New Start a Team Tourney:Winner Jersey Generals

[-Kees-]

^Make your own scenario, then fulfill it. Only limitations are it has to be original (no copying others), cant be an easy fix (IE cant say "find SA a backup PG" then sign someone to the min or something like that) and you can only post one entry.

[lukekarts]

Scenario: The LA Lakers realise that trading for Dwight Howard is not going to be possible, as Orlando's ownership flatly refuse to trade him, instead forcing Dwight's hand in free agency. Understanding of this, the Lakers look to maximise the potential of their current roster, and re-tool.These moves are completed in March, once all players are eligible to be traded, and in physical shape to pass medicals.

Trade #1 - 4 way with NJ / ATL / TOR

Lakers Trade:

Pau Gasol & Steve Blake

for

Al Horford, Jose Calderon & Aaron Gray

Nets Trade:

Brook Lopez, Johan Petro, & Mehmet Okur

for

Pau Gasol

Hawks Trade:

Al Horford & Kirk Hinrich

for

Brook Lopez, Steve Blake, Johan Petro & Mehmet Okur

Raptors Trade

Jose Calderon & Aaron Gray

for

Mehmet Okur & Kirk Hinrich & cash

LA Lakers lose their go-to big man in Pau, but add the younger Al Horford in the front court. Horford is not quite as impactful as Pau, but compliments Bynum well. Jose Calderon is a significant upgrade at PG. He's careful with the ball, a good passer and shooter, representing a significant upgrade on Fisher and Blake. Gray adds big man depth.

New Jersey add a legitimate championship level player to support Deron. Deron/Morrow/Brooks/Humphries/Pau bounce straight into the playoffs, and the roster is set to lure Dwight in the summer.

Atlanta replace Horford with a natural C and better fit next to Smoove. The defensive/offensive combination works well. The Hawks swap a little bit of depth, but in the long-run look set with Teague/Johnson/Marv/Smoove/Brook.

Toronto turn Calderon into two expirers - positional replacements to cover this season, and allowing much more flexibility in the summer

---

Trade #2 - with New Orleans

TPE & 2012 DAL 1st

for:

Trevor Ariza

followed by sending Matt Barnes to NOH (2-part trade)

LA Lakers acquire a defensive wing who can shoot a little, and be productive for them like Artest should have been. It takes some defensive pressure off Kobe, and Ariza knows some of the team well from his prior spell.

New Orleans acknowledge Ariza is better suited as a contender, so take the pick and the cost saving for the rebuild. Part 2 - acquiring Barnes - gives them a serviceable short term replacement.

---

Trade #3 - with Sacramento

Luke Walton and 2012 LAL 1st

for

Francisco Garcia

LA Lakers acquire shooter, who can at least play, at the expense of a late pick. His contract is identical to Walton's.

Sacramento get a pick for a player who rarely plays due to solid wing depth.

Final Tweaks:

Waive unguaranteed contracts of Goudelock, Caracter and possibly Ebanks, to save money (up to $4m)

Playoff Roster:

Andrew Bynum / Aaron Gray
Al Horford / Josh McRoberts / Troy Murphy
Trevor Ariza / Metta World Peace / Jason Kapono
Kobe Bryant / Francisco Garcia / Darius Morris
Jose Calderon / Derek Fisher

Team summary - upgraded at SF and PG, at slight expense of PF. Bench is improved as a result. Key issues - wing depth and 3 point shooting - are addressed.

Financial summary - slight on cost in first two years, but only part of Odom's salary is replaced. The team is actually far better placed come 2013/14 when the new tax rules take effect.

2011/12 - $88m --> $92m.
2012/13 - $87m --> $90m.
2013/14 - $62m --> $58m.

[HartfordWhalers]

I'm confused. do we make our own scenario? if so what is the criteria for what we can do?

Pretty much what Kees said. Just make fair value, CBA legit trades and radically change any team you want (in any direction you want). Go all in to win now. Rebuild with youth. Swap franchise cornerstones for fit. Get the best you can for an unextended star. You name it.

Feel free to be as through as some of the previous entries (offseason plans etc), or just come up with one big trade for now, or a bunch of random unconnected deals.

