RealGM

Please do NOT fill your post out until after the deadline. Feel free to reserve a spot though.


OK, just some general guidelines on Writeups, particularly for the new guys:

- Post your roster, and salaries for at least 3 seasons (11/12, 12/13, 13/14)
- Post total salaries, and total salaries excluding player options
- List your draft picks accumulated
- Post your depth chart. Make your post look as fancy as you like.

- DO NOT post trades history - it's a waste of space
- DO NOT post contact details - not needed.

Writeups

- Tell us why you think you did a good job
- It's good to say what your expectations are, where the team was when you took over, and why you took the route you did.

Rankings

- Rankings will be posted on this board (I'll confirm when/where later)

- 1 set of rankings - 'best job' - consider who has done most with the assets available to them. Has the franchise improved it's position/situation now or in the future, significantly? Has the franchise strengthened it's ability to contend relative to it's competitors?

2 bonus criteria:
- 2012 Champion (nominate 1 team only)
- Best Team in 5 years (nominate 1 team only)

Any questions etc, please post in discussion topic.

GM: Karmaloop
E-Mail: karmaloop1234@yahoo.com
AIM: lakers fan 864


Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra

Depth Chart
PG: Tyreke Evans / Louis Williams / Mario Chalmers
SG: Kevin Martin / Rudy Fernandez
SF: LeBron James / Peja Stojakovic / Josh Howard
PF: Chris Bosh / Udonis Haslem / Maresse Speights
C: Andris Biedrins / Nazr Mohammed / Solomon Alabi

Minutes
PG: Tyreke Evans [26] / Louis Williams [22]
SG: Kevin Martin [30] / Tyreke Evans [4] / Rudy Fernandez [14]
SF: LeBron James [36] / Rudy Fernandez [6] / Peja Stojakovic [6]
PF: Chris Bosh [24] / Udonis Haslem [18] / Maresse Speights [6]
C: Andris Biedrins [26] / Nazr Mohammed [16] / Chris Bosh [6]
IR: Josh Howard
NBDL: Solomon Alabi



Salaries
Alabi, Solomon: $831,600 / $893,200 (TO)
Bierins, Andris: $9,000,000 / $9,000,000 / $9,000,000
Chalmers, Mario: $1,091,100
Bosh, Chris:$16,022,500 / $17,545,000 / $19,067,500 / $20,590,000 / $22,112,500
Evans, Tyreke: $4,151,640 / $5,251,825 (TO)
Fernandez, Rudy: $2,180,443
Haslem, Udonis: $3,780,000 / $4,060,000 / $4,340,000 / $4,620,000
Howard, Josh: $2,000,000 / $2,000,000
James, LeBron: $16,022,500 / $17,545,000 / $19,067,500 / $20,590,000 / $22,112,500
Martin, Kevin: $11,519,840 / $12,439,675
Mohammed, Nazr: $2,000,000 / $2,000,000
Speights, Maresse: $2,721,255
Stojakovic, Peja: $2,000,000 / $2,000,000
Williams, Louis: $5,176,000 / $5,351,500 (ETO)
Total Salary: $78,496,878


Draft Rights
PG/SG Charles Jenkins
SF Robert Dozier
PF Jarvis Varnado
C Roberto Duenas


Draft Picks
2012 1st Round Pick (to Cleveland, right to swap picks)
2012 2nd Round Pick (to New Jersey)
2012 2nd Round Pick (from Memphis, Top 55 Protected)
2013 1st Round Pick (to Cleveland, Top 10 Protected though 2014)
2014 1st Round Pick
2014 2nd Round Pick (to Cleveland)
2014 2nd Round Pick (via Golden State)
2014 2nd Round Pick (via Minnesota)
2015 1st Round Pick (to Cleveland)



Trades
1.) PG Toney Douglas, SG Tyreke Evans, and SF Andre Igudoala for SG Dwyane Wade.
2.) PG Eddie House, PG Toney Douglas, and C Joel Anthony for PG Louis Williams and SG Rudy Fernandez.
3.) Nothing for PF Derrick Caracter.
4.) SF Mike Miller, SF James Jones, and C Dexter Pittman for C Andris Biedrins and 2014 2nd Round
Pick (via Golden State).
5.) SF Andre Iguodala and PF Derrick Caracter for SG Kevin Martin and PF Maresse Speights.
6.) 2014 2nd Round Pick for C Solomon Alabi


Objective & Review

Objective
After taking over the Miami Heat GM, I found a team with three fantastic players, but very little around them to truly compete for an NBA title. As they were constructed, the lack of depth along with the inability to defend and rebound at a high level were going to keep them from winning a title. My goal was to build a team that was better built and helped fix the major issues that were holding the Heat back.

Before --- After
KEY:
>>> - Way better
>> - Much better
> - Better
>= - Slightly better
= - Equal

Point Guard

Mario Chalmers / Mike Bibby / Eddie House <<< Tyreke Evans / Louis Williams / Mario Chalmers

A MASSIVE upgrade here. This had a couple of nice pieces, but nothing really all that worthy of playing PG. What was the Heat's starting point guard last year is now our third string point guard. With Tyreke Evans now as our starting point guard, we believe that he can be a legitimate PG for the Heat. If not, we've got Louis Williams as our backup whose provided Philadelphia with excelelnt play. Either way, the amount of talent that we've got at point guard far exceeds what Miami has gotten away with.


Shooting Guard

Dwayne Wade / Mike Miller > Kevin Martin / Rudy Fernandez

I initially said that this position was much better with Dwayne Wade and Mike Miller, but ultimately I decided to be generous because I believe the fit is much better. With Tyreke Evans and LeBron James as the primary ballhandlers in this offense, we needed to get a shooter to space the court. Enter Kevin Martin who is a career 38.1% shooter from beyond the arc. With the amount of open looks he will get, it wouldn't be surprising if he set a career high in 3P%. He has had some issues with injuries, so Tyreke Evans would slide down to the 2 guard if Martin missed extensive time. Rudy Fernandez is a very good backup whose capable of putting up points in a hurry.


Small Forward

LeBron James / James Jones <= LeBron James / Peja Stojakovic / Josh Howard

A small, cosmetic makeover here. LeBron James has taken a LOT of flak, and most of it justifiably so, but he's still an extremely talented player. The major upgrade is getting some talent behind him. While they are very similar shooters (both above 40% from beyond the arc in their careers), Peja Stojakovic is actually a better rebounder. Josh Howard is a guy I've liked since his days in Dallas, and I figured I'd take a flier on him and see if I can get him healthy. If he can return anywhere near that 18/5/2 he had in his last full season in Dallas, I'd get a pretty good return there.


Power Forward

Chris Bosh / Udonis Haslem / Juwan Howard < Chris Bosh / Udonis Haslem < Maresse Speights

Overall, it looks pretty much the same. Starter/back up combo of Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem is among the best in the league. With Dwayne Wade no longer on the roster, Chris Bosh will be able to post up in the paint more, but he'll still be asked to knock down jump shots. Udonis Haslem just needs to continue to play rugged defense and rebound the ball. Speights is another guy I wanted to bring in. He's been under-utilized in Philadelphia, and I think he could turn into a pretty good big man. Otherwise, he could be flipped at the deadline before his deal expires.


Center

Joel Anthony / Zydrunas Ilgauskas / Erick Dampier / Jamaal Magloire / Dexter Pittman << Andris Biedrins / Nazr Mohammed / Solomon Alabi

At first look, Andris Biedrins doesn't seem like much of an upgrade over Joel Anthony especially given the money committed to Biedrins. But when you look closer at the per 36 minute stats, it becomes increasingly more clear that Biedrins is a pretty significant upgrade. Biedrins averages almost more than five rebounds more than Anthony does. Behind Anthony, it was a whole slew of players who really had no place playing any real minutes. Nazr Mohammed is a battle tested veteran who can come off the bench who can rebound and block some shots. More than I can say about the likes of Big Z, Erick Dampier, and Jamaal Magloire. Finally, I added an interesting young guy in Solomon Alabi. He only logged minutes in twelve games last year, but we still believe that we can develop him into a legitimate big man in the NBA.


Offense
Unlike before, this offense will run through Tyreke Evans with LeBron James doing a LOT of off the ball screens and the like. The new offense will look to put LeBron James in one-on-one matchups that are even more favorable than the ones he gets because of his pure athletic abilities. Like big men stepping to him on a down screen, or if a smaller guard tries to defend LeBron in the post. Naturally, in the crunch time the offense will change with almost a two point guard offense like in college between Tyreke Evans and LeBron James. We believe this will ultimately keep LeBron James a bit more focused on offense, and keep him from over dribbling the ball.

Defense
Very similar to before. Leading by example, LeBron James has turned out to be an elite defender. We lack elite defense on the perimeter outside of LeBron James, but we believe James will get Martin and Evans to elevate their defensively. Down low, we won't require our guards and small forwards to rebound as much any more, and hopefully this will lead to more fast break chances.


Objectives

1.) Move Mike Miller and Joel Anthony's Contact
Accomplished: Trade #2 and Trade #4
We targeted early that moving Miller and Anthony's contract were among the highest priority. We knew we needed to surround shooters around our star players, but paying him 6 million over the life of the rest of his deal was a bit excessive. We believed we could find a replacement shooter for a third of the price at most. Anthony got overpaid big time for being tall. No other way around it.

2.) Get big men who rebound and block shots.
Accomplished: Trade #4 and Signed C Nazr Mohammed
There aren't a whole lot of legitimate centers who rebound and play good defense, so we were looking for someone who was a bit undervalued, yet fit what we needed. Andris Biedrins was the best available option, and while he's overpaid by a few million each year, he is a really good rebounder and shoots efficiently. Mohammed is a veteran big man whose experience will pay big dividends.

3.) Move either Dwayne Wade or LeBron James to fix the pecking order.
Accomplished: Trade #1
If moving Mike Miller and Joel Anthony's contracts were priority #1, then moving either LeBron or Wade had to be # 1A. We saw in the Finals that the Heat's offense was way too stagnant with both Wade and James both needing the ball to be successful and there was a LOT of ball watching by the other players. This deal not only helps lead towards putting better pieces around LeBron James.

