The "D-FENS, fix my team!" Thread

[D-FENS]

Name your team*, and I'll fix them through trades, free agency, draft, fix your shit color scheme, logo, ownership group. You name the team, and I'll make a run down of what needs to happen to reach the next level.

*Not including any of the final 8 teams, because anyone of them could win the championship.

[OmniStrife]

Out of curiosity... And cause we're in a good place atm...

Please fix my Suns

[toooo]

Please fix the thunder so they can win 5v5. Right now the inky way they win is 8v5

[Andrei89]

Well, lets put it like this :

None of you are even remotely better than any NBA GM. If they can't fix their team, neither could 10 of you.

/thread

[toooo]

Well, lets put it like this :

None of you are even remotely better than any NBA GM. If they can't fix their team, neither could 10 of you.

/thread

We can throw out improbable solutions though, they can't.

[rhowen4]

Well, lets put it like this :

None of you are even remotely better than any NBA GM. If they can't fix their team, neither could 10 of you.

/thread

I bet all of ish thinking cooperatively could do better than some current gms. Some folks here have seen a lot of basketball.

[livingby3's]

u guys put up trade scenarios like trade override exists in real life

[robert de niro]

make the timberwolves at least a WCF team

[D-FENS]

Out of curiosity... And cause we're in a good place atm...

Please fix my Suns

You got it!

First, what's right with the Phoenix Suns:
-That new logo
-Bringing in Ryan McDonough from Boston as GM
-The youth movement, especially Eric Bledsoe and Markieff Morris
-The cap situation
-Goran Dragic's resurgence
-Jeff Hornacek's coaching style and rapport with the players

Areas of need:
-Fix up the uniform (too much plain are under the lettering)
-Need a consistent defensive center
-Need to consolidate some of the team's depth in average to good players with some picks into a better player
-Resigning free agents

First off, let's tackle that uniform.

I like a lot of the new look, but just feel like they should bring back elements of the 90's uniform but updated with their current decal.

Bringing in a good defensive pick and roll big.
-Trade the 18th pick in the draft for Anderson Varejao. Absorb his 2014/15 salary with cap space.
Why? Varejao is one of the most underappreciated players in the league. He is like Joakim Noah in a lot of ways, but can be very injury prone. This is a gamble, but the upside is there. Phoenix needs a big that can get them second chance opportunities, run the floor, frustrate opposing bigs, pass, and be the roll man in the pick n roll with Bledsoe or Dragic.

Consolidating players
The Suns should have about $25 -$30 million in cap room at the start of free agency. Varejao will eat up $9 million, and Bledsoe's cap hold is $6.6 million, you're left with $10 - $15 million. Turn to the Jazz, and negotiate a sign and trade for Gordon Hayward with an annual contract starting at $8.5 million per year.
Send the Jazz: Alex Len and a 2015 draft pick (lottery protected, top 3 protected in 2016).

Resign players
-Bledsoe
-Frye
-Tucker
-Draft Zach LaVine with the 14th pick
-Draft Khem Birch in the 2nd round
-Sign

New line-up:
CT: Varejao/ Plumlee/ Birch
PF: Frye/ Morris
SF: Hayward/ Tucker/ Morris
SG: Bledsoe/ Green/ Goodwin/ Christmas
PG: Dragic/ Smith/ LaVine

Not a lot of changes to the line-up, but the idea is to get marginally better and wait for the 2015 free agency class. The other direction to go in is to trade picks 14 and 18 and move up for Aaron Gordon if he slides to the lower lottery - I'm just not sure how long he'll take to develop into a decent NBA player, that's why I looked to continue building the team up as a playoff team.

[kshutts1]

Well, lets put it like this :

None of you are even remotely better than any NBA GM. If they can't fix their team, neither could 10 of you.

/thread

Not entirely true, IMO. NBA GMs seem to care way too much about their own job security rather than taking chances to turn a good team in to a great team.

I think an assessed-risk risk-taker with basketball knowledge would do quite well in certain facets of running a team.

I think I'd do pretty well in negotiating trades with other teams, but I'd do incredibly poorly in the draft. I'd also do poorly (by most standards) in free agency, but that's because I have an eye for value, not for top-of-the-line. I'd be the GM taking cheap fliers on players, and only offering a max, or near max, contract to a player that is a top 5-10 player in the league.

[D-FENS]

make the timberwolves at least a WCF team

Pros:
-Would have been a playoff team in the East
-Kevin Love is the best power forward in the game
-Gorgui Dieng looks like a long-term fit beside Kevin Love
-Good offensive team*
-Strong rebounding team, lots of 2nd chance opportunities (ranked 1st in the league)


Cons:
-Team is flawed defensively, and does not have a closer on offense.
-Kevin Love may be the best power forward, but he's suited to a secondary role on offense.
-*except for Rubio's bunk shot
-Bench impact is negative


Figuring out the Wolves is tough. My first instinct is to try and construct a trade for Westbrook, but after seeing Durant's MVP speech, there is no way in the world the Thunder entertain trading him. It will kill their chemistry.

The Wolves are in the middle of the pack, and teams in the middle of the pack need to prey on the lesser teams for players. It's a better strategy than signing pedestrian players to expensive contracts. That's why a team like the Wolves is littered with middling contracts like Brewer, Barea, Budinger, Martin etc. Time to take advantage of rebuilding teams.

Targets:
-A change of pace back-up to Love, that can play with Love if need be
-A 3 and D shooting guard, pushing Kevin martin to the bench.

Trade 1:

Minnesota trades:
-JJ Barea
-Dante Cunningham (S&T - 1 year)
-Pick 53, 2014 Draft

Philadelphia trades:
-Thaddeus Young

Trade 2:

Minnesota trades:
-Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
-Shabazz Muhammad
-Pick 40, 2014 Draft

Orlando trades:
-Aaron Afflalo

Trade analysis:
Young provides bench scoring behind Love and in a pinch can play beside him as a small forward, or as a power forward in small line-ups with Love at center.
Afflalo provides outside shooting AND defense while pushing Kevin Martin to a bench scoring role, much better suited to his game at this age.
Martin and Young upgrade the bench significantly.

Draft:
Minnesota has the 13th pick. Draft Express has them selecting Gary Harris, while NBADraft.net has them selecting Dario Saric.
Gary Harris is ready to contribute right away, and if he is available, he's the pick here. I would even go as far as saying to trade up for him (as long as no major assets are needed to be given up).
Not picking a back-up to Rubio here, as he needs an experienced vet behind him.

Free agency:
-Kirk Hinrich
-Arinze Onuaku

New team:
CT: Pekovic/ Dieng/ Turiaf
PF: Love/ Young/ Onuaku
SF: Brewer/ Budinger/ Hummel
SG: Afflalo/ Martin/ Harris
PG: Rubio/ Hinrich/ Shved

Pekovic should be quietly shopped if Dieng keeps his performance up. I would be looking for a cheaper back-up and an expiring contract in his place.

[D-FENS]

Please fix the thunder so they can win 5v5. Right now the inky way they win is 8v5

Sorry, Thunder could still win it all this year.

[zoom17]

[b0bab0i]

Not my team, but how would you fix the Bucks? Worst team in the league.

[boozehound]

D-Fens, fix my pistons!