This is another off-season game to get this place going, and have some fun in the meantime!

Here's how it's going to work; You guys will pick a team, and go through all of their offseason moves to improve the team the person above them chooses. For example; I'll go in and do my thing, and at the end of my post, I'll put "New Jersey Nets" for the next person. When all the teams are done, we'll lock it up, and Sealy, Big, and myself will pick a winner.. The game could be restarted after that, even.

Also, any suggestions for games are welcome.

First Team: Charlotte Bobcats

Actually...I'm not going to participate, but I will start the game off (instead of using signups)...

I'll start with the Charlotte Bobcats.

Draft hometown hero Raymond Felton, trade off Brevin Knight to a West team lacking a PG and pick up a veteran SF/PF. I would LOVE to see Dikembe Mutombo coming off the bench for Emeka Okafor as well (not in the trade for Knight, though...just signing him for vet's minimum). You're talking a former DPOY as a mentor to a great college defensive center, and as Emeka works on his offensive abilities, he inherits that finger-wave. :)

If not Dikembe, maybe the Bobcats could find a way to work Alonzo Mourning into their roster, bringing him back to Charlotte (that is, if the Heat lose this year, he may want out).

Gerald Wallace for a vet shooter, maybe send him back to Sac-town for Cuttino Mobley...who knows. Or...the Cats can work a sign-and-trade with Seattle, absorb Ray Allen's contract and this will be a positive to the Sonics, because they receive something back, at the least, AND send him out East. Otherwise, they know Ray can walk and they get nothing in return.

Then there's the 13th pick in the draft, where you can possibly pick up Martell Webster.

Then you get something like this...

C - Alonzo Mourning
PF - Emeka Okafor/vet from Knight trade
SF - Martell Webster/vet from Wallace trade
SG - Ray Allen
PG - Raymond Felton

That's playoffs...possibly farther depending on how the Emeka/Ray connection works. That's a shooter in Ray, a young PG in Felton, a vet and a second year in the front court with the other SF (vet). Webster is the other shooter, developing alongside Ray Allen. Defense is Emeka...sign a few FA's and this team is setting high in the East.

--------------------------------

Okay, this is the only team that will NOT count in the contest. Now...here's the next team:

Minnesota Timberwolves

Real Deal- You have some good ideas to make the Bobcats a good team in a hurry. But Dikembe Mutumbo, according to what I've heard, is likely to stay in Houston. And Alonzo Mourning will probably stay on the Heat to chase a ring. The team you posted needs more depth at center. I would suggest picking up a cheap solution like Mark Madsen or Vlade Divac (unlikely) to log some minutes off the bench at center.

However, I do love the idea of getting Raymond Felton in the draft. He could possibly draw more fans from North Carolina to the games. Trading Gerald Wallace for Cuttino Mobley might not be a bad idea since Mobley is a solid defender, but the Bobcats are a young team, so I don't know if they would want an older guy like Mobley.

I hope you don't mind me singling you out but I figured since you aren't going to count that I might as well make some input. You made a good post.

I would post next but I suppose some T-wolve fans have a better idea of what it will take to turn around the Wolves.

Well actually, I didn't do much thinking, it was just an example. Zo will either retire or stay with the Heat next season, and I know Dikembe isn't leaving. ;)

Well then that was a pretty good example! hpy.

I think I would pick some better teachers than Mourning and Mutumbo. :lol:

Two of the best big men in the last decade. What poor teacher :( ...

Yeah, because for some reason, it's ludicrous to believe that a young big man entering the league would learn anything from these two scrubs.........

-_-

If I was a GM I would hit the streets and find some cheap talent that is every bit as good as the scrubs of todays game.

I know this scenario is pretty radical, but I think I'm going to put it out on the table...

-Use the MLE to sign Gadzuric and Jaric
-Package Cassell to NY for Jerome James (pipe dream, but hey, Isiah has been known to make unwise moves to get more guards on the roster, I.E.- sending KT to PHO for Q)
-Re sign Madsen

1--Jaric/Hudson/vet
2--Hassell/McCants
3--Szczerbiak/Ebi/Hoiberg
4--Garnett/Madsen
5--Gadzuric/Kandi

Now, this roster will obviously hinge on Hoiberg's helth... If he isn't healthy by the beginning of the season, then McCants will really need to step up. We would probably start off the season with Ebi receiving more playing time, and eventually working Hoiberg back into the rotation as his health improves.. I'd really like to see Ebi succeed this upcoming season. I've got high hopes for him.
As for the situation with Hassell and McCants, I think Hassell should get the starting spot at the beginning of the season, while letting McCants know that he can work his way up. He needs to know that the organization is no nonsense about how attitude and defensive problems. He can't be guaranteed a starting position just because of his college track record. Even if he does have the talent to start fairly soon, I want him to earn it.

