Show me the Money - Rockets Plan #1

The easiest way for the Rockets to solve their problems is to spend a lot of money. To do this the Rockets would have to get approval from ownership to pay a pretty hefty luxury tax bill. If they got the go ahead they could definitely add to the success that they enjoyed last year.

Step 1 - Artest

The first step in this plan is to bring Ron Artest back. Artest teamed with Shane Battier last year to be the best pair of wing defenders in the NBA. With the Rockets' lack of size inside having good wing defenders is very important to their success.

Step 2 - Move McGrady

The second step of this plan is to move the McGrady contract. Plenty of teams are looking to shed salary and with a contract as large as McGrady's (23 mil) the Rockets can surely help. The team that is most looking to shed salary also happens to be able to fill the biggest need that the Rockets have - a center.

Rockets trade Tracy McGrady (1 yr 23 mil) to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler (2 yrs 24.5 mil), James Posey (3 yrs 19.5 mil) and Antonio Daniels (1 yr 6 mil)

That trade would get Houston the big man insurance that they need while also adding another great wing defender. New Orleans would be able to shed 20 million in 2010. New Orleans would probably prefer to add Maurice Peterson instead of Daniels or do the following:

Rockets trade Tracy McGrady (1 yr 23 mil) and Brian Cook (1 yr 3.5 mil) to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler (2 yrs 24.5 mil), and Peja Stojakovic (2 yr 29.5 mil).

New Orleans would shed even more salary in this deal while the Rockets would get two productive (if healthy) players back.

The Rockets would then end up either

• Aaron Brooks/Kyle Lowry/Antonio Daniels
• Ron Artest/Jermaine Taylor/Brent Barry
• Shane Battier/James Posey/Chase Budinger/James White
• Luis Scola/Carl Landry/Chuck Hayes/Brian Cook/Joey Dorsey
• Yao Ming/Tyson Chandler

or

• Aaron Brooks/Kyle Lowry
• Ron Artest/Jermaine Taylor/Brent Barry
• Shane Battier/Peja Stojakovic/Chase Budinger/James White
• Luis Scola/Carl Landry/Chuck Hayes/Joey Dorsey
• Yao Ming/Tyson Chandler

Whichever way the deal would go down, the Rockets would improve. They would be taking on extra salary for 2010 but an Artest signing plus draft picks (they own the Suns 1st round pick in 2010) would make that point moot anyway. In this scenario they really wouldn't be adding a ton of salary for 2009 and would not be very far past the luxury tax.

Rockets Offseason Outlook

With the news that Yao Ming's foot is not healing on schedule the Houston Rockets' plans are in limbo. They will not know the full extent of Yao's most recent injury until the season is much closer. He still could heal quickly enough to not miss much, if any, of the season but could also be forced into retirement as soon as next year. The Rockets were already making the transition away from Tracy McGrady who looks like he will miss significant time again this season. Last year they made up for injuries to both of these players by adding Ron Artest and taking on a tough, defensive mindset. With Artest being an unrestricted FA even that is in jeopardy. To complicate matters further the Rockets, as currently assembled, are dangerously close to the luxury tax. There is some hope in that the Rockets have upwards of 30 million in expiring contracts. Either way the Rockets have some very tough decisions to make that could significantly alter the direction of their franchise going forward.

Current Roster

• Aaron Brooks/Kyle Lowry
• Tracy McGrady/Jermaine Taylor/Brent Barry
• Shane Battier/Chase Budinger/James White
• Luis Scola/Carl Landry/Chuck Hayes/Brian Cook/Joey Dorsey
• Yao Ming

Salary Cap

• 67 million committed to 14 players assuming Budinger and Taylor make the team
• 31 million committed to 5 players

Expiring Contracts

• Tracy McGrady (23.2)
• Brian Cook (3.5)
• Luis Scola (3.3)
• Chuck Hayes (2.1 - Team Option for 2010)
• Brent Barry (2.0)
• Kyle Lowry (2.0 - Restricted in 2010)
• Joey Dorsey (0.8 - Team Option for 2010)

Players to Re-sign

• Ron Artest

Needs

• Yao to be healthy (McGrady would be an added bonus)
• Another wing if Artest does not re-sign and McGrady is hurt
• Backup Center (Starting center if Yao misses the year)

