GM Dunleavy!

[clippermitch]

I hate to admit it, but Dunleavy is a pretty decent GM. Trading Camby for Outlaw and Blake seemed like a bonehead move considering everyone was expecting getting draft picks back, but I can totally see both players being key pieces for the team. Also, with the $3M from the trade, he can definitely buy a first round pick with that money.

Next, trading Telfair and Thorton's contracts was brilliant. I would have been fine with just losing their contracts but getting Gooden back looks like a great pickup. I'd rather see him play than Skinner!

Now, if he can just convince a superstar/difference maker to come here and if he can hire a good coach! I highly doubt we can get Lebron or Wade but if we can somehow get Rudy Gay and another solid player like Battier, I think we can be pretty good next year.

[PlinkingPanda]

If we can't resign Blake or Outlaw then I still don't like the move. I had no issues at all with trading Telfair/Thornton.

Other than the Camby trade I've liked him as our GM. I really think he'll do well during the off-season even if we can't get a big name. The guy knows how to acquire talent, he just doesn't know how to use it.

[mkwest]

I have liked Dunleavy the GM. I think it is a role that he is much more suited for than coaching. I am appreciative of moves that he has made with the personnel and with getting Sterling to change his ways. That is why a big part of me wants him to stay in this organization (just not as coach). If he can make a nice splash in the offseason and add a winning coach, then we might need to consider hanging an ugly plaid suit to rafters in his honor one day.

I initially didn't like the Camby trade considering the fact that he was going to expire anyway. He was a fan favorite that played hard more often than not, so why not keep him?

I assume that he wanted to put Camby on a playoff contending team and acquire players that can be nice assets to the roster in the event that we miss out on a crap shoot free agent period.

If Pryzbilla and Oden are back for the Blazers next season, then Camby may very well not be. Would he want to come back to LA? Possibly, but he did seem pretty pissed about being traded. He wanted to dispose of all of his Clipper gear. The hotel staff divvied it up amongst themselves instead.

Adding Outlaw and Blake give us a fallback plan in case we don't hit the jackpot during free-agency. We have their bird rights and can go over the cap to keep them and others if we choose to. I'd accept a skeleton bench of DJ, a rookie and minimum players if we get a superstar or Joe Johnson. I don't think I'd be too happy to have a roster full of minimum guys if we only picked up Gay.

As it stands we could keep Butler, Blake, Smith, Outlaw, and be able to retain our TPE's and MLE.

Free-Agent plus minimum players
Baron/Min FA
Gordon/Min FA
(LeBron/Joe Johnson/Gay)/10th pick
Griffin/Min FA
Kaman/DJ

Re-Signing Current Players
Baron/Blake/TPE
Gordon/Butler
Outlaw/MLE
Griffin/Smith/10th pick
Kaman/DJ


If we sign LeBron, then the bench doesn't matter much. If we sign Joe Johnson, the bench matter a little more, but we could manage if we stay healthy. If we sign someone else that isn't necessarily an all-star (let alone superstar), then having a weak bench is going to hurt. Gay would easily be an upgrade at the 3, but is it enough? I'd welcome him to the team, but maybe having solid depth that gives us a strong rotation would be more beneficial.

[Clip34life]

Since we're under the cap we don't have the MLE to use, only the vet. min. The TPE just becomes cap space I believe.

[mkwest]

Since we're under the cap we don't have the MLE to use, only the vet. min. The TPE just becomes cap space I believe.

If we renounce our players (to get under the cap) we won't have our exceptions. If we don't renounce them (and they don't sign elsewhere), there is still a cap hold for their salary. This is why Dunleavy mentioned having Blake and Outlaw's bird rights in the press conference/interview.

If we sign a free-agent outside of the team then we'll have to renounce our players/exceptions in order to free up the salary to do so. If we keep our own guys, we retain their rights and can go above the salary cap to re-sign them.

[donemilio21]

If we cant sign Wade, Lebron or Joe Johnson
I'd like to keep Blake, Outlaw and definitely Butler. we'll have TPE and MLE we can maybe even bring Camby back for MLE.
Then we can try a sign and trade with Memphis for Rudy Gay and Mike Conley for Baron and Outlaw or try a 3 team trade for Iguodala.
We could have
Blake/Conley
Gordon/Butler/draft pick
Gay/Butler/ draft pick
Griffin/Camby/Jordan
Kaman/Camby/Jordan
+TPE

[mj_shoefanatic]

^ I like that worst case scenario if LBJ/Wade/JJ sign elsewhere. IMO Diddy's time with us is running out. Plus, I think we should keep B.Brown around as 3rd stringer.