OFFICIAL: Dwight Howard traded to Lakers

[e-monk]

Bosh: it's cold as tits in Toronto
Lebron: Cleveland's close to my home town
Wade: Fine fine bitches

Bosh: Canada is the home of Justin Beiber
Lebron: the Cavs organization is ridiculously inept
Wade: Pat Riley and fine fine bitches

Bosh: did you know canada is a foreign country? I had to get a passport
Lebron: the weather in Cleveland is nice for about 6 weeks of the year
Wade: this is what a ring looks like oh and here are some pictures of some fine fine bitches wearing G-strings - do they have G-strings in Cleveland?

[Adam]

Originally Posted by e-monk

I think the question at stake is whether and when Lebron knew he was going somewhere (to my original point with xxxirvingxxx) - I dont think the Heat did much of anything wrong although Riles may have been feeling pretty smug going into the summer if wade had a chance to whisper in his ear

But of course he didn't. He knew his options, returning to Cleveland or joining a "super team," and he probably didn't decide until the end. You people give him way too much credit to think he masterminded some scheme months in advance. I think he honestly tried to win a championship in Cleveland and when that failed he was out the door.

[e-monk]

Originally Posted by Adam

But of course he didn't. He knew his options, returning to Cleveland or joining a "super team," and he probably didn't decide until the end. You people give him way too much credit to think he masterminded some scheme months in advance. I think he honestly tried to win a championship in Cleveland and when that failed he was out the door.

wait... "of course"? I'm sorry he was talking to his friends about the idea two years before he had to make the decision but he had no idea until the morning of the decision which way he was heading? no idea whatsoever? he just woke up and pulled out his ouija board that very morning and boom!

"of course"

[Diable]

this thread has jumped the shark way too many times for me to follow

[Adam]

Originally Posted by e-monk

wait... "of course"? I'm sorry he was talking to his friends about the idea two years before he had to make the decision but he had no idea until the morning of the decision which way he was heading? no idea whatsoever? he just woke up and pulled out his ouija board that very morning and boom!

"of course"

Don't obfuscate. The thought was there, the decision is another matter. He knew his options but he did not decide until after Cleveland got bounced again. If Cleveland had won a championship I doubt he would have left.

[GrandKenyon6]

Doesn't Rob Hennigan already deserve to be fired? What the hell is he doing?

He traded Ryan Anderson, the NBA's Most Improved Player, for some guy named Gustavo, he re-signed Jameer Nelson for 3 years at over $6.5 million a year, and he traded Dwight Howard for the worst package he possibly could have taken. Orlando only got conditional draft picks from 3 likely playoff teams, took on multi-year salaries in Arron Afflalo (who is now probably the team's best player) and Al Harrington, and got no good young prospects. They got a $17 million trade exception, but what's the likelihood that it actually gets used? You see trade exceptions expire without being used all the time. Even if it does get used, what's the likelihood it gets them a player or prospect better than Andrew Bynum or even Brook Lopez? I'd say it's about 5%. Three All-Stars were traded in this deal with Orlando sending out far and away the best player and not getting either of the other two star players back. That makes sense? How was that better for them in any way than what the Rockets were offering or what the Nets were offering? Did they just not want to deal with Brooklyn to spite Dwight?

[XxIrvingxX]

Originally Posted by e-monk

they literally have been on record as saying they talked about joining forces during those olympics - did they come right out and say 'in Miami'? no that would be a bridge too far collusion wise but use your noggin - complete the following sentence

wouldnt it be cool if we all got together and played on the same team and we could all live in:

a) Cleveland
b) Toronto
c) take our talents to South Beach

They talked about it I'm sure, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't something they were being serious about. Bosh joining forces with Wade? Sure. But Lebron taking part in it depended entirely on how well he would've done with the Cavs, and as we all know, James did well, but the Cavs themselves didn't. And even after Cleveland didn't win, there were obviously other options for Lebron. Hell he went to every team meeting for all the teams he could've joined so clearly he wasn't just considering Cleveland or Miami. There were other options involved.

I personally think the Bulls were the best option for him but it is what it is.

Edit: Don't take that first sentence seriously (oh the irony), I'm pretty sure he was being serious I actually have no clue why I typed that lol.

[Bogg]

Originally Posted by E.H. Munro

Yeah, but if Cleveland had put a good team around him it would never have been issue as he probably wouldn't have left.I pointed this out a few pages ago, but in the 2004 draft Phoenix sold their pick for $3 million and an unprotected first and when Cleveland was on the board Josh Smith was sitting right there (and it's not like Josh Smith was unheralded, most mocks had him as a top 10 pick, even I had him going #9 to Philly). Cleveland could have walked out of that draft with Iguodala & Josh Smith, and James would still be playing there.

