If we make a major move this summer do you think..

[Wurider05]

that the move should be one that is designed to get us into the playoffs next season instead of 1 or 2 seasons down the road. It is obvious that we could probably make that playoffs next season with the lineup that we have now (7 or 8th seed). Trading Al or signing anyone else would have to be done for the sake of making the playoffs next season without a doubt. We don't need anymore draft picks we need productive players.

[1524]

I don't think we will try to continue to rebuild anymore. I call this offseaon "finishing touches" to our roster. We need to draft a big man or two, re-sign Royal Ivey, sign and trade Harrington for a big(Jermaine O'Neal!!!), and sign Sam Cassell.

[Popeye]

Disagree ^

I would like for us to make a push for the playoffs next year but i wouldn't risk loosing young players just to add veterans so we can make the playoffs. I would love for us to be in the race at least so that free agents in 2007 will consider us.

There is not real impact players this year in fagency so i would not overpay not even for big Ben.

We just need to be patient and make sure we have cap room.

and half of our roster is under 25 so i would like for them to keep improving one more year and than blossom, but not all of them will.

[1524]

I agree with being patient but we need a couple of vets on the team and Cassell will only cost us a 1 or 2 year deal.

[vdunkndunk]

All I know is we need to win as many games as possible next season, because I don't want to hand the Suns a top 10 draft pick.

[ATLJA316]

that top 10 pick is EXACTLY what we need to be worried about....

[BusBoyIsBack]

I would rather have a team competitive 6-8 years from now than just be competitive for the next 1-2 years which is why Im completely against trading for a player like Allen Iverson.

I would rather keep players like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, and Marvin Williams as the corp of this team and build around them for the future. Then when they all are in their prime together that's when we really make our playoff push year after year.

[Diesel]

I think we have to consider and BK already knows that he has a very short window with JJ. 5 more years. Right now, we're one of the worst teams in the league and even if we started the season over, we'd still not make the playoffs in the east.

I think that says to us that our best option is to get some kind of vet in here to go with JJ. Preferably a vet PF/C.

I don't think BK will be as successful getting some vet guy, but there is Jermaine Oneal.

If not a vet guy, then maybe a guy who is overlooked and may be trade bait...

One guy that could be a BK guy now...

is Kendrick Perkins.

I think Perkins is on the verge of a breakout. The other thing is that perkins is big and defensive.

So if BK..

Drafted "The Landlord"

Reuped Al

and then trade for Kendrick Perkins.

I wouldn't be that surprised...

[CBAreject]

This is an excellent question. I was considering this in the "re-sign Al" thread.

In short, I think moves we make this summer do NOT need to be "finishing touches". Rather, I think moves this summer need only to not be steps backward. For example, consider trading Al for ending contracts and picks. That would send a message that we are rebuilding. We would certainly be getting worse with a trade like that in the short term.

However, drafting a player like Aldridge wouldn't be viewed that way. Sure, it may be a long-term type move, but it would conceivably make us better next year. It wouldn't be a finishing touch move, but it wouldn't be a step backward, either.

On the other hand, moves like trading for AI, signing Wallace, or trading Smoove/#3 pick/Childress for KG (however IMPROBABLE any of those may be) would be steps forward for next year. However, those moves would be the type you'd see from a team bent on a championship next year. We aren't that type of team.

[Johnnybravo4]

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I would rather have a team competitive 6-8 years from now than just be competitive for the next 1-2 years which is why Im completely against trading for a player like Allen Iverson.

I would rather keep players like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, and Marvin Williams as the corp of this team and build around them for the future. Then when they all are in their prime together that's when we really make our playoff push year after year.

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Spoken like someone who didn't plop down a grand or so for season tickets.

[DJlaysitup]

Yeah JB...I thought the 6 to 8 year timeframe was a bit much. Heck I haven't lived in the same city for more than 5 years at a time since I was a kid. I'd miss all the winning

Realistically if we can't contend for a playoff spot next year (at least get close), I think there is a problem. 2 years minimum and we should be in the middle of the pack.

Granted GMs don't want to "win too fast", because then the pressure increases. A nice steady increase in wins is best to keep those paychecks acomin. BK could go 13-26-34-40 wins and be a hero without ever having a winning record.

[Johnnybravo4]

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Yeah JB...I thought the 6 to 8 year timeframe was a bit much. Heck I haven't lived in the same city for more than 5 years at a time since I was a kid. I'd miss all the winning

Realistically if we can't contend for a playoff spot next year (at least get close), I think there is a problem. 2 years minimum and we should be in the middle of the pack.

Granted GMs don't want to "win too fast", because then the pressure increases. A nice steady increase in wins is best to keep those paychecks acomin. BK could go 13-26-34-40 wins and be a hero without ever having a winning record.

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If we win only 34 games next year both Billy Knight and Woody will be fired.

