Post by duce on Jul 8, 2007 23:36:14 GMT -5
GM Report Cards: The Rebuilders
GM: JayBourne, 3 seasons.
Grade: A, great cap management, good drafting.
The Upside: The upside for these Pacers is obvious. This team has the largest championship potential in UOSL. Dwight Howard and Greg Oden could both arguably be the future of the league and yet they are both on the same team. It will be extremely hard to stop this front line, when adding Thad Young to the picture. The acquisitions of Kidd, Odom, and Frye mean that Jay wants to win now. “We've rebuilt the team for 3 years, and ended up with a front line of Oden, Dwight, and Young. I don't plan to take that long building a perennial contender."
The Downside: Three very questionable first round draft picks were made by Jay, in Brewer, Mackey and Koponen. No team is perfect but if they had drafted better in those spots this team could have truly been unstoppable.
The Franchise: Starting in 2010, look for Indiana to progress each year and very quickly become a championship threat. If they are able to sign Oden for the long run then they will be one of the most successful franchises in the league.
GM: ajh, 3 seasons.
Grade: A-, great trading, great scouting.
The Upside: The Warriors (no longer rebuilding) are now Kobe Bryant’s team. Haberman has really assembled a great collection of guards that could potentially shoot the lights out, which is no surprise to anyone who was in UOSL1. Darren Collison, Bryant, and Leandro Barbosa instantly make Golden State the most exciting team to watch in league history. If Biedrins can get some help on the interior, this team will be a serious championship contender (Did I just say that?).
The Downside: They’re going to need a post presence. It doesn’t have to be great and clearly Aaron has tried to get one by drafting Marreese Speights and Ahmad Livins. A lot of people don’t believe perimeter teams will cut it in this league. While that is more opinion than fact, many perimeter teams tend to fall off in the post-season. Regardless, this team is in for a great regular season.
The Franchise: “The future has arrived, really. Now is the time for Warrior basketball; for the first time, we're putting out a product that we feel is polished and competitive. It's no longer about potential and promise. With our two off season deals, we feel we have as good offensive firepower as anyone in the conference and as we work to fill our holes up front, we are looking for at least our first winning season. Our perimeter players are just too good for anything less than our first playoff appearance, to be acceptable.”
GM: Jahallstar, 3 seasons, 1 playoff appearance.
Grade: B+, good cap management, good scouting, competitive team.
The Upside: Though they’ve reached the playoffs just once, Atlanta has already proven they’re capable of winning. The Hawks have added so much and given up so little, and that’s really the most impressive part of this franchise. The recently acquired Mo Williams may break out this year. J.J. Hickson was by far and away the best pick in the draft. Josh Smith, Gerald Wallace and Marvin Williams are a very talented trio. Atlanta may go far this year.
The Downside: There is really a lack of championship potential here. Jah has put together great pieces and knows how to win. However, there’s no superstar power which leads you to believe they’ll have to make trades to win. Either way their franchise value has increase greatly. Injuries plagued this team last year and are a threat to any team, particularly this one though. “If we can keep it to only one 50+ day injury per season our team will be competing for titles for many years to come,” commented the Hawks’ GM.
The Franchise: There is a lot of confidence in this team, and they could still add some nice rookies. They have the talent to make playoff runs for a long time, but the question is what can be done to go all out and win the big one?
GM: ib4, 3 seasons.
Grade: B+, great scouting, drafting, good cap management.
The Upside: IB4’s 76ers are one of the most impressive, youthful teams in the league. Even though they haven’t won anything yet, you can expect that to stop very soon. “We have a really young team with a lot of versatility. Bargnani is an inside-out and a nice spot up shooter. Iggy has an all-around game and thrives on defense. Ray is quick with the handles and a decent scoring PG. Horford will be our go-to guy in the post and he bangs down low,” said IB4. Also watch for O.J. Mayo to have a breakthrough season. This team has drafted very well and has been opportunistic.
