GM A Team 2010/11 - Writeups & Rankings (GM RANKINGS PG5)

[poopdamoop]

ROSTER + SALARIES

YEAR - 2010/2011...........2011/2012...........2012/2013.........2013/2014

Amare Stoudemire - $17,197,241 / $19,002,951 / $20,808,662 / $22,614,372
LeBron James - $16,568,908 / $18,308,643 / $20,048,379 / $21,788,114(ETO)
Anthony Morrow - $5,500,000 / $5,500,000 / $5,500,000 / $5,500,000
Ryan Gomes - $4,260,000 / $4,627,500 / $4,995,000(ETO)
Kelenna Azubuike - $3,300,000
Stephen Curry - $2,913,840 / $3,117,120(TO) / $3,958,742(TO) / $5,308,674(QO)
Joakim Noah - $2,455,680 / $3,128,536(TO) / $4,239,167(QO)
Kwame Brown - $1,500,000 / $1,650,000 / $1,800,000
Craig Smith - $1,400,000 / $1,600,000
Steven Hunter - $1,223,166
Travis Diener - $992,680
Adam Morrison - $885,120
Craig Brackins - $750,000 / $850,000(TO)
Patrick Mills - $457,588 / $937,195(QO)
Dajuan Summers - $457,588 / $762,195(Ung) / $1,059,293(QO)

Total Salary: $59,861,811.....$55,418,409.....$57,110,783.....$49,902,486

DRAFT PICKS

2012 Chicago 1st

2013 Chicago 1st
2013 Chicago 2nd

2014 Chicago 1st
2014 Chicago 2nd

ROTATION

Stephen Curry(36)/LeBron James(12)
Anthony Morrow(26)/Kelenna Azubuike(22)
LeBron James(26)/Ryan Gomes(18)/Kelenna Azubuike(4)
Amare Stoudemire(28)/Craig Smith(17)/Ryan Gomes(3)
Joakim Noah(34)/Amare Stoudemire(6)/Kwame Brown(8)

Spot Minutes: Travis Diener, Craig Brackins, Steven Hunter
IR: Patty Mills, Adam Morrison, Dajuan Summers

WIN NOW

I think it's pretty clear that we're an elite team. We have the best player in the game in LeBron James, a stud second option in Amare Stoudemire, a young, sweet-shooting 3rd option in Stephen Curry, arguably the best perimeter shooter in the league in Anthony Morrow, and an elite rebounding and defending big man in Joakim Noah. I don't think it's a stretch to say our starting lineup is the best in the league, and is only going to get better (more on that later). Off the bench, we have more shooting in Azubuike, a solid all around player in Ryan Gomes, a very good scoring and rebounding 4 in Craig Smith, and a big body in Kwame Brown to defend the Dwight Howard's of the league.

Offensively, we'll run everything through either LeBron, Curry, or Amare. I really love this combination because all their skillsets' match up perfectly. If you could take any two types of players to pair with LeBron offensively, you'd want a deadly pick and roll/pop big man and a guard who can run with Bron and feed him easy baskets while still being able to spot up from downtown, and that's exactly what I managed to do. We'll stagger our rotations so that one of Curry or LeBron is on at all times so that we always have a setup man for our offense, and one of Morrow or Azubuike will also be on at all times to provide spot up shooting. Curry (43.7%), Morrow (46%) and Azubuike (41%) are all deadly from 3, so when LeBron slashes he not only has the option of dropping passes to arguably the best finishing big man in the league in Amare, but also kicking out to a myriad of shooters who are sure to make defenses pay.

We will also try to get out on the break and run a lot. Curry and Amare have proven to be excellent in a fast breaking offense, Joakim Noah is one of the best running big men in the league, and LeBron is possibly the best fast break finisher of all time. With a combination of an elite half court and fast break offense, we think we have the best offensive team in the league. My two main scorers both shot over 50% from the field and had a TS% of over 60, and both get to the line a ton as well. My 3rd and 4th options were both top 10 3pt shooters, and the worst offensive player in my starting lineup still put up 10 points on over 50% shooting. This could be one of the best offenses of all time.

Defensively Chicago is also elite. Our new head coach is a proven defensive expert, and with all the athletic talent on this team we know he can create something special here. LeBron is an all-defensive 1st team caliber defender, and now having so much offensive help we'll ask him to devote even more time to playing defense, and letting Amare and Curry handle more offensive responsibilities, especially in the regular season. Joakim Noah was 6th in the league in rebounds and 14th in blocked shots, and has already anchored a great defensive team with far less talent than my current Bulls. We also have Azubuike and Gomes off the bench as solid perimeter defenders, and Kwame Brown will be used against heavier big men, and has proven effective against many of them, despite not being an offensive powerhouse. Curry, Morrow, and Amare, though not known for defensive prowess, now have two elite defenders alongside them in Bron and Noah, as well as the best defensive coach in the game, and as long as they are at least average, our D will still be among the best in the league.

My main rival in the East will be Miami, who has also built a great team, but I think we're well equipped to handle them. Wade and Bosh are very comparable to LeBron and Amare, but we have the best player in the series in Bron, who's team has won 9 of the last 10 matchups against Wade. Bosh put up better stats than Amare last year, but Amare is simply a more prolific and efficient scorer than Bosh, who got plenty of extra touches due to the quality of his team last year as well. As for our role players, the rest of our starting lineups are fairly similar, as are the benches, but Miami is dangerously thin in terms of big men. LeBron and Amare draw a ton of fouls, and it wouldn't surprise me to see Miami being forced to rely on Joel Anthony and Shelden Williams far too much to win a series against us. TMac is washed up, imo, and won't play enough minutes to really be a factor anyway. The series would definitely be tightly matched, but having the best player in the world and a deadly crunch time offense and defense would be enough to get us the win.

WIN FUTURE

I forsee us being one of the best teams in the league for at least 5-10 years. LeBron is 25, Amare is 27 (oldest of my starting lineup), Curry is 21, Noah is 25, Morrow is 24, Azubuike is 26, Gomes is 27, Smith is 26, and Kwame is 28. Those are the ages of my entire 9 man rotation.

As should be obvious by now, we'll probably be even better in 2-3 years than we are now, especially if Curry reaches more of his potential. We have a legitimate 10 years to be a championship contender, and that's assuming we add no new pieces or make no trades. I already have LeBron, Morrow, Curry, and Amare locked up for at least 3 years, and once Noah gets his extension my entire starting lineup will be intact for a long time, leaving me with the MLE every year to add new pieces and make trades with my current guys, who all have a decent amount of value around the league. I traded away this year's picks, but the 30th pick in the 2011 draft wouldn't have contributed anyway, and I have the rest of my picks this decade to add to trades. We are also financially feasible for the next few years, not even breaking $60 million. Once Curry and Noah get extensions that number will raise, but we have an owner who has gone on record saying he'll pay the luxury tax for a winner, and this team will certainly be a winner.

