I put this here because of the piece about the Spurs. Please move if it belongs in NBA Central.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...a.3feb960.html
Mike Monroe: Trade helps Nets set up throne for King James
Hours before Thursday night's draft, Nets' general manager Kiki Vandeweghe fired the first shot of the day, trading an All-Star for two players who didn't match Richard Jefferson's scoring average, even when you added up their per-game production.
The conclusion was inescapable: New Jersey had just jumped into the LeBron James 2010 Sweepstakes, with both feet.
The draft is all about the future, and that is why the move the Nets made was so significant, even if it didn't involve any picks. Bobby Simmons, one of the Bucks Vandeweghe accepted in exchange for Jefferson, will make $10.6 million in 2009-10. Then the Nets can renounce their rights to him and drop that amount from their player payroll on July 1. Yi Jianlian, the other former Bucks player on his way to New Jersey, will be on the cap then for about $4 million, if the Nets want to keep him.
Jefferson?
He is to make $15 million in 2010-11.
Do the math.
The Nets also got some immediate help from the draft, Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson, two bigs who can score.
The big draft night winner, though, was Minnesota. For once, it seems Kevin McHale pulled all the right strings. He kept O.J. Mayo away from the Clippers, then used him to get the draftee he wanted, Kevin Love, plus Mike Miller, from Memphis.
Plug Miller, one of the league's best perimeter shooters, and old-school big man Love into a lineup that already has Al Jefferson, Randy Foye and Corey Brewer and the Timberwolves will be in the Western playoff field in a year or two. They also jettisoned a bloated contract (Marko Jaric) and can dump Brian Cardinal's $4.9 million in — you guessed it — 2010.
Other draft night winners:
•The Bulls, who finally have a true point guard and a chance to move the combo guard he will replace.
•The Heat, who got the draft's only potential superstar. Of course, they will have to talk some team into taking Shawn Marion off their hands. If Michael Beasley is this draft's version of Amare Stoudemire — and he is — how long before Marion, with one of the league's most fragile egos, is unhappy being the No. 3 option?
•The Spurs, who got a player at pick 26 they had ranked in the top 15.
You can't truly evaluate draft night without keeping in mind that potentially power-changing summer of 2010. So, even as the Spurs celebrated their selection of IUPUI guard George Hill as one that instantly improves a team that was thisclose to making another trip to the NBA Finals, they understood that the field of teams in position to be powerful players in the summer of 2010 got more crowded.
Remember: Tim Duncan extended his contact last fall, and a major part of his new deal allows his salary to dip by nearly $3.5 million on July 1, 2010, just as James, Dwyane Wade, Carlos Boozer and some other very talented players hit the free agent market.
The Spurs are poised to hit that summer with plenty of dough to spend on free agents, even those looking for maximum deals. If it seems odd that the Spurs insist all three of their draft picks have a good chance to make the roster, especially for a team that has had a practice of stashing draft picks overseas, try to understand the economics.
Going forward with three 2008 picks, none of whom will be making more than $1.16 million on July 1, 2010, plus 2005 selection Ian Mahinmi, who will be on the cap then at $1.78 million, will give the Spurs lots of salary cap flexibility. This will even allow them to add a free agent this summer, perhaps for the full mid-level exception of just under $6 million, and still be 2010 players.
Those teams that will be in the 2010 sweepstakes, they have nothing on the spurs in terms of a roster thats going to compete for championships compared to teams who are fully rebuilding in the draft and trading away there stars just to sign either one of those players...doesnt really increase the chances of them makn the playoffs with a 1 man team
Whatever the reasons, finally the Spurs have some incentive to breed some young talent.
only players we should target
bron
bosh
wade
boozer
ps. i be damn pissed if neither of these clowns sign with us, this will be like 03 all over again when we had the money to sign kidd or jermaine and both declined.....
Yeah, the last time the Spurs had a ton of cap room we sure did have the big money free agents (Kidd, O'Neal) knocking down our door
Didn't we end up using the '03 cap space money on Tony and Manu?
If so, that worked out pretty well, didn't it?
I'm really feeling liking our immediate and long term future more and more. If I'm a homer, then so be it. If we can sign an impact MLE scorer, we're looking pretty good.
for the 2010 plan...as long we dont offer ginoboli an extention we will have around 34m on payroll combined...man if we didnt give duncan that 2yr extention lmao we only have tp and scrubs contracts combined for about 16-18m only.....
we could just sign 2 max players and give duncan watever he wants....
I'm sure Kidd and O'Neal would seriously reconsider that stupid decision at this point in their careers. I don't know if it was their ego that said they could carry a franchise on their own or whatever marginal salary they made with the Nets or Pacers.Yeah, the last time the Spurs had a ton of cap room we sure did have the big money free agents (Kidd, O'Neal) knocking down our door
Lebron and Wade won't sign with San Antonio since they won't be in a high profile market. Bosh is from Texas and would in nicely with Timmy. Let's hope his ego/greed don't have him making the same mistake Kidd and O'Neal made.
james
Big time free agents tend to stay with the in bent team. Kidd and O'Neal did that.
Free agents that make the jump are not typically "franchise" players see Lewis, Rashard.
Where does Bosh fall in?
Spurs had this guy (Hill) as a top 15 player in the NBA draft? Man I'd LOVE to see their draft board.
Actually both Toronto bigs (Bosh and O'Neal) will be free agents. Bosh has to opt out of his contract, like Wade and LeBron, but he should be available.
There's also Joe Johnson, Rip Hamilton, and a few others that wouldn't be "max" players but could be huge pieces for this team.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
