RealGM

Writeups are due Midnight (EST), 28th June. Please keep discussions on these to the discussion topic

You have 12 days to post your writeup in this topic, so no excuses

Please ensure you follow the guidelines set out below:

Rosters & Salaries

1. Post your complete roster, with salaries from 2010/11 through to 2013/14.
2. Include total salaries for each year.
3. Include draft picks you have for each year.
4. Please ensure your rosters are up-to-date as of the time free agency closes (Midnight, 24th June)
5. Please include a depth chart

Win Now

Pull together 1-2 paragraphs as to why you feel your team is the best - or in the case where you don't feel your team is best - put a case forward as to where you think your team will finish, and your target for the 2011 season. Focus on:

1. Strengths of your team
2. How you see the team working offensively
3. How you see the team working defensively
4. Why you think you're better than your rivals

PLEASE Note: These will be ranked externally, by conference. The top 2 teams in each conference will then post detailed writups against one another. The eventual winner is declared 2011 NBA Champion.

Best Team for the Future

Pull together 1-2 paragraphs as to why you feel your team is the best team for the future. Please focus on:

1. The age of your core
2. The prospects and potential All Stars you have acquired
3. The number of draft picks you have acquired
4. The future cap flexibility your roster holds.

PLEASE NOTE: These will be ranked externally, league-wide. The winner is declared best team for the future.

Prove you did a good job

This will be the only user-voted area, and rather than being an overall ranking, it is purely to get feedback from other GM's on how good a job they feel you have done. Focus on:

1. The situation the team was in when you became GM
2. How you have improved each area, e.g. cap flexibility, reducing salary, adding youth, adding picks

Each GM will submit either a Yes or No against your team. This rating is designed to give feedback to those GM's who have taken teams in bad situations and dramatically improved them, but would still never realistically win either category.

Confirmed external voters:

CellarDoor
r0cd0gg
bryant08
dcash4

As I said at the beginning of the post: Please keep discussions on these to the discussion topic

You may reserve spots for your team now of course...

For the new guys, here are some examples of past writeups:

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=340&t=999645

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=340&t=963052

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=340&t=936804

Salaries, depth chart, picks...



Rotation (9-man)

PG: Jonny Flynn [34] / Earl Watson [14]
SG: Ray Allen [30] / (Paul Pierce [18])
SF: Paul Pierce [20] / Hedo Turkoglu [28]
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge [38] / Jeff Pendergraph [10]
C: Dwight Howard [38] / Brad Miller [10]

Ready to Win Now

I'm very confident in my team's ability to win a title. The overall philosophy with this team was to make it as talented as possible, with a great mix of offense and defense, and more importantly, Finals experience. The results are pretty good - three of my starting line-up, plus my 6th man, have started in the finals in the last two years - credit to their talent - and as a unit their skills compliment each other brilliantly.

Defense

From the centre-piece of Dwight Howard, my team is outstanding defensively. Dwight Howard is the NBA's DPOY, best post defender - blocking and altering far more shots than any other player, not to mention grabbing every rebound in sight. To complement him, I have added two experienced perimeter defenders in Pierce and Allen, and retained LaMarcus Aldridge, whose excellent length and workrate makes him a solid man defender, and whose weaknesses are masked by Dwight's presence inside. Flynn, meanwhile, will not be susceptible to faster guards (he kept Westbrook to 10 points on 36% shooting towards the end of the season), and his athleticism makes up for his lack of height when guarding the perimeter. As he matures, I expect he will continue to improve his awareness, improve his steals ratio and generally become a nuisance on D.

Offense

My 'big 4' of Dwight, Aldridge, Pierce and Allen all averaged just shy of 20ppg last season, and all scored 20+ points at least 25 times each. I'm not going to talk about 'first options' - I have 4 guys who will take the scoring load and my offensive gameplan will adjust to my opponents weaknesses. There's no question I have great offensive versatility on the roster. On top of that, they are perhaps the most complimentary mix of players you could find - Dwight plays close to the basket, Aldridge is a mid-range specialist, Pierce floats between the basket and the perimeter, and Allen is at his best when hitting open jumpshots. And the speedy Jonny Flynn, offers something different - fast-break runs with a solid outside shot, and decent playmaking.

My system is not point guard dependent, it will be a moderate tempo system with Ray/Pierce/Turkoglu & LMA all good passers (and low turnovers) for their position, allowing them to move the ball around freely to look for the best opportunity to score. There will be some pick and rolls between Dwight and any of my wings, and a lot of kicking it out to the perimeter (similar to the Magic) when I face some of the teams with size inside. Overall, the system will be fluid, and I have the experience on my roster which means I will be able to adapt much better than most - and I can score from anywhere.

The Bench

Despite the strength of my core, I also feel my bench are a pretty solid bunch of role players who complement my starters nicely. My backup PG, Earl Watson started last season in Indiana, averaging 8 points and 5 assists. He is joined in the backcourt by Roger Mason - a career 7.2 ppg, 38% 3pt shooter - who will continue to thrive as a shooter off the bench alongside Dwight. My 6th man, Hedo Turkoglu, will spend significant minutes at small forward, and reunites with Dwight - whom his best years were alongside. It's worth remembering he's only a year removed from a 17/5/5 season, his chemistry with Dwight should see him improve to his 2009 level. As for my big mEn, I have the young Jeff Pendergraph backing up Aldridge, which worked well for Portland last year. Although his offensive impact was minimal, he shot efficiently (2.7ppg on 66%) which at least shows he is a good decision maker, and won't harm the team. And finally my Centers - Brad Miller & Theo Ratliff. Both offer something different - Miller being a good shooter, and Ratliff being a good blocker, which helps according to my opposition.

Dispelling weaknesses

Questions have been raised about my second year point guard being 'inexperienced'. My argument here is simple - Flynn will be 5th option on offense, and will be learning from 3 future Hall-of-Famers on how to run a team. Look at Rondo in 2008; and he was worse than Flynn is now... Flynn should be able to keep track of the faster guards and exploit the slower ones, plus he shot 36% from 3 and hit 13ppg in his first year; undoubtedly he will be improved for year two. The only notable point guards that played significant roles on title wins in the past decade were Billups and Parker... Flynn is definitely better than the likes of Derek Fisher...

The other question comes down to age. I have Pierce (32) and Allen (35) starting for my team, and it's no secret their peak years are behind them. However, my plan for the regular season is to rely more on the young guys - Flynn/LMA/Dwight - and use my key bench players - Mason/Turkoglu - to give the older guys some valuable rest throughout the season. That lineup would get to the playoffs alone, so contributions from Ray and Pierce throughout the season will be beneficial, but not essential. There's no need to burn them out.

Beating my rivals

So, with a talented team assembled, it's time to look at my rivals. As it stands, I feel my biggest competition out West is from both LAL and OKC...

LA Lakers

Starting with LAL, I feel my main advantage is inside. Despite 2 quiet games, Dwight pretty much had his way against the Celtics in the conference finals, and whilst Garnett is the same guy here, he's fading fast. Add to that the defensive downgrade Nene is over Perkins, it is hard to see how Dwight wouldn't be able to build on his efficient 22/11/3 performance against this duo. Aldridge meanwhile has a nice offensive arsenal to take on whichever player guards him, and with Garnett being way past his best offensively, his length won't be an advantage here and he will struggle to beat LMA.

Moving to the perimeter, and at the Small Forward position I still retain the advantage - Artest may be a great defensive player, but Pierce proved in the Finals that he still had a lot left in the tank, winning his matchup with an efficient 18ppg, whilst containing Ron at the other end. Of course, the backcourt is where I concede advantage to LA - Bryant controlled Ray Allen for all but one game in the Finals, and Billups has the craft to beat Flynn. That said, with my superior overall team defense, similar all round attacking options, and more importantly the big man advantage (the team with the best big has won the last 4 finals) I think I can take LA in 7.

OKC Thunder

OKC provide a different challenge, on paper the team is stacked; however in reality I feel it is slightly weaker than it looks. If you look in more depth at the matchups, you'll see each player is pretty similarly matched apart from one major difference: Dwight dominates Kaman! playing to his weaknesses perfectly... last season Dwight averaged 23.5ppg on 73% shooting vs. Kaman; whilst Kaman averaged 14ppg on 42% vs. Dwight. If basketball is truly and inside-out game, OKC will have their work cut out here. No wonder they threw everything at me to try and get Dwight

The other major difference between the two teams is how they're structured. Outside of Durant, OKC have almost no shooting ability from the 3, and this will be their downfall. Of their starters, Iguodala is their second best 3 point shooter (30%!)... Guys like Iggy and Parker are going to have to drive to score, and having Dwight's presence there will force them outside, and forcing OKC to become a shooting team works completely to my favour - the team just doesn't have any spacing whatsoever.

A Team for the Future?

It's no secret my team is built to win now; I've traded away first round draft picks through 2013, and the average age of my team got older.... but that doesn't detract from the fact I've still got arguably the best young core for the next 8-10 years.

Flynn (21), LMA (24) and Dwight (24) are a great young core, and even with the inclusion of Turkoglu's contract, I am positioned to sign a max free agent from 2012/2013 to replace Pierce and Allan. Arguably the most established young core to build around you will find.

Proof I'm a good GM

When I took over as Portland GM, I looked at the direction of the team in real life and felt the team was stuck in an awkward place. A great team but not enough talent for a title.

My goal was straightforward: bring a top 5 player to Portland, win a ring, and somehow keep the team's future in tact. Oh, and be financially responsible. Ultimately, I think I've done just that. Led by Dwight Howard my starting 5 are ready to win now, whilst three of them will be around for another decade. And my team's salary is still under the $80m mark, just $10m more than Portland's projected real life salary, which would rank their wage bill as 8th in the NBA.