MY GM'ING

I inherited a team that had enough room for one max free agent, but was burdened by Deng and Hinrich's contracts. I was able to dump them and get cheap role players back, made solid pitches to sign both LeBron and Amare, traded Rose for my current starting backcourt due to a better fit, and then filled out the roster with more cheap guys who can still play. I definitely came into a good situation, but IMO anyone would be hard pressed to end up with a better team than this, both now and for the future.

Rose/Hinrich
Hinrich
Deng/James Johnson
Gibson/Kurz
Noah/Richard

+ $20 million in cap room and the 17th pick

to

Curry/Diener/Mills
Morrow/Azubuike/Summers
LeBron/Gomes/Morrison
Amare/Smith/Brackins
Noah/Kwame/Hunter

I rest my case

[skflives]

Luis Scola 7,000,000, 7,500,000, 8,000,000, 8,500,000
Nazr Muhammed 6,883,800
Jared Jeffries 6,883,400
Danilo Gallinari $3,304,560, $4,190,182, $5,589,703
Wilson Chandler $2,130,481, $3,099,850
Toney Douglas $996,240, $1,071,000, $1,145,640, $2,067,880, $3,101,820
Bill Walker $854,389, $916,100
Elliot Williams second round pick money
Jarvis Varnado second round pick money
Joe Johnson 16,300,000, + max raises
Brendan Haywood 7,000,000, 7,560,000, 8,164,000, 8,817,184
Raymond Felton 5,000,000, 5,500,000, 6,000,000, 6,500,000
Jamal Tinsley vet minimum
Luther Head vet minimum
Brian Scalabrine vet minimum

Depth Chart:
C-Brendan Haywood, Nazr Muhammed
PF-Luis Scola, Jared Jeffries, Brian Scalabrine
SF-Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler
SG-Joe Johnson,Toney Douglas
PG-Raymond Felton, Jamal Tinsley, Luther Head

D-league Jarvis Varnado, Elliot Williams

The 2010/2011 Knicks team:

Strengths: Depth, positional versatility, shooting ability, scoring ability, toughness, willingness to play hard defense

Weakness: solid but not exceptional low post play, front court bench players other than Nazr Muhammed will be pushed around with ease by opposing players and Nazr has an injury history

Brief description of my teams strengths.
Many of the players on this new Knicks team have the ability to play multiple positions. So I don’t think any team can throw a lineup at me that I cannot at least hold my own against. Wilson Chandler and his ability to play multiple positions will be a particularly key player off the bench. While my rivals may have more talent at certain positions I do not like their depth and the injury history of some of their key bench players. My depth allows me to stash two talented young players in the d-league to get playing time and the valuable experience playing time provides. I hope that at least one of them will be ready to join the team in by midseason to provide an energy boost will push the team over the hump while some of our rivals begin to wear down as I expect them to.

The Knicks as constructed have plenty of players who can hit the outside shot but we also have guys who can take the ball to the hoop and big men who can score in the post. Our team has a bit of an edge to it. These guys play hard on both ends of the court.

Comparison to rivals:
Chicago: Stephen Curry, Lebron and Amare is a scary trio offensively. But they’re going to have to be considering the overall teams defensive deficiencies. Despite, what their GM says I think most people would agree that Chicago would be lucky to be an average defensive team let alone the elite one that Chicago’s GM thinks they could be. Also, until proven otherwise I really have my doubts as to how effective that trio will be together as all three need the ball to be effective. Furthermore, Amare has a history of injuries and if he goes down their front court won’t scare anyone. This is a team that is going to rely upon its firepower to win. While their bench is decent its unspectacular. I think this is a team that will be worn down come playoff time.

Heat: D-Wade, Chris Bosh and Jameer Nelson is a trio that concerns me. But much of the team is too old to be counted on for the long haul. And their bench is terrible. Joel Anthony is being counted to play an extra 6 minutes a game more than he has in his career. Nuff said.

Indiana-Not enough defense. Some of their key players are talented but young. I don’t think they are ready and their bench is weak.

Orlando-Another talented team but I think they are poorly structured and were more of a threat b4 they traded Dirk. Their front court is primarily comprised of an injury waiting to happen (Greg Oden), an aging an less effective Shaq who also gets hurt, an aging Marcus Camby and the soft as doodoo Rashard Lewis.



Future plans: While I think my team is underrated and a lot of people are sleeping on them I think there is still room to improve. With Wilson Chandler, Jared Jeffries (expiring contract), Nazr Muhammed (expiring contract) and Elliot Williams (I drafted him at #38 but in real life he went 22nd) I think I have the chips to pick up some help later if the right guy becomes available. In a perfect world I would some combination of the guys above plus Raymond Felton to upgrade my point guard spot.

Why I think I did a good job: Considering I failed at my teams unrealistic goal I think I did pretty darned good. This is a playoff team that is more than capable of surprising the elite but flawed top teams in the East. But I still have the ability to make another move to make this underrated team even more of a threat. And at the very least I am very proud of how much better I did in the draft than the real Knicks team.

[bringbackhoffa]

THE TORONTO RAPTORS

GM: Bringbackhoffa
Email: tr_rak AT Hotmail dot com




Depth Chart
Miller/Jack
Richardson/Weems
Young/Weems/Dorsey
Amir/Rasheed/
Zaza/Hill/Hoffa

Game Plan:
After Bosh decided to go to a second tier city we decided to rebuild, and are in the midst of a mass overhaul and would like to build around Weems, Young, Amir and Hill. We have also set ourselves with lots of caproom in 2011. Though the 2011 crop of players are not the greatest we feel that we can grab 1 or 2 gems from it. Also the new CBA will be in effect and who knows what the max salary a player can get is. So this leaves us with the possibility to sign more then 2 max players.

Andre Miller and Jason Richardson will be heavily shopped for either draft picks or young players during the offseason before they become free agents. But all in all we like the the combo of Weems and Young. Though both players bring a similar skill set we feel that the effort they bring can really drive defences crazy. Our front court is really weak right now but are willing to give both Amir and Hill the chance to develop and become the next TD and David Robinson

Basically Chris Bosh leaving screwed us and the rest of the eastern conference as they are two elite teams with a bunch of mediocre teams. So we are hoping to fight for a playoff seed but are really not expecting much out of this group for the next 1-2 years. But would really love to see this team run an explosive offence with Richardson/Weems/Amir.

[BarnesTheSavior]

Win Now

Well by trading Billups, I decided to take a slight step back to be better in the future. I did not plan on attempting for the win now category, therefore I didn't. If anything to help an argument, Melo is one of the best players in the NBA and you can win any game when you have the best player on the court for that given night - which I would for most nights. If you don't subscribe to that theory, look at the Heat and tell me how that team wins. The Heat in real life that is...

Offense

Run when we can. Push the break to have some 3v3's where I'll have Lawson/JR/Melo or Maynor/Bradley/Clark or a combination of those two in the open court. All six of those guys and get to the rim, finish, and four of the six can legitimately pull up or spot up on the break. Lawson and Maynor have exceptional court vision at their respected speeds and I trust their decision making. Same goes with Melo, Clark, and to an extent with JR.

