Build Your Own Orlando Magic

[Bensational]

I figured for offseason's sake, everyone should have a go at proposing what they'd do this offseason as GM. There are a few posters who i'm very interested to see what they'd do.

Keep in mind that you're the GM, so build a team that you'd like to see on the floor (keep it realistic in, nobody can sign Elton Brand to the MLE..... or trade Bogans for Baron Davis). You can make Luxury Tax as much of a concern as you like, because you'll be the one answering to the boss if they have to shell out all that money and don't get a title.


Starting with our current lineup:

Dwight Howard / Marcin Gortat
Rashard Lewis / Tony Battie / Brian Cook
Hedo Turkoglu /
Keith Bogans / Courtney Lee / JJ Redick
Jameer Nelson /


Free Agents:

Keyon Dooling
Maurice Evans
Carlos Arroyo
Pat Garrity


Exceptions:

MLE
LLE
VLE


Draft Picks:

2009 1st Rd
2010 1st Rd
2010 2nd Rd

Do what you can, will, must and put the team on paper that you realistically believe could be achieved if you were GM.

[TheGlyde]

My main aim would still be to move Hedo for a big and move Shard to SF, we shouldn't be paying him 118million to play out of position and I just don't think the two SF lineup will fly in the playoffs.

It's hard to know who, I'd like Haslem or MyDyess, a banger type... but I know you want specifics so I'll have a stab...

Plan A might be something like Hedo and Battie to Seattle for Collison and either Ridnour or Watson.

Collison is the kind of banger I would like, Ridnour/Watson would help us sure up the PG spot, personally I prefer Ridnour, but Watson is the better defended so may be the better choice since Jameer's defence is already suspect.

Under this plan I would pursue Kurt Thomas with the MLE and resign either Evans or maybe Dooling, and let Arroyo and Garrity walk.

Dwight/Gortat/Augustine
Collison/Thomas/Cook
Lewis/Bogans
Evans/Lee/JJ
Nelson/Ridnour or Watson

Plan B; if Seattle didn't want Hedo (quite possible since they have Jeff Green and Durant and are building young) would be perhaps Hedo and Battie to LA for Odom. A Bynum/Gasol/Hedo front line is more balanced for them, and Dwight/Odom/Shard is more balanced for us. You would have to hope Odom signed an extension though, and this plan would have great luxury tax ramifications (hence being Plan B).

Under this scenario I would then chase Duhon with the MLE and again, resign Evans or maybe Dooling and let Arroyo and Garrity walk.

Dwight/Gortat/Augustine
Odom/Cook
Lewis/Bogans
Evans/Lee/JJ
Nelson/Duhon

In both scenario's I don't really upgrade the 2 spot, but we used the draft pick there this year and hopefully Lee comes through, if we had used it on a PG or PF I would be trying to move Hedo for different pieces.

Plans C and D I might chase Haslem, McDyess, or other bangers to start alongside Dwight and satisfy my aim of moving Shard to the 3 spot.

[Bensational]

nice dude.

i was tryin to put mine together but ran out of time. i was trying to find ways to get Collison without giving up Hedo. just can't be done unless the Sonics were to say they wanted Brian Cook (why would they when they're already overloaded in the front court?) and JJ (they could do. they're backcourt aint the strongest and they don't have many 3pt threats). couldn't figure out a way to make it work, but i agree that Collison would be a great addition.

so would Odom. both those teams would be solid IMO. and i'd happily watch the team move Hedo for that, but if i were GM i don't know if i'd have the balls. i was working around keeping him. i'll put mine up later.

[spinedoc]

A lot of people don't like threads like this, but I enjoy them. Here is my attempt if I was the gm. Our biggest need right now is to get a starting sg before we think about upgrading anywhere else. My top priority this offseason would have been the full mle to Maggette, and if he balked at all immediately turn to Pietrus.

Then resign Dooling (3.5/4/4.5 with the third year as a PO), because he does bring defense off the bench and can play two spots for us.

Next find a spot for JJ and Bogans, preferably for Crittenton. JJ/protected first rounder for JC, and Bogans to a team under the cap for a second round pick and cash.

