In one of the most intriguing moves of the draft Seattle not only netted Kevin Durant but also traded away Ray Allen (32) and the no.35 for the no.5 pick (Jeff Green), wally "mr.injury" szerbiak, and delonte west. Who wins in this trade?
Well from a basketball standpoint the Celtics won because they got Ray Allen and Glen "Big Baby" Davis and only gave up Delonte West, the No.5 pick, and a one time all star with a bad contract. Not a bad trade from them at all. Yet the Sonics, who have a interesting situation because of an inevitable move, will have cap space in 2009 to get a nice free agent to play with Durant and Green. Lets not forget they have West, Collison, a bunch of developing big men, and Chris Wilcox. Luke Ridnour will probably be traded and I foresee many other trades in their future.
The truth is that Seattle needs an arena and Seattle doesn't want to use it's money from taxes on the team. The team cant cough up the money for an arena and so this will cause them to move to a city where this would be possible.
Back to basketball, the Sonics need to move Chris Wilcox and his contract to a team with an expiring contract or multiple picks. Also because the team seems to be going in a defensive mindset Luke Ridnour will surely be gone by training camp. Im sure there is interest out there for Ridnours' services and a good trade for both parties can be made. One of the raw young centers must go. Preferably the center with the least amount of potential to have success in the NBA. This would probably be Robert Swift who has not developed and may never crack the rotation wit Collison becoming a lock at center.
Lastly Rashard Lewis must go. Rashard is a scorer and nothing more, and he will demand too much money and some of the younger players time to develop. Its time to rebuild around Durant and Green. Others not willing to get with the program must go.
The Sonics right now are puzzling to me because I did not see the trade coming, nor did most in the basketball community. Hardly anyone knew Ray Allen was available in the first place. There was a rumor the day before the draft but that was laughable to me at least. Oh well, its done and the Sonics can now look to the future and being in the lottery for one or two more years at least.
Thats all for now, See you next time when we say how to......SHAKE THAT UP.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Fire Mchale or Trade KG....
This is a either or situation because you cant have both there. KG has finally understood that all Kevin was good for was learning a couple post moves. Other than that he done him one other thing in acquirng sam cassell and spreewell and giving KG a chance to get to the West Finals. How surprising was it that it didnt work the next season.
Well lets see the mistakes that Mchale made the next year. Keep Troy Hudson instead of giving Cassell a contract extension, give money to Hassell instead of Spreewell even an aging spree, keep madsen who is good for nothing and then not actively trade wally szerbiak.
Then he does worse by trading away the one point guard capable of making the twolves a serious contender for someone he thinks is good but this guy, marko jaric is a role player who is 27 and still hasnt made a name for himself. Instead of giving Cassell a 3 year serious contract he throws away the same money for six years on an unknown. Then it gets worse, he adds Mike James. I thought this was a good move but the coach obviously didnt utilize james in the best way and James just stunk it up.
Juwan Howard for Mike James is an ok trade and does give KG some help but it seems to be too little too late. If Kevin Mchale had any brains he would have tried to get wayyyyyyy under the cap to acquire a serious player instead of throwing away money on these trivial players. Not only that but he drafts horribly. Brandon Roy was said to be the most NBA ready player but he didnt take him did he? No he took the 2 or 3 year project randy foye and 2 years is too much for KG to wait.
Finally they want to trade him now because financially they are coughing up money but whos fault is that? Would that happen if they were going to the playoffs and the Big Ticket was selling tickets? No...........it wouldnt.
Now enough talking about Mchale. My thing is someone has to go, either you trade KG your best player or you try and get better, you trade for an all star. I dont think they are firing mchale until after the season so KG is gone, what a blunder. They wasted this guys career away, what a career! more than 20 ppg, more than 10 rpg, more than 6 apg. This guy has all star written all over him.
So heres what you do you become a basement team and get picks and salary cap relief. If you get this deal with 22 million in salary cap relief plus the #5 and #21 and #24 plus your #7 then you will be better latter but not now. You will have a good nucleus of randy foye, rashad mccants, and craig smith plus the rookies. You will be the new memphis and get the no.1 (or no.5 if your memphis) pick in the 2008 draft be happy but fire mchale or you will be there forever. Your choice owner, Mr. Glen Taylor.
