Team Needs...What are they, what do fans think?

[Rooster]

Don't get me wrong, I think Jameer was a great pick at #20 and he'd be great to have as the first guard off the bench. It's him as a starter that worries me.

[the southern dandy]

The San Antonio Spurs

Team Needs

1) The most important need for the Spurs right now is front court help, preferrably young front court help. Tim Duncan is shouldering the load almost by himself inside. Rebounding and defense next to Tim Duncan has been a real problem, particularly as Kurt Thomas has not lived up to expectations. The Spurs may not have the assets to acquire a big name, but they may throw around something to acquire a cheap athletic big. Ideally Tiago Splitter would have almost alleviated the problem single handedly, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.

2) The Spurs are also in dire need of a tall, young small foward player. They have been searching for a player like this for years, and based on his summer league play James Gist might get a shot at it next year. He's far from a sure thing though. This player would be required to be capable defensively and on the boards and passable as a stand alone shooter. With Bowen's decline this is becoming a more urgent area that needs adressing.

3) Youth. Pretty much every fan knows that the Spurs are in desperate need of some young athletic players. While a small youth movement has begun this season, it will inevitably become more pronounced as the Spurs replace some of the old redundant parts with younger players with potential.


Player Analysis

Tony Parker - He is almost as untouchable as Tim Duncan for the San Antonio Spurs. Before his injury this season his shooting had really developed and he was looking like a completely unstoppable player. Unless a truely unimaginable deal comes along, he will remain in SA.

George Hill - The Spurs draft pick has really played well in the absence of Parker. The backup point position which was once a huge weakness for SA is now a considerable strength. His defense and aggression are outstanding, and he is certainly more fleet of foot than advertised. He could probably be had for the right price, but it seems very unlikely that the Spurs will let one of their young valuable assets go.

Jacque Vaughn - He is a smart player who plays within himself and puts his all into playing defense. He has very little basketball talent to speak of though and acts as a placeholder who will not win or lose a game(mostly). As he is aging and mediocre he has no true value on the open market. I view him as an ideal third string point guard. He knows his role and is a consumate professional. Still he could possibly be a filler in a trade scenario.

Manu Ginobili - He's really built a reputation as the Spurs go to wing scorer at the end of games. He has a beautiful all round game with a lot of creativity and fearlessness. Some would worry that with his age and injury that he begin to fall off physically. Last season though, he was as athletic as any had ever seen before his injury. He will be re evaluated when he returns from his injury. He is not untouchable like Parker and Duncan, but it would take a really nice deal to pry him away from SA.

Roger Mason - He's been an ideal addition and a steal at the price. He's bolstered the Spurs backcourt and provided an elusive fourth scorer for SA. Where his true value lies for SA is that he is capable of distributing and handling while creating his own offense. He meshes particularly well in the Spurs system and has even begun stealing some of Bruce Bowen's defensive responsibilities, at this point the Spurs would definitely prefer to keep him.

Desmon Farmer - He provided some scoring in the pre season, but hasn't really delivered in the regular season. Ideally he'd managed to replace Finley in the rotation somehow, but that doesn't appear to be happening. He's already 27 and this is only his second NBA job, so I don't see any value outside of filler. If anything he's likely waived when Manu returns from injury.

Michael Finley - He's a shell of his former self for the most part, but coach seems to have a man crush on him. He's horrible defensively and can't really do anything but inconsistantly shoot from the outside. At 2.5 million per season his salary isn't too bad and he's still shown the ability to be a rotational player. So perhaps a young team with poor shootign could use his services. It wouldn't take much to pry him away.

Bruce Bowen - His value is about as hard to gage as they come. He's started off the season poorly and has lost his starting spot to Ime Udoka. He's still a very very strong defender and can knock down open threes. So he may have some value to teams in general, but he's also the oldest player in the league now. The Spurs most likely keep him, but sadly would trade him if the right deal came along.

Ime Udoka - He's really inconsistant but brings a valuable toughness to the court. He's a competent player offensively and really digs in defensively. He's not past him prime yet and probably has a bit of value around the league. I like him as a player but would be more than willing to package him for a more legitimate small foward.

Tim Duncan - He's the franchise centre piece and everything revolves around him, he legitimately makes the team better through sheer presence. With the Spurs thin in the front court his is now more untouchable than ever. He will retire a Spur.

Anthony Tolliver - He's been a really nice contributor and a pleasant surprise this season. His shooting stroke his been missing for the most part but he contributes in just about every other area. Due to his low salary and nice output it's hard to see a trade scenario where the Spurs would be able to get equal value for him.

Ian Mahinmi - He's been highly touted by the Spurs front office and has produced excellently at the d-league level. Unfortunately he has been injured this season and been unable to produce any significant results on the court. The Spurs could opt to trade him for an upgrade or wait and see what he can do on the court. I'd personally rather the Spurs give him a chance. He could be used as part of a package, but only for a guaranteed contributor.