4.) Get more shooters.
Accomplished: Trade #5 and Signed SF Peja Stojakovic
The Miami Heat as a team shot 37.0% from beyond the arc last year as a team, good for seventh in the leauge. The problem was that James Jones, Mario Chalmers, and LeBron James were the only three who managed to shoot above 30.0% from beyond the arc for the season. With the trade of Kevin Martin, we've added a career 38.1% shooter along with the Stojakovic signing, a career 40.1% shooter. Louis Williams shoots a respectable 33.0% from beyond the arc, while Rudy Fernandez has shot 36.4% from beyond the arc in his short career.


WHY I SHOULD WIN
I'll be completely honest, the Heat probably could win with the roster pretty much as is with a few free agent signings. The issue is that they've got some massive issues, and the Heat are much more likely to win a title this year with much better pieces in place. While the team isn't as sexy as it was before, the roster as a whole is much more cohesive and meshes well together. I've managed to put better shooters, extremely talented players with less wear and tear on their bodies, and fixed a HUGE whole down low. This Heat team is going to be a tough team to beat against NBA, and I'm fairly certain there isn't a team that could beat the Heat in a seven game series.

SALARIES:

Blue - Team Option
Green - Player Option
Red - Qualifying Offer
Asterisk - Not On Roster
Grey - Unguaranteed
Mauve - Early Termination

OLD ROTATION

PG - Billups/Douglas
SG - Fields/Walker/Rautins
SF - Melo/Balkman/Brown
PF - Stoudemire/Williams
Cc - Turiaf/Jeffries

NEW ROTATION:

PG - Lawson (32) | Jack (10) | [Brown] (6)
SG - Thornton (30) | Brown (18) | Walker (0)
SF - Johnson (36) | Eyenga (12)
PF - Stoudemire (38) | Williams (10) | Smith (0)
Cc - Noah (36) | Amundson (6) | Ratlif (6)

PICKS:
2012 UTA 2nd
2015 NY 2nd
2016 NY 2nd

TPE's:
$4,391,148
$4,598,286


WRITEUP

Goals/Objectives:
When I took over this team, they had 2 players of real talent in Melo and Amare. They didn't have good role player, or a good bench. They managed to win games because of their 2 stars, but there was no defense or smooth rhythm to their offense. But what I also didn't want to do is trade away all talent for a bench/role players with no true #2 option, which was the mistake that other GM's have done in past games with the Knicks. Another mistake past GM's have made with the Knicks is not using the genius offensive mind of Coach Mike D'Anonti, and getting players that fit his system, which is another one of my goals. The third goal I had was to add defensive players to round out the roster. I have accomplished all 3 of my goals in a near perfect manner.


Why I deserve to win: (I forgot about the dedline, so this is short, and from my phone)

What I tried to do with this team was keep D'Antoni's system in place (run and gun), and get players that fit it, while also bringing a defensive vibe to the team, to help them to win a championship. Melo and Amare have proven to be a mediocre combo, and needed to be broken up. Also, Melo is very overrated, because in reality, he is just a really high volume scorer, and for some reason, people feel that he is a superstar, which he is not. I have replaced him with Joe Johnson, who is also a high volume scorer, but is a better passer, defender, shooter, and off-ball player. I kept Amare because he is custom-fit to D'Antoni's system, and I would never want to move a player that fit so well. He is a 25/8 player, and has long arms to play solid D with. He is also the best Pick and Roll/Pick and Pop big in the game, and a true superstar. Also on the perimeter is Ty Lawson and Marcus Thornton. Thornton, once traded to Sacramento in RL, proven he can be a great overall player. He was 21/5/3/2 once traded, and proven to everyone that he can score the ball very well and also rebound well for his size, and also play good, man on defense. Lawson is a great PG that also came out of his shell this year. Once Billups was traded, and he got the starting role, he proven to be a great PG. He is a PERFECT fit for my team, as he is one of the fastest PGs in the league, can hit the three and play off-ball, and also showed that he can play excellent D. To cap off my starting 5 I have a Top 5 C, in Joakim Noah. He makes a HUGE impact on every game. He is an amazing defensive anchor, a great passer that helps the offense move, and also is very mobile, so he won't be slowing down D'Antoni's system at all. He is really another perfect player for my team, and I was very happy to bring him in. My bench is much improved from before. It includes players like Shannon Brown, Christian Eyenga, Marvin Williams and Jarrett Jack. Brown is an uber-athletic gaurd that will run up and down the floor very well. Jack is a consistant, above-average backup point. Williams has started a lot of games in his career, and bringing him off the bench is a luxery. Eyenga is a great prospect that is starting in RL right now. Money doesn't matter, because we are the Knicks and have tons of cash inflow. But we didn't push the hard cap either, so that we are able to use the MLE and BAE in the future and still be under it.

Overall I think that I did better than anyone in this league. My starting 5 is the best in the league, and has balence. All of my players fit my coach very well, which is very important. There are just no holes in my lineup, and I feel that I have done the best job.

Thanks to Karmaloop for commishing, Devilanche for helping with FA, and Crispy and Tmac for being agents. The game ran fairly smooth, and thanks for volenteering!

WORK-IN-PROGRESS




DEPTH CHART











SALARIES

Grey: Non-Guaranteed Contract
Green: Player Option
Blue: Team Option
Red: Qualifying Offer

ROTATION
PG: Kyrie Irving (32) - Daniel Gibson (16) - Darius Morris (Spot)
SG: Beno Udrih (31) - Richard Hamilton (17) - Josh Selby (NBADL)
SF: Kawhi Leonard (26) - James Johnson (22) - Jordan Hamilton (Spot)
PF: Ed Davis (28) - Brandon Bass (20) - Keith Benson (Spot)
C: DeAndre Jordan (30) - Samardo Samuels (18) - Jeremy Tyler (NBADL)

FUTURE ASSETS
C Lucas Noguiera (Draft Rights)
C Sasha Kahn (CSKA Moscow)(Draft Rights)

TRADED PLAYER EXCEPTIONS
F James Posey ($7,595,600)
C Ben Wallace ($2,246,400)
Elton Brand ($1,059,728)
Daniel Gibson ($1,190,257)
Dante Cunningham ($1,059,293)
Solomon Alabi ($800,400)

FUTURE DRAFT PICKS
2012 1st (DET), 1st (HOU)(Lottery Protected 2012-2016, 2nd (TOR), 2nd (SAS)
2013 1st (DEN), 1st (SAC), 2nd (CLE)
2014 1st (CLE), 1st (LAL), 1st (BOS), 1st (TOR), 2nd (CLE), 2nd (NYK), 2nd (SAC), 2nd (MIA)
2015 1st (CLE), 1st (MIA), 2nd (CLE), 2nd (CHA)


OBJECTIVE
Over the past year, the Cleveland Cavaliers have suffered through "The Decision" and the longest losing streak in NBA history to finish with the second-worst record in the NBA. It was important for us to wash away the era of the "Chosen One" and forge our own path into the future. While we had some gutsy performances in 2010-2011, this roster needed to be blown up and started from scratch. It was important to infuse this team with young talent that could develop a core group of potential All-Stars and to lock them up in long-term contracts. We also needed to shed the cumbersome contracts of aging veterans. In doing these two tasks, we also felt that it was vital for the success of this franchise to ensure that our salaries were in a position to allow us to add talent in future years without going over the cap. We felt like we accomplished these objectives and set the Cavaliers on a strong road to championship glory.

ANALYSIS & OUTLOOK
The team is is dramatically younger than it has been in years. It has been built with the concept of being a team vs. a collection of stars. This isn't Irving's team, or Jordan's team; this is Byron Scott's team. His experience with developing young talent (like he did in New Jersey and New Orleans) will ultimately lead the Cavaliers back to the NBA Finals. Make no mistake about it, our team is very young and inexperienced; some of these young guys will learn the hard way, but they'll all learn as a team. We have a core of 4 to 5 players that are essentially locked up for the next four years. We can't wait to see Kyrie Irving lobbing no-look ally-oops to DeAndre Jordan at the Q or Ed Davis posterizing someone foolish enough to stand under the rim. We're young, we're hungry, and we will not be denied. With eight 1st round picks in the next three years, we will have no shortage of talent to continue our growth. We expect to make the playoffs at least as an 8-seed in 2011-2012. Come 2012-2013 (once we secure Austin Rivers in the draft...and we will!), the Cavs will become the team to beat.

WHY I SHOULD WIN
One only has to look at the change from the old roster to the new roster to see why I should win this game. Most of my original players are either sitting deep on the bench or are not even on an NBA team. Through an amazing assortment of deals, I was able to lock-up the best young Center in the game (DeAndre Jordan), acquire an athletic freak in Kawhi Leonard, and added the future All-Star Point Guard in Kyrie Irving. Not to mention I shed the contracts of Baron Davis and Antwan Jamison, secured the draft rights to C Lucas Nogueira, and collected a total of 19 draft picks (10 1st RND)/9 2nd RND) from 2012 through 2015.

ORIGINAL ROSTER
PG: Baron Davis - Ramon Sessions
SG: Daniel Gibson - Manny Harris
SF: Antwan Jamison - Alonzo Gee - Christian Eyenga - Joey Graham
PF: J.J. Hickson - Samardo Samuels - Luke Harangody
C: Anderson Varejao - Semih Erdan - Ryan Hollins

NEW ROSTER
PG: Kyrie Irving - Daniel Gibson - Darius Morris
SG: Beno Udrih - Richard Hamilton - Josh Selby
SF: Kawhi Leonard - James Johnson - Jordan Hamilton
PF: Ed Davis - Brandon Bass - Keith Benson
C: DeAndre Jordan - Samardo Samuels - Jeremy Tyler


When asked by reporters how many times LeBron James called and begged to come back to Cleveland, Byron Scott said...


...reporters then asked how Lebron handled the rejection


Byon Scott's reaction to LeBron's reaction

Why are these called DRAFT writeups?

Oh yeah, and I'm reserving this for OKC

The Bulls were a 60 win team with the MVP in Rose. We added older players with Championship resumes in Garnett and Allen. The contender window is smaller but the team added 4 first round draft picks and has 8 more in the next 3 years. Plus in the Dwight Howard Chris Paul walk years has 30 million in cap space for 2012.