Lastly use our LLE on a big man, someone like Kwame would be nice for the price.

PG-Nelson, Dooling, Crittenton
SG-Pietrus, Lee
SF-Hedo
PF-Lewis, Battie, Cook
C-Dwight, Gortat, Kwame

Its not neatly balanced, but its still an extremely versatile lineup. Lewis and Pietrus would play a lot of the backup at 3, and Dooling playing some third string sg. Ideally I want to move Shard back to sf, but I would wait until the deadline to find a better deal for a trade involving Hedo, and getting our long term solution at pf. Unless of course that the rumors out of GS are true that Harrington wants a trade. Then I'd try to jump on that now, say Hedo/Bogans and possibly a conditional first round pick for Al, giving us this for '08.

PG-Nelson, Dooling, JC
SG-Pietrus, Lee
SF-Lewis, Cook
PF-Harrington, Battie
C-Dwight, Gortat, Kwame

[NEM]

wow, this should be fun!

sign maggette to the MLE
re-sign dooling
sign j-will to VLE
sign kareem rush to the LLE

trade bogans+augustine to the kings for shelden williams
trade redick+cook+second rounder for chris wilcox and cash

pg-nelson/dooling/j.williams
sg-maggette/lee
sf-turkoglu/rush
pf-lewis/wilcox/s.williams
c-howard/gortat/battie

this leaves 2 spots open for either a combination of training camp invitees or summer leaguers. yes, we are a little thin at the 2 and 3, but lewis can play the 3 and if he does, wilcox could step in and play the 4 for him, in the case that neither lee nor maggette could play the 2 we could use dooling. this would make us so deep at the 4 and 5 that dwight would have to play more than 32 minutes a night so that he's fresh for the playoffs. otis wants to mold us like the spurs, well look at the minutes that their players play. this team is very deep at 3 positions and he 2 that arent so deep, we have guys who can step in and play those positions in dooling, lewis and if need be rush can play the 2 since the 3 and 2 are interchangeable. we have 3 point guards enabling SVG to run his 3 guard rotation which, again would cut down on their minutes making them fresh come playoff time. i think that half of these guys could be starters on a lot of teams out there and i think they would all mesh nicely because none of them seem selfish at all. with this team we could be so versatile. we could go small (nelson, dooling, lee, rashard, hedo) or we could go big (hedo, maggette, rashard, wilcox, howard), come to think of it, we could run the 'big' lineup most of the time, maybe not starting but for most of the fourth quarter and somewhere before that, because having hedo bring the ball up (which he does most of the time anyways) and rashard at the 3 (his natural position) should prove deadly for us. also, when j-will retires and if keyon leaves, in a couple of years, we could go out and draft nick calathes out of UF, the kid can defend and is a great pass first point guard (6'5'', 190)

[theTHIEF]

working with what is available on the market, my ideal team would be

Nelson/Dooling/Duhon
Pietrus/Lee/Bogans
Shard/Hedo/Cook
Battie/Kurt Thomas/Augustine
Dwight/Kwame/Gortat

in a perfect world Duhon and MP agree to split the MLE, Kurt Thomas agrees to the BAE and Kwame settles for the VLE. We also trade JJ for a future pick or an expiring and of course re-sign Dooling...

PG - Extremely versatile and no longer a full on defensive liability, should also cut down on TO's.

SG - MP gives the Magic length, athleticism and defense, he can drive, and rebound well and he can cover the 3 if necessary, not brining in an all star caliber player we are able to develop Lee better and Bogans is a serviceable 3rd option.

SF - Shard moves to his natural position and begins to reek havoc on the competition again, his #'s will improve from this position, we also have Hedo coming off the bench as our 6th man, Hedo and Shard will share the minutes evenly, giving them both a chance to rest more during games.

PF - nothing spectacular in terms of offense, but Battie and Thomas are bangers, and both play solid defense, clearly Thomas is the better defender and has a bit of a mean streak, this will toughen up our front line substantially.

C - Dwight is Dwight, Kwame brings a boost in post defense, he's young still and able to run the floor well, Gortat will continue to develop.

overall IMO a diverse and well balanced squad, I could honestly see this roster advancing past the 2nd round...big dreaming obviously, but there you go...