Washington Wizards
Contact: josh1524@gmail.com
AIM: joshvanklomp


Salaries (2010-2011 / 2011-2012 /2012-2013 / 2013-2014 / 2014-2015)
Mike Dunleavy - $10,561,984
TJ Ford - $8,500,000
Marcin Gortat - $6,322,320 / $6,790,640 / $7,258,960 / $7,727,280
Sasha Vujacic - 5,475,113
John Wall - $5,144,280 / $5,530,080 / $5,915,880 (TO) / $7,459,925 (TO) / $9,697,902 (QuO)
Delonte West - $4,500,000 (UnG)
James Harden - $4,304,520 / $4,604,760 (TO) / $5,820,417 (TO) / $7,636,387 (QuO)
Andray Blatche - $3,260,331 / $3,520,661
Darko Milicic - $2,250,000 / $2,500,000 / $2,750,000 (PO)
Etan Thomas - $1,229,255 / $1,399,507 (TO)
Quinton Ross - $1,146,337
Darington Hobson - $1,020,960 / $1,097,520 / $1,174,080 (TO) / $2,119,214 (TO) / $3,178,820 (QuO)
Sylven Landesberg - $750,000 / $850,000 (TO) / $950,000 (TO)
Brian Zoubek - $750,000 / $850,000 (TO) / $950,000 (TO)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Salaries: $55,215,100
Cap Room: -$215,100

2011-2012 Salaries: $27,143,168 (Guaranteed: $19,438,901 / 5 Players)
2012-2013 Salaries: $24,819,337 (Guaranteed: $7,258,960 / 1 Player)
2013-2014 Salaries: $24,942,806 (Guaranteed: 7,727,280 / 1 Player)
2014-2015 Salaries: $12,876,722 (Guaranteed: $0 / 0 Players)

Draft Rights Held
Paulao Prestes (#54)
Emir Preldzic

Draft Picks
2011 - WAS 1st, MIN 1st (Top 10 Protected, 2012 Unprotected), WAS 2nd
2012 - WAS 1st, WAS 2nd
2013 - WAS 1st, WAS 2nd
2014 - WAS 1st, WAS 2nd
2015 - WAS 1st, WAS 2nd

Depth Chart
Wall / Ford
Harden / West / Vujacic / Landesberg
Dunleavy / Hobson / Ross
Blatche / Thomas
Gortat / Milicic / Zoubek


Win Now
It all starts with John Wall. He became the franchise player day one when this kid put on the Washington Wizards' cap. Getting that franchise player in Wall takes a lot of pressure off of a kid like Andray Blatche. In the second half of the 2009-2010, Blatche was on fire, with only one single-digit scoring game since the All-Star Break. Now, Blatche becomes a solid number two option. On the perimeter alongside Wall are two shooters Dunleavy and Harden. Both will space the floor well to give Wall driving lanes and give him two great spot-up shooters. Dunleavy is a savvy veteran, while Harden is the young guy. Harden has also shown the potential to thrive as the third scoring option. Rounding out the starting lineup is Gortat, who gives the Wizards a physical presence down low. On the bench, we have some solid veterans combined with a few rookies with upside. Overall, a very balanced roster with loads of upside.

Best Team For The Future
This is an extremely young team with a ton of potential. Four of the five starters are 26 or younger. The biggest reason I am excited for the future of the franchise is the acquisition of nearly $30 million in expiring contracts. That, combined with the young nucleus already assembled, puts us in a very good chance to acquire a key free agent. And the main free agent prize of the 2011 class just so happens to be from the Baltimore area.

Proof I Did A Good Job
This was one of the first times in my GM a Team career that I stuck to my plan the entire way through the game. I looked at 2011 free agency as my target, and I kept that as my number one goal throughout. My number one concern was to deal Arenas, and that was the first thing I accomplished. After that, each trade was made in an attempt to get younger, get better, and get my roster flexible for 2011 free agency.

GM: Blackice
Contact Info: Email/MSN - allstar_1264@hotmail.com AIM - Kingblackice1991

Salaries

Carlos Boozer - $16,500,000/$17,820,000/$19,140,000/$20,460,000/$21,780,000
Brandon Roy - $13,520,500/$14,940,153/16,359,805/$17,779,458/$19,199,110
Andris Biedrins - $9,000,000/$9,000,000/$9,000,000/$9,000,000
John Salmons - $7,987,500/$8,626,500/$9,316,620
Jeff Foster - $6,655,000
Jason Maxiell - $5,000,000/$5,000,000/$5,000,000
James Posey - $6,478,600/$6,925,400
Thabo Sefolosha - $3,000,000/$3,300,000/$3,600,000/$3,900,000
Kyle Lowry - $2,080,000/2,080,000
Darren Collison - $1,266,120/$1,361,040/$1,455,960/$2,319,344/$3,342,175
Rasual Butler - $762,195/$884,293
Daniel Green - $762,195
Johan Petro - $900,000
Chris Quinn - $900,000


Debts

2050 2nd (top 59 protected).
Lotto Protected 2011 or 2012 top 3 protected.
Unprotected 2013 first rounder.

Total Salary

"will update shortly"


Depth Chart

PG - Darren Collison/Kyle Lowry/Chris Quinn
SG - Brandon Roy/Thabo Sefolosha/Danny Green
SF - John Salmons/James Posey/Rasual Butler
PF - Carlos Boozer/Jason Maxiell/Jarron Collins
C - Andris Biedrins/Jeff Foster/Johan Petro








Win Now

When I took over we had a decent young core Griffen (unproven rookie who was injured last season)/Gordon and some nice pieces around them in Kaman and Davis (who I later found had little value on his contract). Other then that we had very little.

We now believe we are a contender to win the title. We have a top 10 player in Roy, a legit 2nd option in Boozer, and good role role players in Biedrins and Salmons. The wild card on my team is Collison, I see him as a future allstar and really like his game.

My bench is one of the best in the league, I built it around defense, defense, and defense. Lowry is a bull, and one of the best defenders at his position in the league, Thabo is 2nd team all defense, Posey is the ideal veteran glue guy who can hit that three and D up with the best of them. Maxiell is undersized but he's tough and can score inside, and Foster is a 7 footer who can defend and mentor Beans.


Future

My core is young, Collison (22), Roy (25), Biedrins (23). Salmons (30), Boozer (28) are in their primes. Foster (33) and Posey (33) provide that veteran experience to our young team. We believe our future looks very bright, and we didn't sacrifice competitiveness now to do so.

Prove I'm a Good GM

When I became the GM of the Clippers our team was the league's laughing stock. We lacked defense and a real franchise player. We now move forward with a player capable of being the 1# option on a championship team, and a team around him that compliment his strengths (play-making/scoring). We have a group of good guys that are easy to cheer for (except Boozer ) and can compete now and for years to come.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

Email: juan_carlos_lopez_09@yahoo.com
AIM: jcldallas24


---- Hinrich ------- Martin -------- Gay ----------- Nowitzki -------- Lopez -----

---- Beaubois ----- Afflalo ------- Wright ------------ Blair --------- Dampier----

----- Banks -------- Young -------- Mahinmi ------Motiejunas ----- Mullens----

Starting Lineup:
C-Brook Lopez(36)/Erick Dampier(12/Byron Mullens
PF-Dirk Nowitzki(32)/DeJuan Blair(16)/Donatas Motiejunas
SF-Rudy Gay(36)/Dorell Wright(12)/Ian Mahinmi
SG-Kevin Martin(30)/Aaron Afflalo(18)/Nick Young
PG-Kirk Hinrich(25)/Rodrigue Beaubois(23))/Marcus Banks


Salaries:
Player...............2010-2011......2011-2012.....2012-2013....2013/2014....2014/2015
Dirk Nowitzki........$21,513,524
Rudy Gay.............
Kevin Martin.........$10,600,005 I I I $11,519,840 I I I $12,439,675
Kirk Hinrich..........$9,000,000 I I I I $8,000,000
Marcus Banks.......$4,847,586
Dorell Wright.........$2,900,000 I I I $2,900,000 I I I $2,900,000
Nick Young...........$2,630,503 I I I I $3,695,857
Brook Lopez.........$2,413,320 I I I I $3,076,983 I I I $4,190,851
Erick Dampier........$2,000,000 I I I I $2,200,000
Aaron Afflalo..........$1,959,577 I I I I $2,906,053
BJ Mullens............$1,204,200 I I I I $1,288,200 I I I I $2,253,062
Donatas Motiejunas.$1,181,000 I I I $1,417,200 I I I $1,700,640 I I I $2,040,768
DeJuan Blair...........$918,000 I I I I $986,000 I I I I $1,054,000
Rodrigue Beaubois..$1,156,080 I I I $1,236,720 I I I $2,227,333 I I I $3,271,952
Ian Mahinmi............$756,420

*Greg Buckner .......$1,064,516

Total Salaries.......$76,080,215

Blue - Team Option Green -Player Option Red - Qualifying offer Asterisk - not on roster
Baby Blue- Unguaranteed Yellow - Early termination

Draft Picks:
2010 #19-Donatas Motiejunas

2010 Dallas 1st-Kevin Seraphin

2010 #43-Quincy Pondexter

2011 Milwaukee 1st
2011 Boston 1st
2011 OKC 1st
2011 Orl 2nd

Draft Right's:
Quincy Pondexter
Nick Calathes
Renaldes Seibutis
Christian Eyenga

Direction:
Make the team a better, younger team at the same time-hopefully it leads to winning it all over the rest of the teams...

Trade Block:
Anybody who's not on the Untouchables list.....