In halfcourt sets, run a three man game between Bynum, Melo, and Lawson, and have JR use screens off the ball. K-Mart has developed a good mid-ranged game over his career which will provide proper spacing for Bynum. Both Martin and Bynum are great on offensive glass to provide second chance opportunities where Lawson and Melo will either be getting back on defense or ready to spot up for a jumper.

Overall the offense is a talented combination of size, speed, slashing ability, with multiple creators on the floor at all times. Bynum is very skilled down low, Martin has a good mid-ranged game, while Melo has one of the best in the NBA, Lawson shot over 40% from 3 as a rookie and, though at time inconsistent, JR can just flat out light it up from the perimeter. 1-3 can all penetrate and create their own shots when they need to. The bench lacks proven scorers which is why the rotation will usually have JR play into the second stringers. Similarly, Krstic provides spacing, Maynor can create his own shot, Clark is a very good creator for his size, and Birdman does a solid job on the offensive glass. With the second unit, the offense will run outside-in which gives a subtly different look to the defense.

Defense

The importance of Bynum protecting the basket is vital. Martin is an excellent defender, Birdman is solid, and Krstic does well against guys who can't overpower, but Bynum is the most important defensive piece on the team. Melo has the ability to guard the opposing team's best player, however, for most games I will have JR start off on the best 2/3 and see how that works out as JR has the quickness and athleticism to guard most players in the NBA (he does do a decent job on Kobe). Albeit a step slow, Hunter still can hold his own and Bradley is widely regarded as the best perimter defender in his draft class; maybe the best overall defensive player depending on how highly you think of Aldrich among a couple others. Because guys like Krstic and Maynor will be going against second units the majority of the time, I don't really worry very much. The only question mark is Lawson. I trust that he will have improved and his combination of quickness and strength gives potential, but at all times he'll be paired with Bynum plus a good perimeter defensive player. Occasionally we may run a 2-3 zone if necessary.


For The Future

The age of the Nuggets is relatively young and will be much younger after the expiring. Without knowing who I will draft and get through free agency in '11, this is how the age of the core projects a season and the season after.

Lawson - 22, Maynor - 23 - Hunter is 39 -- Average age: 28, Average age in a season: 23.5
Smith - 24 - Bradley - 19 -- Average age: 21.5, Average age in a season: (likely) 20
Anthony - 26 - Clark - 22 - Balkman - 25 -- Average age: 24.3, Average age in a season: (hopefully) 25.3
Martin - 32 - Krstic - 26 - Butch - 25 -- Average age: 27.6, Average age in a season: (probably) 0
Bynum - 22 - Andereson - 31 -- Average age: 26.5, Average age in a season 27.5

Average age: 25.8 - Average age in a season: (what's next in line? will happen?) 24.6
The in a season averages should lower with the the two draft picks in '11 and the fact that I don't like old people and I have no intention of signing any old FA (28) unless it's like what I did with Hunter this past season with a vet min and that guy would probably be a PF.

The prospects on my team are Lawson, Maynor, Bradley, JR, Melo, Clark, and Bynum. Hoping I resign Melo and I have no intention of resigning JR, it will be Lawson, Maynor, Bradley, Melo, Clark, and Bynum. Melo is superstar and, when healthy, Bynum is a top 3 center in the league. Clark is a versatile 3/4 hybrid and potentially a starting 4 down the line in the way Odom is and Bradley's defense is really that good with inconsistent scoring. Hoping Bradley improves his point guard skills (though I'll always use him at both the 1 and 2 unless he becomes the next Westbrook) and becomes a more consistent scorer, he's an adaptable player and a very good rotation player. Maynor's shooting ability with natural point guard instincts makes him a serviceable back-up. Lastly, I love how Lawson is able to play faster than most players in the league while remaining very efficient. View his PER, A/T %, or just his general stats against elite level point guards, what he did off the bench, and what he did when he filled in for Billups. You figure he continues to improve his shooting and defense and he'll become an above average starter in a system which fits him perfectly. If by the chance JR matures and becomes consistent, he his potential all-star potential.

Draft picks for the future are all chalk except with the '11 second which can be swapped with Portland and the addition of a 2014 second which originally belonged to Golden State.

In regards to cap flexibility, as you can see with Melo off the books, it gives me enough cap room to resign Melo if he wish or go after another high quality FA. Most of the current contracts are rookie contracts or low paying ones at the moment with the one exception of Bynum's.


Proof of a job well done

When I originally became the GM of the Nuggets, they were on the borderline of... Well just think 90's Knicks. The main players were quickly aging and the amount of years to make a finals run was roughly two to my estimation. Considering the moves via the free agency and the already powerhouses, frankly, we weren't going to get it done in those two seasons with the roster as it was.

My direction in the end is to clean up some of the image while getting younger. As shown by the average age chart, the team is bound to stay in the mid-20's of age with the main core actually being younger than that. Fiscally, there is enough money to keep Anthony, or go after someone else while still having the ability to offer new contracts to those on their rookie contracts.

[britblazerdude]

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS


Haslem/Hollins/Diop
Murphy/Outlaw/Carroll
Anderson/Garcia/Walton
Vasquez/Peterson/Graham
Teague/Bynum/Randle

Salary in 2010-2011:

Udonis Haslem -$5,500,000
Francisco Garcia-$5,500,000
Desagnia Diop-$6,478,600
Luke Walton-$5,260,000
Will Bynum-$2,000,000
James Anderson-$1,683,500
Grievis Vasquez-$750,000
Jerome Randle-$750,000
Travis Outlaw-$5,500,000
Jeff Teague-$1,476,840
Troy Murphy - $11,968,253
Ryan Hollins - $2,183,333
Joey Graham - $900,000
DeMarre Carroll-$1,085,400
Morris Peterson-$6,200,000

Total: $57,170,926

Salary in 2011/2012:

Udonis Haslem -$5,500,000
Francisco Garcia-$5,800,000
Desagnia Diop-$6,925,400
Luke Walton-$5,680,000
Will Bynum-$2,000,000
James Anderson-$1,476,840
Travis Outlaw-$5,500,000
Jeff Teague-$1,579,920
DeMarre Carroll-$1,161,120


Total: $35,623,280

Salary in 2012/2013:

Udonis Haslem -$5,500,000
Francisco Garcia-$6,100,000
Luke Walton-$5,800,000
Will Bynum-$2,000,000
James Anderson-$1,579,920
Travis Outlaw-$5,500,000
Jeff Teague-$2,433,077
DeMarre Carroll-$1,161,120

Total: $30,084,117

Salary in 2013/2014:

Udonis Haslem -$5,500,000
Francisco Garcia-$6,800,000
Luke Walton-$6,100,000
James Anderson-$2,433,077
Travis Outlaw-$5,500,000