Kurt Thomas - He's still recovering from his injury, and looks to have fallen off this season. It's been a very unlucky scenario for SA because at 4 mill per season, he was expected to be a major contributor. He's picked it up a bit recently and may have value as a large filler if the Spurs decided to take on a large contract. That however is very unlikely.

Fabricio Oberto - He's a savvy player who does all the little things necessary, has a lot of skill and won't tread on anyone's toes. He also probably couldnt jump over a phone book. I actually feel that Oberto would be a real asset to a young athletic team. His flaws become much more apparent playing on the unathletic spurs frontline. He's one of the few players who could fetch some value back, while not crippling the team.

Matt Bonner - I like the guy and he has a few skills that should keep him in the league. The bottom line though is that he's just far too dumb to be a regular contributor for the Spurs. Defensive intelligence wasn't required on the toronto team he left, but it certainly is here. His value is crushed by his stupid 3 mill contract. The Spurs are looking to dump him with the emergence of Tolliver.

[Cowology]

The only thing the Pistons need right now is to either bring back Antonio McDyess or grab somebody like Mourning.

What the Pistons DONT want to do is make any more major moves. It's going to hard enough adjusting to life under Michael Curry and with Allen Iverson. We're fairly well set in terms of guard depth with Stuckey & Afflalo (even Will Bynum looks good as the 3rd pg). We could maybe use an upgrade at the backup 3 spot on paper, but what we're actually doing is going with some effective 3 guard lineups as a way to find minutes for all those guys and that seem OK for the moment.

We just need 1 more solid bigman on a short term contract.

[#1knickfan]

Updated Knicks needs:

A new GM.

[Gremz]

I guess since no one has taken the liberty, i'll do up the Pacers' page

INDIANA PACERS

Untouchables
Danny Granger- Not gonna happen.

We're more than happy with
TJ Ford- Looking for him to continue to improve, he provides us with a completely new offensive dimension.
Mike Dunleavy- Coming off a career year, injury concern, but becoming a very efficient scorer.
Brandon Rush- His defense and range will be effective weapons here for years to come.
Roy Hibbert- A total project, yet his work ethic and attitude have been a god send.

Solid guys
Jeff Foster- A savvy veteran who does all the dirty work. An efficient rebounder and solid defender.
Rasho Nesterovic- Our truest Center. Expiring, but will fill a need in the interim
Troy Murphy- Granted his contract is not a blessing, he is still our only major PF option, and is coming around nicely.
Marquis Daniels- Not the greatest range, yet a prominant slasher who can provide us with a different scoring option from mid range and closer to the basket. Also expiring.
Jarrett Jack- A solid defensive backup, who has a nack of making somewhat questionable decisions at times.

The rest
Travis Diener-Has done well with limites minutes, playing time could be the issue though.
Stephen Graham-Struggles to find time with out current SG/SF rotation.
Maceo Baston- Can provide some solid logging at the PF, also expiring.
Josh McRoberts- Yet to see him to anything.

The Donate To Charity Bin
Jamaal Tinsley- Ugh

Team Needs For The Pacers
1. Find a suitor for Tinsley- This situation has gone on long enough. Although we are praying for the day he has packed his bags and shipped out, it doesn't look to be a buyout friendly situation. While it may be logical to do so, we seem quite content in playing the waiting game, atleast in the short term. We'll take an equally bad contract, yet adding additional guarenteed money is where we will likely baulk.

2. A Young PF Future Option- Our weakest position currently. We would be looking to fill the need with a young, level headed guy, Granted it's not necessary to make any rash moves, i see this as the biggest positional need we have.

3. Give The New Look Roster Time- It was a major overhaul in the offseason. We obtained a bunch of new guys. Perhaps the wisest move at this juncture is to give them all a full season.

Team Direction
While it's a new look crop here, with a rebuilding theorem on the brain, it goes without saying that this group can remain somewhat competitive. It looks to be more of a re-tooling plan in place.
Comtemplating our current roster with younger talent looks to be a solid option, however this team still has enough bite to suprise the league. We will have the playoffs as a goal.

[u]Depth Chart[/b]
TJ Ford/Jarrett Jack/Travis Diener/................................................................Jamaal Tinsley
Mike Dunleavy/Marquis Daniels/Brandon Rush/Stephen Graham
Danny Granger/Mike Dunleavy/Marquis Daniels
Troy Murphy/Jeff Foster/Maceo Baston/Josh McRoberts
Rasho Nesterovic/Jeff Foster/Roy Hibbert

[nate33]

THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Player Rotation:
PG Arenas*/James/Crittenton
SG Stevenson/Young/Dixon
SF Butler/McGuire
PF Jamison/Blatche/Songaila/Pecherov
C Haywood*/McGee/Etan

* Out for significant portion of the season

The Wizards are at a crossroads. This season is a lost cause due to the injuries of Arenas and Haywood. Haywood is out until April. Arenas is out until February. There's no way for the Wizards to climb out of the hole they've dug. The question is, do they try to position themselves for title run in the next two years by trading youth and 2010 contracts for established vets? Or do they dump the older vets and rebuild around Arenas and Butler? Consensus on the Wizards board is that they should rebuild, but fans always overvalue their own youth. Management might prefer to try the "win now" approach.

