Questions, trades options, ownership, etc...

[TheDude]

I know we've all been throwing around trade scenarios..One thing that doesnt make it easy to see what we need is DerMarr's status.. Before his injury I would say he's a future starter but I don't know just yet. Anybody have any ideas on his status? Or potential?

Another question: Is Theo's SLIGHT emergence a good sign that that's how he'll play in the next few years? Or do you think he will continue to be inconsistent due to his nagging hip?

Then there's Dickau. I was a little disappointed in his play this past year and his lack of playing time. I'm not giving up on him yet because I still think he has that Steve Nash in him. What do you guys think about Dicky Dan?

Many of us agree that BigDog is the one player we'd like to see gone. So then let's address our weaknesses before suggesting some solutions:

We need a ballhandling Sg that can play defense. We need a bench of some sort. We need a SF that can actually play defense and has some all-around skills. We need a coach OR we need to figure what kind of identity we have as a team(running vs. halfcourt, offensive vs. defensive[yeahright]).

Some players that seem to be in the REALISTIC trade/free agent rumor speculation is Shane Battier, Jamal Crawford, Rose, Fizer, Payton, Jon Barry, Ricky Davis, Darius Miles, Turkoglu, someone on the nuggets(kiki said he'd like to land another first round pick)..

i'd like to get Battier in a Hawk's uniform and could be good to replace Big Dog.. I'd like to get Barry for the bench and with DerMarr(unless he's starter material) our bench is better..Ricky Davis or Rose would be nice at the sg position(preferably Rose)...

so we trade bigdog to chitown for rose(or crawford) or ricky davis or darius miles(i feel he could still be a sg if he got his head back on straight) and we trade #21/dion glover for Battier(now before you take off my head, Battier was a top 5 pick and has good allaround skills, good head too)..but i don't know if the grizzlies would do that...maybe for an extra 2nd rounder?...

jt/dickau

whichever sg/barry

battier/dj

reef/hendu

theo/nazr

other things that could be options is putting dickau in a trade, putting theo in a trade(and signing kandi to replace him), or putting jt back at sg and bringing in andre miller.

Now about the ownership. From what I'm hearing from this guy, he will spend the money to bring the talent in. He used Blank as an example so that's good. The only problem I see is WHEN he will be our owner. Will it be too late to get a good coach or give the authority to our current/wannabe Gm to make these trades/maneuvers? I say keep Billy in there also.

Can it be possible that we may get another Arthur Blank owner type for our basketball team? Is this too much to hope?

And one last question that is more of are-you-dreaming side. Do you think we have the personnel to setup a trade for a superstar AND still have the remaining talent to combine with that to be a playoff-caliber team? Many people have mentioned Iverson, but I'm more thinking of Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, or something of that nature.

[Diesel]

1. DJ will probably be back... Maybe 80-90 %. I don't think anybody really knows how he will come out of this.

2. Theo playing most of the seaosn is good. I think having the trainer he got will help, especially if he keeps the guy on retainer. Most of all, Theo has to want it. Like DJ, nobody knows for sure if he does.

3. Dickau had an injury and afterwards, didn't show much. However, he's a first year. I think if he shows nothing this year, he gets the big drop.

4. Big Dog is hard to get rid of. Best time to get rid of him is Midseason. It would be easier to try to get JT some ballhandling help and see if that helps Big Dog's game?

Nazr/CC for Barry/Booth.

5. Yep. I've already shown my hand for Barry.

There's also:

SAR for Rose/#7.

I really think that SAR's contract is the biggest problem. If he's not moved now, we have a committment to resign him for more than 14 million in 2 years....Otherwise we lose him for nothing at a young age.

6. Battier would be nice.... BUT we have to play ball with Memphis. It might mean, Nazr/Dickau for Knight/Battier?

7. I think another realistic guy to get is Ricky Davis. That will cost us though. Maybe a future first and a player like Glover. However, I think Ego's will be moved out of Cleveland now that Silas is there and Labron is the future.

8. Trading Theo is an option. It really depends on what kind of team we want. Knew people will have to craft this team because really, we are going in all directions.

Reef/Grob.... Slow Half court oriented.

JT/Theo.... Uptempo, Run and Gun oriented.

Theo/Ira/DJ/Glover.....Defensive.

Reef/JT/Grob.....Nondefensive.

JT.... Only real ballhandler.

Grob....Catch and Shoot 2nd option.

SAR.....Low Post specialist.

Theo.... Non Offensive.. Can't create his own shot.

Glover.... NOt a good shooter from outside, not a good dribbler.

So, we have many many problems.

Getting a guy like Barry helps us in that we have a shooter/Ballhandler... Makes us more Halfcourt oriented.

Getting a guy like Ricky Davis means, we're definitely run and gun and we need to move Grob for a second PG to help run the offense.

Getting a guy like Rose means, we have a guy better than Barry at everything but shooting from outside. That #7 pick would help us become more athletic.

Even Better:

SAR/#21 for Rose/Fizer/#7.

[TheDude]

I like your breakdown of who is halfcourt and run and gun. Defensive vs. nodefense.

If we look at it that way then the players we trade/receive have to work out where all of the players we receive fit in that one style.. That's where Babcock screwed up...

Diesel, what do you think about my last question about the possibility of trading some players for a superstar but having enough talent left to help the superstar go into the playoffs?

[Guest]

Diesel,I thought having so many different type of

players could help(when we first got Dog)but it

appears that it is the weakness.I thought at first

we might be good to go if we can attack from

different directions...but it doesn't work that way.

[TheDude]

i did too hotlanta but apparently our players haven't learned to strengthen their weaknesses....

remember at the beginning of this past season on the hope we had to win? gosh, those were the day(singular)...

[Diesel]

Honestly, this is what I think....

If we wanted a Superstar, this is what I think is available.

Reef/JT (SNT) to Toronto for Vinny C/JYD/Williams. It's like exchanging teams but look at what happens.

In Toronto... They get SAR (New PF) and JT (Lightning quick PG).

With their 4th pick, they can select Lampe. Now, Antonio Davis becomes trade Bait. Off the top, LAC and LAL would be interested.

We'd have:

Williams/Carter/Grob/JYD/Theo.

This team needs some help. Mainly from the PG. But the draw is there. it's a Blue Collar team that relies on it's athleticism. Trade Grob and get a more athletic SF/PF and we're in the mix.

[Guest]

Vince is not a superstar right now and he's injury prone.Just

say no.

[Diesel]

I have no doubt that Phil Jackson would have made this work. I mean when you look at the Lakers:

D. Fisher is a bad ball handler.

Kobe is an uptempo SG while Shaq is a Low Post C.

Horry is a Halfcourt set shoot shooter and good defensive player.

George is a mut. He can play Halfcourt some but really he's uptempo.

The signature for the Lakers is that they all invest their efforts into making the triangle work. That's the problem though. Kobe hates the triangle. It really caps his freedom. He is subject to playing one way.

Also Shaq is such a Draw that it helps Fisher, Horry, George, and Fox because they all can hit the long shot.

However, what makes it come together is Phil Jackson. When Del Harris was coaching, they had MORE talent but he was unable to get them to play together.

Jackson had done what he has done even when he had Glen Rice and Horace Grant. Two players who feel more comfortable in the Half court.

[chickenstanly]

what do you think about my last question about the possibility of trading some players for a superstar but having enough talent left to help the superstar go into the playoffs?

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If the team wins, one of our present players will likely become recognized as a "superstar".