NBA Offseason 2009: Part 8

Hello once again, and welcome to NBA Offseason 2009: Part 8. Let's get to the moves, shall we? 1. Charlotte trades Emeka Okafor to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler Well, the Hornets end up trading Chandler after all. Last year, they almost jettisoned him and his contract before a failed physical held back the deal. Now, he goes to the Bobcats, who get his athleticism and versatility (he can play the 4 as well as the 5) as well as his defense. The Hornets get Okafor's newfound durability (all 82 games in each of the past 2 seasons) as well as his rebounding and defense. Chandler's fantasy value will almost certainly take a dip now that he's no longer on the receiving end of Chris Paul's lob passes, while Okafor's will likewise increase, but this is an intriguing swap due to the fact that both guys are defensive players- a lateral trade. It will be interesting to see how it works as well as who ends up getting the better end of it. 2. Tim Thomas signs with Dallas Thomas has been quite useful in years past as a 3-point shooter (37% for his career), but on a team with Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and even Matt Carroll (another strictly 3-ball specialist) on the team already, this signing is probably for depth more than anything else. 3. Earl Watson signs with Indiana After losing Jarrett Jack in free agency, the Pacers get Watson, who is more suited to a backup role than Jack was. Jack and T.J. Ford pushed eachother for the starting job all season last year, so this signing likely makes Ford feel a lot better about his role. Watson brings a 4.6 career APG average with him, although he hasn't dipped below 5.4 APG in the last 4 seasons, impressive considering he plays only 20-25 minutes a night. 4. Ike Diogu signs with New Orleans Diogu was drafted 9th overall by the Golden State Warriors and had a very good first season, appearing in 69 games for the Warriors (14 starts) and averaging 7 points and 3.3 rebounds. But since then, it has been a lot of unfulfilled promise. Diogu spent two years with the Warriors, then was traded to Indiana where he spent two years before getting traded again to Portland, then Sacramento, while never playing in more than 42 games in a season. New Orleans is hoping he can regain some of that promise, signing him to back up David West. The Hornets' other backups for West- Ryan Bowen, Sean Marks- are both free agents, so adding Diogu is also a depth- fueled decision. And let's be frank- the Hornets can (and did) do better than Bowen and Marks, both of whom were sparingly used. 5. Lamar Odom re-signs with the Lakers The big one, the one everyone was waiting on. Now that Lamar Odom has come back, the Lakers are officially the favorites to win the title next season. They lost Trevor Ariza, but got back Ron Artest, one of the two guys who give Kobe a challenge defensively (the other is Shane Battier). And with Houston not expected to contend this year due to the massive foot of Yao Ming and the fragility of Tracy McGrady, there should be a repeat champion for the first time since- who else?- the Kobe/Shaq Lakers of the late 90s/early 00s. The West is good, but the Lakers are the best, and until they are beaten in a postseason series, it will stay that way now that Odom has resigned.