RealGM

Continuation of the first installment.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=988371

Joe Johnson $119 million? Paul Pierce $61 million at 32? Rudy Gay $80 million?

No wonder Rasheed is re-thinking retirement..

That new CBA better work wonders like these owners are hoping it will.. If not,well you know the rest.

Haha to all the teams that fell in love with the summer 2010 hype and refused to build their team the right way.

Miami or NYK are on the verge of striking out in free agency.

Let this be a lesson to those who think that free agency and mortgaging your future, whether it's overpaying for that "one player away" or trading your assets (or not bothering to get them) to clear cap space for a free agent bonanza, is the way to win in sports. It is NOT, and it will never be, unless you're the LA Lakers or some other glamour team. For everyone else, it's draft, manage the cap, and leverage your assets.

Imo, everyone is going to lose this FA period - Wade will go to another team, the Bulls will find out that their "super-team" will only be good for one ring at best, and the Thunder, Kings, and Blazers, Wizards, and whoever bothers to take the non-glamorous, **** approach and build the team right, end up dominating the league while the overcapped teams under the new CBA look up from the cellar.

Which is all the more reason a team like the Wizards need to strive for bigger goals than Cap Space. Even our own off-season has shown that grand moves that result in Cap Space will net you little more than role players off the bench.

Bringing this over from it's previous location.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1027913

Chaos Revenant wrote:Haha to all the teams that fell in love with the summer 2010 hype and refused to build their team the right way.

Miami or NYK are on the verge of striking out in free agency.

Let this be a lesson to those who think that free agency and mortgaging your future, whether it's overpaying for that "one player away" or trading your assets (or not bothering to get them) to clear cap space for a free agent bonanza, is the way to win in sports. It is NOT, and it will never be, unless you're the LA Lakers or some other glamour team. For everyone else, it's draft, manage the cap, and leverage your assets.

Imo, everyone is going to lose this FA period - Wade will go to another team, the Bulls will find out that their "super-team" will only be good for one ring at best, and the Thunder, Kings, and Blazers, Wizards, and whoever bothers to take the non-glamorous, no-bull approach and build the team right, end up dominating the league while the overcapped teams under the new CBA look up from the cellar.

I would put Miami in a different category than the Nets or Knicks. They actually did attempt to acquire a major player in last year's trade deadline, in either Amare or Boozer. Problem is that the Heat have been whiffing on a lot of their offseason moves. They traded Shaq for Shawn Marion, who was ineffective in Miami, largely because he was playing without Steve Nash. They compounded that mistake by trading Marion for an injury prone Jermaine O'Neal.

The draft hasn't been kind to Miami. The Michael Beasley pick has been a dud up to this point; although it is hard to find that much fault in taking Beasley #2 especially since he was a very good rebounder in college which hasn't translated into the NBA. One could argue that they should have taken Mayo over Beasley but Miami was probably concerned with how a Mayo/Wade backcourt would fit together; here is a key example is why you should elect to take the best player available (although I think most experts had Beasley over Mayo, and some experts had Rose over Beasley).

Still, the Miami Heat plan isn't all that bad given that they won a title back in 2006 and if they have to start from peg one, there is hope that they could build it up back in a few years. IMO, Dwayne Wade's window to be an alpha dog player could be closing and certainly needs better teammates. It might be the right time for Miami to blow it up, although it would be bad if they lose Wade for nothing.

The Nets are probably in a better position to rebuild with all the moves that they have made. They were able to get Devin Harris and draft picks for Jason Kidd. They were able to offload Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter fore a few young prospects (granted Yi wasn't that good and Lee has been dissapointing). They drafted a few quality bigs in Lopez and Favors. They traded Yi for more cap space without really mortgaging their future. If New Jersey strikes out, they really aren't in bad position or any worse than they would have been had they decided to keep their core

I disagree that the Bulls would be in position to win only one title if they get two major free agents. In 4-5 years, they could be in the position to compete for titles, potentially 2-3. Personally, I would settle if the WIzards could win a title within the next 5 years- whereupon they could improve from there.

The Knicks are in a horrible position for going the free agent route. IIRC, the Knicks weren't that bad of a team with Randolph and Jamal Crawford but ended up trading both players for scraps like Al Harrington and other junk. But I would say that the Knicks were in trouble from moves of other managementby Isiah Thomas and Scott Layden. But Donnie Walsh has mortgage the Knicks future even further by giving up draft picks and their past draft pick in Jordan Hill for an injury riddled Tracy McGrady and cap space.

The Clippers aren't really in a worse position either. They have a lot of young prospects (Griffin, Deandre Jordan, Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe, Aminu) and a few established vets (Davis and Kaman). It just was never a realistic option that LeBron or Wade would choose the Clippers. So they gave up Al Thornton and Quinton Ross; from their side that could be considered addition by subtraction.

