson, Trent Tucker
The Heat made a bold deal by trading a 1st round pick in what is expected to be a good draft in 1996 for the right to move up two spots to #4 in the draft to take all-around wing Grant Hill. He looks like he’s going to be a good pick but may take a bit to become an offensive hub. The other big move was signing veteran Isiah Thomas for $33mil over 2 years, with what looks like the intent to move for younger pieces. Thomas’s age and turnover issues make him seemingly unlikely to be easily moved on that contract, so it’s not my favorite signing. They’ve added some other veteran depth that could help them climb up the standings a bit this season, but the franchise hinges on reigning ROY “Penny” Hardaway, who looks like a future superstar.
Grade: B-

New Jersey Nets
Key Additions: Sam Cassell, Kevin Salvadori, Elden Campbell, Bryan Buckner, Cliff Robinson
Key Losses: Mitchell Jordan, Tom Chambers, Benoit Benjamin, Carson Nichols
After losing long-time SF Tom Chambers to retirement, the Nets decided to go a bit younger and deal the face of their franchise in Mitchell Jordan to Charlotte. They received young PG Sam Cassell and the #10 pick in the deal, where they selected Kevin Salvadori, who looks like a great selection early on. I think this was a reasonably good return for Jordan, especially if Cassell can turn into a player, but that part remains to be seen. The Nets also made a big splash in free agency, somehow convincing breakout big man Elden Campbell to come to Jersey for significantly less guaranteed money than he could’ve gotten elsewhere. They rounded out free agency with some value signings in Bryan Buckner, Cliff Robinson, and Les Jepsen. The season will largely depend on the play of Cassell, but after losing Chambers and trading their best player, I think the off-season was still an overall positive.
Grade: A-

New York Knicks
Key Additions: Eddie Jones, Khalid Reeves, Clyde Drexler
Key Losses: Christian Welp, Lance Blanks
The Knicks are in a full-scale rebuild and were relatively quiet this off-season. They drafted a top prospect in Eddie Jones, but he has been disappointing through his first training camp. Their other lottery pick, Khalid Reeves, looks like he may have been a steal at #11 though. They were able to snag Clyde Drexler on a solid one-year deal in free agency and are looking for re-building assets in return. Expect the Knicks to be battling for top lottery odds again this season.
Grade: B

Orlando Magic
Key Additions: Chris Smith
Key Losses: Kevin Lynch, Isaiah Rider
The Magic are cash strapped with 3 albatross contracts in Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, and Pooh Richardson and not many ways to get off them. The two assets they had that may have been able to help with that (Kevin Lynch, Isaiah Rider) were instead dealt for future picks with little upside. The one high-level player on the roster, Dikembe Mutombo, will likely be looking for a big payday after the season, and the Magic are going to have a hard time fitting it on their books. They have resigned themselves to re-building, which should net them a good draft pick, but otherwise things look dire for the next few seasons.
Grade: D+

Philadelphia 76ers
Key Additions: Andrei Fetisov, Lorenzo Williams, Brian Quinnett, Byron Irvin
Key Losses: Milos Babic, Buck Williams, Bimbo Coles, Cedric Ceballos
The Sixers had a decent amount of turnover this off-season, but foundations Roy Tarpley and Darrell Armstrong remain. Their key losses played a lot of minutes for them last season, but are guys that are ultimately replaceable, in my opinion. Brian Quinnett, in particular, is a really underrated player that fits in anywhere, so that’s definitely a value signing. Philly will be relying on Bison Dele to show some growth if they want to make any noise in the playoffs, I think. Overall, I don’t know that Philly did a lot to change the big picture for the team, but they swapped around their depth pieces in a way that allows them to remain competitive.
Grade: B-

Toronto Raptors
Key Additions: Glenn Robinson, Joe Dumars
Key Losses: Bill Cartwright, Dominique Wilkins
The Raptors were blessed with lottery luck yet again, ending up with the number 1 pick. They made the decision to go with SF Glenn Robinson, who looks like he could be a very nice two-way player in time. Personally, I believed Jason Kidd would have been the better pick in that spot, and word out of training camp is that Kidd looks even better now than pre-draft. They also drafted Aaron McKie later in the 1st round, which seems to be a solid pick. The only real free agency move made was overpaying Joe Dumars to shop to contenders. It remains to be seen if they’ll get any of significance.
Grade: C+

