Post by Orlando Magic on Aug 10, 2008 14:33:22 GMT -5
Salivating, chomping at the bit, licking their lips; these GMs (The Players) can not wait for free agency to start and for good reason. This period of greed and utter disregard for finances is a time where champions can be forged, where team needs are met, where season ticket holders who have remained true through the hard times are finally rewarded with a stud player that they can call their own. And boy do we have a crop of multi-multi-multi-million dollar GMs anxiously awaiting the opening bell of free agency. So without further ado, these are…The Players.
The Players:
– $28 million cap (DeSagana Diop) Estimated: 23 cap
We begin with Trailblazers. Recent reports indicate a GM disappointed in the amount of media coverage of his team, well now is your shot to take Portland to the big stage! With 28 million in cap, the Blazers can take one of several different routes. First thing I might suggest for this team is the resigning of Diop. He is a solid big man that can complement whoever they choose to start and the best part is his relatively cheap price tag (I project around 5 million for the first year). Now we come to the most exciting choice they must make…go big or go leadership. More than likely Portland will be able to choose from Jamison, Biedrins and maybe D12 Dwight Howard as their potential bigs but with many more teams challenging for these big men, things could get crowded fast. So another potential route that I suggest is to go small. Devin Harris and Monta Ellis are potential targets and both would be great complements to the core of Roy, Maggette and Aldridge. Even with the resigning of Diop, Portland will be able to offer max contract is they so choose and this fact has got to make those faithful fans from Oregon pumped.
– $33 million cap (Jose Calderon) Estimated: 21 cap
Here is a team that has gone under my own personal radar for most of the season but can not maintain their anonymity much longer. They already have rookie phenom Kevin Durant and shooting ace Joe Johnson to anchor their squad and most importantly have the chance to resign Jose Calderon for big bucks. I could see Jose fetching up to 12 million in his first year with his new-found all-star PG status. Even with a hefty contract extension to Jose, the Celtics will still boast a 20 million plus pay roll for the big man of their choice. Pair Jamison, Biedrins or Howard with the three guys that Boston already has in place and you are looking at a potential Atlantic heavyweight.
– $29 million cap
The Miami Heat are already in place to challenge Orlando for the SE divisional title next year and that is without using their 29 million on a FA this off-season. A very scary thought. However, my exclusive insider information has shown that the Miami team could be changing sooner than expected as a deal between Miami and Phoenix could be sending “Vinsanity” Vince Carter to South Beach for a package including Danny Granger. This spells disaster on two levels, first that Phoenix might have the cap space to resign Jamison at this point (thus taking ANOTHER major FA away from the “players”) and second, Miami will still have around 18 million in cap! Even more exclusive Midway Monster insider info concludes that Miami is in talks to deal Kaman for an up and coming PG to clear the room at the Center slot for D12!?! Assuming these rumors are true and Miami gets what they are hoping for…Orlando could be bumped out of the top three East teams entirely.
– $36 million cap
After toying with all our hearts so far, concerning the previously untouched team option on Andrew Bynum, New York scooped up Farmar and Bynum at the last second today and solidified their starting five with some incredibly talented youth. Here is where things get tricky. Who will they choose in free agency? All the big names could find places in the starting five for the Knicks but the hardest decision will be, who is hitting the bench? One can only assume that Bynum has earned his spot and as his highest rated player, Raja Bell should probably stay as well. Thornton and Green both had great years in the real NBA and keeping them out there wouldn’t hurt at all. I have never been a fan of Farmar so I would suggest targeting Harris/Monta with their 36 million in cap space and if the player agent gods smile down on the boys from the Big Apple, we might even see two big names in MSG this fall. However, with so many big players out there, I foresee only one big name and a few role players being signed on for next season. A few role players I’d suggest come from the veteran pool. A team with so much youth needs some role models to show them the ropes and guys like Horry, Zo, Cassell and Finley would all fit the bill.
– $39 million cap
At this stage in my coverage of “The Players” I should really begin calling these teams Olympiacos and Milan. Once a team approaches 40 million in cap space you begin to wonder if they have any players on their team at all? The Hawks headline the major 3 in this season’s free agency period and their team needs leave a few options to be explored. Mo Williams has the point on lock, Horford and Yi should take care of the 3 and the 4 so now we have holes at both Center and Shooting Guard. Let’s not forget also that this team has the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft which should be either Rose or Beasley. If it’s Beasley then their only open starting position is the 2 where guys like Andre Iguodala/Monta/Devin Harris could comfortably fit. Or if it’s Rose, Atlanta will have some major decisions to make. Mo and Rose will both be at point and when GMs find themselves with a glut of players at one position, the conclusion is usually heading to the trade block. So without this draft knowledge it will be difficult to guess where they might go with their cap room, but if I were a guessing man, I would say that Dwight Howard would be welcomed with open arms and 20 million dollars when all is said and done. Might I also add that D12 was born in ATL…can you say homecoming celebration?!
