GM a Team: Team Write-Ups

[skorff26]

Every team needs to post a write-up so that your team can be judged. You will get until Tuesday, March 24 to complete any trades and Wednesday, March 25 to complete your write-up; if you're write-up is not done in time, you will lose some points in the judging.

Also, players will be judged on three criteria, how you have improved your team for the present, how you have improved your team for the future, and how well you did as a GM in general.

Every write-up should include
1) salaries of all players for next year and any future years
2) your draft pick credits and debits until 2013
3) your teams depth chart with minutes
4) your teams transactions
5) an explanation on what direction you wanted to go, include reasons that you made any big trades, and if you switch directions half way through the game explain why.
6) Your teams goals for the 2009-2010 season
7) Explain how your team is better off in the present compared to when you took over. Some teams (like Charlotte) might not have much to say here, but if you think you have improved your team considerably from where it was explain why
8) Explain how your team is better off in the future compared to when you took over. Give some explanations why, and your teams goals in the next couple of years.

Good luck writing your write-ups.

-If you have any suggestions, complaints, or comments; e-mail me them at skorf26@yahoo.com

[roc]

Email - rocdogg05@yahoo.com

Salaries:

Player --------------- 2009/2010 --- 2010/2011 -- 2011/2012 -- 2012/2013 - 13/14 -- 14/15

Al Harrington...... $10,026,875
Mark Blount........ $7,967,375
Brian Cardinal..... $6,750,000
Earl Watson........ $6,600,000
Amir Johnson...... $3,666,667
Andrew Bynum..... $14,000,000 -- $15,400,000 - $16,800,000 -$18.2mil- $19.6mil - $21.2mil
Jordan Hill.......... $3,269,160 --- $3,514,320 --- $3,759,480
Thaddeus Young... $2,105,400 --- $2,901,940 --- $3,992,108
Rodney Stuckey.... $1,805,040 --- $2,767,126 --- $3,868,443
Rudy Fernandez.... $1,165,320 --- $1,246,680 --- $2,180,443 - $3,187,808
Nicolas Batum...... $1,118,760 --- $1,196,760 --- $2,115,365 - $3,166,231
Walter Sharpe...... $736,420
Anthony Morrow.... $736,420
Sergio Llull.......... $457,588 ------ $883,704

Mikki Moore........ $2,000,000 (WAIVED)
Mark Madsen....... $2,840,000 (WAIVED)

Total Salaries....... $61,775,725 - $31,479,140
Total w/o options.. $60,781,717 - $18,914,320

Team Option - Player Option - Qualifying offer - Early termination - Unguaranteed

Assets:
Rights to Deron Washington
Rights to Trent Plaisted

Draft Picks:
2010 1st to Milwaukee, 2010 2nd to Dallas, 2011 1st to Portland

Transactions:

Trade .1: Sheed/Billups/Maxiell for Beasley/Haslem/Wright/Cook/Blount
Trade .2: Rip/Tay/Herrmann for Bogut/Ridnour/Gadzuric
Trade .3: Dice/Cook for Watson/Swift
Trade .4: Kwame/Ridnour/Gadzuric/Afflalo for Cardinal/Collins/Madsen/Carney
Trade .5: Beasley/Samb for Bynum/Bonner
Trade .6: Bogut/Bonner/Toronto 09 2nd for Butler/Young
Trade .7: Butler/Haslem/Young for Thad/Rudy/Harrington/George
Trade .8: Wright/2011 1st/2009 2nd/2010 2nd for Batum/Tucker
Trade .9: Tucker for Jackson/Detroit 2010 2nd
Trade 10: Collins for Moore/Cleveland 09 2nd
Trade 11: #6/#60/2010 2nd/Toronto 2011 2nd for Jordan Hill

Rotation:
Stuckey(36)/Watson(12)/Llull
Rudy(30)/Morrow(18)
Thad(30)/Batum(18)
Amir(16)/Hill(26)/Thad(6)
Bynum(34)/Amir(14)

Team Direction: This team is built with an eye towards the future. We wanted players that could play good as a unit on both sides of the floor. Defense will be our calling card with points being scored off fast breaks as well as being able to operate in the half court. We have players that will be able to stretch the floor with outside shooting as well as being able to slash to the rim. Size is also an asset at all positions. I expect this team to be making a strong playoff run by 2011 and sustain and improve year after year just like the previous group managed to do. The ultimate goal will be the title and with the right moves going forward as well as the right coach(Laimbeer) for the job it could be a very real possibility.

Team Goals for 09/10: Playoffs would be nice but the main goal is to develop the young core as well as continuity. We will be working towards the goal of developing a winning culture and instill belief in our youngsters to work together towards a common goal. We do have an eye on the 2010 FA market with D Wade being the ultimate goal. We feel that it is quite likely he will leave Chicago and have put together a team specifically meant to entice him and we have the funds to offer a max deal. If that doesn't work then Joe Johnson will be target number 2. We feel he is sure to leave Miami after wht they pulled last season by leaving Billups off the roster and trying to sabotage their season by benching all the other staters, JJ included.

Team comparison to original: Based on how Detroit has dropped off dramatically this year it seems the right decision was made and at the right time. Know when to hold em, know when to fold em. We managed to shave around $18 million off of the 08/09 salary and get under the salary cap in the process. We brought in great young players at every position as well as some nice depth. We will not have any picks in 2010 but that was by design. The goal was to get as far under the cap as possible while retaining the players we deemed needed for our future. 2011's 1st is also gone but it should be fairly low in the draft if we can get the players we want to add via FA in 2010. A new era of DETROIT BASKETBALL is dawning.

Team Future: IF we manage to get Wade or JJ the future will be very bright indeed. We have all the complimentary pieces in place, we just need that superstar to be the cherry on top of an extremely promising rebuild. If we fail to get who we want we could still do very well if we follow the path of our predecessors and make a strong commitment to working together as a TEAM. Either way we feel the future is very bright.

[skorff26]

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

Salaries
PG Ricky Rubio (4,458,840) (4,793,280) (5,127,720 TO) (6,466,055 TO) (8,405,871 QO)
SG/SF Corey Brewer (2,916,120) (3,703,472 TO) (4,966,356 QO)
SF/PF Joe Alexander (2,583,360) (2,763,600 TO) (3,515,299 TO) (4,738,623 QO)
C Hasheem Thabeet (2,168,520) (2,331,120) (2,493,720 TO) (3,179,493 TO) (4,330,469 QO)
PF Cole Aldrich (1,859,160) (1,998,600) (2,138,040 TO)) (3,055,259 TO) (4,225,423 QO)
PF/C Donatas Motiejunas (1,438,680) (1,546,560) (1,654,440 TO) (2,544,529 TO) (3,610,686 QO)
C Alexis Ajinca (1,372,080) (1,467,840 TO) (2,263,409 TO) (3,243,465 QO)
PG Darren Collision (1,266,120) (1,361,040) (1,455,960 TO) (2,319,344 TO) (3,342,175 QO)
PF DJ White (1,036,440) (1,108,680 TO) (2,001,167 TO) (3,001,751 QO)
SG Kyle Weaver (870,968) (935,484) (1,000,000 TO)
PF/C Saer Sene (825,497)
SF James Johnson (457,588) (736,420 TO)
SG Dionte Christmas (457,588) (736,420 TO)
SF/PF Tyler Smith (457,588) (736,420 TO)
PG Tyrese Rice (457,588) (736,420 unguaranteed)

Still Being Paid, but not on roster
SF Matt Harping (6,500,000)
PG Speedy Claxton (5,209,454)
PF/C Steven Hunter (3,862,600)
PF/C Francisco Oberto (3,800,000)
SF Damien Wilkins (3,300,000)
PF Malik Allen (1,300,000)
PG Chucky Atkins (760,000)

Draft Picks
Charlotte's Own Picks: 2010 1st, 2011 1st, 2012 1st, 2012 2nd, 2013 1st
Credits: Den 2010 1st, Orlando 2010 1st, NY 2011 1st rounder (lotto protected 2011, top 10 2012, top 5 2013 and 2014, unprotected 2015), Cleveland 2013 1st
Debits: 2010 2nd, 2011 2nd

Depth Chart
-I did mine a little bit different since I want all 15 of my players to get some playing time in so that the players get some experience and can be evaluated, so I've decided to have 2 different depth charts (my team would re-evaluate how different players have performed about every 16 games and adjust the rotation accordingly)
Odd-Numbered games
Rubio 36/Collision 8/Rice 4
Brewer 30/Weaver 10/Rice 8
Alexander 24/Smith 12/White 6/Brewer 6
Motienjunas 30/Aldrich 12/White 6
Ajinca 32/Thabeet 16
-inactive: sene, christmas, johnson

Even-Numbered games
Rubio 24/Collision 24
Brewer 20/Weaver 16/Christmas 12
Alexander 32/Johnson 16
Aldrich 32/Motiejunas 10/Ajinca 6
Thabeet 34/Sene 14
-inactive: rice, smith, white