Atlanta Hawks
Key Additions: Brian Grant, Lance Blanks
Key Losses: None
The Hawks brought their band of mediocrity back again for another run. All of their rotation players are back from last season, and they’ve added PF Brian Grant from the draft and win Lance Blanks in free agency. The Grant pick isn’t looking spectacular with guys like Salvadori and Reeves on the board, but it could still work out in the end I suppose. Lance Blanks is a pretty solid MLE signing, but unlikely to make a huge difference in the big picture.
Grade: C

Charlotte Hornets
Key Additions: Mitchell Jordan, Wesley Person
Key Losses: Sam Cassell
The Hornets finally decided to trade something of value and got themselves one of the best PG’s in the league to try & take the next step. The Mitchell trade itself was a pretty well-rounded deal overall, I think, with Cassell’s development being the piece that will determine the winner long term. They were also able to draft what looks like a solid role player at #24 in Wesley Person, so that was a value pick. The Hornets still have a pretty big hole at the PF spot, so that will limit them, but they’ve definitely improved their team for the near future.
Grade: B+

Chicago Bulls
Key Additions: Otis Thorpe
Key Losses: Isiah Thomas
Long-time Bull and former #1 pick Isiah Thomas skipping town is the biggest change to this team. Isiah was a solid player, but this team needs to re-boot so not tying up the books for him was a good move, I think. Though it makes not trading him at last year’s deadline hurt a bit. They also brought back 36-year-old Joe Barry Carroll on a 2-year deal making 8 figures. This might be a bit pricey for him, but he likely has more trade value than Thomas did, so it’s not as impactful. Otis Thorpe is the most significant new piece brought in. He’s a solid big but may not get much playing time on a team with a deep frontcourt. Perhaps he can bring in a small asset in a trade.
Grade: C+

Cleveland Cavaliers
Key Additions: Dominique Wilkins
Key Losses:
The Cavs are just going to keep plugging away until they can break through, it would seem. They keep cycling through wing players to try to find the right combination but haven’t found much success there. They brought in Dominique Wilkins this time around, but it seems he is really starting to show his age, so it seems it might be the same story there. Perhaps A.J. English can provide some stability at the SG spot. Overall, though, it seems Cleveland will be in a similar position to the last couple of seasons.
Grade: C

Detroit Pistons
Key Additions: Mark Alarie, Antonio Davis, Jim McIlvaine
Key Losses: Sarunas Marciulionis
The Pistons didn’t make any splashy moves here, counting on some development from recent draft picks. Word out of training camp is that while they’re not giving up on them, Jamal Mashburn and Latrell Sprewell are not progressing at the rate they’d like. Rookie Jim McIlvaine and free agent signings Mark Alarie/Antonio Davis look to be able to upgrade the frontcourt some, but it feels like the team will still struggle to score.
Grade: C+

Indiana Pacers
Key Additions: Scott Skiles
Key Losses: Hot Rod Williams, Mark Alarie, Orlando Woolridge
The Pacers were pretty inactive this off-season, bring back PG Scott Skiles after a one-year stop in San Antonio. All other additions were minimum-level signings that provide a bit of depth but not much change in the team’s success. They lost Hot Rod Williams and Mark Alarie to free agency and Orlando Woolridge to retirement, which unfortunately means their frontcourt strength and inside scoring may take a hit. But they still have The Admiral in the middle, so it might not take much to put them near the top of the standings.
Grade: D+

Milwaukee Bucks
Key Additions: LeRon Ellis
Key Losses: None
Not a ton of movement in Milwaukee either. They brought back Steve Johnson, Toni Kukoc, and Chris Morris on small one-year deals for depth continuity. They got themselves a decent MLE signing in LeRon Ellis, but that’s the only real change to the roster. Internal improvement from Shawn Bradley, Kendall Gill, Steve Smith, and Mookie Blaylock are going to be the most consequential part of the team’s success this season.
Grade: C+

Washington Bullets
Key Additions: Juwan Howard
Key Losses: Cliff Robinson, Nate McMillan
The Wizards haven’t done a lot with their roster for a few seasons now. Kenny Anderson and Mitch Richmond are a very nice backcourt, but the rest of the lineup is lacking. They had the #3 pick in the draft and made a widely panned pick in Juwan Howard, which unfortunately looks even worse now after reports from training camp have not been positive. Expect the team remain mediocre this season.
Grade: D

