So the Pistons will name George Kuester their new Head Coach after Dumars couldn't lure Avery Johnson to Detroit.

Now I am indifferent to Avery but this quote Joe gave today regarding the Avery situation is absurd:

"Where we are right now as a team is kind of like where we were at the start of the Rick Carlisle era," Dumars said. "And a $4 to $5 million (a year) coach is not what we need right now. We didn't have one of those until we were close to contending for a championship when we got Larry (Brown)."

Translation: We are going to suck for a while (Even though we spent 90 million dollars on two guys this off season) so why bother paying for a good coach. We'll just wait till things look brighter so we can fire this guy and upgrade later.

I am so sick of Dumars. The Dumars from 03 - 05 was very good. The Dumars since is just terrible.

***Here's a question. Let's say that you are Cleveland, and LeBron says to you that he's going to [names three teams], but that he will let you do a sign-and-trade. Do you do it? On the one hand, better to get something instead of nothing. On the other hand, I don't think that I could be the GM who traded LeBron away, no matter the reason.***

Lebron is already signed to a contract for next year. You can't do a sign and trade with him yet. You do S&T's with guys who are out of contract. Knowing this, I took that to mean you wait until next summer.

Right NOW? No way do you trade Lebron James now. No way, no how. If disaster strikes the team by the trade deadline (say Shaq and Moe Williams go down for the season and Cleveland is in distress), then you think about it.

All of this is irrelevant.

1) James isn't going to do that this year, because his PR people would never let it happen.

2) I'd be money that James is excited about Shaq being with him this year and he wants to win one for Cleveland before he leaves.

3) Cleveland needs to do everythingit can to keep Lebron so they look good for their fans, if for no other reason. They won't deal him unless they have no other options.

Hey, DO NOT insult Joe Dumars. OK. Do not do it.

He single handedly helped build a western conference finals team. If he takes Melo, Denver takes Darko. (who then joins Skita as stiffs on the end of the Denver bench) If he doesn't take AI off of our hands, we don't get Billups and we have another first round playoff exit.

I'll hold off in my assessment of his moves this year until I see what happens with Rip. He trades him for a solid player (some reports are Boozer), he has a far better team than last year.

FWIW, I meant sign-and-trading LeBron in 2010 after his contract is up.

As noted above, I think that the question is moot because, if LeBron wants to leave, he does not want to deplete his destination team and whatever slight extra money he could get from a sign-and-trade would basically be a rounding error compared to his endorsement deals.

Another interesting (and even less relevant) question is what kind of contract he would get if the NBA had a salary cap but no max contracts.

Agreed - why fire one guy with no head coaching experience just to turn it over to another with no head coaching experience? The revolving door of coaches here has been absurd. Drafting has been poor. Trades...I still don't have a problem with Billups for Iverson if a) you let AI be AI and try to score 25 a night and b) you then take the cap room you got from making that awful trade and use it on something to build the future of the franchise with.

Instead we try to turn Iverson into a "team player" and the botching of the minutes leads to Rip being pissed, AI being pissed and being horribly ineffective but then to top it off we take what was supposed to be the real gem in that deal, the cap room, and turn it into a shoot first SG (when we saw how that already played out last year with our disgruntled all-star SG) and into a guy who did so little in his first few seasons in the league that even Milwaukee didn't care about him anymore. Nice work Joe, nice work. I think the free pass is up as a genius GM for drafting Tayshaun late in the draft and for Sheed helping us win a championship for a few months without imploding the team (at that point anyway).

It's possible but the cap isn't going to outpace what it was originally going to be in 2010. Looking at it from 06 anyways.

There's virtually no value in sign/trade LeBron in the 2010 summer. You would be lucky to get a serviceable player or two, plus maybe a couple picks.

Or a trade exception and a draft pick.

Basically there's almost no leverage in the situation. He can walk to another team with cap space(and you'd have to call them and beg for a 2nd rounder in order to get a trade exception, because the trade exception would somewhat benefit the cavs). He can try to go to a team with not enough cap space, and then you have to make the call whether or not it's worth helping him out and looking bad in front of your fans.

He's virtually irreplaceable to trade mid season, and there's almost no way you'd get the other team's previous best young player in return for him.

Outside of the moves that earned him Executive of the Year, Dumars has done next to nothing while missing on Darko and getting rid of coaches. His winning the award seems more like lightning in a bottle as every year passes.

the Lux tax came in at 69.92m, which is about 1.5m less than anticipated.

dola-
They are projecting a cap of 50.4-53.6M in 2010, which is a significant drop from this year.

