...Danny Ainge lets me make the offseason decisions. Ready? Here we go... - Resign ANTOINE WALKER to a 4 Year - 30 Million Dollar Deal (7.5 Per Year) - Resign GARY PAYTON to a 2 Year - 9 Million Dollar Deal (4.5 Per Year) - Trade Raef LaFrentz, Ricky Davis, and The 18th Overall Selection, 50th Overall Selection, & 53rd Overall Selection to Orlando in exchange for Grant Hill, Doug Christie, and The 11th Overall Selection. - Trade Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, and 11th Overall Selection to The Chicago Bulls for Eddy Curry and Future First Round Pick - Sign Free Agent Center Dikembe Mutumbo to The Veteran's Minimum. --------------------------------------------------------------------- <font color="green">:::NEW BOSTON CELTICS LINEUP:::</font> PG: Gary Payton Backups: Delonte West SG: Paul Pierce Backups: Tony Allen SF: Grant Hill Backups: Doug Christie & Justin Reed PF: Antoine Walker Backups: Al Jefferson C: Eddy Curry Backups: Dikembe Mutumbo & Kendrick Perkins Outlook: Although the bench would seemingly take a huge hit loosing Ricky Davis, players like Tony Allen, Dikembe Mutumbo, and Doug Christie's addition to the bench play would be more than enough to pick up the slack. Christie and Mutumbo have always been energy players, and defensive minded which could serve this team wonders. Paul Pierce would get a role model, a player to strive to be like, both on and off the court in Grant Hill. Hill alongside Payton, Christie, and even current team leader Antoine Walker, could be more than enough to lead this team in the right direction with their leadership and knowledge of the game. They've always been vocal players, and they've been around this league for along time, they understand how to win. Paul Pierce would benefit most, sole scoring pressue would be lifted off his shoulders, as the addition of another bonafide 20-5-5 ALL-STAR player would be added to The Roster. Scottie and Michael? Nope, The Bulls never had this much overall talent. This would be the perfect mixure of superstar potential with young players like Delonte, Jefferson, Eddy Curry, Tony Allen, and Kendrick Perkins. Mixed with Veterans like Christie, Hill, Mutumbo, and Payton. Than The Boston's Core for the past several years in Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce. Could it get any better than this?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting King James X3:</div><div class="quote_post">Could it get any better than this?</div> Not much but now your cap situation is the Knicks times 100.
A few things I noticed. Eddy Curry is a restricted free agent. He wouldn't be the Bulls property but they could match any offer made for Curry. I think you should just sign him. The Magic have made it clear that the core of the team would not be traded. That includes Grant Hill. I also doubt we would give up our #11 pick in that deal. I think if you work a few things out and change up some deals this would be a very good lineup and I think the Celtics would be a huge threat in the East with three players who score 20+ PPG (Walker, Pierce and Hill).
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Run BJM:</div><div class="quote_post">Not much but now your cap situation is the Knicks times 100.</div> How so? If The Celtics resign Antoine Walker and Gary Payton in the offseason, which is a real possibility, than my moves wouldn't effect the cap situation any more than those that The Celtics are likely to make. The Veteran's minimum is under 2 Million, so that's not a big hit to sign Dikembe. Grant Hill and Doug Christie would be a pretty even swap for Raef, who makes nearly 10 Million, and Ricky who makes roughly 5.5. Eddy Curry would likely be paid 7-9 Million per, which is nearly as much as Marcus Banks and Mark Blount get paid next year. How is that a Knicks Payroll? Your looking at under 70 Million total paid out for contracts next year in my suggested offseason, That wouldn't even place them in The Top 5 Team Payrolls next season. Knicks are at about 110 Million next year, there's a big difference. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Swish15:</div><div class="quote_post">Eddy Curry is a restricted free agent. He wouldn't be the Bulls property but they could match any offer made for Curry. I think you should just sign him. The Magic have made it clear that the core of the team would not be traded. That includes Grant Hill. I also doubt we would give up our #11 pick in that deal.</div> Yes, Eddy Curry is a restricted free agent, however The Bulls have had problems with him in the past and I do believe he would like to see his market value and possibly land outside of Chicago. The Bulls would receive The 11th overall pick, which could do them wonders with the potential of young superstars already stock piled on that team. They would also get Banks and Blount who could serve as nice role players on that roster. Besides Chicago has to resign in the next few years all of their young players, Curry, Chandler, Hinrich, Gordon, etc. These are all big money signings, and for a team who doesn't look to be contending for a championship in the near future, I doubt Chicago will keep all of them at top dollar. The Magic said they won't break up their core, however they would move Grant Hill and his contract, which they've wanted to do for years now, and aquire two automatic starters on that franchise in Ricky Davis and Raef LaFrentz. Yes, they would lose their 11th overall pick, but they would gain more talent in the starting rotation and would only drop 7 Selections as they would aquire Boston's 18th overall. Orlando: PG: Steve Francis. SG: Ricky Davis. SF: Hidayet Turkoglu. PF: Dwight Howard. C: Raef LaFrentz. BENCH: Jameer Nelson, Tony Battie, Kelvin Cato, Pat Garrity, DeShawn Stevenson, ETC. That's a pretty good roster in my opinion, and they'd have the 18th overall selection to add yet another strong piece to their roster.
