Creative Destinations
by
, 05-03-2010 at 12:20 PM (1305 Views)
I suppose there's this big thing happening in free agency for the NBA after the postseason. Rumor has it, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, and several others could be on the market. I know, who hasn't heard of this before? But let's delve into it from my perspective. Here's what I would like to see, for my own viewing pleasure, regardless of the plausibility or likelihood anything is possible.
Here's what is figured to happen, in reality. The Clippers and Knicks have a chance to be big spenders, but the odds are against them landing James or Wade. I know there's glamour and a big market, but neither would have a real supporting cast. Does James trade in Mo Williams and Antwan Jamison for Danillo Gallinari and maybe David Lee? Would you? The likely scenarios will center around Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire, and another guy such as Rudy Gay, Joe Johnson, or a project wildcard like Tracy McGrady. Wait, T-Mac is already a Knick. Who knew. Point is, I'm not interested in seeing any top free agents going to either place.
Nor do I see James and Wade hooking up, except for the 2012 Summer Olympics. I would, however, think that if either land in Chicago, there's your new contender. A lot of lobbying by sports writers and enthusiasts have occurred lately, after Chicago was competitive with the Cavaliers, despite having only two players produce. Let's be honest, the idea of having Derrek Rose and Joakim Noah as your teammates, and Taj Gibson as a project in the making, is really not a bad selling point to any free agent. This is an unlikely scenario, but I'm playing it out and telling you why it could turn Chicago into a Beast of the East (cliche), and challenge anyone.
Let's say they sign Dwayne Wade, and pick up Dirk Nowitzki. Why this combo? It's simple. Chicago has a bruising, physical center and power forward in Noah and Gibson, but neither are real offensive factors. Chicago has not had a real lost post scorer since... Noah is a vast upgrade over Erick Dampier or DeSagana Diop, big men that Dirk has mostly been paired with in the past. To add to the amazing idea of this, Dirk's nemesis Dwyane Wade would be his teammate. The man who, single handedly with referee support, up ended the Mavericks in the finals. Let's take two battle tested veteran all-stars who can't get over the hump anymore because either A. supporting cast is awful or incorrect, B. said player isn't capable of carrying a team anymore, and C. Michael Beasley. If your nucleus is a big man that defends and rebounds, a forward with unlimited range, and a backcourt of two guys who never quit and sacrifice themselves daily, even for the unevitable defeat.
The hold up is two-fold. They have a bad front office and a clueless coaching staff. Both are fixable. Let's add to the dream scenario. Paxson and Del Negro are canned. For General Manager, they yank Steve Kerr away from the Suns. For head coach, they get Jeff Van Gundy from ESPN. I know he favors defense. At least 3/4 of the nucleus can defend, and can be relentless defendors. I think of JVG was presented with a Noah-Dirk-Wade-Rose buffet, he couldn't pass it up. Would you?
My last dream scenario. Lebron James. I have unconventional destination for him, but it's one that already has a highly athletic swing man who doubles as a good defensive player. They have an on the rise point guard and a shooting guard, that, wait for it, excels in shooting despite the awkward release. They have have the potential to have a gritty power foward who does nothing but dirty work and a former lottery pick that never had a chance on his original team. They know how to draft, and they have one of the brightest and most logical thinking front offices, and a coach who's certainly not the worst in the league. The only questions with this team, will they have a center, and will they have enough size? If they land Lebron, can they add one more piece, that veteran looking for his last hurrah at an affordable price? I want to see Lebron head to Houston.