I suppose this could go into the who do you want to win thread, but wanted more to gear this towards speculation of what will happen now. Here's the order: Here is how the Lottery played out: 1. Washington Wizards 2. Philadelphia 76ers 3. New Jersey Nets 4. Minnesota Timberwolves 5. Sacramento Kings 6. Golden State Warriors 7. Detroit Pistons 8. Los Angeles Clippers 9. Utah Jazz 10. Indiana Pacers 11. New Orleans Hornets 12. Memphis Grizzlies 13. Toronto Raptors 14. Houston Rockets Assuming Wall goes #1 to Washington, they need to go for a complete rebuild. Break it all down, and build it back up around Wall. What happens with Arenas? Joel and Andre for Arenas. They dump a ton of future salary, we take a big chance that he'll play with that chip on his shoulder. Does Paul Allen want to make a big splash? I'd do it. I doubt it'd happen, but I'd take the chance. The financial risk is obviously huge. Philly at 2. Seems like Turner would be the logical choice, but do him and Iggy fit next to eachother? Does Iggy become available? Or, if Turner is the 2, and Iggy the 3, does Thad Young become available? Do they look at Favors or Cousins instead? Which could make Speights available. Rudy for Speights straight up, if they choose the PF/C route? NJ at 3 is in a decent slot, IMO. Turner could drop to 3, or they could pair Brook Lopez with one of Cousins or Favors and have a very formidable front line. OMG, Yi available?!?! No real effect for us. Minnesota slipping to 4 is nice, because they're in our division, and I want them to suck. So what do they do now? I imagine Love or Jefferson gets traded this offseason. But do they then pair Cousins or Favors with the remaining piece? It seems to be a PF heavy draft, or at least big man heavy, and what they need is a 2 or 3. I suppose they can take someone like Wesley Johnson, or COle Aldrich at 4. I don't see us having the right pieces to get Love from them, or their pick, but they'll be fun to watch this offseason. Sacramento at 5 misses out on Cousins or Favors, but might work out well for them if they decide to go with someone like Aldrich as a solid defensive, Joel Przybilla type to play alongside Evans and Thompson. GS at 6. I don't even know what to think. I suppose if Johnson is there, they maybe take him. Or Aminu. Otherwise, seems most the other prospects available are PF types. Davis, Monroe, Udoh, Orton. And they already have Randolph, and Wright there. Maybe they'd move Randolph for Rudy, and go with one of the PFs? I doubt it, they seem high on him, but maybe that's just their fans, and ownership/Neslon isn't? Clippers at 8 are interesting. If Aminu and Johnson go before then, who do they take? Again, most of the top prospects around that spot are PF/Cs. And they just drafted Griffin, and have Kaman at C. They can reach elsewhere, draft a backup for those 2 perhaps. I wonder if they'd trade the pick? Not sure what we'd have to offer to get the 8th pick. And I am guessing they still see value in Baron Davis, so wouldn't look at him as a bad contract to move with the pick. Still,that pick is worth keeping an eye on, IMO. Should be some interesting speculation the next month or so, leading up to the draft. KP mentioned looking where others aren't, and referenced the draft, while others are looking at free agency. I wonder if a portion of that could also mean looking at taking on big salaries, as well as moving up, while others are looking at shedding salary for more cap space?
Same here. That kid has boom or bust potential (maybe in equal parts) but if he "booms" and puts the questions about temperament and temper to bed he's probably the best player in this draft. Call me crazy, but I think the so-called risk of parting ways with LMA, Oden, Rudy et al. is worth it; this team is still minus a legit all-star level talent beyond Roy, and Cousins is a natural scorer in the post unlike Greg and LMA -- I guess it comes down to this for me: What's more likely, Greg getting and staying healthy and becoming a fluid low post scorer, LMA becoming an all-star caliber two-way player at the 4, or Cousins reaching his potential and not imploding? I think I'd give the slight edge to Cousins.
Doesn't it make sense for both teams to give LMA + #22 + Rudy + ?? to Minny for Love and the #4? They're not going to get anyone to come there to use up their cap space., and LMA's PPP (until July Moratorium is over)/BYC isn't that big a deal to a team way under the cap. LMA would play a "stretch 5", allowing Al Jeff to continue working down low and not having to rely on Darko for 35 minutes a game. Rudy might be helpful to keeping Rubio happy in 2011-12. What else would they want? Picks in 2012? Cash? They need a SF, but I don't think Webster qualifies in their eyes as starter material and Batum's obviously not going anywhere.
My money's: Greg, Cousins, LMA in your scenarios, though I'd say "effective" is a better qualifier than "fluid". We don't need Hakeem or David Robinson...80% of 1999 Shaq is fine.
LMA plus the 22 plus Rudy. I suppose that plays all of the expendable pieces we have. But rumor now officially has it that we're working the Nets and Minnesota to get Cousins, so that just might be what we'd have to get and replace LMA for Cousins. Be a bold move if he could pull it off. Like to see him do it with the Nets and have the option of Cousins or Favors and also have the Nets add in their 2nd round 31st pick.
Please Jeebus, don't let a trade giving up Aldridge for Cousins happen. I think it would set us back 2 years.
100% agree. If this season and playoffs have taught us anything, it's that Vets win big games. Unless this LA for #3 idea is the first step in a series of moves that ends with us landing Bosh, I am vehemently against it.
