Official Speculation & Free Agency Thread (Part VIII)

[SEBAS-07]

Is something is going to happen with the Lakers I think is on December 15 that is when the Sasha Vujacic TPE expires.

[Nyce_1]

Awesome Stuff

http://vimeo.com/33610759

is that you? Hope you're feeling better.

[Reverse_Angle]

Is something is going to happen with the Lakers I think is on December 15 that is when the Sasha Vujacic TPE expires.

Good point.

[JNelson43]

I've tried to talk about this a couple of times before, but I'll do it again. Its been a shift in how players perceive themselves and the league compared to how fans view the league.

You know that if it were just any other business and it was just a question of someone wanting more opportunity somewhere else or more money, and he moved to LA, NY, or wherever to pursue that opportunity... everybody would say that person should do that. What makes it different to us is that we're fans, to us its not a business. But we should also understand that to them, well, maybe one team is the same as another. Fans are great, but there are fans in every city. You can get emotionally attached, but you look out for yourself.

Now, as far as are these guys "loyal"? Well, they are... as far as it goes. When a guy is on a team he plays for that team and tries to help that team win, with few exceptions. Granted, playing poorly on purpose would rarely be in favor of players who are going to get long term money based off current play. But you also have to recognize that it isn't some irreconcilable ideological difference like Hitler vs. Churchill or something. To some of these guys it isn't hero vs. villain. There aren't many fierce rivalries out there anymore, with social networking and the ability to connect these guys are all buddies. So after you fulfill you're contract, its just like switching teams around week by week if you're playing in the gym. If there's no overriding ideology, these players are simply going to do what they want/

Fans view things completely differently, and that's part of what makes sports fun for us... but you can only take it so far. There's been a definite paradigm shift and the gap between how the fans see it and how the players see it has widened. Are they wrong? You know, I personally don't like everything about the "strictly business, we're still in the NBA family" viewpoint, partly because I'm old-fashioned and think that loyalty and dignity and being true to your word are underrated qualities and partly because I think it can detract from the drama. Having said that, its just a different way of looking at it, I can't say Dwight's wrong if he wants to look out for himself. Do I have the right to hate him for it, sure, but I don't see the point. I don't think he's really turned his backs on us, I think he's always appreciated us and always will. Its tempting to be vindictive and spiteful, but when you try to understand where these players are coming from it makes it easier to try to be the bigger man.

[Cammo101]

If the Hornets get a better deal for Paul than we do for Dwight, I will cry a single Denzel tear.

[Reverse_Angle]

If the Hornets get a better deal for Paul than we do for Dwight, I will cry a single Denzel tear.

The best deal Orlando can get for Dwight is Dwight, which I think as likely to happen as collecting the Net's garbage.

[Cammo101]

If the Hornets get a better deal for Paul than we do for Dwight, I will cry a single Denzel tear.

The best deal Orlando can get for Dwight is Dwight, which I think as likely to happen as collecting the Net's garbage.

Dwight Howard for Dwight Schrute?

[Reverse_Angle]

If the Hornets get a better deal for Paul than we do for Dwight, I will cry a single Denzel tear.

The best deal Orlando can get for Dwight is Dwight, which I think as likely to happen as collecting the Net's garbage.

Dwight Howard for Dwight Schrute?

[chunnyboy]

can we just have blake+jordan for dwight+ryan?

LAC could team up dwight and CP3 which ensures their long term stay while CP3 is still only committed through 2013 when BOTH he and blake could leave

[magicman123]

i still cant understand why otis passed that info to management today

[Cammo101]

Dwight Howard
Dwight Schrute
Dwight Gooden
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight Freeney

That is what we need. A starting five of Dwight's. Championship.

[Cammo101]

can we just have blake+jordan for dwight+ryan?

LAC could team up dwight and CP3 which ensures their long term stay while CP3 is still only committed through 2013 when BOTH he and blake could leave

To me a Blake for Dwight deal is the only thing that makes any sense.

[IGotDaMagicInMe]

Hey are we sure that Glen Davis is the Big Baby on our team?

[Noonskadoodle]

had to vent: (from twitter thread)

Dwight knows we love him, we shouldnt have to butter him up over twitter. We have been the ones buying his jerseys and supporting him since he has been in the league. That should be enough. Plus if we feel we have to suck up to him on twitter for him to stay thats a bad sign.

I dont know exactly how everyone else feels, but I know I'm sick and tired of waking up everyday and seeing the same ol bull. Just make up your mind already.

