With the way the team is playing right now, I think Walsh has to seriously consider keeping the guys he has on the team now and making a push for Lebron. We would obviously have to trade Nate for either a young player with upside or a pick, but other than him, I think everyone on this team could be apart of a championship caliber team. The team would have scary depth and could play defense and offense pretty well. If this was the opening day roster next year I think we would be pretty damn good.
Starters:
PG - Douglas
SG - Chandler
SF - Lebron
PF - Gallinari
C - Lee
Bench:
6 - Harrington
7 - Hughes
8 - Jeffries
9 - Duhon
10 - Hill
11 - Curry
I think it's safe to say that's the best top 11 in the NBA RIGHT NOW and we could even be better than that.
If we trade Nate I think we could grab some pretty good players due to the economy. Teams like Sacramento are struggling financially and they might be interested in saving some money. Sacramento would have to take a serious look at Nate and Mobley for Jason Thompson, Kenny Thomas, and Sergio Rodriguez. Thompson is very young and would be our starting center for years to come. He's a very good overall player; he can shoot out to 18 feet, rebound, defend, block shots, pass very well for a big man, run the floor, and finish in the post. Thomas and Rodriguez come off the books this year, so this doesn't really hurt us in the Lebron sweepstakes. The Kings are going to need the money they save from Cuttino to eventually resign Martin, Evans, and Hawes. Even though the Kings might decide not to keep Nate in the long run, he is a huge attraction for a team that has issues filling the seats and he is on a one year contract, so if it doesn't work out, he's gone. And a 3 guard rotation of Evans/Martin/Nate is pretty electric.
If we wanted to get a pick this year to fill our needs, we could offer Washington something along the lines of Nate and Mobley for Mike Miller (expiring), Andray Blatche or Javale McGee, and their unprotected first round pick. Hopefully that pick will end up being a top 10 pick and we could grab a real center like Larry Sanders or Cole Aldrich (preferably Sanders -- I've watched him for 2 years now and he is a Marcus Camby clone).
In addition to signing Lebron, we could also pick up some very good players who are going to be overlooked because of the depth of this free agent class. Players like Tyrus Thomas, John Salmons, Udonis Haslem, Raymond Felton, Jarret Jack, Kyle Lowry, and Travis Outlaw are good players who will not get the contract they deserve. If we sign two of these guys in addition to Lebron, we will be loaded with talent.
This is the ideal scenario for next year (IMO). We trade Nate and Mobley to the Kings for Thompson, Kenny Thomas, and Rodriguez before the deadline. Let Thomas expire and give Rodriguez a chance to prove he belongs in the NBA. Sign Lebron, Tyrus Thomas, and Kyle Lowry. Resign Lee, Harrington, Hughes, and Duhon to reasonable contracts (Lee gets a nice long deal). And go to war with a lineup of:
Starters:
PG - Douglas (PG)
SG - Lebron (PG, SG, SF, PF, C)
SF - Gallinari (SF, PF, C)
PF - Lee (PF, C)
C - Thompson (PF, C)
Bench:
6 - Harrington (SG, SF, PF)
7 - Chandler (SG, SF)
8 - Hughes (PG, SG)
9 - Tyrus Thomas (PF)
10 - Lowry (PG)
11 - Jeffries (SF, PF, C -- Defends all 5 though)
12 - Duhon (PG)
13 - Hill (PF, C)
14 - Curry (C)
15 - 2nd Round Pick
We will have so much excess talent which puts us in a position to make trades for stars, let our young players develop, and still be competitive if we lose players to injury. Our bench is arguably better than some teams starting 5 (Hughes, Chandler, Harrington, Thomas, Jeffries). Look what the Blazers did, they stockpiled young talent and let it develop, and now they are one of the best teams in the league. Some youngsters like Hill might not get the burn they would on a team lacking depth, but they would the opportunity to develop at their own pace and play on a championship caliber team. Curry and Jeffries also expire next year so I would let Curry walk, and resign Jeffries to a 3 year 12 million dollar deal. He is invaluable because he can play excellent at the 1-5 positions and he is also a great help defender. He may not bring much on the offensive end, but he makes up for it (and some) on the defensive end.
While a team like this may not have the star power of a Lebron and Bosh led team, this team will play together and play tough defense. Gallinari and maybe Thompson have the potential to become stars and one of them will eventually become Lebron's partner in crime. The beauty about guys like Lee, Gallinari, Thompson, and Douglas is that they do not demand the ball. We can let the ball be in the hands of the best player in the NBA and he can decide whether to shoot or pass. And Lebron is a very unselfish player who does command a lot of attention so our shooters (Gallo, Harrington, Douglas, Hughes, Duhon) will be getting open looks. After playing together for a couple of months under 
, this team would have great chemistry and understand how to play off/with each other. And a true team beats a collection of stars who do not gel properly (look at the Pistons from a few years back). Lebron has proven that he can carry a team to the finals himself, so let's surround him with a mix of young talent and veterans and see what he can do. Plus, Lebron clearly wants to be the biggest star in the biggest market, so I see no point in Lebron sharing the spotlight with Bosh/Wade if he doesn't need them to win a championship.
If you were Lebron would you rather play with Mo Williams, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, J.J Hickson, an over the hill Shaq, and Boobie Gibson or the Knicks young core of Gallinari, Chandler, Douglas, and Hill along with Lee, Harrington, Hughes, and Jeffries? I think the Knicks sound more enticing than the Cavs at this point, and hopefully Lebron agrees.
12/14/2009 12:58 PM