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1st July, 2009 - 4:09 pm
by Brandon Hoffman
According to Brian Windhorst of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cavs have targeted several free agent forwards, but if those players sign elsewhere, the team will try to acquire a wing player in order to "slide James into more of a power forward role." I think plan B is in Cleveland's best interests. The Cavaliers were virtually unstoppable when they moved James to power forward, and shifted to that 1-2-2 set late in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Positioned at the foul line, and surrounded by shooters, James scored or assisted on 32 straight points. Because of the spacing, any attempt to double-team LeBron at the free throw line results in an open shot for one his teammates. And it's virtually impossible for one defender to prevent James from getting to the cup. Move James to power forward, surround him with three shooters, and pair him with the an athletic big that can crash the boards and knock down baseline jumpers, and you can pencil the Cavs in as NBA finalists next season. I mean that. Here's hoping the Cavaliers come to their senses before July 1st, 2010.
The Portland Trail Blazers are pursuing Hedo Turkoglu, despite a logjam at the small forward position. Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard contacted Turkoglu's agent at 12:01 AM last night to express their interest. Coach Nate McMillan will fly to Orlando today to have a Wednesday night dinner with the Blazers' top free-agent target. That news, combined with Rockets GM Daryl Morey's courtship of center Marcin Gortat should make the Magic nervous. Why? Because Kevin Pritchard and Daryl Morey are two of the brightest GM's in the league. Their resumes are impeccable. If they show an interest in Turkoglu and Gortat, you better believe they're worth holding onto. I liked the Vince Carter trade. I really did. But not if it comes at the expense of two key contributors to Orlando's Finals run.
Kobe Bryant decided not to exercise an early termination option in his contract and will return for the 2009-10 season. Bryant, slated to earn $23 million next season by not opting out, is expected to sign a three-year extension worth an estimated $85 million on top of his existing two-year contract later this month. Bryant's decision to opt in gives the Lakers some certainty heading into next season, but it doesn't do them any favors on the Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza free agency fronts. When asked whether he would cut his own salary in order to free up cap space for Odom and Ariza last month, Bryant replied: “That’s not my responsibility.” There's some truth to that statement. But if the Lakers are unable to re-sign Odom or Ariza this summer due to luxury tax concerns, Bryant will have no one but himself to blame. With $74 million committed to 8 players next season, the Lakers are looking at a $20 million luxury tax bill if they want to retain Odom and Ariza. The Lakers are the second most valuable franchise in the league, but that's a hefty bill for Jerry Buss, who to my knowledge, doesn't have an actual business outside of being an NBA owner.
Kings Make Right Choice In Evans, by Bryant West
Brandon Hoffman is a contributing writer for RealGM. To read more from Brandon, check out his blog at BallerBlogger.com. You can also email him at ballerblogger@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter.
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