NBA:Winners Of The 2013 NBA Offseason

With the addition of Dwight Howard in the 2013 NBA Offseason, James Harden and the Houston Rockets made the jump from a good team to an elite team. (Photo Credit: Michael Dunlap, HoopsHabit.com)

Having earlier looked at the Losers of the 2013 NBA Offseason, we are now going to look at those who took steps upon the later. So without further ado, here are the five teams that were came out on top following the NBA Offseason frenzy:

Houston Rockets

ADDED: C Marcus Camby (one year); F Omri Casspi (two years, $2 million); C Dwight Howard (four years, $88 million); G Reggie Williams (two years, $2 million); G Isaiah Canaan (second-round pick, 34th overall); F Robert Covington (two years, $2.25 million)

LOST: C Furkan Aldemir (rights traded to Philadelphia); G Carlos Delfino (signed with Milwaukee); F Royce White (traded to Philadelphia)

RETAINED: G Aaron Brooks (one year, $884,000), G Francisco Garcia (two years, $2.6 million) – Source: NBA.com

Genaral manager Daryl Morey played it right by the book thus far and it seems to be paying off.

As any GM aims to do, Morey was in the hunt for that elusive superstar to build around as Yao Ming continued to struggle with injuries which forced him into early retirement.

Almost like a chess master, Morey began the rebuilding process by moving players around, accumulating draft picks and talent–all while biding his time, just waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger on a big move.

During the 2011-12 season, Pau Gasol was seemingly the answer, or at least a big piece of the puzzle, until David Stern stepped in and vetoed the Los Angeles Lakers’ trade for Chris Paul.

Last year, Morey saw what the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t and traded for the former Sixth Man of the Year, James Harden who rose to true superstardom and justified the hefty price tag OKC refused to pay. This year, that was the key in acquiring arguably the biggest prize in the free agency period as Houston locked up Dwight Howard for the next four years.

Coach Kevin McHale is now armed with a two-headed monster to let loose upon the best of the West. Many will be expecting the Rockets to fly to the top of the Western Conference and beyond. However, the biggest challenge for McHale will be to corral the egos that are bound to creep out and also convince Omer Asik to accept the backup role.

Los Angeles Clippers

ADDED: Coach Doc Rivers (acquired from Boston); G Darren Collison (two years, $3.8 million); F Jared Dudley (acquired trade from Phoenix); C Byron Mullens (two years, $2 million); G J.J. Redick (acquired via sign-and-trade with Milwaukee); F Reggie Bullock (first-round pick, 25th overall)

LOST: G Eric Bledsoe, F Caron Butler (traded to Phoenix); G Chauncey Billups (signed with Detroit); DaJuan Summers (waived); C/F Ronny Turiaf (signed with Minnesota)

RETAINED: G Chris Paul (five years, $107 million); F Matt Barnes (three years, $10 million); C Ryan Hollins (one year, $884,000)

Well it seems the pin has dropped and good ol’ cheap Donald Sterling is no more as he has now invested more than $200 million on his two stars. Hell, he even forked out $21 million to pry away coach Doc Rivers from the Boston Celtics.

Retaining the services of Chris Paul was priority No. 1 for Lob City, especially after the Clippers looked like they had screwed it up as usual. Luckily, CP3 didn’t really have many other great options so he chose stick around but the loss of Eric Bledsoe’s talent, Caron Butler’s toughness and Chauncey Billups’ championship experience will be a big blow.

Nonetheless they did add some quality replacements by acquiring the likes of J.J. Redick, Jared Dudley and re-uniting Darren Collison with Paul – his previous mentor back in New Orleans.

Cleveland Cavaliers

ADDED: Coach Mike Brown; C Andrew Bynum (two years, $24 million); F Earl Clark (two years, $8.5 million); G Jarrett Jack (four years, $25.2 million); F Anthony Bennett (first-round pick, first pick overall), G/F Sergey Karasev (first-round pick, 19th overall)

LOST: F Omri Casspi (signed with Houston); G Wayne Ellington (signed with Dallas); G Shaun Livingston (signed with Brooklyn); F/C Marreese Speights (signed with Golden State)

RETAINED: None

Other than Dwight Howard–and maybe Greg Oden–Andrew Bynum was the most sought after big man, even though he did not playing a single second of NBA basketball last season. That’s mostly because his rewards far outweigh his any immaturity and injury risks, hence why Cleveland was so willing to pay top dollar for him.