Untouchables:but not untradeable
Rodrigue Beaubois
Brook Lopez
Dirk Nowitzki

Transactions List:
1.Dirk Nowitzki for Brandon Roy, Boris Diaw, and Jodie Meeks....
2.Jason Kidd/DeShawn Stevenson/2014 2nd/Right's to Milan Rakovic for Andre Miller/Shane Battier/Jeff Pendergraph/2010 Toronto 1st/2011 MEM 2nd
3.Drafted Paul George
4. Paul George for Patrick Patterson/#47/2011 Milwaukee 1st
5.Patrick Patterson for Ed Davis
6.Jeff Pendergraph for 2011 Portland 2nd//2011 LAC 2nd
7.JJ Barea, 50th pick for Dallas 2010 1st
8.2011 Memphis/Dallas 2nd for #45/#56
9.Roy/Marion for Lopez/Iguodala/Fernandez/Humphries/Right's to Baby Shaq
10. Draft Kevin Seraphin with the 27 pick in the 2010 Draft.
11.Draft Jerome Jordan with 41st pick
12.Draft Terrico White with 42nd pick
13.Draft Quincy Pondexter with 43rd pick
14.Rudy Fernandez for Chris Douglas Roberts, 2011 Boston 1st, 2010 Boston 2nd
15.Caron Butler/CDR/Meeks/Right's to Manny Harris for Kevin Martin
16.Jeff Foster/Terrico White/Dexter Pittman/Dallas 2011 1st for Thaddeus Young/Willie Green
17.Dampier/Miller/Young/Najera/Rights' to Nivins for Nash/Barbosa/Hinrich/Motiejunas/Right's to Victor Claver.
18.Jason Terry for JohnSalmons/2011 Orl 2nd
19.Erick Dampier signed for the BAE.
20.Ian Mahinmi for the Minimum
21.Willie Green, Kris Humphries, Rights' to Sofokilis Schorscinitis, 2011 POR 2nd for Tyrus Thomas, Derrick Brown, Jodie Meeks, Darrell Arthur.
22.Right's to Shan Foster, 2011 LAC 2nd for Christian Eyenga.
23.Boris Diaw for Brandon Bass, Vladimir Radmanovic, 2012 GSW 2nd, 2014 GSW 2nd
24.Darrell Arthur, Derrick Brown, Jodie Meeks for TPE, RIght's to Ricky Sanchez, 2012 Philadelphia 2nd.
25.Brandon Bass, Ian Mahinmi for Thabo Sefalosha, BJ Mullens.
26.Tyrus Thomas, Leandro Barbosa, Vladimir Radmanovic, Matt Carroll, 2012 GS 2nd, Right's to Victor Claver, Right's to Ricky Sanchez, Right's to Jerome Jordan for Troy Murphy, Earl Clark, 2011 Hou 2nd
27.Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Andre Iguodala for Dirk Nowitzki, Dorell Wright...
28.Salmons, Murphy, Sefolosha, Hollins, Collins for Gay, Blair, Young, Dampier
29.Hollins for Dampier
30.Collins for Empty bag of Doritos
31.Philadelphia 2012 2nd for Ian Mahinmi
32.Earl Clark, 2014 GSW 2nd for Aaron Afflalo, 2011 OKC 1st


Win Now:
The strengths of my team is its youth and what i have surrounding Dirk that will allow him to lengthen his career. The youth, athleticism, and all the scorers i have placed around Nowitzki will help him out and let him freshen his legs up for the playoffs in which he will then takeover with fresh legs like he did this year except he was out of gas to start the playoffs but he still put up great numbers. Before the end of the season he was shooting 54/65/96 yeah....Crazy ass numbers huh he also finished the season going 18-27 on three's. After Dirk my 2nd option is Rudy Gay who is as athletic as they come, also has a pretty good jump shot to help spread the floor a bit. Then comes Kevin Martin who is one of the best scorers in this league WHEN healthy. As a PG i still have Hinrich who can spread the floor, and pass the ball pretty good even though he's considered pretty much a SG. Then comes one of the best young C's in the game Brook (Cuz) Lopez this guy's post game and overall game fits great next to Dirk. Allowing him to have open space to post people up without people coming in to interrupt his game lol since the floor will be spread out with so many shooters in Dirk/Gay/Martin/Hinrich nobody will want to leave their man because they know it'll be a mistake. Defensively my team isn't top notch but its also not half bad. Especially with some defenders i have coming off the bench in Afflalo/Beaubois/Dampier/Blair/Wright Afflalo will be one of the few who might come in and finish most of the games in place for Martin when we close out the games it will definitely be Afflalo closing out the games because he on the other hand can cover almost anybody who comes his way unlike Martin. With this team i feel we are capable of putting up 140points and average around 115pg but also capable of giving up 120 so there are some issues but i am sure with the personel i have set with this group they will most likely close out the games like Dirk and the Mavs always do..AT A HIGH RATE.


For the Future:
If you think i wasn't planning on contending for this your'e wrong. lol Im able to do both rebuild and contend at the same time. I was able to do a lot with the assets i had to start the game as you can see with my 30+ Trades and Transactions. Everytime i made a trade i made sure to ask for at least a pick in return which ended up netting me more and more every time i made a trade.For the future i already have a good core and more. With Beaubois/Martin/Gay/Blair/Motiejunas/Seraphin/Lopez along with 3 picks for the 2011 draft, also a bunch of right's to good players such as Eyenga, Pondexter, Calathes i don't see how i shouldn't be top 5 with the exception of Dirk on my team who is one of the best veteran presences you can have on a team. I feel once Dirk is gone from this Mavs team most of my youngings will be developed enough to jump right in i even have an eventual replacement for him in Donatas Motiejunas whom i hope Dirk can help develop his game. Next to Lopez he's also a great fit with his ability to spread the floor like Dirk. So for the future of this team i feel i have done a great job considering the position we were in with all the bad contracts, and bad picks, not really any future outside of Beaubois, and some meh picks who probably were'nt going to be anythign special.

Good Job?
Well considering i was able to accomplish what i wanted to do which was get young, and build that around Dirk i feel i did a great job at that its maybe not a better team but its a great team for the future, and as of right now.So this team will continually put up 50 win seasons for more years to come. I've also managed to reduce a bunch of salary from this team considering it was so high. Its at barely 75million considering i started at 84 with bad contracts now im at 75million with pretty nice contracts where all are tradeable assets.

Reserved for Milwaukee..

Memphis Grizzlies



GM: LBJ4MVP23
Email: adamextra@sbcglobal.net

Roster with Salaries:



Depth Chart:

..................PG.........SG.........SF........PF.........C
1st string:
................Conley......Ellis....Williams.....West.....Okafor

2nd string:
...............Williams..Childress...Howard...Hickson...Hawes

3rd string:
................Collins....Casspi.....Ebanks....Powe.....Haddadi

Minutes:

PG: Conley(24)/Williams(24)
SG: Ellis(34)/Childress(14)
SF: Williams(16)/Howard(22)/Childress(10)
PF: West(32)/Williams(8)/Hickson(8)
C: Okafor(24)/Hawes(16)/Hickson(8)

Draft Picks:

2011

Credits: CLE, GSW, HOU, NOH, and SAC’s 1st round picks
Debits: 1st round pick (if not in top 14) and 2nd round pick (if not in top 55)

2012

Credits: CLE’s 1st round pick
Debits: 1st round pick (if not given in 2011 and not in top 12) and 2nd round pick (if not in top 55)

2013

Credits: None
Debits: 1st round pick (if not given in 2012 and not in top 10) and 2nd round pick (if not in top 55)

2014

Credits: None
Debits: 1st round pick (if not given in 2013 and not in top 9)

2015

Credits: None
Debits: 1st round pick (if not given in 2014 and not in top 9) and 2nd round pick

2016

Credits: TOR’s 2nd round pick
Debits: 2nd round pick (if not in top 55)

2017--->

Credits: None
Debits: None


Transactions:

1. Traded Zach Randolph and LAL’s 2010 1st round pick to ATL for Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, and Marvin Williams

2. Traded Darrell Arthur, DeMarre Carroll, Maurice Evans, Hamed Haddadi, Sam Young, and MEM’s 2010 1st round pick to CLE and HOU for J.J. Hickson, Leon Powe, Anderson Varejao, CLE’s 2011 1st round pick, HOU’s 2011 1st round pick, and CLE’s 2012 1st round pick

3. Traded Marc Gasol and Anderson Varejao to NOH for Spencer Hawes, David West, and NOH’s 2011 1st round pick

4. Drafted Devin Ebanks with the 25th overall pick in the 2010 draft

5. Signed Rudy Gay to a 5-year contract

6. Signed Ronnie Brewer to a 5-year contract

7. Traded Ronnie Brewer and O.J. Mayo to GSW for Sherron Collins, Monta Ellis, Anthony Randolph, and GSW’s 2011 1st round pick

8. Traded Anthony Randolph to ATL and TOR for Josh Childress and Stanley Robinson

9. Traded Mike Bibby and Stanley Robinson to PHI for Hamed Haddadi and Lou Williams

10. Traded Rudy Gay, Lester Hudson, and Hasheem Thabeet to SAC for Omri Casspi, Josh Howard, Emeka Okafor, and SAC’s 2011 1st round pick

Win Now:

The Grizzlies obviously are not yet ready to compete with the big boys out west, but we feel that we definitely can compete for a lower playoff spot and get our guys’ feet wet with experience in the playoffs. We have a nice offense/defense combo in the post with West and Okafor, and Ellis’ defensive weaknesses in the backcourt can be masked with Childress and Howard. Conley, Lou Williams, and Ellis give us 3 guys who can handle the playmaking duties, and with the shooters on the team (Conley, Childress, Lou Williams), we can spread the floor and give West room to operate in the post. SF is probably our weakest position, but Marvin Williams and Howard are solid all-around players who fit in well with the shooters and play-makers in the backcourt.

Future:

This is where we feel our team deserves to score well. There are no old and over-the-hill players on the team, and every single player on this team could have a role on the team in the future. From our starting 5, which has 4 guys who we feel should be starters for us down the road (all except for Okafor), to our bench, which has 2 future 6th man of the year candidates in Lou Williams and Childress and 2 very talented young big men in Hickson and Hawes, we have a myriad of players who will have a role both now and down the road. My deep bench also has potential contributors. Casspi will take over Howard’s role as backup SF once his contract expires, and with the flashes he showed with the Kings this past season, there’s no reason to believe he also can’t be a 6th man of the year candidate. Collins, Ebanks, and Haddadi all haven’t proven themselves in the NBA yet, but they also have boatloads of potential, with Collins and Ebanks having impressive college resumes, reinforcing that belief.

We also have draft picks flowing out of our ears. We will have at least 5! 2011 1st round draft picks (6 if we don’t make the playoffs, but we do except to make the playoffs), so we will be able to add more talent to our core in next year’s draft. One of these picks is the extremely valuable Cavs’ pick, and then the rest of the picks are either borderline playoff or playoff teams. Our hope is to get a top 4 pick with the Cavs’ pick (as it seems a lock that they will the be the worst team in the league), and then package a few or all of our remaining first round picks to move up and get a 2nd lottery pick. This would allow us to draft 2 big pieces as future starters at 2 of 3 positions: PG, SF, and C.

