Today is something a little different for The New Millennium, as I have spent several hours tinkering with all 30 rosters, trying to get them to a place that would make logical sense for their specific team. Keep in mind that none of this is intended to be realistic, just more intelligent. After reporting each move, I've tried to explain why I personally think it makes sense for the team and helps both sides, so hopefully you can understand my process of thought. Let's get started!
(Henry's Note- I ended up going into a lot of detail in this post, so it's incredibly long, but still worth reading if you want to know a lot more about the roster composition of lots of different teams)
- The Philadelphia 76ers trade C Kenneth Levingston(81 OVR) and 2009 1st round pick to the Golden State Warriors for PG Brevin Knight(82 OVR)-
After losing Andre Miller in free agency, the 76ers only had 28 year old Billy Osborne(78 OVR) left on the roster to man the offense. The Warriors, meanwhile, already have Jermaine Ramsey(84 OVR) on their roster, and just used the 11th overall pick to select Kyle Lowry(77 OVR, 89 Potential). The Warriors, however, did not have a center above a 75 OVR, and the 76ers do have Cole Wallace(77 OVR) to replace Levingston. Therefore, this trade made sense for both sides, each getting help at a position of need, with a lower tier pick tossed in for good measure.
- The Detroit Pistons trade PG Bob Gatling(79 OVR) and 2009 2nd round pick to the San Antonio Spurs for SF Nelson Cassell(81 OVR)-
With a plethora of talent at the point, including Jameer Nelson(84 OVR), Damien Baxter(83 OVR) and Anders Fredriksson(79 OVR), Detroit could easily afford to get rid of Gatling. Cassell will provide an extra weapon off the bench for them, and the Spurs get a back-up for the aforementioned Andre Miller.
- The Milwaukee Bucks trade SG Andre Ellis(78 OVR) and 2011 2nd round pick to the Sacramento Kings for PG Trent Samuels(78 OVR)-
With franchise centerpiece Chris Paul(89 OVR) and veteran Jason Williams(81 OVR) on the roster, the Kings absolutely did not need Samuels. Ellis will provide good 3 point shooting off the bench, and I threw in a second round pick because Ellis is 28 and Samuels is 27. For the Bucks, Samuels will fill in as an adequate back-up for 37 year old Sam Cassell(80 OVR), and they had tons of talent on the wing anyways.
- The Minnesota Timberwolves trade SF Bojan Bogdanovic(74 OVR) and PG Cam Bonner(70 OVR) to the Boston Celtics for PG Earl Boykins(82 OVR)-
This trade may not make 100 percent sense for Minnesota, as they already 25 year old Brook Perry(85 OVR) at the point, so Boykins is somewhat unnecessary. But what Boykins does provide is an excellent option off the bench, as Minnesota is not a very deep team. For the Celtics, Bogdanovic(86 Potential) is a big acquisition, but he's still a long term project, probably a couple year away. Ultimately, Boykins is better right now for Minnesota, who are contending, while Bogdanovic is better for the Celtics, who are in the midst of a rebuild.
- The Los Angeles Clippers trade PF Lamar Odom(83 OVR), PG Jeff McInnis(80 OVR), and PF Marvin Williams(84 OVR) for PF Zach Randolph(87 OVR), PG Roland Snow(73 OVR) and C Alton Karl(70 OVR)-
This is a big trade, so it's going to take a lot to break it down. The Clippers have really struggled these last few years, and I wanted to give them a third big star behind Dwayne Wade(93 OVR) and Pau Gasol(91 OVR). Randolph is certainly that, though they had to give up a lot for one of the best power forwards in the NBA. McInnis was added for salary reason, but Odom could be big for the Cavaliers, as they will move him to small forward, giving him a 5 OVR increase. Williams is the most interesting part of this trade. After being drafted 3rd overall last year, he didn't play at all for the Clippers, and his morale dropped to 0. The Clippers then selected Paul Millsap(77 OVR, 87 Potential) this year, making him incredibly expendable. Willams should get a chance in Cleveland, and getting rid of Randolph makes the Cavaliers even more reliant on Paul Pierce(90 OVR), which was intended as I feel he needs a bigger role to starting winning more games.
- The Vancouver Grizzlies trade PF Kurt Thomas(77 OVR) and PF Dylan Strawberry(73 OVR) to the Cleveland Cavaliers for PG Dwight Pope(74 OVR) and PG Troy Hudson(72 OVR)-
Cleveland makes a second move, adding the 35 year old Thomas for practically nothing to back up Marvin Williams. Pope isn't fantastic, but the Grizzlies will hope he can turn into a decent back up option for star Mike Bibby(88 OVR).
