Discussing Other Teams' Moves (Part IV)

[closg00]

The Celts and their fans will tell you that Mgmt Fcuked-up by not keeping Lester Hudson around. Memphis went to Hudson against the Lakers playing 12 minutes and scoring 13 points - the guys a baller who just needed a chance. Celts fans are pissed.

Did they at least let him go so they could sign somebody else?

Nope, Hudson's $450,000 salary was costing the Celts $900,000 cause of the lux-tax. The Celts also have Giddens and Walker in the D-League that they haven't done anything with yet.

[LyricalRico]

The ownership bid of George Postolos in Charlotte promises a massive overhaul of the organization, and league sources expect that should the former Houston Rockets president take over the franchise two of his top candidates for general manager will be San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey and Rockets assistant GM Sam Hinkie.

Should Postolos take over, several league executives wonder whether Bobcats coach Larry Brown would use the ownership change as a way to free himself for a possible return to the Philadelphia 76ers. No one is sure about the fates of Sixers GM Ed Stefanski and coach Eddie Jordan should the team continue to struggle, but Brown has kept a good relationship with owner Ed Snider and his family is still living in Philly during the season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... sing020310

Wow, so this could be make or break for MJ in Charlotte. Nice to see that Larry "Vagabond" Brown already has plans for next season.

From the same article:

League executives say between now and then Brown is determined to move point guard D.J. Augustin(notes) for a veteran big man. Michael Jordan and Rod Higgins wanted to draft Brook Lopez(notes) with the ninth pick in 2008, but Brown demanded they pass on the center for Augustin. Bobcats management had gone so far to tell Lopez’s agents they were picking him.

And this is why LB is horrible for any rebuilding team. He has absolutely no sense about him when it comes to young talent. Unless you have a team of vets you are trying to get over the hump, don't hire Larry Brown.

[TheSecretWeapon]

Hmm, what to say about the story that Jordan and Higgins wanted Brook Lopez, but Brown insisted on Augustin...

My guess is that the source for that tidbit is someone close to Jordan. My guess is that with possible ownership change, that source was trying to get on record that the pick wasn't Jordan's fault -- it was Brown's.

As for whether a team with young talent should hire Brown, I'd note that Charlotte currently has a .500 record, projects to win 44 games, has a top 5 defense, and is sending its first representative to the All-Star game. Not too shabby for a guy with "no sense about him when it comes to young talent."

[LyricalRico]

As for whether a team with young talent should hire Brown, I'd note that Charlotte currently has a .500 record, projects to win 44 games, has a top 5 defense, and is sending its first representative to the All-Star game. Not too shabby for a guy with "no sense about him when it comes to young talent."

It might be that we have different definitions of "young". Yhe main reasons for their success IMO are Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson. I'd hardly call them "young". In fact, looking at their top 7-8 guys, the least experienced is Felton who is in his 5th year. They've got guys who are young-ish in age but I'd still consider them mostly veteran players.

What I was trying to say si that LB isn't really the guy you want to judge guys coming out of college or if you're in a rebuilding mode and you're acquiring guys on rookie deals who haven't met their potential yet.

[TheSecretWeapon]

I can agree with your final paragraph there. Brown's a helluva coach, but I wouldn't want him picking the team.

Still, if you look at that roster, it's a bunch of cast-offs and they're poised to be the best team in that franchise's history. Brown can coach.

[MF23]

You know whats interesting is if they do end the regular seasoon like that the FO may win the Executive of the Year Award. The Jackson trade was a good one.

[TheSecretWeapon]

I dunno if Charlotte will win Executive of the Year. My choice is Oklahoma City. At least right now.

[closg00]

I dunno if Charlotte will win Executive of the Year. My choice is Oklahoma City. At least right now.

[LyricalRico]

^ But what has OKC really done THIS YEAR to make them so good? They drafted Harden, who's playing well off the bench but it still wasn't a "diamond in the rough" late draft pick situation. They traded for Etan but he hasn't really done much. Additiona like Kristic and Sefolosha were done last year so they shouldn't count. I see their success being the cumulative effect of everything they've done since drafting Durant and trading Ray Allen, not anything special they did THIS YEAR.