[MagicHolland]

It's been a long time since I've last posted on this forum. But I'll take a shot at this. To start off, our current roster with players under contract:

Dwight Howard / Marcin Gortat
Rashard Lewis / Tony Battie / Brian Cook
Hedo Turkoglu /
Keith Bogans / Courtney Lee / JJ Redick
Jameer Nelson /

First step: throw the MLE at Maggette (it is possible right now, so I'll use it for this one).
Second step resign Dooling ( something like 11 million for 3 years).

Dwight Howard / Marcin Gortat
Rashard Lewis / Tony Battie / Brian Cook
Hedo Turkoglu /
Corey Maggette/ Keith Bogans / Courtney Lee / JJ Redick
Jameer Nelson / Keyon Dooling

Third step filling in some holes by trying to sign Kwame Brown, Jason Williams and I'm really leaning towards signing Livingston. I would even go as far as throwing 2 million (S&T for Redick, Bogans??) at him if we can't get him for the LLE. For now I'll assume it'll take about 2million so I trade Redick for him, the Clips could use another SG after Maggette left. So that would make signing Williams unnecessary, leaving us with Brown.

Dwight Howard / Kwame Brown/ Marcin Gortat
Rashard Lewis / Tony Battie / Brian Cook
Hedo Turkoglu /Rashard Lewis
Corey Maggette/ Keith Bogans / Courtney Lee/ Keyon Dooling
Jameer Nelson / Shaun Livingston/ Keyon Dooling

This is a team I like for now and the future. BUT, I would definately look into dealing Hedo. There's two sides to it. With Maggette we'll shoot less 3pointers, which made it hard to guard for opposing teams last year. So going away from the two SF (Hedo and Lewis) lineup would make us even less of a three point shooting team. Do we want that? After it's been so effective for us last year? I think in order for us to win a championship we might have to. I'd rather look like the Spurs than the Suns to be honest. And I would think Duncan's rings agree with me.

So when trading Hedo what do we look for? We're pretty set at PG and SG (especially with Lee, Dooling and Livingston (gamble) being able to play both spots. Rashard would go back to his natural SF position (it definately would help him live up to his contract) so we'd need a SF backup, and like stated before we'd go back to a more traditional 2 bigs, so we'd need to get that back in a Hedo trade. Right now it looks to me as Portland would be ideal trading partners. There's 3 players I would target: Frye, Przybilla and Webster. Outlaw could also be an option but is a bit harder since he has a BYC1 contract status.

Frye+Webster+2009first for Hedo would work or Przybilla+Webster+2009first for Hedo and Bogans. And in case the Livingston deal would fall through we could target Jarrett jack instead of the 2009 first round pick. Note that the 2009 first round pick most likely would be used on a PG in next years draft, depending on how Livingstons situation unfolds. So looking at the first two deals, I'd say it's a decision between Frye or Przybilla, a better outside shot or better interior defense. That's a hard decision, but maybe it's better to not go away too much from our style from last year so that would leave us with Frye.

Dwight Howard / Kwame Brown/ Marcin Gortat
Channing Frye / Tony Battie / Brian Cook
Rashard Lewis/ Martell Webster
Corey Maggette/ Keith Bogans / Courtney Lee/ Keyon Dooling
Jameer Nelson / Shaun Livingston/ Keyon Dooling

This to me looks like a solid team. A contender with future, 2 2009first round picks, a possible diamond in the rough in Livingston, young players to grow with Dwight in Lee, Nelson, Webster and Frye, but also Maggette and Lewis to carry the load now.

I do know that this will never happen, but imo it's pretty realistic.

Player profiles:

Kwame Brown: http://www.realgm.com/src_playerfile/398/kwame_brown/
Channing Frye: http://www.realgm.com/src_playerfile/10 ... ning_frye/
Martell Webster: http://www.realgm.com/src_playerfile/10 ... l_webster/
Corey Maggette: http://www.realgm.com/src_playerfile/35/corey_maggette/
Shaun Livingston: http://www.realgm.com/src_playerfile/94 ... ivingston/

[UCFJayBird]

Being realistic, I'm operating on the basis that Maggette signs elsewhere. Whether it's SA or BOS for the MLE, or GS for more money.

