This past offseason, Sam Presti decided to allow the Orlando Magic to overpay Rashard Lewis. To do so, Seattle and Orlando agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that allowed them to gain an eight million dollar trade exception. Rather than holding onto that extra money, Presti did a masterful job of converting it into a handful of extra assets.
The first move, was to acquire veteran forward Kurt Thomas and the Phoenix Suns' first round draft choices in 2008 and 2010 for a conditional second round draft choice. Phoenix needed to clear Thomas from their payroll and Seattle was able to leverage their trade exception into multiple assets.
Then on Wednesday night, the Sonics traded Thomas to the Spurs for guard Brent Barry, center Francisco Elson, and a 2009 first round draft pick. Both Barry and Elson are in their last year of their contracts and will fall off the payroll this summer.
Presti said after making the trade with the Spurs, "looking at the first-round pick, in combination with our other future picks, we have great flexibility to add to our core or acquire another impact player in the future. At the same time, Kurt is a tremendous person and player, and I appreciate his contributions this season and wish him success."
Seattle has 13 draft picks over the next three years, including six in the first round - two each season. After next season, Luke Ridnour, Earl Watson, Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Damien Wilkins, and Johan Petro are the only SuperSonics currently under contract. Presti has plenty of flexiblity and some intriguing young players to be big time players within the next few years.
Showing posts with label Jeff Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Green. Show all posts
Friday, February 22, 2008
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Reaction from Bill Simmons' Annual Trade Value Column
Here is the link for the column:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071218
Some parts I really liked:
-When you strike the jackpot with a first-round pick in the 20s, it's like a double jackpot because you're locking up a young contributor at an obscenely low price. To wit: Rondo (No. 21 in 2006) and David Lee (No. 27 in 2005) make a combined $11 million total over the next three seasons.
This is a great point. Just looking at this years draft - Jeff Green was the fifth pick and Alando Tucker was the twenty-ninth pick. Green is scheduled to make $3,058,200 this year and more than fourteen million dollars over the first four years of his deal. Tucker stands to make $931,920 this year and less than six million dollars in the first four years of his deal. If Tucker becomes a significant player in their rotation, they are getting a guy who is wrapped up in a long-term deal for basically minimal money. Most likely, Green will play at or near contract level, but if he's a bust, then they are locked up in a long-term deal that could hamper their franchise. With Tucker, if he's bad, it makes a minor impact on the franchise.
-Andre Iguodala: This summer's Gerald Wallace, a quality supporting guy forced to become "The Guy" on a lottery team -- with bad results, of course -- who now wants to be overpaid because he was miscast for a few months as "The Guy." But wait, what would you have done without me. I carried us to 26 wins! Love that logic.
This is one point I often make when in discussions about players. If Andre Iguodala/Ron Artest/Luol Deng/Michael Redd/Gerald Wallace is your best player, you're probably not going to be a good team. Now of course, the exception is that you have a lot of players with equal talent level. However, this rule is generally correct.
Nevertheless, the point Simmons makes here is when a teams best player is looking for an extension and they are coming off a bad team, more logic needs to be used. Josh Smith in Atlanta, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon in Chicago, and Iguodala in Philadelphia are all up for extensions after this season. Each one of these four could be considered the best player on a potential non-playoff team. It'll be interesting to see how each general manager deals with the dilemma.
-25. Al Horford
His ceiling: Elton Brand with a better low-post game. I loved how he was traumatized by his inadvertent role in T.J. Ford's latest injury and spent most of the night with Ford at the hospital to make sure he was
24. Greg Oden
His ceiling: Patrick Ewing, only if Ewing had major wrist surgery and microfracture knee surgery before even playing an NBA game.
23. Josh Smith
His ceiling: Andrei Kirilenko with a better everything. Although the sourpuss worries me. Would you want to pay someone $75 million this summer when he always looks like he just finished watching that infamous Internet video that involves more than one girl and a cup?