Transactions
[size=85]1. with NY out felton, nazr, davidson in duhon, collins, lee
2. with Orlando out duhon in foyle, wilks, redick
3. waive shannon brown and his unguaranteed contract
4. with Denver out lee, carroll, 09 2nd through lower picks in atkins, hunter, return of 09 1st
5. waive Mike Wilks (picked up by Houston)
6. with GS out may, 10 2nd for Crittenton, fesenko
7. with denver out JRich, Collins for Daniels, Rose, 09 1st GS, 10 Den 1st
8. waive Ryan Hollins (picked up by Golden State)
9. with dallas out morrison in balkman, jones
10. with orlando out redick, fesenko, crit, jones in lee, swift
11. with phoenix out wallace, okafor, 11 2nd, foyle in lopez, bayless, thomas, gooden, 09 chi 1st, 09 pho 1st
12. with dallas out thomas in battie, 10 houston 2nd
13. with MN out augustin in brewer, rights to pekovic
14. with dallas out dudley in crittenton, chi 09 2nd, 09 2nd (2nd best of Mia, Ind, or Phi)
15. sign Derrick Byars
16. with dallas out gooden in m. daniels
17. with phoenix out crit in dragic, orl 2010 1st
18. with orlando out daniels in claxton, 2010 ind 2nd
19. with portland out m. daniels, balkman, byars In mccants, diogu, tucker
20. release Chucky Atkins and his unguaranteed 2010 contract
21. with dallas out lee, rights pekovic for alexander, #60, det 2010 2nd
22. with grizz out battie in wilkins, allen
23. with dallas out det 2010 2nd in #54
24. with OKC out houston 2010 2nd, #54 in Weaver
25. release hunter, claxton, allen, wilkins
26. out top 55 protected in 2010 2nd in darko ,white
27. out milicic, dragic, tucker in 2013 cle 1st, harping, roberson, kurz, jackson
28. waive kurz, roberson, jackson, harping
29. signed sene
30. traded 2010 ind, Lopez for NY 2011 1st rounder (lotto protected 2011, top 10 2012, top 5 2013 and 2014, unprotected 2015, oberto
31. release oberto
32. out bayless in aldrich, adams
33. release adams
34. sign Rice

Team Direction
When I took over as GM, Charlotte looked like they had a solid roster, but they weren't playing well. I saw my team and realized that this is the team that we would have for the next couple of years because of the long contracts; and I realized that we could maybe end up being a borderline playoff team at best; thus I decided to rebuild.
I wanted to move the longer contracts of Matt Carroll and Nazr for expirings or 2010 expirings. Also, I felt that Jason Richardson wasn't fitting in that well, and I thought that it would be worthwhile to move his long contract. Also, I wanted to move Felton for some value since I didn't think he was a long-term solution at PG.
A few trades that were crucial for my team's development.
Trade #1; I moved Nazr's long-term deal and Felton for some value in a nice player in Lee (before he started tearing it up, I wish I would have kept him), a 2010 expiring who had some value in duhon, and a prospect in collins. Not only did I get a superior prospect IMO; but I was also able to shave a year off of Nazr's deal.
Trade #7; I moved JRich, Mardy Collins for what ended up being #10 overall, denver 2010 1st, expiring contract of Rose and 2010 expiring in antonio daniels. I was very happy with this deal (even though a few people thought it should be vetoed) since not only was I able to move JRich for 2010 cap space; but I also got 2 1sts, and one of the GS(#10 overall Thabeet) I thought I could get a pretty good player at and I ended up with Thabeet.
Trade #11; I traded okafor, G. Wallace, 2011 2nd, foyle for r. lopez, bayless, t. thomas, gooden, 09 chi 1st, 09 pho 1st; this was the trade that pushed my team into complete rebuild. I was planning on keeping okafor and maybe even Wallace, but I realized that with them on my team I couldn't make a big splash in 2010. I was only thinking of moving one of them, but when this deal came along, I decided to trade both. I was a really big fan of lopez and bayless, and I thought that they would really step it up later in the year (but they didn't meet my expectations); but I still think it's a fairly even trade since I got the cap space which could be very valuable and 2 1st round picks (I thought that Chicago's may have ended up higher than it did) where I got a solid player in Collision, and a player who has a lot of potential in Motienjunas and could be a very solid NBA player one day.
-Most of my other moves revolved around me acquiring picks and young talent that I thought were upgrades.

Team Goals for 2009-2010
My main goal is to develop my young players and to see how solid my team is. We are giving minutes to everybody this way we can make a decision going into next year if they will still be with us or not. We will also closely watch and see if any stars develop on our team since with 3 1st rounders including one that will be pretty high (Charlotte's pick) we would like to find out where we need an upgrade at the starting position. Also, we are likely to use our cap space next year if our players develop and would like to target a position of need.
Also, I wanted a solid defensive team. Rubio is a pretty good defender from what I've heard, Brewer is a good defender, Collision is a good defender, weaver's an above average defender, thabeet is a good defender, a lot of my other picks are above average defensive players; and we feel that in a couple of years, our team will be one of the best defensive units in the NBA.

My team in the present compared to when I took over
My team has less developed talent than when I started. We don't have the solid role players that Charlotte did have, and most of our players have question marks as to how good they would be. Our team is built for the future, while the team that Charlotte did have was built a lot more for the present (and they weren't going anywhere).

My team's future compared to when I started
My team has a lot better future outlook than the team that I started with. The team that I started with had one good prospect in Augustin. They had quite a few solid players that were still fairly young, but no one who would be their star player. They also had a lot of committed salary in the future. My team has very little committed salary for 2009-2010, and we will have a ton of cap space for the 2010 free agency period. Also, we have a lot of good prospects.
Rubio - one of the best players in Europe, and is only 18 years old; and he can compete with the best the NBA has to offer (look at the Olympics)
Corey Brewer - before he got hurt this year, he had picked up his game. he isn't counted on to score just to be a defensive stopper
Joe Alexander - has a ton of potential, just needs time to develop
Thabeet - could easily become a defensive force down low
Motienjunas and Ajinca - a couple of European bigs who have a ton of potential
Aldrich - from what I've seen, will develop into a solid big in the NBA
Collision and Weaver - will be solid bench rotation players
Sene - still lots of potential and he's only 22
White, Christmas, Johnson, Smith, Rice - I feel could all develop into solid role-players if given the chance.

Goals for 2009-2010: Develop my young players
Goals for 2010-2011: If my team has shown promise, we will use our cap space to go after an all-star caliber player to be our leader; if we still have a long way to go, we would then trade our cap space for 2011 expirings and draft picks and re-evaluate after next season

Where I envision my team 5 years down the line
Ricky Rubio will be a top 5 PG in the NBA and will be running our offense. Corey Brewer has a role similar to Bruce Bowen's as the defensive stopper. Joe Alexander is giving us solid minutes at SF where he scores a little and plays solid defense. Thabeet is our team's defensive leader and averages 12 and 12 for us. One of Motiejunas or Ajinca has developed into a very good player who can score and play D. We have signed a free agent who is consistently an all-star. Aldrich is giving us quality minutes in our frontcourt. Collision is one of the best backup PG's in the league. Weaver is a solid bench player that can fill in at multiple positions when needed. We have another quality player from the 2010 draft playing for our team. And one of Sene, White, Smith, Johnson, Rice, Christmas have developed into a top 8 player who gets consistent minutes.

[skorff26]

We have always ended it in the offseason after the 1st season, but I'll post a question to see if we should continue on.

[skflives]

WTF? We haven't even done 2010 FA yet. That is one of the big goals many of the teams were shooting for.

WTF? Why? Hasn't this game gone on long enough. I don't even remember when we started. There is a reason why myself and Bcortell have had to take on second teams. This thing has dragged on for so long that people get bored. How much trading can ya do? Lets get some resolution already.

[MJallday59]

I think we need to tweak the judging criteria.

1. The best win now teams from 1-10
2. The best teams for the future
3. The team that did the best job re-tooling

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

I think it should all be one category. The best changes to a team.

There no way a team like the Knicks could compete with a team like the Blazers. I think it should all come down to the GM who made the best turn around, whether it be for now or the future, the GM who made the biggest change to his team.

[deNIEd]

What's the lux tax figure

[skorff26]

What's the lux tax figure

It's going to be set at

I got this from: 2008-2009 luxury tax(71.15 million)/2008-2009 salary cap (58.68 million) = 121.25%

121.25% x 61.9million = 75,054,276 million.

[SamBone]

What's the lux tax figure

It's going to be set at

I got this from: 2008-2009 luxury tax(71.15 million)/2008-2009 salary cap (58.68 million) = 121.25%

121.25% x 61.9million = 75,054,276 million.

Does this mean that if you are over the cap, but under $75 mil you don not have to pay the tax?

[skorff26]

What's the lux tax figure

It's going to be set at

I got this from: 2008-2009 luxury tax(71.15 million)/2008-2009 salary cap (58.68 million) = 121.25%

121.25% x 61.9million = 75,054,276 million.

Does this mean that if you are over the cap, but under $75 mil you don not have to pay the tax?

Yes, if your team's salary is under 75 million than you won't pay the luxury tax.

[babyjax13]

Ramon Sessions $8,000,000 $7,200,000
Toni Battie $6,292,000 N/A
O.J. Mayo $4,165,560 $4,456,200
Roger Mason $3,780,000 N/A
Marc Gasol $3,240,000 $3,480,000
Rudy Gay $3,280,997 $4,422,784
Jarvis Hayes $2,062,800 (Team Option) N/A
Travis Diener $1,740,000 (Player Option) N/A
Hamed Haddadi $1,627,779 $1,600,000
Ian Mahinmi $899,700 $1,623,959 (Team option)
Greg Monroe $4,171,000 $4,304,400
Earl Clark $2,284,000 $2,453,880
Mikki Moore $2,000,000 $2,000,000
Ronnie Price $2,500,000 $2,500,000

Total (with options): $46,043,836

Roster Before:
Marc Gasol 28/Darko Milicic 20
Darell Arthur 20/Hakim Warrick 28
Rudy Gay 38/Greg Buckner 10
OJ Mayo 38/Marko Jaric 5/Javaris Crittenton 5
Mike Conley 28/Kyle Lowry 20

Roster Now:
Marc Gasol 30/ Tony Battie 8/ Mikki Moore 10
Greg Monroe 28/ Earl Clark 20
Rudy Gay 32/ Roger Mason 10/Jarvis Hayes 6
OJ Mayo 32/Roger Mason 10/Ronnie Price 6
Ramon Sessions 30/Travis Diener 12/Ronnie Price 6

Team Goals:

-Get a shooter for the bench (x-completed)
-Get a real power forward that won't get pushed around so much (x-mostly completed)
-Get a point guard that fits the players around him or choose one of my point guards to move forward with. (x-completed)
-Improve the bench with solid players (x-completed)
-Make the team more balanced with young players that can already help the team, project players, and solid veterans. (x-completed)

The core of the Grizzlies team that I got was already pretty good with Mayo/Gay/Gasol, so I made the decision to attempt to build around them. To me it looked like the bench needed some major upgrades, and especially some shooters. To begin to achieve this goal I traded away Darell Arthur, Marko Jaric, Darko Milicic, Javaris Crittenton, and Greg Buckner for Roger Mason, Chris Wilcox, Damien Wilkens and Johan Petro. Part of these trades were to rid me of the salaries of Milicic and Jaric, but I was also able to get a power forward that would help me in the short term, a solid center, and one of the best shooters in the nba to strengthen my bench. Later on I was able to trade Wilkens and a player acquired in another trade for Tony Battie--then in free agancy I also added Mikki Moore, Jarvis Hayes and Ronnie Price to my bench.