Salary
11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15
PG Mike Bibby 1200,000 1,200,000(TO) NA
PG Kemba Walker 2,855520 3,100,000 3500000
PG Baron Davis 13,900000 14760000 (PO)
SG Ray Allen 10,000,000 NA NA
SG Alonzo Gee 788,000 NA NA
SF Grant Hill 5,800,000 6,100,000 65000000(TO)
SF Austin Daye 1,929,000 2,010,000 2,388,000
SF Keith Bogans $1,728,000 NA NA
PF Kevin Garnett 21,247,000 NA NA
PF Taj Gibson $1,195,680- NA
PF Jordan Mathews 490,000 788,000(TO) 890,000(TO)
PF John Lauer 490,000 788,000(TO) 890,000(TO)
C Marcus Camby 12,286,000 NA NA
C Eric Dampier 1,400,000 1400000(TO)
C Yi Jillian 1,200,000 1200000 (TO)
Total Salary 76,135,000

BE 2000000
TPE Chris Paul 48000000
TPE Wallace Bass Trade 7100000

Rotation
PF Kevin Garnett 30 Taj Griffin 30
SF Grant Hill 30 Austin Daye 15
C Marcus Camby 25 Eric Dampier 10
SG Ray Allen 30 Keith Bogans 15
PG Baron Davis 25 Kemba Walker 30


2011 Draft Rights
#6^Kemba Walker 2885520
#17Donatus Monteneus 1786080
#28 Darious Morgan 1068560
#29 Davis Bertans 1060560
#35 Jordan Mathews 490,000
#43 Jon Leur 490,000
#44 Chandler Parsons 490,000
$46 Tyler Smith 490000
#48 Gion Iomanani 490000
Totals




-Draft picks through 2015.
2012 ,1st Cha lotto protected #1 LA Unprotected
2013 1st, GSW unprotected, Maybe Cha Lotto Protected, lA#2 #1 La Lotto Protected Chi #1
2014 1st GSW unprotected, 1st Cha, #2 CHI
2015 1st NYK Unprotected , Conditional Cha #2 Chi

GM: NW7
E-Mail: nwier712@hotmail.com
AIM: nwier712@hotmail.com



The Starters:





Rotation:
Russell Westbrook (35) / Kirk Hinrich (13) / Shaun Livingston
James Harden (34) / JJ Redick (14) / Delonte West
Luol Deng (36) / Shawn Marion (12) / Rasual Butler
Ryan Anderson (30) / Marcus Morris (16) / Craig Brackins
Dwight Howard (37) / Jason Collins (11) / Brad Miller

Picks:
2013 Bos 2nd, Cle 2nd
2014 Bos 2nd
2015 Bos 1st, 2nd, Sac 2nd

Write Up:

Started with ...
Rajon Rondo / Avery Bradley
Ray Allen /
Paul Pierce /
Kevin Garnett /
Jermaine O'Neal /
Free Agent rights: Glen Davis, Delonte West, Jeff Green and Troy Murphy

As you can see the Boston Celtics had a pretty solid foundation and a chance with some fine tuning to be right there next year in the playoffs competing for a title. The main question that I asked myself was, what about the year after that? or the year after that? Where was Boston going to be when one of the big 3 retired, or they started taking some massive steps backwards. How exactly was this team going to be in 1-2 years. Rebuilding a franchise from scratch takes time without a franchise player, and since my youngest "star" on the team was Rajon Rondo -- well, I just did not think he would excel in a situation where Rajon would be asked to be "the man". So that's when I decided that the best plan for the Celtics would be to rebuild. Now this was not going to be your typical rebuilding plan. I did not want to just unload my players for picks and cap space. I wanted to move them for younger, proven players that could still help me win now and more importantly in the future. it was a pretty high bar I set for myself, but I think that I cleared it quite well when all is said and done ...


Finished with ...
Russell Westbrook / Kirk Hinrich / Shaun Livingston
James Harden / JJ Redick / Delonte West
Luol Deng / Shawn Marion / Rasual Butler
Ryan Anderson/ Marcus Morris / Craig Brackins
Dwight Howard / Jason Collins / Brad Miller

Now let's take a closer look at the changes I made to my roster, looking at the starters first:

PG: Rajon Rondo became Russell Westbrook.

Rajon was a liability for this team at times in the closing minutes of games, his poor FT% and lack of ability to get his own shot was very troublisome. With Russell on our squad this no longer is an issue, Russell can attack at will and is quite above average in FT%. Russell was arguably the 2nd best PG in the league this year behind Derrick Rose, his ceiling is still absurdly high and the Celtics can't wait to see what he's like in a few years. Verdict: Clear Upgrade now and for the future.

SG:Ray Allen became James Harden.

There's really not much you can say about this change. Ray Allen is arguably a perfect SG, except we had one problem with him -- his age, 35 to be exact. We know how great Ray is, but long term he just did not fit into our plans. We however managed to acquire a pretty solid SG to replace him: James Harden. James has shown us (even at the young age of 21) that he is a player in this league. We love his defense, play making ability and ability to score efficiently a ton. We may have taken a step backwards this year at SG, but the future is bright with James at the SG spot for years to come. Verdict: Downgrade this year, massive upgrade for the future.

SF: Paul Pierce became Luol Deng

I'll try to keep this one short. Paul Pierce is still a great player in this league, and should be fine to contribute for the next few years, but he's slown down a bit and long term just didn't fit with what we were trying to build. We managed to replace him with Luol Deng. Luol was a workhorse (39MPG, all 82 games played) for the Bulls last year a big reason why they were so successful defensively. His ability to hit the 3 ball, rebound and play some of the best perimeter defense in the league will help us a ton. Verdict: Small downgrade this year, massive upgrade for the future.

PF: Kevin Garnett became Ryan Anderson.

I'll again try to keep this one short. KG is arguably one of the best PF to play this game, but he is not young (35 years old) and has shown the past few years that old age and injuries have caught up to him. We needed to make a change and we did, enter Ryan Anderson. Ryan isn't going to be an all star in this league, but he's a perfect fit to the player we managed to land at our Center spot, and at the end of the day that is good enough for us going forward. Verdict: Downgrade this year, but a long term great fit with our center.

C: Jermaine O'Neal became Dwight Howard.

There really is not a ton of things to say here. The Celtics have the best center in the league (by quite a large margin). Dwight's carried many players who have been subpar defensively all his life to top 5 team defense rankings -- well that won't be an issue. Dwight's surrounded by elite defenders both starting next to him and on the bench. I don't even want to imagine how other teams will score on this squad. Verdict: Massive upgrade for this year and the future.

Bench:
I managed to build a very solid bench. Composed of versatile and solid vets, but also a lottery pick. Guys like Kirk Hinrich, JJ Redick, Shawn Marion, Marcus Morris, Jason Collins, Brad Miller, Delonte West, Craig Brackins, Shaun Livingston and Rasual Butler will all be key players to helping us fight for this year and next for an NBA title. We've created a well rounded bench that is capable of scoring, but also playing very solid defense. I have a nice mix of solid vets on my bench, but also some promising younger players that should develop into solid players for us in the future. Most teams would love to have a bench that we have! Verdict: Upgrade

Overall:
I think that I accomplished my main goal when I started this team. I acquired young talent that is proven in this league and that can help us reach our championship level goal. Even though I decided to tear down the old Celtics and rebuild, I think that this currently constructed team is amongst the favorites (and in my eyes, the favorite!) to win it all this year. I'll leave you all with two numbers: 32 and 23.4 The first number is the average age of the Celtics starters I started out with, the second number is the average age of my current Celtic starters. This current Celtic squad's window is just beginning to open, compare this to the team I started out with that had their window just about to slam shut on them.

Salaries



Rotation

PG: Brandon Knight [36] / Sundiata Gaines [12]
SG: Gerald Henderson [24] / Nick Young [24]
SF: Derrick Williams [30] / Gordon Hayward [18] / Earl Clark [spot]
PF: Derrick Favors [28] / Tyler Hansbrough [20] / Jon Brockman [spot]
C: Andrew Bynum [36] / Chirs Anderson [12] / Kyrylo Fesenko [spot]

Player Stats – 2010/11 Season

PG: Brandon Knight – 17.3 pts (42.3% / 37.7%), 4 rebounds, 4.2 assists in 35 mpg
SG: Gerald Henderson – 9.6 pts (45.4%), 3 rebounds, 1.5 assists in 24 mpg
SF: Derrick Williams – 19.5 pts (59.5%/56.8%), 8.3 rebounds, 0.7 blocks in 30 mpg
PF: Derrick Favors – 8.2 pts (52.9%), 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks in 20 mpg
C: Andrew Bynum – 11.3 pts (57.4%), 9.4 rebounds, 2.0 blocks in 27 mpg

Objectives

The key thing for me when taking on the Jazz, was acknowledging the team culture from years gone past, and building a foundation based on those principles. The team is in a small market, therefore must retain a modest payroll; with players who are loyal and committed to hard work. The team also prides itself on stability and maintained success, therefore rebuilding would be modelled around Jazz teams of years gone by.

Based on those principles, I set myself the following objectives:

1. Build around the young talent in place (Favors, Hayward)
2. Add a defensive Center
3. Add a young, potential 'franchise' PG
4. Clear the logjam at PF
5. Avoid luxury tax
6. Maintain financial flexibility

...all of which I have accomplished.

The Future

In the long run, I feel the team has a great young core, arguably the strongest in the league

At PG, Brandon Knight showed dramatic improvement through the course of his freshman season. He has good court vision, quickness, athleticism and shooting ability. Coupled with his humble persona and dedication/commitment to improving, we feel in the long-run he can become the next John Stockton for this franchise.

At SG, I have added Gerald Henderson and Nick Young. Henderson finally got his chance in 2011, starting the final 26 games of the season. Over that spell, he put in 14.5ppg on good efficiency, capped with dropping 32 points on Dwight Howard. He’s an off the radar talent, but definitely one to watch. Nick Young meanwhile is a scorer and nothing but. His 17.4 ppg in 2011 and excellent 3pt efficiency means he’ll be perfect for a 6th man role.

At SF, the addition Derrick Williams gives the franchise a real centrepiece for the future. Solid physical attributes and a polished offensive game – and the ability to shoulder the load for a team at ridiculous efficiency, are key attributes to becoming a top player in this league. With all the fundamentals in place, we feel Derrick can replace the departing Williams as this team’s franchise player. Backup to this role is Gordon Hayward, who will see plenty of minutes as he develops. With potential to be an elite shooter – if he isn’t already – Hayward will be a real offensive threat in the near future.