– $40 million cap
I must try hard here not to let my previous feelings towards the Chicago GM cloud my coverage in this article so I will try and be objective as possible. Pro #1 – They have a ton of draft picks…a ton! So their starting five, which currently consists of studs Lindsay Hunter and Daequan Cook should not look the same at all come fall. Pro #2 – Enough cap space to offer two MAX contracts to free agents. Would this be wise? No, because then you run into the same situations as the Lakers where 2, 3, 4 guys command 90% of your payroll. But still, they could if they wanted to. So where do I see them going? Anywhere. D12 would do wonders for this team, Andre Iguodala would do wonders, hell even Josh Childress would do wonders for this team…but I fear I am about to say things that will be cruel and un-professional so I draw the line here. Chicago can do whatever they please with this money and it will be an upgrade so I have all the confidence in the Bulls improving this summer. Go Bulls!
– $46 million cap (Shaun Livingston) Estimated: 41 cap
And now the big dog, big cheese, head honcho, the king, Daddy Warbucks, Mr. Moneybags. Whatever you want to call him, he stands with a youthful team, the #1 pick and over 46 million dollars in cap room. The sky’s the limit right? Wrong, Clippers have overexerted themselves in my opinion, along with 75% of the “Players” I have mentioned so far. I think we have reached the point where there will be too many cooks in the kitchen and the inevitable outcome will be accusations of unfair dealings and favoritism and a handful of teams that will find themselves with many millions in cap room still and nowhere to spend it. There simply is not enough players to go around and unfortunately, the Clippers (among many others) could quite possibly find that out the hard way.
Now, with that being said, I certainly think that the Clipps deserve a big name free agent. Before a penny of their savings is spent, they will have Mike Conley, Brandan Wright, Adam Morrison and Michael Beasley (if they draft according to need/talent). So there will certainly be an atmosphere of young-guns who are ready and anxious to take on the NBA. I sound like a broken record by now, I’m aware, but D12 would work great here (taking over for Darko at center) and so would guys like Iggy and Monta who could easily take the two and send dirty sanchez Morrison to the bench as a 6th man. Where they go with this money I don’t know. Like most teams I would guess D12, but again, he is only one man and only one team will sign him.
So in conclusion, it is certainly a buyer’s market for these big name or really any name free agents this summer and the result will be a slew of overpaid players, clogging up accountant’s books across the country. But the result of this spending will be new faces in new places and I can not wait to see how it all will pan out.
Coming soon will be an analysis of the other side of the coin and where I think players like D12 and Iggy would fit best…since we essentially showed so far that they could go anywhere from the team’s perspectives. So stay tuned, keep reading and enjoy.
Midway Monster
The Players:
– $28 million cap (DeSagana Diop) Estimated: 23 cap
We begin with Trailblazers. Recent reports indicate a GM disappointed in the amount of media coverage of his team, well now is your shot to take Portland to the big stage! With 28 million in cap, the Blazers can take one of several different routes. First thing I might suggest for this team is the resigning of Diop. He is a solid big man that can complement whoever they choose to start and the best part is his relatively cheap price tag (I project around 5 million for the first year). Now we come to the most exciting choice they must make…go big or go leadership. More than likely Portland will be able to choose from Jamison, Biedrins and maybe D12 Dwight Howard as their potential bigs but with many more teams challenging for these big men, things could get crowded fast. So another potential route that I suggest is to go small. Devin Harris and Monta Ellis are potential targets and both would be great complements to the core of Roy, Maggette and Aldridge. Even with the resigning of Diop, Portland will be able to offer max contract is they so choose and this fact has got to make those faithful fans from Oregon pumped.
– $33 million cap (Jose Calderon) Estimated: 21 cap
Here is a team that has gone under my own personal radar for most of the season but can not maintain their anonymity much longer. They already have rookie phenom Kevin Durant and shooting ace Joe Johnson to anchor their squad and most importantly have the chance to resign Jose Calderon for big bucks. I could see Jose fetching up to 12 million in his first year with his new-found all-star PG status. Even with a hefty contract extension to Jose, the Celtics will still boast a 20 million plus pay roll for the big man of their choice. Pair Jamison, Biedrins or Howard with the three guys that Boston already has in place and you are looking at a potential Atlantic heavyweight.
– $29 million cap
The Miami Heat are already in place to challenge Orlando for the SE divisional title next year and that is without using their 29 million on a FA this off-season. A very scary thought. However, my exclusive insider information has shown that the Miami team could be changing sooner than expected as a deal between Miami and Phoenix could be sending “Vinsanity” Vince Carter to South Beach for a package including Danny Granger. This spells disaster on two levels, first that Phoenix might have the cap space to resign Jamison at this point (thus taking ANOTHER major FA away from the “players”) and second, Miami will still have around 18 million in cap! Even more exclusive Midway Monster insider info concludes that Miami is in talks to deal Kaman for an up and coming PG to clear the room at the Center slot for D12!?! Assuming these rumors are true and Miami gets what they are hoping for…Orlando could be bumped out of the top three East teams entirely.