In my biggest trade of the game I sent out Mike Conley, Chris Wilcox, Hakim Warrick, and some future picks for Ramon Sessions, the third pick in the draft (Greg Monroe), and some expirings. Warrick and Petro were not in my future plans, so really it was more of a Conley for Sessions and the third pick from my point of view--not bad at all.

Why my team is better now--

Looking at the depth chart it becomes pretty obvious that the new Grizzlies are much better than the old Grizzlies.

Center: Marc Gasol/ Darko Milicic vs. Marc Gasol/ Tony Battie/ Mikki Moore

Milicic is a decent player, but he really did not fit in with the Grizzlies. He is a cancer player, and a soft rebounder. Moore and Battie are both savvy vets that will grab those loose rebounds and provide offense when needed.

Power Forward: Darell Arthur/Hakim Warrick vs. Greg Monroe/Earl Clark

Monroe is clearly a better prospect than Arthur. He has a great touch within 18 feet to the basket, runs the floor, makes great passes, and is a decent defender to boot. Clark is in the same mold as Warrick but with a bit more height, and a lot more length which makes him a better fit at the power forward.

Small Forward: Gay/Buckner vs. Gay/Mason/Hayes

Really this comes down to who you would rather have backing up Gay. Do you want a top five three point shooter and a great hustle-fundementals player, or a very,very old and broken small forward with four million due for the 2009 year (1 million less than Mason-Hayes)?

Shooting Gaurd: Mayo/Jaric/Crittenton vs. Mayo/Mason/Price

Again it comes down to the backups. For 8 million you can have an old washed-up player that never was much good, and a young player with no real skill-set other than athleticism; or you can have one of the best 3-point shooters in the nba and absolutely the most athletic 6-2 guy in the league that can actually run an offense and hit free-throws--all for under 6 million.

Point Gaurd: Conley/Lowry vs. Sessions/Price/Diener

This is about the only position where the backups are not the main story, but rather the starters. Sessions and Conley both took over their teams in February, Conley averaged 14p 5r and 4a, Sessions averaged 18p 4r and 7a, as well as established himself as one of the best point guards in the east.

But the backups also do factor into this discussion, Price plays at about the same level as Lowry did, and Diener adds a three point shooter from the one that Memphis never had before. Both are good change ups from Sessions and will help the Grizzlies significantly.

The Future:

Looks pretty bright for the Memphis team. Most of my core players are extremely young, and have not reached their full potential yet.

Player/Age
Earl Clark 21
Greg Monroe 18
OJ Mayo 21
Rudy Gay 22
Marc Gasol 23
Ramon Sessions 22
Ronnie Price 25
Roger Mason 28
Ian Mahimni 22
Hamed Haddadi 23

A lot of these players are already pretty far along in their development and it is scary to imagine how good they could be, most notably Gay, Mayo, and Sessions. Others are already showing flashes of what they could be--Price who was starting for Utah at the beginning of the season is an excellent athlete and a good change of pace player, in the last 5 games Marc Gasol has averaged 19p and 9r (as of March 14th). There are others in my lineup that are being developed for specific roles. Eventually one of Haddadi or Mahimni will become the backup to Gasol, Clark will backup Monroe and Gay in the future, and Monroe who at 18 is already 6-11 240 pounds, is the future for my team at power forward.

I also will have a lot of cap space in 2010 that I can choose to use with Mason, Hayes, Deiner, and Battie coming off the books (about 13 million in expiring contracts) plus the 10 million in cap space I have now. This way, if it looks like one of my players is not going to work out I can throw the max at one of the many 2010 free agents, most notably for this team Lebron and Bosh.

Draft Picks:
09 LAC 1st -- #3 Greg Monroe (unprotected)

Monroe to me looks to me in the mold of David West and Chris Webber (West's scoring game and Webber's passing and ball handling). He has a great touch on his jumper, and is most effective within 15 feet of the basket (although he has proven he can hit the college three consistently). The knock on him has always been that he is not the best rebounder, but he has started to shake that label at Georgetown, almost averaging a double-double in his Freshman Season. He is a lot less raw than most 18 year olds that come into the nba, and he already has an "NBA body", he is 6-11 240.

09 MEM 1st -- #9 Earl Clark (unprotected)

Looks like a larger version of Danny Granger. He is much longer, and a bit taller though which fits him well at the power forward position. He has been stellar at times during college, and bad at other times--in a lot of ways the way his college career is going reminds me of Rudy Gay, and we know how well he has turned out...

10 MEM 1st
10 DET 2nd
11 MEM 1st
11 MEM 2nd
12 MEM 1st
12 MEM 2nd


Transactions:

1) Thunder trade/Grizzlies receive:
Chris Wilcox -- $6,750,000
Damien Wilkins -- $3,100,000
Johan Petro -- $1,939,893
Total: $11,789,9838 x 1.25= $14,737,366 +$100,000= $14,837,366

Grizzlies trade/ Thunder receive:
Darko Milicic -- $7,020,000
Marko Jaric -- $6,575,000
Darrell Arthur -- $977,160
Total: $14,572,160

This first trade was just an effort to rid myself of two bad contracts for some players that would be able to get me some value later in the game. To me Arthur does not look like a player that will be a starting power forward, so I thought the risk of trading him was low. Petro is a young prospect who might or might not have been a good addition to my team, in the end though he just ended up being part of another trade.

2) Spurs trade/Grizzlies receive
Ian Mahinmi -- $841,000
Roger Mason -- $3,500,000
2009 Houston 2nd
Total: $4,341,000 * 1.25 = $5,426,250 + $100,000 = $5,526,250

Grizzlies trade/Spurs recieve:
Javaris Crittenton -- $1,381,560
Greg Buckner -- $4,010,005
Total: $5,391,565

Crittenton is not a very good player at all, just an athelete trying to fit the mold of a basketball player. I knew to begin the season that Mason would be the solution to the Grizzlies three-point shooting woes, but I did not know exactly how good he would be (of course it has been shown that he is fantastic). I was banking on Mahimni to be a good replacement for Arthur, but he unfortunately has not played this year so I do not know if I achieved that goal or not.

3) Bucks Trade/Grizzlies Receive:
Francisco Elson -- $1,700,000
Adrian Griffin -- $1,711,000
Damon Jones -- $4,460,186
Ramon Sessions -- $722,517
Jason Hart -- $2,400,000
Malik Allen -- $1,300,000
Clippers' 2009 1st
Total: $12,641,924 x 1.25 = $15,802,405

Grizzlies Trade/Bucks Receive:
Chris Wilcox -- $6,750,000
Mike Conley -- $3,630,480
Hakim Warrick -- $2,119,102
Johan Petro -- $1,939,893
2009 Houston 2nd
2010 Los Angeles Lakers 1st
Total: $14,439,475

This was the big trade that pretty much shaped the future of the franchise. Since Ridnour went down Sessions has been good for about 17 and 8 per game, and has become the center piece of the Milwaukee offense without Redd. Conley has been good since the departure of Iavoroni, but I feel that Sessions will be a much better player, and his size matches him better with Mayo on defense. The other big thing I received was the first that turned into Greg Monroe, a player that I believe will become one of the better power forwards in the nba. I felt that the rest of the pieces in the trade were inconsequential, I traded expiring players I did not intend to bring back, for other players I did not think I would bring back.

4) The Grizzlies pickup Jarvis Hayes

5) The Grizzlies release Adrian Griffin

6) The Grizzlies terminate Antoine Walker's ungaurenteed contract; The Grizzles also announce that Damon Jones, and Jason Hart will not be receiving contract offers to play for us next year.

7) Grizzlies trade/Bobcats receive:
G/F Damien Wilkins -- $3,300,000
PF Malik Allen -- $1,300,000
Total: $4,600,000

Bobcats trade/Grizzlies receive:
PF/C Tony Battie -- $6,292,000
Total: 6,292,000

I feel that this was one of the better trades that I was able to make. Battie has been solid all his career, and is on a large expiring contract for the 2010 season so he is good potential trade-bate, or else an excellent role player on a bloated one year contract—fine with me.

8) Pacers send/Grizzlies receive:
Travis Diener -- $1,740,000

Grizzlies send/Pacers receive:
Francisco Elson -- $1,700,000

A very minor trade to get rid of one of my centers and get an excellent 3rd string point guard that shoots 40% from three.

9) Memphis resigns Ramon Sessions
Year 1: $8,000,000
Year 2: $7,200,000
Year 3: $6,480,000
Year 4: $7,200,000
Year 5: $6,480,000 (Player Option)

I have already explained how much I like Sessions, but I think the contract I signed him to is one of the steals of the game. I expected him to get somewhere about 9 million per year, but I was able to save about seven million off of what I expected him to get.

10) Memphis signs Ronnie Price
Year 1: $2,500,000
Year 2: $2,500,000

I plan on trading Lowry, and I felt that Price was the best backup point guard available. He was excellent for the Jazz without Deron, although I might have been able to get him for less.

11) Memphis signs Mikki Moore
Year 1: $2,000,000
Year 2: $2,000,000

Moore is another one of those excellent role players that you just love to have on your team. If Monroe or Clark are not playing well he can step in and take the slack, and if Battie is traded he will have an even bigger role.