Dallas Mavericks
Key Additions: Dennis Scott, Christian Welp, Olden Polynice
Key Losses: Johnny Dawkins, Elden Campbell
The Mavericks lost two important pieces to their lineup to free agency. Johnny Dawkins if far from a star but they have not found a replacement with any track record of being able to run a team. Terrell Brandon is the major wildcard for the team this season. Additionally, big man Elden Campbell spurned them after his breakout season to apparently go live in Brunswick, New Jersey. They signed Olden Polynice and Christian Welp to man the middle, who are solid vets, but definitely a downgrade. The Mavs were able to use their cap space to sign swingman Dennis Scott to pair with Jim Jackson on the wing. Scott has yet to be a full-time starter but has shown the skills to be a consistent 20ppg scorer. Sam Perkins was able to be retained on a one-year deal, which is good. But I’m less optimistic about him playing the PF spot, trying to make room for Scott, so we shall see how that works out.
Grade: C+

Denver Nuggets
Key Additions: Jalen Rose, Glen Rice, Kevin Willis, Shawnelle Scott, Robert Churchwell
Key Losses: Stacey King, Joe Dumars, Dave Feitl
The Nuggets had a pretty lackluster roster going into the off-season, coming off a re-building year, so their losses are not overly consequential. They made what looks to be a pretty solid trade in getting a 1996 draft pick to move down from #4 to #6 in the draft, where they selected PG Jalen Rose. He is a bit raw but has a lot of potential so looks like a solid pick for the future. They also look to have gotten a couple of steals in the 2nd round with Robert Churchwell and Shawnelle Scott, which is nice. The Nuggets will still be pretty bad this season, but they’ll finally get off of Chris Mullin’s contract and be able to play around in free agency.
Grade: B

Houston Rockets
Key Additions: Milos Babic, James Worthy, Michael Cage
Key Losses: Otis Thorpe, Greg Foster
The Rockets have their Big 3 in Clark Kellogg, Kenny Smith, and Michael Jordan, so they’ve been spending their time shuffling around frontcourt pieces to try to find the right combination. This season, the new pieces there will be Milos Babic, Michael Cage, Eric Leckner, and Felton Spencer. They’re all solid players but overall, I think unlikely to be much better or worse than the previous Rocket frontcourts.
Grade: C+

Minnesota Timberwolves
Key Additions: Lafayette Lever, Bryant Stith, Melvin Booker
Key Losses: Steve Scheffler
The Wolves made a big win-now move in acquiring “Fat” Lever from the Grizzlies for a couple of future 1sts. There is some risk with those picks but it’s a pretty young team, so I think the deal is a win. As one of the better PG’s in the league, he should provide a good boost for the young roster. The frontcourt is largely unchanged but is still very dangerous, and Frank Kornet will be allowed to run wild scoring the ball while the rest of the lineup provides high-level defense. It’s entirely possible this team takes a major leap with the roster upgrades and better health this season. They also drafted PG Melvin Booker at the end of the lottery, which was a boom or bust gamble, that so far looks to be paying off based on reports from training camp.
Grade: A-

Phoenix Suns
Key Additions: Derek Harper, Dallas Comegys, Greg Foster
Key Losses: Dennis Scott, LeRon Ellis, Kenny Gattison, Glen Rice
The Suns lost a lot of depth off their Finals roster during free agency, but with Shaq due for a payday soon, it was going to be difficult to keep everyone around. They balked at giving Scott a max contract, which he ultimately ended up getting from Dallas. He’ll probably earn that contract, and the Suns probably should have moved him prior to free agency to get something in return. They were able to fill a pretty big hole at PG with the return of Derek Harper, who spent half a season in Phoenix in 1992. He is showing some signs of age but will likely provide stability at that spot. We’ll see how the depth changes impacts the overall team.
Grade: C+

San Antonio Spurs
Key Additions: Stacey King, Steve Alford, Chris Washburn, Alonzo Mourning, Johnny Dawkins
Key Losses: Melvin Turpin, Scott Skiles, Jerome Lane
The Spurs took a huge blow with the retirement of Melvin Turpin at age 33. He was holding their frontcourt together with great two-way play, so his loss hurts. They have acquired Stacey King and Chris Washburn for nothing but cap space, so while they were low-cost acquisitions, it remains to be seen whether they can fill the hole that Turpin left. They also lost their starting PG in Scott Skiles so will hand the reigns back over to B.J. Armstrong, who will have to prove he’s up to the challenge. EDIT: Recently traded Jerome Lane to Lakers for two middle of the road starters. There's a world where the added depth nets them a few more wins than last season, but overall a gross misuse of one of the league's better assets.
Grade: C dropped to D-

