What do you do with the worst team of all time?
How? Trades, the draft, and free agency are the only ways to pick up new talent, so I'll break down each phase chronologically with a "best-case" scenario option for each. I'll try not to reach so much, as I'm not a Bobcats fan.
Let's see what we can do, shall we?
Trade Kemba
After his rookie season, it seems clear that Kemba's best role in the league is as a spark-plug combo guard providing energy and scoring off the bench. His talents simply aren't suited for full-time lead guard duty. There are teams out there who need a player like him, but the 'Cats simply aren't one of them. They should try to turn Kemba into a young wing player or mid-first draft pick.
Best Scenario:
Kemba Walker to Portland for Luke Babbitt and the #11 pick in the 2012 draft. This is definitely a bit of a stretch for the Blazers. Kemba went #9 last year, and some people thought that was high. But Portland desperately needs some new blood at the lead guard spot after last year's disasters, and with such a weak crop of point guards in this draft, why not? Babbitt is a salary throw-in, a lottery bust who could probably play some minutes on the still-terrible 2012-13 team (more on that later).
2012 DRAFT
With the second pick in a draft with one star, things aren't perfect. But the second pick does have some value because a bunch of teams would love to have either wing of the stand-out wing players Bradley Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Teams picking fourth or later will be motivated to move ahead of the Wizards to nab one of them. Because the Bobcats have needs at every position, they might be better served to turn one chip into two.
Best Scenario:
Trade #2 to Cleveland for #4 and #24.
#4: Pick Harrison Barnes, a solid wing who can do a bit of everything offensively. Most agree he's talented enough to start right away and hold a spot for years to come.
#11 (from Portland via Kemba trade): Pick Jared Sullinger, a banger who can rebound and score. Perry Jones, Dion Waiters, and Jeremy Lamb should be on the board if he isn't.
#24: Gamble on Royce White, a top-10 talent who will likely fall because of off the court issues. If he's gone, target another high risk/reward type player.
Free Agency
Let the DJ's walk
Both DJ Augustin and DJ White are restricted free agents, and Charlotte can let them walk or make a deal. For Augistin, there's some sense in offering the qualifying offer at ~$4.4M to play one year. DJ White is not worth his $3M qual.Throw the Kitchen Sink at Goran Dragic
Hitting unrestricted free agency at 26, the Rockets second point guard is in high demand. But Charlotte has more cap space than pretty much anybody, and since no one is crazy enough to offer him a max deal, they should be able to overpay to get him.
Fallout
So what does all this leave us with? Here's a tentative depth lineup:
- C, Bismack Biyombo
- PF, Jared Sullinger
- SF, Harrison Barnes
- SG, Royce White
- PG, Goran Dragic
And the bench:
- Bigs, Tyrus Thomas & Byron Mullens
- Wings, Corey Maggette & Gerald Henderson
- Guards, DJ Augustin & Reggie Williams
Ok, so this team would still be AWFUL. Starting three rookies, one of them (White) who may not be able to attend road games due to a phobia of flying, is a recipe for disaster. Even with great player development, this team would struggle to win more than 15 games in a season for at least another year or two.
They would definitely have a better set of marketable guys though. Barnes in particular seems obsessed with his "brand", which for most teams would be a bad thing. But for a franchise in desperate need of attention, any kind of attention, it could work in their favor. White is also a very compelling and unique personality, if for different reasons.
But the future would look much much better. A front court of Biyombo and Sullinger is actually really interesting, because they are polar opposites from both a physical and talent standpoint. Not much risk of overlap there. Mullens showed signs last year when healthy, and could be a solid scoring big off the bench. The other young guys are also talented players who should be good complementary guys eventually.
What they have needed since the start of the franchise is a star. That's not happening this summer, make no mistake about it. But, aside from the Goric splurge, they'd have almost no non-rookie contracts after 2012-13. They can really start hoarding cap space and draft picks, enabling the flexibility to acquire a disgruntled star via trade or a new one by drafting smart.
So, what do you think?!
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