12) Grizzlies trade/Mavericks receive:
Kyle Lowry -- $2,034,996

Mavericks trade/Grizzlies receive:
Protections off of Memphis 1st
2010 DET 2nd

Lowry was not in our long term plans, but our pick was so getting the protection off it was worth getting rid of Kyle, and the 2010 DET 2nd was icing on the cake.

[Gremz]

DALLAS MAVERICKS


General Manager: Gremz
Email: elfgremlin@hotmail.com
AIM: elfgremlin
MSN: elfgremlin@hotmail.com

Depth Chart

Starting Line Up
......PG........SG.........SF............PF............C.....

....Rose.....Gordon......Aminu......Martin.......Noah
Second String

...Lowry.......Lee.......Dudley.....Blatche.....Hibbert
Pine Patrol

....Mills..Crittendon...Wright.....Gomes.......McGee

Rose (30)/Lowry (10)/Mills (8)
Gordon (30)/Lee (16)/Crittendon (2)
Aminu (28)/Dudley (12)/Gomes (8)
Martin (16)/Blatche (24)/Gomes (8)
Noah (16)/Hibbert (16)/McGee (16)

Assets

Reyshawn Terry (44th pick, 2007)
Reinaldas Seibutis (50th pick, 2007)
Nikola Pekovic (31st pick, 2008)
Omar Asik (36th pick, 2008)
Shan Foster (51st pick, 2008)
Omri Casspi (33rd pick, 2009)

TPE worth $5,879,898 (acquired in DEN/MIL/DAL deal)
TPE worth $3,300,000 (acquired in DAL/PHX deal)
TPE worth $700,000 (acquired in follow up DAL/PHX trade)

Salaries

Kenyon Martin- $15,613,636, $16,545,454
Derrick Rose- $5,184,480, $5,546,160, $6,993,708, $9,091,820
Ryan Gomes- $4,017,500, $4,385,000, $4,752,500, $5,120,000
Andray Blatche- $3,000,000, $3,260,331, $3,520,661
Eric Gordon- $2,819,880, $3,016,680, $3,831,184, $5,137,617
Dorrell Wright- $2,887,165
Joakim Noah- $2,445,680, $3,128,536, $4,239,167
Kyle Lowry- $2,034,996, $2,975,164
Al-Farouq Aminu- $1,716,700, $1,845,400, $1,974,200, $2,619,763, $3,586,456
JaVale McGee- $1,496,640, $1,601,040, $2,462,400, $3,494,145
Javaris Crittendon- $1,477,920, $2,275,997, $3,245,571
Roy Hibbert- $1,312,800, $1,404,400, $2,157,160, $3,045,910
Jared Dudley- $1,307,640, $2,151,068, $3,114,746
Courtney Lee- $1,264,440, $1,352,640, $2,225,093, $3,221,934
Patrick Mills- $1,144,900, $1,230,700, $1,316,600, $2,027,564, $2,891,306

Blue- Team Option
Red- Qualifying Offer
Orange- Unguaranteed
Green- Player Option
Purple- Early Termination

Salaries Not On Roster
Devean George- $1,600,000
Richard Hendrix- $736,420

Total Salaries
2010- $50,097,217
2011- $6,336,431 (Guaranteed) $52,427,348 (Total Salaries)
2012- $3,520,661 (Guaranteed) $37,796,668 (Total Salaries)

Draft Picks

2010 DET 1st Round Pick
2010 PHI 1st Round Pick (top 9 protected)
2010 TOR 2nd Round Pick
2010 NJN 2nd Round Pick

2011 DAL 1st Round Pick
2011 CLE 1st Round Pick
2011 PHX 1st Round Pick (top 5 protected)
2011 GSW 1st Round Pick (top 14 protected in the 2011 Draft, top 11 protected in 2012, and top 10 protected in the 2013 Draft. However, if Dallas has not yet received this first round pick by the 2013 draft, then Dallas shall instead receive: (i) Golden State's own 2013 2nd round pick and (ii) Golden State's own 2015 2nd round pick.

2012 DAL 1st Round Pick
2012 DAL 2nd Round Pick
2012 LAC 2nd Round Pick


Transactions

1. Dallas trades Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Eric Dampier to Cleveland for Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Wally Szczerbiak, JJ Hickson, 2010 CLE 1st Round pick, 2012 CLE 2nd Round pick.
Dallas waives Keith McLeod.
2. Dallas trades Dirk Nowitzki, Brandan Bass, DAL 2010 2nd Round pick to Chicago for Derrick Rose, Drew Gooden, Stromile Swift, CHI 2009 1st Round pick (unprotected).
Dallas waives James Singleton.
3. Dallas trade Josh Howard to Atlanta for Mike Dunleavy Jr, Roy Hibbert and a 2009 1st round draft pick (unprotected).
Dallas waives Gerald Green.
4. Dallas trades Roy Hibbert and Cleveland's 2012 2nd round pick to Philly for Marreese Speights.
5. Dallas trades Mikey Dunleavy Jr, Antoine Wright, JJ Hickson and CLE 2010 1st Round pick to Clippers for Cuttino Mobley, Eric Gordon, Minnesota 2009 1st round pick and 2012 LAC 2nd Round pick.
6. Dallas trades Mo Williams, Jose Barea and Zydrunas Ilgaukas to Atlanta for Mike Bibby, Randolph Morris, Thomas Gardner and HOU 2010 1st Round pick.
7. Dallas trades Mike Bibby, Stromile Swift, Devean George, Randolph Morris, 2010 HOU 1st Round pick to Orlando for Chris Duhon, Renaldo Balkman, Channing Frye and Raef LaFrentz.
Dallas waives Keith McLeod, Dallas picks up Sean Singletary.
Dallas waives Thomas Gardner, Dallas picks up Dahntay Jones.
8. Dallas trades Renaldo Balkman, Eddie Jones to Charlotte for Adam Morrison.
Dallas waives Dahntay Jones.
9. Dallas trades Drew Gooden, CHI 2009 1st to Pheonix for Martell Webster, Brian Cook.
10. Dallas trades DeSagana Diop, Sean Singletary, MIN 09 1st (with protections), DAL 11 2nd to Chicago for Joakim Noah, Cedric Simmons, Demetris Nichols and rights to Omer Asik.
Dallas waives Demetris Nichols, Dallas picks up Sean Singletary.
11. Dallas trades Martell Webster, Channing Frye to New Jersey for Josh Boone, Sean Williams and a TE worth $3,771,133.
12. In a three way deal Dallas sends Brian Cook to MIN, and Sean Singletary, Wally Szczerbiak and Cedric Simmons to ORL for Luke Ridnour, Tony Battie, Rashard McCants and Eddie Jones.
13. In a three way deal Dallas sends Chris Duhon to DEN for Nazr Mohammed and three 2nd round draft selections.
Dallas waives Eddie Jones, Dallas picks up Sean Singletary.
14. Dallas trades Tony Battie and HOU 2010 2nd Round pick to Charlotte for Tim Thomas.
15. Dallas trades Jerry Stackhouse, Nazr Mohammed and Sean Williams to S.A. for Lamar Odom.
16. Dallas trades Lamar Odom to Orlando for Udonis Haslem, Marquis Daniels, Javaris Crittendon and ORL 2012 1st Round pick.
17. Dallas trades Rashard McCants and Sean Singletary to Portland for Shawne Williams, Sergio Rodriguez, DET 2009 2nd Round pick and NYK 2009 2nd Round Pick.
18. Dallas trades Javaris Crittendon and two 2nd Round picks to Charlotte for Jared Dudley
19. Dallas trades Udonis Haslem to Atlanta for Brendan Haywood.
20. Dallas trades Brendan Haywood, Shawne Williams and Josh Boone to Chicago for Mike Miller, Aaron Gray and MIA's 2009 1st Round Pick (top 10 protected).
21. Dallas trades Marquis Daniels to Charlotte for Drew Gooden.
Dallas waives Cuttino Mobley and his contract due to his retirement.
22. Dallas trades Tim Thomas, DET 2009 2nd and NYK 2009 2nd to Washington for Darius Songaila, DeShawn Stevenson and JaVale McGee.
23. Dallas trades DeShawn Stevenson, Aaron Gray and Sergio Rodriguez to Portland for Dorrell Wright, Sean Singletary and Louis Amundson.
24. Dallas trades Louis Amundson to Porland for Aaron Gray.
Dallas waives Raef LaFrentz.
25. Dallas trades Luke Ridnour and Darius Songaila to Orlando for Sasha Vujacic, Maceo Baston and Devean George.
26. Dallas trades Mike Miller and Sean Singletary to Denver for Joe Alexander and Chris Duhon.
Dallas waives Maceo Baston.
27. In a three way trade with Orlando and Toronto, Dallas trades Drew Gooden and Chris Duhon for Mike Conley Jr., Sasha Pavlovic, Nathan Jawai and 2010 TOR 2nd Round Pick.
Dallas waives Sasha Pavlovic, Adam Morrison and Devean George.
28. Dallas trades the rights to Jordan Hill to Detroit for the rights to James Harden, #60 pick, DET 2010 2nd and TOR 2011 2nd
29. Dallas trades James Harden to Washington for the rights to Al-Farouq Aminu, Andray Blatche and the #43 pick.
Dallas selects Patrick Mills. with #19 pick
30. Dallas trades Nathan Jawai, #24 and #43 picks to New York for Tyrus Thomas.
Dallas selects Omri Casspi with #33 pick.
31. Dallas trades DET 2010 2nd Round Pick, #60 pick and Joe Alexander to Charlotte for Courtnee Lee and the rights to Nikola Pekovic..
32. Dallas trades #54 pick to Charlotte for 2010 DET 2nd Round Pick.
32. Dallas receives Tim Thomas and MEM 2010 1st Round Pick with protections. Dallas trades nothing to Washigton.
33. Dallas trades Marreese Speights to Philly for Willie Green and PHI 2010 1st Round pick (top 9 protected).
34. In a three way deal Dallas trades Tyrus Thomas, Tim Thomas and ORL 2012 1st for Roy Hibbert, Ryan Gomes and DET 2010 1st.
35. In a three way deal, Dallas trades Sasha Vujacic, Willie Green and TOR 2011 2nd for Kenyon Martin, NJN 2010 2nd and 2011 GSW 1st with protections.
36. Dallas trades Jared Dudley, Mike Conley and Aaron Gray to Phoenix for Kelenna Azubuike, Sonny Weems, Richard Hendrix, CLE 2011 1st and PHX 2011 1st (top 5 protected).
37. Dallas trades MEM 2010 1st and DET 2010 2nd to Memphis for Kyle Lowry.
Dallas waives Richard Hendrix
38. Dallas trades Sonny Weems and Kelenna Azuibuike for Jared Dudley, Javaris Crittendon and a TPE worth $700.000


