The moves to make...

[Devon]

First, and I hate to say this but....

I honestly think this team is going to take a necessary step backwards next season as this team, in its current form with its current "Coach", have plateaued.

We need to look at next season as an all-out, balls to the wall sprint towards bringing a marquee name player in the summer of 2011; that player's name is Carmelo Anthony.

I like the idea of moving Joe Johnson in the offseason, should we be able to complete an S&T deal that nets us value (TPE) or draft picks; like say New Orleans for Collison (and probably Okafor's contract)...

I'd love to use our MLE and go after John Salmons; I'd also love for our GM to put a call into the Clippers to see if Bibby/Marvin + our 1st would be enough to get Chris Kaman.

Should we be able to make those moves our starting 5 would look like this:

PG - Darren Collison

* Here's your chance to shine on "Your" team; not simply a CP3 fill-in stop-gap

SG - John Salmons/Jamal Crawford

* they're basically clones of each other so whomever was a better fit would be the starter and the other would be a 6th Man

SF - Josh Smith

* He needs to grow up but a REAL coach (one he might actually respect) could turn Josh into a perennial All-Star

PF - Al "The Boss" Horford

* Al could be a beast in this role; all of you who say differently are foolish

C - Chris Kaman

* True 7' BIG that is a career 17/9 player; he'd be that Center we've clamored for since Dikembe'

Your bench would be a little thin but as comprised on "my" team you'd still have either Salmons/Crawford, Teague, Zaza, and whatever filler they bring in... That's 8-9 deep versus the 3-4 deep we currently go... Then you go all out in the summer of 2011 to get 'Melo, possibly using Josh Smith as S&T Trade bait to see that it gets done...

Thoughts?

[thecampster]

First, and I hate to say this but....

I honestly think this team is going to take a necessary step backwards next season as this team, in its current form with its current "Coach", have plateaued.

We need to look at next season as an all-out, balls to the wall sprint towards bringing a marquee name player in the summer of 2011; that player's name is Carmelo Anthony.

I like the idea of moving Joe Johnson in the offseason, should we be able to complete an S&T deal that nets us value (TPE) or draft picks; like say New Orleans for Collison (and probably Okafor's contract)...

I'd love to use our MLE and go after John Salmons; I'd also love for our GM to put a call into the Clippers to see if Bibby/Marvin + our 1st would be enough to get Chris Kaman.

Should we be able to make those moves our starting 5 would look like this:

PG - Darren Collison

* Here's your chance to shine on "Your" team; not simply a CP3 fill-in stop-gap

SG - John Salmons/Jamal Crawford

* they're basically clones of each other so whomever was a better fit would be the starter and the other would be a 6th Man

SF - Josh Smith

* He needs to grow up but a REAL coach (one he might actually respect) could turn Josh into a perennial All-Star

PF - Al "The Boss" Horford

* Al could be a beast in this role; all of you who say differently are foolish

C - Chris Kaman

* True 7' BIG that is a career 17/9 player; he'd be that Center we've clamored for since Dikembe'

Your bench would be a little thin but as comprised on "my" team you'd still have either Salmons/Crawford, Teague, Zaza, and whatever filler they bring in... That's 8-9 deep versus the 3-4 deep we currently go... Then you go all out in the summer of 2011 to get 'Melo, possibly using Josh Smith as S&T Trade bait to see that it gets done...

Thoughts?

My thought is you don't understand the situation with Joe. We can not just trade Joe Johnson. We have to find a team through Joe's agent and the team that Joe wants to sign with in the end and try to work out a sign and trade. Joe is free to sign with whom he wishes and we can not trade him. But we can sign and trade if it is advantageous to the team Joe chooses. That team will not be New Orleans. There are only a couple of teams Joe is legitimately looking at and those will be teams with a shot to win it all. Joe has no interest in rebuilding. He wants one big contract but he wants to play for a winner as the second option.

In order to clear up enough room to sign Carmelo, you would need to drop Joe Johnson and then lose about 17 million more in salary but still maintain the 12 man roster minimum. That would for all intensive purposes mean Josh Smith being traded away for nothing, Al Horford signing for the same he makes now (LOL ...sorry...had to laugh at myself there) and dropping bibby and or most of Marvin. Now you tell me how we entice Carmelo to come here without a legit center and by selling or dropping 3 of our current 5 starters for expiring contracts to get him.