At PF, Derrick Favors is long-term prospect, defensive minded with freakish size and athleticism. We are confident he can become the star this franchise needs in the long run. Hansbrough meanwhile provides scoring in bunches from the PF spot, the ideal compliment to Favors.

Finally at Center, the acquisition of Andrew Bynum was a high risk/high reward type of deal. It has been proven time and time again that few teams achieve success without a big-man that can control the paint, as title winners Dallas, LA, Boston and San Antonio will testify. So far Bynum has had his share of injuries, but should he maintain his health he's arguably the 3rd best Center in the league, and his defensive ability has continued to improve. He will anchor this team for years to come.

In 5 years

Knight will be 24, Henderson 28, Young 31, Williams 25, Hayward 26, Derrick Favors 24, Hansbrough 30, Andrew Bynum 28. These guys still won't all be in their prime, but they are potentially a contending level core and especially good defensively. It's not unfeasible to suggest Knight, Williams and Favors also have All Star potential, and I'm 100% certain this franchise is in a much better long-term position, with 5 potential All Stars over the one I started with.

The Golden State Warriors(writeups a work in progress, will edit if i have time)




The Starters:

Started:

S. Curry | J. Lin
M. Ellis | R. Williams | C. Bell
D. Wright |
D. Lee | L. Amundson | J. Adrien
A. Biedrins | E. Udoh

Ended:

C. Paul [34]| Luke Ridnour[14]| E. Watson [spot]
R. Williams[36] | CJ Miles[20] | K. Azabuike[spot]
P. Pierce[30] | M. Miller[10] | Q. Pondexter[spot]
K. Love[36] | A. Mcdyess[18] | J. Evans[spot] | B. Cardinal[spot]
Oden[28] |O. Asik[14]


picks:
2013 1st UTH(top 8 protected)
2014 2nd NOH

Write up:
EXPECTATIONS

- I didn't actually know what to expect, but i didn't expect that the assets this team had, had any chance of being a championship team. We expected a team that can make the playoffs, and have the financial flexibility to improve in the future. Clearly, I was wrong.

POINT GUARD

Chris Paul, Luke Ridnour vs. Stephen Curry, Jeremy Lin

- no need for explanation here. Chris Paul is still the best PG in the league, and one of the best players in the NBA. The fact that we got him makes this a really massive upgrade over Stephen Curry. add to the fact that we got Luke Ridnour (who played great as a backup to Brandon Jennings in MIL), and its very clear that this position was the best uprade.

SHOOTING GUARD

Reggie Williams(starter), C.J. Miles, Kelenna Azuibuike vs. Monta Ellis, Reggie Williams(backup), Charlie Bell

- i had to make the distinction between Reggie Williams as a starter and as a backup. As a starter, Reggie Williams was impressive(in 19 starts, averaged 16.8 PTS 47.5% FG, 34.4% 3PT, 73% FT, 5.1 REB, 3.6 AST, with 1.2 TO and 1.1 STL... especially, impressive this season 17.7 PTS, 48.7% FG, 44.9% 3PT in 5.4 attempts, 4.6 REB, 3.6 AST, 1 TO and ~1 STL). those numbers are a little better than Reggie Williams per 36 minutes. Monta Ellis was overrated. the popular opinion of him being a ball stopper, and being a detriment to his team is somewhat true. Although he did provide scoring when needed; most of the time, he hogged the ball(evidenced by his AST% to USG% of 23.4 to 28.1). Monta also had a WS/48 of 0.089. the backup combo of C.J. Miles, K. Azuibuike is better than Reggie Williams, Charlie Bell. overall, if you look at raw numbers this might look like a loss, but looking at fit and advanced statistics such as WS/48, then this is a draw.

SMALL FORWARD

Paul Pierce, Mike Miller, Quincy Pondexter vs. Dorell Wright

- the fact that we upgraded Dorell Wright(who's pretty average even with the "impressive" raw numbers) to Paul Pierce makes this a win already. Add the fact that we have Mike Miller(who is not overpaid for the level of production he gives. Average players should be paid the Mid-level exception) and Quincy Pondexter(who is still improving as a role player) and we have a massive upgrade here as well.

POWER FORWARD

Kevin Love, Antonio Mcdyess, Jeremy Evans vs. David Lee, Louis Amundson, Jeff Adrien

- another clear upgrade here. Kevin Love is a superstar in the making. Pair him with competent teammates and you got a team vying for a playoff spot. Put him beside CP3 and "the Truth" and you got a championship team. Antonio Mcdyess fills the backup PF spot nicely with his defense on PFs(where he won't be undersized) and his spacing with his midrange jumper. Jeremy Evans is a young PF who needs to put weight in order to become a viable backup. as of now, he is a good spot minutes player. Another huge upgrade here.

CENTER

Greg Oden, Omer Asik, (Antonio Mcdyess) vs. Andris Biedrins, Ekpe Udoh

- this is where the true questions lie. I think Greg Oden has the makings of a game changer. he was coming into his own in the past 5 games prior to his unfortunate injury. he had a WS/48 of 0.210 (a superstar mark) and watching those 5 games prior(and 21 games for the season) and he's really a game changer when healthy. off course the big question is "when healthy". Thus we needed an insurance in case Oden missed some games. In comes Omer Asik(considered to be one of the best help defenders in the league). We also have Love and Mcdyess here, so no worries. Overall, if Oden is healthy, this is a HUGE upgrade. if Oden is semi-healthy, this is still an upgrade. but if Oden misses a big chunk of the season, this is a downgrade. But considering reports about Oden's willingness, work ethics and demeanor, we have utmost faith that he can turn this around and make the team a championship contender for years to come.

FINANCES
There is no overpaid player in this team. the 2 most overpaid players you can say is Mike Miller and Greg Oden. However Oden's contract is uniquely structured. it has a team option on the 3rd year, and a ETO on the 4th year. so if Oden's unhealthy after 2 seasons, we can cut him lose on the 3rd year and save finances. Mike Miller as i've explained is paid like an average player(and he is an average playe), so although he is not a bargain, he is also not an overpaid player. Plus, we're under the luxury tax, which is a huge plus for a non-big-market team

OFFENSE
The offense will look very similar to the Byron Scott led Hornets of 0708. You got 2 spacers on the wings in Reggie Williams and Paul Pierce. you got a jumpshooting, pick and pop big man in Kevin Love, and you got a center who can set bone-crushing picks and go for the oop. There's a slight difference. We also have the option to run dual picks from the baseline for a cutting Pierce/Williams or run ISOs for Pierce from the top of the key or a post up for Oden, or a high post for Love. basically the options are better. off the bench, Luke Ridnour, CJ Miles are capable creators. With Antonio Mcdyess and Omer Asik as solid pick setters, and Mike Miller as a deadly spacer, the bench has all the makings of a championship bench.

DEFENSE
with Marc Jackson and Mike Malone at the helm, the defense will look very similar to the defense instituted in NOLA last year. basically the premise was Okafor defends the best post scorer, Ariza defends the best perimeter scorer and Paul defends the ballhandler. We just change the names to Oden, Pierce(or Williams) and Paul. Love is not as bad as a defender as people say(limited his opponents to 16 PER and on/off team defense was worse by only 0.9), and that's with Milicic beside him. Put him beside Oden, Asik and Mcdyess and he'll be average or above average. if Williams struggles defending the best perimeter scorer, we still have CJ Miles of the bench to defend and the tenacious Pondexter.

Plus rebounding won't be a problem. Love alone makes this team a mammoth to beat on the glass, add in the fact that Paul and Oden are great rebounders(for their POSITION not height) and everybody else is average, then it makes sense that nobody will be able to out-rebound us on a nightly basis.

WHY I SHOULD WIN?
its pretty obvious why. When i got this team, it had no superstar, no defense and no shot in hell to reach the playoffs, let alone challenge for a championship. But the transformation this team took - from nothings to championship contenders - was huge and it has the potential to be one of those great stories you hear in the NBA - "Golden State Warriors transform from washout to champions". a CP3 playing 70 games ensures that a team will reach the playoffs, coupled that with 2 budding superstars in Love and Oden(when healthy offcourse) and you got upper echelon status. Provide Paul with legitimate perimeter threats in future HoF Paul "the Truth" Pierce and Reggie Williams, and you got yourself the best starting 5 in the league right now. Provide them with a good supporting cast in Ridnour, Miles, Miller, Mcdyess and Asik and you got the opportunity for something special. With the assets this team had(only 3 picks so to speak and only 5 tradeable assets that are not even top of the line assets). the fact that we got all these great assets(2 healthy superstars, 1 injury-prone superstar, HoF All star, competent role players and a possible lottery pick from Utah) for those assets makes me the obvious choice for Doin' Work GM-A-Team.

Sacramento Kings


Depth Chart

PG: Rajon Rondo/Steve Blake
SG: Thabo Sefolosha/Willie Green
SF: Carmelo Anthony/Damion James
PF: Lamarcus Aldridge/Reggie Evans
Cc: Tyson Chandler/DeSagana Diop







TPE's

Salaries
Tyson Chandler $12,000,000/$12,000,000/$12,000,000/$12,000,000/$12,000,000
LaMarcus Aldridge $12,372,000/$13,500,000/$14,628,000/$15,756,000
Carmelo Anthony $18,518,574/$20,463,024/$22,407,474/$24,351,924
Thabo Sefolosha $3,550,000/$3,850,000/$4,150,000
Rajon Rondo $10,045,455/$11,000,000/$11,954,545/$12,909,091
DeSagana Diop $6,925,400/$7,372,200
Steve Blake $4,000,000/$4,000,000/$4,000,000
Reggie Evans $3,250,000/$3,510,000/$3,770,000/$4,030,000/$4,290,000
Damion James $1,243,080/$1,329,720/$2,325,680/$3,400,145
Willie Green $854,389



Total Salaries: $72,758,898

Writeup
Defense:
We will anchor our defense through Tyson Chandler, a proven championship center. His ability to hedge on screens and defend C's and most PF's is invaluable to our defense. LMA is a much improved defender in his own right, making our frontcourt quite dominant on this end of the floor. Carmello Anthony is an average defender when he puts in the effort. He is still our weak link in our starting 5. Our backcourt is the best defensive backcourt in the league. Easily. Thabo was all nba defense two seasons ago and Rondo was all nba 1st team defense this past season.