Anyways, I think this lineup will finally provide us with a semi-decent center, and a point guard who is willing to distribute the ball..

Once again, just a scenario.... I'd be interested in hearing any errors I made, and any opinions on the issue...

Name the next team (for the next person to write about). :D

los angeles lakers

LA LAKERS...

With the selections of Bynum, Turiaf and Von Wafer in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Lakers have stacked their lineup with bigs. However, there are still many holes to fill in the roster, and the next steps should start in the direction of a PG.

1) Bring in John Gilchrist and Aaron Miles for the summer league (yes, I know we already chose Conroy). Gilchrist was the second best PG in the draft (skill-wise). Miles would be a nice backup PG that is strictly a pass-first player who knows his role and has a great attitude. If Gilchrist can straighten up, we'd be stealing two undrafted PG's so we can get rid of Atkins (Tierre and Bobbitt are already gone).

2) If the Nets bite, propose a trade for Jason Kidd, who may be wanting out of New Jersey immediately. Some will say this is impossible, but we may get away with trading off Butler and Grant, possibly add Atkins, for Kidd and a filler. Grant's contract is up soon, and the Nets would wipe $14 million off the new cap to sign a free agent big man, while Slava is another $3 million...and they would keep Caron as their sixth man or trade him off for a PG (since they'd more than likely sign a PG out of free agency this season if the trade went down, perhaps Daniels).

With that, we'd have this:

C - Divac/Bynum/Slava
PF - Turiaf/Mihm/Cook
SF - Odom/Jones
SG - Kobe/Wafer
PG - Kidd/Vujacic

Also, re-signing Luke Walton is a must. Phil likes him, and he'll fit the triangle well.

C - Divac/Bynum/Slava
PF - Turiaf/Mihm/Cook
SF - Odom/George/Jones
SG - Kobe/Walton/Wafer
PG - Kidd/Vujacic

The Pacers/Lakers deal could send George and Slava packing for Jonathan Bender.

C - Mihm/Bynum/Divac
PF - Turiaf/Bender/Cook
SF - Odom/Jones
SG - Kobe/Walton/Wafer
PG - Kidd/Vujacic

Assuming we sign Gilchrist, we move Sasha up. We then go after Tyronn Lue with part of our MLE.

C - Mihm/Bynum/Divac
PF - Turiaf/Bender/Cook
SF - Odom/Walton/Jones
SG - Kobe/Vujacic/Wafer
PG - Kidd/Gilchrist/Lue

If the Bender deal doesn't fall through, we go after Kwame Brown, who wouldn't have a problem coming to Los Angeles with a clean slate. I'm not so set on Divac's health yet, or his return to LA...but I believe a starting five of Mihm, Turiaf, Odom, Kobe and Kidd would be very dangerous, especially in the reverse triangle offense. You've got defense, versatility, shooting, slashing, quite possibly the best PG and SG in the game, youth and vet leadership mixed with each other, and the best coach in the history of the NBA. There would be no room for failure this season.

FINAL ROSTER

C - Mihm/Bynum/Divac
PF - Turiaf/Bender/Cook
SF - Odom/Walton/Jones
SG - Kobe/Vujacic/Wafer
PG - Kidd/Gilchrist/Lue

Real Deal - I think the Lakers could sign Ty Lue with the LLE. Also, why not spend the MLE on Kwame Brown, who would start over Turiaf at power forward. Wafer is a scrub, so I would put him in the NBDL and go after somebody else.

Oh and please post the next team for somebody to write about... :)

Their is just no help for the Lakers. When you get excited by a street baller like Lue and dream of Kidd, the good times are over and for a long time.

LOL, nice line at the end.

Well, I don't think Kwame is going to go to LA though, I believe he's headed to ATL. Tyronn Lue...not sure if he's going to take the LLE...it's a reach, because I believe he was making a little over $2.5 million last season, and I don't see him dropping that to $1 million unless he was 38 years old.

I was actually mixing possibilities with reality and my own opinion. Otherwise, sure, the best thing to do would be to sign Kwame over Lue, but I'm not so sure about that...and if the Lakers don't pull the trigger quick enough, we'll miss out like we did last season.

And here's the next team: the Detroit Pistons.

