Taking nothing away from this roster, I actually like it (although I wouldn't bring back Hudson, Sloan, or Samuels, and I'd hope they can move Varejao during the draft), I just don't see the need to go out and use all that cap space this summer. Adding up the FA signings and draft picks, that's $30 mil being spent this summer. I realize they have to reach a salary floor, but Baron's salary still counts toward that floor. Does the team really want to sign long-term deals with Asik, Ersan, and Batum and hope they can live up to them?
Having cap space isn't a bad thing. It provides flexibility. Much rather have that then $22 million a year worth of potential.
Really,this is more for fun than anything. I view a team as a puzzle where you can get more than the sum of the parts if the pieces fit together. I don't think this has any chance of happening..but it gives an idea of what I think a contending team could look like.
I would have no problem tying the cap money into these players if I though they could get us a team that can contend, which I do if I am right about them. I personally think that is a team that could be a contender in 2 years, because I think it is a better version of the Bulls.
Asik+AV> Noah+?
Ersan+TT=Boozer+Gibson ---Gibson is a very good defender..I think TT has higher defensive upside than him though..Ersan is a great rebounder and can space the floor to the three point line--and he is a better defender than Boozer in my opinion
Batum+Gee+Crowder=Deng+Brewer
Beal+Taylor>Rip+Korver
Irving (in 2 years)= OR > Rose (I know a lot my not agree with me on this--but Irving is a MUCH better shooter, so defending him will be harder than defending Rose--with Rose you pack the paint and live with him shooting threes--I don't think teams will be able to do that with Irving)
Most on this board are about "stars". To me "stars" don't win championships. Defense,rebounding do. The Bulls minus Rose throttled the Heat last week. It starts with having a very strong interior D--Asik, AV and TT would be very strong. Then having athletic wings in Batum, Gee, Crowder, Beal and Taylor--all can D it up--PLUS all of them can hit the open three ball to space the floor for our creator in Irving.
The funny thing is the Cavs HAD the right model with our team that made the finals. And I am tired of hearing about how we got swept and were the worst team in finals history. Fact is we were two shots away from going back to San Antonio tied 2-2. And that was with Lebron not being able to hit the broad side of a barn up to that point.
We had a Stud D, great rebounding team and a superstar to get his teammates and himself good shots. If we would have let that team grow more and tweaked it (imagine if the Lebron that could make a jump shot played in that series?), we were on the right path in my opinion. Instead we traded D for O over and over again--which killed our identity and our team eventually. That and we got very very very unlucky on quite a few things. We would have easily beat Orlando with a healthy Big Ben-our team that year with him on the floor was one of the best teams of all time in advance metrics. That TEAM was more than the sum of its parts.
). I am open to criticism of it and others opinions or tweaks.