Our salary situation isn’t the greatest, but our hands were tied when we forced to match Rudy Gay’s exorbitant contract offer, and Jaric’s contract is still on the books. Our future salaries are lower, and we’re not planning on resigning Howard or Lou Williams once their contracts are up, so that will help a lot with keeping the payroll low.

Why I did a good job:

Basically, I think I did a good job with this team because I got top-notch value in every trade I made.

In my first trade, I traded a headache and black hole in Randolph for 2 solid contributors in Bibby and Marvin Williams.

In my second trade, I traded a late lottery pick for a young player with a lot of potential in Hickson, a great energy guy in Varejao, and 2 2011 first round picks, one of which is of course the very valuable Cavs’ pick. This was probably my best trade.

In my third trade, I got a standout at PF in West, a future replacement for Gasol in Hawes, and another 2011 first round pick to add to my collection.

In my fourth trade, I did the rumored Mayo for Ellis trade, but instead of my giving up additional value in the form of Thabeet, I actually received additional value in the form of Randolph, Collins, and another 2011 first round pick. This was probably my second best trade, after the Varejao-Hickson-Cavs’ pick deal.

In my fifth trade, I gave up Randolph, who was in the midst of a log jam at PF at the time, to fill a great need at backup wing, and I got a young prospect in Robinson who helped me orchestrate my next deal. This may be the one deal where I didn’t milk all the value I could have out of the team with whom I was trading.

In my sixth trade, I gave up an old and overpaid Bibby and an extra prospect in Robinson for a young PG in Lou Williams who has shown flashes of greatness over the past few years in Philadelphia.

In my seventh and final trade, I gave up the overpaid Gay for a not-as-overpaid Okafor, and I also was able to trade the disappointing Thabeet for Casspi, who showed flashes with the Kings last year, and my fifth! 2011 first round pick for which I traded.

Overall, I feel that I did a great job because I kept accumulating value in all my trades, which allows me a great deal of flexibility in the future both in the draft and in trades. At the end of the game, I did try to trade away Howard and some of my picks for an upgrade at PG, but that wasn’t very successful; however, once the 2011 draft order is decided, my 5 picks will become much more valuable, and hopefully I can either use them to move up for an upgrade at PG or deal some of them straight up for a veteran PG.

And finally...

Thanks to lukekarts for running this game; it was definitely one of the best run games yet, right up there with skorf’s!

New Jersey Nets





Players and Salaries



Depth Chart



Rotation

PG - DJ Augustin (30) / Eric Bledsoe (18)
SG - Wesley Johnson (12) / Courtney Lee (28) / Gerald Henderson (8)
SF - Terrence Williams (32) / Wesley Johnson (16)
PF - Blake Griffin (32) / Tiago Splitter (4) / Brandan Wright (12)
C - Demarcus Cousins (28) / Tiago Splitter (20)

D-League
C - Alexis Ajinca
C - Daniel Orton
F - Tibor Pliess
G - Dominique Jones
G - Willie Warren


Draft Picks

Credits

2011 first round draft pick from LA Clippers
Clippers' own 2010 1st round pick to New Jersey (lotto protected) or 2012 Clippers' own 1st round pick to New Jersey (top 3 protected) - see Trade 2 below

2012 first round draft pick from Golden State
Golden State's own 2012 1st round pick to New Jersey (top 7 protected in the 2012 Draft, top 7 protected in 2013, and top 6 protected in the 2014 Draft). However, if New Jersey has not yet received this first round pick by the 2014 draft, then New Jersey shall instead receive: (i) Golden State's own 2014 2nd round pick and (ii) Golden State's own 2016 2nd round pick. [Golden State - New Jersey, 7/22/2008 and amended 9/21/2009]

Debits
Nets

Win Now

I dont think we are a contender but let me give it a try.

Starters: DJ Augustin, Courtney Lee, Wes Johnson, Blake Griffin and Tiago Splitter. DJ, Courtney, Wes can all shoot from everywhere. Augustin will run pick and roll with Blake with Courtney and Wes moving without the ball. Splitter will also do opportunistic baskets.

Off the bench: Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Henderson, Terrence Williams, Brandan Wright and Demarcus Cousins. We will slow the game down a bit but if opportunity presents itself we are going to run & gun with Bledsoe and T-Will. Cousins and Henderson will be our weapons in half-court. Cousins can do his post moves while Henderson can do his expertise in Duke which is to run half-court game.

Best Team for the Future

With NBA teams as of late being perimeter player driven we thought of reviving the old school basketball which is capitalizing on frontcourt players. We are more than confident that we own the best young frontcourt in the NBA right now with Griffin and Cousins as front runners. Following are the breakdown of our players per position:

PG - We have DJ Augustin (22) and Eric Bledsoe (19) as pure point guards. None of both have hyped names but I believe I got what I needed. DJ Augustin is the 2nd best PG in 2008 draft behind Rose and still is until now but his situation in Charlotte is difficult because of Larry Brown who dont usually play rookies. DJ averaged 17.8 ppg, 2.5rpg, and 5.6 apg in 47% FG and 53% 3pt shooting when starting and given 36+ minutes in his rookie year and has shown a contributor as well last NBA season when given substantial minutes. Slightly undersized but he is the point guard who can run pick 'n' roll for Blake and Demarcus. Eric Bledsoe is similar statutue as DJ except that he is the 2nd rated PG behind John Wall. Guy can shoot/score and a freak man defender with his built and body frame. He wasnt able to showcase his playmaking skills in Kentucky because he was playing behind John Wall and his team need offensive production than playmaking from him. Here in our team he will do the same behind DJ and eventually develop his PG skills. Note that Bledsoe is a 20-10-10 in high school.

SG - Courtney Lee (24), Gerald Henderson (23), Willie Warren (20) and Dominique Jones (21). Courtney Lee can shoot and defend. Henderson needs playing time and will be one our our go to guys in halfcourt sets. Both Lee and Henderson are physical perimeter defenders. Warren and Jones will most likely see some playing time in D-League but both have promise. Jones is the 2nd best in drawing fouls last NCAA season. Warren can shoot from the park and a scorer but needs some maturity in his game.

SF - Wesley Johnson (22) and Terrence Williams (22). Both Wes and T-Will are athletes of high caliber. Wesley Johnson while somewhat older than his draftclass is still very young but the most matured player in the draft. He runs the floor like a cheetah, jumps like a kangaroo and a threat to shoot from anywhere with precision. His off the ball game will complement our frontcourt and guard's game since he wont demand for to many touches and will puzzle defenses by moving without the ball. T-Will is our lock down defensive stopper and our fast break threat. Averaged 14-7-5, Twill is like a young Andre Igoudala. Need to work on his jumper through.

PF - Blake Griffin (21), Brandan Wright (23), and Tibor Pliess (20). Blake Griffin. We expect 20-10 production right in his rookie year coupled with, ASG dunk contest title and ROY trophy. A healthy Brandan Wright is a decent prospect. Pliess is a 7'0 german prospect with outside shooting. One of the best rebounders per minute in the Euroleague so he is no softy for a white guy.

C - Demarcus Cousins (19), Tiago Splitter (24) Daniel Orton (19). Our timetable to fully unleash what Cousins is going to be is 2 years. Cousins will be our #1 option in half-court sets. Splitter's an MVP in Euroleague. One way or another a 7'0 center version of Luis Scola. Not as skilled as Scola but significantly better defensively. We dont expect Orton to be a 20-10 in years to come but we plan to mold him to become the next Kendrik Perkins.

Age of your core - The age of our core is around 22. The oldest are Courtney Lee and Tiago Splitter. We have three players who are 19 years old the remaining are ranging from 20-22.

The prospects and potential All Stars you have acquired - Perennial All-star: Blake Griffin. If I look at the current Eastern Conference the starting all star center will be a contest between Al Horford and Demarcus Cousins.

The number of draft picks you have acquired - We have acquired another pick (2011) from LA Clippers. Not as significant but decent.

Future cap flexibility your roster holds - We are very much flexible. We have no bad contracts other than Eddy Curry who is due to expire in 2011 free agency. We have homongous cap space in 2011 free agency where we plan to lure Melo and in 2012, one of Deron or Paul (Both of whom might leave for a bigger market and payday than what they have in Utah and New Orleans).

Prove you did a good job

When I took the team I have inhereted a 12 win team which is almost a nowhere but go up situation. In real world, it is not a hidden secret that Nets is aiming to land marquee free agents from the hyped 2010 free agency. But with Bulls well positioned to land Lebron and Wade having no indication leaving Miami we thought of overpaying for Joe Johnson and someone like David Lee or Boozer are moves toward mediocrity for the next 5-6 years. Instead, we position ourselves to land Melo in 2011 and then one of Paul or Williams in 2012.

When I got the opportunity of nabbing Griffin for Brook, I did not hesitate in a second. Brook is nice but I think his ceiling is pretty much what he is now (18-8-2-2). He will probably make it to the all star game 3-4 times in his career but thats about it. Griffin on the otherhand has annual allstar mark in him the very first minute he steps in the court starting in his 2nd year. With Cousins available with the 3rd pick, there isnt much to think about. I understand his red flags but to some extent its overblown. Fact is, the guy is hardworking, crafty and works hard.

Lastly looking at the current structure of teams where most max players teamed up with each other with OKC as frontrunner, the only chance we win a title is get Melo and one of Paul or Deron. With our situation its is close possible.

Los Angeles Lakers

jjbail10@yahoo.com
AIM: theSamBone

ROTATION
PG: Billups (33) / Fisher (12) / Bayless (3) /T.Allen
SG: Bryant (35) / Bayless (13) / T.Allen
SF: Artest (28) / Delfino(10)/ Kapono(10)/ T.Allen
PF: Garnett (30) / N.Collison (10) / Frye (8) / Bonner
CC: Nene (28) / Frye (12) / N.Collison (8)



DRAFT PICKS

2011 LaL 1st
2011 Miami 2nd
2011 NY 2nd

2012 LaL 1st
2012 PORT 1st

2013 LaL 1st
2013 Mem 2nd


It will be really hard to find a starting unit that fits together better then my team. Billups and Kobe is a dream pairing and KG and Nene also fit together perfectly. And add to them, one of the best wing defenders in the game and you have my dream lineup. And since I believe CHAMPIONSHIP teams need depth, I think my reserves and role players put my team over the top. DFisher has led 5 Laker teams to titles and has made as many BIG shots as almost anyone in the league, Jerryd Bayless gives me a combo guard the can light it up when needed, he also adds some youth to my veteran team. My team is so deep that Tony Allen who played a key role on Boston’s teams, will only get spot minutes when defense is needed. He is a great defender that can guard the 1,2 and 3 (did a hell of a job controlling Kobe in the Finals this season). At the backup SF position, I have combo forward Carlos Delfino and 3 point specialist Jason Kapono. My backup BIGS are also a great pairing that can play both the 4 and 5 and both bring special skill sets to my rotation. Channing Frye is a great shooter that creates matchup problems because of his range and size, and Nick Collison can rebound with anybody. Matt Bonner will only see spot minutes, but brings even more shooting to my bench.


