The Retooling Thread: What do we do now

[Flash is the Future]

Hinrich is not worth swapping picks.

[Hoops23]

Hinrich on the block?

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archi ... f_chicago/


it would be nice to have the best DWade defender in the backcourt alongside Flash wouldnt it? I wonder what it would take, swap picks or something?

Yeah and they want to move Hinrich (with fillers & probably some picks) for Brand. Thats bad for the Heat if it happens.

[Hoops23]

Sun-Sentinel

Asked about team needs, Riley said "fortify the point guard position, and we need to get another big man up front."

[raferfenix]

what would you guys think of something like this:

Heat trade: Shawn Marion, Mark Blount
Heat receive: Mo Williams, Anderson Varajeo, Eric Snow, Damon Jones

Cavs trade: Anderson Varajeo, Joe Smith, Eric Snow, Damon Jones
Cavs receive: Michael Redd, Dan Gadzuric

Milwaukee trade: Michael Redd, Mo Williams, Dan Gadzuric
Milwaukee receive: Shawn Marion, Joe Smith, Mark Blount


I can see Charlie Villanueva easily being involved and theoretically the Bucks pick (especially if Haslem goes to the Bucks some how). What do you guys think?

[Hoops23]

Heat pass easily with that trade.

[D' Winner Within]

Miami Herald Riley puts priority on Finding a Center

Blessed with elite centers in his career, Heat coach Pat Riley said he is determined to upgrade the position this summer, regardless of Alonzo Mourning's intentions.

''We're going to pursue one anyway, whether he decides to play or not,'' Riley said. ``If Alonzo were to decide he wants to play and has to wait until the middle of summer, I'm not going to rebuild the team based on his decision. We've got to fortify that position. If he comes back, that's a bonus.''

[DayofMourning]

Too bad the two best options for the Heat are both restricted FAs: Emeka Okafor and Jose Calderon.

[GameTime_3]

Blount-Banks-Haslem-Both second rounders next year for J.Oneal

Oneal
marion
Dorrel
Wade
Rose

or

Oneal
Beasley
Marion-Dorrel
Wade
(FA)

[DayofMourning]

its game time,

Your avatar is too funny. What is it from?

[GameTime_3]

its game time,

Your avatar is too funny. What is it from?

LoL, Go to youtube and you will find Them. I Cant remember where i got it from exactly but check youtube. Thx for the love

[DayofMourning]

Any idea what I should search under?

[tessai]

Any idea what I should search under?

I'd asked the same thing when I saw his avatar too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXOfWwb6si8

[Flash3]

^O.K. lol

[jaseda510]

its ridiculous when you see those comments under the video

these idiots calling the kids fags or homo and one of them wanting to "shoot them"

i know the song is annoying as hell, but they're kids, gimme a break

[jaseda510]

Recent comments from Ira's blog:

From: http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_basketball_heat/

-Interestingly, Pat Riley said before Monday's game that the Heat already is building files on what the other lottery teams are looking for. Consider it a non-top-two fallback strategy.

-While T.J. Ford could shake free in the offseason, with Toronto to do all it takes to retain Jose Calderon, Ford no longer stands as a coveted commodity. He was outplayed Monday by Chris Quinn, who towered over him.

[HeatSince88]

Pat Riley asserts the ''jump from 15 to 40 wins is not that big of a challenge'' for his team. But besides adding a quality point guard and center, Riley also must handle a dicey situation with Shawn Marion.

Speaking about his future for the first time, Marion confirmed our earlier report that he ''definitely'' would like a contract extension and will have agent Dan Fegan ask the Heat for one this summer -- even though Miami's seemingly in no position to do that because it wants big cap space in 2009. With few teams having cap space, Marion's not expected to opt out of the last year of his deal worth $17.4 million -- though he won't say for sure.

The Heat will tell Marion it values him but that he and Fegan must be reasonable with contract demands. That likely would mean a sizable pay cut, perhaps to the $10 million-a year-range, beginning in 2009-10.

If Marion hypothetically accepts $10 million annually and if the Heat trades Marcus Banks and either Mark Blount or Udonis Haslem for expiring contracts, Miami still could afford a top free agent in 2009. Marion presumably would balk at a big pay cut, but two NBA officials said he wouldn't approach $17.4 million on the open market, with one placing his value around $10 million.

