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NardDogNation
Posts: 27405 Alba Posts: 4 Joined: 5/7/2013 Member: #5555 |
2/13/2014 10:22 AM LAST EDITED: 2/13/2014 10:32 AM
I think its pretty clear that Melo will be taking his services elsewhere in the not to distant future. The best case scenario is to trade him to help recoup assets lost in acquiring him. At the same time though, we need to make this trade from a position of strength so I think that we need to start winning games. The only way to do that is to sell low, with our supporting cast and gamble on risky talent, no longer being risky. Hopefully they can put together a competitive season to give us an upper-hand in sign-and-trade negotiations this summer. I propose the following:
1.) I think we need to start things off by condensing our roster, in an attempt to improve the quality of our rotation players. I think that holds the added benefit of opening roster spots on the backend of our roster. With the vacancies, we should look to pick up NBDL players that have the potential to be valued players ASAP e.g. Pierre Jackson and CJ Leslie. Andre Miller should be our target because he is low-hanging fruit and shouldn't cost too much. I think this deal should have some legs: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=m8eajap SAS augments positions that are weak (due to injury) with Prigioni and K-Mart. DEN gets Bonner and Beno, who are stopgaps for McGee and Robinson this season. GS gets grit in Metta, for a guy they don't use (Marshon Brooks). The money works, and the value is about right, so I can't see why it shouldn't happen. 2.) We need to get rid of our unsavory commitments to players that extend beyond 2015 (I.e. Raymond Felton and JR Smith). That may fly in contradiction to the first condition I stated (because to do that we'd almost be obligated to take back a ****ty player) but we aren't really losing much in terms of play, anyway. There are 3 methods for improving a team: (a) the draft, (b) trades, (c) ability to sign free agents. Our focus in the interim needs to be on maximizing all 3, in particular our ability to sign free agents since 2015 is right around the corner. I propose we do this: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=moznw8d For the record, I think JR Smith (contract expires in 2016) could be moved to the Nets for Jason Terry (contract expires in 2015) and a 2nd round pick or 2. I think that is what MIL could do in a secondary trade, in which case they save approximately $18 million because of this trade and get rid of Ilyasova's horrible contract. PHO gets Tyson Chandler, the upgrade they've been searching for in the frontcourt but don't have to give up picks. Taking Ilyasova's contract is compensation enough and even in spite of it, he is about the same player Channing Frye is albeit paid $2-$3 million more per year. HOU does the deal because it saves them $30 million between this season and nix, while giving them comparable talent to what they'd be losing. We do the deal because OJ Mayo is the epitome of "risky talent". He's only shooting 38% from the field this season but has the skillset and pedigree to be the 2nd best player on this team if he gets his head right. I also think that Omer Asik, albeit grossly overpaid, is not much worse than Tyson Chandler when healthy and that Ekpe Udoh is a quality center in this league, starting or coming off the bench. 3.) Get Loul Deng. The Cavs have no leverage with him and risk losing him at seasons end for nothing. I'd use Okafor's contract (85% of which is being paid by insurance) as bait. I propose we do this: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=lwen4ew ESPN Trade Machine doesn't allow for secondary trades, so Phoenix would be us in the deal. We'd also include Shumpert going to Boston to make the deal work. As constructed, Boston saves about $21 million in the deal and gets a guy like Shumpert who can do what Jeff Green does but at the 2 guard spot. Meanwhile, CLE saves about $5 million this season and should also receive one of Boston's picks in this years draft. Jeff Green is no Loul Deng but they do about the same things on the floor. The only difference here is that Green is locked into a longer termed deal and is significantly younger than Deng, which better suits a young team anyway. Our roster.... ROTATION BENCH This team should make the playoffs at the very least. Once that happens, I get Melo to opt in as a pre-condition to agreeing to send him to Chicago. Come draft time, I start negotiating with the Bulls for a deal that includes Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, the draft rights to Nikola Mirotic, and both their first round picks in the draft for Melo and Marshon Brooks. The Bulls have to do it because there is no other way for them to keep their core intact, sign Mirotic and have enough money to get Melo. That deal works perfectly from our perspective too because we could field a more natural team with a true 4 in Carlos Boozer and his future replacement, Nikola Mirotic, backing him up. |
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Knixkik
Posts: 35476 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 7/24/2001 Member: #11 USA |
2/13/2014 10:30 AM
What makes it clear he will be leaving? What indication has he given?
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NardDogNation
Posts: 27405 Alba Posts: 4 Joined: 5/7/2013 Member: #5555 |
2/13/2014 10:33 AM
Knixkik wrote:What makes it clear he will be leaving? What indication has he given? Cause we suck, lol |
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Moonangie
Posts: 24766 Alba Posts: 5 Joined: 7/9/2009 Member: #2788 |
2/13/2014 11:01 AM
For a sec I thought that was a RonRon post. Holy cow!
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