^ I'd say most franchises would take a title every 5 years or so, even if it meant they weren't very good in the off-years. If Miami can come out of this a contender, you have to take your hat off to them. I also agree that Chicago is in the Catbird seat right now. With two max players, they, along with the Lakers, should be the favorites for the next 3 years.

Regarding the rest, I think the Nets are in a great position right now. The question is if they don't get anyone good, do they just go the OKC path or do they feel the need to get second tier players like Boozer? The Clippers on the other hand, I agree with most that they will just continue to suck because they're the Clippers. Until they have a change of ownership, I'd be surprised to see them contend.

^ I like Kanye's breakdown, though I would add the one blemish for all of the teams mentioned in that they might strike out and then do something foolish based around Mike Miller and $40 million dollars. If the fan pressure to "do something" is too much, even the Clippers and Nets - teams with nice young core's who didn't give up anything of note - could still end up hurting themselves.

But I agree with the 'hierarchy of pain' Kanye laid out so long as each individual team avoids that 'foolish signing' dilemma.

Chicago is kind of a hard team to project as I would consider them to be a squad that was really going to need to play free agency even if this summer hadn't been so hot. They need another go-to scorer to really get in stride and the 17th pick wasn't going to get it done. I guess we would have to compare their current situation to what would have happened had they kept Gordon, but it's hard to say much for sure at this point (even analyzing Gordon in isolation is difficult with him having his worst season due to injuries).

A free agent who seems to me to be very undervalued right now is Ronnie Brewer. His weakness is his jumpshot, and he had a season marred by a hamstring injury, but he should be healthy now, and shooting is correctible - even with his elbow situation. Besides, he's an over 50% lifetime shooter who can get to the foul line (where he's got to shoot a higher percentage). Besides 3 point shooting, he can do pretty much everything - especially play D. He hasn't put up big numbers for 2 reasons - he's very unselfish, and he's played in Utah's very controlled deliberate offense. He's a legit 6'7 220+ lber with great speed and leaping ability and has PG skills - not to mention a near 7" wingspan. Memphis gave up their rights to him in order to have room to re-sign Gay - after spending a 1st round pick to get him. His value is way down because he did basically nothing with Memphis and was way off with Utah last season - likely not being 100%. But he's the big athletic swingman who plays D, fits perfectly in the running game, is used to winning, and has a great attitude.

Some great points here. But...

NYC is still the "mecca" of sports. If a coveted FA is looking for more than just basketball, there is no place like NYC. Yeah, the Knicks could strike out; but, I still think they have the best shot at LBJ, outside of Cleveland.

Ruzious wrote:A free agent who seems to me to be very undervalued right now is Ronnie Brewer. His weakness is his jumpshot, and he had a season marred by a hamstring injury, but he should be healthy now, and shooting is correctible - even with his elbow situation. Besides, he's an over 50% lifetime shooter who can get to the foul line (where he's got to shoot a higher percentage). Besides 3 point shooting, he can do pretty much everything - especially play D. He hasn't put up big numbers for 2 reasons - he's very unselfish, and he's played in Utah's very controlled deliberate offense. He's a legit 6'7 220+ lber with great speed and leaping ability and has PG skills - not to mention a near 7" wingspan. Memphis gave up their rights to him in order to have room to re-sign Gay - after spending a 1st round pick to get him. His value is way down because he did basically nothing with Memphis and was way off with Utah last season - likely not being 100%. But he's the big athletic swingman who plays D, fits perfectly in the running game, is used to winning, and has a great attitude.

He looked good with Utah, but I didn't see him last year. I agree he's probably a good value, and is maybe undervalued because of 3P and FT shooting. Until Wall's 3P shooting % improves (and I think it will), I'm hoping the Wizards can get a forward that has a good 3P shot, or else they'll usually have only one deep threat on the floor.

Ruzious wrote:A free agent who seems to me to be very undervalued right now is Ronnie Brewer. His weakness is his jumpshot, and he had a season marred by a hamstring injury, but he should be healthy now, and shooting is correctible - even with his elbow situation. Besides, he's an over 50% lifetime shooter who can get to the foul line (where he's got to shoot a higher percentage). Besides 3 point shooting, he can do pretty much everything - especially play D. He hasn't put up big numbers for 2 reasons - he's very unselfish, and he's played in Utah's very controlled deliberate offense. He's a legit 6'7 220+ lber with great speed and leaping ability and has PG skills - not to mention a near 7" wingspan. Memphis gave up their rights to him in order to have room to re-sign Gay - after spending a 1st round pick to get him. His value is way down because he did basically nothing with Memphis and was way off with Utah last season - likely not being 100%. But he's the big athletic swingman who plays D, fits perfectly in the running game, is used to winning, and has a great attitude.

Can we sign him for $2.4M?

If not, is it worth it to sacrifice our $6M TPE in order to free up the cap space to sign him?

Ronnie Brewer? Yes please.