Well lets see the mistakes that Mchale made the next year. Keep Troy Hudson instead of giving Cassell a contract extension, give money to Hassell instead of Spreewell even an aging spree, keep madsen who is good for nothing and then not actively trade wally szerbiak.
Then he does worse by trading away the one point guard capable of making the twolves a serious contender for someone he thinks is good but this guy, marko jaric is a role player who is 27 and still hasnt made a name for himself. Instead of giving Cassell a 3 year serious contract he throws away the same money for six years on an unknown. Then it gets worse, he adds Mike James. I thought this was a good move but the coach obviously didnt utilize james in the best way and James just stunk it up.
Juwan Howard for Mike James is an ok trade and does give KG some help but it seems to be too little too late. If Kevin Mchale had any brains he would have tried to get wayyyyyyy under the cap to acquire a serious player instead of throwing away money on these trivial players. Not only that but he drafts horribly. Brandon Roy was said to be the most NBA ready player but he didnt take him did he? No he took the 2 or 3 year project randy foye and 2 years is too much for KG to wait.
Finally they want to trade him now because financially they are coughing up money but whos fault is that? Would that happen if they were going to the playoffs and the Big Ticket was selling tickets? No...........it wouldnt.
Now enough talking about Mchale. My thing is someone has to go, either you trade KG your best player or you try and get better, you trade for an all star. I dont think they are firing mchale until after the season so KG is gone, what a blunder. They wasted this guys career away, what a career! more than 20 ppg, more than 10 rpg, more than 6 apg. This guy has all star written all over him.
So heres what you do you become a basement team and get picks and salary cap relief. If you get this deal with 22 million in salary cap relief plus the #5 and #21 and #24 plus your #7 then you will be better latter but not now. You will have a good nucleus of randy foye, rashad mccants, and craig smith plus the rookies. You will be the new memphis and get the no.1 (or no.5 if your memphis) pick in the 2008 draft be happy but fire mchale or you will be there forever. Your choice owner, Mr. Glen Taylor.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Dont Hawks fly?
Arent Hawks suppose to fly? Well why have they been grounded for the last hm.....I dont know decade or more. When is the last time the Hawks made the playoffs? Mutumbo days? Perhaps Dominique Wilkins? Thats a long time ago, Micheal was just a young buck back then and people, Micheal is in his 40's. So lets see how to get the Hawks off the ground and into the air.
Well the first, middle, and final fault is Billy Knight. Billy Knight makes me wonder how some GM's get their jobs. How can you continue to pass on point guards and draft forwards, forwards who are talented but they are projects. You cant be rebuilding forever, Billyboy, this is the NBA. This is a competition. People dont want to see a bunch of young talented guys get beat 70% of the season. They want a team that will win, at least in the season. They want entertainment at least. If you draft julian wright or Brandon Wright there will be no hope for you as a GM but if you draft, Al Horford who seems to be a very good big man then theres hope for you yet. If you draft Conley because of pressure it would be worse because hes not going to be NBA ready. You work towards the future with the present in mind. You must win NOW.
You have players like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith who are pretty good and would be starters on most if not all teams but the rest of the team is a question mark to me. When you drafted Shelden Williams last year at 5. I figured there was something special about this guy, but no, he has sat on the bench with the other young raw players. Josh Childress is talented and progressing now in his 3rd year but will he be much better than last year, who knows. Id have to say the best free agent pickup you ever did was Zaza for $4 million per and the worst is speedy claxton at $6 million per, although we havent seen the fruits of that pickup just yet. Well see this year. Finally Marvin Williams is talented it seems BUT he doesnt have an NBA body and has made little to no noise on a losing squad. Youd think he'd put up 15 ppg as the 3rd option but he hasnt done that. All together as a unit the Hawks have not been that impressive besides Joe Johnson, and Josh Smith this year.
Heres what I think they should do. 1) draft someone or trade the pick for a good point or center. 2) trade anyone not named joe johnson, and josh smith if the right trade comes along. 3) Before any of this happens fire Billy Knight and hire Kiki Vandeweghe or some other experienced GM who has put winning teams together. 4) Obviously fire the coach too.
Thats all for now, See you next time when we say how to......SHAKE THAT UP.