Utah Jazz
Key Additions: Tom Hammonds, David Rivers, Anthony Goldwire
Key Losses: Leon Wood, Antonio Davis, Jayson Williams, Byron Irvin
The Jazz are going to look a lot different with Leon Wood having moved on after being their PG for 10 years. If they’re just looking to start a re-build, then it’s not as consequential, but the GM has been hesitant to go there over the years, so we’ll have to see. They also lost big pieces of their rotation in Antonio Davis, Jayson Williams, and Byron Irvin. The additions brought in to replace them are going to be a downgrade, so it could be a rough year in Utah.
Grade: C-

Golden State Warriors
Key Additions: Lamond Murray
Key Losses: A.J. English, Dell Curry
The Warriors have not had a lot going on the last few seasons. There isn’t a lot of talent around Danny Manning and Kevin Johnson anymore, so their record suffered last season. This gave them the opportunity to draft Lamond Murray, which is looking to be an average draft pick, I suppose. Long-time Dubs A.J. English and Dell Curry have moved on in free agency. Overall, not much change in Golden State to improve the situation.
Grade: C

Los Angeles Clippers
Key Additions: Eric Piatkowski
Key Losses: None
The Clipps continued their longstanding tradition of sticking with their guys, no matter how bad the team performs. Everyone from their rotation last year is back for another run. They may have lucked out with a good draft pick at #13 with Eric Piatkowski, who looks like he may be a contender for ROY. This may give them a solid boost, but this is the only significant change to the roster. They were able to bring back C Dwayne Schintzius on what looks to be an overpay, but nobody leaves the Clippers right?
Grade: B-

Los Angeles Lakers
Key Additions: Kevin Lynch, Sharone Wright, Jerome Lane, Benoit Benjamin, Hot Rod Williams
Key Losses: Alonzo Mourning, Brad Sellers
The Lakers have decided that their re-build is over. They’ve acquired a lot of really solid depth in Kevin Lynch (acquired for next to nothing in trade), Benoit Benjamin (free agency), and Johnny Dawkins (free agency) for pretty cheap. They’re still on the hunt for a star to bring it all together, but they look to have a good mix of role players ready. They also got some good big men out of the draft in Zeljko Rebraca, Yinka Dare, and Sharone Wright, who looks primed for a good rookie year. EDIT: Recently traded two mediocre starters for one of the best players in the league in Lane.
Grade: A- bumped to A+


Portland Trailblazers
Key Additions: Isaiah Rider, Leon Wood
Key Losses: Clyde Drexler
The Blazers acquired what will be the best backup PG in the league in Leon Wood for the MLE and a really good-looking SG prospect in Isaiah Rider from the Magic for just a mediocre future pick, so these transactions were a clear win. The Rider acquisition is particularly nice for them after Clyde Drexler having to be let go due to team salary constraints. Rider looks like he could step into that role nicely. They retained Charles Barkley and Gary Payton on pretty massive contracts, so while having them back on the roster bodes well for the immediate future, it could get ugly down the line.
Grade: B-

Sacramento Kings
Key Additions: Jason Kidd, Gary Collier
Key Losses: Chuck Nevitt, David Rivers
The Kings were granted the #2 pick in the draft and able to select my personal #1 prospect at that spot. With training camp reports coming out, it’s looking even more like a home run of a pick. Gary Collier is the only other relatively significant addition as a solid value draft pick at #27. Drafting Kidd is great for the future of the franchise, but there wasn’t anything else done to improve the team. Maybe that’s good for getting another good draft pick.
Grade: B+

Seattle Supersonics
Key Additions: Jarrett Wedge, John Paxson
Key Losses: Darrell Griffith, Pervis Ellison, Kevin Willis
The Sonics have decided that big men don’t exist, now boasting a roster with 13 out of 15 players being PG’s, SG’s, or SF’s. The sudden loss of star SG Darrell Griffith pushed them into a re-build before they were preparing to do so, so they’ve been trying to do that on the fly but without a first round pick for the next two seasons. Their Barkley trade at last year’s deadline was not a good one and they’ve got a disjointed roster without a lot of talent. It’s going to be rough for the next couple of seasons and they’ll have to rely on cap space to get better. It looks as though they were able to find a gem signing with young PG Jarrett Wedge, though, so that is nice for them, even if they didn’t get him for a 3rd year on the contract to gain bird rights.
Grade: D+

