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.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