22. Andrew Bynum
His ceiling: The NBA's best center not named "Dwight Howard" or "Yao Ming."
21. Al Jefferson
His ceiling: The next Kevin McHale, only if McHale couldn't guard anyone. Hey, did you enjoy how I broke the "don't compare white guys with black guys" media rule twice in the same section? I couldn't be prouder.
This is the main way I like to look at the NBA Draft. For a team like the Bulls who appeared to be ready to make a run for the championship, I was able to rationalize selecting a player with a low ceiling like Joakim Noah this year. They just needed to fill in some bench spots, so they selected a guy who would be ready immediately. The type of move I have a problem with is the type of decision Minnesota made in the 2005 draft.
Rather than selecting a guy with a higher ceiling like Danny Granger or Gerald Green, the Timberwolves chose Rashad McCants. McCants was an impact college player, who is clearly undersized and unable to standout in the NBA at the shooting position. He struggles to defend, had shown some selfishness, and isn't a great distributer.
The same arguement is there for the Hawks selection of Shelden Williams in the 2006 draft. Coming out of Duke, Williams was seen as a great rebounder, who worked hard. Most people though saw him to have a low ceiling because of a lack of athleticism and a knack for giving up big games to talented post players. He doesn't have a great deal of post moves and has passing ability had been questioned. The Hawks passed on two players with much higher ceilings - Rudy Gay and Brandon Roy. Both posses great size and athleticism and would fit well at the shooting guard or small forward spots in Atlanta.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071218
Some parts I really liked:
-When you strike the jackpot with a first-round pick in the 20s, it's like a double jackpot because you're locking up a young contributor at an obscenely low price. To wit: Rondo (No. 21 in 2006) and David Lee (No. 27 in 2005) make a combined $11 million total over the next three seasons.
This is a great point. Just looking at this years draft - Jeff Green was the fifth pick and Alando Tucker was the twenty-ninth pick. Green is scheduled to make $3,058,200 this year and more than fourteen million dollars over the first four years of his deal. Tucker stands to make $931,920 this year and less than six million dollars in the first four years of his deal. If Tucker becomes a significant player in their rotation, they are getting a guy who is wrapped up in a long-term deal for basically minimal money. Most likely, Green will play at or near contract level, but if he's a bust, then they are locked up in a long-term deal that could hamper their franchise. With Tucker, if he's bad, it makes a minor impact on the franchise.
-Andre Iguodala: This summer's Gerald Wallace, a quality supporting guy forced to become "The Guy" on a lottery team -- with bad results, of course -- who now wants to be overpaid because he was miscast for a few months as "The Guy." But wait, what would you have done without me. I carried us to 26 wins! Love that logic.
This is one point I often make when in discussions about players. If Andre Iguodala/Ron Artest/Luol Deng/Michael Redd/Gerald Wallace is your best player, you're probably not going to be a good team. Now of course, the exception is that you have a lot of players with equal talent level. However, this rule is generally correct.
Nevertheless, the point Simmons makes here is when a teams best player is looking for an extension and they are coming off a bad team, more logic needs to be used. Josh Smith in Atlanta, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon in Chicago, and Iguodala in Philadelphia are all up for extensions after this season. Each one of these four could be considered the best player on a potential non-playoff team. It'll be interesting to see how each general manager deals with the dilemma.
-25. Al Horford
His ceiling: Elton Brand with a better low-post game. I loved how he was traumatized by his inadvertent role in T.J. Ford's latest injury and spent most of the night with Ford at the hospital to make sure he was
24. Greg Oden
His ceiling: Patrick Ewing, only if Ewing had major wrist surgery and microfracture knee surgery before even playing an NBA game.
23. Josh Smith
His ceiling: Andrei Kirilenko with a better everything. Although the sourpuss worries me. Would you want to pay someone $75 million this summer when he always looks like he just finished watching that infamous Internet video that involves more than one girl and a cup?
