rabman_gold
All-Star
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- Aug 14, 2008
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I thought I'd share whatever I thought and felt about them since this is the first real team to snag two big-name free agents considered among the elite.
3 words should describe it well:
I hate 'em.
Still do.
Manipulating the cap just so they could grab these two guys, I was in shock as I stared at my monitor while LeBron gave us his "Decision" to "take [his] talents to South Beach".
By the way, it seems we have done almost the same thing, yet there's almost no real venom I've heard around these part compared to the backlash this team? Why is that so?
Probably because the message is the opposite: "I'm coming home".
Either way, they split the amount of salary they had used on players from prior years in half. Just enough to convince Toronto to trade Chris just when he committed.
Here's what the Heat started with:
Arroyo, Wade, Chalmers, O'Neal (FA), Beasley, Haslem, Richardson (FA), Wright (FA), Anthony, Cook, Alston, Jones (FA Waiver), Magloire, Randolph, Diawara
5 guys signed to improve roster around 3 stars, 4 main role players (James Jones, Joel Anthony, Mario Chalmers, and eventually Udonis Haslem, replacing Erik Dampier). 9 guys could play the whole season, with 3-5 filling in (leftovers).
What the Cavs did was somewhat different, but forced to do the same.
Irving, Waiters, Deng (FA), Thompson, Hawes (FA), Varejao, Zeller, Gee, Dellavedova, Miles (FA), Bennett, Karasev, Hopson, Felix, Jack
So we have the potential to build a solid team around 3 stars, but it will probably look much better. With 4 core pieces, with some room to spare, we have a really good potential roster, if a little bit unfinished.
All in all, we're treading a very similar path to the Heat. Will we be more successful due to it?
If Miami could do it, we can now do it better, tip of the iceberg, my friends.
3 words should describe it well:
I hate 'em.
Still do.
Manipulating the cap just so they could grab these two guys, I was in shock as I stared at my monitor while LeBron gave us his "Decision" to "take [his] talents to South Beach".
By the way, it seems we have done almost the same thing, yet there's almost no real venom I've heard around these part compared to the backlash this team? Why is that so?
Probably because the message is the opposite: "I'm coming home".
Either way, they split the amount of salary they had used on players from prior years in half. Just enough to convince Toronto to trade Chris just when he committed.
Here's what the Heat started with:
Arroyo, Wade, Chalmers, O'Neal (FA), Beasley, Haslem, Richardson (FA), Wright (FA), Anthony, Cook, Alston, Jones (FA Waiver), Magloire, Randolph, Diawara
- They continued to move guys
- Sent Beasley to the Wolves for better fit and cap space.
- Sent Cook to the Thunder
- Sent a multitude of draft choices to other teams for salary cap space
- Replaced him with Mike Miller.
- Signed Zydrunas Ilgauskas for the year.
- Got Juwan Howard.
- Signed (later waived) Shavlik Randolph.
- Got Eddie House.
- Got Jerry Stackhouse (waived him early in the season).
- Later replaced Arroyo with Mike Bibby.
5 guys signed to improve roster around 3 stars, 4 main role players (James Jones, Joel Anthony, Mario Chalmers, and eventually Udonis Haslem, replacing Erik Dampier). 9 guys could play the whole season, with 3-5 filling in (leftovers).
What the Cavs did was somewhat different, but forced to do the same.
Irving, Waiters, Deng (FA), Thompson, Hawes (FA), Varejao, Zeller, Gee, Dellavedova, Miles (FA), Bennett, Karasev, Hopson, Felix, Jack
- They first cleared room at the cost of assets and picks
- Karasev, Zeller, Gee, Hopson, Felix, Jack, and cash/picks were all sacrificed before we could get a big ticket item
- We received Brendan Haywood, 2 European stashes, future draft choices (mostly 2nd rounders), including Dwight Powell, and the three non-guaranteed contracts of John Lucas III, Erik Murphy, and Malcolm Thomas all so we could use them to acquire bigger draws thanks to the way the contracts were set up
- They were able to sign LeBron because we had someone like Kyrie, similar to the Heat having Dwyane Wade
- They were able to acquire Love by giving up the past two #1 overall picks (Bennett and Wiggins) and a future 1st round pick to both Minnesota and Philly
- We then signed outright free agents:
- Mike Miller
- James Jones
- Shawn Marion
- Also picked up Alex Kirk and Joe Harris (whatever this means, who knows?)
- And they still have the ability to make more moves than the 10+ current players they added
So we have the potential to build a solid team around 3 stars, but it will probably look much better. With 4 core pieces, with some room to spare, we have a really good potential roster, if a little bit unfinished.
All in all, we're treading a very similar path to the Heat. Will we be more successful due to it?
If Miami could do it, we can now do it better, tip of the iceberg, my friends.
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