<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ly_yng @ Feb 18 2008, 01:18 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Feb 18 2008, 01:13 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Unless of course you are talking in terms of the Nets lottery chances, then yes, JON makes the Nets "better"</div>
Exactly. He makes the team worse and the contract situation better - it's Kiki's Denver plan all over again!
The key is clearing cap space for Summer 2010 when EVERYONE becomes a free agent. If we've got a new arena and some nice young parts in Harris, Boone, Swat, we could be in a very good situation going after a LeBron or Wade.
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You guys who are talking about cap space are forgetting one thing: a free agent signing the magnitude of what you're talking about is very unlikely to be done in the absence of a S&T because the incoming player wants (and will get) a maximum deal. Very few teams -- and none who could compete seriously for a title the next year -- would be able to sign such a player outright because they are going to have to have very good, reasonably high-salaried players already in place. That means their payroll will already be close to cap limits, especially after the value of all trade exceptions and the MLE are added (which the CBA requires for free agent signing purposes if the team is under on outright salary). That means you won't have the necessary cap space to sign someone at 20M+ per year. You are going to have to do it via trade, which will require sending a lot of salary back. That's where the contract of someone like Carter or Jefferson will be invaluable. You can combine that salaried player with other consideration to facilitate the FA coming in a S&T.
Otherwise you are going to have to totally gut the team and say, "LeBron, please come rebuild with us. We know you are leaving your home state, where you are deified, because you want to win a title now. You can come here and babysit our roster, which consists primarily of young players still on their rookie contracts and a couple of good vets with 3-6 years experience. Then, with luck, we might have a championship caliber roster around you in 4 years."
Why and the heck would he do that? He could just stay in Cleveland. You are going to need at least a couple of highly regarded veteran players, who will ergo be earning big salaries, to attract a big time free agent with the promise of imminent, realistic championship aspirations. And that means you're going to need at least one other high-salaried player to send the other way.
All this run to dump Carter immediately is seriously misguided. If you're not removing one of the vets that could be key in attracting James, you may be removing the very contract that might be necessary to acquire him down the road. More importantly, if you are not still trying to win now, you seriously damage your credibility with young players in whom you are trying to instill a culture of winning and who need as much forging in the fires of the playoffs as possible. There's an important message for Williamses and Krstics and Boones and Harrises to get RIGHT NOW and that is that they are a playoff caliber team
without Jason Kidd. If you want Sean Williams to be a valuable piece to a championship in 3 years, then you better let him get his feet wet as soon as possible.
Then there is the fact that Carter is bound to have one of the best months of his career sometime between now and the end of the season. He's had a number of player of the month awards in Jersey, and most have followed some perceived crisis with the team and particularly with his production. He will be extremely motivated by Kidd's departure, and at the very least you build his trade value by letting him play through to the end of the season.
The biggest mistake this team could make right now is trading Carter, especially for a thug like Randolph or a chronically injured O'Neal.