Total: $26,333,077

Draft picks:
2011 Second Round pick via Los Angeles Clippers
2011 Second Round pick via Los Angeles Lakers
2012 First round pick via Charlotte Bobcats
2012 First round pick via Atlanta Hawks
2012 First round pick via New Orleans (Top 12 Protected)
2012 Second Round pick via Los Angeles Lakers
2013 Second Round pick via Los Angeles Lakers
2013 First Round pick via Portland Trail Blazers
2013 First Round pick via Philadelphia (Top 5 Protected)
2013 First Round pick via Los Angeles Clippers
2013 First Round pick via Atlanta Hawks
2013 First Round pick
2013 Second Round Pick
2014 First Round Pick
2014 Second Round Pick

Player rights to:
Shan Foster
Ejike Ugboaja
Sasha Kaun
Omer Asik

Overall: The tale of two off-seasons... I went into this off-season assuming that Lebron James would stay. To treat it any differently, and to not go "balls out" would make LeBron far less interested in joining the Cavaliers in the 2010/2011 season. If I didn't put all my eggs-in-one-basket then why would LeBron stay anyway? He deserves to go somewhere 100% committed to him.

I knew that in order to get LeBron to stay, I had to greatly improve the roster. I frantically traded away draft picks and reserve players that had expiring deals in exchange for talent. At one point my starting lineup looked like this:

Samuel Dalembert
Antawn Jamison
LeBron James
#12 overall draft pick, James Anderson
Rodney Stuckey.

that's a damn good team considering before the squad consisted of a 38 year old Shaq, a failed playoff point guard and a bench that even the 2009/2010 NJ Nets would laugh at.

I had brought in players that LeBron had so desperately needed to be around him during his career. An aggresive center that would die before letting a rebound go. A fiesty (and cheap) point guard. A wingman for LeBron to have throughout his tenure as a Cavalier, #12 overall pick James Anderson. Without a doubt, this was the best team LeBron would have ever been with in Cleveland. However, LeBron chose not to stay. I had now lost two unprotected lottery picks in 2011 and 2012. Picks that I had believed would've been in the late 20s. I believed I was suckering Memphis into trading my the #12 overall pick for two crappy #30 picks. My roster now had 1) bloated contracts. 2) No leader 3) No draft picks 4) No expirings. I had by default been sent away from the "win now" and into the "future" category, with nothing good to work with. My goal became: accumulate draft picks and cut prices. That's exactly what I did. In the end I was able to add 13 picks over the next three drafts. 11 total in 2012 and 2013. Cut salary by adding $20 million in expiring contracts. I did a job that very few could do with their team, let alone this Cavaliers team. I transformed nothing into one of the best futures a team could ask for. I accumulated draft picks from nothing. I cut contracts from nothing. I went from the top of category A to the bottom of category B, and then straight to the top of category B.


Win now: The Cleveland Cavaliers have no star player, no high draft pick, and in general, nothing that will leave the viewers of our roster in awe. But we believe our side is not as bad as some people would pin it up to be. We are starting two 15 point and 10 rebound per night PF/Cs in Udonis Haslem and Troy Murphy. We also have two rookies that performed exceptionally well in University. Greivis Vasquez was the all-time leading scorer at the University of Maryland and James Anderson was a three-point shooting machine at Oklahoma State. We also have Jeff Teague who struggled to break the rotation at Atlanta last year but was the 19th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. We also have something that most bottom-feeder teams don't have: A Bench. A second string squad of Will Bynum, Morris Peterson, Travis Outlaw, Francisco Garcia and Ryan Hollins is nothing to tip your nose at. We have three guys that can score from anywhere on the court in Peterson, Outlaw and Garcia. A good back-up Center and an outstanding distributing point guard. We can also include former 2-time NBA Champion and premier defender, Luke Walton into our rotation at shooting guard or small forward.

Win in the future: We have a goal: Win the NBA Championship in the year 2017. The average age of my squad is 26.4. We also have three starting players that are either rookies or one year removed from college. That makes me one of the youngest teams in the league. I also have a total salary of only $57,170,926. $22,000,000 of these contracts are expiring deals. Leaving me enough money to sign a max-contract player in the next off-season. The next-two offseasons will be painful because, as mentioned earlier the high draft picks have been traded away. To make up for this mistake I did the best I could to accumulate more draft picks. I have 13 draft picks over the next 3 drafts, including 11 total in 2012 and 2013. 2013 is the year I am most looking forward to as I have 5 first round picks. All these picks mean three things. A) My team is going to be cheap. B) My team is going to be young C) My team will do nothing but win, win and win in the future. No other team will be able to compete with that type of youth as my players mature together into a cohesive and succesful unit. I could potentailly be paying around $40,000,000 for a playoff team. By the year 2015, we're looking at a team that is once again competing for a championship. With our youth, that ability to compete could go well through to the next decade. Apart from our future draft picks, we also have a youth core right now that we are proud of. Greivis Vasquez, James Anderson and Jeff Teague are given the task of starting our youth movement. We also have Jerome Randle, an undrafted PG from Cal that we believe can evolve into a 3pt. shooting specialist role player. Teague struggled to find minutes behind Mike Bibby last year but we believe, given the minutes, Teague can become a starting quality point-guard in the NBA. With our cheap roster, expiring contracts and vast amounts of draft picks in the near future, the Cleveland Cavaliers are undoubtedly rebuilding and ready to win the Championship in 2017.

[Mascot]

Arkavious989@hotmail.com

Starters

-Westbrook--Evans-----Jackson------Udoh-----Thompson

Bench

---Udrih------Cook-----Greene-------YI-------Thabeet


---Shved---Torrence----Hansbrough---Raduljica

Roster


Salaries


Depth Chart


Draft Picks
2011 First Round Pick (Indiana)
2012 First Round Pick (Sacramento)
2012 Second Round Pick (Sacramento)
2012 Second Round Pick (Indiana)
2013 First Round Pick (Sacramento)
2013 Second Round Pick (Sacramento)


Transactions
1. Francisco Garcia to Orlando for Joel Pryzbilla, Orlando's 2010 2nd and 3 million in cash
2. Sacramento's 2010 First Round Pick (#5), Spencer Hawes, and Andres Nocioni to New Orleans for Darren Collison, Emeka Okafor and 3 million in cash.
3. 2010 Orl 2nd to OKC for 3 million in cash.
4. Drafted Mikhail Torrence 33 overall. Signed to a two year deal both years fully unguaranteed.
5. Joel Przybilla Sac 2011 2nd to San Antonio for Reggie Evans, Miroslav Raduliica Alexey Shved, OKC 20112 First and OKC 2013 First.
6. Reggie Evans, OKC 2012 First and 2013 First to Phoenix for nothing.
7. Signed Josh Howard to a 2 year deal for 10 million
8. Signed Hakim Warrick to a 3 year deal for 9 million PO on last year.
9. Carl Landry to Indiana for Ekpe Udoh, Tyler Hansbrough, Daequan Cook, 2011 Indiana First and 2012 Indiana 2nd.
10. Emeka Okafor, Josh Howard, Omri Casspi and 2011 Sac First to Memphis for Rudy Gay, Hasheem Thabeet, and Lester Hudson.
11. Rudy Gay and Darren Collison to LA Clippers for Stephen Jackson, Russel Westbrook and 3 million in cash.
12. Hakim Warrick and Lester Hudson to ____ for Yi Jianlian.