[crazybranman360]

Scenario: Wizards get the #1 pick but Anthony Davis declares that he refuses to play in D.C. Instead of passing on him for someone else, the Wizards decide to use the tremendous value of the #1 pick to help finish up the rebuilding process.

Goal: Trade the #1 pick and use a tremendous amount of cap space to turn the Wizards into a team of the future

DRAFT DAY
Trade 1.
Wizards Trade: #1 Pick (Anthony Davis) + Jordan Crawford + Andray Blatche
Wizards Get: Evan Turner + Thad Young + Lou Williams + 2012 1st (probably in 20's)


76ers Trade: Evan Turner + Thad Young + Lou Williams + 2012 1st
76ers Get: #1 Pick + Jordan Crawford + Andray Blatche

Why?
76ers- Anthony Davis could be a beast and they don't even have to break up there starting 5.
Wizards- Evan Turner could grow into an elite player next to Wall and Thad Young is a solid starter

Wizards would have to amnesty Rashard Lewis to have the cap space to absorb the deal

Draft:
#28 (what philly currently is)- Mason Plumlee why? solid defender
#33- Jeff Taylor why? they could use a wing


Free Agency
Wizards should have about 23 million in cap space
1. Resign Javale McGee for 5 year 35 million
Why? Solid shot blocker that can run the floor

2. Sign Danillo Gallinari to a 4 year 40 million offer sheet
Why? Gallo could be a great 3rd option for this team and they need to pay someone so its ok to overpay

Assuming Denver matches...
3. Sign Wilson Chandler for 4 year 25 million
Why? Good defensive 3 that can also run

Left with about 10 mil in cap space left

Depth Chart
John Wall/Lou Williams/Shelvin Mack
Evan Turner/Jeff Taylor
Wilson Chandler/Chris Singelton
Thad Young/Jan Vesley/Trevor Booker
Javale McGee/Mason Plumlee/Kevin Saphorin

I LOVE this team. They would be solid defensivly and be able to run off there great defense. Solid D + easy points + star power (Wall + Turner) is a great formula to start with. After 1 more year in the lotto where they could get another good talent, they could start looking at the playoffs

[HartfordWhalers]

Just a friendly reminder that the deadline is tonight. Thanks and good luck if you enter.

[Trader_Joe]

Miami does the unthinkable and rebuilds.
Why?
Because these scenarios are supposed to be preposterous!

March 1st deals to include free agents:

Trade 1 w/NJ:
Bosh, Gladness
for
Lopez, Okur, HOU #1, Rights to Bogdanovic

Why for NJ:
They can't get Dwight and decide to go with another big man to team up with Deron as they go into Brooklyn.

Why for Miami:
Miami gets a C of the future along with some major financial relief and a #1 pick that has a good chance of being conveyed this year in a very nice draft. One of the better Euros not in the NBA gives Miami something additional to look forward to.


Trade 2 w/Minny:
LBJ, Miller, Pittman, J.Howard
for
D. Williams, Wes J., Randolph, Beasley, MEM #1, UTA #1, '14 + '16 MIN #1

Why for Minny:
They throw all their assets outside of Rubio and Love to Miami to form their own dynasty.

Why for Miami:
Miami continues with youth/upside and get a plethora of picks and prospects.


Trade 3 w/Utah:
Wade, Curry, T. Harris, Battier
for
Favors, Hayward, Miles, Evans, GS #1, Next Available #1

Why for Utah:
With the team performing as well as they are, they go for it and add one of the two best SG in the game.

Why for Miami:
They get some major savings here from Utah who uses the Okur TPE to absorb all the Heat players other than Wade. More picks and prospects come there way as well.



MIAMI HEAT
Cole / Chalmers
Hayward / W.Johsnon / Miles
D.Williams / Beasley / J.Jones
Favors / Haslem / Randolph / Evans
Lopez / Anthony / Okur
+
'12 GS #1
'12 HOU #1
'14 + '16 MIN #1
2 UTA #1
'13 MEM #1
Rights to Bogdanovic

Miami does these deals late enough in the season where they still finish with a better record than Cleveland and thus Cleveland does not switch picks in 2012. Their 2013 pick is top 10 protected to Cleveland, so they should keep that as well as this rebuild should take a couple years. They have a plethora of cap space starting next season to look forward to, as well as a stockpile of draft picks.