22. Andrew Bynum
His ceiling: The NBA's best center not named "Dwight Howard" or "Yao Ming."
21. Al Jefferson
His ceiling: The next Kevin McHale, only if McHale couldn't guard anyone. Hey, did you enjoy how I broke the "don't compare white guys with black guys" media rule twice in the same section? I couldn't be prouder.
This is the main way I like to look at the NBA Draft. For a team like the Bulls who appeared to be ready to make a run for the championship, I was able to rationalize selecting a player with a low ceiling like Joakim Noah this year. They just needed to fill in some bench spots, so they selected a guy who would be ready immediately. The type of move I have a problem with is the type of decision Minnesota made in the 2005 draft.
Rather than selecting a guy with a higher ceiling like Danny Granger or Gerald Green, the Timberwolves chose Rashad McCants. McCants was an impact college player, who is clearly undersized and unable to standout in the NBA at the shooting position. He struggles to defend, had shown some selfishness, and isn't a great distributer.
The same arguement is there for the Hawks selection of Shelden Williams in the 2006 draft. Coming out of Duke, Williams was seen as a great rebounder, who worked hard. Most people though saw him to have a low ceiling because of a lack of athleticism and a knack for giving up big games to talented post players. He doesn't have a great deal of post moves and has passing ability had been questioned. The Hawks passed on two players with much higher ceilings - Rudy Gay and Brandon Roy. Both posses great size and athleticism and would fit well at the shooting guard or small forward spots in Atlanta.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
From Intern to General Manager
On June 7, the Seattle SuperSonics hired Sam Presti as their new general manager. Presti became the youngest current general manager in the NBA at thirty years old. He also became the second youngest general manager in league history to Jerry Colangelo, who was 28 years old when he took the job with the Phoenix Suns in 1968.
Presti was born in Concord, Massachusetts. His career started in high school when he was the captain of the Emerson College basketball team. While at Emerson, he was a Rhodes Scholar candidate and the first in the school’s history. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2000 in communications, politics and law.
In 2000, he began his career in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs. Presti began with the Spurs as an intern making $250 a week. After one season, he was named the team’s basketball special assistant. In September 2002, he was promoted to assistant director of scouting. The Spurs named Presti the director of player personnel in September 2003, and then became the Spurs assistant general manager in September of 2005.
Presti launched himself through the Spurs organization when he led the design and implementation of the Spurs scouting database, a system that is now being used by numerous teams throughout the NBA. He spent valuable time around great leaders like Avery Johnson, Danny Ferry, Steve Kerr, Terry Porter, Peter Holt, Greg Popovich, R.C. Buford, and P.J. Carlesimo.
Presti stresses his belief in team defense and strong character players. He also values versatile players, who fit into the team’s system. He has said that taking responsiblity for performance and effort is something that he holds highly.
During the first two months of his time with Seattle, Presti already has experienced a great deal. Seattle is threatening to relocate under their new ownership, led by Clay Bennett. He has also added Kurt Thomas, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak, and Deltone West, while trading Ray Allen and their 2007 draft pick, which became Glen Davis. Additionally, Presti hired Carlesimo, who he worked with in San Antonio. Presti also allowed Rashard Lewis to leave for Orlando for a maximum value contract.
In a short time, Presti has begun to shape Seattle into the contender that the Spurs have been over the last decade. With Durant and Green leading the way, along with cap flexibility and future first round picks, the SuperSonics should turnaround their fortunes quickly.
Presti was born in Concord, Massachusetts. His career started in high school when he was the captain of the Emerson College basketball team. While at Emerson, he was a Rhodes Scholar candidate and the first in the school’s history. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2000 in communications, politics and law.
In 2000, he began his career in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs. Presti began with the Spurs as an intern making $250 a week. After one season, he was named the team’s basketball special assistant. In September 2002, he was promoted to assistant director of scouting. The Spurs named Presti the director of player personnel in September 2003, and then became the Spurs assistant general manager in September of 2005.