Win Now
Ill be honest, with my current team I have myself ranked as 8ish in the West, not even going to bother to writeup why.

Future
My future is very bright, I have arguably a top 5 point guard in Westbrook and a top 10 SG in Evans, my backcourt is scary as hell. Stephen Jackson does not fit with my young team well by his age alone but I felt he was a much better fit than Rudy Gay on an 18 million dollar contract. Jackson will be the mentor and Captain to the young guys, Captain jack will show them how to give it their all on the court.

My front court has amazing potential. I have Ekpe Udoh, drafted 6th in 2010, Yi Jianlian drafted 6th in 2007, Hasheem Thabeet drafted 2nd in 2009 and Jason Thompson drafted 12th in 2008.

These guys are for the most part projects. But with the situaiton I have made in Sacramento they will all get their playing time to develop.

In 3-4 years time this team will be very developed and polished with all of the young talent gaining experience. I will have an amazing back court and a very deep front court, not to mention that captain jack is a very trade-able asset.

Overall Job
This is probably where I should get my highest rankings.

I took a team of

Beno Udrih
Tyreke Evans/Francisco Garcia/Ime Udoka
Omri Casspi/Donte Greene/Andres Nocioni
Carl Landry/Dominic McGuire/Jon Brockman
Jason Thompson/Spencer Hawes/Sean May

and turned it into (highlighted retained players)

Russel Westbrrok/Beno Udrih/Alexey Shved
Tyreke Evans/Daequan Cook/Mikhail Torrence
Stephen Jackson/Donte Greene
Ekpe Udoh/Yi Jianlain/Tyler Hansbrough
Jason Thompson/Hasheem Thabeet/Miroslav Raduljica

Salaries
I have managed to keep myself well under the cap and luxury tax, I have no BAD salaries imho. Udrih is the worst salary I have and IMHO its not as bad as people make it out to be. He is productive, I can name many players who are getting the same amount of money who ride the pine 82 games a year, he is a starting caliper Point Guard and I was not just going to dump him for nothing, hes quite capable of out playing any off the bench Point guard in the NBA. When my young guys, Westbook, Evans, etc all have to be extended with a new contract I have the flexibility that there is salary coming off the books so that they can be without going over the cap to much and staying under the luxury tax.

I managed to keep almost all of my draft picks, and I have one every year my Sac 2011 Pick is traded but I have Indianas Pick to replace it. My pick would have been around 16thish. But judging by Indianas team right now I think that I will still be picking in the 16ish range in the upcoming season. Most talent is drafted in the 1-5 range anyways. Each other year I have kept my picks.

I have also acquired 12 million dollars in cash from the other GMs in trades, that pays 35% of my teams salaries for this upcoming season. I have made my owner money this season and he will be very pleased with that.

I hope the rankings reflect the time that I have put into this team.

[why22]

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS


ROSTER:


Martell Webster $4,344,000 $4,800,000 $5,256,000 $5,712,000 N/A N/A $20,112,000

Jamario Moon $3,000,000 $3,000,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A $6,000,000

Sam Young $824,200 $886,000 $947,800 $1,184,750 N/A N/A $2,658,000

Stanley Robinson $1,035,960 - $1,113,600 - $1,191,240 - $2,144,232

Evan Turner $4,602,720 - $4,947,840 - $5,293,080 - $6,679,866

DeAndre Jordan $736,420 $854,389 $1,091,100 N/A N/A N/A $1,590,809

Kevin Love $3,401,040 $3,638,280 $4,609,701 $6,112,463 N/A N/A $11,649,021

Mike Bibby $6,217,617 $5,564,767 $6,217,616 N/A N/A N/A $18,000,000

Jrue Holiday $1,514,280 $1,627,920 $1,741,440 $2,674,852 $3,776,891 N/A $7,558,492

Jason Smith $1,418,880 $2,187,913 $3,135,279 N/A N/A N/A $3,606,793

Terrico White Yr 1 - $750k; Yr 2 $850k Team Option

Dexter Pittman Yr 1 - $750k; Yr 2 $850k Team Option





COLLECTING MONEY AT HOME:

Anthony Parker $2,644,231 $2,855,769 N/A N/A N/A N/A $5,500,000


Maurice Evans $2,500,000 $2,500,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A $5,000,000


Dan Gadzuric $6,749,260 $7,248,325 N/A N/A N/A N/A $13,997,585



Tyson Chandler $11,700,000 $12,600,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A $24,300,000





UNTOUCHABLES

JRUE HOLIDAY(MAIN BUILDING BLOCK)

TURNER






looking for:

picks and prosects
WILLING TO TAKE ON SALARY




OVERVIEW:

looking to blow it up and build on youngins like young,speights, holiday. cutting salary is a priortiy but not a huge one. id rahter fill up on picks and prospects. building the OKC modeL




PROJECTED LINEUP


JORDAN/PITTMAN
LOVE/SMITH/MOON
WEBSTAR/ROBINSON/S.YOUNG
TURNER/WHITE
JRUE/BIBBY








TRANSACTIONS:

76ERS RENOUNCE THE RIGHTS TO ALLEN IVERSON, FRANSICO ELSON, AND RODNEY CARNEY

76ERS BUY OUT THE REMAINING YEAR ON THE CONTRACT OF ANTHONY PARKER

76ERS BUY OUT THE REMAINING YEAR ON MO EVANS CONTRACT

76ERS BUY OUT THE REMAINING YEAR ON DAN GADZURIC'S CONTRACT

76ERS BUY OUT THE CONTRACT OF TYSON CHANDLER

Trades:

trade 1:
76ers trade: andre igudala, jason kapono

Clippers trade: luke walton, eric jordan, deandre jordan


trade 2:
76ers trade:
Elton Brand


Bobcats trade:
Boris Diaw
Desegana Diop


Trade 3:
to cleveland:
desegana diop
2011 2nd

to philly:
demarre carrol
jamario moon
sam young
hamed haddadi


Trade 4:

to Cleveland:
sam dalembert
luke walton


to philly:
tyson chandler
Fillers


Trade 5:

to minnesota:
eric gordon
marrese speights

to philly:
kevin love


Trade 6:
to memphis:
lou williams


to philadelphia:
mike bibby
stan robinson



Trade 7:
to dallas:
thad young
willie green

to philly:
terrico white
dexter pittman
2011 dallas unprotected 1st
jeff foster



Trade 8:

to cleveland:
jeff foster
2013 1st
demare carrol

to philly:
martell webster


Trade 9:
to houston:
jason williams

to philly:
2nd rounder






WHAT I DID:

OK SO THE TEAM I TOOK OVER WAS MEDIOCRE AND HIGHLY OVERPAID. MY GOAL WAS TO PUT TOGETHER A FULL SCALE REBUILD AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE PUT TOGETHER. THERE IS ALOT OF RAW AND UNPROVEN POTENTIAL WAITNG TO BE TAPPED. I GAVE THE REIGNS OF THE TEAM OVER TO EVAN TURNER, JRUE HOLIDAY, AND KEVIN LOVE.