Untouchable Players: (to the extent that a losing team has untouchable players)
Caron Butler: Good player. Still young. Very good contract. Emotional leader of team.
Javale McGee: Excellent prospect. Freakish athleticism, good motor and work ethic, only 21 years old. He even has ball handling and shooting skills. Needs to fill out and learn how to play defense with his brain and not his athleticism.
Brendan Haywood: Top 5 defensive center. Top 8-13 overall center. Arguably the best non-rookie contract in the league.
Gilbert Arenas: Superstar player assuming he returns at 100%. If he's not 100%, he is untradeable due to contract.

Unlikely to Trade:
Nick Young: Deadly one-on-one scorer. Can get off a shot at will. Improving defensively but needs to get stronger. Primarily a scorer without a well-rounded game. Has a tendency to disappear if he doesn't get the ball a lot.
Andray Blatche: Terrific size, athleticism and skills at age 22. Immature mentally. Would rather party than work on game. If he applied himself, he could be a star. Will that light ever click on? Don't know.
Javaris Crittenton: Recently acquired via trade. An athletic combo guard who can get to the rim and defend fairly well but he can't shoot from the perimeter and he lacks pure PG skills. The Wizards just traded a protected future first for him so it's doubtful they'd look to trade him.
Dominic McGuire: 6-8 athlete who rebounds, blocks shots, and handles fairly well, but can't shoot. He was recently inserted into the starting lineup to replace Stevenson and has shown very good defense and exceptional rebounding from the SG/SF position.

Potentially on Trade Block:
Antawn Jamison: Having his best season at the age of 32. Game doesn't rely on athleticism so there's no reason to think that he'll decline that much in the upcoming years. Just signed a four year contract that's a bargain early but expensive in the last year. But with the team unlikely to compete until McGee, Blatche and Young fully develop, it may be wise to trade Jamison now for whatever younger talent they can get - preferably somebody who defends. Somebody like G.Wallace or S.Battier would be great.

Filler:
Deshawn Stevenson: He's a role player who can't function well unless Arenas is drawing defensive attention. He is having an absolutely dreadful season. Management will probably wait and see if he can regain his old form once Arenas returns. Nick Young and Dominic McGuire are challenging for Stevenson's starting spot. Management would probably prefer not to pay Stevenson $3.5M a year to be a backup. His contract expires in 2011.
Mike James: Expires in 2010. Not needed if team rebuilds. Having a resurgence in the Wizards' offensive system and may be playing his way into becoming a tradeable asset.
Etan Thomas: Expires in 2010. Having a terrible year. Pure deadweight contract.
Darius Songaila: Nice role player having an excellent season, but a bit overpriced. Contract doesn't expire until 2011.
Juan Dixon: 5th guard on veteran minimum contract.
Oleskey Pecherov: 2006 draft pick signed in 2007. Appears to be a bust. Contract expires in 2010.

Picks:
The Wizards should end up with a high lotto pick in 2009. They already have quite a bit of youth so that pick is certainly tradeable. Any trade would probably involve top 3 protection though. The Wizards don't owe anybody any picks so trading picks won't be a problem.

Cap issues:
The Wizards project to be about $5M over the luxtax next year. They would benefit greatly from acquiring an expiring contract by the trade deadline. However, ownership signed Arenas and Jamison to long term contracts knowing full well the luxtax situation in 2009. They'll pay it if necessary. They're not going to sacrifice anything huge but I can see them offering a 2nd round pick + $3M cash in order to trade Etan, James, Songaila or Stevenson for an expiring contract of a worthless player.

The Wizards will not be players in the 2010 free agency sweepstakes unless Jamison and all the filler contracts are dumped. The odds are greater that the Wizards will use their $14M in 2010 expiring contracts as trade bait to bring back an overpaid but good player.

[fishercob]

Nicely done, nate.

[Bac2Basics]

SACRAMENTO KINGS

*Working swing shift, I haven't been able to watch much, so if my fellow Kings fans choose to correct me anywhere I may be mistaken, so be it, I've followed things as much as I can*

CURRENT ROSTER
(w/ salaries according to ESPN's Trade Machine)
Bobby Brown $442,114
Quincy Douby $1,427,040
Francisco Garcia $1,983,454
Donte Greene $809,300
Spencer Hawes $2,180,760
Bobby Jackson $6,487,888
Kevin Martin $8,760,335
Brad Miller $11,375,000
Mikki Moore $5,632,200
John Salmons $5,104,000
Kenny Thomas $8,562,500
Jason Thompson $1,893,840
Beno Udrih $5,585,000
Shelden Williams $3,395,760

CURRENT STATUS:
Kings are clearly in a rebuilding mode. They have traded away veteran assets like Bibby & Artest after the window closed, and still have a couple they'd like to move.