I dunno why LeBron is going to want to run to NY when he's going to be at 30% of their cap and they'll only have 35-37m to get 14 other players. But that's just me. It'd have to be a worse environment for winning than Cleveland at that point.

I mean, if they go out and land LeBron and Bosh, sure they'll be good. But then they'll have 20m for 13 other players, we're talking min salary for rotation players at that point.

Next summer, if the cap is in that low of a range....

LeBron doesn't opt out, and signs 5 year extension next summer-result- he's signed for a total of 6yrs/129M
LeBron opts out, signs 5 year FA contract elsewhere next summer-result- signed for 5 years/$87.7M-93M

So, is that more or less than letting him walk for nothing?

btw, summer league is under way, for now the small one down in Orlando :
MAGIC: 2009 Orlando Pro Summer League

there´s a live stream including hilariously sarcastic commentary by a couple of pretty cool Magic-associated media guys (do some internet show for them).
Not everyone´s type of commentary, but it´s summer league for christ´s sake which really should be serious only for the guys involved.

Anyhow : Ryan Anderson can play. ? I would not at all be surprised to see him play 25-30 minutes a game and partly fill the void Turkoglu leaves with 12 and 7. Can shoot, can put the ball on the floor and is a better rebounder than any Magic not named Howard (assuming the Polish Hammer really is let go to the Mavs)

LeBron is supposed to be moving for endorsement money, not NBA salary.

Gary,

I still don't think you realize how bad of a player AI is now. The reason the Nuggets (and then Pistons) tried so hard to make him a team player is that he'd lost not one, but two steps over the offseason of 07/08 to 08/09. I know people inside the Denver organization. They were terrified by what they saw in training camp. AI was having difficulty getting around guys like Mateen Cleaves in training camp, yet AI still refused to go into the team concept. His selfishness was dividing the team. Trading for AI was a mistake from the beginning IMHO.

The Nuggets resigned Birdman today. 3.7 million the first year of a five year backloaded/incentive based deal. Probably overpaid a tad, but he's a huge fan favorite and puts fans in the seats.

The Nuggets want to use the rest of their MLE on Frye. (they didn't hold bird rights on the birdman) They have two trade exceptions to use as well. One valued at close to 9 million (from the Camby trade) and one for a little over 3 million (from the Atkins trade) The rumor in Denver is if the Nugets can get a rotation player capable of getting the Nuggets closer to the top, they'll use it and go into the tax. Not sure if I buy that or not.

Loved the Lawson pick, but I think they need one more guy to just hold onto their division crown.

As has been said, he's moving for marketing reasons.

The other side of this is that LeBron knows this right now. He knows what the figures are. If he wanted to stay in Cleveland, why not sign the extension right now? Because he knows he doesn't want to stay and doesn't care about the NBA salary. Period.

Two things Troy.

1. He's loyal to those that are close to him. His HS friends. His hometown.
Now maybe that's a facade but it is basically the only thing I have left to make me believe he would stay.

2. He is an off the charts drama queen. No way he signs the extension now and gives up the chance to be the center of attention for the next 12 months. No way. He gets off on the attention.

I personally think much of a marketing gain would be offset by the mercenary backlash.

Did Shaq get a backlash when he went to LA?

and as far as him being loyal to his hometown, I don't see it. Look at Lebron's favorite teams. We have the Cowboys and Yankees. He's the front runner we all hate to be around.

I will agree with you on the drama queen. I love the fact he can't handle the fact a college kid dunked on him. It's horrible to see such a great player get his vagina bruised so easily.

LeBron is turning out to be such a diva.

Yeah, true. I knew you were going to say Shaq. But I think going to the Lakers is a bit more prestigious than going to the Shitty Knicks. Maybe that's me. The Lakers did suck before Shaq got there, i think. But I don't think they were an embarassment to the league to the proportion that the Knicks have been over the last 5-8 years.

The Lakers won 53 ('96) and 48 ('95) games the two seasons prior to Shaq's arrival. In Shaq's first year in LA, they won 56.

Yeah this dunking incident plus his post playoff exit classlessness, plus various other things I've read about the guy, I'm just not a fan.

Iverson signs for Memphis, 1 yr/$5m (edit- I might have posted this too soon, ESPN says the Heat and another team are still after AI)

A complicated four-team deal sees Dallas land Sean Marion and Toronto finalize the Turkoglu signing while preserving their mid-level exception.

I thought Humphries was alright, but overall I think this is good for the Raptors. They can still go after someone (like Delfino). NBA Championships here we come! :p

So according to Cleveland management, two critical pieces to getting LeBron to stay were "use 1st rounder to draft a guy who is 5 years away" and "give Varejao $50 million."

