I would do either Melo or Stat and Billups, and take back Areana or Turkolu, then Amnesty him. I would not part with Shumpert, I could even throw in Fields. I am not sure if we can still throw in draft picks but why not. Then in the off seasons, decide between Nash, Cp3, or Deron, or a lower end PG and fill up the rest of the roster. If Shump shows he can be a star at PG, I would not invest too much money in that position so would be looking at deals like Nash if he would want to join.
Dwight is a one of a kind, look at his frame, work ethic, and unselfishness. He strikes fear against anyone and he makes everyone around him better. After acquiring Dwight, I would call Phil Jackson up and see what he wants to come to New York. It would be time to abandon SSL, I like the idea of adding Patrick or Derek Harper back on our coaching staff.
As for fitting, its hard to say who's better. Dwight hasn't shown hes selfish enough or dominant enough to take over games when needed, that's his only true flaw. But at the same time, he requires double and triple teams, and he is very much willing to move the ball. Melo, is the complete opposite and Amare likes to score but could move the ball. Once Melo touches the ball, chances of him passing are lower than 5%. However, late in the year, after our long losing streak, he was starting to do give up the ball a lot more.
Dwight would clog the middle up. And both Amare and Melo are great mid range shooters. Melo has a post up game, which would be a lot harder to do if Dwight is with him. Amare will also have trouble driving in and dunking.
I really can't see SSL, Dantoni's system working if so, Phil Jackson has a good chance to come over. If its money and power, he wants, Dolan has both to give. It would make a great story, I coming back home. The triangle would work well, while we still have cap room to add the rest of the players. Whether we use the majority of rest of the cap on 1 player or divide it up for role players would be up to Zen. If Shumpert shows the qualities of being a Westbrook on defense and Rose on offense, he would be the 3rd star.
I wonder how many veterans would come for the minimum or cheap? Nash, KG, Ray Allen, Camby, Duncan, and Kidd are veterans that made plenty of money in their careers already.
It wouldn't shock me one bit if they would come in to team up with Dwight, Amare or Melo, Shumpert*if he shows he is a star in the making*, and I would like to keep TD.
Even Terry and Baron Davis are players that made good money but not nearly as much as the ones above.
With the rest of the cap, they can target the players above and splitting the salary, or target one player and sign the minimum for the aged veterans.
There are a lot of restricted FA, team options, qualifying offers, and unrestricted FA. Here is a list at all of them.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/2012-nba-free-agents/
I agree, its pretty cold to turn on Amare the way he has accepted his role and performed as a leader. He might be the best person financially to Amnesty because of his injuries and his game is based on his athleticism. He has improved his shot but he is under average as a defender. In the end its a business, we did Felton wrong and a lot of his miss our young guns. But Dwight is a one of a kind species, 20/12/4, a player that can dominate the game without scoring but has the ability to dunk it on anyone. It sounds like New Orleans is ready to let Cp3 walk, they don't want to lose him for nothing. If they really a deal done with a 3rd team, with Cp3 going to Boston, it wouldn't work unless Paul agrees to sign an extension. I don't see how Cp3 can not sign that money to play with Boston, not knowing if New York would even be their #1 priority. At the very least, I can see New Orleans getting a 1st round draft pick and a little more to a team, that is looking to use Paul for a playoff/Finals rental for a year. This Amnesty Clause allows teams to keep players in check, preventing a Eddy Curry type of player. It also allows a team that gave a poor contract out to rebuild faster. It gives teams a lot more flexibility, even teams, that aren't looking to Amnesty their own players, they now have something worth more than a 1st round draft pick. Their ability to eat a contract up and Amnesty it. However, not many teams are capable of eating up millions of $ like a Joe Johnson type of deal. The players still get majority of their contract payed, but it doesn't eat up their cap room.
Back to the other post about comparing Amare to Gasol, they are different players. Gasol is not a scorer like Amare is, however he is a legit 7 footer with great reach and even speed for his size. His game isn't based on athleticism but on smarts, finesse, and his unique skills with his size. Amare stand at 6'9 and when his athleticism goes down, he will be in for a big downfall. Gasol stepped in when Bynum was hurt and was playing the center and PF. Stat has no chance playing the center at this point of his career. It also helped Gasol because not only did he have Kobe, but he had players that were great team and players that were great athletes and scorers. Odom, Ariza, Shannon Brown are amazing talents to have on the bench. Fisher is also no stiff either. Gasol has the size advantage, great passing ability, a better defender, and has more skills. At their primes, Amare probably is the better player but its hard to compare. In Phoenix, Nash contributed to a lot of Amare's easy dunks. And they had a lot of unique players that fit well too with Marion, Barbosa, Raja Bell, Joe Johnson, even Boris Diaw. Those guys complimented each other very well with Nash and all were a lot younger. They are both players that put up similar numbers but do it with different skills and styles. Its hard to to compare, its like comparing apples and oranges. A lot of it will depend on what teams they are in and what system they are playing with, which isn't fair to use. The biggest advantage Gasol has over Amare, is his ability to play the center position, Amare just doesn't have the size to do so. He got away with in at Phoenix but that was during his prime and he does have a lot of talent there. I wouldn't want Amare playing the center now at his age, it would just increase his chances of getting hurt with all that banging around. He isn't the athlete he once was.
We all have mixed feeling for talent and loyalty. I believe the Amnesty clause must be used before the season starts, its a very powerful option that all teams have. Not many teams have to ability to eat up $50million, and I don't know if any team can eat up a $100million contract. I personally would not look to trade for Cp3 if we had to eat up Ok4's contract.
It would be very close if we decided to just keep Melo and Amare for Cp3 and Ok4. Billups, Turiaf, Balkman, Shumpert, Walker, Rautins, Brown, Jorts, and whoever we have, just might add up to it. NO might just decide to use the Amnesty Clause themselves on Ok4 and get the best value back for Cp3. For New Orleans to trade with New York for just Cp3, they would probably at the very least want back Shumpert, TD, Fields, and Billups. Maybe we get to keep one of the 3 young bucks, but unlikely it would be Shumpert.
Gilbert Areana's contract is owed 62 million for another 3 years, that is a lot of money to just give up. Turkoglu is owed about 36 million for another 3 years. It's a lot more reasonable than Areana's contract. I expect to see a lot of rumors swirling from now to the start of the season since the Amnesty Clause must be used before the season starts. I am not sure if you can Amnesty a contract from a trade or if you have to wait till the summer to do so. I don't know if Orlando would use the Amnesty clause on Areanas themself or want another team to do so, $62 million is a lot of money. I think NO and Orlando has a lot of decisions to make before the season starts and which route they will go.
11/30/2011 4:20 PM