With the conference finals only a few wins away, most teams are already heading home and thinking about what could possibly happen this offseason. The Celtics, Lakers, and Spurs are already on vacation, and all have the same problem to fix this offseason, getting younger. Playing against younger opposition killed both the Celtics and Spurs, while Los Angeles just fell apart.
You see, the Lakers have been able to do so much despite obvious issues this year. They still managed to finish second in the West, being hot and cold for most of the season. The first round of the playoffs saw them struggle a little against the Hornets who were without their leading scorer in David West, but had an active Chris Paul light them up. Once the Lakers just tired them out in the post, they were off to face the Dallas Mavericks, who by no means are a young team. The Mavericks just pummeled Los Angeles, as some of the problems arose in the series. Kobe Bryant just couldn’t carry the team through all four quarters anymore, and Pau Gasol struggled. The top two players for the team just couldn’t get it done, even with Andre Bynum playing out of his mind. Now, the Lakers look to get younger, and possibly build for another dynasty with a different cast of players. The team’s biggest targets are Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, and only because of the setting in which they play (big market) they have a chance of reeling in either.
Dwight Howard wants to play with another super star to help lift the load off him, and if Paul were to be playing in LA, he would definitely follow suit. Now the problem with what LA is trying to do now, is get D12 first, which would not help them whatsoever. The team just does not have a point guard right now; Derek Fisher is beyond washed up, and should strongly consider retiring. So with Kobe aging, and Pau aging, who would Howard even play with? If Los Angeles wants to go younger, they need to find themselves a decent point guard for the time being until 2012 rolls around, and CP3 is no longer under contract. Then with all the money spent, the team would need to find a decent bench, because even now they run a one man bench in Lamar Odom, as he is the only consistent player to come off it.
The Spurs got ousted in the first round by a much tougher and younger Grizzlies squad. Now to be fair, the Spurs didn’t have their best player in Manu Ginobili, fully healthy. The problem with the Spurs is that their roster is aging quickly. Tim Duncan is near retirement, and Tony Parker has had off court issues, and did not look normal this past post season. The Spurs bench is a bunch of younger players with the exception of Matt Bonner, but players like George Hill, DeJuan Blair, and Gary Neal (who the team should re-sign) all seemed to be rattled by the Grizzlies’ aggressiveness. Neal seemed to play the best off the bench as he was already established as a shooter, but also drove the ball and had a very reliable tear drop floater.
The Spurs may have to bring in a lot more young talent, and start to rebuild because the grind of an 82 game season will not allow them to continue on with their current foundation. The team might have to make line-up changes, and move some of the older players to the bench, and let the younger players play a bigger role, mature their skills, while allowing the older players to play limited minutes. The Spurs also need a backup point guard, because having George Hill and Neal run the back up point, doesn’t play to either of their abilities. They are both shooting guards, and need to play at their natural position to get the best out of them. Also now with Duncan aging, the Spurs need to find a capable backup center, or let Tiago Splitter play more, because Tim Duncan can’t carry the load anymore in the post. Let’s just say this… Duncan NEEDS help.
The Boston Celtics are another old team that is going to make changes to make sure they can get the best out of their foundation players. The Big Three of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett should all be coming back for what would be their last seasons, with the exception of Pierce. Doc Rivers also stated that he is leaning heavily towards returning to the team, and Danny Ainge has a ton of work to do with putting another roster around this team. The players under contract at the moment are those mentioned above, along with Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, and Jermaine O’Neal. The Celtics have options to bring back Shaq and Jeff Green, and would also have their first round pick coming in. Now the Celtics have the Mid Level Exception, and the minimum to sign free agents, as well as bird rights so Ainge has to figure out who fits well, or possibly make a big move depending on what the outcome of the season might be.
With a lockout looming, the players could play a shortened season, which would entice them to return compared to a regular 82 game season, and just retire altogether. One player that would let that determine his availability could be Garnett, as he has hinted that this could have been his final season. Should KG retire, you could see Ainge making more drastic moves with having that much more salary room to work with. Regardless, you probably won’t see the same starting five for the Celtics at the start of next season. The team must get younger if they wish to contend, and having the same starters would definitely hinder their chances at another banner.
One move the Celtics could try to make is use point guard Rajon Rondo in some wild type trade to get a guard like Chris Paul, even if there is no guarantee he stays with the team long term. The Celtics have the Clippers first round pick (although top 10 protected) through the 2016 season. If the Celtics could get Paul in, the chances to swing another star big man (look way above) could shoot up drastically, and get them more banners for years to come, although it is more of a dream than a possibility. The Celtics should try to make a move at a younger center though, and keeping Rondo could help them bring in Howard as well, as Rondo is a great passer that could give Dwight some easy buckets. Another option this year, is trying to sign restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers. Jordan is an athletic, defensive center who will only be 23 at the start of next season. He may come pricey, but look for Boston to attempt to bring him in.
With the three teams that have dominated this past decade getting older, it’s time to make changes. Fans could see long time friendly faces finally hang them up, or get shipped out to make room for a new fresher face to take his role. It’s time to see what the general managers can do to keep their teams in top contention, now, it’s a matter of trust.