When healthy, Bynum is as dominant a center as any other out there and he will offer Cleveland a chance to not only shore up their brittle front line, but also take it to the next level. His presence should reduce the load on Kryrie Irving’s shoulders and the re-signing of coach Mike Brown should take some of the defensive pressure off ‘Drew. I’m still not quite sold on Anthony Bennett as the first overall pick, even with his considerable knack for scoring the basketball.

Jarrett Jack will prove to be also big addition for the Cavs because it will allow Irving to play off the ball. Although I’m not entirely convinced that’s a good thing.

Nonetheless, Jack will allow for some interesting lineups as he thrives both on and off the ball, meaning Mike Brown will have a few combinations to work with.

Thanks to this offseason, Cleveland will be a playoff contendor again for the first time since that guy left for South Beach.

Golden State Warriors

ADDED: G Toney Douglas (one year, $1.6 million); F Andre Iguodala (four years, $48 million); F/C Jermaine O’Neal (one year, $2 million); F/C Marreese Speights (three years, $10.9 million); G Nemanja Nedovic (first-round pick, 30th overall)

LOST: G Jarrett Jack (signed with Cleveland); F/C Carl Landry (signed with Sacramento); G Brandon Rush, F Richard Jefferson, C Andris Bierdins (traded to Utah)

Losing Jack will be a big setback for Golden State, but you could also easily argue that they made an upgrade with the addition of Andre Iguodala. Not only is he one of the best defenders in the association, he is also a great creator and slasher. However, his addition will mean that either Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson will get knocked to the bench and my guess is that it’s going to be Barnes.

Still, that could be a good thing for him because he can be that scoring punch that the Warriors need now that Jack is gone and he may thrive in that role because of the freedom he would have.

Toney Douglas may prove to be a great signing as he is a decent point guard and will be a good backup for Stephen Curry. Big men Jermaine O’Neal and Marreese Speights will also prove to be important additions and provide much-needed depth to the frontcourt.

Brooklyn Nets

ADDED: Coach Jason Kidd; G/F Alan Anderson (two years, $2 million); F Kevin Garnett, F Paul Pierce, G Jason Terry (acquired from Boston via trade); F Andrei Kirilenko (two years, $6.5 million); G Shaun Livingston (one year, $1.27 million)

LOST: F/C Kris Humphries, F Gerald Wallace, G MarShon Brooks, G Keith Bogans, F Kris Joseph (trade with Boston), G C.J. Watson (signed with Indiana)

RETAINED: F Andray Blatche (one year, $1.37 million)

Owner Mikhail Prokorov continues to spend his money like he is picking it off a tree and so far it has bought him a pretty scary starting lineup on paper.

He was more than happy to open the check book and take on the contracts of Paul Pierce ($15 million) and Kevin Garnett($23.5million) on top of Joe Johnson’s nearly $70 million still left in his max deal years, as well as the five-year, $98 million deal Deron Williams signed last year.

He even added Jason Terry, Shaun Livingston and apparent Russian buddy Andrei Kirlenko to bring the 2013-14 wage bill to a whopping $101 million.

Even with the big moves, new coach Jason Kidd holds the key as he will attempt what so many have failed to do, have a great working relationship with Deron Williams. But even so, I fully expect Brooklyn to be among the beasts of the East.

Worth a Shout:

New Orleans Pelicans

ADDED: G Tyreke Evans (four years, $44 million via sign and trade from Sacramento); G Jrue Holiday (acquired from Philadelphia); G Anthony Morrow (two years, $2.1 million); C Greg Stiemsma (one year, $2.6 million); C Jeff Withey (Draft rights acquired from Portland)

LOST: F Lou Amundson (rights renounced); G Xavier Henry (rights renounced); C Robin Lopez (traded to Portland); G Roger Mason Jr. (rights renounced); G Donald Sloan (signed with Indiana); F Lance Thomas (rights renounced); G Greivis Vasquez (traded to Sacramento)

RETAINED: None

Detroit Pistons

ADDED: Coach Maurice Cheeks; G Chauncey Billups (two years, $5 million); G Luigi Datome (two years, $3.5 million); G Brandon Jennings (three years, $24 million); F Josh Smith (four years, $54 million); G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (first-round pick, 8th overall)

LOST: G Jose Calderon (signed with Dallas); F Jason Maxiell (signed with Orlando); G Brandon Knight (traded to Milwaukee); C Viacheslav Kravtsov (traded to Milwaukee); F Khris Middleton (traded to Milwaukee)

RETAINED: G Will Bynum (two years, $5.7 million)