Well the first, middle, and final fault is Billy Knight. Billy Knight makes me wonder how some GM's get their jobs. How can you continue to pass on point guards and draft forwards, forwards who are talented but they are projects. You cant be rebuilding forever, Billyboy, this is the NBA. This is a competition. People dont want to see a bunch of young talented guys get beat 70% of the season. They want a team that will win, at least in the season. They want entertainment at least. If you draft julian wright or Brandon Wright there will be no hope for you as a GM but if you draft, Al Horford who seems to be a very good big man then theres hope for you yet. If you draft Conley because of pressure it would be worse because hes not going to be NBA ready. You work towards the future with the present in mind. You must win NOW.
You have players like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith who are pretty good and would be starters on most if not all teams but the rest of the team is a question mark to me. When you drafted Shelden Williams last year at 5. I figured there was something special about this guy, but no, he has sat on the bench with the other young raw players. Josh Childress is talented and progressing now in his 3rd year but will he be much better than last year, who knows. Id have to say the best free agent pickup you ever did was Zaza for $4 million per and the worst is speedy claxton at $6 million per, although we havent seen the fruits of that pickup just yet. Well see this year. Finally Marvin Williams is talented it seems BUT he doesnt have an NBA body and has made little to no noise on a losing squad. Youd think he'd put up 15 ppg as the 3rd option but he hasnt done that. All together as a unit the Hawks have not been that impressive besides Joe Johnson, and Josh Smith this year.
Heres what I think they should do. 1) draft someone or trade the pick for a good point or center. 2) trade anyone not named joe johnson, and josh smith if the right trade comes along. 3) Before any of this happens fire Billy Knight and hire Kiki Vandeweghe or some other experienced GM who has put winning teams together. 4) Obviously fire the coach too.
Thats all for now, See you next time when we say how to......SHAKE THAT UP.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Knicks future champions?
The Knicks could be the future champions of the NBA because if they acquire Kobe Bryant there will be no stopping a three headed monster of Starbury/Steve Francis (depending on which is traded), Kobe Bryant, and Eddy Curry. Although the Knicks' future having to give up Crawford, Lee, Channing Frye, and Nate Robinson along with their high priced guards or Malik Rose's expiring contract, would be jeopardized its worth it to have a chance for immediate success.
Lets think about this for a second. If Thomas did pry away Kobe from the Lakers it would cost them their third year players (Lee, Frye, Robinson) along with promising guard Crawford. But the other terms may be interesting as in the Laker's may want to unload bad contracts like Radmonivic's. This could be the difference in whether the Knicks have to give up only Steve Francis and there first rounder this year or Francis, the pick, and Rose. Rose would be the only piece that the team would have left to get a big man, possibly Marcus Camby or Rasheed Wallace. That difference is important. Yet either way the Knicks would be poised to be feared in the league.
First you have Kobe an unstoppable force that requires th entire teams attention then you have Marbury who will at least require the attention of two defenders on his good nights, lastly Curry the newest dominant big man will require the teams attention. Kobe doesnt have to put up 50 pts for them to win only as a last resort. Curry will improve this summer and come back ready to give 20 pts a night, Marbury will give his usual 20, and Kobe can give his 30 ppg. The rest of the team which will be Quentin Richardson, Renaldo Balkman, Mardy Collins, Randolph Morris, Jared Jeffries, and Jerome James would be able to at least chip in 20 ppg, the bulk of that coming from a healthy Richardson but I am sure with the addition of Kobe Isiah will go ahead and either pick up Mikki Moore or someone experienced to pair with Curry, if not Jerome James.
Some may say not to trade Lee, Frye and Crawford seeing that they all have so much upside but the thing is the chance to get Kobe Bryant is not a twice in a lifetime deal. Sure they have talent, and they are going to be great in this league but greater than Kobe? I dont think so. I think they all have all star potential and could make the Lakers a better team in the future but we are talking about now, right? They cant take the Knicks to the championship, not right now but Kobe can, and if he did changes would take place. Ticket prices would soar attendance would be automatic and the luxury tax would be a laughing matter as each year they sip championship champagne but obviously they need to work, and work hard. Maybe if Thomas does this he wont lose his job anytime soon.
If Garnett becomes available offer the same package for him. It seems that he is or might be.