Without specifically mentioning a pay cut, Riley said, ``We have to create a model that he has to see this is the only model that can work long-term for himself and also make this team better.''

Marion, 29, wants a commitment from the Heat this summer because ``I've been in the league so long now and I just need that security. Everybody wants that.''

[Lane1974]

can they give him an extension, keep him at 17m next year then $10m in future years? Or do they have to let him play next year at 17m, opt out, then give him the $10m on a wink-wink? I think he might take the security, give him 5 years, $57m (17 next year then 10x4 for the next years?)

imagine they can do this, keep the 09 cap room, and have Wade, Marion, Brand or Boozer (Boozer lives in Miami) and Rose? That's a title team.

[DayofMourning]

What's next for Emeka Okafor?

He's a restricted free agent in July, and he's turned down a long-term extension worth an average of more than $12 million per season.

Several NBA executives told me the Bobcats offered more than Okafor is worth on the open market. He's on a plateau -- his numbers are about what they were in his first two seasons -- though that is partially because of the shots Richardson and Gerald Wallace take. The only real change from last season was durability -- he's on track to play every game this season.

Wallace was their best player the first half of the season, Richardson the second half of the season. Okafor isn't the kind of star who sells tickets. But as a proven defensive big man, he might be the Bobcat hardest to replace if he were to leave.

I wouldn't be shocked if Okafor ends up signing his one-year qualifying offer to reach unrestricted free agency in 2009. That's a calculated risk, but no more of a gamble than turning down the extension last offseason.

I would like to see Emeka sign the one year qualifier so that if we do get cap space we'll have a chance. He'd be a heckuva pickup just for his rebounding and defense.

[heat4life]

Here is the thing, Riley is talking about trades, MLE etc to use this summer for a fast rebuilding. IMO that is his 1st strategy and if he does that, even a expiring Marion would give us little cap space in 2009 to sign a Brand-type of player. If that is the case extending Marion might be a bad idea and his $17mil expiring might be the best chip we could use in a trade for an impact player.

If we extend Marion, even at $10mil a season, sign a MLE and LLE player, we would still have some cap room to sign one or two players in 2009 but by calculations, it won't be an Elton Brand or Boozer-type. Maybe a Lamar Odom would be more realistic with the amount of money we would have available.

[HeatSince88]

Riley: "I think if you were to evaluate our personnel and take a look at the core of players that we have, the possibilities that could come, the free agent we could sign, the mid-level player we could add, the trade that we could possibly make, what the lottery pick, if it's No. 1, could be leveraged into, you could see a team, from our record, making the playoffs based on the other five teams that are all close to being out of it."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/bask ... 8054.story

Notice he said what the #1 pick can be leveraged into, not what kind of player we can select with the #1 pick.

It's a pretty good hunch given Riley's track record of "win-now" moves, his worst-to-first declaration, and the revealing quote above, that the offseason plan is something like ...

- Look to trade #1 pick and whatever else for impact veteran (post player)
- Look to sign a role-playing starter with the MLE (probably PG or C)
- Look to add another role player with the LLE
- Look to trade whatever extra parts to fill needs

Such a scenario might entail something like ...

- Marion/#1 Pick -for- Brand/Maggette (new longterm deals)
- MLE on J. Foster, D. Diop, or PGs like JCN, Duhon, D Gibson, D West, L Williams
- Add a bench player with LLE or JWill or Ricky sign-and-trade
- Trade Haslem for the missing PG or C, whatever isn't added with MLE

PG - L Williams or D Gibson (in Haslem trade) / M Banks
SG - D Wade / Cook
SF - C Maggette / D Wright
PF - E Brand / LLE guy or J Anthony or A Johnson
C - J Foster or Diop (MLE) / Zo or Blount

or

PG - L Williams or D Gibson or JCN (max MLE, not matched) / M Banks
SG - D Wade / Cook
SF - C Maggette / Wright
PF - E Brand / LLE guy or Anthony or Johnson
C - J Foster or Diop (in Haslem trade) / Zo or Blount

That's the 2nd-best team in the East right there, perhaps the best if Wade returns to full health and/or Boston's Big 3 starts showing their age.

If Riley can't pull off a trade with the 1st-round pick and is instead "forced" to make the selection and keep it, he probably hands over the coaching reigns to Spoelstra. The only way Riley stays, IMO, is if he puts together a veteran, contending team with a post presence like the one above.