Opponents coming hard at Warriors, Cavaliers
Offseason moves narrow the gap but not enough
With NBA free agency wrapping up, USA TODAY Sports’ Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt explore whether anyone gained ground on the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference or the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.
Western Conference
Here’s the harsh reality: The defending champions got better.
While the Houston Rockets were trading for Chris Paul to put him alongside James Harden, the Oklahoma City Thunder were landing Paul George as a Russell Westbrook co- star and the Minnesota Timberwolves ( the Jimmy Butler trade) and Denver Nuggets ( Paul Millsap signing) were making significant strides at cutting that competitive gap, the Warriors did everything right in free agency so far — again.
They basically kept their team intact. So, did any team in the West gain ground?
Rockets: The Paul trade comes with curious questions about X’s and O’s. How will Harden and Paul fit together? How will coach Mike D’Antoni handle having two of the league’s best point guards, with egos to boot?
But general manager Daryl Morey and his staff didn’t stop with Paul. They added a tough and reliable big man in forward P. J. Tucker and re- signed center Nene. The loss of point guard Pat Beverley to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Paul deal hurts, but Houston — which went 55- 27 last season and fell to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the playoffs — is even more in the hunt than before.
Thunder: General manager Sam Presti found a way to improve without putting much on the line in the George deal. The players he gave up to the Indiana Pacers, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, were acquired in June 2016 for Serge Ibaka as he entered the final year of his deal.
In essence, he swapped a player who would have become a free agent for an MVP- caliber talent in George, who will be a free agent next summer and now has a year to decide if Oklahoma City is the place for him.
Presti didn’t stop there, coming to terms with 28- year- old forward Patrick Patterson, who offers the kind of shooting range that the Thunder badly need.
Timberwolves: The Timberwolves, who haven’t been to the postseason since 2004, look poised to end the league’s longest playoff drought. Butler will work well with Karl- Anthony Towns and company after he was reunited with coach Tom Thibodeau via trade.
Point guard Ricky Rubio was sent to the Utah Jazz in exchange for a 2018 first- round pick, and the team added point guard Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson.
Eastern Conference
The East didn’t get the stars the West did, but Cleveland’s path to the NBA Finals might not be as easy now that the Boston Celtics reached a deal with AllStar forward Gordon Hayward. So did the gap narrow?
Celtics: Hayward makes the Celtics better. He gives them another quality scoring option from the perimeter, and a Hayward- Isaiah Thomas- Al Horford trio is a strong base with which to start.
In the last three seasons, the Cavaliers have lost five conference playoff games, including one to the Celtics in the Eastern finals in May. The Cavs won that series in five games, and in their four victories, they won by an average margin of 25.8 points.
While Cleveland hasn’t made major improvements in the offseason, it’s still the favorite to win the East. The Cavs have played in three consecutive Finals, and LeBron James’ teams have dominated the East, playing the last seven NBA Finals. Next season, it’s a strong possibility James makes his eighth consecutive Finals appearance.
But the Hayward deal is not just about one season for the Celtics. It’s a longterm commitment to be a championship- caliber team three, four seasons from now.
Brad Stevens is a talented young coach, and beyond that All- Star trio, the Celtics have guard Avery Bradley; guard Marcus Smart; forward Jae Crowder; guard Terry Rozier, the No. 16 pick in the 2015 draft; forward Jaylen Brown, the No. 3 overall pick in 2016; forward Jayson Tatum, the No. 3 overall pick in 2017; and forward Semi Ojeleye, the No. 27 pick in the 2017 draft.
Boston also has the Brooklyn Nets’ first- round pick in 2018, its own firstrounder in 2018 and several protected first- round picks over the next two drafts.
But is the addition of Hayward — along with some depth and promising young talent — enough to beat the Cavaliers in a seven- game series? Hayward closes the chasm between the Celtics and Cavs, but a gap still exists.
Toronto Raptors: The Raptors, who tied with Cleveland for second place in the East behind Boston, retained AllStar guard Kyle Lowry and Ibaka. That’s the status quo for now, but president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster are searching for roster improvements.
Washington Wizards: They made mild upgrades and should be better as guards John Wall and Bradley Beal and small forward Otto Porter improve. That still might not be enough to beat Cleveland or Boston in the playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks are another team on the rise. Forward Jabari Parker and guard- forward Khris Middleton are healthy, and if the rest of the roster can remain healthy, forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could help push the Bucks into the top four in the East.
Other teams: With the Atlanta Hawks losing Millsap, the Pacers trading George and the Chicago Bulls trading forward- guard Jimmy Butler, other teams have an opportunity to reach the playoffs. The Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and perhaps the Philadelphia 76ers could make the playoffs, depending on what happens in the rest of free agency.