Travis Bickle
Newbie
I don't think the Colangeli should trade any picks to shed salary for the 2004 offseason. They'll be about 6 million under the cap this summer. There is, in my mind, one free agent worth more than that--Kobe, and even he's substantially flawed. All the others, I'd rather have our own players. Q. Richardson for $7 or $8 million a year? I'd rather keep JJ as the starting 2 and sign him to an extension, and see if Casey becomes more consistent and even try Vujanic w/ Barbosa in the backcourt next year. Okur? I'd rather have Jake V. for $1.5 million and try to develop Lampe than pay Okur $8 million. Marcus Camby, if he opts out? Not for more than $6 million. Rasheed? Please.
So if there's nobody worth paying more than the $6 million we already have, why trade future picks to get more than $6 million under the cap? I think the Colangeli should--and may be--looking to the summer of 2005. Right after the 04-05 season, this is where we'll be as a team:
As far as money goes, we'll lose Jahidi's $6 million contract. Joe Johnson's extension will be kicking in, probably starting at about $5.5 or $6 million (assuming a Maggette-like contract). The cap will have increased by a few million, and factor in raises under Marion's contract, Casey Jacobsen's, Amare's last year before his max-contract kicks in, salaries for 1st round picks, and we'll probably be about as far under the 2005 cap as we are under the 2004 cap, which is about $6 or $7 million. Because we'll be under the cap, we'll be able to make trades without regard to matching salaries.
Here's the team at the start of free agency in the summer of 2005:
Barbosa, Zarko and Lampe entering their third years.
Amare and Casey entering their fourth years.
Vujanic, our 2004 lottery pick and the Knicks 2004 pick entering their second years.
Our 2005 pick and (probably) the Cav's 2005 pick entering their rookie seasons.
That's ten players with three years or less playing experience. Add in the Matrix, Eisley and Jake Voskuhl, and that's 13 total players.
Now, the possible 2005 free agents: among them, Theo Ratliff, Tracy McGrady, Dale Davis, Sam Dalembert, Tyson Chandler and Eddie Curry, etc...
With so many young players, some of whom we know will attract interest on the market (Zarko, JJ, Barbosa, etc...), we'll be in a position to package two or three or four in a sign and trade (for example, if the Bulls aren't sold on Eddy Curry as a starting center, would they trade him in a sign and trade to the Suns for Barbosa, Lampe and a future pick? We'll be able to make those kinds of offers.) Or, we'll be able to add one mid-level veteran (Dale Davis) to our young guys and simply wait for them to develop.
In other words, if we hold on to what we have and use our cap space this summer on one-year contracts (McDyess? Wes Person?), we'll be in a much better position to add a premier free agent by waiting a year when there might be more than just one (Kobe) worth pursuing, and we'll know which of our young players we truly want to build around.
So if there's nobody worth paying more than the $6 million we already have, why trade future picks to get more than $6 million under the cap? I think the Colangeli should--and may be--looking to the summer of 2005. Right after the 04-05 season, this is where we'll be as a team:
As far as money goes, we'll lose Jahidi's $6 million contract. Joe Johnson's extension will be kicking in, probably starting at about $5.5 or $6 million (assuming a Maggette-like contract). The cap will have increased by a few million, and factor in raises under Marion's contract, Casey Jacobsen's, Amare's last year before his max-contract kicks in, salaries for 1st round picks, and we'll probably be about as far under the 2005 cap as we are under the 2004 cap, which is about $6 or $7 million. Because we'll be under the cap, we'll be able to make trades without regard to matching salaries.
Here's the team at the start of free agency in the summer of 2005:
Barbosa, Zarko and Lampe entering their third years.
Amare and Casey entering their fourth years.
Vujanic, our 2004 lottery pick and the Knicks 2004 pick entering their second years.
Our 2005 pick and (probably) the Cav's 2005 pick entering their rookie seasons.
That's ten players with three years or less playing experience. Add in the Matrix, Eisley and Jake Voskuhl, and that's 13 total players.
Now, the possible 2005 free agents: among them, Theo Ratliff, Tracy McGrady, Dale Davis, Sam Dalembert, Tyson Chandler and Eddie Curry, etc...
With so many young players, some of whom we know will attract interest on the market (Zarko, JJ, Barbosa, etc...), we'll be in a position to package two or three or four in a sign and trade (for example, if the Bulls aren't sold on Eddy Curry as a starting center, would they trade him in a sign and trade to the Suns for Barbosa, Lampe and a future pick? We'll be able to make those kinds of offers.) Or, we'll be able to add one mid-level veteran (Dale Davis) to our young guys and simply wait for them to develop.
In other words, if we hold on to what we have and use our cap space this summer on one-year contracts (McDyess? Wes Person?), we'll be in a much better position to add a premier free agent by waiting a year when there might be more than just one (Kobe) worth pursuing, and we'll know which of our young players we truly want to build around.