WIN NOW

1. Strengths of your team:
My team is build around defense, team work and chemistry! All of my guys fit well in the role they have and all fit into my system

2. How you see the team working offensively
I do not see any issues at all offensively on my team at all. My offense will run through the BEST player in the game. It is impossible to find a better backcourt then Billups and Kobe. Both players bring leadership (and winning) as well as great passing, shooting (spacing), and can you say CLUTCH! Plus I have KG on the post who can do it all also.

3. How you see the team working defensively
I really think this is the best defensive TEAM in the game. I do not have a weakness at all in my lineup. I have lock down all defensive players at basically every position.

4. Why you think you're better than your rivals
My team fits perfectly together, has won more titles then any other team, is deeper then any playoff teams, And I have the 2 best CLOSERS in the game for crunch time.

FUTURE

This team is built to WIN IT ALL for the next 2 seasons. I have not compromised my future by taking on bad contracts or selling off my draft picks. Being in LA, we will always be trying to WIN but will also always keep an eye out for the future

DID I DO A GOOD JOB?

I will be the first to admit that certain teams have a much easier job in these games then others. And the Lakers certainly have an advantage. My initial plan was to do the unthinkable and gut the team, but I found it to be basically impossible to get value for the BEST PLYER IN THE NBA, and I was not about to compromise the integrity of the game by taking much lesser talent (while matching his big salary) so I decided to simply rebuild the team with players that I think would be great around Kobe. You can not find a true PG that would fit with Kobe better then Billups. KG proved in the post season that he is finally back to being his old self. He is no longer the All NBA 1st teamer, but he is still a top notch PF at both ends of the court, who’s intensity and defensive mind set will thrive in my lineup. Nene is a very under rated defensive BIG that can bang with anybody. And Artest can still shut down the best players in the game. My bench is a million times better then the bench LA currently has, and fits together as well as my starting 5 does. So YES I do believe I did a great job building this team, and I refused to take dead weight or bad contracts when putting this team together

Boston Celtics

jjbail10@yahoo.com
AIM: theSamBone

ROTATION
PG: Rondo (33) / Blake (15)
SG: B.Rush (28)/ Fernandez (20) / D.Jones
SF: J.Green (28) / Aminu (20) / D.Jones
PF: D.Lee (30) / Bargnani (10) / G.Davis (8) / Tolliver
CC: Perkins (30) / Bargnani (18) / Tolliver

D League: Ogilvy and Ndaiye



DRAFT PICKS
2011 BOS 2nd

2012 BOS 1st
2012 BOS 2nd
2012 Miami 2nd

2013 BOS 1st
2013 BOS 2nd

When I took over the Celtics, I had a really OLD team, that in my opion, had its window to win closing fast and would have needed to commit big bucks to some fading stars. So I wanted to go YOUNG and rebuild around the two young defensive stars in Rondo and Perkins. I think I have put together a YOUNG team that is full of proven young superstars. Unlike other rebuilding “future” teams that are filled with drafted players who have yet to p[rove that they belong in the league, my team has guys that have proven they can play. This team has the best BIG rotation in the game with D.Lee, Perkins and Bargnani. An up and coming young combo forward in Jeff Green, and younger SG that can shoot the 3 and score in bunches in Brandon Rush and shooting and scoring guard off the bench in Rudy Fernandez, and a high draft pick athletic forward in Al-Farouq Aminu, who has unlimited upside. A young PF/C who showed he can score, block shots, rebound and stretch the floor, while shinning at the end of last season in Anthony Tolliver, and energy PF Glen “Big Baby” Davis. And shot minutes will be given to our lock down wing defender D.Jones. And don’t forget my All Star, 1st team All Defensive stud PG in Rajon Rondo! This young team will be really hard to matchup with because I have versatile people at every position who all bring tons of skills and are matchup nightmares. Besides the triple double abilities of Rondo I have a SG that can drain 3’s (41% with 125 makes in only his 2nd season from down town) and also is a good defender and has great size for a SG. I long SF that will be very hard to defend because of his size and ability to also shoot the 3 and rebound, while playing solid underrated D on both bigger and smaller players. An All Star PF who is a rebound BEAST in DLee, who also has developed a decent jumper and can bang with C’s and will be another difficult matchup for PF’s and the defensive anchore in Perkins and my 6th man matchup nightmare (especially while playing PF) in Bargs who is a great shot blocker and has great range. My bench has even more shooting with Rudy and Blake

WIN NOW

1. Strengths of your team:
Rebounding, versatility, athletism and fits well together, bench, spacing

2. How you see the team working offensively
The slashing of Rondo with the spacing created by both Rush, JGreen, Rudy, and Bargs. Post play and 2nd chances mostly from DLee. Transition offense from creating turnovers and blocking shots.

3. How you see the team working defensively
I have some great individual and team defenders, Lots on length on the wings and at PG, as well as great rebounding that will limit 2nd chances, and shot blocking

4. Why you think you're better than your rivals

I truly believe this will be the surprise team of the Eastern Conference and should easily win the Atlantic Division which would make me at worst the #3 seed (most likely higher because most of my games will be played against weaker opponents in Tor, Philly, NY and NJ). These could realistically lead to me getting the #2 seed, forcing Chicago and Miami to face off early in the playoffs. By being the best team by a far margin in my division is not something to be overlooked, since that is who I play the majority of my games against.

BEST TEA FOR THE FUTURE

1. The age of your core
My team is all entering the PRIME of their careers. The only players I have that will be older then 27 in the 2010/2011 season are reserve PG Steve Blake and defensive specialist Dahanty Jones (both will be 30). My core 8 players (Rondo, Rush, Rudy, Green, Aminu, Lee, Bargs and Perkins) have an average age of 24.5 with ASDavid Lee being the oldest (will be 27). And unlike other “future” teams, my team has all stars and proven starters for playoff teams (except draft pick Aminu)

2. The prospects and potential All Stars you have acquired

Rondo and Lee are already AS players, Bargs is just coming into his prime and finally adjusted to the NBA game (and will thrive not being forced to play against C’s), Jeff Green was a future AS when he was allowed to play SF before he was moved to PF (out of position IMO), B.Rush and Rudy have both proven to be able to make lots of 3 pointers and are great scorers. And Perkins may be the 2nd best post defender in the entire NBA.

3. The number of draft picks you have acquired

I do not own a 2011 1st round pick but all other future picks are still in hand

4. The future cap flexibility your roster holds.

I have NO bad contracts, including nobosy that is signed longer then they will be needed. I have the flexability (with team options, RFA’s, and exp deals that I could be a player in next years free agency in I want, but most likely will improve my team via trades because I don’t think I will let my guys walk

DID I DO A GOOD JOB

Hell yes, I took a team of older veteran players, that was about to be forced to offer contracts to players past their prime and turned that into a double threat (WIN NOW and WIN FUTURE). I cut a ton of salary and became a player in free agency and scored the guy that fit my team the best. All while building a great team that has lots of depth (something I think is important) and not taking on dead weight or long term cap nightmare contracts. Ownership as well as the fan base will be thrilled with this team.

Roster & Salaries



Picks I owe: 2011 1st, 2011 2nd, 2012 2nd

Picks owed to me: 1st (TOR) (lottery-protected from 2011-2014; unprotected in 2015), 2011 2nd (OKC), 2011 2nd (ATL), 2012 2nd (NOH), 2012 2nd (MEM), 2012 2nd (DAL), 2012 2nd (ATL)



Jameer Nelson (32) / Dwyane Wade (10) / Chris Duhon (6) / Armon Johnson
Dwyane Wade (27) / Raja Bell (16) / Tracy McGrady (5)
Shane Battier (28) / Tracy McGrady (15) / Quentin Richardson (5)
Chris Bosh (37) / Joel Anthony (8) / Shelden Williams (3) / Chris Hunter
Tyson Chandler (28) / Joel Anthony (14) / Solomon Alabi (6)


Win Now

The Heat plan on contending for the championship in 2010-11, plain and simple. We have arguably the best player in the league in Wade, one of the best bigs in the league in Bosh, and superb role players around them.

Our offense will largely revolve around Wade/Bosh pick-and-rolls, Bosh isos/post-ups, and wide open 3-pointers when the defense converges on one of our star players. We also expect Jameer to create some good looks for himself or others by driving to the basket and T-Mac to provide playmaking off the bench.

Surrounding Wade with 3-point marksmen is a simple way to create easy offense, and we have done just that. We have 3 of the top outside shooters in the league in Jameer, Battier, and Bell. Over the past 2 seasons, Jameer has averaged 1.6 made 3's per game on 41.3%. Over the past 4 seasons, Battier has averaged 1.7 on 38.8%. And over the past 5 seasons, Bell has made 2.3 3's per game on 41.9%.

Defensively, we have an amazing wing duo of Wade-Battier and one of the best post defenders in the league in Chandler. We also have very good defenders off the bench in Bell, Anthony, and Duhon.

There are many good teams in the East, but we expect to be competing primarily with Chicago. The first thing that sticks out in this possible matchup is that we are better-equipped to guard LeBron than they are Wade. We can stick Battier on LeBron to hopefully limit him somewhat, but Chicago is in a tougher situation. The only wing guy they have who is a very good defender is LeBron, but putting him on Wade for significant stretches would surely tire LeBron out and make him less effective on the offensive end. Additionally while we feel the starting 5s are fairly even (though we still prefer ours, slightly), we think our bench is superior by a significant margin.


