I so need to find the 790 audio track for their parody of Real Men of Genius. "We Salute You! Mr. Preposterous Trade SportsTalk Caller!" If Minnesota agreed to that, the fanbase would stop yelling, "Khaaaaannnnn!" and proceed to just hanging Kahn from the nearest lamp post.
I like it except that I can't see Charlotte moving Wallace at all, even for Melo. Then again, this is Jordan we're talking about, sure why not? Overrated scorers are players right up his alley. A bigger problem is they'd probably insist on a PG coming in that trade (or sweat the D.J. Augustin/Shawn Livingston duo). So AB is probably going to Charlotte instead in your scenario. Especially since I thought Ty Lawson was Denver's PG heir apparent. I was also going to complain about Denver getting next to nothing, but 4 additional first rounders over two years is nothing to sneeze at. And if you're going to blow up a team, then blow up a team. Birdman's pretty popular there though, and really undervalued for what he gives you. If they're still whining, send 'em Buddinger too. Addressing Billups and Melo at the same time, in the same trade, seems to me to be good sense for Denver. Interesting idea. And a Billups/Martin/Wallace/Scola/YaMiller team would not be fun for anyone in the West.
I like your scenario and like you think it will take the hard fist of reality to make Philly realize they aren't winning with that line-up: they're not going to trade Iggy until they're ready to bail on the season. When they do, they're still going to try and get value though. So they'll try to substitute Nocioni's 2 year deal for Kapono's expiring one, and ask for Buddinger too. The original trade bandied about on RealGM was Jeffries/Hill/Ariza for Iggy and change, wasn't it? Ariza's gone, so they're going to need a 3 coming back. I like Battier, but I think he's on fumes at this point, so you need someone else too. Hence Buddinger. If Yao is on the table with another team, I want to hold back Jeffries for another trade. If he isn't then by all means add him to the Philly trade. If Jeffries is not in the Philly trade, then you have to add more pieces from Houston to make the money work. For example, to Battier/Hill/Buddinger, you need to add Hayes/2 Pat/Harris. (Or whichever other players you need to make the money work, keeping in mind Philly has too many guards already) Of course, if the Rox are taking on Nocioni's deal, then there's no need to throw in both draft picks. (Or any really: if Philly is getting 2 Pat, Buddinger, Hill, and Battier as uber-mentor, they just need to STFU already.) But I like your idea and I like the idea of Iggy on this team much better than I do Melo. The trade I really want to happen involves Chris Paul. Yes, I know, they traded Collison, they'd never trade within the division, Paul will never leave NOLA, and he's a whiner who wants to play with his friends in New York or Miami...yeah, I get it. However, if you sent NOLA a PG to replace Paul, and offered to take off their hands Okafor's ridiculous deal, and threw in #1 draft picks, wouldn't you have to take it if you're the Hornets? The catch, of course, is that you have to throw in Yao. Which I have no problem doing at this point. If it's only a two team deal, the PG going to NOLA is of course AB. Rox can't trade Lowry (BYC player, Lowry has to o.k. the deal since he was a RFA and the Rox matched the offer, etc...) And of course, AB makes 2M, while Lowry makes 5.75M this year. Yao/AB/Jeffries + 2 #1s for Paul/Okafor matches pretty well. Rockets get one of the best 10 players in the game today + a center who can play for more than half the game. Hornets get salary relief, some tasty draft picks, the most exciting 6th man in the league, and China merchandising money. Involve a 3rd team, and the rewards get even better for the other teams. Really wish NOLA hurries up and cuts the cord on the whole CP3 situation soon. Like he isn't bailing after this year and the lockout are over.
If Yao is not back to form, I think it would be a steal for us. Paul/Lowry Martin/Lee Battier/Budinger Scola/Hayes/Patterson Okafor/Miller/Dampier
They are not winning in New Orleans with what they have right now. Period. I say this as someone who is a fan of Marcus Thornton and David West---and Paul, obviously---but they just don't have the horses to compete strongly in the West. Even with Ariza. <snort> At best, they're a 45-50 win, making the bottom of the playoffs team, and getting pounded in Round 1. Just like the Rockets right now. With Shinn dithering on selling the team, they do not have the finances to break the bank for free agents. So, they're going to have to build through the draft, or through whatever trades they can pull off. They are out of the tax, I think, so a major cost-cutting driver is gone, but are you telling me Shinn won't be happy sacrificing wins for $$$ if he downgrades PG? Further, Chris Paul was pissy all last year, and right after the draft this year. He is gone after the 2011/12 season, which will probably be locked out for most of it. Don't they want to get something for him before he goes, while New Orleans has some leverage, unlike the scraps Toronto had to settle for in the Bosh deal? If you assume that New Orleans has to deal, either now or during the lockout, isn't Houston one of the best candidates to do the deal with? The most obnoxious contract on their roster is Okafor's. And the only way they are getting rid of it, now that Isiah Thomas is no longer a GM, is by packaging it up with CP3. Houston, (or Portland) is one of the very few teams with cheap talent at most every position, and lots of valuable draft picks and salary flexibility. Further, if Shinn is as cash-poor as rumored, and the Chinese licensing money is as lucrative as advertised, isn't Yao the sort of player Shinn needs for that franchise? Yes, it is a 3 quarters for one dollar kind of deal. But if New Orleans wants to eventually get better fiscally and competitively, it's the kind of deal they need to think about making. Chris Paul's value goes down with every loss New Orleans will have this year, every spat of post-loss b****ing and moaning, and every twinge he shows with his cartilage-deprived knee.