If that doesnt work you can still pry away jermaine oneal from the pacers, shawn marion from the suns, randolph from the blazers (maybe you only need to use steve francis and a second rounder) or marcus camby from the nuggets. For less impact you can get Joel Pryzibilla from the Blazers. Even if they cant get kobe or garnett they can get one of these guys.
Thats all for now, See you next time when we say how to......SHAKE THAT UP.
Lets think about this for a second. If Thomas did pry away Kobe from the Lakers it would cost them their third year players (Lee, Frye, Robinson) along with promising guard Crawford. But the other terms may be interesting as in the Laker's may want to unload bad contracts like Radmonivic's. This could be the difference in whether the Knicks have to give up only Steve Francis and there first rounder this year or Francis, the pick, and Rose. Rose would be the only piece that the team would have left to get a big man, possibly Marcus Camby or Rasheed Wallace. That difference is important. Yet either way the Knicks would be poised to be feared in the league.
First you have Kobe an unstoppable force that requires th entire teams attention then you have Marbury who will at least require the attention of two defenders on his good nights, lastly Curry the newest dominant big man will require the teams attention. Kobe doesnt have to put up 50 pts for them to win only as a last resort. Curry will improve this summer and come back ready to give 20 pts a night, Marbury will give his usual 20, and Kobe can give his 30 ppg. The rest of the team which will be Quentin Richardson, Renaldo Balkman, Mardy Collins, Randolph Morris, Jared Jeffries, and Jerome James would be able to at least chip in 20 ppg, the bulk of that coming from a healthy Richardson but I am sure with the addition of Kobe Isiah will go ahead and either pick up Mikki Moore or someone experienced to pair with Curry, if not Jerome James.
Some may say not to trade Lee, Frye and Crawford seeing that they all have so much upside but the thing is the chance to get Kobe Bryant is not a twice in a lifetime deal. Sure they have talent, and they are going to be great in this league but greater than Kobe? I dont think so. I think they all have all star potential and could make the Lakers a better team in the future but we are talking about now, right? They cant take the Knicks to the championship, not right now but Kobe can, and if he did changes would take place. Ticket prices would soar attendance would be automatic and the luxury tax would be a laughing matter as each year they sip championship champagne but obviously they need to work, and work hard. Maybe if Thomas does this he wont lose his job anytime soon.
If Garnett becomes available offer the same package for him. It seems that he is or might be.
If that doesnt work you can still pry away jermaine oneal from the pacers, shawn marion from the suns, randolph from the blazers (maybe you only need to use steve francis and a second rounder) or marcus camby from the nuggets. For less impact you can get Joel Pryzibilla from the Blazers. Even if they cant get kobe or garnett they can get one of these guys.
Thats all for now, See you next time when we say how to......SHAKE THAT UP.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
The Comeback of The Trailblazers
Do you remember the Trailblazers of 1999-2000 with a starting lineup of Damon Stoudemire, Steve Smith, Pippen, R.Wallace, and Sabonis? Man that was the best team ever assembled. Jermaine Oneal, Schrempf, Bonzi Wells and B.Grant "The General" were coming off the bench. Their second lineup was better than most teams today. For instance all the lottery teams and almost everyone in the playoffs except the contenders which were the Heat, Pistons, Spurs, Mavs, and Suns and maybe the Rockets, Cavs and Nuggets would stand a chance.
Heres the link to refresh your memory of their stats.
http://www.nba.com/blazers/stats/1999/index.html
The most exciting thing about this team was that anyone in the starting lineup and sometimes people on the bench could put up 20 ppg. These guys were just entertaining and better than every team they faced. I still think they were better than the Lakers because they had the Series pretty much rapped up and they collapsed under pressure. After that they never returned to form until now.
The Blazers are in a position to reclaim their former luster with the foregone conclusion of drafting Greg Oden and already having Brandon Roy (Steve Smith) and Lamarcus Alridge (Rasheed Wallace). Instead of having Sabonis though Oden will rebound anything that his fingers can touch and will dominate the inside. This big three is probably the most special group ever assembled and will feature the two centers who will define what twin towers really means. Scoring at will on opponents nothing will stop them.
