Which Way Cleveland Cavaliers?
The Cavs have three years to build a team around Lebron James. Right now, they have Varejao and their two draft picks, Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson. Ilgauskas, Donyell, and most of the roster aren't long term help and Larry Hughes didn't fit in. So which way do the Cavs go to build a better team around King James?
Larry Hughes for Kenyon Martin: Kenyon's attitude might scare off some people but he's the best fit for the Cavs, whom I can't believe are interested in bringing Carlos Boozer back into the fold. Hughes simply doesn't fit with Lebron and Martin gives the Cavs some toughness in the post, a decent inside-out game that could complement James, and a good up-tempo player who will help the Cavs run. Denver gets the shooting guard they've been dying for and gets rid of K-Mart.
Go after Reggie Evans, Scot Pollard, Lo Wright, Keith Van Horn:
Their new frontcourt isn't the healthist of groups so they grab a back-up big man for the MLE (or part of it). Pollard or Wright make the most sense as they'll be cheaper and can play both center and PF. The Cavs also could push for Stevie Hunter in the Sixers/Celtics deal to add a big man.
A three deal team with Boston and Philly:
Cleveland takes home Wally Szczerbiak and Kyle Korver for Drew Gooden, Eric Snow, and Luke Jackson. Wally gives them a starting SF while Korver gives them shooting off the bench. Philly dumps
Chris Webber, whom they think is untradeable, and gets a replacement in Gooden as well as Luke Jackson and old friends Eric Snow and Theo Ratliff. This deal allows them to move two contracts they don't want (Korver and Webber). Snow's contract isn't great but he's shown he can fit with A.I. Snow also could be replaced with other players (e.g, Damon Jones) to make the deal work for Philly. Ratliff gives them another big man alongside Dalembert and Stevie Hunter. As for the Celtics, they get Chris Webber, who's deal is only for two years, to play alongside Pierce. He's probably the best fit we could get in the paint as he is still quality and, though overpaid, doesn't have a long term deal. Chris also can play either frontcourt spot, giving the C's flexibility to team him with: Perkins, Jefferson, or Gomes. The Cavs end the offseason looking like this:
- C: Ilgauskas, Varejao, Andriuskevicius
- PF: K-Mart, Donyell
- SF: Wally, Korver, Newble
- SG: Lebron, Shannon Brown, Pavlovic
- PG: Damon Jones, Daniel Gibson
The Core: Martell Webster
Webster is a good young talent and his trade value probably isn't high enough right now to get equal value. One of the better moves the Blazers could make would be to match up Webster with Gerald Green but I don't support our dealing Gerald so that deal should never happen.
The Needs: Everything
Cap Space: They have none.
Possible 2006/7 Lineup: Skinner, Taylor, Jefferson, Webster, Blake with Shelden, Bargnani, Outlaw, Dixon, Jack, Malik Rose, Khrypa and whoever they get at #30 and #31 
Well, Toronto's done three things right so far. They've hired Bryan Colangelo, won the lottery and announced that they are changing their uniforms. While they're at it, they should change the name but let's not get ahead of ourselves. While I did like the Raptor red, I think losing the purple and giving the team a new look could be a step in the right direction.
The Core: Chris Bosh
Honestly, everyone else can be had. While Charlie Villenueva might have proved his doubters wrong, he can't escape the fact that he is best suited for the 4 which is Bosh's domain. Colangelo could always go small ball and play Charlie and Bosh together but my guess is that Charlie is worth more on the market than on the court right now.
The Needs: Pretty much everything. They have a young prospect in Roko Ukic in Europe but waiting on him probably isn't the best route since nobody knows when he's coming over or how good he'll be when he does. The most pressing need is a legit center and a point guard to replace Mike James, who is 90% out the door.
The Bait: If there's one thing the Raptors have plenty of, it's trade bait. Villain, Mo Peterson, and a bevy of short mid-level contracts.
Cap Space: 15 million, assuming only Mike James opts out of his deal.
Draft
The pick is hard to gauge. Unless someone falls in love with Aldridge or Bargnani, I can't see many teams giving up a ton to move up. Most offers will likely be deemed either too much for the other team (Telfair and the 4, Green and the 7) or not enough for the Raptors (JR Smith, the 12 and 15, Pietrus and the 9). While people seem to love Bargnani, he doesn't fit with Bosh since they are both PF's. This also eliminates Ty Thomas. In my opinion, it comes down to Rudy Gay vs. LaMarcus Aldrige. Both have knocks against them that they are soft but I'm going to go with the guy I had pegged at #1 from the beginning, Rudy Gay. Of course, Colangelo could completely alter the face of the team and deal Bosh for a top pick to get Bargnani (and build a possible Marion/Nowitzki like tandem) but I think that's a little much for the first few months on the job.
Free Agency
This is a weak free agent class and Toronto would be best served saving their room. Al Harrington would be an interesting small forward to team with Bosh and Aldridge but his asking price could be more than he's worth, especially if he has to come to Toronto. Smaller level guys like Matt Harpring, Jared Jeffries, Fred Jones, etc might be better to fill out the bench. The former two are trickier signings since they are restricted FA's but they are the level of guy (low price wih potential) that the Rapz would be best pursuing.
Possible 2006/7 Lineup: Mo Williams, JR Smith, Rudy Gay, Chris Bosh, Jamaal Magloire with Ukic, Arvydas Macijauskas, A & E.Williams, Araujo, J. Graham 
The Core: Emeka Okafor, Ray Felton, Sean May, Gerald Wallace
Gerald and the lotto picks are the foundation of the house that Bernie Bickerstaff is building. How sturdy that foundation is is a question that many fan in Charlotte have to be wondering. Okafor and May combined for 49 games this season and even Wallace missed 27 games this last season.
