Diesel's Shortterm Longterm Answers....

[Diesel]

Well, I have answers for this franchise. After much thought... I have come to some clear cut simple things that we must do if we want to win now and later.

First... The Longterm.

1. We must make a decision on Terry. Of all of our players, he's the most important because his salary is due to increase by maybe 4-5 million dollars in the offseason. The question is do we keep him or let him go somewhere else. I say, Keep him and most of my solution involves having JT here. Reason why we keep him is that he is a good player. Maybe not a great PG.. But working on it.

So over the longterm, we have to cut some salary. Well, I won't propose trading Big Dog Viola. That's not really a fix and we won't get much back for him... Unless you want the likes of Glen Rice or Austin Croshere here?

1st thing. Sign Benjamin for the rest of the season. We need his athletic ability. ONe thing we lack is true athletic ability. He has it. He's a runner/Gunner/Defensive player.

Trades

I would look into trading Theo. There have been many proposed trades for Theo, but mainly we have to trade Theo for Cap Space. I have that trade...

Atlanta trades: C Theo Ratliff (7.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 0.7 apg in 29.5 minutes)

SF Dion Glover (6.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.2 apg in 17.2 minutes)

SG Emanual Davis (3.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.5 apg in 14.2 minutes)

SF Darvin Ham (2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.5 apg in 13.3 minutes)

Atlanta receives: SG Eddie Jones (18.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.8 apg in 37.9 minutes)

PG Travis Best (9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.7 apg in 26.5 minutes)

Change in team outlook: +6.3 ppg, -6.8 rpg, and +3.6 apg.

Miami trades: SG Eddie Jones (18.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.8 apg in 37.9 minutes)

PG Travis Best (9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.7 apg in 26.5 minutes)

Miami receives: SF Darvin Ham (2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.5 apg in 42 games)

SF Latrell Sprewell (17.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.5 apg in 34 games)

Change in team outlook: -7.7 ppg, -1.2 rpg, and -2.5 apg.

Portland trades: PG Damon Stoudamire (5.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.9 apg in 20.2 minutes)

Portland receives: C Theo Ratliff (7.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 0.7 apg in 43 games)

SF Dion Glover (6.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.2 apg in 38 games)

SG Emanual Davis (3.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.5 apg in 24 games)

Change in team outlook: +12.8 ppg, +9.0 rpg, and +0.5 apg.

New York trades: SF Latrell Sprewell (17.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.5 apg in 38.2 minutes)

New York receives: PG Damon Stoudamire (5.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.9 apg in 26 games)

Change in team outlook: -11.4 ppg, -1.0 rpg, and -1.6 apg.

TRADE ACCEPTED

Trade ID number 898381

It looks huge but it's not. We get Jones/Best.

NY gets Stoudamire.

Portland gets Theo/Glover

Miami gets Spreewell.

Works for Miami because it's less yrs.

Works for NY because they get a PG.

Works for Portland because they get C help with Theo and get rid of Mighty Mouse.

Works for us because we clean up our BC.

We're not threw though.

Now, we have to fix our Gaurd rotation, Cap, and C.

Second trade....

Atlanta trades: PF Chris Crawford (4.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.2 apg in 7.6 minutes)

PF Alan Henderson (5.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.5 apg in 19.9 minutes)

SF Glenn Robinson (20.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.8 apg in 37.7 minutes)

Atlanta receives: SF Scottie Pippen (11.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.3 apg in 30.1 minutes)

Change in team outlook: -19.7 ppg, -10.2 rpg, and +0.8 apg.

Portland trades: SF Scottie Pippen (11.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.3 apg in 30.1 minutes)

Portland receives: PF Chris Crawford (4.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.2 apg in 5 games)

PF Alan Henderson (5.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.5 apg in 44 games)

SF Glenn Robinson (20.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.8 apg in 39 games)

Change in team outlook: +19.7 ppg, +10.2 rpg, and -0.8 apg.

TRADE ACCEPTED

You have been assigned Trade ID number 898391

So now, the makeup of our team is:

Nazr/_____

SAR/Ham

Pippen/Ira

Jones/Benjamin

JT/Dickau/Best

First, why would Portland do it? They want something for Pippen. Hendu/Grob is very good payment for them. It also means that they can go out and shop Randolph with Kobestopper.

So far, we have NO SF for the future. We have NO C. And we lack depth at PF.

We go where we have always gone... NBADL...

Some players I would call up:

Ernest Brown - C

Derek Hood - PF.

Lee Scruggs -PF

Luke Reckor - SG/SF

Tang Halmilton-

Derek Strong - PF

Next yr, the FAs we go after:

1. Brad Miller.

2. Tracy Murry.

3. Etan Thomas

4. Stromile Swift

5. Corey Maggette

6. Jumaine Jones

7. Dion Glover

8. Horace Grant

9. Andrew Declerq

10. Donnell Harvey

11. Crawford

12. Mark Jackson

Best case scenerio...

Miller/Nazr

SAR/Swift/Harvey

Maggette/Jones/Glover

Jones/Benjamin

JT/DD

Most Possible Case Scenerio...

Miller/Nazr

SAR/Jones/Halmilton

Maggette/Murry/Glover

Jones/Benjamin

JT/DD

This squad is not so bad. More athletic. Better rebounding. Better ball handling than we have now. Less depth. BUt saves money. The question mark is where it always will be with this team... Can JT be a PG?

I think that Miller will be available because Indy has too many FAs to pay. I think Maggette will be available because LAC is cheap. Jones will be available because Cleveland will start afresh... Maybe not with Lebron but they will get a Young PF.

Halmilton just seems impressive and I like Benjamin. The Gaurds will make the perimeter a danger zone for defenses.

what do you think.