The first thing that stands in their way is Zach Randolph and Darius Miles. They both can spoil the great chemistry that you have worked so hard for. Darius has requested a trade and so has Randolph in the past. Now is the time to get rid of them even if it means taking on bad contracts. Maybe Minnesota might pull the trigger or L.A. or the Warriors who want to get rid of Foyle. Either way you need to get rid of them.
The second thing is acquiring veterans to go around these three. A Veteran point guard is need and a small forward. I would not spend my money on Rashard Lewis. Rashard Lewis has no heart; he has great skills but no heart. You need someone like Gerald Wallace or Odom. You need someone who can understand that they are not the focal point of the offense. You need someone like Andre Miller or even Brevin Knight. An assist man who will lead the team on the court.
If the Blazers are smart and pick Oden I will definitely name myself among Blazer lovers (I don't like being called a fan) but if they don't they will be the most laughed at franchise in the NBA's history. Here lies the Comeback of the Blazers.
Thats all for now, See you next time when we say how to......SHAKE THAT UP.
Heres the link to refresh your memory of their stats.
http://www.nba.com/blazers/stats/1999/index.html
The most exciting thing about this team was that anyone in the starting lineup and sometimes people on the bench could put up 20 ppg. These guys were just entertaining and better than every team they faced. I still think they were better than the Lakers because they had the Series pretty much rapped up and they collapsed under pressure. After that they never returned to form until now.
The Blazers are in a position to reclaim their former luster with the foregone conclusion of drafting Greg Oden and already having Brandon Roy (Steve Smith) and Lamarcus Alridge (Rasheed Wallace). Instead of having Sabonis though Oden will rebound anything that his fingers can touch and will dominate the inside. This big three is probably the most special group ever assembled and will feature the two centers who will define what twin towers really means. Scoring at will on opponents nothing will stop them.
The first thing that stands in their way is Zach Randolph and Darius Miles. They both can spoil the great chemistry that you have worked so hard for. Darius has requested a trade and so has Randolph in the past. Now is the time to get rid of them even if it means taking on bad contracts. Maybe Minnesota might pull the trigger or L.A. or the Warriors who want to get rid of Foyle. Either way you need to get rid of them.
The second thing is acquiring veterans to go around these three. A Veteran point guard is need and a small forward. I would not spend my money on Rashard Lewis. Rashard Lewis has no heart; he has great skills but no heart. You need someone like Gerald Wallace or Odom. You need someone who can understand that they are not the focal point of the offense. You need someone like Andre Miller or even Brevin Knight. An assist man who will lead the team on the court.
If the Blazers are smart and pick Oden I will definitely name myself among Blazer lovers (I don't like being called a fan) but if they don't they will be the most laughed at franchise in the NBA's history. Here lies the Comeback of the Blazers.
Thats all for now, See you next time when we say how to......SHAKE THAT UP.
What the Heat need to become champions again.....
This year was suppose to be one of the most interesting playoffs in decades. The league was finally beginning to show more parity in terms of talent. Yet the playoffs ended up not being the show that I expected. I expected Dwayne Wade to shine, even though he was still hurt. I expected Tracy Mcgrady to get out of the first round, even though his history tells me different. I expected Lebron James to finally take things over and show why he is King James, even though he has rarely shown it when it counts. None of my expectations came true but at least we got a few highlights.
This blog is all about telling you what is wrong with each contending team and deciding who should be traded and who shouldn't be traded. Also who they should be traded for so that the numbers match. No disrespect to the players intended but these are just suggestions for their teams.
1) Heat - Trade Antoine Walker. Why? Well he is not worth the $8 million per year at the moment. Not only does he not play well regularly but he just doesn't fit a Miami team that is more about physical and mental toughness. Micheal Doleac has to go because even if Alonso retires he is not worth keeping at 3 million. Why not package him to some team in need of expiring contract and a center? I would rather pay someone like Christian Laettner the league minimum than pay Doleac $3 million. The Kings might trade Shareef abdur Rahim for Doleac, Chris Quin and a second round pick.
Possibly Jason Williams. He is definitely great when healthy but can you risk another year not getting a championship and Shaq growing older each second? No you cant and thats why he must be traded.
Possibly Udonis Haslem. You have to love that he is a hard worker and that he's tough but with Shaq getting old someone has to pick up the rebounding slack. Udonis is a 10-10 type player but he is not Reggie Evans or Ben Wallace. He's not going to pick up enough slack.
