Three teams could win the nba championship this season if Rasheed Wallace was on their roster and the Detroit Pistons is not one of them. The San Antonio Spurs, the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the three teams being referred to. However, the right trade has to be made because certain players must remain with those teams for this to be possible. It may take pawning the future for a guarantee championship this upcoming season. In my opinion, it is always worth the risk if a championship is eminent which was evident in the case of the Boston Celtics the nba champions from last season.
Speaking of the Celtics, I do not believe they will repeat as champions this season. Their big 3 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are 31, 32 and 33 years old respectively. Not only will they be a year older but I don’t expect them to have the same drive they had last season. In addition, I believe the loss of forward James Posey, the Celtics 6 man from last season will be the ultimate void that will not go unnoticed. Posey in my opinion, is the most underrated 6th man and has been for the last three seasons in the league. His 3 point shooting is consistent but it is his defense that has been his most underrated staple. Had it not been for Posey’s defense three seasons ago, the Miami Heat would not have won the nba championship against the Dallas Mavericks. His defense on Dirk Nowitzki allowed Dwyane Wade to overshadow the Mavericks star in that series. When Paul Pierce went to bench in the final against the Lakers during the nba finals last season, the Celtics continue to dominate defensively because of Posey. Kevin Garnett may not have won the nba defensive player of the year award, had it not been for Posey great defense on the Celtics opponent’s best perimeter player on a nightly basis which made easier for KG to help on defense. Without Posey, the Celtics lack that perimeter defender, which means there will be more pressure on KG this season.
Rasheed Wallace will fill the defensive void left by Posey in a different way. The Celtics may not be as good on the perimeter, but they will make up for this deficiency with the addition of Rasheed in the middle. Kendrick Perkins may be a better than average center on offense for the Celtics but defensively he doesn’t bring half the effort. Trading Perkins a 24 year old 280 lbs center for Rasheed; who is on the verge of retirement may not seem logical, but then the Celtics big 3 are all over 31 years old so it makes sense if they want to repeat as champions. A Rasheed / KG presence in the middle will be a very formidable force similar to when the Pistons won the championship with Ben and Rasheed. The problem is due the salary cap restrictions, the Celtics will need to get a third team involved in order to acquire Rasheed. More than likely Kendrick Perkins along with a few others will have to be included, but a third team will have to be included which makes the acquisition of Rasheed highly unlikely.
The San Antonio Spurs is another team that could win the championship if they trade for Rasheed. With the Lakers, Rockets, Trailblazers and Oklahoma City Thunders all making great strides this off season, the Spurs are not as dominant as they once were, especially on defense. However, like the Celtics, the Spurs will need a third team involved to complete a trade for Rasheed. Obviously, they cannot and will not breakup their big 3 of Tim Duncan, Manu and Tony Parker, so for salary purposes a third team will have to be involved. As it stands the Spurs will not beat the Lakers or Oklahoma City if they were matched up against those two teams in playoffs of 2008 / 2009 season.
Between the Celtics, Spurs and Cavaliers, the Cavs have the best chance of acquiring Rasheed Wallace in a trade. The Cavaliers are the only team that can trade for Rasheed straight up without the need of a third team unlike the Celtics or Spurs. The Cavaliers could trade Wally Szczerbiak $13 expiring contract for Rasheed $13.7 million expiring contract but J.J Hickson may have to be included for this deal to make sense for Detroit. Hickson, the 19th pick in this year’s draft will give the Piston a 19 year old player with potential who only makes $1.4 million this season and is under contract until the 2012 / 2013 season. The fact that the Pistons and Cavaliers are ranked 2nd and 3rd by most experts and are in the same division may make this unlikely. At the same time, the Pistons would be getting a talented player with a boat load of potential. Instead of trading Wallace and getting back a player who will be under contract for more years, the Pistons might use this opportunity to unload Rasheed expiring $13.7 million while trying to remain contender. This will also allow the Pistons to start the 2009 / 2010 season at $54 million in total salaries which makes this trade more likely than not.
