OT: Fixing Other Teams
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:41 pm
As a big basketball fan I have always wanted to be an NBA GM. When the Celtics suck I was always thinking of trade ideas to make our team better. Now that we are good I have been thinking about ways of getting other teams out of the holes that they are in and getting them on the right path to becoming successful. Now I know some teams out there are unfixable such as the Knicks. The best thing that they can do is just sit back and wait basically for all those horrible untradeable contracts to expire (Rose, Jeffries, Richardson, Jerome James, Eddie Curry). But I am starting this thread because I wanted to see what people think of my idea for fixing the Miami Heat. I think this is a team that could easily get itself on the right path quickly.
1. Miami - The Plan is to tank this season as they are already bad. Try to trade as many older players as possible for cap space and rebuild around Dwayne Wade, The Draft Pick, and Free Agency. Miami should be clearing massive amounts of salary for a run at free agents in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
First Trade - Trade Shaq to Orlando for the expiring contracts of Pat Garrity, Keyon Dooling, and Carlos Arroyo as well as the last 2 years of Tony Battie's contract.
Why for Miami? You maximize cap space by doing this deal you shed 14.3 million off next years cap and you only have to keep Battie for 2 years. In a year he becomes an asset and you would be able to trade him at the deadline.
Why for Orlando? I know people are going to say this is stupid but here me out. You have a young team that won't be able to get past Boston or Detroit in the next couple of years because its flawed. Orlando doesn't play good enough defense or rebound well enough with Rashard Lewis playing out of position. Shaq only has 2 more years left on his deal so it doesn't hurt your longterm future. You would now need a backup point guard because you traded both of them but you should be able to find someone out there (Cassell, Payton, and Stoudamire) in a few weeks. You do this trade because if you limit Shaq's minutes he can still be a very effective player. His last game he scored 24 and 10 coming off the injury list because he was rested. You can still play Lewis/Turkoglu at the 4 at certain times of the game but it doesn't kill you now because its only for 15 to 20 mintues a night instead of the whole game basically which it is now. Why not go for it all for the next 2 season? Everyone on your team who is a contributor is locked into contracts for the next few seasons. This would put your salary cap around the low 70's for next season so you would have to have the balls to pay the lux tax but Orlando's owner has said that he would.
Second Trade - Udonis Haslem for the expirings contracts of Michael Pietrius and Kosta Perovic
Why for Miami? Haslem is putting up solid stats at 12 and 9 but he is a role player at PF and there are other players out there who Miami can target there in free agency (Jamison, Brand, Marion) or the draft (Beasley).
Why for Golden State? You get exactly what you need: an interior player who can play solid post defense and rebound. Golden State was badly exposed lasy year against Utah but Carlos Boozer. Teams like Utah, Houston, and San Antonio will kill them down low in a playoff series. Haslem helps them out a lot. Pietrius wants to be traded and it having a bad year anyways. Matt Barnes and Azubuike have passed him on the depth chart and Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson play the wing as well.
If Miami does this they now have roughly 32 mil in committed salary next year. The cap is set at 55 mil this season and should go up to around 57 or 58 mil next season. This leaves the Heat with roughly 25 to 26 mil in cap space. They should renounce Dorell Wright because he sucks and tell Smush Parker they won't play him next season if he picks up his player option. That would leave them with even more space. Once they draft someone they would have about 22 mil in cap space.
Miami should sign Elton Brand in free agency to a maximum level contract. Other free agents who could be available are Antwan Jamison but I feel he is slightly overrated and needs to take a paycut and Shawn Marion if he opts out. They could also try to convince Ron Artest to play for the MLE. In 2009 they could try ton convince other star players to come to Miami for the MLE for a chance at a title like a Jason Kidd.
They should draft either Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose if the lotto balls bounce right. They would then be well on their way to fielding a good team that actually has a future. They could then surround this team with veteran pickups similar to what the Celtics did this offseason.
With a core of Brand, Wade, and Rose/Beasley the Heat would be a very good up incoming team in the East.
1. Miami - The Plan is to tank this season as they are already bad. Try to trade as many older players as possible for cap space and rebuild around Dwayne Wade, The Draft Pick, and Free Agency. Miami should be clearing massive amounts of salary for a run at free agents in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
First Trade - Trade Shaq to Orlando for the expiring contracts of Pat Garrity, Keyon Dooling, and Carlos Arroyo as well as the last 2 years of Tony Battie's contract.
Why for Miami? You maximize cap space by doing this deal you shed 14.3 million off next years cap and you only have to keep Battie for 2 years. In a year he becomes an asset and you would be able to trade him at the deadline.
Why for Orlando? I know people are going to say this is stupid but here me out. You have a young team that won't be able to get past Boston or Detroit in the next couple of years because its flawed. Orlando doesn't play good enough defense or rebound well enough with Rashard Lewis playing out of position. Shaq only has 2 more years left on his deal so it doesn't hurt your longterm future. You would now need a backup point guard because you traded both of them but you should be able to find someone out there (Cassell, Payton, and Stoudamire) in a few weeks. You do this trade because if you limit Shaq's minutes he can still be a very effective player. His last game he scored 24 and 10 coming off the injury list because he was rested. You can still play Lewis/Turkoglu at the 4 at certain times of the game but it doesn't kill you now because its only for 15 to 20 mintues a night instead of the whole game basically which it is now. Why not go for it all for the next 2 season? Everyone on your team who is a contributor is locked into contracts for the next few seasons. This would put your salary cap around the low 70's for next season so you would have to have the balls to pay the lux tax but Orlando's owner has said that he would.
Second Trade - Udonis Haslem for the expirings contracts of Michael Pietrius and Kosta Perovic
Why for Miami? Haslem is putting up solid stats at 12 and 9 but he is a role player at PF and there are other players out there who Miami can target there in free agency (Jamison, Brand, Marion) or the draft (Beasley).
Why for Golden State? You get exactly what you need: an interior player who can play solid post defense and rebound. Golden State was badly exposed lasy year against Utah but Carlos Boozer. Teams like Utah, Houston, and San Antonio will kill them down low in a playoff series. Haslem helps them out a lot. Pietrius wants to be traded and it having a bad year anyways. Matt Barnes and Azubuike have passed him on the depth chart and Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson play the wing as well.
If Miami does this they now have roughly 32 mil in committed salary next year. The cap is set at 55 mil this season and should go up to around 57 or 58 mil next season. This leaves the Heat with roughly 25 to 26 mil in cap space. They should renounce Dorell Wright because he sucks and tell Smush Parker they won't play him next season if he picks up his player option. That would leave them with even more space. Once they draft someone they would have about 22 mil in cap space.
Miami should sign Elton Brand in free agency to a maximum level contract. Other free agents who could be available are Antwan Jamison but I feel he is slightly overrated and needs to take a paycut and Shawn Marion if he opts out. They could also try to convince Ron Artest to play for the MLE. In 2009 they could try ton convince other star players to come to Miami for the MLE for a chance at a title like a Jason Kidd.
They should draft either Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose if the lotto balls bounce right. They would then be well on their way to fielding a good team that actually has a future. They could then surround this team with veteran pickups similar to what the Celtics did this offseason.
With a core of Brand, Wade, and Rose/Beasley the Heat would be a very good up incoming team in the East.