Presti launched himself through the Spurs organization when he led the design and implementation of the Spurs scouting database, a system that is now being used by numerous teams throughout the NBA. He spent valuable time around great leaders like Avery Johnson, Danny Ferry, Steve Kerr, Terry Porter, Peter Holt, Greg Popovich, R.C. Buford, and P.J. Carlesimo.
Presti stresses his belief in team defense and strong character players. He also values versatile players, who fit into the team’s system. He has said that taking responsiblity for performance and effort is something that he holds highly.
During the first two months of his time with Seattle, Presti already has experienced a great deal. Seattle is threatening to relocate under their new ownership, led by Clay Bennett. He has also added Kurt Thomas, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak, and Deltone West, while trading Ray Allen and their 2007 draft pick, which became Glen Davis. Additionally, Presti hired Carlesimo, who he worked with in San Antonio. Presti also allowed Rashard Lewis to leave for Orlando for a maximum value contract.
In a short time, Presti has begun to shape Seattle into the contender that the Spurs have been over the last decade. With Durant and Green leading the way, along with cap flexibility and future first round picks, the SuperSonics should turnaround their fortunes quickly.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
What does Sam Presti do next?
Newly hired Sam Presti has been busy already this summer, drafting Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, and trading Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Additionally, Presti was able to acquire Delonte West and a trade exception from the Magic worth $9,350,000.
Although the other team got the better player in the trades of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, Presti was able to acquire some valuable assets and provide flexibility for his team. With Allen, the Sonics were able to create future cap relief, as well as, bring in West who could be promising. West is a lefthander who has a strong outside shot, especially from midrange, and good quickness and athleticism. He's not a natural point guard, however, as it's not his instinct to drive and dish and he doesn't push the ball well in transition. West is better in halfcourt set-ups where he can use his size to shoot over opponents, and he's a very good spot-up shooter when he plays off the ball. He has the tools to be an outstanding defender, but is not quite there yet. The trade of Allen also brought in Jeff Green, who seemingly is a perfect talent to put next to Durant.
Rashard Lewis left as a part of a sign-and-trade with Orlando. The Sonics and Rockets competed with the Magic for Lewis’ services, but in the end Orlando outbid everyone. Many have criticized the Magic for giving Lewis a sixth year in his contract when the Sonics were not going to match the five year offer in itself. Presti was smart enough to realize that overpaying for Lewis would not be smart for the long-term success of his team.
Presti recently was quoted as saying: "The exception has made me the most popular person in the gym (Thomas & Mack Center) the last 24 hours. We have to be smart about how to utilize it. If the right opportunity comes along, we won't hesitate to use it.”
So what is the next move for Presti? I believe that Presti should package some of the assets he has remaining to continue to rebuild the Sonics around his two young wing players. The assets that Seattle has in its pocket include:
*$9,350,000 trade exception from Orlando Magic
The trade exception expires after one year if it has not been used. It can be very valuable in an effort to bring in premium talent.
*Delonte West
2007-08 Contract: $1,889,759
2008-09 Contract: Qualifying offer of $276,282,800
2009-10 Contract: Potentially Unrestricted Free Agent
West could be very valuable to a team looking for an experienced, big guard to add to their backcourt.
*Wally Szczerbiak
2007-08 Contract: $12,000,000
2008-09 Contract: $13,000,000
2009-10 Contract: Unrestricted Free Agent
Szczerbiak has played at a high-level in the past and is a tremendous shooter. His contract likely will be a bigger asset to other teams than his talent.
*Chris Wilcox
2007-08 Contract: $6,500,000
2008-09 Contract: $6,750,000
2009-10 Contract: Unrestricted Free Agent
Wilcox is an outstanding leaper and great finisher around the basket. He rebounds the ball well, but does not bring much to the table from the offensive side and can still improve a great deal on defense. For a team looking to bring in another big body to bring off the bench, Wilcox would be a good fit. His contract expiring after the 2008-09 season would also be attractive to many teams.