[Mascot]

Toronto Scraps the Young "core"
GM Bryan Colangelo finally realizes that his core is not that spectacular and clears house.


Trade #1 W Golden State
DeMar DeRozan
Amir Johnson

for

Monta Ellis


Trade #2 W Boston
Ed Davis
Leandro Barbosa
Linas Kleiza

for

Paul Pierce


Trade #3 W Sacramento
James Johnson
Jerryd Bayless
Tor 2012 First Round Pick no Protection.

for

Demarcus Cousins


New Lineup for 2012

Jose Calderon/Anthony Carter
Monta Ellis/Gary Forbes/
Paul Pierce/Rasual Butler
Andrea Bargnani/Aaron Gray
Demarcus Cousins/Jamal Magloire/Solomon Alabi



Trade #1 Why?
Well Toronto needs someone who can create for themselves. Not sure if Golden State would bite on DeRozan and Amir but they just might. Also get a decent big in Amir.


Trade #2 Why?
If Boston wants to clear pierces contract for cap space....doing that while picking up a very good young big man in Davis is great. Pierce isnt getting any younger thats for sure so even thoguh hes a great player his trade value just isnt up there.


Trade #3
With cousins issues I dont see how Sacramento could not pass up this deal. They get a young pg a young pf and a decent first round pick.



Summary

Toronto now makes the playoffs this year. They were not going to make the playoffs for the next 5 years with the current lineup anyways so who cares about riping them apart for an old pierce.


the new lineup is very weak on the bench but the starting unit looks very nice. Commands double teams at almost all positions. Finally the efficent Jose (whom I hate) will actually have players who know how to play basketball to play with.

Even with the old pierce I can see this team being scary to face.

[HartfordWhalers]

Entry "I"

Scenario: The Magic decide to keep Dwight and rock it til the wheels fall off.
New Jersey feels their chances are strong to land him in free agency so decide to completely retool the team on the fly to build a super strong supporting cast without a traditional Big 3, but instead go with a traditional Big 2 with great fit and depth and a couple young guys that can emerge to inevitably form said Big 3.


Trade #1
New Jersey sends:
Brook Lopez
Johan Petro

New Jersey receives:
Paul George
Luis Amundson

Why?
They get rid of Petro's salary and Brook Lopez's cap hold and looming free agency.
Lopez is an elite talent, but the chances he fits as a full time four next to Dwight aren't the greatest and even if he does he takes Dwight out of his most effective role as an anchor on defense and forces him into more man.

Paul George is a high level wing prospect who should be the perfect fit next to MarShon Brooks.

Amundson is salary filler and some depth for this season's playoff run.


Indiana sends:
Paul George
George Hill
Louis Amundson

Indiana receives:
Monta Ellis
Shaun Livingston

Why?
Indiana is playing at a high level right now but needs more firepower to be taken seriously as a title or even deep playoff threat. Monta Ellis provides that.
Ellis is a polarizing player though, most either think he's an excellent top shooting guard in the league or an overused negative impact chucker.
In between lies his play, but if you check when he was on strong playoff teams with above .500 records was when his advanced stats and impact were extremely high and that was long before his prime, he has definitely improved his skill set by far since then.

Livingston is the perfect starter to put next to him at the point.
They can cross check on defense and Livingston is not a scorer so he won't clash with Granger, West or Ellis and would be the type of setup man Hibbert has lacked.

Paul George is a fan favorite and certainly has a lot of potential, but you have to give to get and his legend has grown bigger then his play and likely case scenario.

Hill is a nice player, but it makes more sense for them to send him out over Collison due to contract extensions coming up for Hibbert and Monta's added money.


Milwaukee sends:
Shaun Livingston

Milwaukee receives:
George Hill

Why?
Bogut is down again and Milwaukee is going nowhere fast. They swap out guards for a change of scenery and to provide a little more punch to pair with Jennings.


Golden State sends:
Monta Ellis

Golden State receives:
Brook Lopez
Johan Petro

Why?
It's no secret Golden State has wanted to acquire a big time big man and prefers to eventually hand the reigns to either Curry or Ellis, not both.

They do both right here and commit fully to youth and upside.