^
I would think Brewer could command more (possibly much more) than $2.4 million. Regardless of what I think of his 3P and FT shooting, he's got a good solid game, and a number of teams that strike out in the FA market or just need to fill the SF spot (especially those that have multiple deep threats on the floor already) will likely target him.

yungal07 wrote:Ronnie Brewer? Yes please.

I would probably vote "No" due to his cost and what he gives us. Yes, Ronnie Brewer is great if you want an athletic defender at the 2 guard position who can penetrate. He doesn't rebound well enough to be a starting SF, and costs more than you want for a role player right now. In short, I don't think that's what we need right now. I think we probably want someone who can shoot and rebound better than that at the SF, or who costs less than he will at the SG (2.4 mil is not gonna get it done). However, Brewer shoots a really high percentage based on very good shot selection (he still sucks at 3 pointers though, even if he's the only guy on the court). He's gonna make your team better, but I just don't see him worth filling up our cap space right now. I don't see him coming in at less that 5 million/yr.

Ruzious wrote:A free agent who seems to me to be very undervalued right now is Ronnie Brewer. His weakness is his jumpshot, and he had a season marred by a hamstring injury, but he should be healthy now, and shooting is correctible - even with his elbow situation. Besides, he's an over 50% lifetime shooter who can get to the foul line (where he's got to shoot a higher percentage). Besides 3 point shooting, he can do pretty much everything - especially play D. He hasn't put up big numbers for 2 reasons - he's very unselfish, and he's played in Utah's very controlled deliberate offense. He's a legit 6'7 220+ lber with great speed and leaping ability and has PG skills - not to mention a near 7" wingspan. Memphis gave up their rights to him in order to have room to re-sign Gay - after spending a 1st round pick to get him. His value is way down because he did basically nothing with Memphis and was way off with Utah last season - likely not being 100%. But he's the big athletic swingman who plays D, fits perfectly in the running game, is used to winning, and has a great attitude.

Agreed, R Brewer would be a good guy to target. Memphis probably won't match a deal for him and he's a good defender. However, he might not be the best option for the Wiz since he's not a spacer. I subscribe to Nate's theory that you need to have 2 good 3 point shooters and a guy who can shoot out to 18 feet on the floor. Otherwise you mess up the spacing. That's why I think Howard or Outlaw would be the best options as a cheap small forward.

no D in Hibachi wrote:

Ruzious wrote:A free agent who seems to me to be very undervalued right now is Ronnie Brewer. His weakness is his jumpshot, and he had a season marred by a hamstring injury, but he should be healthy now, and shooting is correctible - even with his elbow situation. Besides, he's an over 50% lifetime shooter who can get to the foul line (where he's got to shoot a higher percentage). Besides 3 point shooting, he can do pretty much everything - especially play D. He hasn't put up big numbers for 2 reasons - he's very unselfish, and he's played in Utah's very controlled deliberate offense. He's a legit 6'7 220+ lber with great speed and leaping ability and has PG skills - not to mention a near 7" wingspan. Memphis gave up their rights to him in order to have room to re-sign Gay - after spending a 1st round pick to get him. His value is way down because he did basically nothing with Memphis and was way off with Utah last season - likely not being 100%. But he's the big athletic swingman who plays D, fits perfectly in the running game, is used to winning, and has a great attitude.

Agreed, R Brewer would be a good guy to target. Memphis probably won't match a deal for him and he's a good defender. However, he might not be the best option for the Wiz since he's not a spacer. I subscribe to Nate's theory that you need to have 2 good 3 point shooters and a guy who can shoot out to 18 feet on the floor. Otherwise you mess up the spacing. That's why I think Howard or Outlaw would be the best options as a cheap small forward.

I'd be fine with either Howard or Outlaw on the cheap, but the difference is Brewer can play guard -even PG in a pinch. He's also significantly younger than Howard. And Howard really was an effective 3 point shooter only 1 of his 7 NBA seasons. Outlaw has been the best 3 point shooter of the bunch. Howard would seem to be the last of the 3 - especially because of his injuries and questionable lockerroom presence - which is what the Wiz are looking at.

LOL at the Hawks for giving out that terrible contract to Joe Johnson. Atlanta fans can never make fun of the Arenas contract ever again.

I don't think Brewer is coming very cheaply. I like his age, his defense, and his athletic ability, but the spacing issue with his poor shooting is a real problem. For what they're going to have to pay for him, it's not the right move in the life cycle of the team capwise. The Wizards have to be very careful about signing guys who would be good bench guys before they make their larger moves in the next few years. Save the space for that big move or two and then once that is done a team still has the MLE/LLE (depending upon the new CBA). There may be some great deals out there in a year or two so I don't think signing Brewer for what it would take is the best move.

Tyrone Messby wrote:LOL at the Hawks for giving out that terrible contract to Joe Johnson. Atlanta fans can never make fun of the Arenas contract ever again.

Insane, this is right up there with Gilbert's horrible contract except Gilbert was coming off of his second knee surgery when we overpaid.