Rockets get an injury exception for Yao and use that to sign Ariza, saving their MLE for someone else. Who else is still out there that's worth it, though?

I will take your word for it - although I did see a stretch in the season with Rip hurt where Iverson played well and lead us to some Ws. I just think that he's the kind of guy who could elevate his game, maybe just for one more year, just to prove that he's not washed up but he's got to be in a situation where he does not need to be a team player and he's basically said as much.

As for the trade being a mistake - I'll certainly say it was now. We were not going to win anything with that team - Iverson could have at least been entertaining though and kept the butts in the seats and we were going to have great financial flexibility without Billups' contract and Sheed and it was time to rebuild. So we draft a skinnier Tayshaun Prince and sign two guys that their own teams didn't even try to keep to huge contracts. So now we still have three shooting guards (I haven't seen anything out of Stuckey yet to make me call him a point), two skinny small forwards, Villanueva and the 312th coach (or so) under Joe Dumars reign. Let's just bring back the teal jerseys and we'll be right back where we started.

propably no one, but maybe if they split it for 2 players. Plus Von Wafer isn´t eligible for Bird Rights as far as i know, so they need part of the MLE to offer him more than the minimum.
Maybe Linas Kleiza for a big part of it ? The guy is good offensively.
Maybe Matt Barnes ?

I have a secret hope for Marvin Williams (Ariza can guard 2s, no problem here) with the Hawks spending all that money on Bibby and Pachulia, maybe they wouldn´t match a full MLE offer for some weird monetary reasons ?

yeah, i was thinking 92/93, and 93/94

IMO Varejao is not that overpriced. 50 for 6 is coming out at about 8 mio a year. Sure too much, but would you get a replacement for less ? He´s propably gonna be a starter for a long time and is a good defensive players. If he improves a bit offensively (actually shows promise with his National team, also in stretches for Cleveland) he could be a defensive minded player that gives you like 13/9. That for 8 mio sounds about OK for me.

They also signed Anthony Parker for 2 years and 6 mio. Had a subpar year and isn´t getting younger (playing years in Europe is less mileage though with fewer games), but he´s definitely a nice upgrade over anything the Cavs had at the 2/3 off the bench last season.

Andy basically got a notch above the MLE for 6 years, before incentives.

I guess I can live with it. I like the Parker signing, and they still have a few moves they can possibly make as well. We can go up by like 10m in salary to get to the 90m range.

lARRY,

I came here to see what folks thought of the Celts signing him and am a little surprised there isn't any posts about it. That partly leads me to more than ever believe the Celts are once again the team to beat in the East with a healthy Garnett and resigning Big Baby Davis.And on a related note what the fuck are the Magic doing? Are they dumping payroll to prepare for free agency in 2010? I took a look at there roster they have traded away Lee, Gortat, Turkgulu, and Alston along with Jhnson/Reddick having expiring contracts makes me scratch my head. The Cavs are better with Shaq but how much better?

These were my thoughts on the idea from a few pages back:

"If they get him for the MLE for two years, then I'm 100% behind it. That interior D would be a nightmare for opposing teams, and his ability to stretch the floor continues to open up the lane for Rondo/Allen/Pierce/TA etc. If we only have one motivated year of Sheed, it's well worth it!"

I'm still very behind it! I'm hoping for Hill at the LLE, but I just don't see it. That would really make our bench top notch, to go with a healthy KG would really put the C's back as top 3 team in the league.

regarding the Magic :

They had a logjam at the 2 and 3, with more players than nescessary. Plus don´t sleep on Ryan Anderson whi is a solid rotation player they added that is more of a real PF than anyone they had last year.
And isn´t there a chance that Battie will be bought out by the Nets and return ?

Then i see Carter as a better player than Turkoglu.

Plus nelson is back, which kind of puts that situation back to where it was before that trade.

With a signing or 2 they will be in the mix.

There's some growing buzz about Boozer going to Chicago.

NBA free agents: Sources: Deal to send Carlos Boozer to the Chicago Bulls in works - ESPN

I think the trade makes sense for just about everyone (although all the players aren't mentioned). The Blazers get a much needed PG who can hit some outside shots and play defense. The Jazz are able to get something for Boozer before he bolts next year, as well as free up some money for Milsap.

I like it as a Bulls fan because it's only one year of Boozer. It'll be his contract year too and they aren't giving up too much for him. Hinrich's contract isn't that great and I think they've just lost their patience with Tyrus Thomas (who is really exciting but needs some better coaching). They are still in the game in 2010 for whatever free agents become available. If nothing looks promising and Boozer works out well, they leave themselves in prime position to lock him up for more than anyone else can.