To Houston Andre Iguodala To Philly Carmello Anthony To Denver Marreese Speights Chase Budinger Jordan Hill Chuck Hayes Jared Jeffries 2012 NY #1 2011 Philly #1 Brooks / Lowry / Smith Martin / Lee / Taylor Iggy / Battier Scola / Patterson / Harris Yao / Miller / Dampier
Sounds like Portland is without a healthy center on their roster..... http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2010/09/questions_linger_for_trail_bla.html I say we try to catch the Blazers in PANIC MODE by offering some sort of Hill-for-Oden swap.
(A) Not gonna happen. Oden's too effective defensively to give up on just yet. Jordan Hill is not nearly enough to entice Portland, even with the new management coming in. (B) The Blazers have this other guy. I don't know if you've heard of him. His name is MARCUS CAMBY. (C) Portland still has a decent enough big man rotation of Marcus Camby, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jeff Pendergraph and Luke Babbitt (who may split his minutes between SF and PF) to get by until Oden and Przybilla return.
C'mon, Mr. Cap Guy. When's his contract up? You've already acknowledged the new management team that has absolutely no ties to Oden or the decision making process that brought him to Portland. Given his injury history, how prepared are you to offer him an extension? Obviously, Hill alone isn't enough to make this deal happen -- for practical purposes, if nothing else. Their salaries don't match, and yes, I'm sure Portland still realizes what they're potentially parting with. All the same, they're going to be forced to make a decision regarding Oden in the next year or so. The point is with everybody hurt (save 37-year-old Camby and a couple craptastic players you mentioned), now could be the time to catch Portland in a position where they're ready to shake things up. I know you're not big on Hill, and quite frankly, neither am I. All the same, he does have appeal and trade value. The idea of using him as part of your base offer for Oden isn't all that far-fetched, IMO. Portland could do a lot worse.
Ah, therein lies the beauty of RESTRICTED free agency. The Blazers can make a large, one-year qualifying offer to Oden next summer and then let him see what's out there in the marketplace. They don't need to bid against themselves. And while it's nice that you now admit that Hill is not enough to get Oden, you still have him as the "centerpiece" of an Oden package (the other parts likely being throw-aways like Harris and Johnson?). Even the new management in Portland is going to want more than that for Oden. Rationally speaking, better for them to let Oden walk in free agency next summer to a team that ridiculously overpays for him than to trade him now (when his value is at its lowest) in exchange for a guy like Jordan Hill and risk Oden blowing up with another team. I can guarantee you that the new Portland GM would lose his job over that one.
For the sake of your argument, it benefits you that Oden is a seemingly humble and gracious character that won't force the extension issue like a lot of other players would and did (including some on his every own team). Otherwise your argument is basically: GM plays hardball with 23-year-old, former #1 pick and is fully prepared to lose him for absolutely nothing. I agree he'll likely accept the qualifying offer next summer as part of a "wait-and-see" approach from Portland's end. My suggestion was motivated by a number of issues and was merely from an opportunistic standpoint. Strike now while: 1) He's injured and won't be ready for the season opener (along with Pryz who's out and Camby who's never played a full season), 2) Gamble a bit with his contract situation (assuming that's an issue that's already come up and is perhaps making Rich Cho uneasy), 3) Rid themselves of the stigma while Durant is at his peak and 4) Start over with Hill and whatever else we include in the deal to make it both fair and practical. My question to you: Would you do a deal of Hill/filler/rights to swap 2011 picks (or the 2012 pick outright) for Oden?
I think Melo stays in Denver this season and waits it out and signs with NY. How bout Charlotte Recieves Aaron Brooks Shane Battier Jared Jeffries Houston Recieves Gerald Wallace DJ Augustine Lowry/Augustine Martin/Lee Wallace/Budinger Scola/Hayes/Patterson Yao/Miller/Possibly Dampier or Fesenko/Hill
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7YebfYzlPas?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7YebfYzlPas?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> Just imagine Lowry in transition. Who should he pass to? Martin at the 3 point line? Wallace for the lob? Scola for the pick and pop? How bout Yao at post? Assuming we sign Dampier or Fesenko, we could even use probably the best defensive lineup in the league! Lowry Lee Wallace Hayes Dampier or Fesenko Wallace and Lee are capable of scoring and honestly, that could shut down the Heat roster. Lowry guarding their opposing point guard, whether it be Chalmers or Arroyo. Lee guarding Wade Wallace guarding LeBron Hayes crushing soft ass Bosh Dampier or Fesenko just keeping their opposing center from doing anything.