Quick FA Primer

Similar to last year when Elton Brand was the headliner for the free agent class there are not any superstars for hire this year. If Kobe opts out of his contract that changes but after winning a championship there is very little reason for him to do so. Instead there is a group of guys that clearly have to be the second or even third best player on championship teams. That isn't to say that one of these free agents couldn't play a big role in next years champion. In fact there are a number of them that could push a team like San Antonio, Boston or Orlando over the top. Also hovering over this years class is the state of the economy and how willing teams will be to make large and/or long commitments to players when their

The player that has the best chance to influence a title contender is Rasheed Wallace. Already there are rumors linking him to Cleveland, Orlando and San Antonio. For any of those teams Rasheed would easily cause them to jump a level in the rankings. For San Antonio it would propel them to the favorites to win it all next year. Maybe we are still too intoxicated with his potential but the gifts he brings to the table are numerous even as his career is winding down. Still his combination of scoring ability, shooting, experience, versatility and defense would be a great add to any NBA team. A team like Boston or San Antonio that have built in support systems to handle his eccentric behavior would be even better.

Another interesting story is where Ben Gordon is going to get his money from. He reportedly turned down a 10 mil a year offer from the Bulls last season. The Bulls are in a great position to play hardball with John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich to fill in at SG if Gordon is not re-signed. Without Gordon the Bulls have enough 2010 cap space to bring Dwayne Wade home or entice a scoring big like Amare Stoudemire or Chris Bosh to sign. The only significant money is in Oklahoma City, Memphis and Detroit. Now that OKC has Harden, none of those places make sense for an undersized shooting guard. Stay tuned to see how another summer of tense negotiations goes for Ben Gordon and the Bulls.

Good players who will inevitably get overpaid

Carlos Boozer - if he opts out

Hedo Turkoglu

Ben Gordon

Young guys with at least some potential - Restricted

Paul Millsap

Marvin Williams

Charlie Villanueva - Milwaukee declined his option so he is no longer restricted

David Lee

Marcin Gortat

Ramon Sessions

Raymond Felton

Josh Childress

Established/Older guys that can really help teams:

Rasheed Wallace

Jason Kidd

Shawn Marion

Andre Miller

Ron Artest

Lamar Odom

Grant Hill

Memo Okur - if he opts out

Nice role players

Trevor Ariza

Anderson Varejao - if he opts out

Marquis Daniels

Antonio McDyess

Zaza Pachulia

Chris Anderson

Rashad McCants - restricted

Carlos Delfino - restricted

Drew Gooden

Anthony Parker

Top FA Ranking from NBA.com

Full FA List from ESPN

Things that made sense from the Draft

Blake Griffin - even if the Clippers have too many big guys Blake Griffin was far and away the best player in the draft.

OKC - James Harden is more athletic that people thought and fills a need for the Thunder. I don't know what the chances are of BJ Mullins actually working out but he would fill out their starting 5. They also took him late enough that it doesn't matter as much if he doesn't work out.

Ricky Rubio - We don't know if he can fit with Jonny Flynn but Rubio is one of the few players in this draft with superstar potential and they didn't have to trade up to get him.

Earl Clark - Could really be a homerun playing next to Amare. They can run again and should be really fun to watch with Clark and Stoudemire running the floor.

DeJuan Blair - Fits a need for the Spurs and they took him really late. They seem to always work the draft well.

Knicks - Filling a need with Jordan Hill and Darko they don't have to pay David Lee and take up valuable 2010 cap space.

One Man's Trash...

Jamal Crawford - 2 yr, 19.5 million

for

Acie Law - 1 yr, 2.2 million then TO

Speedy Claxton - 1 yr, 5.2 million

I like this move for the Hawks. They get a fairly productive player for really nothing. Crawford and Joe Johnson are an interesting backcourt as both guys can handle the ball and are pretty versatile offensively. Crawford is no stud on defense but neither was Mike Bibby. The nicest thing is that the Hawks are able to gain back 7.4 million of productive cap which they desperately needed. Now they are hovering at 43 million or so and have a 7 million restricted offer for Marvin Williams. They will still have only the mid-level to offer unless they renounce the rights to Josh Childress but it will be better used than being forced to resign Mike Bibby. If they resign Flip Murray and Zaza Pachulia then grab a PG at 19 they should be set for next season. A PF would make sense in the draft too.