Best Team for the Future

We will continue to be top contenders in the future. First off, our two star players, Wade (28) and Bosh (26), are both under 30 and should remain elite players for the better part of the next decade. They are also both locked into long-term deals. The rest of our starting lineup, Nelson (28), Chandler (27), and Battier (31), is very experienced but also has a number of good seasons left in them. We plan on retaining Battier next offseason.

Additionally, we are excited about the potential of our rookies, Solomon Alabi and Armon Johnson, and expect both to develop into very good rotation players and perhaps even starters. We also have a potentially valuable draft pick, Toronto's 1st rounder. While it is lotto-protected for the next few seasons, it is certainly possible that we could end up with a top-10 pick in 2015 while still being one of the top teams in the league.

Furthermore, while we probably won't have caproom for the next few seasons, we will not be far above the cap either, so we aren't too worried about vastly exceeding the lux tax and expect to use our MLE each season. This should allow us to add good talent each offseason.


Prove you did a good job

Retaining Wade, signing Bosh, and surrounding them with mostly minimum contract players would have been considered a successful offseason for the Heat. Yet we managed not only to achieve the first two, but also to obtain guys like Jameer, Battier, and Chandler. In doing so, the Heat have become a contender for years to come.

And we have also been fiscally responsible. Despite having one of the best rosters in the league, we are actually below the luxury tax of $65 million, by over $1.5 million.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES


(blue = team option; green = player option; red = qualifying offer)

Rotation 2010-11
Jefferson 34 / Pekovic 14
Speights 28 / Favors 20
Batum 34 / Hayward 14
E. Gordon 34 / C. Brewer 14
Sessions 32 / Livingston 16

Rotation 2011-12
Jefferson 34 / Pekovic 14
Favors 30 / Speights 18
Batum 34 / Hayward 14
E. Gordon 34 / C. Brewer 14
Rubio 32 / Sessions 16

Rights to:
Ricky Rubio
Henk Norel
and the immortal Loukas Mavrokafelidis

Future draft picks
2011 first round: Charlotte (unprotected); Minnesota (only if in top 10, otherwise to Clippers; unprotected 2011)
2011 second round: LAC, Dallas
2012 first round: Minnesota (unless 2011 pick not conveyed to Clippers)
2012 second round: Minnesota

TPE: $1,796,400 (Ryan Gomes trade)

Overview (“Prove you did a good job”)

I’m tempted to say “just compare it to the real thing” – but doing better than Kahn is not exactly proof that I did a good job.

I started with a mess – two point guards (one of whom is in Europe), two big men who can’t play together, and not much of anything else besides draft picks.

I ended with a team. It has a good young player at every position; assuming that Rubio comes over next year, you could make a reasonable case that every starter (Rubio, Gordon, Batum, Favors, Jefferson) has All-Star potential. It’s got solid reserves. It’s got a post scorer, shooters, a guy who can get to the basket in Gordon, and two point guards in Rubio and Sessions who can pass. The wing defense is potentially excellent; post defense is weak in the short run, but Favors should become an excellent defender and Pekovic adds toughness. And it’s got cap space and a likely lottery pick in 2011.

Win Now

We won’t be winning now. But there’s no reason this team can’t win 35 games in 2010-11, which is both a dramatic improvement over 2009-10 and a heck of a lot better than the real Timberwolves will do.

For the Future

My team is very young and every player with a substantial role is still improving. At the beginning of next season, Derrick Favors and Ricky Rubio will each be 19 years old; Gordon Hayward 20; Luke Babbitt, Nicholas Batum and Eric Gordon 21; Mareese Speights 23; Corey Brewer, Nikola Pekovic and Ramon Sessions 24; and it’s easy to forget that Al Jefferson is only 25.

I acquired Eric Gordon, Nicholas Batum, and Mareese Speights; added Favors, Hayward and Babbitt in the draft; and traded for Charlotte’s 2011 first-rounder, which is virtually certain to be a lottery pick. There are no bad contracts, and we’re about $10 million under the cap both this year and next.

The challenge ahead, of course, will be to consolidate. I have no doubt that this is a solid playoff team two to three years down the road. It’s not a championship contender unless I either get lucky (Favors and/or Rubio turn into superstars) or put a bunch of pieces together to upgrade at least one position from “potential All-Star” to “certain All-Star / best player on a great team.”

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
willbsn13
E-Mail: Farmerbrown50@hotmail.com

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014

Player Salary Salary Salary Salary

Richard Jefferson.......$15,200,000
Nate Robinson............$5,500,000...$5,940,000...$6,415,200...$6,928,416
Elton Brand................$15,959,000...$17,059,728...$18,160,355
David Andersen...........$2,500,000...$2,500,000...$2,500,000
Sebastian Telfair......... $2,700,000
Caron Butler.............. $10,561,690
Josh McRoberts......... $885,120
Randy Foye ................$4,000,000...$4,000,000...$4,000,000...$4,000,000
Daniel Gibson..............$4,000,000...$4,000,000...$4,000,000
Luke Harangody..........$750,000
Jon Brockman.............$1,350,000...$1,500,000
Sofokilis Schortiscinitis.$750,000 (D-League)
Mikeal Pietrus.............$5,300,000...$5,300,000...$5,300,000...$5,300,000
Jermaine O'Neal..........$6,000,000...$6,000,000...$6,000,000...$6,000,000
Manny Harris..............$750,000 (D-League)

Total Salary $75,455,810...$46,299,728...$46,375,555...$22,228,146
Cap Difference +$20,455,810...-$8,700,272...-$8,624,445...-$32,771,854


TRANSACTIONS LOG
1.Traded Boris Diaw and DeSagna Diop to Philly for Elton Brand
2. Traded Tyson Chandler for Jared Jeffries, Darell Arthur, David Andersen and Sebastian Telfair.
3. Traded Nazr Mohammed,Jared Jefferies and D.J Augustin for Richard Jefferson
4. Traded Gerald Wallace for Jodie Meeks, Manny Harris and Caron Butler
5. Waived Larry Hughes and Steven Graham
6. Signed Nate Robinson to a Max MLE deal
7. Waived Theo Ratliff
8. Sign & Traded Tyrus Thomas,Jodie Meeks,Derrick Brown and Darell Athur for Willie Green, Kris Humph/ries, Rights to Sofokilis Schortiscinitis and a 2011 POR 2nd
9. Reannounced the rights to Sofokilis Schortiscinitis
10. Traded Willie Green and a 2011 CHA 1st for James Johnson,Ryan Hollins and Luke Harangody
11. Demoted Sofokilis Schortiscinitis to the D-League
12.Signed Jon Brockam to a 2 year deal
13. Traded Stephen Jackson and Ryan Hollins for Jermaine O'Neal and Mikeal Pietrus
14. Traded Kris Humphries and James Johnson for Randy Foye and Josh McRoberts
15.Traded Gerald Henderson and Alexis Ajinca for Daniel Gibson


ROTATION
Starting Lineup (Min) Bench Players 3rd Stringers
Center/ Jermaine O'Neal (29) /David Andersen (15) /Josh McRoberts (4)
Power Forward/ Elton Brand (33) /Jon Brockman (12) /Luke Harangody (3)
Small Forward/ Richard Jefferson (32) /Mikeal Pietrus (14) /Caron Butler (2)
Shooting Guard/ Caron Butler (28) /Randy Foye (16) /Mikeal Pietrus (4)
Point Guard/ Nate Robinson (31) /Daniel Gibson (15) /Randy Foye (2)



DRAFT PICKS
I have: 2011 POR 2nd, 2011 CHA 2nd, 2012 CHA first, 2012 CHA 2nd Etc..
I owe:2011 CHA 1st

WIN NOW

STRENGTHS
My strengths are that my team is very balanced, with Some very able scorers (Robinson, Jefferson,Butler) and though my post is a little past there time, they can stil produce on both ends. I have one of the better benches around, its almost a second unit. With Daniel Gibson's range and youth, Foye's quickness and scoring, Pietrus's defense and shooting, Andersen's post defense, and Brockman's rebounding ability, our bench comtemplates are starting unit well. Our starting backcourt unit likes to slash and cut while out bench backcourt is full of great shooters.

OFFENSE
Our offense will be based around Brand's and O'Neals post play and the Slashing of Butler and co. O'Neal is a key part as he can spread the floor and leave the paint open for Post play with Brand and Slashing from Butler and Jefferson, then this is when the bench will come into play, with its shooting when the likes of Jefferson and Butler slash they can kick it out. Our tempo will be alot slower, allowing us to get the best looks at the lane using Iso plays for O'Neal and Brand and pick 'n' rolls with Butler and Brand. Robinson will take care of most of the ball handling duties, as whe like his pace he can be used as a pick n roll player. He can be questioned as an able passer but I'm sure he will fall into the mold, he did in the playoffs with Boston with some big games.

DEFENSE
Our defense is not terribly bad but it isn't terribly good either. Out post defense isn't bad, O'Neal is not as a good defender as he was, but he can still contribute and Brand is an excellent rebounder, but after some below par years with Philly, i'm sure he can correct that now he is in a team with a more of a win now mode. Butler is an above average defender and his size and muscle can be of great use at the two guard. Although Robinson's size is questionable, throughout the 2010 playoffs he showed us that he can defend, because of his quickness and his energy. Jefferson isn't fantastic, but he showed glimpses of good quality defense with the Spurs, just not on aconsistent basis. If he can correct that, we wwill have an above average defensive team.

RIVALS
I believe we can contend in the East and I would'nt be suprised if we were a top four seed. Although we may not have the star players like Orlando,Chicago and Miami, we certainly have a depthy squad and plenty of experience.



BEST TEAM FOR THE FUTURE

THE AGE OF YOUR CORE
The age of my core is relatively old. They have experience and the youth to contemplate them though (Gibson/Brockman/Pietrus and Foye).

