serious potential scenarios

[e_blazer]

So I don't understand.... we trade Batum and get back Pau Gasol? Why would we want Gasol? And why would we want to help the Lakers?

Primarily because Camby is going to be 38 this year and Gasol is 32 and can still play. Also, I don't think that the Blazers can afford to keep both Wallace and Batum at the 3 spot. As for the Lakers, they're still going to be screwed by cap constraints until Kobe's contract is up.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

OK, you want a serious idea. My plan...

1) Change coaches. I like Nate but we need a new voice and some new ideas.

2) Keep LA, Batum and Wallace (PF/C, SG, SF) and make wholesale personnel changes.

3) A team is really 7 players deep. Get a new PG, bench shooter and either C or PF depending on who we can get and play LA at the other of the two positions.

 

[Natebishop3]

OK, you want a serious idea. My plan...

1) Change coaches. I like Nate but we need a new voice and some new ideas.

2) Keep LA, Batum and Wallace (PF/C, SG, SF) and make wholesale personnel changes.

3) A team is really 7 players deep. Get a new PG, bench shooter and either C or PF depending on who we can get and play LA at the other of the two positions.

I agree with #1 and #3... but I don't see any way that Wallace is on this team after this season. I think the team will scrap much of the current roster and try to build around Aldridge and Batum. EWill might be part of that nucleus as well. We need a new point guard, a real point guard, and a decent prospect at center. Is Batum a two or a three? I'd still like to see us make a run at Eric Gordon and Deron Williams. We could potentially make two max offers this offseason if Crawford and Wallace both leave. I would love to see those two players on our team.

Deron
Gordon
Batum
Aldridge
??

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I agree with #1 and #3... but I don't see any way that Wallace is on this team after this season. I think the team will scrap much of the current roster and try to build around Aldridge and Batum. EWill might be part of that nucleus as well. We need a new point guard, a real point guard, and a decent prospect at center. Is Batum a two or a three? I'd still like to see us make a run at Eric Gordon and Deron Williams. We could potentially make two max offers this offseason if Crawford and Wallace both leave. I would love to see those two players on our team.

Deron
Gordon
Batum
Aldridge
??

I think Deron is a pipe dream.

 

[julius]

I think Deron is a pipe dream.

Deron is beyond a pipe dream. The pipe dream of Steve Nash even thinks Deron Williams is a crazy assed pipe dream.

 

[Natebishop3]

I think Deron is a pipe dream.

I don't know... why would he want to stay in NJ? Who else has cap space that would be able to pair him with an All-Star big man in his 20s? If we could somehow snag someone like Gordon, and if we had enough cap space left over, he might be willing to listen. I think Williams wants to win, and if we were able to sell him on playing with Aldridge and building something great, I don't think it's completely impossible.

 

[OneSport3]

I don't know... why would he want to stay in NJ? Who else has cap space that would be able to pair him with an All-Star big man in his 20s? If we could somehow snag someone like Gordon, and if we had enough cap space left over, he might be willing to listen. I think Williams wants to win, and if we were able to sell him on playing with Aldridge and building something great, I don't think it's completely impossible.

He probably won't stay in NJ, but his hometown team, Dallas, will be hard to beat out for DWill.

 

[BBert]

How can you blame the players when guys like Brandon Roy, Steve Blake, Andre Miller, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Jerryd Bayless, Joel Przybilla, etc. aren't here anymore yet we still run piss poor isolation offense? Players have come and gone yet the only remaining consistent factor is Nate McMillan.

So when Jamal Crawford is running 5 ISOs in a row in the 4th quarter its Crawford that is dictating the strategy? Even if it was Crawford deciding to run the ISOs its Nate's job as a coach to recognize that and come up with an offense that works. Instead he calls a timeout and the play out of the timeout is another Crawford ISO.

The most tired excuse of firing Nate is, "who are you going to bring in?" Well, there is a reason its called a coaching SEARCH. You go find new talent like Chicago did with Thibs, New Orleans with Monty and Indiana with Frank Vogel. There is no rule that says you have to hire head coach retreads. Even if you did go the retread route, Rick Adelman and Kevin McHale were available in the offseason. They have Minnesota and Houston playing well with arguably equal to or less talent than our roster.

Excellent post.

 

[Natebishop3]

He probably won't stay in NJ, but his hometown team, Dallas, will be hard to beat out for DWill.

Why would he want to go to Dallas? They don't have much of a future there. Dirk is starting to show his age, Terry is old, Kidd is old, Marion is old, Carter is old.... who is actually young on that team?

 

[Natebishop3]

Look at Dallas' roster and tell me if you'd want to go there as a young star point guard

Dirk Nowitzki - 33
Jason Terry -34
Jason Kidd - 38
Vince Carter - 35
Shawn Marion - 33
Lamar Odom - 32
Brian Cardinal - 34
Brendan Haywood - 32

Here are the guys under 30 years old -

Rodrigue Beaubois - 23
Yi Jianlian - 24
Dominique Jones - 23
Ian Mahinmi - 25
Delonte West - 28
Sean Williams - 25
Brandan Wright - 24

Their best player under 30 is a point guard.... that doesn't bode well. Their second best player is Delonte West..... that REALLY doesn't bode well. If you were Deron Williams, would you rather be looking at a future starting lineup with Aldridge, Batum, and Wesley Mathews or would you rather be starting with Yi, Brandon Wright, and Delonte West?

 

[RR7]

Throw Dwight on that roster. Now, where would he prefer. Especially being from nearby Dallas.

 

[Natebishop3]

Throw Dwight on that roster. Now, where would he prefer. Especially being from nearby Dallas.

They can't get both Dwight and Deron. They're slotted for a salary cap of $41,406,384 next season. If they cut Odom this summer that will put them at 33,206,384 That would give them roughly 26,793,616 in cap space. That's not quite enough to offer two max contracts, assuming the cap is set at 60 mil. And that's without Terry, Odom, Kidd, Carter, Cardinal, or West. That team would be gutted and they would hope that Deron, Dirk, Haywood, and Marion would be enough to win a championship. It's not happening.

Their best shot is convincing Deron that Dirk and crew have one or two more good years so he can make a run at a championship. That's about it. That team is destined for the lottery unless Cuban can pull off some extremely lopsided trades. Actually, if he was smart he'd move Dirk and try to free up more space. He's slotted to make almost 21 million next season. Trade Pau for Dirk straight up and free up a couple extra million next season to offer Dwight and Deron max deals. Sure, they lose Dirk, but they gain Dwight and Pau isn't a huge loss.

 

[B-Roy]

I think Dallas's biggest draw is Mark Cuban. A (competent) owner willing to shell out millions of dollars to build a winner. Also trusts his front office.

 

[Natebishop3]

I think Dallas's biggest draw is Mark Cuban. A (competent) owner willing to shell out millions of dollars to build a winner. Also trusts his front office.

Yeah, that's definitely true, but I also think that Dirk has been a draw as well. I've never seen a player his size with his abilities. Dirk is 33. How many more years will he play at a high level? Kidd will be gone. Terry will probably be gone. The team isn't even really looking that good THIS year. How good will they be with a gutted roster next year, even with Williams? I'm just saying, if Williams is smart he'll look at the big picture. Why would he go somewhere with a bleak future or stay somewhere with a questionable future? He could end up being stuck on the Mavs during rebuilding years. If that's the case, he'd probably demand another trade like he did with Utah.