LINEUP BEFORE CHANGES:

PG: Nelson/
SG: Lee/Bogans/Redick
SF: Turkoglu/Cook
PF: Lewis/Battie/Augustine
C: Howard/Gortat


MLE: Split it amongst two people. Preferably Chris Duhon, and Mickael Pietrus. However, Pietrus will likely sign for more money somewhere else, so I'd go after a big body like Kwame Brown who can play defense. His offense sucks, but this team has more than enough offense.

updated roster:

PG: Nelson/Duhon
SG: Lee/Bogans/Redick
SF: Turkoglu/Cook
PF: Lewis/Battie/Augustine
C: Howard/Brown/Gortat

At this point, we still need another PG. If we can resign Dooling great, but I don't know if he'd want to come back to be a 3rd string PG. So I'm operating under the assumption another team offers him a contract and he walks. We also need another defensive minded wing player, preferably a SF.

LLE/BAE: I'm not gonna lie. I'm at a loss what to do with this. There just isn't anyone available at this point that I'm overly enthused about offering this to. I guess I'd offer it to James Jones. There aren't many SFs that would fit in with our system that we could snag for cheap.

VLE: I think we can address our 3rd string PG needs with Anthony Johnson. He's 34, but we don't need him to play huge minutes. He knows how to run an offense, he shoots the ball effectively (especially from 3-point land), and he won't make many mistakes. Give him a one year contract obviously.

PG: Nelson/Duhon/Johnson
SG: Lee/Bogans/Redick
SF: Turkoglu/Jones/Cook
PF: Lewis/Battie/Augustine
C: Howard/Brown/Gortat

[TheRevTy]

Current team, not including FA's:

Nelson
Lee/Bogans/Redick
Lewis/Turkoglu
Cook
Howard/Battie/Gortat

Questions to answer:

Is Gortat good enough to be our back-up center full time?
Can we continue to play Lewis at PF and Hedo at SF?
Is Lee good enough to be our SG?
Should we move JJ?

Answers:

1.) I think so. We don't need a star player, just enough to hold down the fort when Dwight needs a breather. Battie will also play there (he is not quick enough to be a full time PF)
2.) No. Rashard is our SF. Period. Hedo can come off of the bench, but that seems a waste of talent and assets. Hedo can't play significant minutes at SG.
3.) Inconclusive. I believe yes, based off of analysis I have heard. We should, however, get some veteran insurance. Is Bogans enough insurance? I'd rather have Evans, but Keith will do.
4.) This one is conditional. If we add Duhon, JJ should stay. Duhon is a defensive, pass-first PG. His defense allows JJ to get minutes, and his passing maximizes JJ's offensive talents. Dooling doesn't pass well enough to merit the defensive liability of JJ.

So:

1.) Get Duhon. Why not Maggette? Well, if Corey really wants to come here, by all means, please do. But we aren't going to miss out on other options for him. He isn't a necessity. We have enough offensive talent, and a solid prospect at SG in Lee. Duhon, as I said, makes JJ a solid back-up asset. Same for Cook. With Duhon running back-up point, Cook and JJ become a potent offensive team off the bench. Add in Bogans at SF and Gortat or Battie at center, and our second wave is very balanced.

2.) Trade Hedo. Why? My opinion is well documented on this. Who should we trade for? Ideally, a starting PF. Who could that be? Haslem, Collison, Lee, or Kirilenko. Those are my options that I think would work best and may be available. Let's break them down:
Haslem: Miami has him. Miami hates us. How do we get him? Overpay. What does that mean? Hedo, most likely. Trouble is, Miami has no use for Hedo with Beasley and Marion. Unless something warms Riley's heart, we aren't getting Haslem.
Collison: Solid option. They may want Hedo if they plan on playing Durant at SG and Green at PF. Doubtful. Also should consider that I think their GM is probably a little busy right now and not in the mood to talk trade. Maybe explore this option later.
Lee: I like this kid. Athletic, solid rebounder, good guy. Kind of a baby Haslem. We could probably get him if we take back a bad contract. Jeffries and Lee for Hedo works, gives us a solid defensive SF off the bench. Couple issues here: Lee is going to want a contract soon. He is VASTLY underpaid, and due for an extension next summer. Will the Magic be willing to pay? I would, he is young and talented. Another issue: With NY drafting Gallinari, will they want Hedo? If they want to make the move, I would.
Kirilenko: He is controversial, but a VERY solid defensive PF. He put up all-star numbers the 2 years he played PF, and has been stuck at SF ever since. He would no doubt see a return to all-defensive team honors playing roving PF next to Dwight. Trouble: his contract is horrible. Is it worth it? Depends if Moneybags DeVos will pay. If so, do it.