AS UNTOUCHABLE AS THE KINGS HAVE: (Any thoughts of trading for these players better include among your best players without question.)
Kevin Martin - Kevin one of the most effieicent scorers in the league. He may not be the #1 player on a championship team, but he clearly capable of being a #2 for such a team and has all-star level skills.
Spencer Hawes - Spencer has shown that he's got what it takes to be the "center of the future". He's made tremendous process from his rookie season and is clearly NBA capable. Indications seem to be he's basically Brad Miller 2.0
Jason Thompson - Kings are still figuring out what they have in him, but have good reason to be very optimistic. He's put up very solid numbers for the limited minutes he's gotten thus far.

MORE VALUABLE TO US THAN YOU
John Salmons - There have been those out there that say that the Kings need to move Salmons as part of their rebuilding process, I disagree. Salmons is on the right side of 30 and is putting up very good numbers. Unlikely he gets moved unless it's part of some pretty significant deal.
Francisco Garcia - Garcia has become a regular part of the Kings rotation and rightfully so. Garcia could start on many teams in need of a wing player. The 3 man rotation of Martin, Salmons & Garcia has our wing situation covered for the forseeable future.
Donte Greene - Kings don't know what they have in him yet, at this point, he might be available but it's unlikely
Bobby Brown - Probably the most likely to be available in this section, but the Kings clearly see something in this guy based on the contract they gave him compared to what others were offering.


CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
Quincy Douby - Streaky shooter that would probably do better with a new environment.
Shelden Williams - Potential there, but still a significant project type of there
Bobby Jackson - Kings would love to have B-Jax retire in Sacramento, and probably had him included in the Artest trade at least in part for that purpose, however if he were needed to make a deal happen, there's no reason to think the Kings would call a trade off.
Beno Udrih - Beno would probably only get traded in a situation where Sacramento was upgrading the position. Ideally, I think the Kings would like to do that and have Beno as their #2 PG, but it's unclear of how they'd do that currently.

THE REST OF THE ROSTER & THE BIG 2010 CLASS with a twist
What I expect to happen with Brad Miller, Kenny Thomas, & Mikki Moore, is that they will be the linchpin of the Kings strategy for big 2010 class These 3 players will combine for roughly $25 million in expiring contracts after this season, and Moore's contract can be bought out for something like 1/3 of it's total.
Because Sacramento has never been a big free agent destination, I see Geoff Petrie taking that large bit of expiring money and using it to trade it to a team that wants to be major players for 2010. Knowing this, Petrie will probably be expecting a high quality player, probably either a PG or an athletic big. With $25+ million, there would be enough space to trade for a team's unhappy franchise player and still take on a moderately sized bad contract. Taking this direction, Kings guarantee themselves some quality talent rather than clawing their way through with the rest of the 2010 suitors.
It's hard to say what the best player Sacramento would be able to get with that package, but I feel confident that Petrie will be able to do what he has in the past, just like when he brought in players like Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, & Mike Bibby.

[KingInExile]

We are close to having at least 1 report for each team. Anyone who follows the following teams and would like to write up a report, please do so soon.

Reports needed for:
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Milwaukee Bucks
Miami Heat
New Orleans Hornets

[loserX]

^We should also make sure that the posted ones are being updated. I don't think the Jazz situation has changed much, so I haven't added anything.

[KingInExile]

Good point.

[ZackMc72]

Cavs Only are looking to trade
Wally, Pav, and some fillers

they might trade Andy for the right player

picks we can trade and have all picks right now

We are looking for a star SG/SF and a PF/C

names that might be on a cavs roster

are

bulter
bosh
Amar
G-Wall
Okafur

[shrink]

Cavs Only are looking to trade
Wally, Pav, and some fillers

they might trade Andy for the right player

picks we can trade and have all picks right now

We are looking for a star SG/SF and a PF/C

names that might be on a cavs roster

are

bulter
bosh
Amar
G-Wall
Okafur

Zack, I appreciate the enthusiasm, and I'm not trying to be pompous, but new posters should try to get a better handle of valuations by listening to other posters, particularly before coming to this thread and representing your fanbase. As others have told you, Wally + CLE's late pick + Varejao aren't even close to the valuation of guys like Amare and Bosh, and I think you'd have to do more to be in conversations for the others.

[BlackIce]

THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Player Rotation:
PG Arenas*/James/Crittenton
SG Stevenson/Young/Dixon
SF Butler/McGuire
PF Jamison/Blatche/Songaila/Pecherov
C Haywood*/McGee/Etan

* Out for significant portion of the season

The Wizards are at a crossroads. This season is a lost cause due to the injuries of Arenas and Haywood. Haywood is out until April. Arenas is out until February. There's no way for the Wizards to climb out of the hole they've dug. The question is, do they try to position themselves for title run in the next two years by trading youth and 2010 contracts for established vets? Or do they dump the older vets and rebuild around Arenas and Butler? Consensus on the Wizards board is that they should rebuild, but fans always overvalue their own youth. Management might prefer to try the "win now" approach.

