I don't know, but it seems to me that almost anyone can make up a series of wild *** ideas to improve a team. I bet I can do just as well as Chris Ford, and be more consistent to boot.
1. Explore a trade of Kwame for 1) Baron Davis or 1a) Andre Miller. Does Kwame have that kind of trade value? I'm not sure, to be honest. However, even his critics (like me), recognize that he's got a mountain of ability.
It's not out of the realm of possibility that a team like Cleveland, which has Miller on the block mainly for contract reasons, and which wants a PF, would trade Rip for a young, high potential PF who's locked up contractually for several years. If they like, we could add someone like Whitney, Lue, or Davis, to provide some backup at PG for DaJuan Wagner. Davis of course, is mainly an SG, but he seems to be able to play PG in a pinch, and his size would complement Wagner nicely, maybe allowing him to operate at SG occasionally. He's one of the league's best 3 point threats, and oh yeah, his contract is expiring, which the cash conscious Cleveland ownership will love.
2. To make this deal happen under the cap, Cleveland would need to include another player, and the best salary match is Lamond Murray. Not coincidentally, the Cavs might be willing to give him up, since he's not an all-around player and he's got a significant amount of contract left in front of him (this year plus three more). If Cleveland is trying to clear salaries, he's a guy they'll try to move, and they've got Jumaine Jones behind him, who I at least think has decent potential. Maybe we add a lottery protected draft pick to seal the deal.
3. If possible, trade Jahidi for Miller straight up. No way Etan is included. If they want, they can have Whitney, Simmons, or Grizzard.
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At this point, we've got the following roster as our primary rotation
<pre>
C Hayood
Thomas (splits time at C/PF)
Laettner (splits time at C/PF)
PF
Jeffries (splits time at PF/SF)
SF Murray
Miller (splits time at SF/SG)
MJ (splits time at SF/SG if he plays)
SG Rip
Hughes (splits time at SG/PG)
PG Miller
</pre>
Additionally, we have Dixon, Simmons, Lue, Whitney, and maybe Grizzard deeper on the bench, with potential for all but Whitney to improve.
In the long run, I like this lineup. I like Jeffries more as an athlete swinging between PF and SF. I like Thomas swinging between C and PF. Combining with Haywood, I think those three still leave our frontcourt pretty strong in the long run, even if we get rid of White.
At SF, we've got a guy who's steady and can score and rebound in Murray, although ultimately I'd expect him to give way to Miller.
With this roster, we've got a lot of flexibility. We can run and gun with a lineup of Thomas, Jeffries, M. Miller, Rip, and Andre, (with Hughes as a sixth man interchangeable for the last two). We've got a lot of guys who can shoot the rock for Andre to distribute to (Jeffries, Murray, Rip, Mike Miller), and a lot of guys who should be decent defenders (Andre, Haywood, Etan, Jeffries)