So that all remains to be seen. What would I do? Lee and Jeffries for Hedo.

Nelson/Duhon
CoLee/Redick/Bogans
Lewis/Jeffries
DaLee/Cook
Howard/Battie/Gortat

Round out the roster by adding a third string PG (I like Kruger from our summer league. Gotta have a floppy haired white PG). Add some other prospects to fill out the roster (Byars, some PF bruiser?) Augustine?) Voila. My team.

Nelson/Duhon/Kruger
CoLee/Redick/Bogans
Lewis/Jeffries/Byars
DaLee/Cook/Augustine
Howard/Battie/Gortat

[TheRevTy]

Since it is pointless to waste all this time posting it, only to have no one comment, I'll do what I can:

Spine: I think that is overpaying for Harrington, but he is certainly an intriguing prospect. I would like to see someone other than Cook as our back-up SF, and Crittenton beats out Dooling, but otherwise, I like.

RawLew: I really really don't want to go another year with Lewis playing PF full time.

Thief: Hedo off the bench is an OK stop gap, but for him to play, you'd need either Shard on the bench or at PF. He also probably wouldn't take too kindly to that transition. I also don't think our 3rd PG needs to be of Dooling or Duhon caliber.

Holland: You must be a gambling man. Livingston? Whew. More power to you. I would rather get Outlaw than Webster. Frye intrigues me, but his rebounding numbers are, well, terrible.

Jay: I like, but see RawLew.

[spinedoc]

Spine: I think that is overpaying for Harrington, but he is certainly an intriguing prospect. I would like to see someone other than Cook as our back-up SF, and Crittenton beats out Dooling, but otherwise, I like.

Thanks Rev, but to elaborate I only have Cook in there to balance the roster. He's more of a situational player like Garrity was for us. If we need a three point shooter off the bench only, but I would have Pietrus and Al get most of the minutes there while we rested Lewis and/or brought in Lee. And I too see Critt beating out Dooling, but the first year it would be more of a respect thing to Keyon to get him to sign back with us in the first place. Heck, I even see JC beating out Nelson in a couple years possibly.

As for yours, I like Duhon, but I don't think he's worth taking at the expense of not upgrading our sg position. I do like Hedo for Lee and Jeffries though, but I'd want a pick in there too since Lee seemed so attainable for lesser talent already. And I do think Hedo would fit with Gallinari up there with them manning the 3 and 4, thats if they can move Zach of course. I'd be fine with Byars and Krueger on the IR with Auggie too, they seem like decent prospects. Lee could be our third string pg in your lineup.

Willis: You ran into the problem with signing Duhon. Who else do you get thats actually an upgrade to what we already have, tougher road imo. Instead of using the other half of the mle on Kwame, use the LLE, I think he would come for that and if not, go for Elson. You can use the other half of the mle on a better player imo.

Holland: Welcome back btw. I love the idea of getting Maggette, not sure if he's realistic anymore, but ideal none the less. I also like getting Livingston as our third string pg too, not our second, Dooling gets that spot. I'd add a vet min guy on the ir just to play it safe. Hedo for Frye and Webster is fine by me. Portland has a glut of big men. I'd try for Aldridge, but I'd settle for Frye. Also, Lee has got to be in front of Bogans if we get Maggs right? Nice job though.