*Luke Ridnour
$19,500,000 over the next three years
Ridnour is an experienced point guard having started there since the 2004-05 season. He fell out-of-favor with his coaches in the second half of the season and had a disappointing season. However, he maintains a strong assist-to-turnover ratio and gets to the basket fairly well. The biggest knock on Ridnour in the past has been his poor defense. He has quick hands and decent anticipation, but zero strength, average lateral movement, and can be shot over. He can be a nice addition for a team looking for a point guard who can eat up some minutes.
*21 year old, athletic centers
Robert Swift, Saer Sene, Johan Petro
Each one of these three do not make more than $3,000,000 per season and have great potential. Nobody in the group has played significant time in their career, but were all at one point first round picks. Swift missed last season when he blew out his knee in a preseason game, but in the past he has shown the ability to pass in the post and stay active. Sene most likely has the most upside of the group. He has wowed scouts in the past with his athleticism and shot-blocking ability. Petro is a great athlete, but has not been able to grasp the subtle aspects of offense. He generally looks to dunk the ball around the basket and has shown a decent short hook shot. He needs to develop some more post moves and improve in his team defense.
So, what should Presti do with this group of assets? I would look to acquire more talent to help the progression of Durant and Green. Some options at the point guard position would include: Jarrett Jack, Jose Calderon, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Mike Bibby. In the post, Marvin Williams, Jermaine O’Neal, Shelden Williams, and Drew Gooden may be available.
What would I do if I were Presti? I would offer the Pacers, Johan Petro ($1,077,120), Wally Szczerbiak ($12,775,000), Delonte West ($1,889,760), the $9,350,000 trade exception, and Seattle’s first round pick next year for Jermaine O’Neal ($19,728,000) and Jamaal Tinsley ($6,300,000). This trade would bring the Sonics back a top-knotch post player in O'Neal, who would play a similar role that Tim Duncan has played with the Spurs. A combination of Tinsley and Ridnour at point guard, Jeff Green at shooting guard, Kevin Durant at small forward, Nick Collison at power forward, and Jermaine O'Neal at center would be a great start towards the Sonics climb to the top of the West.
The Pacers should do this trade because of the great flexibility and the specific talents it gives them. The Pacers plan to alter their style of play this year under newly hired coach, Jim O'Brien. O'Brien recently said, "We're going to shoot the 3. I don't know (how often), but we're going to shoot the 3." Additionally, he said, "I can't have enough perimeter shooters." With this trade, he would be getting more perimeter-type players. West would immediately step into the starting point guard spot for the Pacers, and Szcazerbiak would provide the outside shooting they have missed since Peja Stojakovic left in free agency. Also, Petro would be an intriguing player the Pacers would be able to develop.
From a financial prespective, all the players the Pacers would receive in this trade could be off their payroll after the 2008-09 season. Including Tinsley in the trade would also be very attractive to the Pacers. He has four years remaining in his contract and clearly fell out-of-favor with Indiana's management last year. With the Sonics first round pick included in the trade, the Pacers would gain additional flexibility to rebuild their squad.
At this point, there have not been much reports of Seattle making another meeting immediately, but if I were Presti and the Sonics, I would surely go ahead and call the Pacers to try and pry away O'Neal. With O'Neal (28), Green (20), and Durant (18) as their core, the Sonics would definitely contend for the title for years to come.
Although the other team got the better player in the trades of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, Presti was able to acquire some valuable assets and provide flexibility for his team. With Allen, the Sonics were able to create future cap relief, as well as, bring in West who could be promising. West is a lefthander who has a strong outside shot, especially from midrange, and good quickness and athleticism. He's not a natural point guard, however, as it's not his instinct to drive and dish and he doesn't push the ball well in transition. West is better in halfcourt set-ups where he can use his size to shoot over opponents, and he's a very good spot-up shooter when he plays off the ball. He has the tools to be an outstanding defender, but is not quite there yet. The trade of Allen also brought in Jeff Green, who seemingly is a perfect talent to put next to Durant.