The Downside: Outside of shot blocking, there really isn’t anything to complain about here. The 76ers will be a championship threat in the near future. Hopefully Greg Monroe can bounce back from a poor start.
The Franchise: It‘s good when you can‘t count your great prospects on one hand. The 6ers certainly have the guard power and the forward power. If they can add a high prestige center, and re-sign players watch for Philadelphia to have an awesome future.
GM: duce, 3 seasons, 1 playoff appearance.
Grade: B, great cap management, scouting, drafting, competitive team.
The Upside: The recently relocated Nets are now in Brooklyn and are looking to make their team known in 2010. Coach Duce has put together a squad full of youth and talent. The draft picks of Ty Lawson and Tyreke Evans give this team a great looking backcourt for many years. Chandler Parsons may also have great upside. While the team has drafted perimeter talents, the bigs have come from the free agent pool. Bynum, Jefferson and Millsap make this team strong up front. Until 09, the Nets were a hard team to beat. They have one quarter-finals appearance and were in first place for a while in 08 before falling off.
The Downside: Al Jefferson and Andrew Bynum were two max investments and neither has had a breakout training camp yet. While there is plenty of hope and time, there’s also worry. On the same note, that leaves a serious question about who will step up and be the leader and superstar.
The Franchise: Mentioned above are 3 perimeter players and 3 big men that give the Nets a very promising future. They won‘t have any more cap room. It will be all drafting and trading from here. Brooklyn should be very competitive in a couple of seasons.
GM: NbaL, 3 seasons, 1 playoff appearance.
Grade: B, good scouting, competitive team.
The Upside: Yet another team that switched gears and ruined the article!, Look for Amare Stoudemire and Jose Calderon to be a forceful duo. They have added Ben Wallace, and other nice roll players and are prepared to win this year. Darrell Arthur and Earl Clark are youthful assets as well. NBAl recently said, "Hopefully we can build off the team we had last season, adding bits and pieces and hopefully be a true contender for the title."
The Downside: The Suns had a disappointing off season when Andrew Bynum flew the coop for Brooklyn, shocking everyone. I felt they had a good thing going with Parker, Bynum and Stoudemire all attacking the basket. As of now they have really become a two man offensive show.
The Franchise: This team should be a winner. They have good interior defense and rebounding. NBAl’s acquisition of Calderon will really give other teams a challenge. The one thing that is for sure is that Phoenix has championship expectations this season.
GM: Tiger, 3 seasons, 2 playoff appearances.
Grade: B-, great cap management, trading.
The Upside: The Clippers came a long way from a team with bad contracts and unfair expectations. “I think we're on the right tracks with the rebuild. We were never going to be a contender just with Brand around, and instead we've managed to bring in one of the best players of his age (Luol Deng), partnered by fellow 24 year old Shaun Livingston shows that we have two really talented players moving into their prime,” commented GM Tiger. This quote of course, came before the break out of Randy Foye. This team definitely has some talent and will continue to grow through the draft and free agency.
The Downside: Despite making the playoffs a couple of times, the Clippers have not been a threat. That is something that needs to be proven. The team needs interior work, but they have the assets to get it done.
The Franchise: Tiger knows how to win, and once this team acquires more power up front, the Clippers will be a force. “With such a young team making the playoffs already this past season, I'm sure we'll be able to get better and better in the future,” says the Clippers GM.
GM: dmoney, 3 seasons.
Grade: B-, great cap management, scouting.
The Upside: Miami had been quiet for the most part before starting to win last year. Like many youthful teams, they fell off and hit the ground hard mid-season. However if last season was any indication of the team’s potential, the Heat should be a playoff contender this season. Mike Conley and Ben Gordon have explosive ability. Michael Beasley will be the best player on this team in time and will lead this team.
The Downside: The Heat need interior help. As well as dmoney can build, supply comes and goes very fast for young big men in this league. One way or another something has to be done in that area for this team to be anything serious.