WHY I DID A GOOD JOB:
WELL I DID THE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE OF DROPPING BRANDS SALARY WITHOUT MOVING ANY ASSETS. I GOT A GREAT BIG MAN TANDEM FOR THE FUTURE IN JORDAN AND LOVE. ALSO I AM SITTING ON A PRETTYY NICE MOUND OF CAPSPACE NEXT SEASON. ADD THAT TO THE PROBABLY THE FIRST OVERALL PICK I WILL BE SITTING PRETTY

[LoboGuerrero]

Roster, Salaries, Draft Picks, Depth Chart



I have all of my own future first and second round picks.

I also have:

2011 Sacramento Kings second round draft pick
2012 Oklahoma City Thunder second round draft pick
2013 Oklahoma City Thunder second round draft pick

PG- Baron Davis (30 minutes)...George Hill(18 minutes)
SG- Mike Miller(12 minutes)....Manu Ginobli(30 minutes).......George Hill(6 minutes)
SF- Luol Deng(32 minutes)......Mike Miller(16 minutes)
PF- Serge Ibaka (28 minutes)...Antonio McDyess(20 minutes)
C- Tim Duncan(30 minutes)......Joel Przybilla(18 minutes)

Benchwarmers: Damion James, DJ Mbenga, Pablo Aguilar

Win Now

I feel very well about my team's ability to win a title. We have a great mix of veterans and young guys. Built to have a mix of offense and defense, with a focus on defense. My players all complement each other very well, and we are ready to compete for a title. The Thunder claim they have the best (and only legit) sixth man on a contending team. But, in my opinion, Ginobli is better than Jamison. Especially if Jamison is going to be spending time at center, as it says on his depth chart.

Defense

Defense starts from the inside, and my interior defese is fantastic. Duncan is one of the top post defenders in the league, and Ibaka is a very good defender too. Przybilla is a great defender to be able to bring in off the bench, he'll be an excellent anchor when Timmy D needs a rest. McDyess is a very solid defender as well.

On the perimeter, Deng is a great defender at SF. Baron Davis is also a great defender when he wants to be. Playing for a franchise like the Spurs, on a contending team, Davis will definitely be motivated to play his best. Mike Miller is a capable defender, although that's not his strong suit. Off the bench, George Hill is a very good defender, and Ginobli is solid.

I have no doubt that we will be a top 3 defense in the league.


Offense

My top 4 options (Duncan, Ginobli, Deng, and Davis) all averaged just under 20 points. My team complements each other offensively just as fantasticly as they do defensively.
My starting line-up features a slasher who can hit the 3 (Davis), an uber efficent shooter from anywhere on the court (Miller), a mid-range shooter/slasher (Deng), a garbage man who can strech the floor a bit (Ibaka) and a back to the basket scorer (Duncan). Off the bench, Ginobli is a great scorer, Hill is very good, McDyess is automatic from mid-range, and Przybilla is another garbage man. All of my guards can hit the 3, and 3 of the 4 are also good slashers.


Rebounding

My team is one of, if not (bold)the(/bold), top rebounding teams in the league. Baron Davis and Mike Miller are outstanding rebounders for guards. Luol Deng is an amazing rebounder for a small forward (averaged the same amount of rebounds as LeBron last season). Duncan will bring 10 boards, as he does year in and year out. Ibaka is no slouch, and being able to bring in one of the NBA's best rebounding bigs in Joel Przybilla off the bench is awesome.

Dispelling Perceived Weaknesses

Some might question Serge Ibaka's ability to start on a contending team. This doubts, in my opinion, are unfounded. Ibaka is essentially to this team what Kendrick Perkins was to the Celtics title team. A young big focused on defense, who can score when called upon. Ibaka provides slightly weaker defense, but stronger offense.

Some might also question Baron Davis' ability to start on a contending team. But there is no question that a motivated Baron Davis is one of the top PGs in the NBA. And in a franchise like San Antonio, playing on a championship contender, under a top 3 coach in the league, I have no doubt that he would be motivated to do what we need him to do.

Team for the Future

While it's obvious my team is built to win now, my team still has a bright future. George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Damion James, and Luol Deng are all nice pieces to have for the future. I also managed to keep all of my own picks, as well as add a few second rounders.

Proof I Did a Good Job

When I took over as the Spurs GM, we were in a bit of a tough spot. We were a very good team, but not good enough to win a title. We were also an aging team, in need of an injection of youth.

I feel that I managed to address both issues. The team I have constructed is extremely capable of competing for an NBA championship, and I also brought in some much needed youth in Ibaka, Deng and James, as well as retaining my draft picks. I also managed to stay salary neutral, with a total salary for the upcoming season of $77,926,979, which is actually (slightly) lower than the Spurs salary last year. It would've been the 8th highest salary in the league last year.

[Jimmy76]

Hornets

joeygimmons@hotmail.com

2011/2012/2013/2014/2015
Sergio/$900,000
Peja Stojakovic/$14,256,000
Chris Paul/$14,940,153/$16,359,805/$17,779,458
Nocioni/$6,850,000/$6,650,000/$7,500,000
Marc Gasol/$3,588,267
Varejao/$7,031,818/$7,700,000/$8,368,182/$9,036,364/$9,704,545
Darius Songaila/$4,818,000
Julian Wright/$2,858,057
Marcus Thornton/$762,195
Greg Monroe/$2,812,200/$3,023,100/3,234,000/4,097,478
Xavier Henry/$1,772,100/$1,905,000/2,037,900/2,704,293
Ryan Anderson/$1,409,040/$2,244,601
Samuel Dalembert/$12,200,000
Eddie House/$900,000
Kenny Hasbrouck/$762,000
salary (no options)/$75,859,830/$35,637,905/$8,368,182/$9,036,364/$0
salary (options)/$75,859,830/$37,882,506/$38,919,540/$15,838,135/$9,704,545

green=player option
blue=team option
light blue=non-guarnteed

Paul(36)/House(12)
Henry(20)/Thorton(28)
Nocioni(30)/Stojakovic(18)
Monroe(24)/Varejao(24)
Gasol(28)/Dalembert(20)

draft debts:
2011 unprotected 1st to Grizzlies
2012 protected 1st to the Cavaliers (top 12 protected for 5 years)
2014 2nd round pick to the Timberwolves

draft picks owed:
2014 conditional 2nd round pick from Clippers
2015 Memphis 2nd round pick
2016 conditional 2nd round pick from Clippers
2016 2nd round pick from Kings

Win Now
The Hornets have a relatively large and long team with most of the players having a history of defensive capability. This combined with our good overall depth and great big depth will insure we will be hitting the boards harder than our opponents at all stages of the game and will be a strong defensive unit with every rotation.

