Envy, I think we all see where you are getting at with Cousins, OFFENSIVELY, we need a powerhouse of someone of his caliber to initate the Triangle in the POST
You are absolutely correct, we need a BIG upgrade with talents of his MONSTER abilities and if even if we drafted some of these guys in this coming draft, our ability to contend will dependent on that rook's ability to DEVELOP, which would not work too well considering CA would like to compete and contend by next summer and that is unlikely to happen if it was dependent on a rook!
Cousins can play that style but he also likes to take Jumpers from the mid range as well, meaning we will need PF, SF's, SG's, that could all play inside and outside to work effectively...
We need a lot of talents that can outplay their contracts, especially with the way CA and Calderon eat up 40% of our cap space and are both not good defensive players
In order do be a contender, we need to be at least an over average to a good defensive team, so we are starting off with 2 poor defenders, meaning we would need to acquire many 2 way players that could score/facilitate/defend, which typically cost more money, something of Ariza's caliber
Honestly, Kings would not even consider that trade but even if they did, we would need a lot of vet min contracts that would be starting material and bench players in the 6th to 8th man role doing the same
With the Kings previous max extension of COusins, extending Rudy Gay at 3year 12m per year, paying for Darren Collison (FULL MLE MONEY) and Sessions (2.2m), and not firing their head coach with just a 1/3 in to the season, it is a sign that they are expecting to contend this year and in the upcoming years in the tough Western Conference
But for funs sake let us see the possiblity of building around that core (We would have to starphuq with the rest of our 1st rounders, 2015 *draft rights*, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024)
Cousins > Kevin Love, while Twolves recieved Wiggons, Thad Young, and the #1 draft pick in Anthony Bennett, Love was traded for 1 1st round draft picks, two of which were #1 draft picks
So we would AT LEAST have to give up another 1st round pick in the process, 2015 (draft rights we can trade on draft day), 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024
Signed with MLE and Cap Space
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-Thanasis signs a deal that starts off paying him 1m with raises, team option for 3rd year with first 2 years guaranteed, instead of the 500k, 900k, structure for being a mid/late 2nd rounder
-ED Davis signs a deal for about a deal of 11m for 3 years (3rd year team option)
-Wesley Johnson signs a deal slightly lower than Davis's contract with 3rd year being a player option
-KJ McDaniels signs a deal for under 9m per year, a starting salary of 2.8m and team option for 2nd (2nd year is 1m guaranteed though) and 3rd year
-Traded for Tony Wroten with STAT or AB to Philly for a 1 of our 1st rounders and a 2nd rounder while recieving a large trade exemption that could be used 1 year from expiration date
-Randy Foye traded for with 3.6m trade exemption with Denver to clear some salary so they can resign Affalo without draft picks, possibly sending our one of our younger talents like Larkin
Other notes
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-We pray JR Smith opts out in search of financial security since he will likely decline even more as he continues to age and lose more athleticism/speed/quickness/physical abilities
-Tim Hardaway JR is traded for 2 2nd round draft picks in this summer's draft
-Hopefully we can get future picks with some of our young guys and Iman Shumpert by the trade deadline to a contender (maybe LA Clippers/OKC still has interest in his defensive abilities with a 2nd rounder or 2)
-Same with Acey/ and vets in Jason Smith/Pablo (Pablo retires and removes his partial guaranteed contract but works as a scout for the Knicks with a *wink wink* deal
-IF UNABLE TO TRADE IMAN and OTHER YOUNG contracts, Will likely have to rescind the rights to Iman Shumpert and everyone else on our roster in order to give King's a trade exemption
Knicks STARTING LINEUP
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We could go for many different type of starting lineups depending if CA is better playing the SF (where he is a greater liablity at the SF than at the PF where Cousins could help him out)
Mainly 4/5 different possible starting Linups depending on match ups
Starting lineup #1
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Cousins
Ed Davis
CA
Tony Wroten (playing lead Guard, as Calderon plays the 2nd ball handler and spot up shooter)
Calderon
Starting lineups #2
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Cousins
CA
Wesley Johnson
KJ McDaniels
Calderon/Wroten
Starting linup #3
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Cousins
Wesley Johnson
CA
KJ McDaniels/Thanasis
Thanasis
Calderon/Wroten
Bench
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Wroten
Randy Foye
KJ McDaniels
CleAnthony Early???
Ed Davis
Cole Aldrich
Orlando Sanchez
Travis Wear
Acey if no gives him an offer greater than our qualifying offer
Vet Min's
Vet min's
*we still have a trade exemption that we have not used, depending on who we trade to Philly, the trade exemption could be 10m-12m or 20m
DRAFT PICKS OWNED
===================
* we haved used 2015 #1 rounder, 2018 #1, 2020 #1*
we still own, 2022 and 2024 left
If we are able to get 2 2nd rounders for Iman Shumpert or/and anything else from our firehouse sale at the deadline to contenders
If we trade STAT or AB by this deadline, using a 2018 or 2020 1st rounder pick and maybe a future 2nd rounder
We could acquire a 20m trade exemption, we can help a team clear ONE salary/contract and not use any assets or use a 2020/2022 1st rounder and pick up more talent)
With no pick, we can probably trade for someone like Lance Stephenson
If we use all of our assets and Durant wishes to go to NYK, if he forces his way here, we can acquire him in 2017
With some of our draft picks, we can target a player like Noah, where Chicago is cheap and would have Gasol/Giben/Mirotic *filled out and developed*, McBucckets, and had to pay a MAX extension to keep Butler
We could have the MLE and divide that up 2, possibly 2 players (assuming we can convince Cole Aldrich to stay, in order to go over the cap and get the FULL MLE (worth about 6m)
Say there are other teams interested in Cole Aldrich, max we would probably want to offer is something like
4 year, 20m, 4th year being a player option or at best, 5year 25m deal with 5th year being a team option
12/30/2014 8:04 PM