Untouchable Players: (to the extent that a losing team has untouchable players)
Caron Butler: Good player. Still young. Very good contract. Emotional leader of team.
Javale McGee: Excellent prospect. Freakish athleticism, good motor and work ethic, only 21 years old. He even has ball handling and shooting skills. Needs to fill out and learn how to play defense with his brain and not his athleticism.
Brendan Haywood: Top 5 defensive center. Top 8-13 overall center. Arguably the best non-rookie contract in the league.
Gilbert Arenas: Superstar player assuming he returns at 100%. If he's not 100%, he is untradeable due to contract.

Unlikely to Trade:
Nick Young: Deadly one-on-one scorer. Can get off a shot at will. Improving defensively but needs to get stronger. Primarily a scorer without a well-rounded game. Has a tendency to disappear if he doesn't get the ball a lot.
Andray Blatche: Terrific size, athleticism and skills at age 22. Immature mentally. Would rather party than work on game. If he applied himself, he could be a star. Will that light ever click on? Don't know.
Javaris Crittenton: Recently acquired via trade. An athletic combo guard who can get to the rim and defend fairly well but he can't shoot from the perimeter and he lacks pure PG skills. The Wizards just traded a protected future first for him so it's doubtful they'd look to trade him.
Dominic McGuire: 6-8 athlete who rebounds, blocks shots, and handles fairly well, but can't shoot. He was recently inserted into the starting lineup to replace Stevenson and has shown very good defense and exceptional rebounding from the SG/SF position.

Potentially on Trade Block:
Antawn Jamison: Having his best season at the age of 32. Game doesn't rely on athleticism so there's no reason to think that he'll decline that much in the upcoming years. Just signed a four year contract that's a bargain early but expensive in the last year. But with the team unlikely to compete until McGee, Blatche and Young fully develop, it may be wise to trade Jamison now for whatever younger talent they can get - preferably somebody who defends. Somebody like G.Wallace or S.Battier would be great.

Filler:
Deshawn Stevenson: He's a role player who can't function well unless Arenas is drawing defensive attention. He is having an absolutely dreadful season. Management will probably wait and see if he can regain his old form once Arenas returns. Nick Young and Dominic McGuire are challenging for Stevenson's starting spot. Management would probably prefer not to pay Stevenson $3.5M a year to be a backup. His contract expires in 2011.
Mike James: Expires in 2010. Not needed if team rebuilds. Having a resurgence in the Wizards' offensive system and may be playing his way into becoming a tradeable asset.
Etan Thomas: Expires in 2010. Having a terrible year. Pure deadweight contract.
Darius Songaila: Nice role player having an excellent season, but a bit overpriced. Contract doesn't expire until 2011.
Juan Dixon: 5th guard on veteran minimum contract.
Oleskey Pecherov: 2006 draft pick signed in 2007. Appears to be a bust. Contract expires in 2010.

Picks:
The Wizards should end up with a high lotto pick in 2009. They already have quite a bit of youth so that pick is certainly tradeable. Any trade would probably involve top 3 protection though. The Wizards don't owe anybody any picks so trading picks won't be a problem.

Cap issues:
The Wizards project to be about $5M over the luxtax next year. They would benefit greatly from acquiring an expiring contract by the trade deadline. However, ownership signed Arenas and Jamison to long term contracts knowing full well the luxtax situation in 2009. They'll pay it if necessary. They're not going to sacrifice anything huge but I can see them offering a 2nd round pick + $3M cash in order to trade Etan, James, Songaila or Stevenson for an expiring contract of a worthless player.

The Wizards will not be players in the 2010 free agency sweepstakes unless Jamison and all the filler contracts are dumped. The odds are greater that the Wizards will use their $14M in 2010 expiring contracts as trade bait to bring back an overpaid but good player.

salmons is the best non rookie contract IMO. How about Parker (expiring) and Joey (expiring) what could they net on the wiz?

[quazi31]

MIAMI HEAT
roster

pg. chalmers/quinn/banks
sg. wade/cook
sf. marion/jones*/wright*
pf. halsem/beasley
c. anothny/zo*/blout
*=injury

guard play is pretty good chalmers has shock alot, quinn has been lights out from 3. also wade is wade and cook is our 2 best scoring from the bench

forwards are decent with marion defense and halsem defense we are solid there. marion hasnt been his best and when jones come back we have our 3 point shooter.and beasley has been good even tho he barely gets min. cuz of his defense

center is a HUGE gap right now, anothny is doing all he can and zo hopefully can come back and do solid

[sonic-ben]

TFKAS (Team Formerly Known As Sonics)
Edited 8 January 2009


Team needs:

- Time for Durant, Green & Westbrook to gain experience. Anyone who follows the game can see those three kids can play. And they're exactly the right kind of guys you'd want to develop a team around. For that Presti should be seriously recognized. But Green is only 22 years old. And Durant & Westbrook each just turned 20. Not even old enough to buy themselves a beer. The words "high ceiling" & "potential" are way overused. In the case of these three kids those words fit perfectly.