Our 1/2/3 positions are covered entirely by strong 3 point shooters enabling us to run the pick an roll with Paul effectively and space the floor to post up Monroe and Gasol. Thorton will be able to score in droves off the bench and might even have a shot at 6MOY and not to mention Monroe/Gasol is one of the best passing big pairs in the league.


Best Team for the Future
The hornets entire core is made up of young players. Paul (25), Henry (20), Thorton (23), Gasol (25), Monroe (20) have yet to enter their prime years and most are still on rookie contracts. The only roleplyers we even over 30 is Peja and he is hardly a critical part of our success. The cap situation is such that there is even significant room now for the Hornets to make a run at next years crop of free agents with no seriously debilitating contracts on the roster. Paul will be a perenial all star for many years into the future and Gasol is a likely all star. Even Thorton, Henry, and Monroe are possibilities for future all star consideration.

Overall Evalutation
The Hornets went from having one of the smallest frontcourts in the league to having one of the biggest frontcourts in the league. We went from having the worst big depth (literally) to having Varejao and Dalembert come off the bench for us. We also managed to shed all of the burdensome contracts while still being able to add overall talent. The Hornets also went from a roster ready to start the aging process to one of the youngest rosters while become even more competative in the immediate future.

The roleplayers have been significantly upgraded from the scrubs the Hornets had to field before even our weakest position will be upgraded in nearly every aspect in Nocioni who can bring toughness, rebounding, and 3 points shooting at the small forward spot. With our overall length and size combined with our excelling depth at the 4/5 the Hornets will be able to rebound and defend better than our opponents nearly every night and between Paul, Thorton, Monroe, and Gasol we will have no problem generating offense despite not being loaded with starpower.

We went from looking like there was no future to looking like one of the most promising teams in the league ready to contend for years.

[TurkishThunder]

Milwaukee Bucks

Email: brewersfever@gmail.com
Depth Chart
C: Bogut/Garcia/R-Richards
PF: Gooden/Ilyasova/Mbah a Moute/
SF:George/CDR/Finley/Gaffney
SG: Carter/Terry/Ellington
PG: Jennings/RIdnour/
Player……………2010-11…………..2011-12……….…2012-13
Andrew Bogut $11,050,000 $12,100,000 $13,150,000
Vince Carter $17,522,375 $18,300,000
CDR $854,389 $1,091,100
Brad Jennings $2,331,120 $2,493,720 $4,330,469
Ersan Ilyasova $ 2,320,500 $2,541,000
Fresh Prince $ 854,389 $1,091,100
Paul George $ 1,443,300 $1,551.600 $1,659.800
Drew Gooden $5,500,000 $5,250,000 $4,750,000
Michael Finley $900,000
Carlos Garcia $750,000 $ 850,000
Ryan Richards $750,000 $ 850,000
Wayne Ellington $1,078,800 $1,154,040 $2,083,042 $3,103,733
Tony Gaffney $762,195 $1,059,293
Salaries going into the 2010-11 season
Total Salaries $56,121,568
Win Now

The strength of this Bucks team starts with the combo of Jennings and Bogut. From the start I planned on keeping them together because they had the Stockton/Malone type chemistry.During this period I added a bunch of scorers that will fit around Jennings and Bogut. This team has a great mix of offense and defense that should give the opponents fits. I also acquired some veterans that know what it's like to be with a winner and should help out the young guys in Jennings,George,Luc Richard,Illyasova and etc. Offensively this team is filled with studs. Of course you have the top 5 center in Andrew Bogut and the stud 2nd year player in Brandon Jennings. I added the multi-time All-Star in Vince Carter who we believe still has some good years left in him. Some of the other additions to my team are rookie Paul George outta Fresno State who we think will end up like Trevor Ariza and we also acquired Drew Gooden who averaged 14.9 points last year. We have a loaded bench with former 6th man of the year Jason Terry, one of the best backup PG's in Luke Ridnour and up and coming players that Bucks fans are used to in Mbah a Moute, Ilyasova, and CDR. The thing that makes this team special is the balance we have. We got the 3 point sharp shooters in Ilyasova,Ridnour,Terry,Jennings and the guys that can spark the crowd up with thunderous dunks in VC,CDR, and Bogut.
We're built for the future!!!
Despite the fact that this team looks a bit older, 10 of our guys are under the age of 26.Jennings(21) George(20)Luc Richard(23)Illy(22) are all going to improve their skills for the next few years.Other than for Carter's contract we are good financially for the future as well.
Prove I'm a good GM
When I became the GM of the Bucks this team we lacked in experience and scoring. At the end of this run we got both. When I look at this team, I believe it's very stacked both in the starting 5 and in the bench. I had horrible contracts that I wanted nothing off and yet they're all gone. I may have not been the best GM to deal with but I think I did a pretty damn good job.
P.S I loved working with you Luke and I hope to be in more GM A Team's with you.

[lukekarts]

Well - thank you to everyone who posted write-ups - we've got 26 posted here which is pretty impressive, and should give the judges a bit to think about.

I've emailed our 4 judges - CellarDoor, dcash4, byrant08 and r0cd0gg, and rankings from each will be posted in due course. I will then aggregate the scores so we have an overall ranking for each category.

I have also mailed you all about GM feedback - I am not sure what this will look like yet; but hopefully it will work.

[CellarDoor]

Guys, I noticed a few people don't have their picks listed. If you wouldn't mind listing what picks you still own, it will help me determine future standings.

Thanks.

[CellarDoor]

Alright, disclaimer:
This is tentative, but somewhat solid. Don't flame me. I'm doing you guys a favor by posting these rankings publicly instead of doing it in private. Is it possible I missed something or screwed up my formatting? Absolutely. If you see something you just can not figure out, post it and I'll defend and/or correct my decision.

