seanjfarrell

Relative contract if staying with Miami: $47M. Giving Pat Riley the middle finger after he offers you $10M a year: Priceless.

I think it's probably better for him to be over there playing with older guys than playing with the scrubs in the summer league.

Bingo. There's been a lot of talk about how the cap on max contracts end up hurting small market teams by having to sign someone like Harrison Barnes to a similar contract to Kevin Durant on a big market team. I think team caps are great. But hopefully there is a lot of discussion about this possibility moving forward from the talking heads.

I assume we always have at least one of Ibaka or Biyombo on the floor at all times to terrorize the 3/4/5 positions on defense. Just like Payton and Vic being unbearable to watch together on offense, you probably want to keep someone who can spread the floor next to Biyombo. Ibaka, Gordon, and Vuc all have a solid mid-range jumper, with Gordon and Ibaka being threats from the 3 point line. I am starting to get really excited about the possibilities here. We've set ourselves up to dominate on defense, and succeed on offense. Vogel is the perfect guy to figure this all out.

It depends who we get in return. Currently, our PG spot seems to be the weakest link, despite having 4 PG's on the team. I am not a big fan of the Vuc + someone for Butler idea because we've already got some depth at SG/SF. I say we move Vuc and one of the PG's only if a big upgrade at PG is available for us. I'd like to see where Green and Hezonja fit into our long term plans before thinking about trading Fournier. Also it makes sense to me to hold onto Vuc until we make sure Ibaka stays next year. I don't see the need to rush a trade. His value will remain high even if he plays less minutes this year. GM's know plenty about his offensive production, and maybe Vogel + Ibaka + Biyombo help him appear better on defense throughout the year.

No thanks.

Hate to play the lineup guessing game, but I think the Biyombo deal makes things just a little clearer. We've finally got good spacing, I expect to see at least 4 players with decent jumpers (at least from mid range, if not 3) on the floor at all times. Mainly this means we don't play Biyombo and Elf at the same time. One of them should come off the bench. Elf Fournier Green Ibaka Vuc Augustin Meeks Hezonja Gordon Biyombo Since anyone in the SG - PF range can shoot on this team, I think anyone in that pack could be swapped out there. But I expect to see Elf always paired with the bigs that can shoot, and Augustin paired with the bigs who can't. It would be fun and I think smart to see one of our long term investments like Gordon or Hezonja in at the starting 3 instead of Green. So hopefully that happens. I don't buy for a second that the contract sizes of Biyombo or Green are any indication of whether or not they start. The inflation from this year and the rookie contracts remaining make me think that we should all take contract size as absolutely no indicator of a player's value to this team. When Frye was one of the top earners on the team, he was frequently benched.

I see both plenty of love and plenty of hate here for Vuc. But I find him valuable as both a trade piece and a great provider of offense for as long as he's on the team. His contract is a steal. Whether or not we trade him, I expect Henny and other GM's to be very cognizant of that and we better hold out for a stud. His defense HAS BEEN a liability. We have to wait and see if that liability is minimized at all when you play him next to Ibaka, Gordon, or Biyombo, as well as what Frank has to teach him this year. Ibaka is not a lock-in to resign with us, players will get hurt, we might need Vuc to play big minutes this year or next year. I don't expect to see a trade for him go down during this summer. I think we wait to see some basketball first. Then even at the trade deadline, unless there is a disgruntled star that can be had for a deal, I don't expect him to go until we get a sense if Ibaka stays. Ultimately, I think we need to be patient, for just one more year, with Vuc.

That didn't answer the question, and I wasn't trying to knock on the acquisitions. Too much flexibility can be a sign of a trade for a centerpiece.

Can we offer the max next season with all these signings? Seems like we're acquiring assets for a trade.

Can we move Vuc and Elf for a star PG now?

Apparently he's in talks with the Bucks and Knicks. So I figured anyone was fair game. lol.

That's true. Took JJ several years of hard work to earn his minutes. Probably all the better for him. I don't think a player's salary necessarily correlates too strongly with how much playing time they get. Especially with a 1 year contract being a bit of an experiment. Will be interesting to see how much Green plays.

Does anyone else feel bad for D Wade? Every year Pat Riley tries to screw him out of money, and this year was a new low. Apparently they offered him 10 million a year, and he's furious. Should we have held onto Green's money and tried to go after Wade? Apparently Wade is looking for the max for at least 2-3 years. He'd be a great leader and contender for us, but that money would prevent us from signing a younger star sooner.

I agree that this does not make us a contender. But I think with the right coaching, players, and system, our ceiling could be that of the Celtics. They have gotten by in the East for a few years without a star. I kind of hope Green does not start. I viewed the signing as having a flexible forward/guard backup. I'd rather see those minutes for Gordon and Hezonja. Vogel's honestly got his work cut out for him figuring out the starting lineup.