If you could begin 2008-2009 with this roster...

[AussieBuck]

...would you?

Mo Williams
Larry Hughes
Andres Nocioni
Elton Brand
Andrew Bogut

Kyle Lowry
Charlie Bell
Renaldo Balkman
David Lee
Kwame Brown

Ramon Sessions
Cuttino Mobley

I'd do it only if Mo was happy coming off the bench. He could chuck his little heart out for 15 minutes a game playing with the all D backups. With that team I want as little shooting as possible coming from the starting backcourt.

[The Laker Kid]

It was a great lineup until you added Kwame Brown

[emunney]

I like it in some ways, but passing would remains a major weakness, and our spacing would be awful with so few respectable shooters. Defense would be better, but not by enough. The offense would be really dysfunctional, no less so than now, and maybe more so.

[More Bang For The Bucks]

No, a Mo/Hughes backcourt could ruin any frontline. Not enough shots and would put them in foul trouble. If Miami drafts Beasley send Mo there. Send Redd to Denver, Dallas, Cleveland, or Orlando and unload Gadzuric and Simmons in those deals. Plan on picking in the lottery again next year too.

[Fort Minor]

In a second.

[Debit One]

I'd be ecstatic if we went into 07/08 with that roster. I wouldn't run with the starting lineup that you've designated, but that's quibbling.

[Nowak008]

I like it in some ways, but passing would remains a major weakness, and our spacing would be awful with so few respectable shooters. Defense would be better, but not by enough. The offense would be really dysfunctional, no less so than now, and maybe more so.

I have to disagree with you on the defense. Mo is the only bad defender on that team. Huges is a good fit next to Mo because he can defend the one or the 2 and could take the other team's best perimeter player each night.

Spacing would be a concern though since Mo is the only one who can reliably hit an outside shot on that team.

[emunney]

What do you disagree with? I said the defense would be better. Lee would be getting quite a few minutes, and he's a bad defender. Hughes is not a great defender. Nocioni is not a great defender. Brand is not a great defender. We'd defend the opponent's transition better, but we'd be almost as bad at the point of attack. We would not be the worst team in the league defensively, but we would not be good enough to counteract our mess of an offense, which gets messier the more I think about it.

We'd have a backcourt built to run and a frontcourt built to stand.

[emunney]

I think we'd be similar offensively to this year's Knicks. Not identical, but similar. Which is slightly worse than this year's Bucks.

[Debit One]

Here is how I'd work that roster:

PG: Lowry, Williams, Sessions
SG: Mobley, Hughes, Bell
SF: Nocioni, Hughes, Balkman
PF: Brand, Lee, Brown
C: Bogut, Brand, Brown

My biggest worry would be the PG. I'm not sure if Lowry is ready to be a starting PG, but I'd go with him and put Williams in the 6th man, instant offense role similar to Ben Gordon. I start Mobley at SG to give us two outside shooters (Mobley & Nocioni) in the starting lineup. Bell probably gets a fair amount of PT.

The guy who wouldn't see as much PT as he deserves is Lee.

[Nowak008]

What do you disagree with? I said the defense would be better. Lee would be getting quite a few minutes, and he's a bad defender. Hughes is not a great defender. Nocioni is not a great defender. Brand is not a great defender. We'd defend the opponent's transition better, but we'd be almost as bad at the point of attack. We would not be the worst team in the league defensively, but we would not be good enough to counteract our mess of an offense, which gets messier the more I think about it.

We'd have a backcourt built to run and a frontcourt built to stand.

I guess that our defense would be good enough is what disagree with. We don't have great defenders or any lock down defenders I agree. We do have a team of good defending players though. I don't think it would be an elite defending team, but I think it could be top 10.

Another plus for this team is it would be a very good rebounding team.

[St.Nick]

LOL at Elton Brand coming to the Bucks

You dont have anything to get him with. The Clippers don't need your best player--Bogut-- since they already have Kaman. Michael Redd is overpaid and you don't ever trade a 20/10 PF for a one dimensional SG (although he is damned good at that one dimension). So who are you going to trade for him--Bobby Simmons, Gadzuric, Desmond Mason?

Come on, fellas.

Draft well, trade Redd/Mo Williams for expirings and youngsters, and develop what you've got. No easy answers in this f'ed up problem. Its a long term solution you need to aim for.

BTW, Yi sucks

[Debit One]

LOL at Elton Brand coming to the Bucks

You dont have anything to get him with. The Clippers don't need your best player--Bogut-- since they already have Kaman. Michael Redd is overpaid and you don't ever trade a 20/10 PF for a one dimensional SG (although he is damned good at that one dimension). So who are you going to trade for him--Bobby Simmons, Gadzuric, Desmond Mason?