YOUR PROSPECTS AND POTENTIAL ALL-STARS
I Dont really have any potential All-Stars, unless one of my guys has a major break out season, the only player realisticly getting an All-Star nod would be Caron Butler. Daniel Gibson, Jon Brockman and Manny Harris are my prospects. Daniel Gibson is interesting, he could really become a starter/extended role player if he shows us what he can do, with is bring energy and hit three's but we want more than that. and if he works hard this off-season , he might get more minutes. Jon Brockman is into his second year now, after a lack-luster first year, he gets a opportunity for more minutes in an winning enviroment. We really like his rebounding ability and he is only 6'7 so he can guard multiple positions. We really want him to work hard on this Offense though, if he does he could Shawn Marion 2.0

DRAFT PICKS
To be honest, I havent really done much at all. I sent my 2011 First away to aquire James Johnson and got a 2011 POR 2nd for Tyrus Thomas and co. I still have a stable future with future picks with my 2012,2013 and 2014 First and Second rounders all still in tact.

CAP SPACE
This year, I am just a shade over $20m into the cap, which isnt a worry, Micheal Jordan won't worry, especially since he still collects around $45m in endorements each year. The good thing is, Butler and Jefferson are both big expirings giving us room to move them around if need be. We can just keep them and let them expire ; next year we will hve around $8m in cap room which is good and gives up flexibilty to (S&T) players like Butler and Jefferson.

PROOF I DID A GOOD JOB

When I became Charlotte GM, we had some bad contracts, (Diop,Diaw) Felton was a FA and we had a team that was terrific on Defense and rubbish on Offense. What I did was use Micheal Jordan's deep pockets to bring in some offense (Robinson,Butler,Jefferson) while maintaining over $7 million in cap space for next season. Although my starting lineup is old and pretty average at shooting, I contemplated by bringing in youth to the bench with a shooting status. I Now our team is a second tier team in the east, behind the likes of Chicago, Miami and Orlando. We feel that the 4th seed is for ours to take. And thats why I think I did a good job.

Houston

ROSTER:
----- PG -------- SG -------- SF --------- PF ---------- C -----

--6th Man------7th---------8th----

---Other Bench Players---

ROTATION:
Parker (28) / Chalmers (12) / Bell (8)
Iguodala (34) / Parker (14) / Bogans
Durant (38) / Parker (10) / Bogans
Gasol (25) / Jamison (23) / Magloire
Kaman (30) / Gasol (10) / Magloire (4) / Nestrovic (4)

Bell / Bogans / Magloire / Rasho will play spot minutes depending on matchups.

SALARIES:


WIN NOW

Clearly, I built this team to "win now" but remain as young as possible. We wanted to build this team around KD. We accomplished all three things. The OKC thunder squad I built really do not have a weakness. You can point to outside shooting as a weekness. BUT, its not. Durant is a Knock down shooter, and with this supporting cast, he will get wide open shots, making his shot better. My 6th and 7th guys off the bench (Jamison and A. Parker) are very capable three point shooters, and my "Deep" bench guys like Bell and Bogans can hit the long ball when called upon. Kevin Durant will thrive with his new looked team. Just look as his starting "BIGS" last year. Jeff Green and Nenard Kristic? Are you serious? Now hes got the Best overall big man in the leauge, not the best Defensive (Dwight) or the best offensive (Dirk), but the Best overall big man named Pau Gasol. He also has another 7 footer with him who isn't to shabby himself in Chris Kaman. Both guys have good post games AND good midrange games. My team is the only team going for win now, who has a true 6th man. Name another good 6th man on a team competing....You can't can you? And sure Tony Parker and Andre Iguodala are not the greatest three point shooters in the world, but some people make it sound like "if they cant shoot the three, there terrible" They are both very quick, very smart, and very good defenders. These two guys will slow down every other teams PG's and SG's.

Defense

Not to many teams have two 7 footers starting....wait.... no one does. The Lakers in Real life dominate the glass on the defensive side, and the offensive side. Why? because they have two good 7 footers. This is a HUGE advantage to our team. Also, we have to clamp down defenders in the Tony Parker and Andre Iguodala. Here's the thing, Iggy can guard any wing in the game pretty well. Guys like Lebron, Peirce, Kobe, Wade, Joe Johnson, its dosent matter. We obvioulsy know he wont shut them down, but we love that he will make them all work and slow them down. He will make it difficult everysingle night. Also do not forget that Kevin Durants Defensive game is overshadowed by his GREAT offensive game. This guy can also play a very sound team defense game too. He locked up kobe for long stretches in the first round of the playoffs. Even most of our bench players are geered for defense. Charlie Bell / Mario Chalmers / Keith Bogans are all notable defensive players. Even my deep center rotation with Magloire / Rasho are good rebounders and solid defenders. Overall we feel that we can easily match up with anyone defensively.

Offense

We dont have "Big 3" or "Big 4". We have a "BIG" whole starting 5, and if you count my 6th man, we got a "Big 6". My team does not depend on 1 or 2 guys. Every guy can create there own shot, and they are all willing passers. We have two Huge 7 footers in Gasol and Kaman who can both score in the post, and can both hit the midrange jumper, making these too as a pair unguardable. We have one of the best all around offensive players in the League in Kevin Durant. He might be the best offensive player in the league. (Led the league in scoring) With Iggy, you get a slasher and Parker you get 2 guys who like to score in transition and slash. Our team is geered for the fast break, and for the half court offensive. We can dump the ball in to either big, move the ball around freely, and score at will. The key here though is really Gasol. When times get rough, we throw him the ball, and let him do what he does best, find the open man. Whether is KD hitting a wide open J, or TP/Iggy slashing, Gasol will find them. Jamison / AP are also great shooters who have all around games off the bench. This is a LUXUARY that no team really has around the league. Our team clearly can score from anywhere, as we have a superior offensive team.

The Bench

This is something we really want to talk about. We have Antwan Jamison on our team. But here's the thing, he comming of the bench! This is gonna hurt other teams. When hes in, he can play with either big and it wont make a difference. He can also create his own shot too. We also have VERY nice roll players off the bench. Charlie Bell will hit the open three and play very solid team and man defense. Anthony Parker will do the same, just with a better three point percentage. Keith Bogans is a great roll player with his lock down D, and his all around team play, where he does all the little things. Mario Chalmers, although very young, still knows his roll. He plays very solid D, and doesnt try to much. Also we have 2 more 7 footers on our deep bench with Magloire and Rasho. These guys although playing spot minutes will fill in a good roll with rebounding and plain and simple being big.

Beating my rivals

Our rivals apparently are the LA Lakers and the Portland Trailblazers.

LA Lakers.

The Lakers to me (no offense to sambone) where a better team when he started. Im Lakers fan in Real Life, so i know what im talking about. I've talked with alot of Gm's from this game, and they also agreed with me about this. Billups is redundant in the Triangle. Sure hes a good upgrade over Fisher, but here the thing, PG's in the triangle only need to defend and hit the three. There career three point shooting is not much different, and they both are on the decline due to age. Gasol was/is better then KG, and Bynum was/is better then Nene. Cleary Odom is better then any bench player he has on his team. Sure Frye might be better then DJ or Powell, but really, will he play alot of minutes? And at 5.5 million a year i would rather have the latter. Kobe is Kobe, be we have Iggy to slow him down, And also we already saw what KD can do to Artest.

Portland Trail Blazers.

LMA and Dwight fit together like bread and butter. But Dwight will be guarding Kaman, so Gasol will dominate the young non-defensvie PF in LMA. Also, Allen and Peirce do not have the youth or athletism to guard our young wings in IGGY, and Kevin Durant. Flynn, although could be good/great in the future will not have an effect on Tony Parker. Also the blazers bench is pretty weak. Hedo is his 6th man, but hes garbage. I dont care if hes good with Dwight he stinks. We feel we can pretty much handle the Blazers. Sure Dwight is the best center in the game, and sure he dominate's the defensive end, but overall our team is a lot better then the Blazers.

Others

Chicago: They got Lebron and Amare. But other then Noah/Bron they really are a poor defensive team. Amare will not be able to gaurd Gasol, and Noah will have to work against Kaman. Curry will be slowed by TP, and marrow will have a fun time with Iggy. Also, this bench is pretty pathetic. Jamison / Parker will murder who ever he puts out there.

Miami: Again, this might look like be the best "team" in this game, but the bench is pretty pathetic. The "young" guys are all rookies and the other key guys who are supposed to have rolls (Tmac) (Qrich) (Williams) (Bell) are worthless and/or old. Also, his starting Center Chandler has lost more then "A step" this guy might have lost his game. He struggled to find playing time on a Bobcats team. Wade is Wade and Bosh is Bosh and Meer is Meer, but how many minutes can Battier play effectively now? Overall my team is better then the Heat.

Future

My team is built to WIN NOW. BUT our main core is still very young. Tony Parker is still only 28, Iggy is only 26, Kaman in only 28, and KD is a rediculous 21 years old. Gasol is really my only old players starting and hes still only 29!. Overall my core is very young still, while holding so much leadership and knowledge along with experience. The other players on my team while might be old, there contracts are not very long at all. We feel we can win now, and still win for the next 5-7 years easy. Our franchise player (KD) is only 21, so we feel we have a dominate force for the Ten years to build around.

Proof I'm a good GM

Im not gonna write much hear, because clearly i did a good job. But i will show the depth charts from the begining to the end. THis is a pretty darn good showing of what I did as a GM.

Starting:
PG - Westbrook - Maynor
SG - Thabo - Harden
SF - KD - Weaver
PF - Green - Collison
Cc - Kristic - Ibaka - Mullens

Now:
PG - Parker - Chalmers - Bell
SG - Iggy - A. Parker - Bogans
SF - KD - (Bogans) - (Jamison)
PF - Gasol - Jamison
Cc - Kaman - Magloire - Rasho

Do i need to say anything else?

In closing. This is a superior team. Good defense, good Offensive, and good team play with great chemistry. We value our two 7 footers and know this will be tough to stop. (Gasol / Kaman) We also love that we have a super 6th man which no team trying to win now has (Jamison). KD will dominate with more playmakers around him. His night will be easier on offense where he can focus more on defense. Thanks, and good luck to everyone. Also, great job Luke, you were one hell of a Commish.