Thief: Duhon and Pietrus isn't too realistic imo, unless we traded JJ and Bogans for him. Not sure if GS can do that, but I would love both of those guys somehow. I don't see KT for that amount either. He will get the whole mle from someone wanting a rental. I do agree with you about Kwame though. I've jumped on that bandwagon too.

RawLew: Again, like getting Maggette, he would be ideal. Auggie and Bogans for Shelden? I don't think so, sorry. Redick, Cook, and a pick for Wilcox is a little more realistic though, not sure what his contract demands are going to be though, but I like it. I also like J-Will as a third string pg too.

Glyde: Plan A: Never have been a Collison fan, so I don't like using Hedo and Battie to get him even though we do get a decent backup pg. I think I would like Wilcox more though, not sure about it, and KT for the mle makes it more palatable. Plan B: I like this one a lot more. Odom is very underrated imo. He would be a very decent pf for us stuck between Dwight and Shard. And if we are going to get Duhon, then we would need to turn our attention back to Evans instead of Dooling. I could live with that roster very easily. Not my favorite direction, but I still like it.

[magicfan217]

alright....im gonna try something a little different......we're going to really have trouble resigning hedo next offseason and to be honest he plays the same position as money maker lewis so moving him IMO wouldn't be a bad idea....

Trade: Hedo/Cook/Bogans
Get: Andre Miller, Reggie Evans

that trade works....

Get Mags for the MLE....

Resign Dooling


Miller/Nelson/Dooling
Magette/Redick/Lee
Shard/Magette/Byars?
Evans/Battie/Auggie
Howard/Gortat


add in a couple of min guys to fill out the roster....

I think that team competes for the eastern crown next year.

[TheRevTy]

Spine, the difference is I think Lee is a great upgrade to our SG's. If we could get Pietrus for the other half of the MLE, I'd be happy with that as well. I would hope if Little Country develops like I hope, Peitrus would be a solid backup.

[UCFJayBird]

Ok. Duhon is off the market, so here's my revision...

Being realistic, I'm operating on the basis that Maggette signs elsewhere. Whether it's SA or BOS for the MLE, or GS for more money.

LINEUP BEFORE CHANGES:

PG: Nelson/
SG: Lee/Bogans/Redick
SF: Turkoglu/Cook
PF: Lewis/Battie/Augustine
C: Howard/Gortat


MLE: Sign Mickael Pietrus. I wouldn't give him it all (unless it was only a year or two contract), but I'd give him a good 3.5-4 per year. Give the rest to Kwame Brown if he'll take it, if not give him the LLE (whichever has more value after Pietrus).

updated roster:

PG: Nelson/
SG: Pietrus/Lee/Bogans/Redick
SF: Turkoglu/Cook
PF: Lewis/Battie/Augustine
C: Howard/Brown/Gortat

At this point, we still need two more PGs. Resign Keyon Dooling.

LLE/BAE: Still unsure who to give this to. If most the MLE is gone, give this to Kwame Brown. If he takes what's left of the MLE, don't spend it. We don't have a roster spot available with my other signings anyway

VLE: I think we can address our 3rd string PG needs with Anthony Johnson. He's 34, but we don't need him to play huge minutes. He knows how to run an offense, he shoots the ball effectively (especially from 3-point land), and he won't make many mistakes. Give him a one year contract obviously.

PG: Nelson/Dooling/Johnson
SG: Pietrus/Lee/Bogans/Redick
SF: Turkoglu/Cook
PF: Lewis/Battie/Augustine
C: Howard/Brown/Gortat

TRADES: Find a way to trade either Bogans or Redick, or both, to a team that has a glut of wing defenders. Someone that can play SG and SF. Not sure who. But i'm not about to go looking right now, lol.

[Bensational]

Re-sign: Dooling

Free Agents:

MLE - Pietrus + Livingston: After seeing Duhon land an entire MLE to himself, i'm sure MP will expect the same. if we can convince him to only take, say, 4mil per, then great. I'll add Livingston for the remaining 1.5 mil.

LLE: Kurt Thomas:

Min: Darrel Armstrong


Trade:

Here i've got two trade options, depending whether one went through or not.