Well, yea, sure, it's why I said I'm not mad about him leaving Cleveland. They did a bad job, and he wanted to win championships. I'm not saying he conspired to screw over potential dynasty in Cleveland or anything, just that he was talking to Wade, at least, about coming to Miami well before July of 2010, and it's highly likely Wade conveyed that information in private to Riley. It is what it is, with how connected everyone is and how friendly this current group of stars are with each other, it's crazy to think they don't speak in private about off-season maneuverings.

Originally Posted by Adam

And for the record, Miami did it the right way. We didn't dump salary in an all or nothing bid for LeBron like New York and Chicago did or gut the team like Bogg suggested.

Miami won 47 games in 09-10 because Wade had a monster season in a year the East had a few good teams and a ton of garbage(Charlotte won nearly as many games). Pat Riley fielded a team, with a top-five player in his prime, on which the second best player was a broken-down Jermaine O'neal. Miami had almost nobody under contract the following summer. They absolutely cleared out salary, and Riley wouldn't have done it unless he was very confident he could get multiple high-level players alongside Wade the summer of 2010. I mean, we're going to act like a big three that involves old Jermaine O'neal and Mike Beasley at any point is the best Riley can do if he's trying?

[GrandKenyon6]

Check out the protections on the picks Orlando is receiving

2014 first-round pick from the Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have two first-round picks in 2014: their own pick and a pick from the New York Knicks. The Magic will receive the less favorable of the two picks.

One future first-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers
This pick is tied to a previous trade between the Sixers and the Miami Heat, and the Magic cannot receive the pick from the Sixers from the Howard deal until the Sixers satisfy their prior commitment to the Heat.

Here’s the CliffsNotes version:
• If the Sixers make the playoffs in 2012-13, the Magic will receive a protected Sixers first-round pick in 2015.
• If the Sixers don’t make the playoffs until 2013-14, the Magic will receive a protected Sixers first-round pick in 2016.
• Even if the Sixers still haven’t made the playoffs by 2014-15, the Magic will receive a protected Sixers first-round pick in 2017.

Now, remember that the pick the Magic are getting will be protected. Here are the terms of that protection:
• 2015 draft: The Magic will receive the pick if it falls from 15th overall to 30th overall. If the pick falls from first overall to 14th overall, Philly will keep the pick and Orlando instead will receive a protected first-round pick in 2016.

• 2016 draft: The Magic will receive the pick if it falls from 15th overall to 30th overall. If the pick falls from first overall to 14th overall, Philly will keep the pick and Orlando instead will receive a protected first-round pick in 2017.

• 2017 draft: The Magic will receive the pick if it falls from 12th overall to 30th overall. If the pick falls from first overall to 11th overall, Philly will keep the pick and Orlando instead will receive a protected first-round pick in 2018.

• 2018 draft: The Magic will keep the pick if it falls from ninth overall to 30th overall. If the pick falls from first overall to eighth overall, Philly will keep the pick and Orlando instead will receive a second-round pick in 2018 and a second-round pick in 2019. (Why would the Magic forfeit a first-round pick? Because the new CBA prohibits teams from trading a first-round pick seven years out.)

One future first-round pick from the Lakers
This pick is tied to the Lakers’ sign-and-trade deal with the Phoenix Suns for Steve Nash, and the Magic cannot receive the Lakers’ first-round pick until the Lakers satisfy their obligation to the Suns.

That said, the only way the Magic don’t get a protected pick from the Lakers for the 2017 draft is if the Lakers are terrible in 2012-13 and fail to make the playoffs. That’s not going to happen.

But if the Lakers don’t make the playoffs until 2013-14, the Magic would get a Lakers’ protected first-round pick in 2018. If by some miracle the Lakers don’t make the playoffs in any of the next three seasons, the Magic would not get a first-round pick from the Lakers and instead would get the Lakers’ second-round pick in 2017 and the Lakers’ second-round pick in 2018 because of the CBA rule that prevents a team from trading a first-round pick seven years out.

Here are the protection terms:
• 2017 draft: The Magic will receive the pick if it falls from sixth overall to 30th overall. If the pick falls from first overall to fifth overall, L.A. will keep the pick and Orlando instead will receive a protected first-round pick in 2018.

• 2018 draft: The Magic will receive the pick if it falls from sixth overall to 30th overall. If the pick falls from first overall to fifth overall, L.A. will keep the pick and Orlando instead will receive a first-round pick in 2019.

• 2019 draft: Unprotected. The Magic will receive the pick no matter what it falls.

2013 second-round pick from the Nuggets
This pick originally belonged to the Golden State Warriors, so the picks place in the second round will be determined by how the Warriors finish during the 2012-13 season.

