Is it just me or has NBA Free-Agency been weird? I can’t get a read on what anyone is trying to do. The Knicks sign Kemba Walker- their roster’s all over the place, the Lakers have a geriatric unit, the Bulls roster makes no sense, the Warriors haven’t done anything, and the Bucks/Suns who were in the Finals – are basically just sitting back like “PLEASE DON’T TAKE OUR PLAYERS!”
I want to first look @ LA.
Their roster is: Westbrook, Melo, LBJ, AD, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza, Malik Monk, Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, and Dwight Howard.
From 2007 to 2017, the average age of a roster that won an NBA championship was 28.7. This year, the Milwaukee Bucks won the title with an average age of 26.8. The current average age of these 12 players is 31.1.
The Bulls’97-’98 team was around the same average age range. Jordan was 34 and Pippen 32. LBJ is 36, Westbrook 32, and AD 28. But one big difference is that, those guys played together and won together for 6 straight seasons. These guys are just a hodge podge.
Resume wise it looks great: 44 ASG appearances, a couple MVP’s, defensive POY awards. But its just random, strange, and its likely not going to work.
Then there’s the east…Knicks, Bulls, Heat, all very active in free-agency…
So to contextualize this, I have developed my eastern conference projected playoff standings for the upcoming season:
1.Bucks
2.Nets
3.Heat
4.76ers
5.Hawks
6.Raptors
7.Bulls
8.Knicks
Outside looking in: Boston, Indiana, Charlotte, Orlando.
Not even remotely a factor: Cleveland, Detroit, Washington
Photo: Getty Images