- Killer instinct to win close games. Durant has already won a bunch himself. Well ok... a few. The entire damn team has hardly won a bunch. In fact, they've lost loads of close games. It's been tough. Like watching starving lion cubs fumble around in the wilderness trying to figure out how to kill a beetle. It would have been a lot better if Ray Allen & Rashard Lewis had been teaching them. But they aren't. They'll still get there. It'll just take a longer. And probably cost Scott Brooks his job eventually. Which is too bad because so far he's done a decent job of it.

- Divest themselves of the guys not committed to the team. Earl Watson doesn't want to be a backup PG on a crap team. I've never been able to figure out what the hell's going on with Chris Wilcox. Not even Robert Swift knows what's going on with Robert Swift. Joe Smith has been patiently waiting to join a contending team. Damien Wilkins knows his spot on the rotation has already gone forever to Kyle Weaver. Everyone knows Presti is cleaning house. That should be all done for the most part by the deadline with those not traded maybe mercifully released. Well at least PJ is gone. Thank god for small favors.

- A couple of weeks ago I would've said a legit center. But I've heard enough from Nets fans, and I have learned to respect Presti's eye for talent, that I'm willing to suspend my "trade the farm for Kaman" campaign until we've had a good long look at Nenad Krstic.

- A legit starting two guard. With superior athleticism, size (6'5" or better), three ball range, high bball IQ & a desire to defend. Sounds a lot like Brandon Rush or Courtney Lee. Two guys I was pulling for with last year's second 1st. Also sounds a lot like James Harden. A likely pick with this year's 1st... if it's not Griffin. Or Rubio.


Roster:

Sadly, this season is a not about winning games. See above. So the faithful find themselves looking forward to better days. Next season brings much more promise for a few reasons: (a) the kids will be that much more experienced, (b) the house cleaning will be done, (c) Presti has a boat load of draft picks & (d) Presti has about $30M in 2009 cap space. So ya, it's a lot funner to think about how they're going to get better than it is how bad they suck at the moment.

Between now & next season it's likely Watson & Wilkins are both traded for expirings & Wilcox, Sene, Swift, Smith, Mason are all not resigned. If Presti is able to garner assets for them instead via trade... great. But he won't take on any crap contracts. It's not the way he was raised in the Spurs religion. Going forward the big fork in the road concerns whether or not they win the lottery & get Griffin. That turn of fate will likely decide how Presti approaches the free agent market as well as guide his trade strategy. To illustrate...

Scenario - Draft Griffin
Starters - Westbrook, tbd, Durant, Griffin, Krstic
Rotation - Atkins, Green, Weaver, Collison
Bench - Denver 1st, Spurs 1st, Nets 2nd, White

In this scenario there's still no legit starting two guard. Ben Gordon is an unrestricted free agent, but he'd make for a small backcourt. And Gordon's not exactly known for his defense. Also, Green becomes the team's sixth man... a role in which he could thrive. Presti would be all about finding a legit starting shooting guard.

Scenario - Draft Harden
Starters - Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Green, Krstic
Rotation - Atkins, Collison, Weaver, White
Bench - Denver 1st, Spurs 1st, Nets 2nd, tbd

In this scenario Presti only "needs" another player to fill out the roster, but White's effectively a rookie due to the jaw surgeries. That'd make two rookies in the rotation, one of them a starter, along with a bench full of rookies. That's painful to think about. But Carlos Boozer (& Paul Millsap) are free agents. One of those guys would look great on this team. And Presti will have the most cap space of any GM this summer. This new lineup again has Green as sixth man...

Starters - Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Boozer, Krstic
Rotation - Atkins, Green, Weaver, Collison
Bench - Denver 1st, Spurs 1st, Nets 2nd, White

That's a team ready to battle. And with a future. Remember, Presti would still have the Suns' 2010 1st (unprotected) as well as young Serge Ibaka (his second 2008 1st) stashed away in Spain.

Scenario - Draft Rubio
Starters - Rubio, Westbrook, Durant, Green, Krstic
Rotation - Atkins, Collison, Weaver, White
Bench - Nuggets 1st, Spurs 1st, Nets 2nd, tbd

In this case it's likely that Westbrook slides over to the shooting guard spot & teams with Rubio to make a dynamite backcourt, even if they might be a little on the small side. But so what. Those two can play, which is way more important. Same situation as "Draft Harden" with White possibly being replaced by either Boozer or Millsap & Green becoming sixth man.


Future Potential Transactions:

So looking forward, it appears Presti is well on his way towards building a young competitive team. Accordingly, he can continue to interact with his GM colleagues from a position of strength. If he can negotiate another 1st or a legit young prospect for his expirings... great. If not, Presti just takes all the cap space. And it's likely that he'll be able to get at least an expiring for Watson now that he's got Atkins to fill in. Wilkins? At this point who cares. It will be interesting to see if Presti attempts to combine the Nuggets & Spurs 1sts to move up in the draft.