Let go. Free agents Kapono and Posey are good players and will help other teams but the best thing they can do for the Heat is to be apart of a trade for a young star to pair with Wade and Shaq.
Keep. Earl Barron. You may not have heard of this guy because Riley doesn't really use his rookies but this guy seems to have a nice touch and he's 7 feet tall. He's Wade's future center and the new NBA center (Well at least until Shaq's contract expires and they can toss all that money at Greg Oden after his 3rd year).
Finally who can make the Heat a contender next year. Well Coach Riley and GM Randy Pfund need to tell Owner Mickey Arison that championships cost money and championships will produce money so going over the luxury tax by a few million is not that big of a deal. I'm not saying they should do it Isiah Thomas style but you know what I mean.
Bring in. Point Guards- Jason Kidd, Sam Cassell, Mike Bibby, Brevin Knight or Andre Miller. The last one is very much an outside shot but it could happen with a third team involved.
Jason Kidd and Wade together would be one of the best backcourts in the history of Basketball. Think about these two averaging 18-20 assists a night. Think about 16 rebounds for the backcourt alone. Think about the opposing teams backcourt being scoreless for entire quarters. Think about easy points for Shaq. Think multiple rings. The offense needs a general and Kidd is the man for the job. He will fill the stat sheet and lead any team, anytime and he is hungry (Thats more than I can say for some Heat players).
Sam I AM. Sam Cassell is a finisher. Teams have trouble stopping Wade when they know he is taking the final shot but what about when Sam decides to deliver a knockout punch. Will you be able to stop Wade and Cassell at the end of the game? Probably not. Sam Cassell is too clutch not to have on the team and with an expiring contract he can give the Heat maybe his last year in the NBA.
Mike Bibby is the third option but he's a pretty good third option right? He's quick, he can shoot, and he occassionally will defend. Not much of an upgrade over J-Will but he's healthy and he can contribute right away and be a steady 2nd option (when Shaq isn't) or 3rd option. Almost the same situation as Sam I Am but he dishes more and has a high free throw percentage.
The last two guys I would say are just guys who will make it easier on Wade. They can run the offense and set Dwayne and The Diesel up. Their scoring effect would be minimal and that has to concern you with Shaq's scoring average diminishing every year.
Bring in small forwards. Its simple, they need a true small forward who can defend and score. Ron Artest, Desmon Mason is a free agent, Jason Richardson, MoPete (not the full midlevel), guys like that.
Ron artest even though he is a troubled man would be a great addition to any team. He would defend and rebound and not allow anyone to torch the team for more than 30 pts. He can guard from Lebron (strong and quick) to Micheal Redd (spot up shooter). This is the best option for a forward period.
Bring in power forwards. Rebound, Rebound, Rebound. I would say go for Garnett but Garnett seems to not want a ring at the moment, electing to stay in Minnesota. His loyalty is great but his logic isn't there. Others would be Reggie Evans, Zach Randolph, Kenyon Martin, or Marcus Camby. Why these guys? Well besides Evans they all can score and rebound like no tommorow. Evans can just rebound maybe 15 times a game and have 2 points. Think about the other guys and Shaq. On one side of the rim you have Shaq, on the other, Martin dunking, Zach pounding, or Camby hooking (and not the kind of hooking your thinking). I must say teams would be faint at heart to come to American Airlines Arena with these guys in the mix.
All of these guys are obtainable because these teams need some cap space or are going in a different direction and Williams for Camby straight up would give Denver a point guard and the Heat a legit partner for Shaq, a new twin towers.
I would be cautious about Martin but once healthy he is worth $15 million a year. Reggie Evans would be a cheap option and Randolph would be the ideal option because the Blazers don't need him and would probably take Walkers contract along with Haslem or someone else.
So I say to the Heat that next year is probably one of the last year's Shaq will totally dominate his opponents. You need more players capable of creating for themselves. You need more talent. You need more shooters. Make opposing teams respect your shot so Shaq can make the opposing team cower.
Thats all for now, See you next time when we say how to......SHAKE THAT UP.
Possibly Jason Williams. He is definitely great when healthy but can you risk another year not getting a championship and Shaq growing older each second? No you cant and thats why he must be traded.