Mark Jackson is no stranger to Brook and knows with a change of scenery he can meet his ultimate potential. Brook is a Cali guy and will work well with the other players on GS with the spacing and tempo they play and the big rotation they would form.

Ellis is a big time player. Maybe not as good as his numbers might paint him, but a lot better then his detractors will ever admit, so it's tough losing him, but again, have to give to get and this move makes a lot of sense for them.



Trade #2
New Jersey sends:
2012 1st round pick
2012 Houston Rockets pick
2014 Nets 1st round pick with top 5 protection
Jordan Farmar
Jordan Williams

New Jersey receives:
Paul Millsap

Why?
Paul Millsap is an excellent complimentary player that can do a little bit of everything from the 4.
He should be an excellent fit with Deron and Dwight and the entire Nets lineup going forward.
He's young enough and his salary cheap enough to be a fit for the long haul.

They ship out a ton of 1st round picks and a young big man they are high on not for the present, but in the long run, but once again it's the old adage, you have to give to get.

Farmar is a solid player and a big minute rotation guy, but the Nets need to clear salary.


Boston sends:
Chris Wilcox
Keyon Dooling

Boston receives:
Jordan Farmar

Why?
Boston picks up a good combo/point guard to play big minutes off the bench to provide a spark for the stretch run and the playoffs without giving up any assets.


Utah sends:
Paul Millsap

Utah receives:
2012 NJ 1st round pick
2012 Houston 1st round pick
2014 Nets 1st round pick top 5 protected
Jordan Williams
Chris Wilcox
Keyon Dooling

Why?
Utah has a glut of big men and their two best young prospects are both big men as well, the best prospect they have, that being their franchise level prospect playing the same position as Paul Millsap.

They have to deal one of them, Paul will bring back the better value and if kept is a guy that forces you to play him more minutes then Big Al, especially because he can only play the 4 he eats more of them.

The Jazz got off to a hot start this year as well, but to any outsider it's pretty obvious they aren't built to make the playoffs any time soon and I'm confident their front office feels the same.

Paul Millsap on the roster means they rack up more unneeded wins.

3 1st round picks including 2 likely mid teens picks in a super deep and immensely talented draft along with a solid amount of salary relief is quite good value for a player, who although very high level and high energy is more or less a role player and is certainly an undersized 4.

The O'Connor/King connection cannot be overlooked either, they guys lookout for each others best interest and get deals done. I'm not talking about 1 sided favors either, they get it done for both their teams simultaneously.



End Result and 2012 Offseason Lineup:
Lineup:
PG: Deron
SG: MarShon Brooks/Anthony Morrow/Bogdanovic
SF: Paul George/Anthony Morrow/Shawne Williams/Bogdanovic
PF: Paul Millsap/Shawne Williams
C: /


Estimated cap:
Leaves the Nets with max cap space for Dwight Howard and then the mini-mini MLE after reaching it.

Jason Kidd has already said he would like to backup Deron next year whether in Dallas or Brooklyn for vet minimum as well.

Kris Humphries would be a welcome resign, but it's doubtful he would sign for the mini-mini MLE which starts around $2.5 million and can only be given for 2 years.

That said, if they stretch Shawne Williams or find a way to send him out for pure cap or this offseason for an expiring, it opens up close to a total of $4.5 million in cap to resign him, a little more if Dwight and Deron would agree to start below max.

This is accounting for Deron's max which would start in the mid 17's and Dwight's which would start a little above 18 million.

Either way it would be open options and Shawne Williams is a much better player then he has shown in the early going so either is a valuable player.

Vet minimum guys will fill out the roster when everything else is taken care of.
That roster with Brooklyn added to the mix and ring chasers would be tripping over themselves to play there, the depth chart might be effected by it and actually probably would.


Example of Hopeful Final Lienup:
PG: Deron Williams/Jason Kidd
SG: MarShon Brooks/Anthony Morrow/Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF: Paul George/Anthony Morrow/Shawne Williams/Bogdan Bogdanovic
PF: Paul Millsap/Kris Humphries/Shawne Williams/Jermaine O'neal
C: Dwight Howard/Kris Humphries/Jermaine O'neal



Conclusion:
This roster fits well all around, has a lot of legitimate above average depth, very real and very big upside but doesn't have anyone that undermine Deron or Dwight.