Presti's free agent strategy will be largely dependant on how he makes out in the lottery. If he "wins" it's likely Griffin as best player available, but that scenario potentially leaves him with the weakest squad assuming either Boozer or Millsap can be signed. It's possible Presti would trade down a spot or two if he thought he could sign either Boozer or Millsap. But Memphis will also have a lot of cap space & that team would look great with one of those two guys playing PF. And Utah isn't about to give up on their assets, although I can't see them signing both players due to luxury tax limitations. Finally, at this point I don't see Presti going after Ben Gordon due to his defensive limitations & previously expressed desire for big money.

All this assumes Krstic becomes a legit starting center. Never a sure bet for this team. If Krispy doesn't work out, I could see a big time effort to get Chris Kaman. Something like Earl Watson, Collison, Mason & a 1st or two for Kaman & filler. Adding a legit bench to the Clippers starting five would make them a playoff contender for sure next season.

One last possibility worth discussing concerns the "Draft Harden" or "Draft Rubio" possibilities. That would involve trading Watson & an expiring (plus a pick if need be) to the Bulls in exchange for Hinrich. That give Presti a pretty solid lineup of exactly the kind of players that fit his profile...

Starters - Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Boozer, Krstic
Rotation - Hinrich, Green, Weaver, Collison
Bench - Denver 1st, Spurs 1st, Nets 2nd, White

or

Starters - Rubio, Westbrook, Durant, Boozer, Krstic
Rotation - Hinrich, Green, Weaver, Collison
Bench - Nuggets 1st, Spurs 1st, Nets 2nd, White

Amazing if he could pull it off. Draft either Harden or Rubio. Sign either Boozer or Millsap. Trade for Hinrich.

amen .... preach to the people ... preach

[Cowology]

The only thing the Pistons need right now is to either bring back Antonio McDyess or grab somebody like Mourning.

What the Pistons DONT want to do is make any more major moves. It's going to hard enough adjusting to life under Michael Curry and with Allen Iverson. We're fairly well set in terms of guard depth with Stuckey & Afflalo (even Will Bynum looks good as the 3rd pg). We could maybe use an upgrade at the backup 3 spot on paper, but what we're actually doing is going with some effective 3 guard lineups as a way to find minutes for all those guys and that seem OK for the moment.

We just need 1 more solid bigman on a short term contract.

Now that we've gotten an extended look at the Curry coached, Stuckey/Iverson lead Pistons we can re-evaluate the roster.

What the Pistons DON'T need.
Guards.

With Stuckeys development and move into the starting lineup the Pistons have 3 guards who need 30+ mpg (Stuckey, Iverson & Hamilton). 2nd year player Arron Afflalo also needs about 15-20 mpg. Prior to Rips injury coach Curry opted to use a small lineup with Rip at the 3 in order to get his best players on the floor, but this caused defensive problems.

What the Pistons DO need.
A backup SF.

Prince has been without a legit backup for some time. Walter Hermann is ineffective in limited minutes, and neither Rip or Afflalo are ideally suited to the position. The problem is that both players have been forced there in order to get minutes, and bringing in another wing player without first moving a guard would cause even more congestion.

A legit C.

As the Pistons continue to transition to a younger team it's clear that they'll be looking for a long term replacement for Sheed at C. Whether that pushes him back to PF, sends him to the bench or means he won't be back at all next season is a bit of a mystery. Defensive rebounding and protecting the paint have both been issues at times, especially with our smaller lineup giving up a lot of penetration.

Other concerns.
The Pistons have an abundance of PF and are not in need of another, unless it's a move to consolidate talent. Detroit is still very high on Amir Johnson, who is long, athletic and beginning to fill out. He's a great rebounder & shotblocker who makes hustle plays and generally plays good defense. But he's also incredibly foul prone and can't stay on the court for more than 15-20 mpg. Detroit also has Jason Maxiell who is another energy player needing 15-20 mpg. Then of course we have Antonio McDyess and perhaps even Kwame & Sheed (depending on the lineups).

Untouchable.
Rodney Stuckey
Antonio McDyess

Stuckey is, according to Dumars, the only "sacred cow" in Detroit. He's beginning to break out and is clearly the teams future from the guard position. Dyess isn't going anywhere for obvious reasons.

Almost untouchable
Amir Johnson
Tayshaun Prince
Arron Afflalo

Admittedly there may be some debate over these 3 on the Pistons board. I'm of the opinion that the Pistons will want to keep their young assets (Afflalo & Amir) as they continue to rebuild on the fly. They'd be available in the right deal, but I don't think Joe is looking to move either and you'd probably need to overpay to get them. I include Tayshaun in this group as the youngest of the championship core and glue of the team. Some Piston fans may consider Rip a part of this group either in addition too or instead of Prince.

Available
Richard Hamilton
Jason Maxiell
Kwame Brown
Walter Hermann
Will Bynum
Alex Acker

Again, there may be some debate over where Rip/Tayshaun belong. I feel that despite his recent extension Rip would be available in the right deal considering that Iverson is starting at SG and Afflalo has proven to be a capable backup (and possible future starter). Maxiell is also available, although he is PPP. I think Kwames salary may be used, however it's unlikely we'd move him unless getting back another C in return. Hermann, Bynum & Acker aren't much more than filler.