The other scenario I see will involve the Pistons weakening the Cavaliers considering both teams are in the same division. The Pistons might want Anderson Varejao along with his 2 year $12 million contract, Eric Snow’s $7.3 million expiring contract and J.J. Hickson for Rasheed. From the Cavaliers stand point, this will allow them to let Wally Szczerbiak contract to expire along with Rasheed after this season. This means the Cavaliers will begin the 2009 / 2010 season with $51 million in total salaries down from around $90 million this season. The winner of this trade will depend on what happens to J. J. Hickson. If Danny Ferry, the Cavaliers General Manager convinces Joe Dumars the Pistons G.M. to take Snow and Varejao for Rasheed, he will be the winner. If Joe Dumars demands Hickson inclusion in the trade and gets it, the Pistons win.
Either way the Cavaliers will have Rasheed Wallace and will have no need to trade Wally Szczerbiak. I will rank them ahead of the Celtics and will be my favorite to win the championship this season. The Cavaliers will have a Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilguaskas, Lorenzen Wright and maybe Hickson maybe not. Defensively and offensively, they will be the most potent and experienced team in the league. Imagine a lineup of Mo Williams, Sasha Pavlovic, Lebron James, Rasheed Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a bench of Ben Wallace, Lorenzen Wright, Delonte West, Bobbie Gibson with or without Wally, with or without J.J. Hickson depending on which trade is made.
In a nutshell I am telling the Cavaliers Danny Ferry that he can have a starting lineup of Mo Williams, Sasha Pavlovic, Lebron James, Rasheed Wallace and Zydrunas Ilguaskas for this upcoming season with a reduction in team salary from 90 to $51 million starting 2009 / 2010 season. Why will he not make this trade? The Celtics and Spurs will gladly trade for Rasheed if they could without needing a third team. The Cavaliers have the pieces to make this trade straight up. The issue is will Joe Dumars pull the trigger? I think he will but not before the season. Depending on how the Pistons are performing and considering Rasheed being in the last year of his contract, I expect Joe Dumars to make a trade by the deadline in February rather than let Wallace Walk with no compensation. The Cavaliers have the right pieces to make this deal work, the question is will Joe Dumars repeat what Kevin Mchale did last season when he traded Kevin Garnett his best player for the future? I think Joe Dumars will be forced to make this trade because the Cavaliers have the best deal available and Rasheed will welcome a reunion with Ben Wallace whom he won a championship with in 2004.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
THE STATE OF THE CAVALIERS
THE STATE OF THE CAVALIERS
“THE EFFECTS OF SIGNING DELONTE WEST”
BY: T.DOUGLAS USO
SEPT 12, 2008
The signing of Delonte West should complete the Cavaliers off season maneuvering until perhaps the trading deadline. I would have giving Danny Ferry an A+ this off season had he traded J.J. Hickson, forward / center Varajao and next season first round pick to Sacramento for Ron Artest. This offer is definitely better than the one Houston made for Artest so I am positive the Cavaliers could have acquired him if they wanted. I would have gone as far as guaranteeing a championship for the Cavaliers had they pull off this feat. Truthfully, Artest defensive prowess far outweighs his volatile outburst in my opinion. This move would have given the Cavaliers a player who could guard their opponent’s hottest player during any game regardless of position. When this didn’t happen, I was sure the Cavs would have signed James Posey, one of the best perimeter defenders around who is more than capable of hitting the open 3 point shot. The fact is those two scenarios did not unfold but the Cavaliers are still a very good team.
The Cavaliers starting lineup will be Mo Williams at point, Sasha Pavlovic at the two guard position, Lebron and Ben Wallace at forward positions and Big Z at center. With the signing of Delonte, the Cavaliers will have a very formidable bench of Bobbie Gibson, Delonte West, Wally, Varajao backing Z with rookie J.J. Hickson and veteran center/ forward newly acquired Lorenzen Wright.