Offense:
Our offense will run through LMA in the post, and Melo on the wing. You'll see a lot of Rondo finding guys for the easy bucket and we are very comfortable with the ball in his hands. Melo can create his own shot better then anyone in the NBA and is maybe the best pure scorer in the league. LMA is a force in the post, and has never had this much help around him. Thabo must continue to improve his shot in order space the floor a bit.

How did we improve?
SAC was a team with two good young players in Cousins (who has some maturity issues) and Reke (who has some..shooting issues) and not much else. We built a young contender with a solid big 3 in Rondo/Melo/Aldridge who can grow together and are locked up on good contracts. Consider what we started out when judging please, thanks.

Los Angeles Clippers


STARTING ROSTER :
Williams / Bledsoe
Gordon / Foye / Warren
Aminu / Gomes / Moon (FA)
Griffin / Cook / Smith (FA)
Jordan (RFA) / Kaman

CURRENT ROSTER:
Parker / Bledsoe
Gordon / Stuckey / Leslie
Battier / Aminu / Babbitt / Honeycutt
Griffin / Thompson / Gomes
Kaman / Splitter

CURRENT ROTATION:
Parker (32) / Stuckey (16)
Gordon (34) / Stuckey (14)
Battier (28) / Aminu (10) / Babbitt (10)
Griffin (38) / Thompson (5) / Splitter (5)
Kaman (28) / Splitter (10) / Thompson (10)

SALARIES:


FUTURE PICKS:
2012 MIN 1st (Unprotected), CLE 1st (Unprotected), LAC 2nd, CHI 2nd
2013 LAC 1st, LAC 2nd (To DET if outside top 55)
2014 LAC 1st
2015 LAC 1st

TRANSACTIONS:
- DeAndre Jordan S&T (5/50), #47 for Andersen Varejao, Jason Thompson, #27, 2012 CLE 1st (unprotected), 2013 SAC 1st (unprotected)
- Mo Williams, Andersen Varejao for Tony Parker, Tiago Splitter, Luke Babbitt
- Drafted Tyler Honeycutt and Travis Leslie
- Randy Foye, Willie Warren, 2013 SAC 1st (unprotected) for S&T Rodney Stuckey (4/27.9)
- Signed Shane Batter to 3 year MLE contract
- Waived Brian Cook

SUMMARY:
PG: Parker, Stuckey, Bledsoe replace Williams, Bledsoe - Big Upgrade
We replace Williams with all star and finals MVP Tony Parker, who has proven that he can be the engine that runs a successful team powered by a dominant big man. We hang onto Bledsoe so he can develop more (he was way too turnover prone as a rookie), but add young combo guard Rodney Stuckey, who was sneaky good at both guard positions down the stretch last season for Detroit.

SG: Gordon, Stuckey, Leslie replace Gordon, Foye, Warren - Upgrade
We keep young stud Eric Gordon, and replace his backups with a starting caliber 6th man in Stuckey, and a young athlete in the mold of Tony Allen in Leslie. Foye and Warren were pretty useless, so the bench got an upgrade here.

SF: Battier, Aminu, Babbit, Honeycutt replace Aminu, Gomes, Moon - Big Upgrade
We add the steady vet that every playoff team covets in Battier. He and Parker are vets loaded with playoff experience to help the team take the next step into contention. We love his fit. Behind him, we have a multitude of young SFs (Aminu, Babbitt, Honeycutt), all who bring high upside and a different skill set to the table. We hope that one (or more) will develop into a future starting caliber SF, and they will have the opportunity to compete for minutes off the bench right away. We now have experience and depth at what was LAC's weakest position.

PF: Griffin, Thompson/Splitter, Gomes replace Griffin, Smith, Cook - Upgrade
Beyond keeping Blake (a no-brainer), we manage to upgrade the bench. Thompson and Splitter can play both behind and alongside him, and are young enough to be core pieces of this front court moving forward. We shift Gomes from SF to PF, where he has been a bit more effective throughout his career, but he'll only see spot minutes.

C: Kaman, Splitter/Thompson replace Jordan, Kaman - Push
We moved DeAndre Jordan, but got back great value (including what will likely be a top 10 pick in Cleveland's 2012 unprotected 1st). We feel his production is more than replaced with the young bigs we acquired (Splitter and Thompson). This team was at its best last season when Kaman was healthy, and we have great depth behind him who can serve as long term backups or take the reigns if he leaves in free agency or is moved.

WHY I SHOULD WIN:
My goal was to get the Clippers solidly into the playoff race immediately while keeping the team young and loaded with potential. I feel that I have done that. My young stars (Griffin and Gordon) are flanked by proven vets (Parker, Battier, Kaman) and a wealth of young, productive guys at all positions on the bench (Stuckey/Bledsoe, Aminu/Babbitt/Honeycutt, Splitter/Thompson). We also have two unprotected 2012 1sts, one of which we believe will be top 5 or 10 (Cleveland), and another that could also be in the lottery (Minnesota). This team is set up well both now, and in the future, and could easily be a contender right out of the gates.

SALARIES:

2011/2012 / 2012/2013 / 2013/2014 / 2014/2015

Dirk Nowitzki - $19,092,873 / $20,907,128 / $22,721,381
Manu Ginobili - $12,981,038 / $14,107,492
Gerald Wallace - $9,500,000 / $9,500,000(PO)
Richard Jefferson - $9,282,000 / $10,164,000 / $11,046,000
Andre Miller - $7,807,728
Brendan Haywood - $7,624,500 / $8,349,000 / $9,073,500 / $9,798,000
Caron Butler - $6,336,634 / $7,001,980 / $7,667,327 / $8,332,673
Joel Anthony - $3,600,000 / $3,750,000 / $3,800,000 / $3,800,000
Ben Wallace - $2,246,400
Anthony Parker - $2,000,000 / $2,000,000
Donte Greene - $1,679,914 / $2,503,071(QO)
Eddie House - $1,399,507
Toney Douglas - $1,145,640 / $2,067,880(TO) / $3,101,820(QO)
Cory Joseph - $457,588

Total Salaries: $85,153,822

DRAFT PICKS

2012 Chicago 1st
2013 1st, 2013 2nd
2014 1st, 2014 Sacramento 1st, 2014 2nd

STARTED WITH:

Parker/Hill
Ginobili/Neal/Anderson
Jefferson
Duncan/Bonner
Blair/McDyess/Splitter

RS ROTATION:

Miller(28)/Douglas(20)/House(spot)
Ginobili(28)/Butler(20)/Parker(spot)
G. Wallace(20)/Jefferson(20)/Butler(8)
Dirk(34)/G. Wallace(14)Greene(spot)
Haywood(24)/Anthony(16)/B. Wallace(8)

PO ROTATION:

Miller(28)/Douglas(20)/House(spot)
Ginobili(34)/Butler(14)/Parker(spot)
G.Wallace(26)/Butler(10)/Jefferson(12)
Dirk(38)/G.Wallace(10)/Greene(spot)
Haywood(24)/Anthony(16)/B. Wallace(8)

WHY I SHOULD WIN:

The 2010/2011 Spurs were a great regular season team, but they relied on unproven young guys and perimeter players too much to be sucessful in the playoffs. With our big 3 aging, I knew blowing up the team wouldn't amount to much, as most people believed Duncan, Parker and Ginobili were past their prime, and wouldn't give up prized youth for them. However, the Spurs didn't have much youth of their own, as guys like George Hill, Gary Neal, Dejuan Blair, and Tiago Splitter would never amount to more than role players. So I decided to make a few final runs at a title.

I did so by trading for arguably the best player in the game. Dirk Nowitzki just came off an incredible playoff run, culminating in a championship and a Finals MVP. I was able to keep Ginobili to pair with him, a perfect secondary star who could take over games when needed, but still able to give Dirk time to shine. Gerald Wallace is my 3rd star, a versatile, athletic SF who can take on the challenge of guarding LeBron, Kobe, Melo, Durant, etc and filling in the gaps around Manu and Dirk. I think my big 3 complement each other perfectly, and I've surrounded them with capable veterans. Andre Miller is a smart, skilled vet PG who can run a team as well as anyone, Brendan Haywood is a strong defensive C that has experience with Dirk, and Caron Butler is a skilled, versatile player who will play as my 6th man, also possesing experience playing with Dirk. I also have young guys like Toney Douglas and Joel Anthony off the bench who excel in their roles (Douglas as a scoring spark, Anthony as a defensive ace).

So overall, I've taken an old team and made them much better. I believe the 3 headed monster of Dirk, Manu, and Gerald Wallace, plus the great depth and versatility I have around them, make this team the favorite for the next few years. I'm obviously not going to be competing for championships for too long, as much of my team is old, but its not like the original Spurs had an incredible future or anything. I also have Chicago's pick next year, which could easily be in the lottery, to help add young talent to my team.

I've essentially upgraded every position except PG, and the drop-off from Parker (17.5/6.6) to Andre Miller (12.7/7) is fairly small compared to the upgrades of Tim Duncan to Dirk Nowitzki, Richard Jefferson to Gerald Wallace, and Dejuan Blair to Brendan Haywood. Considering the lack of high quality assets this team began with, and the fact that I've made both the starting lineup and the bench much better while not saddling myself with a myriad of bad contracts, I believe I deserve the win here.