- The Charlotte Hornets trade SG Damon Jones(80 OVR) to the Sacramento Kings for PF Ross Schmidt(78 OVR) and 2011 2nd round pick-
The Hornets desperately needed a power forward, with only 26 year old Dee Meyer(75 OVR) on the roster. They have tons of talent at shooting guard, including J.R. Smith(82 OVR) and Jud Lyles(81 OVR). The Kings needed depth at the shooting guard position and now have it in the 31 year old Jones and the previously acquired Andre Ellis.
- The New York Knicks trade PF Rick Stinson(75 OVR) to the Detroit Pistons for 2008 and 2010 second round picks-
The Pistons did not have a back up for starter Tim Thomas(80 OVR) and get a decent addition in the 28 year old Stinson, and the Knicks will appreciate some extra picks. Simple trade.
- The Indiana Pacers trade PG Quinn Park(79 OVR) to the Los Angeles Lakers for PG Otis Murray(70 OVR), PG Dorell Moncrief(72 OVR), 2009 and 2011 second round picks-
This is a big trade for Indiana, as Park was the starting point guard for most of last season, until playoff hero Dexter Collinsworth(77 OVR, 80 Potential) took over. With Collinsworth's emergence, Park no longer had a role on the team, and they get decent value back, with the main prize being Murray(80 Potential). With starter Derek Fisher(78 OVR) now 33 and in the last year of his deal, the Lakers picked up Park for guys they weren't planning on using. He should help them continue to contend and is still signed for 3 more years, offering long term benefits.
- The Houston Rockets trade SG Allan Houston(78 OVR) and PG Freddie Lambert(76 OVR) to the Dallas Mavericks for SG Alvin Williams(77 OVR) and C Kelvin Beasley(77 OVR)-
The Rockets needed a center, and the Mavericks needed a back up point guard. Houston gets the 23 year old Beasley, who will start right away, and Dallas gets the 27 year old Lambert, who will be a good back up for Steve Nash(89 OVR) until first round pick Wes Carney(74 OVR, 84 Potential) is ready. Allan Houston and Alvin Williams are a like for like swap, with Houston slightly better but also 35, two years older than Williams.
- The Seattle SuperSonics trade PG Rafer Alston(79 OVR) to the Los Angeles Clippers for SF Bruce Bowen(81 OVR)-
After selecting Rajon Rondo(78 OVR, 89 Potential) second overall, Seattle was more than willing to ship off the 31 year old Alston. The Clippers get rid of the 35 year old Bowen, who is still good but barely played, to get Alston, but they had no intentions of keeping him.
- The Los Angeles Clippers trade PG Rafer Alston(79 OVR) and C Alton Karl(70 OVR) to the Chicago Bulls for SF Ruben Patterson(78 OVR) and 2008 second round pick-
Former Sixth Man of the Year Ruben Patterson was the odd man out in Chicago, and is now 32 years old. He provides excellent defense off the bench, but the Clippers will have to deal with his expiring contract. Meanwhile, the Bulls get Alston, an excellent back up for 26 year old starter Jamal Crawford(83 OVR).
- The Chicago Bulls trade SG Aaron McKie(81 OVR) and SG Ellis Sampson(72 OVR) to the Vancouver Grizzlies for SF Shareef Abdur-Rahim(80 OVR)-
Despite scoring over 15 points a year in the entirety of The New Millennium, Abdur-Rahim was benched last year by the Grizzlies in favor of 26 year old Courtney Cheeks(79 OVR), who offered much better defense. The 34 year old McKie was down the pecking order in Chicago, and now gets his shot to be the sixth man in Vancouver. Abdur-Rahim will attempt to replace both McKie and Patterson in Chicago, and will continue to get paid, still owed 52 million dollars for the next two years.
So that's everything. Again, this was a super long post, filled with tons of detail, and there are still plenty of teams who I didn't adjust the roster for. The plan is to make this a yearly thing, since the AI on this game doesn't manage these teams the way I would like it to. I don't know if I'll be making this many moves every year, I guess we'll have to wait and see. Hopefully you weren't bored and enjoyed my breakdown of everything I did, and I'll see you again soon for the start of the 2006-2007 season.
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