By John Schuhmann, NBA.com
Posted Jul 13 2009 10:26AM
But the movement has affected more than just the players who have changed uniforms. It has also created opportunities for guys who have stayed put. For some teams, moves were made for the explicit purpose of getting an up-and-coming player some more shine. And for others, a trade or free agency departure just happened to create an opportunity for a guy who was in the shadows last season.
Either way, here are 10 players who haven't changed teams, but will have expanded roles this coming season thanks to the moves their teams have made. Of course, with 3 ½ months until the season starts, this list can and will change before November.
Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva, the Bucks' two starting forwards who combined to score 2,871 points last season, are gone. And so far, Milwaukee hasn't replaced either one of them. So at this point, Alexander and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who combined to score 872 points last season, are slated to start (though Ersan Ilyasova and/or Amir Johnson could challenge for the power forward spot).
Alexander was taken with the eighth pick in the Draft last year, followed by a lot of guys that proceeded to out-produce him in their rookie season. With his athleticism, he skyrocketed up draft boards in the weeks leading up to the Draft, but if you were to re-select that class, Alexander certainly wouldn't be a lottery pick anymore. Come October, it will be time to see what kind of work Alexander put in over the summer.
With Dahntay Jones heading to Indiana and the status of Linas Kleiza still up in the air, the Nuggets will need someone to back up the wings, provide energy off the bench and be called on to defend the other team's top scorer at times.
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Balkman played just 23 minutes in the postseason this spring, but he may be George Karl's only option when it comes to giving Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith some rest this season. Like Jones, his impact will be far greater on the defensive end of the floor.
Ron Artest is gone. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming are hurt. So where are the Rockets' points going to come from? If you play fantasy basketball this season, you could do a lot worse than having Brooks or Scola on your team.
Brooks will have the ball in his hands, of course, and averaged 16.8 points in the Playoffs. Scola will be the guy doing work in the low post, and he put up three double-doubles in the four games Yao missed at the end of the conference semifinals. The Rockets will need to win with defense, but both of these third-year guys will certainly put up bigger numbers than they have before.
The Pistons made the first moves of free agency by agreeing to deals with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva right away, but they've yet to replace Rasheed Wallace, who is off to Boston.
The strength of the Pistons for the last several years has been their balance and their ability to put five guys on the floor that can all shoot the ball from the perimeter. Without Wallace manning the five, that ability is gone, but the additions of Gordon and Villanueva make the Pistons more potent at the other four positions.
Brown obviously hasn't lived up to his No. 1 pick status, but he's turned into a good low-post defender and solid role player. He won't be asked to score much, but that role will be bigger this season.
The Cavs added Shaq, but they're still down a big man unless they re-sign Joe Smith (and even if they do, he'll be 34 years old later this month). They used a four-big rotation last season, and Anderson Varejao now needs a new back-up. The more athletic Hickson is the leading candidate, but Jackson saw some time in the rotation last season as well.
Mike Brown will need to count on one or both of these second-year bigs, especially considering the ages of his two centers. Their ability to defend is what will keep them on the floor and determine whether the Cavs need to shop for another big at some point before the February trading deadline.
As a second-year player who showed great progress as a rookie, Lopez would be seeing more touches anyway. But the Vince Carter trade undoubtedly makes him the second option after Devin Harris.
Coach Lawrence Frank will need to integrate Lopez's post-up game into the dribble-drive offense that the Nets ran last year to give Harris a clear path to the basket. And Lopez will need to learn how to deal with double-teams, as well as when and where to pass out of the post. Carter's departure will also provide an opportunity for Chris Douglas-Roberts, while Courtney Lee will be asked to carry a bigger load than he did in Orlando.
Shaq is gone, and unless Ben Wallace discovers the Fountain of Youth this summer, the lesser Lopez is the best option to start at center as the Suns' roster stands. Alvin Gentry could move Amar'e Stoudemire back to the five, but there's not exactly a starting-quality four on the roster right now either. No matter what, Lopez should see much more burn in his second season and could help the Suns improve their atrocious defense.
If the Sixers don't bring back Andre Miller (and the two sides are reported to be far apart in negotiations on a deal), they will start either Williams or rookie Jrue Holiday at the point. Neither is a prototypical point guard, but Williams obviously has the experience advantage.
The Sixers are at their best when they're running, and Williams has speed, but he doesn't have the vision and unselfishness that you need in a guy running the break. It will also be interesting to see how well he distributes the ball in the half court, with Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young all deserving plenty of touches. Coming off the bench, Williams had much more freedom to look for his own shot first.
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