Other
Rasheed Wallace
Allen Iverson
Walter Sharpe
Detroit picks (they own all their own picks)
Minny '09 2nd
Toronto '09 & '11 2nd rounders

It's hard to know exactly what is going to happen with either Sheed or Iverson. These 2 players represent $35 mil worth of expiring contracts and it's believed Dumars would prefer to let them expire, making the Pistons players in '09 and/or '10 Free Agency. Of the 2 I'd consider Sheed the more likely candidate to be moved IF the right deal came along, however as with Kwame the Pistons would likely need to get a C back in return.

I'd expect any of the picks to be available in the right deal. With their own 1st and 3 2nd rounders Joe may even be looking to actively move some of them. The Pistons currently sit a tad over the cap, and may look to dump Acker or Bynum at the cost of a 2nd pick or two in order to get below the Tax.

With Walter Sharpe spending all his time inactive or in the D-League it's hard to tell what the organization things of him or if he has a future in Detroit. I expect we'd like to give him a few years to develop before making any decisions on him, but I doubt we'd shoot down an otherwise good deal due to his inclusion.


Conclusion
The Pistons would benefit from either Iverson or Rip coming off the bench, but there is great skepticism that either player would accept such a role. Curry could opt to let the season play out, starting a small lineup with a quick sub for a bigman *or* the Pistons could conceivably attempt to rebalance the roster by moving one of Rip or Iverson for a F/C.

IF the Pistons opted to move Rip for a bigman, it would make sense to also move any of Maxiell/Kwame/Amir (Amir the least likely) in order to bring back a solid vet backup PG such as Earl Watson or perhaps even Kevin Ollie. Players such as Boozer, Odom, Camby, Dalember & Kaman have all been discussed amongst Piston fans.

Some have also advocating trading Rip for a forward such as Gerald Wallace or Josh Howard. The thinking here being that it's preferable to play one of those 2 at SF than Rip, and they'd be more receptive backup up Iverson/Prince.

However, some people feel that since Iverson is likely one and done in Detroit, it'd be better to ride out this season and go into Free Agency with Stuckey, Hamilton, Afflalo, Prince, Maxiell, Amir and a **** ton of cap room and go looking for a bigman that way. Any of Boozer, Amare, Bosh, Okur or a handful of other players may become available over the next 2 Summers.

It's even possible that depending on how the season plays out that Sheed and/or Iverson could come back (at a reduced salary of course) for a 1 or 2 year deal.

[NBA74]

no way AI returns. Joe D is not that stupid. he only did this for cap, and he had to pretend to say they could contend... Sheed may come back siging vet mins mid-season.

[rsavaj]

Phoenix: A new owner, a new GM, and a new coach.

[RevMan26]

THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Player Rotation:
PG: Williams/Gibson
SG: West*/Pavlovic*/Kinsey*/Johnson
SF: James/Szczerbiak*
PF: Wallace/Hickson/Jackson
C: Ilgauskas/Varejao/Wright

* Currently injured

The Cavaliers are having one heck of a season, and along the way have broken many franchise records. We are at a point right now where our front court has been looking very bad defensively and isn't getting any younger. If we are to make a trade before the deadline, it will be to strengthen our front court.

Untouchable Players:
Ilgauskas, Zydrunas - Means more to us than to other teams. Heart and sole of this team.
James, LeBron - MVP season, need more be said?
West, Delonte - I think he is untouchable unless the right deal came along (others might disagree). Our best back court defender.
Williams, Mo - Has clearly made this team better with his presence. Great 3pt. shooter. Plays well off LeBron, scores when LeBron isn't on the court.

Unlikely To Trade:
Gibson, Daniel - Great 3pt. shooter.
Hickson, J.J. - Has shown a lot of potential in his rookie year. Good shot blocker and defender.
Varejao, Anderson - Is our best bench player. Rebounds, defends and scores.
Wallace, Ben - Great inside defender, great locker room presence.

Touchable:
Jackson, Darnell - Doesn't play much.
Johnson, Trey- Doesn't play much.
Kinsey, Tarence - Came to play when West went down with the injury. Good guy.
Pavlovic, Sasha - More valuable to us than anyone else. Great 3 pt. shooter.
Szczerbiak, Wally - Huge expiring contract. Has been key player with all of our injuries.
Wright, Lorenzen - Has been good when he gets playing time. Great locker room guy.

What We're Looking For:
We are looking for some depth in the paint. Ben Wallace hasn't looked good in the last couple of games, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been getting beat. We are looking to add a PF or C, preferably younger (under 28), to pair with LeBron for the upcoming years.

Also, possibly, a SG or SF. West, Pavlovic, and Kinsey are all currently inactive (injuries). We need someone to help score when LeBron isn't on the court.

Team Direction:
We are currently (as of Feb. 13th) 40-11, and in second place in the Eastern Conference. Are home record is 24-1, and our road record is 16-10. We are on place to be a top seed in the Eastern Conference and are looking to make the Eastern Conference Finals.