They would have an identity of a defensive team that can turn you over and get out and run, yet operate flawlessly in the half court.

It's built relatively cap conscience with the flexibility to make a plethora of moves going forward whatever opportunities could pop up while still having a proper contending core.

Fin

[HartfordWhalers]

Summary of entries:

"A" Timberwolves go all in.
Final lineup: 2012-13 Minnesota Timberwolves
PG: Deron Williams / Ramon Sessions / J.J. Barea
SG: Anthony Morrow / Raja Bell / Wayne Ellington
SF: Andre Iguodala / Matt Barnes
PF: Kevin Love / Derrick Williams / Ronny Turiaf
C: Anderson Varejao / Ryan Hollins / Johan Petro

"B" Nets Rebuild
Collison/Watson
Brooks/Brewer/Stevenson
George/Johnson
Humphries/Williams/Williams
Lopez/Okur/Petro
Picks:2012 Nets, 2012 Clippers (top 10 protected) 2012 Pacers (top 10 protected) 2012 Houston Rockets (lottery protected) 2012 Bulls (top 20 protected)

"C" Hawks go all in
PG: Jeff Teague (signed long term)/ Jannero Pargo
SG: Tracy Mcgrady/ Willie Green/ Eddie House
SF: Josh Smith (signed long term)/ Vladimir Radmonovic/ Jerry Stackhouse
PF: Anderson Varejao/ Ivan Johnson
C: Dwight Howard (signed long term)/ Zaza Pachulia/ Jason Collins.

"D" Wizards retool chemistry, go for playoffs
John Wall/ Aaron Brooks
O.J. Mayo/ Jordan Crawford
Wilson Chandler/ Chris Singleton
Anthony Davis/ Trevor Booker/ Kevin Seraphin
DeMarcus Cousins/ Ian Mahinmi

"E" Lakers retool
Andrew Bynum / Aaron Gray
Al Horford / Josh McRoberts / Troy Murphy
Trevor Ariza / Metta World Peace / Jason Kapono
Kobe Bryant / Francisco Garcia / Darius Morris
Jose Calderon / Derek Fisher

"F" Wizards build for future
ohn Wall/Lou Williams/Shelvin Mack
Evan Turner/Jeff Taylor
Wilson Chandler/Chris Singelton
Thad Young/Jan Vesley/Trevor Booker
Javale McGee/Mason Plumlee/Kevin Saphorin

"G" Miami blows it up
Cole / Chalmers
Hayward / W.Johsnon / Miles
D.Williams / Beasley / J.Jones
Favors / Haslem / Randolph / Evans
Lopez / Anthony / Okur
Picks: '12 GS #1 '12 HOU #1 '14 + '16 MIN #1 2 UTA #1 '13 MEM #1 Rights to Bogdanovic

"H" Toronto scraps the youth, goes for playoffs now
Jose Calderon/Anthony Carter
Monta Ellis/Gary Forbes/
Paul Pierce/Rasual Butler
Andrea Bargnani/Aaron Gray
Demarcus Cousins/Jamal Magloire/Solomon Alabi

"I" Nets go for supporting cast and signing Dwight in FA
PG: Deron Williams/Jason Kidd
SG: MarShon Brooks/Anthony Morrow/Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF: Paul George/Anthony Morrow/Shawne Williams/Bogdan Bogdanovic
PF: Paul Millsap/Kris Humphries/Shawne Williams/Jermaine O'neal
C: Dwight Howard/Kris Humphries/Jermaine O'neal

[kdawg32086]

Do you want judges to PM you our votes?

[HartfordWhalers]

Do you want judges to PM you our votes?

Feel free to put them just in here with your top 3 picks (scored 1st = 5pts, 2nd = 3 ,3rd = 1). Considering the amount of time people spent putting those together, it will probably take me a bit to really think about them.

[Karmaloop]

Completely forgot about this. Some really good scenarios.

[HartfordWhalers]

Completely forgot about this. Some really good scenarios.

Quiock, right up a scenario and submit it. I don't promise to count it, but I absolutely promise to look forward to VC4pres debating whether you should have gotten it in on time.

[Karmaloop]

Quiock, right up a scenario and submit it. I don't promise to count it, but I absolutely promise to look forward to VC4pres debating whether you should have gotten it in on time.