He should be sucking up to us for these last couple days. Not the other way around because we have done absolutely NOTHING to him BUT support him.

[MagicTownBaller]

So I played NBA 2K12 earlier and did a Pau Gasol/Andrew Bynum/Devin Ebanks/Derrick Caracter/3 First Round Picks deal for Dwight Howard/Chris Duhon/Hedo Turkoglu/Quentin Richardson/2 2nd Round Draft Picks. After a couple more trades and free agent signings, I ended with a lineup of,

PG: Jameer Nelson/Sherron Collins
SG: Jason Richardson/J.J. Redick/Von Wafer
SF: Nicolas Batum/Maurice Evans/Devin Ebanks
PF: Pau Gasol/Glen Davis/Derrick Caracter/Malik Allen
C: Andrew Bynum/Samuel Dalembert/Daniel Orton

Team went 45-37 and made the playoffs as the 4th seed. Lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in 6.

One comment about the trade, is it will give us cap space in 2 years when Bynum expires (Assuming we excercise his team option and we will if we trade for him) and Gasol will be in the last year of his contract. I think the trade will work out well for us.

[MagicFan41]

http://basketball.realgm.com/tradecheck ... de/5951322


BAM!

FUNK DWIGHT!

Ellis/Meer
Martin/Jrich
JRich/Metta
Scola/BBD
Biedrins/Ryan

Are we weak at the 5 spot? Of course....but then again you aren't gonna really fill out the entire team anyways, so you take the best you can, there doesn't seem to be much to please anybody (people hate Bynum). Not to mention there are VERY few real 5s in the league anymore, so it isn't even that big of a deal. Look at what PHX did last year without a real center. Hell, Ryan could be our stretch-5 sorta like what PHX employed. This lineup gives tons of scoring punch, and it's a good defensive team. Also very dynamic, so you can switch it up depending on your matchup. Jameer comes off of the bench as your scoring punch. This is a VERY deep team too.

You want to go super offense:

Ellis
Martin
JRich
Scola
Ryan

You want to go super defense:

Ellis
Liggins
Metta
BBD
Biedrins

You can mix and match as you see fit. Trust me, it could get WAY worse than this. I just don't see how we would keep Pau in any trade considering we have both BBD and Ryan at the moment. Somebody has to get flipped, and Pau has the highest trade value by a mile, and we can't flip BBD yet. If you can parlay Pau into K-Mart + Scola + draft pick, I think you have to. Who doesn't like that team?

[jezzer45]

lets just get it done. Dwight has severely pissed me off. While I respect his basketball abilities, I do not respect the man.

[MagicFan41]

So I played NBA 2K12 earlier and did a Pau Gasol/Andrew Bynum/Devin Ebanks/Derrick Caracter/3 First Round Picks deal for Dwight Howard/Chris Duhon/Hedo Turkoglu/Quentin Richardson/2 2nd Round Draft Picks. After a couple more trades and free agent signings, I ended with a lineup of,

PG: Jameer Nelson/Sherron Collins
SG: Jason Richardson/J.J. Redick/Von Wafer
SF: Nicolas Batum/Maurice Evans/Devin Ebanks
PF: Pau Gasol/Glen Davis/Derrick Caracter/Malik Allen
C: Andrew Bynum/Samuel Dalembert/Daniel Orton

Team went 45-37 and made the playoffs as the 4th seed. Lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in 6.

One comment about the trade, is it will give us cap space in 2 years when Bynum expires (Assuming we excercise his team option and we will if we trade for him) and Gasol will be in the last year of his contract. I think the trade will work out well for us.

We could do way better than that I think with those pieces....try to create the team I just created above and see what their record/performance would be. I'm curious. Also, as I said....this whole notion of just clearing cap space is going to become MORE and MORE inefficient nowadays with people all joining together to form superteams (which are all almost complete). Look at this FA class this summer going on right now....WHO exactly was the top dog? Chandler/Nene? Both of whom were probably overpaid. As I stated...basically the top 10-15 players in the league are ALL tied up for 4 years or so or will be after next summer. So I ask again, what exactly will be the point of clearing all this space? Who will we be targeting again?

[MagicFan41]

can we just have blake+jordan for dwight+ryan?

LAC could team up dwight and CP3 which ensures their long term stay while CP3 is still only committed through 2013 when BOTH he and blake could leave

To me a Blake for Dwight deal is the only thing that makes any sense.

Blake is a RFA, they will DEFINITELY match any offer.

[Animorphsfan]

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6lnqd3k


Could switch Redick for Richardson but needed to make salaries work