[chillzatl]

Not bad at all. But honestly I think your trade scheme here is too deep for the Hawks management to understand. shuffling that many players? Thinking that far ahead? C'mon man, this is pete babcock we're talking about here!

[Guest]

Brad Miller really isn't much better than Nazr.

[Diesel]

The great thing is that Miller doesn't have to be Shaq. He and Nazr will pull down about 17-20 boards a night and will put up about 15-20 points a night.

With Terry, Jones, and SAR... We'd be fine with those things.

[beav]

"Hendu/Grob is very good payment for them. It also means that they can go out and shop Randolph with Kobestopper."

Why in the world would they want to shop randolph? that doesn't make a lick of sense... randolph is almost certainly not going to be moved for anyone... much less hendu and robinson...

the blazers do not need a ballhog scorer that doesn't play defense... hendu has no place on that team either, although they might take on his salary if they could get terry...

[Diesel]

Why would they keep Randolph and watch him walk away? It's a certainty that Wallace will be resigned.... What does that mean for Randolph? That he gets to sit around and play backseat to Wallace like Steve Young did to Joey Montana?

I don't think so. IF they packaged Randolph and KobeStopper together, they are bound to get an exceptional player in return. Maybe Darius Miles and Filler. Or maybe they could put together a package to get Big Z.

However, I doubt Zach ever signs another contract with PTL.

They need to focus on Woods!

[chillzatl]

I've told you before, he's not going to be moved. fughetaboutit.

[jezmund]

Didn't you shoot down my trades for Portland players? I mentioned the Hendu/CC/Grob for Pippen trade a few days ago and no one seemed to reply. I'd love that trade personally. Especially compared to picking up Mourning for space just b/c Pippen can play.

JT/DD/Wilks

DG/Benjamin

Pippen/Newble

Reef/Ham

Theo/Nazr

JT/DG/Pippen/Reef/Theo...... I think that would be a great lineup. Pippen runnin' things..... Of course that doesn't include the other deals you had in mind.

[beav]

Diesel, they have randolph under contract for 3 more years! He is happy here, loves cheeks, and cheeks loves him. He's 21 years old and just starting to come into his own!

I'm not saying that they won't trade randolph under any circumstances, but they sure aren't going to take our crap contracts like hendu and grob for him...

It has been printed that the blazers have a high degree of interest in Terry... that is the only player that might get us randolph...

As far as Rasheed, the Blazers just went 6-0 without him! I'm not saying that means they won't resign him, but [censored] if randolph continues to improve you can look for him (rasheed) to be moved next year possibly.

[Diesel]

I don't think that type of trade can stand alone. Yes, you dump big Salary.

BUT our main problems are still there. We need better rebounding. We have lost most of our depth by giving up Hendu. At this stage in his career, Pip is not better than Grob. However, it's a salary dump plain and simple. Plus at SG we still suck.

Now, I would do that trade, but I would want a valuable SG here before I went dumping. If Theo could get us Swift/Dickerson... I would do that trade.

[Diesel]

I never said trading our crap contracts for Randolph??? Go reread.

I said that after they get bonafide depth at PF and SF, they can look to us Randolph in a trade that would help them get rid of Kobe Stopper. I mean, you never KNOW what that could mean BEAVIS. That could mean that Randolph Kobe Stopper could bring back Ray Allen? YOU NEVER KNOW?

What is true however, is that Randolph (regaurdless of how much he likes Cheeks and is liked by Cheeks) will not be the starter in PTL as long as they have Rasheed... (Oh Yeah, Cheeks Like Wallace too).

[beav]

you're right... you said pippen...although I'm still seriously doubting that they would trade pippen's contract for crawford and henderson's cap space.... doesn't seem like a good deal to me...

[Diesel]

Really the trade is Pippen for Grob/Hendu. That's a very good deal for Portland. They could probably force CC into a Buy out (like they did with Kemp). Like I said before, Grob is already much much better than Pippen and Hendu is a good "pricy" backup.

[beav]

"Grob is already much much better than Pippen and Hendu is a good "pricy" backup."

sez who? I saw pippen win a game last night with smothering defense from end to end of the court... yes big dog can score more points but pippen would be scoring a lot more if that is what they need them to do... with bonzi, rasheed, anderson, randolph, and sabonis, points are not needed as much as defense....

Hendu is a decent backup and how in the heck would he get any playing time at all behind wallace and randolph? thats a [censored] of a lot of money to pay a 3rd string center...

[Diesel]

Again...

Pippen doesn't score as much. Doesn't rebound as well. Can't really play as many minutes as Big Dog. AND Hendu... Hendu is a good BU. The whole point you took issue with me about was Randolph. I said Randolph could be used IN trade after this deal. Maybe to get a guy like Ray Allen. The point is that Randolph is much too talented to be a bench player for the rest of his career and with Wallace there, thats what he is. So if they were to get a guy like Hendu who could come off the bench and give good minutes, a guy with value like Randolph could be used to trade away some of PTLs unvaluable players like Patterson or possibly Mighty Mouse...

I know you are a fan of PTL... But Reality states that if they keep Wallace... Randolph is HISTORY one way or another.

[beav]

"I know you are a fan of PTL... But Reality states that if they keep Wallace... Randolph is HISTORY one way or another."

so even if that is true randolph is under contract for 3 more years, is 21 and coming into his own and the coach loves him...

why in the heck do they have to trade him now?

and once again regarding Pippen he could certainly score more if he were less of a team player/cheeks asked him to...

but to say that BD is a much,much better player than Pippen is a bit ridiculous don't you think?

just try again Grasshopper, with another group of folks and include terry this time!