[Guest Walter]

He traded Pheonix next year's pick. It therefore should not be a lottery pick. It's time to make winning moves. I believe that requires filling out an entire roster with starter quality at every postion without handicaps (i.e. adjacent undersized players). It will take bold moves to make it happen even in the weak east and I doubt BK can meet his own time table.

W

[Lascar78]

Why not? It only takes 2 guys, a big and a PG. You'd like another big for depth too.

I could easily see us drafting a big (aldridge, bargnani, whoever), signing a guy like Nene, and signing a guy like Speedy Claxton, Mike James, or trading Al for a guy like Gordon

Gordon(or Speedy)/Lue

Johnson/Salim

Marvin/Chill

Smith/Aldridge

Nene/Zaza

is a very viable team, and none of the moves are outlandish.

I think we will be in the playoff hunt next year.

BTW, just because we are giving the pick up (unless it's top 3) doesn't mean we HAVE to make the playoffs. That pick is gone, so it doesn't matter to us anymore, who cares what phoenix gets.

The bottom line is that this is the first summer where BK has a chance to basically put a full team together. Now is when we see what he can do.

[DJlaysitup]

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Why not? It only takes 2 guys, a big and a PG. You'd like another big for depth too.

I could easily see us drafting a big (aldridge, bargnani, whoever), signing a guy like Nene, and signing a guy like Speedy Claxton, Mike James, or trading Al for a guy like Gordon

Gordon(or Speedy)/Lue

Johnson/Salim

Marvin/Chill

Smith/Aldridge

Nene/Zaza

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I'm not very confident that the above team could make the playoffs actually. Lotsa teams are improving in the East. If that is BK's finished product I can't see us beating out Orlando...maybe...but it still looks like a pretty perimeter oriented team on offense.

[Guest Walter]

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Why not? It only takes 2 guys, a big and a PG. You'd like another big for depth too.

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You believe we have three starting positions filled, I two. You believe we can win with two starting Sfs without a dominant center, history and I disagree with you.

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I could easily see us drafting a big (aldridge, bargnani, whoever), signing a guy like Nene, and signing a guy like Speedy Claxton, Mike James, or trading Al for a guy like Gordon

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Name one draft site with Aldridge available at 4 or 5 and I'll believe we get him, show me a single Chicago fan that would trade Al for Gordon, and Nene injured or not is NOT better than ZaZa (although we would be the redundantly named frontcourt). Fact is that unless we win in the lottery Aldridge will be gone. Fact is that Chicago can go after Al without a trade for him, much less a trade of their best scorer. Because Al is not a max player, there is not much incentive for Al to try and hold out for an interested team to deal with us. Lastly, like most of the big FAs Nene isn't all that. I'd just assume look elsewhere.

As far as the pick being traded, I believe that was BK setting his own timetable for success. H-E did not expect to be giving up a lottery pick for JJ! Failing to meet his own expectations is not good, right? I get so confused nowadays when guys like Rumsfeld not only don't get fired, but get congratulated for a job well done.

W

[Lascar78]

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Name one draft site with Aldridge available at 4 or 5 and I'll believe we get him

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The lottery hasn't happened yet, we can pick anywhere from 1 to 7.

[mudderfudder77]

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Why not? It only takes 2 guys, a big and a PG. You'd like another big for depth too.

I could easily see us drafting a big (aldridge, bargnani, whoever), signing a guy like Nene, and signing a guy like Speedy Claxton, Mike James, or trading Al for a guy like Gordon

Gordon(or Speedy)/Lue

Johnson/Salim

Marvin/Chill

Smith/Aldridge

Nene/Zaza

is a very viable team, and none of the moves are outlandish.

I think we will be in the playoff hunt next year.

BTW, just because we are giving the pick up (unless it's top 3) doesn't mean we HAVE to make the playoffs. That pick is gone, so it doesn't matter to us anymore, who cares what phoenix gets.

The bottom line is that this is the first summer where BK has a chance to basically put a full team together. Now is when we see what he can do.

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You're not going to get a #3 pick in the draft in a S&T for Al Harrington. Gordons not coming to Atlanta, and we already have a player better than Al Harrington playing his position - we call him Andres Nocioni... (maybe a little hyperbole, but it is not too far off...)

[Lascar78]

if nocioni is better, why have the bulls been interested in al harrington and talked to the hawks about him all season long (until the trade deadline)? Like it or not, they have.

As for not giving Gordon up, if Al wants his extra contract year, it needs to be a SNT we agree too. It could be Gordon, it could be Duhon, it could be a couple of other players.

[Guest Walter]

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if nocioni is better, why have the bulls been interested in al harrington and talked to the hawks about him all season long (until the trade deadline)? Like it or not, they have.

As for not giving Gordon up, if Al wants his extra contract year, it needs to be a SNT we agree too. It could be Gordon, it could be Duhon, it could be a couple of other players.

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No GD way the Bulls lose Gordon for an extra year for Al. No other team can really compete for his services and seems to want him, why would they? Just ludicrious.

W