I'm not into that at all. Give me Curry, and I'll be happy, but Hill, Mutumbo, Christie, Payton, and Walker are nowhere near my wish list. It just doesn't make sense to trade away young players with promising careers ahead of them for old guys with promising careers behind them.
Why would we want to get rid of Davis and Lafrentz for a player that's prime is behind him and has health problems? I also don't like the idea of signing Mutumbo. He is also nearing the end of his career. I would rather play Jefferson than have a veteran like Mutumbo on our roster. I'm all for aquiring Curry but other than that I'm against all your ideas.
As much as that would be a good team for the first year they were together, it's really not what Ainge is looking to do. Actually, it's pretty much the opposite. Basically Walker and Payton are on their way out to clear up cap space, and one of the last things Ainge would do is bring in pretty much washed up players like Christie, Hill and especially Mutumbo. Don't get me wrong, Hill and Christie are good, but I wouldn't give up as much as you propose for them. I do think that Pierce will be sticking around and we'll be getting rid of Mark Blount, but we won't get as much in return as people expect because Blount's value plummeted during the playoffs last year. He just isn't that great of a player. Good idea, and it's good to keep these ideas flowing, but I think Ainge is looking for one or maybe two veterans to keep the team together, but not 5 like you proposed.
The whole point of Christie and Dikembe is to provide defense, set an example, help the young players out. You have guys like Antoine Walker and Ricky Davis teaching your young prospects how to play the game of basketball and before you know it your going to have The Phoenix Suns....No Defense. Great teams are built around defense, it's as simple as that, who on our team currently can be considered a good defender? Al Jefferson? Is a rookie from high schooler are best all around defender, well than there's issues. Grant Hill, if he stays healthy, he's got another 3 good years left him in before he begins to decline. His contract is over in 2 years, not a big deal. He'd set a great example for Paul Pierce, he'd provide leadership and expierence. Doug Christie would be the best defender this team would have. He's got another 2 good years left in him and than you can let him go. Not a big deal, you rent a guy to come off your bench for 2 years and than he's off the books. So what? I'm certainly willing to pay a guy for 2 seasons, teach my young guards and perhaps even fowards how to play solid one on one defense and as those players improve you'll rack in the benefits of his signings for the next decade. Mutumbo. Shot blocker, Celtics don't really have one. Spark off the bench, he would help make up for the loss of Ricky Davis. Old? Yes. Season or two left in him? Of course. Did anyone else see this guy play for Houston during the regular season? This guy has heart, he has effort, he'd be a great fit for ANY team off the bench. What Gary Payton does for this team would be no different from what Mutumbo would provide. A cheap veteran minimum's contract for this guy's services, both on the floor, and the lessons he'd teach these young guys. I bet this franchise, the way I've set it up, would make the playoffs without question. The young players would develop far quicker and be more well rounded than possible in their current situation. The team would improve defensively. Their leadership would be far more defined, and they'd become a much more disciplined team in every way possible. They'd certainly have a chance to compete for a championship for the next 3 seasons, and if Hill's contributions decline, he can be resigned for cheaper and traded off. Hell Walker could even play some Small Foward and let Jefferson start at Power Foward. They'd be in a much better postion currently, and put themselves on a much better path for the future, even with the signings of veteran players.
Eddie Curry+Antione Walker= One of the softest/the softest front court in the league.Who is that front court going to stop from dunking all over them?Who are they going to outrebound...other than the Kings
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GiantMidget:</div><div class="quote_post">Eddie Curry+Antione Walker= One of the softest/the softest front court in the league.Who is that front court going to stop from dunking all over them?Who are they going to outrebound...other than the Kings </div> Detroit's starting five averages 33 Rebounds Per Game, this proposed starting five would average 29. Than you have players like Dikembe Mutumbo, Al Jefferson, and Doug Christie coming off the bench and they're all terrific rebounders. Eddie Curry is still developing and Antoine Walker would be a sixth man in probably another year when Al Jefferson is ready.
I agree that a player like Grant Hill and Dikembe would be good to set an example of leadership, etc.. But I don't like those two particular players. I was thinking more like the Junk Yard Dawg from NYK. We could easily sign-and-trade Antoine for him. He'd be better because he's still got gas in the tank. Grant Hill hasn't had a complete season in 4 years or so. I'm not willing to add a max deal on to the cap for the small chance that he might take us a little further in the playoffs. Bottom line, you don't make all those moves and trade away youth unless your end result is a championship contender. Your ending lineup is not that, at least IMO.