It's still unrealistic to put them as contenders in the East with the move, but I do think they become formidible. It will come down to how much Rose develops in his 2nd year and without Ben Gordon hogging it from him. But a starting 5 of Rose, Salmons, Deng, Boozer, and Noah isn't too bad.

If you're willing to accept the C's as a top team for one more season you're going to be happy. If you expect them to be anything but a major rebuild job by the time his 3 year deal is up then you're going to wish he didn't sign. If you would like to see the "after" please note Portland is just now becoming a relevant team again and take a look at the team that has been the dominant East team in the 2000s. That is what you have to look forward to. :popcorn:

I'm pretty sure most Celtic fans realize the window is short and the fall will be steep. All of our best players are old as shit save Rondo.

Tyrus, okay. Hinrich...no way. Who else is going to handle the ball? Deng is not a guard, Salmons isn't all that great of ball handler. Can't have Rose playing the entire game, and if they move Hinrich, you have precisely one point guard.

Precisely one more then the Pistons.

Modeling the Pistons offseason is probably not the smartest course of action. :)

Hinrich's contract is bad. They'll probably get someone like Blake back in the deal as a backup. I wouldn't mind having Lindsey Hunter back either.

Hinrich's contract actually goes down every year. It's high, but it's far from a really bad contract.

It's still $9 million in 2010 and over $8 million in 2011. That seems like a lot for a backup guard. I think they want to make the move so that they have all the room in the world in 2010. They'd be able to offer up a much better situation for Lebron, Wade, and Bosh. My gut is they could land one of those guys and still have some wiggle room for another player.

One postive I see with the Celtics they seem to be following suit from the other Boston teams that have been very successful (Pats-Sox) with a wheeling and dealing risk taking GM in Ainge. I have a good degree of confidence we will be able to stay competitive through the Draft and FA down the road.


I wonder what will become of Big Baby losing Powe and him would be a blow even with Sheed.
D

They shed a TON of payroll as it is next year, with Miller & Salmons (and others, I think) being off the books. Hinrich is a pretty solid player, an excellent defender, and in my opinion, paired better with Rose down the stretch.

They're not going to get Lebron. If he leaves Cleveland, he's going to New York, end of story. They'll have the room even with Hinrich's contract to give a major offer to Wade or Bosh.

Giving up Hinrich is not worth a 1 year rental.

The trade absolutely makes them better this year and it won't be hard to replace a 13 PER PG with the 9 million dollars that won't be going to Heinrich next year. I do like Tyrus Thomas, though.

edit: Actually, I'm not convinced it "absolutely makes them better." That's contingent on Boozer getting back to form and Thomas not having a break out year.

He's not an excellent defender anymore. He's lost a step from where he was back in 2005 and 2006. I like Kirk a lot but he's not worth that kind of money, especially as a backup. If you have a chance to dump that salary, I think you have to.

Boozer still gives them the right to do a sign and trade next offseason I believe and makes them a potential contender in the East.

Grant Hill decided to stay in Phoenix and take less money ($3 mil in 09 plus an option) and the Suns also sign Arizona alum Channing Frye to a 2-year $3.8 mil deal. Both good values for the Suns and the team appears to be finalizing a 2-year extension for Steve Nash and is keeping Amare.

So, the Suns are still a borderline 8-10 seed team, but they won't be the train wreck they appeared to be headed for 2-3 weeks ago (esp since OK City has their pick next season).

Apparently the Bulls want Bayless back from Portland in any deal. Sam Smith who was a Bulls beat writer for decades and has a lot of close ties to the organization is saying this is a completely bullshit rumor put out by Portland.

Portland has offered Milsap a front-loaded 4 year deal. There is no way the Jazz can match that without trading Boozer. Will be an interesting week to see what the Jazz do. I have a feeling Boozer ends up in Detroit.

Oh please no - not that it matters anyways it would only perfect our lineup. Lots of teams have won championships playing 2 SGs a SF and 2 PFs. Who needs a point guard or a center?

Just how many years do you get to break out? Next thing you know we're going to wait for Darko to have a break out season. :D

Thomas has shown more flashes. His stats last year were decent and he is a killer with blocks. He just needs a coach to tell him he's not a jump shooter and that he needs to play hard the entire game. I think he could be a solid 12 point, 10 rebound, 3 block a night guy who runs the other team's PF ragged. But it's not going to happen in Chicago and Jerry Sloan is probably his best shot at being converted.