1) rights to Fran, future 2nd, Cash for rights to Joey Dorsey.

or

2) JJ for DJ White


Final Lineup:

Nelson/Livingston/Dooling/Armstrong
Pietrus/Lee/Bogans
Hedo/Cook/
Lewis/Battie/Dorsey
Dwight/Thomas/Gortat


Firstly, i know PG looks ridiculous with 4 options, but bringing DA back into the fold would be a safety net incase Livingston doesn't come back, and we could groom him as a player coach.

I think this lineup gives us a balance between defense and offense. the front court would now be loaded with bodies that could grab rebounds and block shots, but with the options of going with last season's lineup with Lewis + Hedo raining 3pts from the perimeter if we need matchup problems (gotta remember, it helped us beat the C's twice last season, don't count the winning formula out).

SF looks weak, but remember you'd have Lewis/Hedo/Pietrus all capable of playing that position. Pietrus/Lee/Bogans/Dooling all capable of playing SG as well.

[eyriq]

Team Needs

We have eleven players on the roster, and we need to fill four more spots.

PG We need some defense and size at this position. It would also be nice to have a guy that can run an offense, and now that Duhon is out of the picture this will likely have to come from two different players.

SG I really like Redick and think he can play and play well. Can he start? Err, no. The same goes for Lee and Bogans, so we need to grab a starter here.

SF We have two great ones in Hedo and Shard, plus a few guys who can come over and play some minutes here as well. So this spot is good.

PF We have some depth and versatility here, but no one that is starter quality. So yeah, just as with the 2 we need a starter here, but last year playing Lewis here worked out great, so maybe another year won't hurt anyone.

C Here we have Howard, the best big in the game. Then there is Gortat, whom I like and think can fill in that 8-10 min role when Howard is out. Another 8-10 min guy would be nice.

The Plan

1. Re-sign Dooling. We have his bird-rights so the price is not going to affect other signings, though no more than 5 mil a year. This guy was a spark off the bench for us last year and should be retained, though for a different role. This time I'd like to see him focus more on running the offense and shutting down his man. Less aggression on offense, please. Thanks.

2. Give the full MLE to Maggette, probably for three years so we can get his bird rights and pay him accordingly, or with an ETO. Either way, he would be a steal for that price and would fit in nicely.

3. Get Kwame with the LLE. He is an upside guy still and would at bare minimum give us that 8-10 minutes of backup behind Dwight. Sliding Dwight over the the 4 with Kwame at the 5 would also be a HUGE front court and something to make the heaven tremble! (Ok, maybe not, but I still want my damn Twin Towers!)

4. VLE for J. Williams. He can still get er done on occasion and would make a great 3rd string point guard for us.

The Roster

Nelson/Dooling/Williams
Maggette/Redick/Lee/Bogans
Hedo
Lewis/Battie/Cook/Augie
Howard/Kwame/Gortat

Final Thoughts

I would like to trade Hedo, but I think another year of semi-stardom will do him good and allow us to get much more for him in a sign n trade after he opts out. I love the starting five with Corey in there instead of Evans, and I think the different skill sets will be death to our opposition. The weaknesses that plagued us last year will somewhat be addressed here, as we can now go big and really bang the glass hard with the addition of Kwame and Battie. There will still be the issue of turnovers, but hopefully a year of maturing will help all involved. Also, having Corey at the 2 will improve our weakest position dramatically, both offensively and defensively. I think this team is pushing the Celtics for best record and bringing home a trophy when it is all said and done.

[Jersey Generals]

Just so you all know, I'm basing all of this off of the rumors that were around before the draft, so if none of this sounds realistic to you, that's why.

1) Trade Hedo and the 22nd pick, for Jamal Crawford and the 6th.
2) Either trade the 6th pick to get higher in the draft (though staying in the lottery) and pick up some extra pieces and draft Robin Lopez, or use the 6th to draft Brook Lopez. Either way, a Lopez brother would be the pick.
3) Buy back into the early 2nd round to pick up Mario Chalmers.
4) Use the MLE to get some depth at the SF.
5) Pick up Kwame Brown with the LLE, or get another big.
6) Use the vet min to get another pg.