I already sent mine in...

[ATL Boy]

Oh man I'm sorry guys I was looking over my scenario again and forgot that my team would've had Duhon and Hedo under contract so the final lineup would've been
PG: Jeff Teague/ Chris Duhon/ Jannero Pargo
SG: Tracy Mcgrady/ Willie Green/ Eddie House
SF: Josh Smith/ Hedo Turkoglu/ Jerry Stackhouse
PF: Anderson Varejao/ Vladimir Radmonovic/ Ivan Johnson
C: Dwight Howard/ Zaza Pachulia/ Jason Collins.
HartfordWhalers do you mind editing my entry? It would be much appreciated.

[vincecarter4pres]

Completely forgot about this. Some really good scenarios.

Quiock, right up a scenario and submit it. I don't promise to count it, but I absolutely promise to look forward to VC4pres debating whether you should have gotten it in on time.

That was low brother!

[loserX]

Okay, as I understand it, judges' voting will essentially be used to create a shortlist to be submitted back to the Board for choosing. As a result, I will keep my comments very brief so as not to unduly influence the second step.

#1 - Proposal I "Nets Build a Supporting Cast" - 5 points
Perhaps less brash than some other entries, but well thought out and did a very good job of analyzing the needs of all teams involved in the trades.

#2 - Proposal B "Nets Rebuild" - 3 points
Prokhorov would probably hate it, but it's gutsy and there are some good ideas. Very solid effort.

#3 - Proposal G "Miami Blows it Up" - 1 point
Certainly embodied the spirit of the competition. Outrageous, but not without thoughtfulness.

This was very tough to judge, for the record. Having an open-ended competition made for a lot of variety and a lot of creativity...I changed my mind more than once during the process. Well done, everybody; good luck with the rest of the judges and in the final round!

[kdawg32086]

I will have my votes up by the end of the day (west coast)...I still need more time to think about it.

[HartfordWhalers]

Okay, I'm tired of wavering back and forth.

1st place vote (5pts): "B" Nets rebuild. Its a completely new direction. The 3 3-way trades actually fit each of the other two teams well, and aren't bad value wise. Fits the criterion perfectly, was interesting, and the only scenario I felt perfectly comfortable with where to put it, 1st.

2nd place vote (3pts): "G" Miami rebuilds. Talk about a woah ... scenario. I would have thought swapping out one of Wade/Lebron (sorry Bosh) would qualify as a reasonable complete new direction. Personally, I would have liked to see a little more of a return for Lebron (what could be a fair return?), but the logic was there for all of the trades, and I'm putting this 2nd.

3rd place vote (1pt): "I" Nets retool. I went back and forth repeatedly on what was second and third. Everyone's scenario had some real good creativity and some parts that I said why does blank give up blank for blank. Here, I'm not sure why George Hill is given up for Livingston. That siad, does that detail matter? Nope, its a good scenario, a new direction from a team saving all those trade assets for Dwight to one spending them now (while still saving the cap space for Dwight) and worth 3rd.

[kdawg32086]

I feel really uncreative...my top three are exactly the same, except in a different order.

1st Place vote: Plan B Nets rebuild
I thought that given the parameters of the competition, this proposal was the strongest. While a lot of the talk in the media has been finding a way to get Dwight to Brooklyn, this proposal went the other way and built around the younger guys. Although the roster lacks a true superstar at the moment, it’s loaded with young talent and draft picks which ultimately should give the team at least one superstar in the future.

2nd Place vote: Plan I Nets build supporting cast
I think a lot hinges on being able to sign key free agents but if those signings did happen (which are fairly reasonable), then this team is very good. I think trade 2 is a little generous for what Millsap can realistically land (3 first round picks AND Jordan Williams?), but the overall outcome for the Nets was good in this scenario regardless, which still made it worthy of a top 3 spot.

3rd Place vote: Miami Blows it Up
This was by far the most creative proposal, which embodies the spirit of this competition. You went outside of your comfort zone and found a way to rebuild the Heat and give them a new core. From a creativity standpoint, this was great. I ultimately put this in third because I don't think any team would ever want to trade two top 5 players in the prime of their careers.

I felt that “Entry B” was the clear number 1. I went back and forth between my 2nd and 3rd place votes too.