It's almost that time so you be the GM.  Build a contender.  Hire a coach.  Make the picks. Sign FA's.  Critique each others. Put a paragraph at the end explaining your direction.

Resources:

http://www.nbadraft.net/2010mock_draft

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2010/

http://hoopshype.com/salaries.htm  (here you can figure out salaries and who will be a FA)

Our Cap:

I'm declining Dooling's option and accepting CDR's.  Hump won't decline his and I don't think Boone will get a qualifying offer.  That leaves us with ~23 mil in commitments.  The cap will probably be 57 mil.

Cap left: 34 Mil

Draft Picks:

My estimates for the cost of each pick (based on the last few years):

1st: 4.9 mil, 2nd: 4.5, 3rd: 4.0, 4th: 3.5

27th: 1 mil, 31st: <500k

So we'll say ~6 mil for draft.

Cap: 28 mil

My picks:

• #2 Evan Turner
• #27 Soloman Alabi/Jarvis Varnando (basically the same player)
• #31 Sherron Collins

Free Agents:

I'm taking a pretty unconventional approach here.  Plus if we get Lebron all bets are off anyways.

David Lee (27): 6 years/11 mil a year (12 mil year one).  Gives us a legitimate #4. He's a known quantity.

Mike Miller (30): 3 years/7 a yr. Career: 13.6 pts, 5 reb, 3 assists, 40% from 3.  Plays good D.  Will give you a lot of what Rudy Gay will but is a lights out shooter.

Matt Barnes (30): 4 years/4 mil a yr. 8.8 pts/5.6 rebs.  Probably the best perimeter defender in the league.

This would leave us 6 mil left to bring in whatever pieces they want to fill out the last 3 spots.

Total: 22 mil

Cap Left: 6 mil

Coach:

I want Avery Johnson.  He's a winner and coaches Defense first.

Line-up:

Harris/Collins

Turner/Lee

Miller/Barnes/CDR

DLee/Yi/Hump

Lopez/Alabi

With T-Will playing the 1-3.

Verdict:

I think this team is a legitimate contender.  They are exceptionally balanced and have both a defensive presence and offensive weapons.  If Williams keeps improving and Turner is as-advertized, they are scary.

Your turn..

I really think we should make a run at him.  The Jets have Shonn Green and just signed LT2.  I know he is tendered as a second rounder but I think we can get him for less as he's coming off a broken leg.

I think he fits exactly what we need opposite CJ.  He's a bruising downhill runner, averaged 5 YPC, a great receiver, and is one of the best return men in fball.

Thoughts?

'According to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, veteran right-hander Tim Hudson is expected to sign a three-year extension with the Braves by the end of this week.

"It will be a shocker if something doesn't get finished in the next three or four days," said Rosenthal's major league source.

Hudson spent most of the 2009 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but went 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA and a 30/13 K/BB ratio in seven starts once he rejoined the Braves.  The 34-year-old had a $12 million mutual option sitting on 2010, so the new deal is probably structured around that figure as an annual salary.  He has 148 career wins and a 3.49 career ERA.

Rosenthal believes the Braves might decide to trade one of their other veteran arms -- "most likely right-hander Javier Vazquez or right-hander Derek Lowe" -- for a hitter.'

mlbtr

Eddie Bajek has reverse-engineered the Elias rankings, and we'll now be providing that information exclusively at MLB Trade Rumors.  Today let's take a look at the 2010 free agents who would be Type A, if the season ended today.  Click here for an explanation on free agent compensation.

 

Relievers

• Octavio Dotel
• Jose Valverde
• Trevor Hoffman
• Billy Wagner*
• John Grabow
• Mike Gonzalez
• Kevin Gregg
• Ryan Franklin*
• Doug Brocail*
• Rafael Soriano

* denotes an option for 2010

 

mlbtr

That's huge news!  Definitely changes how easily they can be dealt at the break.  Thoughts?

Nice tidbit:

"

Jordan Manuel, a lanky 6-8 power forward with three-point shooting range, said he's receiving interest from Xavier, Detroit, St. Joe's, Cincinnati and Louisville. Manuel said Louisville coach Rick Pitino came to see him work out in an open gym at his high school two weeks ago.

Manuel, a former high school teammate of Marquis Teague at Indianapolis Pike, offered an interesting statement about his friend.

"I like Louisville because Marquis Teague is going there and I like how he plays," Manuel said. "I think I could fit in."