2008 Free Agency, Hornets/Celtics/Clippers/Nuggets

New Orleans Hornets

I saw the news yesterday that the New Orleans Hornets, and James Posey had agreed to a potential 4 year/$25 million dollar deal, and I couldn't be more excited. I was not excited because I like James Posey, or am a hard-core fan of the New Orleans Hornets, I just like NBA teams that give stars like Chris Paul the chance to succeed. The addition of Posey does just that for the Hornets. I have been saying since the Hornets let the series go against the San Antonio Spurs in this year's playoffs that they needed to add a playoff tested veteran to get over the hump.

James Posey is coming off a season in which he helped the Boston Celtics win the 2008 NBA Finals, and did the same in 2006 with the Miami Heat. He is the most sought after 7 points a game, come off the bench free agent ever, and is every bit worth it. He provides a tough nosed veteran presence that the Hornets have lacked, as they struggled with their second unit play last season. This move makes them a contender in the Western Conference for the next few years as long as they keep the current nucleus together.

I do wonder however how much of a pitch the Boston Celtics made to keep James Posey? Losing Posey changes the dynamic for the Celtics dramatically for next season as he made big play after big play for them during their Finals run this past season. When a team has the consistency of 3 big stars like Boston did, it is role players like James Posey that make a difference between early playoff exits, and Finals runs. So hats of to the Hornets Personnel Department for stepping up and targeting Posey and paying him above market value to get what is best for the team.

Los Angeles Clippers/Denver Nuggets

The Los Angeles Clippers have finally started to make moves to save their summer from being an absolute disaster. After Elton Brand signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Corey Maggette agreed to play for the Golden State Warriors, the prognosis looked bleak. They gained Baron Davis, but lost 2 of their best players from the past few years. It seemed as if they were headed back to the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery, and I am still not sure that they are out of hot water yet.

On July 16th the Clippers picked up veteran PF/C Marcus Camby for almost nothing in return. Although Camby has been a solid player in this league for many years, he is going to be 35 next year. Camby is most definitely not the long-term solution for the Clips, but he does provide a nice little band-aid to cover up their wounds for a couple of years. If the Clippers want to be competitive in this league then they must plan further ahead than they need to plan better than it appears they did this year.

With this deal it showed that the Denver Nuggets are in a mindset of rebuilding. by trading Marcus Camby for basically nothing in return, they cleared salary to begin reworking the framework of the team. After several embarrassing first round exits, or missing the playoffs all together, it looks as if the leadership with the Nuggets has said enough is enough, and I can't blame them. I agree with rebuilding except for the fact that they should have looked to pick up a pure shooter and try that for a year, but I digress, and I hope they get to fielding a competitive PLAYOFF team soon.