In recent editions of the Three-Man Weave, we have looked at the best and worst moves made by teams in each conference.
But nothing operates exclusively at extremes, including the NBA. Many teams made moves that were not among the best or worst of the offseason.
In this edition of the Weave, we take a look at three specific teams in the Eastern Conference and whether or not their moves were good or bad ones that will help their long-term outlook.
1. The Knicks signing Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo: Good moves or bad moves?
CHRIS SHERIDAN, PUBLISHER: Well, they had to sign somebody. But the lesser Lopez, Afflalo, Derrick Williams and Kyle O’Quinn are not the makings of a playoff contender, let alone a championship contender. As I have said and written before, the Knicks will still not be a playoff team by the time Phil Jackson’s contract expires in four years.
CHRIS BERNUCCA, MANAGING EDITOR: Good moves. What the Knicks (and Lakers) found out this summer is that the size of the city they play in and all of its opportunities isn’t very attractive when it also plays host to a lottery team. The Knicks needed real NBA players, and Lopez and Afflalo fit the bill. They are not All-Stars but at least they will force the defense to acknowledge them, making things somewhat less challenging for Carmelo Anthony. It would have been nice to see Phil Jackson add a few more real players, but he appears ready to pop next summer.
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MICHAEL SCOTTO, COLUMNIST: When the Knicks whiffed on Greg Monroe, many wondered why he chose Milwaukee instead of New York. But it may have been a blessing in disguise. With Carmelo Anthony best served as a small ball power forward, Lopez provides desperately needed rim protection. A Monroe/Anthony defensive frontcourt would have been a nightmare. Afflalo has a chip on his shoulder to show he’s still a starting shooting guard. If the experiment fails, he could potentially be traded for a first-round pick to a contender, as he was last season. A team needs assets to attract other players in free agency. Lopez and Afflalo are adequate players and will make the Knicks more competitive, a must heading into next summer. Remember Jerome James and Jared Jeffries? This was financial discipline in comparison.
2. The Pacers going from big and slow to small and quick: Good move or bad move?
SHERIDAN: They really didn’t have a choice, given Larry Bird’s desire to rid himself of Roy Hibbert with nothing in return and David West’s decision (spurred in part by the tone of Bird’s comments on Hibbert) to put an end to the Indiana portion of his career, no matter the personal financial cost. I think Monta Ellis can be a 25 ppg player, and it is not an overly risky move to try to adopt Golden State’s style. Hey, it worked for the Warriors.
BERNUCCA: Good move. The Pacers had gone as far as they were going to go playing smashmouth basketball. 
To a degree, they will miss David West, whose skills no longer matched his salary but is still crafty enough to be a consistent contributor. They will not miss Roy Hibbert, whose rim protection was not enough to offset his awful, plodding offense. They plan on playing Paul George at the power forward and will need him to make a completely healthy return. But a shift to a perimeter offense featuring George, Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey and the underrated George Hill is a good idea.
SCOTTO: The NBA is transitioning to more small ball than ever before, so why not try it? The Roy Hibbert era reached its peak years ago. Meanwhile, Myles Turner is a young building block for the future that could turn out to be a steal, as I previously wrote on SheridanHoops. In a transition season, seeing if Paul George can play power forward for brief or long stretches is vital to the direction the team will go moving forward. The Pacers go as George goes, and finding his best position and what works best around him is what this season is all about for Indiana.
3. The Pistons building around Reggie Jackson: Good move or bad move?
SHERIDAN: I don’t think Stan Van Gundy would have signed off on spending $80 million on Jackson if he did not think he was worth it, because the Pistons were bidding against themselves and still gave up the max. Stan is a smart man, and he has transformed this team quite completely in his one year at the helm. He is going to have an unhappy camper in Brandon Jennings, but that was the case a year ago, too, and Jennings actually bounced back before his injury led to Detroit’s utter collapse down the stretch.
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BERNUCCA: They are actually building around Jackson and center Andre Drummond, who almost certainly will get a max extension sometime this summer. And with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ersan Ilyasova and Jodie Meeks on the perimeter, they seem to have the scheme Stan Van Gundy had success with in Orlando. But Jackson has started just 76 of his 272 career games and has always been in scorer mode as a point guard. Even Van Gundy admitted that giving him $80 million for five years was a gamble. It’s only a good move if Jackson becomes a more willing playmaker.
SCOTTO: On paper, Jackson put up the numbers of a top starting point guard (17.6 ppg, 9.2 apg, 4.7 rpg) for the Pistons in the 27 games he started. However, can he be the locker room leader and the full-time catalyst the team has lacked since Chauncey Billups? Jackson wanted to be a starter, and now he’s got the keys to the offense. With little offensive help around him, expect Jackson to take a lot of shots as a scoring guard. If he elevates the games of Andre Drummond, Ersan Ilyasova, Jodie Meeks and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Pistons will have one of the top rising point guards in a league that demands excellence at the position on a nightly basis.