Unlike last season when Sasha and Varajao were holdouts throughout training camp only to sign after the season starting, the Cavaliers will have their full team with all players ready for training camp. Not only ready but a few will be sporting new contracts which should make the chemistry a thing of beauty.
My biggest concern is who will be the Cavaliers Doberman on defense? From the look of his performance on ‘team redeem’ in the Olympics, I expect Lebron James to shoulder this burden. Don’t be surprised to see LBJ average 2+ steals and 2+ blocks this season. With Mo helping with the scoring load, look for Lebron to exert more energy on defense. This is the primary reason Lebron is my MVP candidate for this season.
I still would have rather seen Lebron and Artest or Lebron and Posey but that’s neither here nor there. Shooting guard / small forward Sasha Pavlovic is coming off a disappointing season last year, could he be the ace in the hole? Could he be the other perimeter defender helping out Lebron, or will Delonte and Mo’s quickness be the difference? Only time will tell, but so far I give Danny Ferry an A-. The Cavaliers still have Wally Szczerbiak $13 million expiring contract to work with. Will they A, trade him before the season B, trade him by the trading deadline depending on how the team is doing or C, let his contract expire allowing the team to fall under the luxury cap threshold? Let’s wait and see.
“THE EFFECTS OF SIGNING DELONTE WEST”
BY: T.DOUGLAS USO
SEPT 12, 2008
The signing of Delonte West should complete the Cavaliers off season maneuvering until perhaps the trading deadline. I would have giving Danny Ferry an A+ this off season had he traded J.J. Hickson, forward / center Varajao and next season first round pick to Sacramento for Ron Artest. This offer is definitely better than the one Houston made for Artest so I am positive the Cavaliers could have acquired him if they wanted. I would have gone as far as guaranteeing a championship for the Cavaliers had they pull off this feat. Truthfully, Artest defensive prowess far outweighs his volatile outburst in my opinion. This move would have given the Cavaliers a player who could guard their opponent’s hottest player during any game regardless of position. When this didn’t happen, I was sure the Cavs would have signed James Posey, one of the best perimeter defenders around who is more than capable of hitting the open 3 point shot. The fact is those two scenarios did not unfold but the Cavaliers are still a very good team.
The Cavaliers starting lineup will be Mo Williams at point, Sasha Pavlovic at the two guard position, Lebron and Ben Wallace at forward positions and Big Z at center. With the signing of Delonte, the Cavaliers will have a very formidable bench of Bobbie Gibson, Delonte West, Wally, Varajao backing Z with rookie J.J. Hickson and veteran center/ forward newly acquired Lorenzen Wright.
Unlike last season when Sasha and Varajao were holdouts throughout training camp only to sign after the season starting, the Cavaliers will have their full team with all players ready for training camp. Not only ready but a few will be sporting new contracts which should make the chemistry a thing of beauty.
My biggest concern is who will be the Cavaliers Doberman on defense? From the look of his performance on ‘team redeem’ in the Olympics, I expect Lebron James to shoulder this burden. Don’t be surprised to see LBJ average 2+ steals and 2+ blocks this season. With Mo helping with the scoring load, look for Lebron to exert more energy on defense. This is the primary reason Lebron is my MVP candidate for this season.
I still would have rather seen Lebron and Artest or Lebron and Posey but that’s neither here nor there. Shooting guard / small forward Sasha Pavlovic is coming off a disappointing season last year, could he be the ace in the hole? Could he be the other perimeter defender helping out Lebron, or will Delonte and Mo’s quickness be the difference? Only time will tell, but so far I give Danny Ferry an A-. The Cavaliers still have Wally Szczerbiak $13 million expiring contract to work with. Will they A, trade him before the season B, trade him by the trading deadline depending on how the team is doing or C, let his contract expire allowing the team to fall under the luxury cap threshold? Let’s wait and see.
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