Possibly Udonis Haslem. You have to love that he is a hard worker and that he's tough but with Shaq getting old someone has to pick up the rebounding slack. Udonis is a 10-10 type player but he is not Reggie Evans or Ben Wallace. He's not going to pick up enough slack.
Let go. Free agents Kapono and Posey are good players and will help other teams but the best thing they can do for the Heat is to be apart of a trade for a young star to pair with Wade and Shaq.
Keep. Earl Barron. You may not have heard of this guy because Riley doesn't really use his rookies but this guy seems to have a nice touch and he's 7 feet tall. He's Wade's future center and the new NBA center (Well at least until Shaq's contract expires and they can toss all that money at Greg Oden after his 3rd year).
Finally who can make the Heat a contender next year. Well Coach Riley and GM Randy Pfund need to tell Owner Mickey Arison that championships cost money and championships will produce money so going over the luxury tax by a few million is not that big of a deal. I'm not saying they should do it Isiah Thomas style but you know what I mean.
Bring in. Point Guards- Jason Kidd, Sam Cassell, Mike Bibby, Brevin Knight or Andre Miller. The last one is very much an outside shot but it could happen with a third team involved.
Jason Kidd and Wade together would be one of the best backcourts in the history of Basketball. Think about these two averaging 18-20 assists a night. Think about 16 rebounds for the backcourt alone. Think about the opposing teams backcourt being scoreless for entire quarters. Think about easy points for Shaq. Think multiple rings. The offense needs a general and Kidd is the man for the job. He will fill the stat sheet and lead any team, anytime and he is hungry (Thats more than I can say for some Heat players).
Sam I AM. Sam Cassell is a finisher. Teams have trouble stopping Wade when they know he is taking the final shot but what about when Sam decides to deliver a knockout punch. Will you be able to stop Wade and Cassell at the end of the game? Probably not. Sam Cassell is too clutch not to have on the team and with an expiring contract he can give the Heat maybe his last year in the NBA.
Mike Bibby is the third option but he's a pretty good third option right? He's quick, he can shoot, and he occassionally will defend. Not much of an upgrade over J-Will but he's healthy and he can contribute right away and be a steady 2nd option (when Shaq isn't) or 3rd option. Almost the same situation as Sam I Am but he dishes more and has a high free throw percentage.
The last two guys I would say are just guys who will make it easier on Wade. They can run the offense and set Dwayne and The Diesel up. Their scoring effect would be minimal and that has to concern you with Shaq's scoring average diminishing every year.
Bring in small forwards. Its simple, they need a true small forward who can defend and score. Ron Artest, Desmon Mason is a free agent, Jason Richardson, MoPete (not the full midlevel), guys like that.
Ron artest even though he is a troubled man would be a great addition to any team. He would defend and rebound and not allow anyone to torch the team for more than 30 pts. He can guard from Lebron (strong and quick) to Micheal Redd (spot up shooter). This is the best option for a forward period.
Bring in power forwards. Rebound, Rebound, Rebound. I would say go for Garnett but Garnett seems to not want a ring at the moment, electing to stay in Minnesota. His loyalty is great but his logic isn't there. Others would be Reggie Evans, Zach Randolph, Kenyon Martin, or Marcus Camby. Why these guys? Well besides Evans they all can score and rebound like no tommorow. Evans can just rebound maybe 15 times a game and have 2 points. Think about the other guys and Shaq. On one side of the rim you have Shaq, on the other, Martin dunking, Zach pounding, or Camby hooking (and not the kind of hooking your thinking). I must say teams would be faint at heart to come to American Airlines Arena with these guys in the mix.
All of these guys are obtainable because these teams need some cap space or are going in a different direction and Williams for Camby straight up would give Denver a point guard and the Heat a legit partner for Shaq, a new twin towers.
I would be cautious about Martin but once healthy he is worth $15 million a year. Reggie Evans would be a cheap option and Randolph would be the ideal option because the Blazers don't need him and would probably take Walkers contract along with Haslem or someone else.
So I say to the Heat that next year is probably one of the last year's Shaq will totally dominate his opponents. You need more players capable of creating for themselves. You need more talent. You need more shooters. Make opposing teams respect your shot so Shaq can make the opposing team cower.
Thats all for now, See you next time when we say how to......SHAKE THAT UP.
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