The Spurs are still the odds on favorite to win the 2008 NBA Championship, but after an embarrassing first-round exit in the 2007 playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks could be hungry to redeem themselves. Here is a snapshot of what teams in the Central Division have done and what they need to do during the remainder of the summer to improve their rosters.
San Antonio Spurs
They have done very little this off season to change the team roster, which is exactly what they should be doing. They are rumored to be going after forward Ime Udoku, which would be a good tutor for Bruce Bowen.
Dallas Mavericks
Like the Spurs, the Mavericks have not made a whole lot of noise this off season and, like the Spurs, they shouldn't, but for different reasons. After an abysmal breakdown in the playoffs, it would be very easy for Mark Cuban to push the panic button and start trading away personnel. However, since the stock of many players are somewhat low right now, expecting to get equal value in return would be silly. They might consider adding another inside defensive presence to back up Dirk, like Brian Skinner. Otherwise, they shouldn't make a big move unless one falls into their laps.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets' moves haven't made much sense this summer. They have a logjam of point guards who do the exact same thing in Rafer Alston, Mike James, Steve Francis and Aaron Brooks. Moreover, they have not addressed any of their major needs in acquiring a perimeter shooter to support Tracy McGrady and acquiring consistent post players to support Yao Ming. Jackie Butler and Luis Scola were decent additions, but Scola did nothing in the summer league and Butler has never averaged more than 13 minutes per game in a season. The Rockets aren't looking any better than last season. They need to try harder to move Bob Sura's contract, land a perimeter shooter who can play some minutes and find a bruiser to take some pressure off Yao Ming.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have kept under the radar for the most part, but have made some noteworthy changes. Adding Darko Milicic and Mike Conley could help them in the future and the smaller additions of Andre Brown and Casey Jacobson should help as well. Also, trading for point guard Juan Carlos Navarro, who also happens to be Pau Gasol's best friend from Spain, will help anchor their backcourt and keep Gasol in Memphis. Mike Miller is coming off a career year and Rudy Gay should only get better. They should shop either Stromile Swift or Hakim Warrick in attempts to land a bruiser, or veteran.
New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets biggest issue last season was staying healthy. Drafting Julian Wright was a mistake, especially with Al Thornton available. Still, the Hornets have a lot of young talent, including Hilton Armstrong, Cedric Simmons and Rasual Butler. They expect to possibly lose Jannero Pargo, but were able to sign Morris Peterson. Their best bet at this point is to pray for health.
Also check out:
- NBA Northwest Team Fixes
- NBA Pacific Team Fixes
- NBA Atlantic Team Fixes
- NBA Central Team Fixes
- NBA Southeast Team Fixes
