Now that the light drama of the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery is behind us, GM Rod Higgins can finally put to rest those dreams of Blake Griffin decked out in orange & blue and get back to reality.
With five weeks to go until Draft Day the Bobcats have some work to do.
“We’re broke.”
It’s no secret that the ‘Cats have been hemorrhaging cash since their ill-conceived inception 5+ seasons ago. You know how it goes: When you’re broke there are two things you can do. Save More Money + Make More Money.
SAVE MONEY ACTION STEP #1a: Unload Nazr Mohammed by bundling him with the 12th Pick.
Bonnell tossed out the idea this morning as being “crazy.” Yeah, it’s crazy if you’re the GM of another franchise and accept this deal. No way the Bobcats get so lucky as to have somebody take Mohammed’s $13.2 million in exchange for a low lottery pick in a weak draft.
#1b: Unload Nazr Mohammed by trading him for another Financial Eyesore.
Since the Bobcats admit to needing more depth at PF and SG, perhaps the ‘Cats could shop Mohammed’s relatively short deal in conjunction with a 2nd-rounder or two for someone like Sacramento’s Francisco Garcia who the Kings owe $23 million plus over the next four seasons.
You could also throw out an offer of Mohammed and the 12th Pick to Phoenix for Leandro Barbosa and see if cash-strapped “Cheapskate” Robert Sarver would bite in order to save $14 million big ones.
And then there’s the pesky Jamaal Tinsley rumor that just won’t go away. Ugh. While the salaries match up okay and it’s always nice to have depth at the point, do you really want another poor-shooting-shooting-first PG on the team? Especially one with a questionable reputation like Tinsley’s?
Of course, there’s always the “#1c” strategy of keeping the pick, finding a gem in the late-lottery and holding onto Mohammed until next year until he becomes a much more enticing expiring contract but given the odds of finding a decent player at number 12 and given the Bobcats inability to draft properly, I think we’d all be much better off if they just moved the pick.
SAVE MONEY ACTION STEP #2: Re-sign Sean May at the League minimum with a team option for a second year.
This is good deal for Sean and he owes the organization big for stealing a multi-million dollar paycheck for 4 years. Next season will be Sean’s second back from micro-fracture surgery and IF he can get into decent physical shape this offseason, there is no reason why he can’t be a solid backup PF for the ’09-’10 Charlotte Bobcats.
MAKE MONEY ACTION STEP #1: Sign Allen Iverson to a mid-level deal.
Is it controversial? Yes.
Could he endanger team chemistry? Yes.
Will he make the Bobcats relevant in the national media? Yes.
Will he sell tickets and jerseys? Absolutely.
This is a no-brainer for the organization. Since when does a household name player come along at such an attractive price in a buyer’s market? We’ve talked about it before here at the Baseline. Iverson in blue & orange next season sells jerseys, season tickets, gets the team nationally televised games and, more importantly, Iverson becomes the scorer that the ‘Cats have needed since Day 1. No more hot-potato as the shot clock winds down, just give the ball to AI and get back on D.