PG- Nelson, Chalmers, Vet Min.
SG- Crawford, Bogans, JJ.
SF- Lewis, MLE.
PF- Lopez/Howard, Battie, Cook.
C- Howard/Lopez, Battie, Gortat.

[TheRevTy]

So much for my plan...

[Jersey Generals]

Lee: I like this kid. Athletic, solid rebounder, good guy. Kind of a baby Haslem. We could probably get him if we take back a bad contract. Jeffries and Lee for Hedo works, gives us a solid defensive SF off the bench. Couple issues here: Lee is going to want a contract soon. He is VASTLY underpaid, and due for an extension next summer. Will the Magic be willing to pay? I would, he is young and talented. Another issue: With NY drafting Gallinari, will they want Hedo? If they want to make the move, I would.
Kirilenko: He is controversial, but a VERY solid defensive PF. He put up all-star numbers the 2 years he played PF, and has been stuck at SF ever since. He would no doubt see a return to all-defensive team honors playing roving PF next to Dwight. Trouble: his contract is horrible. Is it worth it? Depends if Moneybags DeVos will pay. If so, do it.

So that all remains to be seen. What would I do? Lee and Jeffries for Hedo.

Nelson/Duhon/Kruger
CoLee/Redick/Bogans
Lewis/Jeffries/Byars
DaLee/Cook/Augustine
Howard/Battie/Gortat

Good ideas. I would love David Lee on the team.

[Bensational]

Hey guys, thought i'd lump some feedback into a post. as revty said, there's no point puttin all this effort in if noone's gonna comment.


Spine: Not too far off my lineup. adding Kwame/Battie to last year's front court definitely gives us some size. i don't mind kwame at all, but not sure if he's the kind of big that you need against the mcdyess'/ratliff/kurt thomas' of the league. Crittenton in the backcourt gives massive versatility and size. that's realistic and i wouldn't be disappointed to see that squad next season.

RawLew: i like the shelden williams addition. i'm not even sure what kind of value that dude carries in the league. he hasn't achieved much since he's been in, although he was a big part of the Bibby deal wasn't he? anyway, if the deal were JJ instead of Bogans i think it would be more likely. i still think JJ will carry some value to teams. Bogans would be more appealing to contending teams, because he's one of those final pieces of the puzzle type guys. the wilcox deal i can't see happening, because the dude's far more talented than what he's bringing back, and he's an expiring, s that makes him even more valuable. sorry dude. otherwise the lineup looks tidy.

Thief: i've only just realised, after lookin through Larry Coon's cap FAQ's, i can't find mention of a VLE, but i'm sure i've heard of it before. do you know anything about it? anyway, i love your lineup, but those are the sort of moves i think only teams like Boston/Lakers/Spurs/Pistons would be capable of pulling off. convincing Duhon/MP to split MLE. Kurt Thomas is believable IMO. Kwame for the mysterious VLE, probably not, only because i see him getting the LLE $2mil at least.

MagicHolland: long time no speak. i like the roster before the Hedo move. it looks versatile, and i love the gamble on Livingston (i did the same). but once Hedo's dealt, we lose play making in our lineup and Frye doesn't even offer us the rebounding that we sorely lack in the front court.

Willis: Seems there's a common line of thinking amongst a few of us on this board. MP/Kwame look like winners in the FA market, and are achievable. i completely agree about only giving MP 3.5-4mil. as for 3rd string PG, i think instead of Johnson, may as well bring DA in.

RevTY: Not bad. i would've wanted much more for Hedo though. perhaps that's just me being a homer, but Lee + Jefferies really isn't much. Lee + Crawford would be fair IMO, although we'd probably have to include a future 1st or something. still, i'd much rather that. even if Crawford isn't part of the bigger picture, he'd have solid trade value in the future. I'd much prefer the Hedo/Kirilenko deal. that would be fair, and would make us a MASSIVE contender IMO. Kirilenko/Odom are my two main options in a swap for Hedo. but that's me.

magicfan217: nice deal. as GM it'd give you the option to send Nelson to the bench, and i think that deal would really do a lot to replace Hedo's play making. i'm sure JJ would see a lot more minutes too. i actually really like that roster. nice.