Crawford/(Ty Lawson/Jeff Teague/Eric Maynor)

Joe Johnson/Mo Evans/Flip Murray

Marvin Williams (restricted)

Josh Smith

Al Horford/Zaza Pachulia/Randolph Morris

Golden State will be able to save some money by getting insurance money for Speedy Claxton. They also will have some 2010 cap room or it gives them 13 million in expiring contracts. They really didn't need Jamal Crawford and in fact he probably would have caused more issues just by being present. The trade is a really excellent example of two teams swapping their undesirable parts and having them make a lot more sense in their new home.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4284512

Actual McHale Redo

Mike Miller - 1 yr, 9.75 million

Randy Foye - 1 yr, 3.5 million then restricted FA

for

Etan Thomas - 1 yr, 7.3 million

Darius Songalia - 1 yr, 4.5 million then PO for 4.8 million

Oleksiy Pecherov - 1 yr, 1.5 million then TO for 2.3 million

#5

Plusses

Wizards

• Get a shooter
• Get a backup guard
• Dump money and a bad contract
• Could potentially get under luxury tax with another move

Timberwolves

• Get another draft pick
• Don't have to make a decision about Foye
• Really leaving McHale's decisions behind them

Minuses

Wizards

• ???

Timberwolves

• Less 2010 cap room
• Have to hit on #5 pick - tough to evaluate until draft is over

This trade definitely changes what the Timberwolves do in the draft. If everything went their way (really unlikely) the draft goes Thabeet at 5, Harden at 6, Lawson at 18 and Budinger/Ellington/Green at 28. The Timberwolves then end up

• Ty Lawson/Sebastian Telfair/Bobby Brown
• James Harden/Rodney Carney(TO)
• Ryan Gomes/Corey Brewer/(Budinger/Ellington/Green)
• Al Jefferson/Kevin Love/Mark Madsen/Brian Cardinal/Craig Smith/Shelden Williams(TO)/Darius Songalia
• Hasheem Thabeet/Etan Thomas/Oleksiy Pecherov

Or Rubio at 5, Harden at 6, BJ Mullens at 18 and Budinger/Ellington/Green at 28. The Timberwolves then end up

• Ricky Rubio/Sebastian Telfair/Bobby Brown
• James Harden/Rodney Carney(TO)
• Ryan Gomes/Corey Brewer/(Budinger/Ellington/Green)
• Al Jefferson/Kevin Love/Mark Madsen/Brian Cardinal/Craig Smith/Shelden Williams(TO)/Darius Songalia
• BJ Mullens/Etan Thomas/Oleksiy Pecherov

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4282279

Bucks Salary Dump

Richard Jefferson

for

Bruce Bowen

Fabricio Oberto

Kurt Thomas

Plusses

Spurs

• Get a small forward that can defend and pick up some of the scoring load
• Another team oriented veteran
• Didn't give up much
• Much better equipped to handle an injury to Manu Ginobli

Bucks

• Financial relief (3 mil) - more (7 mil total) if they cut Bruce Bowen as his contract is not guaranteed
• 15 million off the books for 2010
• Allows more freedom to re-sign restricted FA Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva
• Open up playing time for Joe Alexander
• Get a PF - don't necessarily have to draft one or re-sign Villanueva

Minuses

Spurs

• Less 2010 cap space although filling it with a player like Richard Jefferson is a good idea
• Jefferson is not a great 3 point shooter

Bucks

• Not nearly the same talent level coming in as what went out

UPDATE

Reportedly the Bucks are going to move Oberto to Detroit for Amir Johnson so Charlie Villanueva is probably out of luck if he is looking for a long term contract from the Bucks.

McHale Redo

Inspired by this rumor.

Mike Miller - 1 yr, 9.75 million

for

Chris Kaman - 3 yrs, 34 million

Why it happens

Timberwolves

• Get a center and a really good big rotation with Jefferson, Love and Kaman
• Find out who Corey Brewer really is

Clippers

• Move a big
• Get another shooter to create space for Griffin/Randolph and Baron Davis
• A lot of cap space in 2010 (LeBron in LA with Boom Dizzle, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin anybody?)

