Northwest Division offseason news and notes by David Murphy, Sunday, July 18, 2010
In having a little fun while looking at the annual summer-long player shuffles, here are some (hopefully) interesting notes pertaining the Northwest Division.
Denver adds Al Harrington
The Nuggets have signed forward Al Harrington to a 5-year, $34 million deal.
Lately Harrington has been best known for putting up great stats for the terrible New York Knicks. However, here are some numbers that may indicate otherwise.
-In his 123 games with Golden State from 2006 to 2008, the Warriors won 58% of their games - the best winning percentage of any Warrior in the last decade who played at least a full season in Oakland.
-Harrington put up the best 3-point shooting numbers of his career playing with the Warriors, connecting on nearly 40% of his shots from beyond the arc. He finished eighth in the league for the 2006-07 season.
-In Harrington's seven seasons with the Pacers, Indiana finished in the top-3 in the Eastern Conference five times. Three years (1999, 2000, 2004) they posted the best regular-season record in the conference.
Conclusion: He fills it up for bad teams, but can be equally useful when superior talent is around him.
Utah acquires Al Jefferson
The Jazz traded two future first-round picks and Kosta Koufos to Minnesota in exchange for Al Jefferson.
Utah has plans for Jefferson at both frontcourt spots. The F/C is now more than 18 months removed from knee surgery and played 76 games last season for the Timberwolves.
-The 25-year old is entering his seventh year as a pro. He was a part of the trade that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston.
-Since moving to Minnesota, Jefferson has owned the Utah-foe Nuggets, averaging 19 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks against Denver.
-And against then-Warrior Al Harrington, Jefferson was even better, exploding for an average of 20.6 points, 15.7 rebounds and a block against Golden State in the 2007-08 season
-The Jazz have also added Raja Bell, courtesy of a 3-year deal.
Conclusion: If healthy, Jefferson should help the Jazz reclaim the division crown from Denver, especially considering Harrington now plays for the Nuggets. Bell will upgrade the defense and provide the team with someone to try to slow down Kobe Bryant.
All quiet in Portland
The Trailblazers haven't made any big moves, hoping to preserve the team that has posted two straight playoff appearances.
-The core of the team - Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marcus Camby, Andre Miller - is intact. Many of the role players are also back, including Jerryd Bayless, Rudy Fernandez, Greg Oden and Joey Przybilla.
-3 years into his career, Oden has played just 82 total games.
-Martell Webster was traded on draft day for swingman Luke Babbitt.
-The Blazers are close to signing former Jazz-guard Wesley Mathews.
Conclusion: The core is still there and the team should be competitive, yet Portland hasn't done enough to unseat Utah and Denver.
Not much movement in OKC
The Thunder have once again used draft-day trades to build the team, while not being active in free agency.
-Oklahoma City acquired Morris Peterson, Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich, Latavious Williams and Tibor Pleiss on draft day.
-Despite cap room, the Thunder front office has not signed a free agent.
Conclusion: OKC is the wild card of the Northwest, due mainly to the presence of superstar Kevin Durant. However, the team simply doesn't have the frontcourt to deal with the likes of Al Jefferson, Marcus Camby, Nene and even Al Harrington.
Minny busy with trades
The Timberwolves aren't in contention for much of anything, but continue to restructure the team.
-Minnesota was fortunate enough to have a top-5 pick this summer, taking Wesley Johnson from Syracuse fourth overall.
-The team made one of the first, and most criticized, moves of the offseason, signing Darko Milicic to a lucrative contract.
-Michael Beasley has taken his talents to Minnesota; the T'Wolves acquired Beasley from Miami for two second-round draft picks.
-Martell Webster was acquired from Portland.
Conclusion: The team has made some moves, but all indications are that a last-place finish in the division is in Minnesota's near future.