Toronto Raptors


Where we started:
Rotation:
Calderon/Bayless
DeRozan/Barbosa/Weems
Kleiza/Johnson/Wright
Evans/Davis/Johnson
Bargnani/Ajinca/Alabi

Total Payroll:
2011/12 - $47,129,431/$39,529,431
2012/13 - $40,415,278/$31,161,988
2013/14 - $25,003,860/$17,250,000
2014/15 - $18,500,000/$7,000,000
2015/16 - 0/0

Current Roster (Salaries/Draft Picks/Rotation):
Kyle Lowry - $5,750,000/$5,750,000/$6,210,000
Mike Dunleavy - $5,500,000/$5,000,000/$4,500,000/$4,100,000
Linas Kleiza - $4,605,000/$4,600,000/$4,600,000
Spencer Hawes - $3,500,000/$4,000,000/$4,000,000
Demar DeRozan - $2,625,000/$3,344,250/$4,531,459
JJ Hickson - $2,354,537/$3,357,569
Cole Aldrich - $2,286,000/$2,445,480/$3,245,152/$4,442,613
Nic Batum - $2,155,365/$3,116,325
Ryan Hollins - $1,725,000/$2,250,000
Eric Maynor - $1,516,880/$2,338,721/$3,351,387
Dominique Jones - $1,193,280/$1,276,560/$2,299,085/$3,377,355
Ian Mahinmi - $947,907
Carlos Arroyo - $854,389
Semih Erden - $788,872
Norris Cole* - $490,180/$788,872
* denotes rookie
" denotes free agent signing
ETO Unguaranteed Team Option Player Option Qualifying Offer

Total salaries inc. options: $36,292,410/$38,267,625/$32,637,083/$11,919,968/$0
Total salaries w/o options: $34,490,114/$21,688,721/$1,000,000/$0/$0

Cap space available: $23,707,590

TPE: Francisco Garcia - $4,283,120

Draft Picks:
2011: #26 - Nikola Vucevic, #57 - Demetri McCamey
2012: TOR 1st, POR 1st, NJ 1st
2013: BOS 1st, TOR 2nd
2014: TOR 2nd
2015: TOR 1st (if in top 3), TOR 2nd

ROTATION(mins):
PG - Lowry(35)/Arroyo(11)/Cole(2)
SG - DeRozan(35)/Maynor(13)/Jones(spot)
SF - Batum(30)/Kleiza(18)/Dunleavy(spot)
PF - Hickson(30)/Aldrich(13)/Mahinmi(5)
C - Hawes(30)/Hollins(13)/Erden(5)


TRADES/TRANSACTIONS:
Toronto IN: Marion, Mahinmi, D. Jones, #26
Dallas IN: Barbosa, Kleiza

Toronto IN: A. Miller, Camby, Batum, #21, 2012 POR 1st
Portland IN: Calderon, Bargnani, A. Johnson, #5

Toronto IN: Lowry, Kleiza, Garcia, Lucas III, #55, #57
Dallas IN: Camby, A. Miller

Toronto IN: Spencer Hawes (S&T)
Philadelphia IN: 2013 TOR 1st, 2015 TOR 1st (top 3 protected)

Toronto IN: M. Harris, McDyess, 2013 BOS 1st
Boston IN: Marion

Wavie the UNG contract of John Lucas III

Toronto IN: JJ Hickson
Cleveland IN: Davis, rights to #26 pick Lucas Nogueira

Sign Ryan Hollins
Sign Spencer Hawes

Waive UNG contract of Manny Harris; Sign Carlos Arroyo for vet min.

Toronto IN: Aldrich
Oklahoma City IN: Bayless

Toronto IN: Erden, rights to Cole, Dunleavy, 2012 NJ 1st
Cleveland IN: Johnson, McDyess, Alabi, rights to #55 Michael Dunigan, 2012 TOR 2nd, 2014 TOR 1st

Toronto IN: Maynor (Garcia TPE)
Charlotte IN: Garcia

Sign Norris Cole to a rookie deal.


Direction starting out:

My goal for the Raptors was to make us a more balanced team on and off the court. The cap numbers coming in were fine, except that the on floor talent was slim at best. I wanted to move forward with DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis as two of five solid young starters and try to aquire the other three via trades and the draft; free agents don't usually pick Toronto as their new homes.

PG - Kyle Lowry/Carlos Arroyo/Norris Cole > Jose Calderon/Jerryod Bayless
Lowry took a huge leap this past season leading Houston to a near playoff spot in a very tough West; we like his overall game. While he may lose out to Calderon on the offensive end (and not by much if any), his defense is a clear upgrade here. Arroyo will be the main backup for the first part of the season while defensive specialist Cole learns the ins and outs of the NBA.

SG - DeMar DeRozan/Eric Maynor/Dominique Jones =< DeMar DeRozan/Leandro Barbosa/Sonny Weems
With DeRozan penciled in as our opening day starter, we decided to use Barbosa's expiring contract to help out with other areas and go young with our bench 2 guards. Maynor is a nice young player with a lot of upside and a surprising amount of experience after playing with OKC. Jones will fill out the bench getting spot minutes behind DeRozan and Maynor.

SF - Nic Batum/Linas Kleiza/Mike Dunleavy >= Linas Kleiza/James Johnson/Julian Wright
Batum is one hell of a player, period. While in the end we had to take on Dunleavy's contract, keep Kleiza and part ways with Johnson, aquiring a young defensive SF with Batum's talents, maturity and basketball IQ was definitely worth it. It won't hurt to have Kleiza for now, this seems to be his best role anyways - a bench scorer, who hustles. Dunleavy will play whatever minutes are left over but there won't be many.

PF - JJ Hickson/Cole Aldrich/Ian Mahinmi >= Reggie Evans/Ed Davis/Amir Johnson
We came into this wanting to keep Davis til the end, but with the makeup of the team at the point of his trade, Hickson just seemed to be a better fit. Hickson's high scoring average at the end of last season in Cleveland is what we expect to see this year. Cole Aldrich will either back up Hickson or Hawes at C, but for the purpose of these writeups this seems to be his most natural NBA position. He and Mahinmi are two nice young prospects that we are glad to have on the team.

C - Spencer Hawes/Ryan Hollins/Semih Erden = Andrea Bargnani/Alexia Ajinca/Solomon Alabi
Coming in our top two centers were named Andrea and Alexis - you could imagine the fear struck into opponents' hearts... Long story short, we needed to get tougher. We don't feel we accomplished this to the point we needed to but at least Hawes is going to play better defense than what we've been getting lately. Hollins tries hard and can back up Hawes nicely. Erden is a nice prospect who could become a low end starter/first big off the bench type player at his position; very valuable in this league.

FINAL DEPTH CHART:
PG - Lowry/Arroyo/Cole
SG - DeRozan/Maynor/Jones
SF - Batum/Kleiza/Dunleavy
PF - Hickson/Aldrich/Mahinmi
C - Hawes/Hollins/Erden


Overall this team should be much better on both ends of the floor. Bargnani's scoring will be replaced by a mix of a more consistent scoring PG, and higher scoring contributions from the SF and PF spots as well. DeRozan should lead this team in scoring, while Batum will be the team's defensive leader. Hickson and Lowry are near the top of their positions compared to others their age. Hawes rounds out our starters, hopefully he can play the way he played in SacTown; if so, he was a steal. Our bench is a little more than Barbosa driving to the hoop and Amir Johnson cleaning up the boards now; there are a few older vets to go along with a bunch of solid young role players. Aldrich, Maynor, Cole, Mahinmi, Erden and Jones are all nice young prospects to help with this quick rebuild. Kleiza can and will be used so his contract won't hurt us. Dunleavy's contract could've been bought out but we had the roster spot and we have $23 million in cap space so it's not like we needed to move it right yet. Also, his four year contract will essentially become two years once we decline his third year team option so he will be an expiring contract after 2012/13.

We set out to aquire as many solid young assets as we could, and we feel that we accomplished that and more. We are now (IMO) only a legit starting defensive C, a 6th man type scorer and a few years of playoff experience away from being a strong team. If our young core can stay together and gel, we could be a completely different team than Toronto has ever seen. Hopefully the three 1st picks (TOR, NJ, POR) in 2012's deep draft will produce two of those three things, if not the $23,000,000 in cap space won't hurt.

Thanks for the fun and goodluck.

SALARIES





STARTERS




ROSTER

Devin Harris/Derek Fisher/Sasha Vujacic
Kobe Bryant/Marshon Brooks/Roger Mason Jr
Ron Artest/Corey Maggette/Renaldo Balkman
Al Jefferson/Drew Gooden/Luke Harangody
Andrew Bogut/Jeff Foster/Kurt Thomas


DRAFT PICKS

-2012: none (traded both 1st and 2nd)
-2013: 1st rd pick+2nd round pick
-2014: 2nd rd pick (traded 1st rd)
-2015: 1st rd pick (traded 2nd)



WHY I THINK I SHOULD WIN

I started out with a team that needed to rebuild on the fly. The Lakers were back to back champs before this season, and after being swept it was obvious changes needed to be made. The problems with this team are obvious..defense at the pg position, athleticism, 3pt shooting and bench players or lack there of. I believe I solved every one of those problems.

PG: This was the biggest weakness on the Lakers roster. Lacking the lateral quickness and size to cover the elite pg's of the league like Paul, Westbrook, Rose, and Rondo, obtaining Devin Harris was a big move. He is one of the quicker defensive pg's in the league who's just as good on offense in breaking down the opposition's defense. Fisher off the bench would allow him more rest thus being more effective in his minutes. Adding Sasha is also a great addition not only to reunite with his best friend Kobe, but for the 3pt shooting improvement.

SG: Kobe's not getting any younger and it's important for this organization to start to look into bringing in some players to groom for the future. I felt that Brooks has a lot of Kobe-like talent, and while being able to learn from him, it could maximize his potential.
Bringing in Roger Mason also increases our 3pt shooting ability. Although he is 3rd on my depth chart, he would be getting the primary backup minutes until Marshon proves he is worthy of the position.

SF: Keeping Ron after all was a good move that I'm glad I made. Many think he's not effective anymore, but while he may not be as effective as he once was, don't for a second think he doesn't bring anything to the table. Lakers need that physical toughness out there that make other teams think twice, and have a certain level of fear that he might go crazy at any moment lol. Upgrading the backup position was key here. We add that athleticism we need with Maggette and keep the perimeter defense we lost in Barnes. God forbid something happens to Artest or Kobe, Corey is more than good enough to step into a starting role.

PF: This was big. Upgrading the way we did was key. Big Al Jefferson is much younger than Gasol, so we keep with the youth movement here. At 6'10 265-280 we get a bigger banger down low who gives us the same efficient scoring. We also get even better on the defensive end. In 35mpg Al put up 19ppg, 10rpg and 2 blocks per game last year. He is truly our power forward of the future. Losing Odom at the backup hurts, but Gooden (despite being a journeyman) is very efficient himself. He's even capable of triple doubles as well. His rebounding and offensive game would be big off the bench. He's even a solid defender.

