I think this thread should be tacked.
I'll reiterate my
"Get LeBron in 2010" plan.
Trade Hinrich and Nocioni for a guard whose contract expires in 2009 or 2010.
Extend Deng and Gordon (minimum salary allowable under CBA for the 2010 season).
Extend Tyrus Thomas.
Re-sign Aaron Gray.
Let Thabo become a RFA. By then we should know what we have with him.
By the summer of 2010, our salary structure would look like:
Noah - $3 mill
Thomas - $8 mill
Deng - $8.5 mill
Gordon - $8.5 mill
Thabo - $4 mill
Gray - $5 mill
'08 1st round pick - $2 mill
'09 1st round pick - $2 mill
That's $41 million in committed salary. The NBA salary cap is currently $55.6 million. Based on recent trends, my guess is $61 million would be a reasonable assumption for the 2010-11 salary cap.
That gives us $20 million in cap space to make a run at King James.
There are only two hang-ups:
1) Trading Hinrich and Nocioni for a guard whose deal expires in 2010 (or '09) could be difficult. We'd have to find a willing trade partner, plus we'd have to get a good enough player to keep the team competitive, and not look like a blatant salary dump to quell the inevitable PR hit. I haven't really looked at rosters and salaires, so I don't know who this anonymous player is right now. I'll be on the lookout...
2) Actually getting James to sign on the dotted line. I think a lineup of Gordon, Deng, and Tyrus & Noah (with 2.5 more years of seasoning) would be attractive. That team should be able to stay playoff competitive.
Hopefully LeBron could see the potential of the team with him in the lineup. Gordon would be the 3-point assassin feasting off LeBron's penetration. Deng would be the skilled wingmate; moving without the ball, and being the recipient of LeBron's deft passes. Tyrus and Noah would be the long, active post players who could protect the paint, clean up the glasses, and start the fast break if need be. And by then, I think they could have decent offensive skillsets (especially Tyrus). Plus the '08 and '09 picks could yield promising players.
And then there are the financial ramifications. Chicago is obviously a much bigger media market than Cleveland. New York and L.A. could also be players. Scratch off the Clippers simply because they're the Clippers. Kobe more than likely stays in L.A., and I highly doubt they'd team up. The Knicks are a hot mess. Scratch them off. The sleeper could be the Nets. They're moving to Brooklyn, and apparently LeBron and Jay-Z are tight. However, the Nets don't look like a very promising team in a few years. There's also the possibility LeBron stays in Cleveland, but I just don't see it. Ferry hasn't made any moves, and they have a lot of salary commited through 2009. They'll have a ton available in 2010, but that could be "too little too late". So all we gotta do is have Benny the Bull greet LeBron at the airport, let him throw out the first pitch at a Cubs game, and we got him.
2010 Lineup
C Noah
PF Thomas
SF Deng
SG LeBron
PG Gordon
Some voiced concerns about LeBron playing the 2 even though the 3 is his natural position. I just don't envision this is a problem. LeBron is arguably the best athlete in the NBA. He shouldn't have any problem chasing SGs around. Offensively, I also don't see a problem. He would have the primary ball handling responsibilities, thus Gordon's dribbling deficiencies would be minimized. He would be absolutely lethal on kickouts. Deng would still be very effective slashing without the basketball, even moreso with LeBron spearheading the attack. Deng also said he wants to put the 3-point shot back in his game. At worst, Deng should be a functional 30% three-point shooter.
That's pretty much all I got.
Git 'er done, Pax. Somehow.