Vancouver Grizzlies
Key Additions: Pervis Ellison, Kenny Gattison, Buck Williams
Key Losses: Lafayette Lever, Brian Quinnett
The Grizz weren’t happy with the offers they were getting for their veteran superstars, so decided to keep them together and keep on chugging. They were able to move “Fat” Lever for some future picks, which might end up being decent trade assets. Otherwise, they have doubled down on bruising opponents in the paint by acquiring Pervis Ellison, Kenny Gattison, and Buck Williams. Losing Lever and Quinnett is going to hurt, I think, but they still have Ralph Sampson and Magic Johnson, so they’ll be a tough team to deal with either way.
Grade: B-

[Cellar-door]

I agree with my grade. I will say PF is not as bad as it looks since I will get Ferry back after day 30, and while he hasn't scored at the rates he did early on, he's a good defender and solid rebounder who shoots over 40% from 3 for his career, so a decent starter (and because I shipped him somewhere else he actually improved in TC).

[The Bean Regime]

Yay distraction.

Great article. I think the Nuggets deserve a higher grade as I think the trade down was a very, very good move and he nailed the draft so far. And then even taking on Rice I thought was a positive, if rather unimportant move.

Lakers tied for the best grade even before considering Lane. A goat offseason if you would. I absolutely love the Lynch grab, Wright is a very strong rookie, and Rebraca was 2nd on my list when he was picked. Then the FA grabs were all good impact players, even if he is greatly overselling a slightly above-average starting PG in Dawkins.

Cavs should get a lower grade imo, because Wilkins was terrible even before the TC. Getting by on name value at this point.

I really liked the Hornets offseasons as well (what? jkjk). I considered Person at 12, and he grabbed a very cheap Mitchell Jordan from the Nets who is still a top-3 PG and only 29. Wish I had inquired there.

My gut reaction is to be harsher on the Nets because I didn't really like Cassell much, but getting Campbell and Salvadori looking pretty good helps balance that out.

Knicks were also one I really liked. I REALLY wanted Reeves (bastard), and Jones was imo the right pick at #5. And then he targeted a veteran that I think will have a market and get him something in return in Drexler, and signed at an attainable price as well.

I do appreciate the good rating though.

[Craig]

The ratings are kind of arbitrary. Would probably be better off with categories like "Great" "Good" "Meh-slightly positive" "Meh-slightly negative" "Not great" "Bad" etc lol

[Craig]

I agree with my grade. I will say PF is not as bad as it looks since I will get Ferry back after day 30, and while he hasn't scored at the rates he did early on, he's a good defender and solid rebounder who shoots over 40% from 3 for his career, so a decent starter (and because I shipped him somewhere else he actually improved in TC).

I admittedly did not consider Ferry when looking at the state of your PF spot. Though I'm not a huge fan so not sure it would change my statement lol

[offtheheezy]

but nobody leaves the Clippers right?

Truer words were never found

[vincent1469]

Damn. I don’t disagree though. Expected Barkley to have a bigger impact than he did and tried to contend for too long. Gonna be a rough few seasons.

[the goat]

Yea might as well bump me up to A++

Good read, always nice seeing a recap of what teams did between seasons

[Craig]

Yea might as well bump me up to A++

Good read, always nice seeing a recap of what teams did between seasons

Don't worry I edited

Btw I hope Wright is garbage

[jibbajabba614]

Yea might as well bump me up to A++

Good read, always nice seeing a recap of what teams did between seasons

Don't worry I edited

Btw I hope Wright is garbage

Bump

[Craig]

Yea might as well bump me up to A++

Good read, always nice seeing a recap of what teams did between seasons

Don't worry I edited

Btw I hope Wright is garbage

Bump

Touché

[800wins]

We deserve an F for that Isiah signing. Smh I thought I put one year

[UOducksTK1]

Wow fantastic article.

[FlDuckFan]

Only criticism is Magic should be at an F+ , you were being to kind to me.

[Oregon Ownage]

Love that you weren't nice in giving grades and only a couple received very good grades which is realistic.

Maybe do a follow up at All-Star break and end of season? Will be interesting to see how well you did over time