ATLANTA HAWKS

GM: GameChannel (game.channel.360@gmail.com)

ROSTER:





PLAYER SALARY (As per shamsport.com)
Player 2010/2011 2011/2012
Jose Calderon $9,000,000 $9,780,992
Rodney Stuckey $2,767,126 $3,868,443
Ben Gordon $10,800,000 $11,600,000
Austin Daye $1,803,720 $1,929,600
Josh Smith $11,600,000 $12,400,000
Al Harrington $3,500,000 $3,500,000
Anthony Randolph $1,965,720 $2,911,231
Zach Randolph $17,333,333
Charlie Villanueva $7,020,000 $7,540,000
Trevor Booker $750,000 $850,00
Al Horford $5,444,857 $7,143,652
Zadrunas Ilgauskas LLE LLE
Larry Sanders $963,600 $1,035,900
Tyler SmithMin Salary Min Salary Min Salary
Total salaries $71,000,000 approx $68,000,000 approx


FA - Bird Rights Held For:
None

[b]Renounced FA's:
Randolph Morris
Joe Smith
Jason Collins
Mario West
Othello Hunter
Mario West

Draft rights:
NONE

Drafted:
Larry Sanders (#24, 2010) - Signed to a rookie scale contract
Trevor Booker (#53, 2010) - Signed to a minimum contract for 3 years, 3rd year team option

Option for 2011/2012 picked up:
Austin Daye
Anthony Randolph


Team Direction:
- Retool and stay in the playoff picture.
- Hire a new coach after Woodson's departure

Picks (I have):
2014 First
All picks after that

Picks (I have to give):
2011 second to Heat
2012 second to Heat
2011 Toronto second to Detroit
2011 Atlanta first, 2013 Atlanta second, 2014 Atlanta second to Detroit
2012 First and 2013 First to Cavaliers


WIN NOW:
I believe this roster that we have established enables us to stay in contention for a top-4 spot in the eastern conference. We have a great mix of youth and experience and are perhaps one of the deepest teams in the league. So deep that we have players like Al Harrington, Larry Sanders (#15 pick in the 2010 draft), Trevor Booker (#23 pick in the 2010 draft) not getting any minutes at all. Our team is extremely well balanced and has a great mix of defense and offense.

What we realized after the recent playoff sweep at the hands of Orlando was that we needed to form a roster that could play well when the pace slows down and possessions become valuable. Atlanta, till this point, had been known as a team that liked to run the floor and play at a fast pace. In addition, we lacked the ingredients needed to become a good playoff and half-court team as we lacked a pass first point guard, a proper low-post scoring threat and shooting on the perimeter. In addition, our playbook was limited to ISO's for Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford and that affected our execution in the half-court playoff style game. Although we were good defensively, we just couldn't make our posession's count.

However, with the new, remodeled roster, I think we are all set to be able to play a very effective half-court style of basketball and at the same time, have the athletic ability to attack teams on the fast break as well. I firmly think this is the best roster Atlanta has had in years and this team is built for the playoffs and can cause some major damage in the east and surprise people.

BUILT FOR THE FUTURE:
Inspite of being a playoff calibre, near-contender type of team, we are still very young. The core of Jose Calderon, Rodney Stuckey, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Zach Randolph, Anthony Randolph, Charlie Villanueva, Ben Gordon, Larry Sanders, Trevor Booker, Austin Daye are all under 28 whereas Big Z is the only one in his 30's. Yet there is considerable playoff experience in the team at the same time, there is a bright future ahead of us. Anthony Randolph is only 20, Stuckey is 23, Daye is 21, Sanders is 21, Booker is 22, Josh Smith is 24, Charlie V is 25, Ben Gordon is 26, Horford is 23 and heck, even Zach Randolph is 28 yrs old. This is a young team and the future is very very bright.

TRADES:
Zach Randolph:
We traded for Zach as we needed a low-post threat to really compete in the east. For all their talents and ability, Horford and Smith didn't really impose their will in the post and we needed someone who could command a double team and open the floor for our shooters. In addition, Zach is a big body, a load in the middle who can play in the low-post as well as has an extremely polished faceup game. He's an AllStar player who will bring a nastiness and fiesty attitude on the court and take us to a higher level. At the same time, we move Smith to the 3 spot as we feel he fits their natureally.

Jose Calderon:
Jose is the perfect half court PG. He doesn't demand the ball, is pass-first and is an excellent pick and roll player. Although he is much maligned for his defence (or lack theirof), I believe playing alongside the likes of Stuckey, Josh Smith and Horford, his defense will get better and his lack of defence will be somewhat masked. But for us, his offensive ability overshadows his lack of defensive prowess as he is an excellent shooter and will play perfectly with Josh Smith, Zach Randolph, Charlie V, Anthony Randolph and Horford in pick and roll and pick and pop situations as well as bring leadership and good locker room presence to the roster. We don't need him to score a bunch of points, and I truly believe that he will be far more effective than he was in Toronto as he now has players that can actually set good, hard screens and defend behind him.

Anthony Randolph:
We're big fans of Randolph and are sure he will be a big star in the future. We look at him as our PF of the future and he will be given a free reign to showcase his talents and grow with this young team as one day he will get the keys to this franchise. We're that high on this kid.

Ben Gordon and Charlie V:
Ben and Charlie will be our key reserves and will bring their scoring punch to our bench. They both can shoot and stretch defenses out and put pressure on the opposing teams. In addition, the guys are team players and good locker room people in the process. They add a completely new dimension to our bench and make us that much more dangerous.

Rodney Stuckey:
Stuckey is physical, he is athletic and he isa bull dog. the fact that he likes play with contact and can defend multiple positions extrmely well, he provides a perfect compliment to Jose at SG position. We don't see him as a franchise player, instead we look at him as key piece of the puzzle and playing alongisde a pass first point guard will further enhance his game and he will prosper. He will also play backup pont gaurd to Jose forming a 2 guard backcourt roation of Jose-Stuckey and Gordon.

WHY DID I LET JOE JOHNSON LEAVE?
Joe Johnson was being offered max salary and we didn't quite view him as a max player. We knew in this market, a GM is bound to overpay him and that's exactly what happened. What we were able to do instead was to add more players within the same salary that Joe would have gotten and as result, add more depth without compromising on the team quality. I honestly think this is a better and more complete team that it would have been with a max Joe Johnson.

Rosters & Salaries

Derrick Rose 5,546,160 - 6,993,707 - 9,091,901
OJ Mayo - 4,456,400 - 5,632,646 - 7,390,318
Ronnie Brewer - 6,000,000 - 6,000,000 - 6,000,000
Michael Beasley - 4,962,400 - 6,262,347 - 8,172,347
Javale McGee -

CJ Watson - 2,000,000 - 2,500,000 - 2,000,000
Michael Redd - 18,300,000
Reggie Williams 762,195 - 762,195 - 895,148-
Taj Gibson - 1,177,680 - 1,190,906 - 2,155,891
Ronny Turiaf - 4,000,000 - 4,000,000

Sundiata Gaines - 2,000,000 - 2,000,000
Deshawn Stevenson - 4,151,876
Marco Bellinelli - 2,380,720 -

Draft Picks - 2012, 2013(T5),




Win Now

When we first started this game, the original direction was to put together a competitive team that could challenge for a ring this season. After looking at our roster I decided that the best course of action was to build a championship slowly. We were able to build a solid core of Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo and Michael Beasley. Three of the most promising players of their draft class. The goal now is to stay competitive while getting better from within. We're confident that our current team could contend for a 6th seed in the playoffs.



Why we're a better team of the future: We had a team full of bad contracts (Maggette) injury proned centers (Biedrins) and similar players (Randolph and Johnson) and were unable to translate any of it into wins. We were originally building around Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis but we lacked that star power that other elite teams had. We decided to trade Stephen Curry for Derrick Rose. Monta Ellis for OJ Mayo and Wesley Johnson for Michael Beasley.

Not only were we able to obtain 3 future all stars but we were able to shave all of the bad contracts in the process while having a really solid team. Our Current rotation is as follows:

Derrick Rose/CJ Watson/Sundiata Gaines
OJ Mayo/ Marco Bellinelli
Ronnie Brewer/Reggie Williams
Michael Beasley/Taj Gibson
Javale McGee/Ronny Turiaf

Not including the 20 Million dollars in cap space for the 2011 FA Class. Our goal is to acquire either Carmelo Anthony or Yao Ming.

Salaries, Picks & Rights Held


Depth Chart



Win Now
My initial strategy as GM was to trade Stoudemire for a package commensurate with his S&T value. Stoudemire ended up deciding to bolt to Chicago and we were able to acquire CHI's 2011 1st, but it wasn't the value we had lined up in proposed trades from other teams.

This changed the strategy completely. With only a few million under the cap, we didn't feel it was possible to field a team capable of winning now. We decided to send Steve Nash and Grant Hill to a team capable of competing on a high level this year so as to give them the opportunity to win a championship.

Thus began our rebuilding effort.

Can we compete this year? No. Next year? No. But we chose to hang our hat on our strong core of youth moving forward and were able to collect draft picks towards that end.

Best Team for the Future
This is where our team will compete with the best of them. The Phoenix Suns went from an average age of around 30 to an average age of around 22 in one off-season while collecting 7 draft picks (four 1st, three 2nd) and the rights to 4 young players currently playing out international contracts. We were also able to acquire Ed Davis (2010 1st) which gives our team one more young piece moving forward.

It's no secret we will be in the lottery this next year, most likely top 5, and as such we have retained our draft pick (suck it Sarver) in order to leverage the situation to our benefit. We have seven 1st round picks over the next four years and three in the 1st round of the 2011 NBA draft.

Additionally, we have $12m in expiring contracts between Radmonovic and Evans next year and would have enough money for a max FA if we decided that was the direction our franchise wanted to go.

My Tenure as GM
It's no secret I had to switch tracks mid-way through the off-season, but I am completely enthralled with the young core we have assembled in Phoenix. It may not be the impressive back court of GS (Rose, Mayo) and most would argue that no clear "star" exists on our team, but I think dedication, teamwork and passion define our team.

I honestly believe that our starting unit (less Radmonovic, who would start in order to bring Dudley off the bench) could hang with most teams by virtue of the perimeter scoring (Dragic, Barbosa, Korver, Dudley), defense (Dragic, Dudley, Thomas, Lopez), and hustle (everyone). Hang with, to clarify, not beat necessarilly.

Our FO was able to turn Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Jason Richardson and Amare Stoudemire into Ed Davis, Kyle Korver, Tyrus Thomas, Peterri Koponen, the rights to Victor Claver, and a multitude of draft picks. In terms of "blowing it up", we are very happy with our position.