Post by GP on Jul 24, 2008 16:54:49 GMT -5
I wrote this prior to my move with the Jazz and was waiting for quotes from Nova and Ducky and I didnt wanna just put mine in. I'll just write a separate one on the Paul deal. Ducky has not commented on his deals as of yet but I'm sure he is elated.
‘09 Contract year GMs make first moves
BBS Senior Writer
Galo Pesantes
With three GMs entering their contract years in the 2009 BBS season, all three have started early in the off-season in making moves to solidify 40 wins and a possibly playoff berth in their respective conferences. On draft night, the Clippers, one of the three teams on the cusp, struck the first deal of the contract year GMs with the Miami Heat.
Los Angeles decided to deal away guards TJ Ford and Daniel Gibson along with big man Spencer Hawes and the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 draft to the Heat for forwards Carlos Boozer and Al Horford. The Clippers also sent two future draft picks in the deal as the deal is expected to be finalized following free agency.
“After falling from projected No. 2 to No. 5 in the lottery, we felt like it was in our best interest to move the pick because we were only targeting four prospects that we really wanted in the draft,” said GM Galo Pesantes. “It was an unfortunate drop but we really think we were able to bolster our team with proven talent in the deal with the (Miami) Heat.”
Boozer and Horford are coming off playoff appearance with the Heat in which they lost in the East semi-finals to the eventual BBS champions, the Detroit Pistons. The Clippers are expected to go with a big line-up, featuring Boozer at small forward, Horford at center and Andris Biedrins moving to power forward.
A mere day later, the Clippers pulled off another big deal, this time ending the speculation about their guard Derrick Rose. Along with Rose, the Clippers dealt Ben Gordon, Andris Biedrins, and three picks to the Utah Jazz for guards Chris Paul and Vince Carter.
"This is our biggest franchise move by far," said Pesantes. "(Chris) Paul is one of the top players in the game and Vince (Carter) is a prolific scorer, so they both fit a need and our definite upgrades for our situation. So I think this will take us where we need to go and we are not done yet."
A day before, the Nuggets jumped in on the action and acquired another big piece to their puzzle in German forward Dirk Nowitzki from the Phoenix Suns. Leaving the Nuggets was their ’09 first rounder, James Anderson as well as three future 1st rounders.
The Nuggets seem to be the best suited to survive the contract year based on their performance last year, in which they fell only six wins shy of the 40 win mark. They also feature a nice young nucleus in guard Mike Conley, center Dwight Howard, forwards Anthony Randolph and Kevin Love and now with veteran Nowitzki, they may be destined for more wins this year.
The Indiana Pacers ironically made deals with the two others teams the Nuggets and Clippers dealt with, to strengthen their roster. They began by dealing last year’s first round pick, Jerryd Bayless and three future 1sts to the Suns for guard Kirk Hinrich. The sixth year guard out of Kansas finished in the top 10 in assists last season with 10.2 a game.
"I've always been a believer that having a very good PG is important to winning, and I think Hinrich is a terrific PG. He's very efficient, and he's a pass-first PG who can also score. He's not an elite PG, but he's among that second tier, and I'm very pleased to have him leading my team," Nova said about Hinrich.
"Giving up Jerryd Bayless was not easy, but I never saw him being a very good PG, and I already had a PG who would play SG in Rudy Fernandez. The picks I gave up will hopefully not be very good either. Either way, I'm happy with the trade."
Later, the Pacers cracked another deal out on a much larger scale with the Heat, involving four players and five draft picks. Former Syracuse standout Carmelo Anthony was the center piece of the deal for the Pacers and will surely be the face of the franchise along with Hinrich and guard Rudy Fernandez. The Pacers also acquired the 28th pick in the 2009 draft which was quickly moved to the Blazers to fulfill a prior trade. The Heat in turn received forwards Julian Wright and James White along with two future Pacer draft picks, the No. 19 pick in this year’s draft and the Hawks 2013 selection.
"I felt it was a good move (although others felt differently), I love Aminu, but because of the contract year, I had no choice but to make some moves. I definitely could have gotten talent cheaper, but I'm a firm believer that you should always try to get the best, most valuable players, and that's what I did in that trade," Nova said on his blockbuster deal with the Heat.