C: This change was monumental for my team. While Bogut has his injury concerns as well, Bynum’s are chronic, and Bogut get’s his injuries from accidents as a result of tough physical play. This link is a great insight to the differences.. http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/11/take- ... -or-bogut/
Bogut also has played almost equivalent to an entire season more of games throughout his career than Bynum. Having a combo of Bogut and Big AL is a much more tough inside presence than Gasol and Bynum. Not to mention having Artest and Kobe on the perimeter..plus Harris. This in my opinion would be one of the best if not the best defensive team in the league.

Bobcats please.

Starting roster

Stuckey / Bynum
T-Mac / Gordon / Rip / White
Prince / Daye / Summers
C-Vill / Wilcox / Maxiell / Jerebko
Monroe / Big Ben

- Bunch of suck

Ending roster

Kidd / Telfair / Bynum
J-Rich / Belinelli / Redd
Prince / Ariza / Parsons
West / K-Mart / Cunningham
Dally / Zaza / Gray

- Playoff team

Nothing else to see here.

Draft picks:
2012 - Memphis 1st, 2nd to Miami unless in top 55
2013 - Miami 1st; Memphis 1st to Houston (lottery protected through 2016), 2nd to Lakers unless in top 55
2014 - Memphis 1st (potentially to Houston, see above), 2nd

Rotation:
Mike Conley 30 / Ramon Sessions 18
Tony Allen 32 / Gary Neal 16
Rudy Gay 36 / Jan Vesely {or Sam Young} 12
Zach Randolph 36 / Darrel Arthur 12
Marc Gasol 36 / Jonas Valanciunas 12

Discussion:
Possible first ever for this game: I kept the Grizzlies' starting rotation intact. That was on purpose: these guys played spectacularly well together from the time Tony Allen entered the starting lineup to the time Rudy Gay went down with his injury. So I decided to strengthen the bench, which was dreadful - John Hollinger talked about Memphis having the biggest dropoff from starters to bench in the league - and add some young talent as well.

Results (remember, this is the bench):
PG - Ramon Sessions replaces Greivis Vasquez. Huge upgrade.
Sessions: PER 19.0, TS 55.9%, 7.1 A/36
Vasquez: PER 9.4, TS 49.3%, 6.3 A/36

SG - Gary Neal replaces O.J. Mayo. Look at the numbers - and remember that 3-point shooting was the great Memphis weakness in the playoffs, and Neal's among the best in the league. This is another upgrade:
Neal: PER 13.1, TS 57.8%, 3P% 45.1%
Mayo: PER 12.6, TS 49.9%, 3P% 36.4%

SF: Sam Young is still around, but we add Jan Vesely, #6 pick in the draft. Over time, this is a big plus; this year, Vesely steps in if ready, and if not we've still got Young.

PF: Darrel Arthur was the only solid backup on the team last year, and he's still around - now supplemented by the very solid Trevor Booker.

C: Jonas Valanciunas takes the minutes of the disastrous Hasheem Thabeet (most of the season) and Hamed Haddadi (end of the year, and still here as our third-string center). #5 pick in the draft, described as possible franchise center.

So - no fireworks, no huge trades, better team. We added the #5 and #6 picks in the draft, upgraded two more backup spots with Sessions and Neal, and stayed under the luxury tax.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

Wes Matthews $6,135,160.00 $6,505,320.00 $6,875,480.00 $7,245,640.00
Elliot Williams $1,348,800.00 $1,442,880.00 $2,373,538.00 $3,438,882.00
Patrick Mills $1,500,000 $1,650,000 $1,810,000
James Fredette $1,302,600 $1,400,300 $1,498,000 17th Pick
Anthony Tolliver $2,050,000 N/A
Trey Thompkins $477780 $780870 39th pick in 2011 draft
Martell Webster $5,256,000 $5,712,000 N/A
Darko Milicic $4,776,500 $5,228,000 $5,670,000 N/A
David Lee $11,610,000 $12,744,000 $13,878,000 $15,012,000
Dorell Wright $3,823,000 $4,106,000 N/A
Travis Outlaw $7,000,000 $7,000,000 $7,000,000 $7,000,000
Michael Beasley $6,262,347 $8,172,363 N/A
D J Augustin $3,236,470 $4,385,416
J D White $2,001,167 $3,001,751 N/A
Rashard Lewis $21,136,631 $22,699,551 ($10M Buyout)

Curr Salaries: $77,435,000 ('11) $71,346,000 ('12) (RLewis Buy Out @ $10M)
Orig salaries: with signings of Oden & Mills (QOs) $9,900,000.00 = $83,970,000

STARTING ROSTER (minutes):
D J Augustin(32), Jimmer Fredette(6), Patty Mills(10)
Wesley Matthews(36), Martell Webster(10), Elliot Williams(6)
Dorell Wright(28), Rashard Lewis(13), Travis Outlaw(8)
Michael Beasley(32), J D White(12), Trey Thompkins(4)
David Lee(32), Darko Milicic(12), Anthony Tolliver(4)

2011 Draft: Traded for 17th Pick: Jimmer Fredette

ASSETS: 2011 1st & 2nd Round Picks; 2012 2nd Round Picks,
Best of Denver/PDX 2nd, 2012 2nd (NOH via CLE); LAC 2012 1st (Protected)
2013 2nd Round Pick;
2014 1st & 2nd Round, 2014 2nd (CHA);
TPE $1,944,215 - Bargnani to CHA (exp 6/12)
TPE $2,000,000 - Pryzbilla to CHA (exp 6/12)

ANALYSIS:
The Portland Trial Blazers entered the 2011 off season with some major issues. Those issues have been addressed to assure the Blazers of a deep run in future playoffs.

The first area of concern was our reliance on an aging Point Guard and unreliable backups which cause the Blazers to try Rudy Fernandez, Brandon Roy and other at the Point with questionable results. Not only have the Blazers been able to acquire one of the brightest young Point Guards in the NBA in D J Augustin, but they had the good fortune of having Jimmer Fredette fall to them at 17 in the 2011 Draft (actual draft had Jimmer going at #10 – and they did move Andre Miller). Patty Mills will bring a year more seasoning and the Blazers look forward to the contributions of combo guard – Elliot Williams.

PG – DJ Augustin, Jimmer Fredette & Patty Mills >>>> Andre Miller, Patty Mills & Amond Johnson

The next area of concern was bolstering the Front Line. Unfortunately, this pursuit got messy and the Blazers moved some very valuable pieces surrendering Quality for Quantity (with potential). Losing Gerald Wallace and LaMarcus Aldridge was a huge hit and ultimately Portland gave up on the Greg Oden Experience. To offset the loss of our starting PF & Center – both forced to play out of position due to injuries, the Blazers acquired David Lee – an active Center with a 17.9 PER – scoring 17ppg and 10 rbs. All Greg’s potential cannot put points on the board and the Blazers are delighted to have a Center of D Lee’s caliber. He is backed up with both Darko Milicic, a long time starting Center (#2 pick) and Anthony Tolliver.

The Center spot has to be considered a significant Upgrade Lee & Company vs. Camby, LMA and Chris Johnson (and a rehabbing Oden).

At PF, the Blazers picked up Michael Beasley & J D White. Both young guys offer a variety of skills and will be a nice change of Offensive & Defensive presence depending on the competition. I make no concessions at this point – LaMarcus & Gerald Wallace were much better. Still, the concern was Front Court depth and it was adequately addressed in our moves.

At the wings we have maintained Wesley Matthews (who was a huge target for many teams in this game) and have both Elliot Williams and a fan favorite in Martell Webster available to back him up. Martell has a great stroke and plays solid D, though is a half step slow to keep up with the elite SG in the league. Elliot Williams can lock them down when Wes need time off and should be a slashing offensive weapon at both the Point and SG positions.

I regretfully call this an upgrade for the Blazers since Wes continues to start and the backups replace a hobbled Brandon Roy. You cannot appreciate how difficult it is to consider that Brandon has been moved and his future is dim. Personally, I hope he returns to All Star form, but I also feel it was an outstanding move to deal his contract. Advantage 2011 Team.

At the Small Forward the Blazers have suffered on paper. Again, 2010 should have featured Gerald Wallace with Nic Batum backing him up. What happened because of injuries was a sporadic Nic Batum, with a Brandon Roy (when possible) and Rudy Fernandez rotation.

The Blazers have picked up one of the best young wings in the league in Dorell Wright who surprised everyone with his play in 2010. Behind Dorell, we have reunited Rashard Lewis & Travis Outlaw with the coach for whom they both excelled. In Orlando, Rashard played a stretch 4 and Travis Outlaw also played well with the mismatch he created at the PF position while playing in Portland.

The fact that Martell can play the SF & SG positions and Dorell can play the SG (especially on the Defensive end) along with Rashard and Travis being able to play multiple spots on both ends of the floor make this an amazingly versatile lineup that Nate McMillan can use in various ways – big, small, offensive or defensive combinations.

Finally, the Blazers, who have long been an efficient offense with fewer possessions than most, were a horrible shooting team in 2010. All the moves that were done in this off season were made with that facet of the game in mind. Gone are Rudy, Brandon (whose knees would not allow him to be the rhythm player he was) Wallace (they call him Crash for a reason) and Andre Miller and in each case a more dependable shooter with great range has taken their place. I like Jimmer’s chances of knocking down some meaningful threes better than Andre’s.

Overall, the Blazers have eliminated 2 starters – over 35 years of age who had to play major minutes (and Camby broke down) and a tremendous Prospect who could not get on the court. In their place, Portland acquired Outstanding young talents who will be there for 75 games a year – and the playoffs. This line up will allow the Blazers to contend for the next 5 years as the older teams in the West retool (LA, SAS, etc.)

Finally, the Blazers were able to make these difficult moves to improve the team they could depend on every night AND were able to eliminate about $ 7M in salary, which would be doubled under the Luxury Tax provisions.