Where We Started
I took on a Dallas team that while possessing quality performers, wasn't looking like a title contender. A case could be made for their window being closed, with a terrible cap situation and an aging roster.
I felt a little stricken with where this team could go, mainly for the reasoning that there were a few players who while useful were tough to move for uprgades. If I had continued it could well have meant adding even more future salary for a "maybe" team. I just didn't recognise significant room for a title to be realistic.
With that in mind, and quite a few teams looking to contend, I took on the task of a full rebuild, looking to set up the future with young prospects, reducing salary and looking to add picks and assets to help the cause.


Team Direction
We're looking towards the future. Primarily looking to build from our young stars and using our prospect depth, future considerations and drafting well to build a young core that can look to contend with a larger window.
Our salary situation is fairly decent. We hold enough room to look towards the big Free Agency class of 2010. We have enough room to look for at least one big name player, and perhaps two if we utilize our young assets correctly.
The main factor here was looking to find someone to build around, which we acquired in Derrick Rose. A rookie with tremendous upside, he is someone we can look to with high regard for the future. Throughout the course of the game, a multitude of complimentory pieces were added to the mix, in an attempt to build a core filled with young talent which will be discussed later.


Key Transactions
Trade #1- Dallas trades Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Eric Dampier to Cleveland for Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Wally Szczerbiak, JJ Hickson, 2010 CLE 1st Round pick, 2012 CLE 2nd Round pick.
This was our first step towards our rebuild. We utilized Jason Kidd's quality play and major expiring deal to escort Dampier and Terry from our roster. The return on this trade was justified by netting us some valuable trade pieces, while cutting some of the more difficult deals to move.

Trade #2- Dallas trades Dirk Nowitzki, Brandan Bass, DAL 2010 2nd Round pick to Chicago for Derrick Rose, Drew Gooden, Stromile Swift, CHI 2009 1st Round pick (unprotected).
With this trade we get our future piece. Not much to say rather than it's a very fair deal and sets us up for the long haul. Rose is an absolute stud young player and a perfect building piece.

Trade #3- Dallas trade Josh Howard to Atlanta for Mike Dunleavy Jr, Roy Hibbert and a 2009 1st round draft pick (unprotected).
We do very well with Howard's value at the time, it gives us enough significant pieces to target a well sought after player detailed below, while adding draft considerations.

Trade #5- Dallas trades Mikey Dunleavy Jr, Antoine Wright, JJ Hickson and CLE 2010 1st Round pick to Clippers for Cuttino Mobley, Eric Gordon, Minnesota 2009 1st round pick and 2012 LAC 2nd Round pick
Eric Gordon was a well sought after pllayer for us. We feel he is a great compliment to Rose in the backcourt as an incredible catch and shoot option. He proved this as his rookie season continued and began to become a phenominal offense weapon.

Trade #29- Dallas trades James Harden to Washington for the rights to Al-Farouq Aminu, Andray Blatche and the #43 pick.
Harden was used to bolster our roster. Adding Blatche to an incredible athlete in Aminu was definitely enough to pull the trigger here. Two complimentive pieces to our rebuilding plan, a very good return.

Trade #34- In a three way deal Dallas trades Tyrus Thomas, Tim Thomas and ORL 2012 1st for Roy Hibbert, Ryan Gomes and DET 2010 1st.
Sounds crazy, but Tyrus was not our choice for a future PF. With this deal we see what looks to be an extremely good pick in the DET 2010 1st and get a brilliant player in Gomes on a more than fair deal.

Trade #35-In a three way deal, Dallas trades Sasha Vujacic, Willie Green and TOR 2011 2nd for Kenyon Martin, NJN 2010 2nd and 2011 GSW 1st with protections.
We were looking to move Sasha and Green for cap relief, yet went a different direction. Most people baulked at Kenyon's salary, but we encourage his very solid play this year. We also can afford him, so it's not nearly the hinderence as most teams would have. The future considerations twisted our arm here.

Trade #36- Dallas trades Jared Dudley, Mike Conley and Aaron Gray to Phoenix for Kelenna Azubuike, Sonny Weems, Richard Hendrix, CLE 2011 1st and PHX 2011 1st (top 5 protected).
Future, future, future, Adding long term draft choices while only removing backup pieces was an easy decision for us. Let's be honest, our second string would noe get enough playing time here to become mainstays on the roster, so accomodating their value with draft selections seemed wise. Who knows what the 2011 draft might entail selection wise.

What Went Right

#1.Young Studs We managed to create a strong young backcourt for the future. I believe Rose and Gordon will be able to develop into a feared duo in the NBA in years to come. One at the controls, while the other works primarily as a catch and shoot operator.
#2.The depth of youth. We can honestly say that 13 of our 15 players fit into the prospect category, some of which have tremendous upside. Having such a young roster can have it problems, but this complete rebuild gives us options galore to explore and find out exactly what our future should be, while holding enough trade assets to have future freedom in the market.
#3.Future Picks We are stacked with future options for the draft. 2010 see two 1sts, both of which could be extremely good choices in PHI and DET. 2011 sees us with 4 first round selections, and we still hold our own 2012 selections. Once again, these offer us two alternatives in trade bait or the draft.
#4.Value Across the board I believe the value return for most of our deals was solid. Most deals weren't too one sided either way, ensuring that we got the most out of the majority of these deals.
#5.Salary We've cut just enough to allow us to pursue the Free Agency in three ways. i) Either look to get ourselves a single big star in 2010. ii) Utilize our assets and trade away for the space needed, or simply halt out team options on players and look to go for an all out score. iii) look to take on longer salaries from teams who need space, and netting ourselves quality players in return.
I believe all these options can ne explored by us to the fullest.

What Went Wrong
#1. Unfortunately we were unable to reacquire our 2010 1st Round Pick. We tried at length to make it happen but alas nothing resulted. We did however manage to compensate by adding two pieces which may very well cancel this negative out, if not help us. Both the 2010 DET 1st Round pick, and the PHI 2010 1st Round pick could help our draft situation next year dramatically.

#2. The Starting 5 We looked to combine our prospects to create a well rounded starting unit but were unable to do so. It is reasonably ok, as we will have future chances to do so, yet still was a little disappointing.

The Future
Where to start? We're stacked with prospects, draft picks, cap relief and trade options. So much that our future is entriely in our own hands, and with a dynamite backcourt, we have a brilliant platform.
It's also important to emphasize the overseas army that we have at our disposal. Both Asik and Pekovic look to be talented enough to be major factors in this league. Combine that with the shooting ability of Shan Foster and incredible athleticism of Omri Casspi and we are sure to possess long term quality.

Final Summary
We are a young team. A VERY young team, but one with so many sufficient options at each position that it's scary to think of the future here. With ample time to play around with the lineup, we can accommodate the minutes here accordingly to ensure we maximize the potential of our roster.
With enough draft picks and little cap restriction, we are more than capable of building this team through Rose and Gordon to develop a high paced championship contending team in the future.
We possess enough talent and trade options that we ensured of multiple deep playoff runs when the time is right.
This is the most talented young team available in this game.


I would also like to give a special mention to all the GMs I have spoken with in this game. It has been great to interract with a lot of you and have learned a great deal about this side of the game and have built some good relationships with some fellow posters.

[LeQuitterNotMVP]

Portland Trail Blazers

Roster with Salaries:



Overseas:

Joel Freeland
Petteri Koponen

TPE:

$3,883,929

Depth Chart:
..................PG.........SG.........SF........PF.........C
1st string:
................Nash........Roy....Jefferson..Aldridge....Oden

2nd string:
................Daniels....Barbosa...Daniels...Varejao...Pryzbilla

3rd string:
..............Rodriguez...Wade....Balkman...Gibson....Gortat

Minutes:

PG: Nash (28)/Daniels (14)/Barbosa (6)
SG: Roy(34)/Barbosa(14)
SF: Jefferson (30)/Daniels (18)
PF: Aldridge(32)/Varejao (16)
C: Oden (24)/Pryzbilla (16)/Varejao (8)

Draft Picks:

2010

Credits: HOU's 1st round pick, and CHI's 2nd round pick
Debits: None

2011

Credits: Right to swap 2nd round picks with DEN
Debits: 1st round pick (unless in top 5)

2012----->

Credits: None
Debits: None

Transactions:

1. Traded Channing Frye, Raef LaFrentz, and Sergio Rodriguez to ORL for Marcin Gortat, Anthony Johnson, and Rashard Lewis

2. Traded Jerryd Bayless, Luke Jackson, Travis Outlaw, and Martell Webster to PHX for Louis Amundson, Steve Nash, Sean Singletary, and Alando Tucker

3. Traded Anthony Johnson and PDX's 2009 1st round pick to IND for Shawne Williams

4. Traded Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, and Sean Singletary to ORL for Leandro Barbosa, Sergio Rodriguez, and HOU's 2010 1st round pick

5. Signed Luke Jackson

6. Traded Nicolas Batum and Alando Tucker to DET for Dorell Wright, DET's 2009 2nd round pick, DET's 2010 2nd round pick, and DET's 2011 1st round pick

7. Traded Luke Jackson and DET's 2010 2nd round pick to DET for Alando Tucker

8. Signed Luke Jackson

9. Traded Sergio Rodriguez, Shawne Williams, DET's 2009 2nd round pick, and NYK's 2009 2nd round pick to DAL for Rashad McCants and Sean Singletary

10. Traded Louis Amundson, Sean Singletary, and Dorell Wright to DAL for Aaron Gray, Sergio Rodriguez, and DeShawn Stevenson

11. Traded Aaron Gray to DAL for Louis Amundson

12. Traded Luke Jackson, Rashard Lewis, and PDX's 2011 1st round pick (top 5 protected) to ORL for Antonio Daniels and Richard Jefferson

13. Traded Ike Diogu, Rashad McCants, and Alando Tucker to CHA for Renaldo Balkman, Derrick Byars, and Marquis Daniels

14. Drafted Taj Gibson

15. Drafted Josh Heytvelt

16. Drafted Lorrenzo Wade

17. Signed Anderson Varejao

18. Traded DeShawn Stevenson and DET's 2011 1st round pick to SAC for a TPE

19. Released Josh Heytvelt

My team’s direction:

It’s pretty clear. My team’s goal is to win NOW. We have the best starting 5 in the league, and our depth is very, very good as well.