Why it doesn't happen

Timberwolves

• Less cap space in 2010

Clippers

• Miller is only signed for this coming year
• Could possibly get a better return for Kaman

Other Variations

• Timberwolves could include one of their first round (or future picks)

Written from the Timberwolves perspective, ideally after this deal the draft goes Harden at 6, Lawson at 18 and Budinger/Ellington/Green at 28. The Timberwolves then end up

• Randy Foye/Ty Lawson/Sebastian Telfair/Bobby Brown
• James Harden/Rodney Carney(TO)
• Ryan Gomes/Corey Brewer/(Budinger/Ellington/Green)
• Al Jefferson/Kevin Love/Mark Madsen/Brian Cardinal/Craig Smith/Shelden Williams(TO)
• Chris Kaman

Minnesota Offseason Outlook

The end of the Kevin McHale era is finally here. It couldn't be coming at a better time given his history of botching the draft, among other things, as the Timberwolves truly have a chance to turn things around. They have a young horse to build around in Al Jefferson and another promising big in Kevin Love. They have a stable of draft picks, a ton of expiring contracts and potentially enough cap room in 2010 to sign a couple major free agents. On top of that the Timberwolves had a really good run in January before Jefferson got hurt going 10 - 4 for the month. With all that hope and promise the truth is that Al Jefferson and Corey Brewer went down with ACL tears during last season and even with a large amount of cap room it might be tough to get people to come to Minnesota. New GM David Kahn definitely has work cut out for him but he has enough pieces to build this team into a contender down the road if he makes the right choices.

Current Roster

• Randy Foye/Sebastian Telfair/Bobby Brown
• Mike Miller/Rodney Carney(TO)
• Ryan Gomes/Corey Brewer
• Kevin Love/Mark Madsen/Brian Cardinal/Craig Smith/Shelden Williams(TO)
• Al Jefferson

Salary Cap

• They are around 51 million committed without Carney (2.5) and Williams (4.3)
• 23 million committed to
• With three picks in the first round they essentially have no extra cap room

Expiring Contracts

• Mike Miller (9.75)
• Brian Cardinal (6.75)
• Williams (4.3 - team option)
• Ryan Gomes (3.8)
• Randy Foye (3.5)
• Corey Brewer (2.9)
• Mark Madsen (2.8)
• Rodney Carney (2.5 - team option)
• Bobby Brown (1)

Players to Re-sign

• None

Needs

• A big PG so Foye can play SG
• Find another really good/great player to pair with Al Jefferson
• At least one true NBA center on the roster
• Al Jefferson to come back healthy from his ACL tear

Draft Picks

• First Round - #6, #18, #28
• Second Round - #45, #47

Please, Please, Please Take Zach!

Zack Randolph - 2 yrs, $33.5 mil

for

Luke Ridnour - 1 yr, $6.5 mil

Dan Gadzuric - 2 yrs, $14 mil

Charlie Bell - 3 yrs, $11.5 mil

Why it happens

Clippers:

• Dump Randolph
• Get a backup PG
• Extra cap room in 2010

Bucks:

• Get a PF
• Get rid of 2 bad contracts
• Already over the cap for 2010

Why it doesn't happen

Clippers:

• None

Bucks:

• Randolph wouldn't fit well with Skiles
• No experienced PG - unless they resign Ramon Sessions

Clippers Offseason Outlook

The major decision of the Clippers off-season is what it would take to move the number one pick. Closely tied to that decision is determining what the difference between Griffin and Ricky Rubio is. If the difference is not very large, in their opinion, then they would have a couple really nice options to trade down. Most likely they will keep the pick.

When that happens they really need to move a big guy. Ideally that guy would be Zach Randolph. He is not a guy that you want young players to be around. The Blazers realized this a couple of years ago when they dumped Randolph for absolutely nothing just so that they could get him out of town and away from their young players. Even if the Clippers get nothing back, like the Blazers, moving Randolph would be a positive. In contrast to Randolph, Marcus Camby is a guy that you want young players to be around. Bottom line, they cannot trade Camby and let Blake Griffin go through his formative NBA years alongside Zach Randolph and Chris Kaman. Somebody has to go and it has to be either Randolph or Kaman.

Current Roster

Baron Davis/Mardy Collins/Mike Taylor

Eric Gordon/Ricky Davis (PO)

Al Thornton

Zach Randolph

Chris Kaman/Marcus Camby/DeAndre Jordan

Salary Cap

• 61 million for 11 Players (53 million for 9 players in 2010)
• Assumes they make at least a top 5 pick

Expiring Contracts

• Marcus Camby (7.6)
• Ricky Davis (2.5 - PO)
• Mardy Collins (1.8 - Restricted)

Players to Re-sign

• None

Needs

• Backup G
• Backup SF
• Move a big

Draft Picks

• 1st - Blake Griffin