Oh, the words of those Pistons fans who were all giddy about the Lakers in the early 90's missing the playoffs for the first time in forever...and then, suddenly, a dream of Shaq and picking up a very underrated kid out of Philly turned everyone's smile into frowns.

I think the door is slowly shutting on that team in blue and red. Brown is gone, and they just got their title as NBA champs taken away by the San Antonio Spurs. No dynasty once again.

When you get excited by a piece of trash named Darko and dream of a dynasty, the good times are over, and for a long time.

Next team is the Pistons...let's see what you have in mind. Coach Laimbeer?

I don't ever seeing Joe D letting this team slip.
Some G.M's know more than the Dollars and cents aspect of the game.

That roster is looking pretty good :)

Getting Kidd is probably not as far fetched as you might think. From what I've heard, he doesn't like Carter, and feels betrayed by NJ management, and he wants out.

This roster is one in which is surronds Kobe with alot of talent.

But even though the Kidd scenario sounds pretty good right now, I haven't heard anything about it.... We'll just have to wait and see what happens, like always...

Maybe that's why Shaq was let go? :rolleyes: Yeah, I rank Joe Dumars well above any other GM in the entire league...

If it wasn't for Larry Brown, I don't see the Pistons doing anything with a reject like Billups and a Wizards toss-around in Rip. Rasheed was shipped from Portland to Atlanta, to Detroit, like he was Brent Barry.

I'd point all fingers to Larry Brown. The same man who took Iverson to the Finals, the same man who won KU an NCAA championship over a decade ago, and the same man responsible for the Pistons' success. Dumars doesn't even want him back next season, that has been made very clear (even though the press doesn't want that out yet), and it would be the most ignorant decision since passing up Melo, Wade and Bosh for the incredible Darko Milicic. Nice call, Dumars.

Don't count on it, Brandon....

Rasheed Wallace is signed through the '08- '09 season. Hamilton is signed through '09 - '10. Billups is signed through '07-'08. Dice is signed through '07-'08 with a team option in '08-'09. Although, Ben Wallace will be a free agent after next season.

With that being said, the Pistons have plenty of talent running through their organization right now. With Coach Brown probably on his way out, they can get a coach in there who will be more willing to play younger players.

I would love to see players like Darko, Delfino, and Arroyo get much more playing time. In order for this to happen, some of the starters are going to have to take a backseat sometimes to the younger players.
Working hard to develop these younger players and get them more playing time should be a must for the '05-'06 Pistons. In order for that to happen, the biggest, and most important move they can make this offseason is getting the proper coach in there.

What I was getting at is this: what if Detroit doesn't get a coach in there that can run a team with no true superstars? I think the world of Big Ben and Rasheed, but the coaching is what pulled these guys together. If you remember right, alot of blame is being focused on talks of Brown leaving and part of that is true.

In other words, that door is closing quickly if they don't get a coach in there. Look at Minnesota...Saunders lost his job for a reason, and I may not agree with what happened, but the Wolves went from 1st in the West to out of the playoffs, and there was no huge roster change from last season. Hell, they had Garnett. Losing a coach, or having problems with a coach, can make or break a team within 41 games.

Very true.

Saunders was one of the major reasons why we only won 41 games last year. I've hated his defensive schemes since he first started coaching the Wolves long ago.

THat's the hard part for Detroit. If they don't get the coach that suits them very well, they very well could be on the downslide. They need a coach that can manage a team with no real superstar, like you said above. If the coach doesn't do what is needed, then the team could fall quickly.
But let's not focus on the negatives entirely. Who do you think has the best shot for replacing Brown in Detroit?

Actually, Detroit has hinted to Nate McMillan and Flip Saunders.

That's just what Detroit needs.... a coach with a terrible defensive scheme... Saunders would be a bad fit. And like you said before, the Pistons don't have a true superstar, unlike the Wolves. Saunders had KG around to rely on. He built his offense around him. Is Flip really ready for a job like the Pistons?

As for McMillian(sp) I really don't know much about him, or his coaching styles... He's been locked up in Seattle for a pretty long time. I would think he would be a pretty good fit in Detroit, but he may cost them....

Larry Brown doesn't go out there and play the game. Our players have great chemistry and are experienced. Larry is a great coach but we have smart players who know what brought them success and what will bring them failure. As long as our players stay focused, there's no way to go but up. It's like you hold our success entirely on Larry Brown. There's more to a championship team than the coach. We'll be fine. Oh BTW, Larry will be back anyway.