2015 second-round pick from the Lakers
The Lakers will keep the pick if it falls from 31st overall to 40th overall. If that occurs, the pick disappears and the Magic won’t receive a second-round pick from the Lakers.

Those are some pretty darn heavily protected picks. Otis Smith would have done a better job than this.

[Sliccat]

Originally Posted by GrandKenyon6

Check out the protections on the picks Orlando is receiving



Those are some pretty darn heavily protected picks. Otis Smith would have done a better job than this.

Please. Otis Smith would've taken most over paid players he could have found. He'd have ended up with, like, Aaron Afflalo and Al Harrington.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Bogg

Miami won 47 games in 09-10 because Wade had a monster season in a year the East had a few good teams and a ton of garbage(Charlotte won nearly as many games). Pat Riley fielded a team, with a top-five player in his prime, on which the second best player was a broken-down Jermaine O'neal. Miami had almost nobody under contract the following summer. They absolutely cleared out salary, and Riley wouldn't have done it unless he was very confident he could get multiple high-level players alongside Wade the summer of 2010. I mean, we're going to act like a big three that involves old Jermaine O'neal and Mike Beasley at any point is the best Riley can do if he's trying?

The Heat were planning for 2010 free agency as far back as 2005 when they committed to Shaq and gave him a deal expiring in 2010 for $20 million. Wade lined up with that expiring in 2010 for another $15 million. The Heat were preparing for 2010 for years. Riley once said how upset he was when we didn't re-sign Kapono but we couldn't because it didn't fit our plan and it was too long-term. Don't talk about building a team like it's so easy and you just make moves to win so simply while maintaining your fiscal responsibility. Riley flipped Marion who was a huge expiring in 2009 for Jermaine O'Neal's deal which ran another year at around $20 million, just to give us a center we desperately needed and we won 47 games. And you've abandoned your bullshit statement that Riley "gutted" the roster.

[Bogg]

Originally Posted by Adam

The Heat were planning for 2010 free agency as far back as 2005 when they committed to Shaq and gave him a deal expiring in 2010 for $20 million. Wade lined up with that expiring in 2010 for another $15 million. The Heat were preparing for 2010 for years. Riley once said how upset he was when we didn't re-sign Kapono but we couldn't because it didn't fit our plan and it was too long-term. Don't talk about building a team like it's so easy and you just make moves to win so simply while maintaining your fiscal responsibility. Riley flipped Marion who was a huge expiring in 2009 for Jermaine O'Neal's deal which ran another year at around $20 million, just to give us a center we desperately needed and we won 47 games. And you've abandoned your bullshit statement that Riley "gutted" the roster.

You do understand that my whole argument is also that cap space in 2010 was Riley's plan, right? Half of what you just typed doesn't even disagree with me. Yea, he absolutely flipped Marion for a wildly overpaid O'neal. Partially because the team needed a center, and partially because they needed to tie up a whole bunch of money for one more year and one more year only. They allowed guys to walk and avoided bringing in any long-term money, essentially tearing down the team for cap space to rebuild through free agency......and it clearly worked. Miami placed their hopes on the 2010 free agent class as much as any other team that year, only they had the better plan. I'm not quite sure why this in controversial.

[E.H. Munro]

In fairness they attempted to sign Boozer in the year before but he went to Chicago instead.

[Bogg]

Originally Posted by E.H. Munro

In fairness they attempted to sign Boozer in the year before but he went to Chicago instead.

Boozer went to Chicago in 2010. Do you mean Odom? If you do, all they were able to offer was the MLE, and if you can get younger, sane-ish Lamar Odom for $6 million a year you obviously do that.

EDIT: Wait, no, I think you may be right.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Bogg

You do understand that my whole argument is also that cap space in 2010 was Riley's plan, right? Half of what you just typed doesn't even disagree with me. Yea, he absolutely flipped Marion for a wildly overpaid O'neal. Partially because the team needed a center, and partially because they needed to tie up a whole bunch of money for one more year and one more year only. They allowed guys to walk and avoided bringing in any long-term money, essentially tearing down the team for cap space to rebuild through free agency......and it clearly worked. Miami placed their hopes on the 2010 free agent class as much as any other team that year, only they had the better plan. I'm not quite sure why this in controversial.

You do understand that your argument was that Riley gutted the team because he "knew something was up." Don't backpedal too far from that statement. I'm giving you the truth that Riley was practicing a 2010 fiscal plan since 2005.

Originally Posted by E.H. Munro

In fairness they attempted to sign Boozer in the year before but he went to Chicago instead.

Did you google this or was this a rumor floating around the sports bars of West Palm Beach? It was Odom for the mid-level, and the Heat never wanted Boozer.