The Franchise: “We as an organization understand that we're a young team and our players are still learning the game. We're being very patient with our young guys and right now we're just hoping for some development and improvement. We've been rebuilding for the past 3 seasons and each and every player on the team expects the rebuilding mode to end now. So expect the Miami Heat to become a team looking to win. With me, you never know what could happen. I may surprise you and the league. So I would just watch out for the Heat.”
GM: iflip, 3 seasons.
Grade: B-, good trading, good drafting and scouting.
The Upside: Minnesota is one of the teams on the rise, but will really look to make noise over the next two seasons. Not only are their young players growing, but their inability to dump off contracts will be obsolete. Flip has hit on the last two lotto picks, taking DeAndre Jordan and Eric Gordon, both #1 overall. As they progress, the team will follow.
The Downside: Jeff Green was a reach. I was never sold on the Randy Foye deal, however that doesn’t matter any longer. Iflip does not have the team’s first round pick next season.
The Franchise: “I believe my team has all the assets to win, but all I need to do is wait.” said the team’s GM. Patience is a virtue. With development and some free agent additions, this franchise is going the right way.
GM: shaunkol, 3 seasons, 2 playoff appearances.
Grade: B-, competitive team
The Upside: The Sonics won when they weren’t supposed to and that was nice for the first two seasons. If you’re high on their prospects, you might say Seattle is a center away from being a winner again. The important thing is that they do have some young talent, including Delonte West and Al-Farouq Aminu. Seattle also has some cap room coming in.
The Downside: For a team that was technically rebuilding from day 1, it’s been kind of up-and-down, and as a result they’re kind of just starting to get into improving this roster with youth. The winning was impressive, but the real success will be delayed.
The Franchise: “Al-Farouq Aminu = Ron Artest - Headcase + Badass Name - Moustache - Rap talent + Pure love for his GM,” said shaunkol, who is high on his draft pick, “You better watch out for AMINU and the 2015 Sonics ! I swear we'll be good by then.” Still, he may want to add to Aminu just incase. This team has a ways to go but could turn it around in just one year.
GM: bluedevils, 2 seasons, preceded by hos.
Grade: C+, great cap management, good drafting.
The Upside: C+ is high for anyone running the New York Knicks. As said by bluedevils, “We got rid of our bad contracts pretty quickly. Despite some shitty luck, I think we've drafted pretty well the past 2 years. We're still seeking for that 'franchise player', but so far, I think we're on the right path.” That pretty much sums up the Knicks right now, a team on the right path. The draft pick of Kevin Love was huge. It gives the team a building block, and sooner or later this is going to be a young, competitive team.
The Downside: They haven’t hit on all of their draft picks. They have yet to find a great true point guard, which is never easy. There will have to be more consistency in draft, for the simple fact that it’s the most important part of building a team from the bottom.
The Franchise: The one thing you can say when looking at the Knicks right now is that bluedevils is running a good business, which is something the franchise desperately needed. Eventually the team will have a collection of players that will turn it into a winner.
GM: prez, 3 seasons.
Grade: C, good trading, needs more effort.
The Upside: The upside for Sacramento is 3 players. Deron Williams, obviously, and Julian Wright and Kevin Martin. Prez will drop over 35 million dollars in salary following this season, and hopefully that is enough to spark more interest. A couple of front court pieces is all this team needs in order to have success, despite their failures thus far.
The Downside: There could have been more effort made. Paul Millsap was a slip-up and could happen to anyone. The real problem though is that a lot of teams worked hard to get expiring and rebuild while the Kings have basically sat on their contracts and waited. And since that is over and the contracts will be gone, this will never be brought up again, but at the same time, this off season is going to be pivotal. Unfortunately their attempts to draft interior players have not been successful.
The Franchise: This off-season, Sacramento needs big men, good drafting and most of all high activity. If that happens, the Kings have a solid future. It not, this franchise will continue to fail.