Come on, fellas.

Draft well, trade Redd/Mo Williams for expirings and youngsters, and develop what you've got. No easy answers in this f'ed up problem. Its a long term solution you need to aim for.

BTW, Yi sucks

I don't disagree with you. I'm waiting for the original poster to show us how he is turning this:

Redd, Yi, Simmons, Gadzuric, Villanueva, Mason and our #1

into this:

Brand, Mobley, Nocioni, Hughes, Lee, Balkman, Lowry, Brown

[AussieBuck]

LOL at Elton Brand coming to the Bucks

You dont have anything to get him with. The Clippers don't need your best player--Bogut-- since they already have Kaman. Michael Redd is overpaid and you don't ever trade a 20/10 PF for a one dimensional SG (although he is damned good at that one dimension). So who are you going to trade for him--Bobby Simmons, Gadzuric, Desmond Mason?

Come on, fellas.

Draft well, trade Redd/Mo Williams for expirings and youngsters, and develop what you've got. No easy answers in this f'ed up problem. Its a long term solution you need to aim for.

BTW, Yi sucks

How is it Milwaukee's fault you drafted that spud Wright? Go play in the traffic.

[heynow]

...would you?

Mo Williams
Larry Hughes
Andres Nocioni
Elton Brand
Andrew Bogut

Kyle Lowry
Charlie Bell
Renaldo Balkman
David Lee
Kwame Brown

Ramon Sessions
Cuttino Mobley

Hell yeah!!!!

[Wise1]

All day, every day.

[midranger]

As for the trades....

1. Draft Night Three Way....

New York:
Simmons/Gadzuric/#6 overall pick/Bucks 2008 2nd rounder

LA Clippers:
Marbury (expiring)/Yi/Bucks 2009 pick

Milwaukee:
Brand/Lee/Balkman/Mobley


Why for NY: This is the part that I'm haziest about. I don't know the degree of fiscal responsibility that Dolan is promoting these days. I do, however, know that between all the terrible contracts, the Knicks won't have a shot of getting under the cap until the year that Gadzuric's contract expires anyway. So, the contracts added here kill the Knicks alot less than other teams. The obvious incentive is the high lotto pick to pair with their own high lotto pick. Lee is certainly beloved in NY, but neither he nor Balkman is worth the 6th pick in any draft.

Why for LAC: Notoriously cheap owner. Team not suited to compete in Western Conference. Brand probably at best 50/50 to stay. This deal gives them a clean slate in a huge expiring while clearing the final 2 years of Mobley's deal (a very good thing from the Clipps perspective). Yi in LA is a cash cow, and he actually is a very good fit next to Chris Kaman's low post game. Future considerations, likely a protected first rounder and 3 million in cash to help pay for Marbury's contract help this get done.

Trade 2:

Memphis:
Charlie Villanueva

Milwaukee:
Kyle Lowry


Why for Memphis: The Rudy Gay/CV connection. They seem like good buddies for whatever reason. Playing together may keep both motivated. If that happens, CV is much more talented than Lowry who is somewhat redundant on the roster anyway with Conley Jr. CV's game also should work well with the more offensively limited Darko down low.


Trade 3:

Chicago:
Redd/Mason

Milwaukee:
Hughes/Nocioni


Why for Chicago: Hughes's issues are well documented. This gives Chicago the ability to add a consistent scorer next to all of their defensive pieces. It also allows them to explore sign and trade avenues for Ben Gordon, which I'm guessing both sides would like at this point.


Sign with MLE:
Kwame Brown

Good post defender. Knows he sucks so he won't want a ton of shots. Probably a solid enough backup 5.


Final Roster:

Mo
Hughes
Nocioni
Brand
Bogut

Lowry
Bell
Balkman
Lee
Brown

Sessions
Mobley

[ReasonablySober]

I wouldn't make the deal simply because I don't see how we're then able to acquire that top 10 caliber player. This, IMO, probably gets us 50 wins but not any closer to a Championship.

[LUKE23]

Is that pick in this draft? You have it listed as next years pick, in which case I don't think Clippers go for.

I don't think Chicago does that deal either, they gain nothing on defense and add more salary, while not taking care of their overloaded guard problem.

[Nowak008]

I wouldn't make the deal simply because I don't see how we're then able to acquire that top 10 caliber player. This, IMO, probably gets us 50 wins but not any closer to a Championship.

Brand might not be top 10, but he is top 15-20 when healthy.