Rashard Lewis left as a part of a sign-and-trade with Orlando. The Sonics and Rockets competed with the Magic for Lewis’ services, but in the end Orlando outbid everyone. Many have criticized the Magic for giving Lewis a sixth year in his contract when the Sonics were not going to match the five year offer in itself. Presti was smart enough to realize that overpaying for Lewis would not be smart for the long-term success of his team.
Presti recently was quoted as saying: "The exception has made me the most popular person in the gym (Thomas & Mack Center) the last 24 hours. We have to be smart about how to utilize it. If the right opportunity comes along, we won't hesitate to use it.”
So what is the next move for Presti? I believe that Presti should package some of the assets he has remaining to continue to rebuild the Sonics around his two young wing players. The assets that Seattle has in its pocket include:
*$9,350,000 trade exception from Orlando Magic
The trade exception expires after one year if it has not been used. It can be very valuable in an effort to bring in premium talent.
*Delonte West
2007-08 Contract: $1,889,759
2008-09 Contract: Qualifying offer of $276,282,800
2009-10 Contract: Potentially Unrestricted Free Agent
West could be very valuable to a team looking for an experienced, big guard to add to their backcourt.
*Wally Szczerbiak
2007-08 Contract: $12,000,000
2008-09 Contract: $13,000,000
2009-10 Contract: Unrestricted Free Agent
Szczerbiak has played at a high-level in the past and is a tremendous shooter. His contract likely will be a bigger asset to other teams than his talent.
*Chris Wilcox
2007-08 Contract: $6,500,000
2008-09 Contract: $6,750,000
2009-10 Contract: Unrestricted Free Agent
Wilcox is an outstanding leaper and great finisher around the basket. He rebounds the ball well, but does not bring much to the table from the offensive side and can still improve a great deal on defense. For a team looking to bring in another big body to bring off the bench, Wilcox would be a good fit. His contract expiring after the 2008-09 season would also be attractive to many teams.
*Luke Ridnour
$19,500,000 over the next three years
Ridnour is an experienced point guard having started there since the 2004-05 season. He fell out-of-favor with his coaches in the second half of the season and had a disappointing season. However, he maintains a strong assist-to-turnover ratio and gets to the basket fairly well. The biggest knock on Ridnour in the past has been his poor defense. He has quick hands and decent anticipation, but zero strength, average lateral movement, and can be shot over. He can be a nice addition for a team looking for a point guard who can eat up some minutes.
*21 year old, athletic centers
Robert Swift, Saer Sene, Johan Petro
Each one of these three do not make more than $3,000,000 per season and have great potential. Nobody in the group has played significant time in their career, but were all at one point first round picks. Swift missed last season when he blew out his knee in a preseason game, but in the past he has shown the ability to pass in the post and stay active. Sene most likely has the most upside of the group. He has wowed scouts in the past with his athleticism and shot-blocking ability. Petro is a great athlete, but has not been able to grasp the subtle aspects of offense. He generally looks to dunk the ball around the basket and has shown a decent short hook shot. He needs to develop some more post moves and improve in his team defense.
So, what should Presti do with this group of assets? I would look to acquire more talent to help the progression of Durant and Green. Some options at the point guard position would include: Jarrett Jack, Jose Calderon, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Mike Bibby. In the post, Marvin Williams, Jermaine O’Neal, Shelden Williams, and Drew Gooden may be available.
What would I do if I were Presti? I would offer the Pacers, Johan Petro ($1,077,120), Wally Szczerbiak ($12,775,000), Delonte West ($1,889,760), the $9,350,000 trade exception, and Seattle’s first round pick next year for Jermaine O’Neal ($19,728,000) and Jamaal Tinsley ($6,300,000). This trade would bring the Sonics back a top-knotch post player in O'Neal, who would play a similar role that Tim Duncan has played with the Spurs. A combination of Tinsley and Ridnour at point guard, Jeff Green at shooting guard, Kevin Durant at small forward, Nick Collison at power forward, and Jermaine O'Neal at center would be a great start towards the Sonics climb to the top of the West.