– $36 million cap
After toying with all our hearts so far, concerning the previously untouched team option on Andrew Bynum, New York scooped up Farmar and Bynum at the last second today and solidified their starting five with some incredibly talented youth. Here is where things get tricky. Who will they choose in free agency? All the big names could find places in the starting five for the Knicks but the hardest decision will be, who is hitting the bench? One can only assume that Bynum has earned his spot and as his highest rated player, Raja Bell should probably stay as well. Thornton and Green both had great years in the real NBA and keeping them out there wouldn’t hurt at all. I have never been a fan of Farmar so I would suggest targeting Harris/Monta with their 36 million in cap space and if the player agent gods smile down on the boys from the Big Apple, we might even see two big names in MSG this fall. However, with so many big players out there, I foresee only one big name and a few role players being signed on for next season. A few role players I’d suggest come from the veteran pool. A team with so much youth needs some role models to show them the ropes and guys like Horry, Zo, Cassell and Finley would all fit the bill.
– $39 million cap
At this stage in my coverage of “The Players” I should really begin calling these teams Olympiacos and Milan. Once a team approaches 40 million in cap space you begin to wonder if they have any players on their team at all? The Hawks headline the major 3 in this season’s free agency period and their team needs leave a few options to be explored. Mo Williams has the point on lock, Horford and Yi should take care of the 3 and the 4 so now we have holes at both Center and Shooting Guard. Let’s not forget also that this team has the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft which should be either Rose or Beasley. If it’s Beasley then their only open starting position is the 2 where guys like Andre Iguodala/Monta/Devin Harris could comfortably fit. Or if it’s Rose, Atlanta will have some major decisions to make. Mo and Rose will both be at point and when GMs find themselves with a glut of players at one position, the conclusion is usually heading to the trade block. So without this draft knowledge it will be difficult to guess where they might go with their cap room, but if I were a guessing man, I would say that Dwight Howard would be welcomed with open arms and 20 million dollars when all is said and done. Might I also add that D12 was born in ATL…can you say homecoming celebration?!
– $40 million cap
I must try hard here not to let my previous feelings towards the Chicago GM cloud my coverage in this article so I will try and be objective as possible. Pro #1 – They have a ton of draft picks…a ton! So their starting five, which currently consists of studs Lindsay Hunter and Daequan Cook should not look the same at all come fall. Pro #2 – Enough cap space to offer two MAX contracts to free agents. Would this be wise? No, because then you run into the same situations as the Lakers where 2, 3, 4 guys command 90% of your payroll. But still, they could if they wanted to. So where do I see them going? Anywhere. D12 would do wonders for this team, Andre Iguodala would do wonders, hell even Josh Childress would do wonders for this team…but I fear I am about to say things that will be cruel and un-professional so I draw the line here. Chicago can do whatever they please with this money and it will be an upgrade so I have all the confidence in the Bulls improving this summer. Go Bulls!
– $46 million cap (Shaun Livingston) Estimated: 41 cap
And now the big dog, big cheese, head honcho, the king, Daddy Warbucks, Mr. Moneybags. Whatever you want to call him, he stands with a youthful team, the #1 pick and over 46 million dollars in cap room. The sky’s the limit right? Wrong, Clippers have overexerted themselves in my opinion, along with 75% of the “Players” I have mentioned so far. I think we have reached the point where there will be too many cooks in the kitchen and the inevitable outcome will be accusations of unfair dealings and favoritism and a handful of teams that will find themselves with many millions in cap room still and nowhere to spend it. There simply is not enough players to go around and unfortunately, the Clippers (among many others) could quite possibly find that out the hard way.
Now, with that being said, I certainly think that the Clipps deserve a big name free agent. Before a penny of their savings is spent, they will have Mike Conley, Brandan Wright, Adam Morrison and Michael Beasley (if they draft according to need/talent). So there will certainly be an atmosphere of young-guns who are ready and anxious to take on the NBA. I sound like a broken record by now, I’m aware, but D12 would work great here (taking over for Darko at center) and so would guys like Iggy and Monta who could easily take the two and send dirty sanchez Morrison to the bench as a 6th man. Where they go with this money I don’t know. Like most teams I would guess D12, but again, he is only one man and only one team will sign him.
So in conclusion, it is certainly a buyer’s market for these big name or really any name free agents this summer and the result will be a slew of overpaid players, clogging up accountant’s books across the country. But the result of this spending will be new faces in new places and I can not wait to see how it all will pan out.
Coming soon will be an analysis of the other side of the coin and where I think players like D12 and Iggy would fit best…since we essentially showed so far that they could go anywhere from the team’s perspectives. So stay tuned, keep reading and enjoy.
Midway Monster