NJN:

Depth Chart:

Curry/Crawford
JRSmith/Weems/Hopson
Chandler/Jerebko/Daniels/Richmond
Nene/Humphries/Harper
Monroe/Wilcox/Battie

Salaries:

Player Option
QO
Team Option

Player 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015

Nenê Hilaro $15,500,000 $15,500,000 $15,500,000 $15,500,000 $15,500,000
Wilson Chandler $12,500,000 $11,500,000 $10,500,000 $9,500,000
JR Smith $8,000,000 $8,640,000 $9,280,000 $9,920,000 $10,560,000
Kris Humphries $7,500,000 $8,250,000 $9,000,000 $9,750,000 $10,500,000 $11,250,000
Jamal Crawford $5,800,000 $6,264,000 $6,728,000 $7,192,000 $7,656,000
Jonas Jerebko $4,000,000 $4,000,000 $4,000,000
Stephen Curry $3,117,120 $3,958,742 $5,308,674
Greg Monroe $3,007,920 $3,217,680 $4,086,454 $5,479,934
Sonny Weems $2,300,000
Tony Battie 1,352,181
Chris Wilcox 1,223,166
Marquis Daniels 1,223,166
Scotty Hopson $854,389
Justin Harper $473,604 $788,872
Jereme Richmond $473,604 $788,872

$67,843,015

Picks:

2011 NJ 2nd (#36=Justin Harper), PHI 2nd (#50=Jereme Richmond), OKC 2nd (#54=Brad Wanamaker)
2012 NY 1st, MIA 2nd, CLE 2nd
2013 NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, PHI 2nd
2014 NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, PHI 2nd
...



Why I should Win?

I took over a team that had one superstar in DWill, but he could leave the Nets next season + the sh*t contracts of Outlaw + Farmar + Petro.
Now we have the Nuggets (JR+Wilson+Nene) + young top-guns at PG and C in Curry + Monroe. Having guys like Humphries who had a breakout season + Jamal Crawford off the bench is a luxury and the team is very deep. No bad contracts + keepers have good longterm deals. Like it.

Nuff said.

GM: Bness888

DEPTH CHART:

BEFORE:
PG: DJ Augustin / Shuan Livingston
SG: Gerald Henderson / Matt Carroll
SF: Stephen Jackson
PF: Tyrus Thomas / Dante Cunningham / DJ White / Eduardo Najera
Cc: Boris Diaw / Desagna Diop
Plus 9th pick / 19th pick / 39th pick.

AFTER:
PG: Raymond Felton / Johnny Flynn / Ronnie Price
SG: George Hill / Francisco Garcia / (Andre Iguodola) / Andrew Goudleuck
SF: Andre Iguodola / Francisco Garcia / (Josh Smith)
PF: Josh Smith / Dejuan Blair / (Ronny Turiaf)
Cc: Kendrick Perkins / (Dejuan Blair) / Ronny Turiaf / Dexter Pittman



SALARIES:

Andre Iguodola - $13,531,750 - $14,718,250 - $15,904,750
Josh Smith - $12,500,000 - $13,300,000
Kendrick Perkins - $7,373,626 - $8,050,531 - $8,727,437 - $9,404,342
Raymond Felton - $7,560,000
Francisco Garcia - $5,800,000
Ronny Turiaf - $4,360,000
Johnny Flynn - $3,414,720 - $4,329,865 - $5,776,040
George Hill - $1,390,906 - $2,052,973
Dejuan Blair - $986,000 - $1,054,000
Ronnie Price - $854,389
Dexter Pittman - $854,389
Andrew Goudleuck - $854,389

Total: $ 55,197,049 (4.8 Million under cap still!)

Draft Picks:
Credits:
#9 - Bismac Biyombo (traded)
#19 - Markief Morris (traded)
# 39 - Trey Thompkins (traded)
2012 secomd round draft pick
2014 first round draft pick
2015 first round draft pick

Debits:
2012 First to Chicago or OKC depending on what pick is.
2013 First round draft pick to OKC
2013 Second round draft pick to NOH
2014 2nd round draft pick to Portland
2015 2nd round draft pick to Cleveland

TPE's:
$1,059,293 (Cunningham deal)
$3,500,000 (Livingston deal)

Goals:
Unsure - But for sure to be better and remain young.

Transactions:
1.) Drafted Bismac Biyombo #9

2.) Drafted Markeif Morris #19

3.) With the Oklahoma City Thunder
OUT: Bismac Byuombo, 2012 First round draft pick, 2013 first round draf pick.
IN: Derrick Williams

4.) Drafted Trey Thompkins # 39

5.) With the San Antonio Spurs
OUT: Desagna Diop, Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw
IN: Rashard Lewis, Dejuan Blair, George Hill, 2012 SAS First round draft pick

6. A Three Way Trade with the Portland Trailblazers and Philadelphia 76ers:
OUT: Matt Carroll, Tyrus Thomas, Markeif Morris, Trey Thompkins, 2012 SAS First round draft pick, 2014 Second round draft pick.
IN: Andrea Bargnani, Marreese Speights, Joel Pryzbilla

7. With the Cleveland Cavaliers:
OUT: Shaun Livingston, Dante Cunningham, 2015 second round draft pick
IN: 2 TPE's

8. With the Portland Trailblazers:
OUT: Rashard Lewis, DJ Augustin, DJ White
IN: Amir Johnson, Mo Williams, Marvin Williams

9. With the Utah Jazz:
OUT: Marvin Williams, Derrick Williams, Gerald Henderson, Eduardo Najera
IN: Josh Smith, Kevin Martin, Andrew Goudleuck, Ronnie Price

10. With the Miami Heat:
OUT: Kevin Martin, Mareese Speights
IN: Andre Iguodola, Derrick Character

11. With the Atlanta Hawks:
OUT: Mo Williams, Amir Johnson
IN: Raymond Felton, Ronny Turiaf

12. With the Oklahoma city Thunder:
OUT: Andrea Bargnani
IN: Kendrick Perkins, Eric Maynor

13. With the New Orleans Hornets
OUT: Joel Pryzbilla, Derrick Character, 2013 second round draft pick
IN: Johnny Flynn

14. With the Toronto Raptors:
OUT: Eric Maynor
IN: Francisco Garcia

WRITE UP:

First and foremost i want to thank Karmaloop for running the game, Devilanche for F.A., and Tmac and Crispy for being the "agents" You guys put in the work and deserve the credit. Next game lets try and get all the legends back involved.

My Team:

The original bobcats were a team with NO direction, no real balance, and were a financial mess. They were a laughing stock of the league as far as GMing goes (sorry MJ) and were just plain bad.
The only positives were DJ augustin, an average undersized PG, Gerald Henderson, an average athletic wing, and Stephen Jackson who is a great 3rd option, not a good 1st option like he was here in Charlotte. The picks were nice (9,19, and 39) but drafting is always a gamble in any sport especially since all the guys in this draft were being drafted on stretch potential. Everything else was a negative, literally. Diop, Carroll, T. Thomas, Diaw, Najera, all junk. All of them overpaid, and way to long of contracts.

Hands down, i started with the least amount of talent in the game.

NEW TEAM.

My Charlotte Bobcats have to be the most Athletic team in this game. Not only that, were pretty damn balanced, and pretty damn young. We will run an uptempo offense and move the ball around freely. We feel we have one of the best defensive teams in the league as well. Just take a second and soak in what ive done with this team.

Raymond Felton is still relatively young. He is a very solid, steady, SMART, point guard. We feel that with our younger athletic team he can thrive much like he did in New York. He will get his assists with this group pretty easily. He can defend the quick PG's as well as the bigger PG's. We feel with him starting at PG, were in safe hands, much like Portland feels now.

Backing him up is Mr. Johnny Flynn, the former number 6 overall pick. We feel that him being out of the triangle and being a back up now, he will dominate. He can run and gun with our team which suits him best. Flynn is gonna love learning from Silas as well. We love Johnny as our back up 1, and are extremly excited to have him.

At the 2 we have the very versitile hard nosed George Hill. We love him here. He can defend just about any PG / SG in the league. Weve watched him time after time get in Kobe's head and defend him very well. ANd if anyone is weary about him starting at the 2 can shut it. If JJ Barea's baby ass can start at the 2 and win a championship going up against Wade, we are pretty sure George can hold his own as well.

Backing up both Hill and Iggy is the Ultimate role player. You can ask any Kings fan out there. This guy is great. He can do everything as far as role playing. He can defend solidly at the 2/3 spots. He can hit the open three, and he can hit the open man. Hes always been stuck on a "rebuilding" kings team. Just ask Shawn Marion / Tayshaun Prince / ect about role players being on good teams. THey trive.

At Small Foward we feature Iguodola. He is one of the best most underated wings in the game. He has lock down defense and the abilility to handle the ball. He can play point foward at times as well (check assists) Iggy happens to be one of my favorite players as well.

Josh Smith is considered by most a franchise player. I feel that with our team, he fits us perfectly. Great shot blocking, and great defense. Check this guys 3 point percentage and shooting as well. He improves every year. With great defenders around him, its only gonna make him better. With him at PF, its a mismatch on most nights as well ofensively.

That brings me to Mr. Dejuan Blair. Not to many people value this 21 year old as much as i do, but thats fine. In Charlotte, we LOVE his game. He hustle and rebounds hard. He is slightly undersized but we do not mind it as he is comming of the bench with us. He started at Center on the best team in the west all year, so were pretty sure with him coming of the bench at his natural position, he will play great. I cant express how much this kid will thrive in this spot.

Center is a complete upgrade from what we started with. Diaw / Diop just didnt cut it at center at all for the Bobcats. Kendrick Perkins is exactly what the doctor ordered. The toughest hard nosed rugged, just flat out mean player in the league. He will rebound very well and defend any center in the league. Hes just plain scary.

Backing him up is the all hustle ROnny Turiaf. I as a Lakers fan never wanted to see him go. We needed him much more then anyone else. Hes the perfect 4th big getting about 15 - 20 mins a night. We cant explain how nice it is to have 4 reliable big men.

OVERALL:

I feel I did the best overall job in this leauge this time around. Sure people have way better teams. Sure people have way younger teams with more potential. That's not the point of these games. I did the most with the least. IF I'M NOT VOTED IN THE TOP 3 MINIMUM FOR BEST OVERALL there is something wrong with the voting. I've talked to many former and current GM's and they all agree. I easily did the best job for what I started with. My team can compete with any team in the game night in and night out. We have what it takes to win championships = defense. Vote the Charlotte Bobcats for best overall job, because it is what it is. Thanks.