I started off by making big trades for Nash and Lewis that set my direction on winning now. I later swapped Lewis for Jefferson, which both increased salary flexibility and talent. All other trades were for bench players, salary reasons, and/or picks.

2009-2010 season:

Our goal: win the championship. Anything less could be considered a major disappointment. There is no reason we can’t, provided Oden stays healthy and play a good half a game.

Better presently:

My team is clearly better for NOW than when I took it over. When I took over as GM, this team had its “big 3” and a bunch of young players with some potential. I traded these players for win-now guys such as Nash, Jefferson, and Barbosa in order to give my team the best possible chance to win the championship, and I feel the Blazers I have built would have a very good chance at winning it all.

Better in the future:

This team is better in the future for one big reason: Cap space in 2010. I should have enough money available in the HUGE free agent summer of 2010 to make a run at a big name such as Lebron or Wade. There is no reason one of them would not want to come and join a team that could possibly have a championship under its belt.

My team is also not too old – my starting 5, with the exception of Nash, is young, and my bench is not aging by any means. I also will have 4 draft picks in 2010 to help stockpile more assets to either groom for the future or use to upgrade my team in a trade.

[MJallday59]

Orlando Magic Starting 5


PG: Andre Miller

Code: Select all

16.1 PPG 6.4 APG 1.3 SPG

SG: Caron Butler

Code: Select all

20 PPG 6.3 RPG 4.4 APG

SF: Hedo Turkoglu

Code: Select all

16.8 PPG 5.4 RPG 4.9 APG

PF: Rashard Lewis

Code: Select all

17.8 PPG 5.8 RPG

C: Dwight Howard

Code: Select all

21 PPG 13.8 RPG 3 BPG 57% FG

Key Bench Players

Anthony Parker - Solid vet and capable defender. 40% from 3P

Troy Murphy - Biggest suprise of the season. Averaging 14 PPG 11.8 RPG and shooting a crazy 44% from 3P

Antonio Mcdyess - Great player to round out our reserve front line. Capable of starting on a whim and giving huge contributions. Has played in the finals so the experience should help our younger guys.

Bobby Jackson- Not the player he used to be but can step in, run the offense and defend for 15 MPG. Playoff tested and knows what it takes to win.


Salaries

Dwight Howard : 13,758,000
Rashard Lewis: 16,447,871
Hedo Turkoglu: 10,000,000
Caron Butler: 9,249,980
Andre Miller: 10,333,334
Bobby Jackson: 1,280,000
Anthony Parker: 5,100,000
Jared Jeffries: 6,446,400
Antonio Mcdyess: 7,000,000(Expiring)
Troy Murphy 11,047,691
Lester Hudson 750,000
Desmond Mason: 1,180,000
Sasha Pavlovic: 810,000
Theo Ratliff 1,280,000


Andre Miller(32)/Bobby Jackson(12)/Lester Hudson(4)
Caron Butler (32)/Anthony Parker (14)/Desmond Mason(2)
Hedo Turkoglu(32)Jared Jeffries(12)/Rashard Lewis(4)
Rashard Lewis (28))Troy Murphy(20)
Dwight Howard(34) Antonio Mcdyess(12)Troy Murphy(2)


Original Roster:

Jameer Nelson/AnthonyJohnson/Mike Wilks
Mickael Pietrus/Courtney Lee/JJ Redick
Hedo Turkoglu/Keith Bogans/Jeremy Richardson
Rashard Lewis/Brian Cook/Adonal Foyle
Dwight Howard/Tony Battie/Marcin Gortat

Direction: Win now!

When I originally signed on as GM of the Magic, I planned to rebuild completely in order to prepare for the 2010 off season. As time passed, I realized that my chances of acquiring a LBJ, Wade or Bosh were pretty slim which lead me to build for a contender instead. While Jameer is having a stellar season, he's not experienced enough to carry the Magic deep into the playoffs. Result: Jameer Nelson in exchange for Andre Miller. The savvy PG recently lead an unexperienced 76ers and even scared the former champs(pistons) for a couple of games. Miller provides not only scoring, but is a great PG capable of deferring his own offense in support of his teammates which will inevitability help Dwight's growth.

Acquiring Caron Butler was a huge deal for our team! Butler solidifies the SG-SF spot and is the perfect fit next to Hedo and Shard. He's a solid rebounder, great defender and brings it on every play. When we first started the game, my sg spot was a bit shaky with Pietrus (Health issues) Lee ( inexperienced) and Redick (no defense). Caron will defend the SG's, but will play SF on offense allowing Hedo to coast the perimeter as the designated shooter of sorts.

Minor pickups but HUGE impact: The addition of Antonio Mcdyess and Troy Murphy should help us out tremendously in the playoffs. While we liked the potential of Marcin Gortat and the hustle/defense of Battie, we obvioulsy needed a bit more. Mcdyess is a solid post defender and capable of grabbing 8-9 boards in limited minutes. Our biggest surprise of the season was Troy Murphy who is averaging 14 PPG 11.8 RPG and shooting 44% from 3PT range. He'll be a great fit next to Dwight Howard with his ability to play outside and rebound at a great rate.

Anthony Parker gives us a huge boost on the defensive end. Not only can he shoot .39% from 3 but can help guard the opposing teams better players.


Returning cast: We were excited to be able to hold onto our core players. Rashard and Hedo are having solid seasons but we're excited at how well Dwight is playing this year. Dwight is a huge reason why we'll be able to win the championship this year. There isn't a single player in the game who will be able to stop him. We've added all the necessary pieces to help him win his first championship. We have the shooters, perimeter defense and solid distributors to take us deep into the playoffs.

Road to the finals:

The road goes through Cleveland and Indiana with the favorite being Cleveland. Should we meet in the ECF, we fully expect to be the Lebron lead team in 6 games. Outside of our SF matchup, all other match ups lean towards our favor. Bibby is pretty much a spot up shooter at this point so Miller won't have to exert as much energy on defense. Same with Bell. Lebron is pretty much unstoppable but we plan to clog the lanes as much as possible decreasing the effectiveness of his penetration. Dwight Howard (Soon to be DPOY) is the perfect candidate to limit lebrons effectiveness. JO CAN'T stop Rashard on the perimeter. The Shaq-Dwight match ups are always fun to watch but recently we're starting to notice that Shaq is having difficulty keeping up with the young fella. (See Shaqs flop against Dwight)

Magic in 6

NBA Finals:

While Portland, Phoenix, Denver and Utah have all done a solid job assembling a team, it appears we'll face the Lakers in the Finals.

The Magic go into the series as underdogs against the experienced Lakers. There are a few match ups and situations that will lean towards our favor. The biggest advantage that we have will be Jason Kidd's inability to play the triangle offense. Kidd is best used when he has the ability to control the offense and unfortunately in LA he won't be able to do that. Their team consists of 4 players in their starting 5 who are not accustomed to having someone create their offense. We've seen how Kidd's numbers dropped when having to defer to Dirk in the halfcourt set, so this shouldn't be any different with Kobe/Artest/Odom AND Duncan. Kidds primary role in this series will be to hit the open jumpers thus limiting his role to simply a spot up shooter. If the Lakers are determined to stay in the half court set, we should be able to expose Kidds inability to adjust to their offense.

Kobe Bryant is going to have solid scoring outputs, but is going to have problems getting his team mates involved. All players excluding Duncan have to have the ball in the their hands to be effective. Without a pure catch and shoot player (or a player capable playing off ball) in their starting 5, Kobe will have to settle for getting his 25+ scoring nights while the other members of his team struggle to find a groove.

Dwight Howard vs Tim Duncan

As with Bryant, Duncan doesn't have the shooters capable of helping him through this series. We plan on playing Howard on Duncan whenever Duncan is playing down low. On the perimeter we plan on using multiple defenders (Shard, Mcdyess,Murphy) to help contain the big man.


Questions:

Can Artest keep it together for an entire series? Can he handle being the 3rd or 4th option?

Will the Triangle limit Kidds effectiveness? Can he be the spot up shooter the Lakers need?

Will the motivated Odom show up or will we get the half-effort odom?

Magic upset the Lakers in 7


Are we better now?