The Pacers should do this trade because of the great flexibility and the specific talents it gives them. The Pacers plan to alter their style of play this year under newly hired coach, Jim O'Brien. O'Brien recently said, "We're going to shoot the 3. I don't know (how often), but we're going to shoot the 3." Additionally, he said, "I can't have enough perimeter shooters." With this trade, he would be getting more perimeter-type players. West would immediately step into the starting point guard spot for the Pacers, and Szcazerbiak would provide the outside shooting they have missed since Peja Stojakovic left in free agency. Also, Petro would be an intriguing player the Pacers would be able to develop.
From a financial prespective, all the players the Pacers would receive in this trade could be off their payroll after the 2008-09 season. Including Tinsley in the trade would also be very attractive to the Pacers. He has four years remaining in his contract and clearly fell out-of-favor with Indiana's management last year. With the Sonics first round pick included in the trade, the Pacers would gain additional flexibility to rebuild their squad.
At this point, there have not been much reports of Seattle making another meeting immediately, but if I were Presti and the Sonics, I would surely go ahead and call the Pacers to try and pry away O'Neal. With O'Neal (28), Green (20), and Durant (18) as their core, the Sonics would definitely contend for the title for years to come.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Sam Presti Looks to Summer 2009 to Make a Big Splash
As new SuperSonics general manager, Sam Presti, begins to build his team, he clearly has an eye on the summer of 2009. With shooting guard, Jeff Green, and small forward, Kevin Durant, to build around, Presti will be looking to add to his squad.
Fortunately, at that time, he will have several major contracts coming off his payroll, including:
Wally Szczerbiak - $13,000,000
Chris Wilcox - $6,750,000
Robert Swift - $3,579,131
Delonte West - $2,762,828
At that time, only Luke Ridnour, Earl Watson, Nick Collison, Damien Wilkens, Saer Sene, Johan Petro, Durant, and Green will remain on the payroll. Those eight players total at $22,650,000.
So, if Presti wants to add some major talent at that time, what will be available? Well, if he’s looking for an all-star, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Chris Paul, Carlos Boozer, and Kevin Garnett may be on the market. If Presti is looking for an emerging star, he may have his choices of Andrew Bynum, Channing Frye, David Lee, Danny Granger, Gerald Green, Jason Maxiell, Marvin Williams, and Raymond Felton. If he thinks that he just needs to add a veteran to his squad to push them over the top, Andre Miller, Drew Gooden, Eddy Curry, and Lamar Odom could be options.
So along with acquiring two building blocks on this past draft night, Presti also set his team up to acquire more talent down the line. It may not be long until Presti has success in building Seattle into the Spurs of the northwest.
Fortunately, at that time, he will have several major contracts coming off his payroll, including:
Wally Szczerbiak - $13,000,000
Chris Wilcox - $6,750,000
Robert Swift - $3,579,131
Delonte West - $2,762,828
At that time, only Luke Ridnour, Earl Watson, Nick Collison, Damien Wilkens, Saer Sene, Johan Petro, Durant, and Green will remain on the payroll. Those eight players total at $22,650,000.
So, if Presti wants to add some major talent at that time, what will be available? Well, if he’s looking for an all-star, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Chris Paul, Carlos Boozer, and Kevin Garnett may be on the market. If Presti is looking for an emerging star, he may have his choices of Andrew Bynum, Channing Frye, David Lee, Danny Granger, Gerald Green, Jason Maxiell, Marvin Williams, and Raymond Felton. If he thinks that he just needs to add a veteran to his squad to push them over the top, Andre Miller, Drew Gooden, Eddy Curry, and Lamar Odom could be options.