The Supporting Cast: Brevin Knight is one of the best backup guards in the business and Primov Brezec is a solid big man. Melvin Ely is good enough, I guess, while Bernard Robison showed he belonged in the rotation with his play in the second half of the season.
The Needs: Outside shooting is a must. The two guard spot is the one area that hasn't been addressed and will likely be one of Bernie's top priorities this offseason.
The Bait: The Cats have a lotto pick to play with as well as a number of very palatable contracts in Wallace, Knight, and Brezec. While they still have a limited salary cap so they may want to hold off a year before really making a rush at free agents or big ticket item. Also, why rush to be good when the 2007 draft is looking like a possibly top-notch draft?
Cap Space: As was noted before, they don't have a full cap until next offseason. Still, they have around over 20 million available this season.
Can they get there from here?
The Bobcats could be major players in the offseason of 2007 as they'll have great trade assets, a lottery pick (once again), and a ton of cap room. They still don't have anyone I'd consider a real franchise player but they should be able to obtain one next offseason. The team won't win many games in '06/07 but they will be ready to make the leap and compete for a playoff spot the year after that. If Bernie plays his cards right, he could maneuver this team to the top of the Eastern Conference in a few years.
The Core: Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams
Marvin makes it solely because you can't give up on a #2 draft pick after just one season. If Billy Knight thinks, as Chad Ford did, that Marvin is the best player from last year's draft, he has to take a breath and let the young man grow. He was coming off of just one year in college so some growing pains are needed. Josh Smith is on the verge of becoming a superstar or at the very least, a AK47 level stud. After the All-Star break, he posted 17 points, 7.8 board, 4.1 assists, 1.03 steals and 3.13 steals. He even lowered his TO's to 2.3 a game and started hitting threes for once, knocking down 32% of them (which isn't great but better than the 0% he had in the first half of the season). Joe Johnson is overpaid but not as much as people like to act. Look at his numbers compared to Paul Pierce's career season.
The Supporting Cast: Zaza Pachulia proved to be a free agent steal, pulling down 11 and 8 for only 4 million per. Josh Childress has been everything people thought... and feared. A solid player but most certainly not a lottery pick. Salim Stoudamire can shoot lights out but he's also a headcase who really doesn't do much positive besides shooting lights out. Royal Ivey works hard, which says it all. If the first comment you have about someone is that they work hard then they are probably not that good.
The Needs: This team desperately needs a big man and a point guard. They also could use some perimeter shooting off the pine.
The Bait: For all of the years in the lottery, the Hawks don't have much in the form of trade assets to show for it. Their main trade asset is Al Harrington, whom is only half of an asset because he's a free agent so the Hawks only hope of getting something for him is in a sign-and-trade. Any talk of the Hawks keeping him is purely positioning to help their standing in sign-and-trade talks. Signing him to any kind of big money deal would make no sense whatsoever. Then again, that's never stopped Billy Knight. They also have the 4th slot in the draft, which could be disastrous because if the three big men go 1, 2, 3, then that leaves nothing but swingmen (Rudy Gay and Adam Morrison) at their pick. If that happens, they almost have to deal the pick.
Cap Space: Loads of it. They'll have around 20 million to spend this offseason.
Draft
The Hawks are missing two of the hardest positions to fill yet I still feel OK about their prospects. The biggest issue is the draft. LaMarcus Aldridge obviously fills their big man need while Andrea Bargnani's versatility is almost a perfect complement to Josh Smith. In a couple of years, those two could become a very dangerous duo. However, if the Hawks can't get one of those two, they would be best served dealing the pick. Ty Thomas would be a solid pick despite the fact that he's only an inch taller and actually ten pounds lighter than Marvin Williams. Still, his defensive presence would be a boost for the Hawks.
Trade
They also have to hope that a team with no cap space goes after Harrington so they can get something for him. Al has mentioned a desire to go to Chicago but I can't imagine they are that interested in him since he isn't that much better than Deng or Nocioni IMO. Golden St. could be an option for Al, but they would have to get a young stud like Monta Ellis or Andris Biedrins if they are going to take back one of Golden St.'s ugly contracts. The Knicks might offer someone like Stevie Franchise in a deal but I would go with the cheaper and more manageable Jamal Crawford, who could benefit from playing with a 2-guard like Joe Johnson who can run the point from time to time. Ideally though, the Hawks would get creative and work some sort of three way trade to get back Jamaal Magloire and Mo Williams from the Bucks. Mo is a pure point while Jamaal could focus on doing what he does best, rebound and block shots. I just don't see Milwaukee going after Al since they just sank money in Bobby Simmons. For some reason, I see Stephon Marbury ending up here, the state where he played his college ball, but that's just because I can't really see him fitting in anywhere else.
Free Agency
From the sounds of it, the Hawks first option is to go after Nene Hilario. That wouldn't be such a bad idea but investing big money on a big man who just blew out his knee isn't the greatest of ideas. Speedy Claxton makes sense as a scoring PG alongisde Joe Johnson as long as his market value doesn't go through the roof. Right now, I don't see too many sure-fire signings so the Hawks might be better continuing the slow build and not forcing any long term contracts just because they can.
Possible 2006/7 Lineup: Nene, Zaza, Smith, Johnson, Speedy with Marvin, Bargnani, Childress, Jose Juan Barea (2nd round pick).