The Magic team at the beginning of the season were capable of landing a top seed in the playoffs. The few things that the team lacked were addressed by the following deals


Lack of Rebounding

1. Landing Troy Murphy
Murphy brings outside shooting (44% from 3) and is a solid rebounder(11 RPG).

2. Acquiring Antonio Mcdyess
Mcdyess is not only a solid rebounder but is also a pretty decent defender.


True Scorer at the SG-SF position

1. Acquiring Caron Butler
Hedo and Shard have done a solid job in carrying the offensive load for the Magic. The problem that happened often was their knack for settling with jump shots. Pietrus and Lee were solid stopgaps but in order to compete for a championship, we needed someone who could be "The guy" on a more consistent basis. Enter Caron Butler. His ability to get to the rim and the foul line will do wonders for the team. Whenever Dwight gets into foul trouble, we'll still have a guy who will keep the defense honest.

A pure point guard who can get all scorers involved.

Jameer is a great player, a future all star for years to come, but I wasn't sure his shoot first pass second mentality fit. Butler/Hedo/Lewis/Dwight need someone who can feed them the ball.

1. Traded Jameer Nelson for Andre Miller

Miller is a pure point guard and has shown he can carry a team if need be.

[SamBone]

PHILADELPHIA 76ers


PLAYER 09/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15
Michael Redd $17,040,000 $18,300,000
Elton Brand $14,858,472 $15,959,100 $17,059,728 $18,160,355
Chris Kaman $10,400,000 $11,300,000 $12,200,000
Jameer Nelson $7,700,000 $7,700,000 $7,700,000 $7,700,000
Charlie Bell $3,602,960 $3,851,440 $4,099,920
Travis Outlaw $3,600,000
Linas Kleiza $3,500,000 $3,750,000 $4,000,000 $4,250,000 $4,500,000 $5,000,000
Channing Frye $3,000,000 $3,250,000 $3,500,000 $4,000,000
Rashad McCants $2,819,000 $3,000,000 $3,250,000 $3,500,000
Marreese Speights $1,685,280 $1,773,960 $2,721,255 $3,823,363
Stephon Curry $1,514,280 $1,627,920 $1,741,440 $2,674,852 $3,776,891
Matt Carroll $959,111
Jasmes Singelton $825,497 $854,389
Craig Brackins $457,588 $736,420 $825,497
Donte Cunningham $457,588 $736,420 $825,497

early termination team option player option unguaranteed qualifying offer


2009/10 TOTAL $72,419,776 ( $915,176 nonguaranteed)
2010/11 TOTAL $72,839,649 ( $4,101,189 NG)
2011/12 TOTAL $57,923,337 ( $6,113,689 NG)
2012/13 TOTAL $44,108,570 ($13,998,215 NG)
2013/14 TOTAL $8,276,891 ( $3,776,891 NG)

2009/2010 Outlook
Total guaranteed salary $ 71,504,600
Total w/ nonguarteed $ 72,419,776 (Brackins and Cunningham)

Depth Chart
PG- J.Nelson (28) , S.Curry (16)
PG/SG- C.Bell (12)
SG- Redd (28), McCants (12)
SF- T.Outlaw (24), L.Kleiza (24)
PF- Brand (29), Brackins (12)
PF/C- C.Frye (12)
C- Kaman (25), M.Speights (18)

not dressed: M.Carroll, Singelton
D-league- D.Cunnigham

Picks:
Credits
2010 2nd, 2nd (from SA), 2nd (Orlando via Indiana)
2011 1st, 1st (from Orlando), 2nd
2012 1st, 2nd, 2nd (from Clev)

Debts:
2010 1st (top 9 protected) to Dallas

Recent transactions

-traded A.Iguodala, R.Evens, and R.Hibbard to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Redd and Ricky Davis
-traded A.Biedrins and L.Williams to the L.A. Clippers for Chris .Kaman and Mike Taylor
-signed undrafted rookies AJ Abrams and Donte Cunningham to unguaranteed rookie contracts
-traded W.Green and 2010 1st round pick (top 9 protected) to the Dallas Mavericks for Marreese Speights
-resigned RFA Linus Kleiza (5 year/20 mil guaranteed plus TO for 6th year @5mil)
-used part of MLE to sign UFA Rashad McCants (3 year / 9.069 mil guaranteed plus a TO for 4th year @3.5 mil)
-waived M.Taylor
-traded J.Smith to Indiana for a 2010 2nd round pick
-signed James Singelton to a min contract with unguaranteed 2nd year
-traded R.Davis and B.Knight to L.A. Clippers for Charlie Bell
-used rest of MLE to sign RFA Channing Frye (3 year / 9.75 mil guaranteed plus a TO for 4th year @4 mil)
-signed local hero Matt Carroll to a min contract
-waived AJ Abrams

Future:

Even though our core players are veterans, the middle aged players and the promise of our rookies and Speights should show a lot of promise for years to come. While a lot of teams will be battling trying to sign many free agents over the next season or 2, we think sticking together will be the difference.

Future draft:

Even though we do not have our 2010 first round pick (top 9 protected), we do hold three 2nd round picks (ours plus San Antonio’s and Orlando’s) that we could package together to move up into the 1st round if we desire. After that we are strong and hold all of our picks plus added a 2011 unprotected 1st from Orlando, and a 2012 2nd from Cleveland.



Team Direction:

To win it all!

I have built a team that I feel can contend for a title now. I took over a capped out team and made a few trades. I have a veteran team that should remain intact and on top for at least the next 2 seasons. We really like the rookies we drafted (Curry and Brackins both are projected as lottery picks) plus the undrafted rookies that we added(D.Cunningham). We feel that all 3 will be players in this league for many years.

The focal points of our team will revolve around the inside out game. With big post players like Brand and Kaman and the sharpe shooting of Michael Redd should make us hard to defend in the half court. And nobody should sleep on all star Jameer Nelson playing in front of his home town. And heading into his 6th season (only 25 years old), we think this could be the breakout season for Travis Outlaw. Our second unit should provide a lot of energy. Led by L.Kleiza, and M.Speights and superstar in the waiting rookie Stephon Curry. The addition of former lottery picks R.McCants and C.Frye should pay dividends on both ends of the court. Plus we feel that rookie Craig Brackins could be a beast on the post and we love the versatility that Charlie Bell brings. We truly believe this team goes 12 deep and strong. Plus have specialists as our inactives in M.Carroll and J.Singelton

We are above the cap, but under the luxury tax, plus are using every player and have not needed to eat any contracts and are not paying anybody that is not working hard on the court for us. And we would not be a player (except maybe using the MLE) for any 2010 free agents looking to get a big payday.

[skflives]

Rotation:
C-Jeff Foster/Robin Lopez/Andrew Ogilvy
PF Blake Griffin/Joe Smith
SF-Wilson Chandler/Sam Young
SG-Brandon Rush/Nate Robinson/Morris Almond
PG-Raymond Felton/Larry Hughes

D-League: Connor Atchley/AJ Price/Tyler Hansbrough

Team commentary:

What went wrong:

1.I was unable to make Brandon Bass the offer I so desperately wanted to make. Considering he was ignored throughout free agency I could have stolen him from Houston just by using the bulk of my MLE but with my concerns for 2010 cap space and the uncertainty surrounding how much it would cost to bring back Nate Robinson and Raymond Felton I just didn’t feel comfortable spending that money.

2.I overpaid considerably for Jeff Foster. There were plenty of teams that needed help in the middle and one in particular had a tremendous amount of cap room (the Bucks). I gave Foster 8 million for one year to stay figuring he would be gobbled up the second he hit the open market. But considering my plan B, Rasho Nestovoric was signed for chump change I probably could have gotten away with giving Foster less. But at the end of the day I needed him to give my front court some respectability and since he doesn’t affect my 2010 cap its for the best.

3. I was unable to find someone to take Matt Carroll off my hands. Considering I was able to dump some of the worst contracts in the game to clear 2010 cap room I cannot understand how that happened. I was even able to dump both Jared Jeffries and Dan Gadzuric twice. But a good shooter who is signed to a cheap, front loaded deal was the albatross I couldn't get rid of. It didn't help that someone who demanded nothing less than a first rounder from me to take on Matt Carroll seemed to forget his own demands when he acquired a similarly expensive bench player without asking for any compensation. Its hard to make deals with people when they don't follow their own conditions regarding the trade. Annoyed rant over.

4. I was completely unable to get back into the draft to pick up Terrance Williams. He was a steal at #60 for Charlotte.

What went right:

1. I have roughly 29 million in committed 2010 cap space,one of the most attractive markets and a bunch of intriguing young talent to steal away a top free agent.

2. I kept my 2 best free agents for dirt cheap. Felton was resigned for 600k less than the full MLE to start while Nate Robinson was resigned to a cheap, 3 year deal that is front loaded.

3.Overpaid though he was I needed Jeff Foster to give my front court some respectability. Along with Joe Smith, who was also signed to a one year deal, my front court now hands the veteran experience it so desperately lacked. Both Foster and Smith are smart, blue collar players who will be a great influence on my young bigs.

4. I did extremely well in the draft. Blake Griffin looks like a star in the making. AJ Price was off of everyone's radar and is looking like a solid point guard prospect. Andrew Olgivy is a big man with tremendous offensive potential.

5. I did was able to do a decent job at picking up quality undrafted free agents. Most importantly, I picked up Sam Young as an undrafted free agent and he is considered a late first round/early second round level prospect. I cannot believe he slipped through the cracks so much. Luke Nevill was a decent big man prospect but had to be dealt to make roster room. Conner Atchley's stock has dropped considerably but he still has talent and is an excellent value as an undrafted free agent. That being said, if it wasn't for the fact that I already had two good young center prospects (Olgivy and Robin Lopez) I would have probably kept him instead of Atchley.

6. My team has a tremendous collection of young talent. That group includes: Raymond Felton, Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler, Brandon Rush, Robin Lopez, Blake Griffin, Sam Young, Andrew Olgivy, Morris Almond and Tyler Hansborough. That is a major improvement upon the original Knick team. In particular I loved acquiring Hansborough because he seems like he could develop into a replacement for the departed David Lee.

