The Moonball Blog

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Wolves got better? Do Tell



I was on the road for the draft, and was unable to tune in for the first time in years. Probably for the best, my heart still stinging from the Finals.

But some significant sh*t went down, right? Bulls and Miami are now all in for the free agent race. The stupid strategy of the two miserable NY franchises may totally back fire . I want LeBron to stay in Cleveland, but the Cavs almost need to rebuild their entire squad to bring in some real running mates for the King. I can't see LeBron wanting sit around during a rebuilding process. Assuming that his plan is to win multiple championships, I suspect he will go to either Chicago or Miami. I also suspect at least one other big name is going to follow suit. Dwyane Wade and Riley are also going to pull in at least one other big name for Miami. Craziness.

Speaking of craziness, Portland fired GM Kevin Pritchard. Having disliked Pritchard from his Jayhawk days, I have begrudgingly appreciated his rather nice run in charge in Portland. Apparently the fan favorite Pritchard was quick to take public credit for ideas and moves that we not his own. Portland also cleared up some off the log jam on the bench by trading Martell Webster to Minnesota. Good move for both teams. Portland needs to settle into 8-9 man rotation. Time to get serious. Nic Batum, baby.

For Minny, Webster is just coming into his prime. He has developed into a tenacious defender and solid rebounder. Most importantly, he is a relentless worker, both in terms of his game and in terms of his conditioning. Drafted out of high school and playing on a team with a load of wing talent, he has never gotten then consistent green light to exploit his offensive game.

As for my free agency predictions, here goes nothing:

Chicago signs LeBron James
New Jersey signs
Carlos Boozer
Miami signs Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade
NY signs Joe Johnson and Amare

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1 Comments:

  • I like your predictions for the big free agents. Thanks for bringing this up -- been hiding my head in the sand but am now poking it up to see where the chips fall. Never forgot being burned watching Roy get drafted, getting excited, and then watching the fallout.

    So this year I went to see Dead cover band Dark Star Orchestra on draft night, and under a full moon heard "Dire Wolf" and along with the entire groovin' crowd, shouted "Don't murder me, I beg of you don't murder me, please don't murder me!" and I meant it, David Kahn. Survive. That's my reaction to the draft as we wait and see.

    I loved Gomes, and I thank him for his service, but I like the move and I like Webster here. Some are pissed we didn't get more, but I think this is realistic and it's refreshing to see the organization making moves. We can definitely use Webster's outside shooting and athleticism, and Blaze have to go with Batum, you're right. As things come more into focus, we're putting in place some defenders and athletes, presumably for Rubio to dish to someday. Last year was rock bottom, this is the uphill climb to the mountaintop, or at least the meadow halfway up Mt. Adams. Baby steps.

    Further reading for those who are interested....The two sides of the Wolves spectrum:
    3/4 empty
    3/4 full

    By Blogger TVDave, at 9:49 AM  

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