OT - Can anyone "Pull a Boston" this summer?

[evildallas]

I saw a thread on the trading board about how the Bucks could pull a Boston. By that they were talking adding 2 superstars to get a big 3. Their suggestion was Josh Howard and Jermaine O'Neal to pair with Michael Redd (which is kind of a homeless man's big 3). I would think the guys to get would be Elton Brand and Baron Davis, but I'm not sure they'd be available. Even then I don't see anyone transforming a team's attitude like KG did with Boston. BTW, even if the Milwaukee plan was enacted and they didn't become the next Boston the result would be a lot more competitive than their current team.

Who do you think could establish a new big 3 this year and how? Do they have the surrounding pieces to be a threat for a title?

For sake of the discussion other current big 3's like San Antonio and Phoenix need not be considered unless you have an idea for them changing their 3. It has to be a new big 3. I guess a team with 2 stars like Miami could add 1 star to it and count as well as a team with 1 star adding 2 to it. It just won't catch the media's imagination like a bolder roster shakeup of adding 2 big name players.

P.S. Really interested to see if anyone has a plan for the Hawks to do it.

[conleyorbust]

Well I think the added stipulation is that it would have to be a sub-.500 team.

Anyway, the Bucks adding JO and Howard doesn't really make them an elite team in my opinion.

A team adding Billups and Brand would be the closest because I think those are the most talented and well rounded guys on the market (B-Diddy is also very talented but if I'm chasing a title I prolly want Billups).

Things got busy at work so I don't have time to finish this but I'll think on it.

[killbuckner]

First of all Allen shouldn't be considered a "big 3" anymore. He is a solid starter but he is no longer a star. Boston is a Big 2.

So past that look at a team with a star plus some useful role players and some flexibility. Miami is the team that Jumps out.

[evildallas]

A team adding Billups and Brand would be the closest because I think those are the most talented and well rounded guys on the market (B-Diddy is also very talented but if I'm chasing a title I prolly want Billups).

I like the Billups and Brand thought. Look forward to reading the rest of the analysis.

[evildallas]

First of all Allen shouldn't be considered a "big 3" anymore. He is a solid starter but he is no longer a star. Boston is a Big 2.

So past that look at a team with a star plus some useful role players and some flexibility. Miami is the team that Jumps out.

Even at the time of acquiring many theorized that Allen would fade, but for marketing it was a big 3 for most of the season. By the time of the championship series Rondo and Perkins had come further in development than anyone could have guessed at the start of the year, making it a better overall team.

Just adding 1 piece won't really capture the marketing buzz. Although if Miami adds another "name" to DWade and Marion (who really didn't play together much), they have the potential to be the hot story. I see them sticking with just adding the draft pick of Beasley. I'm not sure what's available for them as far as another star that fits what they need. There are big name Centers available and I don't see them as having the ammo to get a PG like Billups or Davis and keep their core intact.

[Sultanofatl]

I say Miami. Good draft pick and some players. So here we go........

They already have Marion and Wade. I say go after Ron Artest or Elton Brand. Or they could go get a guy like Redd or Baron Davis.

[conleyorbust]

A team adding Billups and Brand would be the closest because I think those are the most talented and well rounded guys on the market (B-Diddy is also very talented but if I'm chasing a title I prolly want Billups).

I like the Billups and Brand thought. Look forward to reading the rest of the analysis.

The easiest thing to do for a very "win now" team would be to move Al and Bibby for Brand and filler (Brevin Knight maybe?). Then swing Josh S SnT for Billups and Affalo. That leaves you with a 3 man core of Billups, Joe, and Brand plus the MLE and LLE and Marv, Zaza's expiring, Chil, and Acie to flush out the roster.

Without dipping into the MLE and LLE we could try for a Marv/Zaza/Acie for Pryz/Webster/Frye sort of deal.

Finally use the exceptions to get Duhon, Murray, and Rasho (would have said Kwame/Diop but they are poor man's Pryzbilla's).

Main rotation there:

Billups/Duhon
Joe/Affalo/Murray
Webster/Chil
Brand/Frye
Pryz/Rasho

Something like that. I think all the trades should check out but I didn't run them. That team seems to be better than the Pistons ones a couple of years back, maybe keep Knight and West under contract as guys who can push the pace.

Of course losing Josh for Billups would hurt when Billups is 35 and under contract and Smith is winning DPOYs but his roster is a contender and wouldn't be handicapped by Woody's half-court fixation.

I can't even imagine how well Joe would play with Billups and Brand and another shooter spacing the floor.

EDIT: I'm pretty sure that Port has Freeland overseas who could come in and be a backup big and Oden does what Pryz did this year but if they don't want to give up both Frye and Pryz, we could switch up and take out Acie and Frye and bring over DA as our backup offensive post player.

[Harry10]

Horford for Arenas

Smith for Billups

Marvin/Chil for Artest

Joe for Kaman

Bibby for Jermain O'Neal

C: Kaman
PF: JO'Neal
SF: Artest
SG: Arenas
PG: Billups

[ATLfan]

Horford for Arenas

Smith for Billups

Marvin/Chil for Artest

Joe for Kaman

Bibby for Jermain O'Neal

C: Kaman
PF: JO'Neal
SF: Artest
SG: Arenas
PG: Billups

This is a joke right???

[HMFFL]

I say Miami. Good draft pick and some players. So here we go........

They already have Marion and Wade. I say go after Ron Artest or Elton Brand. Or they could go get a guy like Redd or Baron Davis.

Miami would be my choice as well. They have the pick that can be moved, but I don't think it's likely, and there probably better off just refining what they already have by the way of the draft.

[DeShaunRed]

I think the first question that everyone has to ask is, "Which of these superstars are hungry for the title?"