Also, I'm going to do playoff brackets and match-ups sometime here too. I don't know if Luke will use them for anything, but I want to look at match-ups and decide who's winning

Thanks

Western Conference (future outlook ranks in parenthesis)
1. LA Lakers (22): Best fit, best reg season team. Will their age be a factor? Great bench, nothing for the future obviously.
2. OKC Thunder (2): Better starting 5 (a lot), worse bench (a little). No cap coming…can TP be resigned?
3. Dallas Mavericks (11): Subpar D leaves me a bit worried, but a legit contender if Kmart stays healthy. Solid but unspectacular youth.
4. Portland (4): Terrific team now. PO match-ups may even dictate a chip, but I'm not sold on Flynn or LMA for the future
5. LA Clippers (19): Not serious title contenders, but very very good. Solid future if Andris can stay healthy. Bottom 8 defense in the league though.
6. San Antonio (25): Love the look, but I don't think they're serious contenders. Salary concerns hurt the future ranking
7. New Orleans (6): Great bigs, CP3, Thornton. Not well set up for capspapce at any point
8. Denver (16): Not overly impressed. Bynum is injury prone--does Melo stick around? Nice PG rotation for the future and did manage to shed some age/salary.
9. Memphis (7): For some reason I can't explain I don't like this team's chances right now. I am impressed with the future assets though.
10. Golden State (3): Do Mayo and Beasley improve? Can they sign someone with capspace? Is the team bad enough for a high pick this season?
11. Sacto (5): Reke/Russ is terrifying, but Jack is getting up in age, and there's no one terribly impressive in that front-court. Also absent a good pick next year.
12. Minnesota (10): I like Favors and Batum. Not impressed with the other guys already on the team, but capspace and young assets give them a high rank.
13. Phoenix (15): Love Davis, not enamored with Thomas on that deal. Can you convert the picks? This team looks like the Nets currently.

Eastern Conference (future rank in parenthesis)
1. Chicago (1): Frighteningly good fit, if Noah can be retained this team is ridiculous. Can they play enough defense to go on a chip spree?
2. Miami Heat (13): Shaky bench/Center (injuries, lack of talent, age), but a great starting 5. Legit contender
3. New York Knicks (21): GREAT size, epically awful PG rotation. Pending picks, solid flexibility.
4. Boston Celtics (14): Impressive deep team, but who's going to provide the offense? Guaranteed to be good, but has a ceiling.
5. Indiana Pacers (18): Not impressed with this team so much as depressed with the east. Can Arenas recover?
6. Atlanta Hawks (23): Misfit, best player playing out of position. Tons of talent. Salary tied up in non-franchise players.
7. Milwaukee Bucks (20): Kept their best assets, weak/unknown at the swings
8. Philly 76ers(12): Love the Turner/Love combo. I still don't see the hype on Holiday, but overall it's a good young team, from what I can tell, you have your picks.
9. Washington Wizards (8): Not terribly sold on Wall, but capspace and two good prospects + Blatche is a good start.
10. Charlotte Bobcats (26): Not sure what to think here. No capspace, no great offensive options (or iso scorers in general), lots of injury concerns and age issues.
11. Cleveland Cavaliers (24): Tough to gauge two rookies in the line-up and a back-up PG starting. Obviously bad now, not great for the future. GM did what you have to do tho.
12. New Jersey Nets (9): I see a worse team than what the Nets would be with unused cap this season. Look good for the future, but can they land a premier player or can DMC/Griff be one?
13. Toronto Raptors (17): Epically bad team. Likely going to get a top pick, but no top tier prospects. Did mange to shed the biggest of the long deals though.


I'm pretty sure of myself in current rankings. I'd be willing to listen to arguments about future rankings though.

[CellarDoor]

Oh, and if you could be bothered to do any sort of a write-up, I couldn't be bothered to rank you.

[lukekarts]

Also, I'm going to do playoff brackets and match-ups sometime here too. I don't know if Luke will use them for anything, but I want to look at match-ups and decide who's winning

Will have to use them as we're going to do write-ups against one another for late playoff matchups... Ideally need to know who will be in the Conf Finals (And Semi's if people will want to do them??)

3. Dallas Mavericks (11): Subpar D leaves me a bit worried, but a legit contender if Kmart stays healthy. Solid but unspectacular youth.
4. Portland (6): Terrific team now. PO match-ups may even dictate a chip, but I'm not sold on Flynn or LMA for the future

Surpirsed you have me and Dallas this way around - I thought he'd be behind me in win now but way ahead on future

[CellarDoor]

Also, I'm going to do playoff brackets and match-ups sometime here too. I don't know if Luke will use them for anything, but I want to look at match-ups and decide who's winning

Will have to use them as we're going to do write-ups against one another for late playoff matchups... Ideally need to know who will be in the Conf Finals (And Semi's if people will want to do them??)

3. Dallas Mavericks (11): Subpar D leaves me a bit worried, but a legit contender if Kmart stays healthy. Solid but unspectacular youth.
4. Portland (6): Terrific team now. PO match-ups may even dictate a chip, but I'm not sold on Flynn or LMA for the future

Surpirsed you have me and Dallas this way around - I thought he'd be behind me in win now but way ahead on future

I feel like in the present, Dirk's too great an offensive option, and there's a better chance KMart goes injury free now than in the future. Hinrich works well in an iso system like Dallas'. I have 3-6 pretty similar in the west. As for the future, I see Dwight as a huge boone considering his young age. I value sure things (see Lebron at 25, Curry on his rookie deal, etc) over potentials a bit (see Memphis' Cleveland pick)

[britblazerdude]

Are you going to release the "overall-how the GM did" reviews too?

[Klomp]

Are you going to release the "overall-how the GM did" reviews too?

They probably will once they come in.....

[BlackIce]

5. LA Clippers (19): Not serious title contenders, but very very good. Solid future if Andris can stay healthy. Bottom 8 defense in the league though.

First off thanks for agreeing to judge, thankless job. That being said I couldn't disagree more with the bolded part. Beans is a decent man defender and a solid help defender IMO, Boozer isn't a good defender but Salmons is, and my backcourt is solid defensively. Roy is good, and Collison is a disruptive defender similar to Paul in that he is quick and plays the passing lanes well. He can also stay in front of his man. He is susceptible to big post up guards (again similar to Paul in this regard) but that's why we went out and got Lowry.

Now if I was just looking at my starting 5 I might agree with your assessment, but my bench is nothing if not elite defensively. That being said I might be wrong, I'm biased of course. Again thanks for judging.

[CellarDoor]

5. LA Clippers (19): Not serious title contenders, but very very good. Solid future if Andris can stay healthy. Bottom 8 defense in the league though.

First off thanks for agreeing to judge, thankless job. That being said I couldn't disagree more with the bolded part. Beans is a decent man defender and a solid help defender IMO, Boozer isn't a good defender but Salmons is, and my backcourt is solid defensively. Roy is good, and Collison is a disruptive defender similar to Paul in that he is quick and plays the passing lanes well. He can also stay in front of his man. He is susceptible to big post up guards (again similar to Paul in this regard) but that's why we went out and got Lowry.

Now if I was just looking at my starting 5 I might agree with your assessment, but my bench is nothing if not elite defensively. That being said I might be wrong, I'm biased of course. Again thanks for judging.

That's fair, but looking at your team, the likely biggest minutes positions (I can't assume you're rolling with Roy at PG and play Thabo more, etc) are the ones being backed up by good defenders. Thabo's behind Roy, Max is behind Boozer. Your back-up C isn't a defensive minded player though a good rebounder, and Biedrins never plays heavy minutes in part because of the aformentioned injury problems.

Also, I said bottom 8 before I saw the rest of the teams. In a NORMAL league your D doesn't impress me. Looking at some of these teams? You're right.