Re: I'm running out of Kool-aid I'm starting to realize that this team won't be able to compete down the road if we continue on like this. Every young team in the east alsready has an all-star caliber young talent: Cavs have LeBron, Orlando has Dwight Howard, Toronto has Bosh. Out West Denver has Carmelo and there are some others. We won't even reach the ECF the way we're going.So there is two options.. We make ourselves contenders right now and bring in another all-star calibur player, or we go into full scale rebuilding. Route #1 would seem the best, but we aren't very flexible. Teams that would rid of their all-star to start rebuilding would need cap space. We have young talent and picks, but no one wants to trade their all-star for Raef's contraact. There's always Wally, but he's underrated by most GMs and his knee is a concern. Any team with a lotto pick and an expiring trade can beat us out.As for route #2, i'm leaning more towards that lately. I think it's time to do something. I hate being in this in-between mode. Chicago may be the team that could help us out. They have plenty of young talent, NYK's #2 pick, and a desire for Pierce. Here is a rough draft of something i would like to see go down this offseason:Boston Receives:Ben GordonLamar OdomDarius Songaila#2 pick (CHI via NYK)2nd rd. pick (LAL)Boston Trades:Paul PierceDwayne Jones#7 pickLAL Receives:Luol DengOthella HarringtonDan Dickau#7 pick (BOS)LAL Trades:Lamar OdomBrian Cook2nd rd. pickChicago Receives:Paul PierceDwayne JonesChicago Trades:Ben GordonLuol DengOthella HarringtonDarius Songaila#2 pick (via NYK)------------------------------------------------------------Line-ups and reasoning:BOSTONDeltone West/Speedy Claxton/Orien GreeneWally Szczerbiak/Ben Gordon/Tony AllenLamar Odom/Gerald Green/Brian ScalabrineRyan Gomes/Al Jefferson/Darius SongailaKendrick Perkins/LaMarcus Aldridge/Raef LaFrentz*Boston uses the 2nd rd. pick from the lakers and their TE to acquire Speedy Claxton via S & T.*Boston drafts LaMarcus Aldridge with the #2 pick they receive from Chicago.Why?-Ben Gordon will be an all-star, mark my words. He is cabale of scoring 25 ppg. He fills the scoring void that Pierce leaves behind.-Lamar Odom is just now coming into his own like i knew he would. With renewed confidence he could be a 20/10/6 guy. Underrated.-They get the #2 pick, where they choose LaMarcus Aldrdge. He has Center eligability and he's an ideal compliment to Al Jefferson. He has a great midrange game and is an excellent shotblocker.-Just look at all the young talent in that line-up.LA LAKERSSmush Parker/Randy Foye/Dan DickauKobe Bryant/Sasha VujacicLuol Deng/Luke WaltonKwame Brown/Paul Millsap/Othella HarringtonChris Mihm/Andrew Bynum*LAL drafts Randy Foye with the #7 pick.*LAL Drafts Paul Millsap with the #26 pick.Why?-Luol Deng is an excellant all-around player. He rebounds, defends, shoots, scores in the post. Extremely versatile. When he plays 40+ minutes, he averages around 18/10.-Randy Foye is an ideal fit. I mean, he was built for this system. He is an excellent scorer and a pesky defender. He can shoot from the outside, and he will be able to find seams off of Kobe's double teams. By the end of the year, he will probably take Smush's spot in the starting line-up. He's nba ready.-Paul Millsap, although being undersized, is an absolute beast on the glass. Averaging over 13 rpg in college.-Othella Harrington is expiring after one more year.-Dan Dickau is a good shooter, he's a filler for the salaries. He is also expiring after one more year.CHICAGOKirk Hinrich/Chris DuhonPaul Pierce/Eddie BasdenAndres Nocioni/Richard RobyAl Harrington/Mike SweetneyTyson Chandler/Dwayne Jones*Chicago signs Al Harrington.*Chicago drafts Richard Roby.Why?-They get a perennial all-star to get them over the hump of mediocrity.-It seems like they lose alot of depth, but almost every player on their line-up can play two positions, so they'll be better off than it seems.-They sign Al Harrington to get the low-post threat they need alongside Chandler's defense. Supposedly Harrington has interest in Chicago.-Richard Roby is an excellent shooter, one of the more skilled players in the draft. They would've taken JJ, but they'll take Roby gladly.NOTE: This is a rough draft. some things could be changed up. version 2 may involve Raef LaFrentz being shipped out._________________________________________________After this is done, we still have two bad contracts to hold us back. No one wants Raef, but Wally might catch a few eyes. Denver is in desperate need of a shooter. Here it is:Boston Receives:Ruben PattersonGreg BucknerDenver Receives:Wally SzczerbiakWhy for Boston?-two expiring contracts, bad contract gone. If Patterson becomes a problem (which i actually think he won't), we can just cut him. Both are good defenders.Why for Denver?-They are the worst 3-point shooting team in the league. Wally is a good shooter and good team player. He's a perfect fit and a good compliment to Melo._______________________________________________Line-upelonte West/Speedy Claxton/Orien Greene(IR)Ruben Patterson/Tony Allen/Greg BucknerLamar Odom/Gerald Green/Brian Scalabrine(IR)Ryan Gomes/Al Jefferson/Darius SongailaKendrick Perkins/LaMarcus Aldridge/Raef LaFrentz (IR)-We are now officially in rebuilding. We have tons of young talent, and we have over $12 mill coming off the books next year. A bit of a logjam tho, and that's not a good thing with Doc.-With a young core of Delonte West, Ben Gordon, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, LaMarcus Aldridge. This team will be major contenders in four or five years. Oh yeah, and it doesn't hurt having Lamar Odom, Speedy Claxton, Ryan Gomes, Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins either.
Re: I'm running out of Kool-aid Excellent work as usual, I can see a lot of effort went into this. I personally wouldn't really be in favor of that route, I'd rather pick up an all-star and see what we can do while Paul is still in his prime. I don't know how well the fans would react to another period of losing, I think it would be best now to accquire another great player and give him a shot alongside Pierce.
Re: I'm running out of Kool-aid You dont neccisarally need a young all star to compete. Chicago has no all stars in that young team, but you can see that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. I say trade away SOME of your young guys that wont be huge pieces in the future anyway and start adding vets to work around your young guys and Paul Pierce.
Re: I'm running out of Kool-aid i was using the young all-stars as examples that other teams have a better future than us. I wan't proposing that we go after any of those players. We can't trade away our young players for an all-star bc the salaries wouldn't match, and no one wants to take on Raef's salary, bc it is not only 8 figures, it has 4 more years on it. I think rebuilding is inevitable at this point.
Re: I'm running out of Kool-aid I don't think Chicago would Ben Gordon, him and Heinrich are the future of the Bulls.
Re: I'm running out of Kool-aid i think they would be willing to give up Gordon if they got a perennial all-star for him in Pierce.