[bcortell]

Minnesota Timberwolves




Email: bcortell@yahoo.com
AIM: Footballfan4111


Depth Chart and Minutes

Foye (24) / Augustin (24) / Telfair
Henderson(22) / JR Smith (20) / Foye (6)
Deng (30) /Pietrus (18) / Matthews
Love (30) / Smith (18) / Cook
Jefferson (34) / Brown (10) / Anthony (4)


Roster and Salaries

Player 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013
Al Jefferson $12,000,000 $13,000,000 $14,000,000 $15,000,000
Luol Deng $10,365,000 $11,345,000 $12,325,000 $13,365,000
Jamaal Tinsley $7,200,000 $7,650,000
J.R. Smith $5,508,426 $6,031,851
Mickael Pietrus $5,300,000 $5,300,000 $5,300,000(PO)
Kwame Brown $4,000,000
Randy Foye $3,575,761 $4,795,096(QO)
Brian Cook $3,500,000
Kevin Love $3,401,040 $3,638,280 $4,609,701 $6,112,463(QO)
Sebastian Telfair$2,500,000 $2,700,000(PO)
D.J. Augustin $2,374,680 $2,540,400(TO) $3,236,470(TO) $4,385,416(QO)
Craig Smith $2,300,000
Gerald Henderson$841,400 $904,500 $967,600
Wesley Matthews$457,588 $736,420 $825,497
Joel Anthony $736,420

Salary:
09-10= $64.058
10-11=$58.639

Draft Picks

2010 Minn 1st

All future picks after.


Team Direction
As I've stated before, Minny is now looking to compete- first the playoffs, then go deeper into them, and eventually start being championship contenders each year. This obviously takes more than one year to accomplish, but I wanted to start the progression.

I wasn't' willing to sacrifice my young talent (again, I wanted to be a contender each year, not a one and done situation), but I was willing to sacrifice picks if it meant improving the talent on the team. Luckily, I didn't have to shed any of Minnesota's picks (only what we had received from other teams- some of which wouldn't have gone to me anyways with draft positioning). I also wanted to get a player at each position that I would/ could consider a building block for the future. I didn't want any major holes in my lineup that would force me to trade for a position while downgrading overall. I think I have accomplished that with Augustin/Henderson/Deng/Love/ Jefferson.

For this year:
I definitely think we are a playoff team if we can stay healthy. Maybe a lower seed, but that will do for the upcoming year. With Love and Augustin gaining another year of experience, we expect their playing time and production to increase. Henderson will be a rookie, but he will not be asked to do more than is necessary of him (defender, make open shots, etc.). I won't be looking to him to be a major scorer or take any crucial shots, so I think he can fill in nicely, even if it will be his rookie season. (And, if he can't, I have more than capable back ups.) We expect Al Jefferson to continue his dominance on the offensive end and further his ability on the defensive end, which has improved each season thus far.

One thing I really like about this team is their depth. Although Foye will start, he will get most of his time with the second team where he can be used as a scorer. So with one lineup we can put out Augustin/Henderson/Deng/Love/Al Jeff and then when they need a rest we have a second line of Foye (Scorer)/ JR Smith (Scorer)/Pietrus (Defense)/ C. Smith (Banger)/ Kwame Brown (Defender). I really like having that ability and think we can take advantage of the other team with it. While they are resting their big guns, we have players fully capable of starting on some teams to go on a run.

Other aspects of this team I tried to improve- Defense and Rebounding. It's no secret that teams that do a good job of defending and rebounding do well (especially in the playoffs). With a starting frontcourt of Deng, Love, and Al Jefferson, we believe we have three guys that can each pull down 10+ rebounds on any and every night. Check. With Deng and Henderson, we improved our wing Defense considerably. This will also help the big man, so they don't have as many times to rotate over to help them.

I believe offense is taken care of with Al Jefferson (option 1), Deng (option 2a), Foye (option 2b), and the improvement of Love and Augustin (tightening up their offensive games). Not much more I need to say there.


The Future:
While I was a little disappointed I didn't have a high pick this year, I also saw this as not having any restrictions on my future picks. I also like to point out the steal we got in the draft- Henderson at #26 (currently at #6 by Draftexpress.com).

We have all our picks besides our 2010 second to further add to our core of players. With an already deep team, we feel, in two year, we will have a real-life Portland-esque team. We will be talented, young, have a star or two, and not have a ridiculous payroll.

As I've aforementioned, we have a core of PG-Augustin, SG-Henderson, SF-Deng, PF-Love, C-Al Jefferson, 6th Man- Foye. I can live with that.


Overall:
We definitely feel as though we are on the upswing in the league. Currently we have a mix of young inexperienced players and players who have some experience (Pietrus). We have a definite number one option in Al Jefferson and several very good second and third options that can pick up any slack.



b]Trades and Transactions[/b]

1. 9/20/08 Minny waived Chris Richard.
2. 9/20/08 Minny signed Joel Anthony.
3. 10/1/08 Minny traded Jason Collins, Brian Cardinal, Mark Madsen, Rodney Carney for Kwame Brown, Dan Gadzuric, Luke Ridnour, Arron Afflalo
4. 10/15/08 Minny waived Calvin Booth
5. 10/15/08 Minny signed Thomas Gardner.
6. 10/24/08 Minny waived Thomas Gardner
7. 10/24/08 Minny traded Mike Miller, Joel Anthony, Arron Afflalo, Mia 09 1st, Uta 09 1st for Luel Deng, Maurice Ager, Chris Mihm, Dahntay Jones
8. 10/26/08 Minny traded Rashad Mccants, Luke Ridnour for Mickael Pietrus, Brian Cook
9. 10/26/08 Minny traded Ryan Gomes, Dan Gadzuric, Chris Mihm, 2009 Two less favorable of Mia, Ind, and Phi 2nd, 2010 Minny 2nd, 2010 Hou 2nd for JR Smith, Jamaal Tinsley, Andre Brown
10. 11/26/08 Minny traded Corey Brewer and the rights to Nikola Pekovic for DJ Augustin
11. 2/5/09 Minny drafted Gerald Henderson out of Duke with the 26th pick.

[bcortell]

Altanta Hawks



Roster

Tracy McGrady $22,483,124
Stephen Jackson $7,650,000 $8,453,250 $9,256,500 $10,059,750
Samuel Dalembert$12,125,694 $13,012,823
Maurice Williams $8,860,000 $9,300,000 $8,500,000 $8,500,000
Udonis Haslem $7,100,000
Luke Walton $4,840,000 $5,260,000 $5,680,000 $5,800,000
Al Horford $4,307,640 $5,444,857 $7,143,652
Maurice Evans $2,500,000 $2,500,000
David Lee $2,682,049
Chuck Hayes $1,936,000 $2,104,000
Jose Barea $1,657,500 $1,815,000
Marcus Thorton $457,588 $736,420 $825,497
Josh Childress

Depth Chart:
Mo Williams (32)/ Jose Barea (16)
Tracy McGrady (24)/ Mo Evans (18)/ Thornton/ Stephen Jackson (6)
Stephen Jackson (26)/ Josh Childress (22)/ Luke Walton
David Lee (32) / Udonis Haslem (16)
Al Horford (30)/ Sam Dalembert (18)

Took over team at end, so I didn't make any transactions and the previous GM didn't keep track of picks.

Team Direction:

We're definitely trying to win the title, as we had to take on some salary for this year to retain talent. Luckily, TMAC's salary comes off the books so our payroll will decrease significantly for next year. We believe we have a nice young starting bigs that compliment each other well and will grow together for years to come. We also believe in our depth. Getting Childress back this year gives us many options on the wings and some security if/when TMAC gets injured. We don't have the big time star like some teams, but we feel our team is well rounded and each position has the ability to fill it's role. We believe anyone in our starting five has the ability to score which helps take the pressure off of each individual, also reducing the need for a "star". Defense is stressed and with a big like Horford and a wing like SJAX, we can match up against the opponents best offensive weapons pretty well.

[Mascot]

Arkavious989 at hotmail.com


Starters



Bench



Pine Patrol




Salaries


Roster


Depth Chart


Draft Picks
2013 2nd Round Pick



Trades and Transcations

1.) Ben Wallace and 2009 2nd Round Pick (Chicago) to New York for Zach Randolph.
2.) Wally Szczerbiak, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Maurice Williams, J.J. Hickson, 2010 First and 2012 2nd to Dallas for Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Erick Dampier.
3.) Erick Dampier, Sasha Pavlovic, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, 2009 First, 2011 2nd to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal, Anthony Parker, Joey Graham, and Kris Humphries.
4. ) Zach Randolph, Jason Terry, 2010 2nd Round Pick, 2011 1st Round Pick, and 2012 1st Round Pick to Phoenix for Shaquille O'Neal and Raja Bell.
5.) Eric Snow to New York for Quentin Richardson
6.) Jason Kidd, Anthony Parker and Lance Allred to Orlando for Mike Bibby, Larry Hughes, and Luther Head.
7.) Larry Hughes and Kris Humphries to Oklahoma for Ben Wallace
8.) Waived Lorenzen Wright.
9.) Picked up Anthony Tolliver, Anthony Roberson, and Rob Kurz off of waivers.
10.) Joey Graham and Luther Head and Anthony Tolliver to Utah for Matt Harpring and Utahs own 2009 2nd round draft pick.
11.) Drafted Jerel McNeal with the #45 pick
12.) Matt Harpring, Anthony Roberson, Rob Kurz, Darnell Jackson and Clevelands 2013 First Round Pick to Phoenix for Darko MIlicic, Goran Dragic and Alondo Tucker
13.) Re-Signed Mike Bibby to a 4 year $40,000,000 deal
14.) Signed Stephon Marbury to a 2 year $8,000,000 deal
15.) Signed Rasho Nesterovic to a 2 year Bi-Annual Exception deal.

Direction
This season - Win the Championship
2009-2010 season - Win the Championship

This team is indeed better than the original Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mike Bibby, Raja Bell, Lebron James, Jermaine O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal
>
Mo Williams, Delonte West, Lebron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas


Future

The team has so much financial flexibility in 2010 its scary