Charlotte would be an interesting pick, especially if they can turn Augustin into something they can use. Also, don't forget about Toronto. They rebuilt their team this season and have gone is a nice run lately. They could also still be active at the deadline.

[verbal8]

Charlotte would be an interesting pick, especially if they can turn Augustin into something they can use. Also, don't forget about Toronto. They rebuilt their team this season and have gone is a nice run lately. They could also still be active at the deadline.

While Toronto has improved, their long term prospects depend on Bosh resiging or getting a good return in a S&T. I think they may the most vulnerable of all the teams with max FAs. Cleveland will be a mess if they lose LeBron, but they have expiring contracts that will give them some flexibility. Miami is looking at possibly max space if they keep Wade, so they would have tons of cap space to rebuild their team.

While occasionally the changes to rebuild a team happen in one year(the Celtics trades for KG and Ray Allen), generally building a team happens progressively. OKC was able to add Eric Maynor basically for nothing. They were able to do this because they had made moves to create and preserve cap space over the years.

[closg00]

+1 I Think Presti get's exactly for the reasons you stated.

[LyricalRico]

Amare for Iggy+Dalembert? Doesn't work under the cap. PHX would have to include Barbosa, which would give Philly yet another PG-sized scorer. And if Amare doesn't opt out, they don't save anything financially next season. I don't see it happening.

[closg00]

Tyson Chandler will be returning to the Bobcats after being out due to injury. Although Nazr Mohammed has been playing well for the Cats at C, I wonder if Mohammed could play PF for them and have Chandler play Center?...their lineup would be pretty nasty heading into the playoffs providing Chandler is healthy.

PG: Felton
SG: Stephen Jackson
SF:Gerald Wallace
PF: Mohammed
C: Chandler

[LyricalRico]

Tyson Chandler will be returning to the Bobcats after being out due to injury. Although Nazr Mohammed has been playing well for the Cats at C, I wonder if Mohammed could play PF for them and have Chandler play Center?...their lineup would be pretty nasty heading into the playoffs providing Chandler is healthy.

PG: Felton
SG: Stephen Jackson
SF:Gerald Wallace
PF: Mohammed
C: Chandler

I think they'd rather start Diaw, but that wouldn't leave them with much of a bench. Would they do something like Augustin for Oberto+Boykins+2nd to get more veteran depth?

Chandler/Mohammed
Diaw/Oberto
Wallace/Brown
Jackson/Murray
Felton/Boykins

That's the kind of veteran bench that LB likes and they'd be deep enough to match up with a lot of teams. If they were totally healthy going into the playoffs, they could be a tough out with that lineup.

Think they wouldn't go for it? Well, with the rumored ownership change and the FO/coaching changes that would come with it, this would be MJ's last stand. If he wants to be a GM again, he needs to make something happen this season.

[closg00]

^^^^^
Diaw probably stays the starter, but if the Cats face the Cavs in the playoffs, the Cavs tend to go big-lineup, there would probably be some times that the Cats would use this larger line-up here and there.

I would like nothing more than to see Orberto sent packing so-that we can give those minutes to McGee.

[closg00]

Anyone want to lay odds on Khan trading Pech by the deadline? I think he'll squeeze something out for Pech's expiring.

[floppymoose]

I think he'll squeeze something out for Pechs

That's a really unfortunate sentence fragment.

[verbal8]

The Cavs removed water fountains from their arena.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AnT4xxh8h2e7MX1EJXzTeZAQmNIF?slug=ap-cavaliers-waterfountains&prov=ap&type=lgns

I blame LeBron James.

[LyricalRico]

Am I the only one who thinks that Denver wanting Camby back is hilarious?

[closg00]

The Raptors have increased their usage of advanced statistical analysis this season.

"They break stuff down like you've never seen," Jay Triano said of the two men who are in charge of Toronto's analysis. "It's possession-by-possession, player-by-player, combinations of players, points per possession, where we're scoring, where we're not scoring, it just gives us another tool to help us get better at both ends."

Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo has been searching for a way to expand the resources available to a coach willing to use them.

http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wireta ... is_season/
Love this wiretap story, I wish we had the type of organization that was creative enough to do what Toronto is doing.