It would be nicer for the Hawks if they have a draft pick to pull a Boston.

[evildallas]

I have a new candidate, but not exactly a big three. More like 2 and a half in terms of star power.

Cleveland (who needs to be able to win if they hope to keep Lebron at the end of his deal)
It's hard because the teams they need to talk trade with are the one most likely to bid on Lebron when he's a free agent so helping them with cap room could haunt them. The other problem is they don't have the young assets to peddle.

Target one - Zach Randolph and #6
Scoring and rebounding and New York want rid of him. You give them a lot of cap relief by offering Wally Szczerbiak and the 19th pick for Zach Randolph and the 6th pick. For the Knicks the trade is about being able to sign a young star via free agency in summer of 2010.

Target two - Vince Carter
Carter's contract is horrible for a rebuilding team. He has 3 yrs 48M left guaranteed. Cleveland can offer cap relief in the form of Joe Smith, Sasha Pavlovic, Eric Snow's expiring deal, #6, and 2010 1st for Vince Carter and #10. This deal does require that NJ is looking for cap relief. The higher pick facilitates NJ moving up to get who they really want via a trade with Minnesota (#6 and #21 for #3 to get OJ Mayo, Minnesota gets to add either Kevin Love or Brook Lopez at #6 depending on Memphis's pick and add another young talent (possibly another big) at #21). If Eric Snow's status is a hang up then Damon Jones is expiring and works math-wise as well.

With the 10th pick the Cavs select Russell Westbrook PG UCLA.

Roster at this point:
West (resigned)/ Westbrook
Carter/ Gibson (resigned)
James/ Dickens /MLE Signing
Randolph/ Varajeo
Ilgauskas/ Wallace /Allred

The MLE would need to be used to acquire a bench scoring wing like Matt Barnes or Mickael Pietrus.

They could actually try to target one more player given Varajeo contract and the S&T possibilities of West or Gibson, but I like the looks of that roster. If they choose to go big instead of PG in the draft, then the logical thing would be a deal for either Ford or Hinrich.

Randolph won't have the sizzle to create a big 3 as he was never an all-star, but his low block scoring combined with the attention James draws will make Carter wide open on the perimeter. I would have loved to dump Ben Wallace, but I tried to be realistic in the trades. While NY might consider him to get under the cap a year earlier, they wouldn't include the pick swap with him which I feel is necessary to land Carter. I still see the plethora of low offensive threat bigs a problem for this team, but at least with this roster you have more than James to worry about covering.

Lebron can opt out in summer of 2010. Best chance of keeping him is to make Cleveland as competitive for a title as possible.

[HoopsGuru25]

Alot of people assumed Boston would just be able to outscore people but it was actually their defense and team chemistry that led to them winning 66 games. I think it's possible that Vince Carter could wake up and buy into a defense 1st philosophy(like Pierce did this year) but Randolph has never gave much effort on defense(and would still be bad at it if he tried due to horrible athleticism) and he's a horrible teammate on top of it. If I had to rank the players I would like in a trade...Randolph would be last in the entire league(assuming Kmarts deal doesn't run longer).

[evildallas]

I'm not suggesting that any big 3 names will capture the defensive focus of Boston. I'm merely asking about a team trying to follow the model of bringing together big names for a run. To be honest the trying to buy a title thing doesn't seem to work that often. It is more common that the pieces don't mesh. For all his offense I wouldn't touch Randolph, but Cleveland has a big offensive need because the drop off after Lebron is shocking. Against Boston in the Playoffs almost every big they put on the floor afforded Boston someone to double off of. If Cleveland had better pieces to trade with they could perhaps go after Brand or role the dice with the injury-ridden Jermaine O'Neal instead. Maybe Wally, Damon Jones, and Anderson Varajeo (who has to agree to the trade) can be dealt for Jermaine O'Neal and the 11th. If so they might be able to build a team that can play D as well. Does that leave enough to pitch for Carter? If they could get O'Neal and Carter added to Lebron then maybe that is a prospective big 3 situation. O'Neal has a defensive rep while Carter would have to inspired.

[dms269]

About Cleveland, I don't think it would be beneifcal to NY to dump Randolph it is costs them the 3. They need to rebuild, and the 3 will help them do that. Yes everybody loves exp[irings, but if your in that much of a financial hole as NY is, they don't have that much value when you will still be so far over.

[evildallas]

About Cleveland, I don't think it would be beneifcal to NY to dump Randolph it is costs them the 3. They need to rebuild, and the 3 will help them do that. Yes everybody loves exp[irings, but if your in that much of a financial hole as NY is, they don't have that much value when you will still be so far over.

Actually, it costs New York the #6 pick. If they had the number 3 it would be a no brainer to keep it, but most people see this draft as having 4 sure bets and then some drop off. The #6 pick has risk involved and if they can use it to get that much contract gone they would. The New York plan is to not to get to cap for fiscal responsibility, it is to have cap room to sign a max player in 2010 when oddly enough Lebron can opt out.

Lebron's opt out is what makes the trades I suggest so weird. It is widely assumed that he would be wooed by either the Knicks or the Nets. Moving to that market will cause financial clauses in his Nike deal to more than compensate for the salary difference. The only hope that Cleveland really has in keeping him (outside of a deep love for the city) is to make their roster his best chance for title success. New York and New Jersey (will they be renamed when they move?) both require stripping off a lot of assets to make a credible offer to him, so while the overall money may be better they'll not necessarily be the most competitive scenarios right away. Realistically, LA and Chicago won't be better options cap-wise at that time either. If Cleveland doesn't improve in the next 2 years then why not take a chance with the Knicks. But if Cleveland is legitimately fighting for the title, would he jump ship to play in New York knowing that it would probably take several years just to get back to a finals level team?