Post by heelsguy25 on Nov 10, 2010 21:05:15 GMT -5
2003 SSBL Free Agency:
Another year of the big spenders?
The 2003 SSBL Free Agency period is upon us. This year could be different than many others. We will take a look at what teams have money to spend. While we look at teams under the cap, we will look at players they could target to fill needs. Free agency is a time for teams to fill their rosters and fill needs they lack. We will look at the Eastern Conference teams in this edition.
Teams that have cash to spend (must have over 4 million to qualify a write-up.)
Boston Celtics
Cap Room: $14,684,134
The Celtics have cash to burn, will they do so? Peeking at their roster, they need more depth. They dealt away a scoring option in Butler, so look for them to fill that SG hole. Players they could look at could be Isaiah Rider. Rider is a solid scorer but his defense is lacking. hes an older player, but capable of scoring 20 a night. Derek Anderson could fill the SG hole too. he is a veteran like Rider, but offers more. He is an all-around player, and could be a FA that wants alot of dough. The Celtics could go the veteran route and offer deals to players like Sean Elliot, Jalen Rose or Latrell Spreewell.
Miami Heat
Cap Room: $24,115,991
The Heat are in trouble, period. They have 2 players doing all the work, and that won;t cut it. They need a center as well as backups for all positions. The center void could be filled by Kelvin Cato. Cato is an older player, but could do some damage downlow for this club. They Heat need to spend cash to compete, or they could be in shambles for years. They don't need to spend cash on all the best players. They just need to fill voids at all spots.
Orlando Magic
Cap Room: $8,282,968
The Magic could use a more solid SF. They might use Pierce at SG, so the SF hole needs to be filled. Jalen Rose might fit here, as well as Spreewell. They lack a PF, so they could go after a few names. Cato could make his return back to sunny Orlando. If they choose to go with a true PF, look for them to target Rose or Thomas.
Charlotte Hornets
Cap Room: $18,172,926
The Hornets recently landed a young scorer in Caron Butler. They shopped Gasol, but got better by adding the scoring. A SF could be in order for this team. They drafted Pietrus, but is he starting quality? The center FA class is not deep, but the Hornets could land a few bigs to do the trick. They need quantity so look for them to spread their money wisely.
Chicago Bulls
Cap Room: $8,971,852
The Bulls need frontocurt help, but need a SG more. Rider could work here, as well as Rose. The Bulls may fight for those two, so they could find other options. They need frontocurt help and could find it in players like Malik Rose or Kenny Thomas. Having Carmelo Anthony lead your team never hurts.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cap Room: $17,613,614
The Cavs GM was MIA during most of the draft, but they still got depth. With some cash in their pocket, look for them to spend it accordingly. If they decide to go the PG route, look for Andre Miller to be the target. Other options for this team could be a SG. The same suspects could be in order here.
The FA class isn't as deep as previous years, but look for teams to spend their cash regardless.
The Western Conference FA preview is coming shortly.