"At this point, I have a great trio, who for the most part are pretty young, and $20mill in cap. If I can make a splash in Free Agency, this team should be in good shape for a while. And if not, then I'll just have to make some more trades. "
Although the off-season is barely getting started, teams are already wheeling and dealing which should make for an interesting contract year for these three teams.
‘09 Contract year GMs make first moves
BBS Senior Writer
Galo Pesantes
With three GMs entering their contract years in the 2009 BBS season, all three have started early in the off-season in making moves to solidify 40 wins and a possibly playoff berth in their respective conferences. On draft night, the Clippers, one of the three teams on the cusp, struck the first deal of the contract year GMs with the Miami Heat.
Los Angeles decided to deal away guards TJ Ford and Daniel Gibson along with big man Spencer Hawes and the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 draft to the Heat for forwards Carlos Boozer and Al Horford. The Clippers also sent two future draft picks in the deal as the deal is expected to be finalized following free agency.
“After falling from projected No. 2 to No. 5 in the lottery, we felt like it was in our best interest to move the pick because we were only targeting four prospects that we really wanted in the draft,” said GM Galo Pesantes. “It was an unfortunate drop but we really think we were able to bolster our team with proven talent in the deal with the (Miami) Heat.”
Boozer and Horford are coming off playoff appearance with the Heat in which they lost in the East semi-finals to the eventual BBS champions, the Detroit Pistons. The Clippers are expected to go with a big line-up, featuring Boozer at small forward, Horford at center and Andris Biedrins moving to power forward.
A mere day later, the Clippers pulled off another big deal, this time ending the speculation about their guard Derrick Rose. Along with Rose, the Clippers dealt Ben Gordon, Andris Biedrins, and three picks to the Utah Jazz for guards Chris Paul and Vince Carter.
"This is our biggest franchise move by far," said Pesantes. "(Chris) Paul is one of the top players in the game and Vince (Carter) is a prolific scorer, so they both fit a need and our definite upgrades for our situation. So I think this will take us where we need to go and we are not done yet."
A day before, the Nuggets jumped in on the action and acquired another big piece to their puzzle in German forward Dirk Nowitzki from the Phoenix Suns. Leaving the Nuggets was their ’09 first rounder, James Anderson as well as three future 1st rounders.
The Nuggets seem to be the best suited to survive the contract year based on their performance last year, in which they fell only six wins shy of the 40 win mark. They also feature a nice young nucleus in guard Mike Conley, center Dwight Howard, forwards Anthony Randolph and Kevin Love and now with veteran Nowitzki, they may be destined for more wins this year.
The Indiana Pacers ironically made deals with the two others teams the Nuggets and Clippers dealt with, to strengthen their roster. They began by dealing last year’s first round pick, Jerryd Bayless and three future 1sts to the Suns for guard Kirk Hinrich. The sixth year guard out of Kansas finished in the top 10 in assists last season with 10.2 a game.
"I've always been a believer that having a very good PG is important to winning, and I think Hinrich is a terrific PG. He's very efficient, and he's a pass-first PG who can also score. He's not an elite PG, but he's among that second tier, and I'm very pleased to have him leading my team," Nova said about Hinrich.
"Giving up Jerryd Bayless was not easy, but I never saw him being a very good PG, and I already had a PG who would play SG in Rudy Fernandez. The picks I gave up will hopefully not be very good either. Either way, I'm happy with the trade."
Later, the Pacers cracked another deal out on a much larger scale with the Heat, involving four players and five draft picks. Former Syracuse standout Carmelo Anthony was the center piece of the deal for the Pacers and will surely be the face of the franchise along with Hinrich and guard Rudy Fernandez. The Pacers also acquired the 28th pick in the 2009 draft which was quickly moved to the Blazers to fulfill a prior trade. The Heat in turn received forwards Julian Wright and James White along with two future Pacer draft picks, the No. 19 pick in this year’s draft and the Hawks 2013 selection.
"I felt it was a good move (although others felt differently), I love Aminu, but because of the contract year, I had no choice but to make some moves. I definitely could have gotten talent cheaper, but I'm a firm believer that you should always try to get the best, most valuable players, and that's what I did in that trade," Nova said on his blockbuster deal with the Heat.
"At this point, I have a great trio, who for the most part are pretty young, and $20mill in cap. If I can make a splash in Free Agency, this team should be in good shape for a while. And if not, then I'll just have to make some more trades. "
Although the off-season is barely getting started, teams are already wheeling and dealing which should make for an interesting contract year for these three teams.