So along with acquiring two building blocks on this past draft night, Presti also set his team up to acquire more talent down the line. It may not be long until Presti has success in building Seattle into the Spurs of the northwest.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
My 2007 Mock Draft
The NBA Draft is tonight and there certainly should be a great deal of movement. With many star players rumored to move, the draft slots may not look anything like they do right now, but I will try to predict where the players will fall.
1.) Portland: Greg Oden, C, Ohio State
2.) Seattle: Kevin Durant, SF, Texas
3.) Atlanta: Mike Conley, PG, Ohio State
4.) Memphis: Brandan Wright, SF, Milwaukee
5.) Boston: Al Horford, PF, Florida
6.) Milwaukee: Corey Brewer, SF, Florida
7.) Minnesota: Jeff Green, SF, Georgetown
8.) Charlotte: Joakim Noah, PF, Florida
9.) Chicago: Yi Jianlian, PF, China
10.) Sacramento: Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
11.) Atlanta: Javaris Crittenton, PG, Georgia Tech
12.) Philadelphia: Julian Wright, PF, Kansas
13.) New Orleans: Nick Young, SG, USC
14.) LA Clippers: Acie Law, PG, Texas A&M
15.) Detroit: Thaddeus Young, SF, Georgia Tech
16.) Washington: Al Thornton, SF, Florida State
17.) New Jersey: Jason Smith, PF, Colorado State
18.) Golden State: Marco Belinelli, SG, Italy
19.) LA Lakers: Rodney Stuckey, PG, Eastern Washington
20.) Miami: Derrick Byers, SF, Vanderbilt
21.) Philadelphia: Rudy Fernandez, PG/SG, Spain
22.) Charlotte: Jared Dudley, SF, Boston College
23.) New York: Wilson Chandler, SF, DePaul
24.) Phoenix: Petteri Koponen, PG, Finland
25.) Utah: Daequan Cook, SG, Ohio State
26.) Houston: Nick Fazekas, PF, Nevada
27.) Detroit: Gabe Pruitt, PG/SG, Golden State
28.) San Antonio: Morris Almond, SG, Rice
29.) Phoenix: Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil
30.) Philadelphia: Josh McRoberts, PF, Duke
1.) Portland: Greg Oden, C, Ohio State
2.) Seattle: Kevin Durant, SF, Texas
3.) Atlanta: Mike Conley, PG, Ohio State
4.) Memphis: Brandan Wright, SF, Milwaukee
5.) Boston: Al Horford, PF, Florida
6.) Milwaukee: Corey Brewer, SF, Florida
7.) Minnesota: Jeff Green, SF, Georgetown
8.) Charlotte: Joakim Noah, PF, Florida
9.) Chicago: Yi Jianlian, PF, China
10.) Sacramento: Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
11.) Atlanta: Javaris Crittenton, PG, Georgia Tech
12.) Philadelphia: Julian Wright, PF, Kansas
13.) New Orleans: Nick Young, SG, USC
14.) LA Clippers: Acie Law, PG, Texas A&M
15.) Detroit: Thaddeus Young, SF, Georgia Tech
16.) Washington: Al Thornton, SF, Florida State
17.) New Jersey: Jason Smith, PF, Colorado State
18.) Golden State: Marco Belinelli, SG, Italy
19.) LA Lakers: Rodney Stuckey, PG, Eastern Washington
20.) Miami: Derrick Byers, SF, Vanderbilt
21.) Philadelphia: Rudy Fernandez, PG/SG, Spain
22.) Charlotte: Jared Dudley, SF, Boston College
23.) New York: Wilson Chandler, SF, DePaul
24.) Phoenix: Petteri Koponen, PG, Finland
25.) Utah: Daequan Cook, SG, Ohio State
26.) Houston: Nick Fazekas, PF, Nevada
27.) Detroit: Gabe Pruitt, PG/SG, Golden State
28.) San Antonio: Morris Almond, SG, Rice
29.) Phoenix: Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil
30.) Philadelphia: Josh McRoberts, PF, Duke
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