New Faces In New Places

Some NBA teams have made some noise during the off-season. Teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors all have re-constructed their rosters to better their championship chances.

One of the biggest stories of the summer has been All-Star point guard Baron Davis. Davis, who opted out of his last year with the Golden State Warriors, signed a five year, $65 million dollar contract with the struggling Los Angeles Clippers. Davis left a reported $17.8 million dollars on the table from the Warriors to join the Clippers in hopes of teaming up with Elton Brand. Clipper nation drooled over the combination of a power guard in Davis and a very consistent low post scorer and rebounder in Brand. But Brand shocked everyone when he signed a five year contract worth $79.795 million with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Even though the loss of Brand hurt the Clippers, the signings of Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis and Jason Williams eased the pain of Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor. Add in rookie Eric Gordon with this group of new faces and the Clip show has an opportunity to turn some heads in the city of angels.

Back in Oakland, the Golden State Warriors were still in disbelief that leader Baron Davis opted out of his final year of his contract. Searching for a replacement for Davis, the Warriors simply looked at one of their top scorers from last season -- Monta Ellis. Ellis signed a six year, $66 million contract to stay put in the Bay Area with the Warriors. Ellis was a second rounder in the 2005 NBA draft that made $770,610 last season. Ellis will now earn $11 million during the 2008-2009 season, this is one of the highest raises in NBA history. Filling Baron Davis's shoes in Oakland will take some time for Ellis. In August, Ellis tore a deltoid ligament in his ankle in an unclear accident in Mississippi. He will be out for three months, missing the first half of the NBA season.

The Warriors also signed ex-Clipper Corey Maggette and ex-New Jersey Net Marcus Williams to their roster. Maggette will move to the small forward spot and Williams will become the starting point guard due to the Monta Ellis injury. The Warriors also re-signed center Andris Beidrins to a six-year contract.

In Philly, the 76ers were jumping out of their seats when low post presence Elton Brand was added to their roster. Brand has averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds since his arrival into the NBA in 1999. In that draft, Brand was the number 1 pick by the Chicago Bulls. The move to the East Coast has bolted Philadelphia's position in the Eastern Conference race. According to ESPN.com Brand said "I'm prepared to do some big things this year". You can't doubt Brand because he will be teaming up with emerging star Andre Igoudala and shot swatter Samuel Dalembert. These three players form a tough and efficient front court in the Eastern Conference.

With veteran point guard Andre Miller at the healms, the 76ers have closed the gap between themselves and the top tier Eastern Conference teams. Philadelphia will battle for a good playoff spot this upcoming season.

Also in the east, the Toronto Raptors added faded star Jermaine O'Neal to their frontcourt. O'Neal will patrol the paint with gold medalist Chris Bosh as they deepen their Raptor team. O'Neal was traded from the Indiana Pacers for guard T.J. Ford, forward Maceo Baston and center Rasho Nesterovic. O'Neal will be playing with a chip on his shoulder this upcoming season because of people saying that he cannot return to his All-Star form. The re-signing of point guard Jose Calderon, who sustained an injury during this past summer's Olympic games, will boost a Raptor team looking for respect in the Eastern Conference.


Be Peaceful

• Congratulations to Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dick Vitale on being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.