The Future is B-R-I-G-H-T, BRIGHT!!!

The future is finally bright again here in Detroit. We've got three great young players to build around. We're going to have enough cap space to (almost) sign two max free agents next summer. And we've got a lot of great role players too (Stuckey, Prince, Jerebko, etc.). These are all the guaranteed contracts we're going to have on the books going into next summer (assuming that we amnesty Charlie V).

C: A. Drummond(2.6-5.1mil, 4 seasons - estimated)
PF: G. Monroe(4.1-5.5 mil, 2 seasons)
SF: T. Prince(7.2-7.7 mil, 2 seasons)
SG: R. Stuckey(8.5 mil, 1 season)
PG: B. Knight(2.9-5.1 mil, 3 seasons)
J. Jerebko(4.5 mil, 1-2 seasons)

*B. Wallace (retiring?), D. Wilkins, W. Russell and V. Macklin are all UFA's this summer. C. Maggette, J. Maxiel and W. Bynum are all UFA's next summer. A. Daye - and I'm guessing - K. Singler, K. Middleton and K. English will all be RFA's next summer.

Here are the top 2013 UFA's (along with PO's and ETO's) to be, in order of points scored, and with those who are going to 30 or younger next summer highlighted in red:

C: D. Howard(28)-----20.6ppgSG: M. Ellis(ETO)(28)-----20.4ppgPG: C. Paul(28)-----19.8ppg
SF: P. Pierce(PO)(36)-----19.4ppgC: A. Jefferson(28)-----19.2ppg
PF: J. Smith(28)-----18.8ppgC: A. Bynum(26)-----18.7ppgSG: K. Martin(30)-----17.1ppg
PF: P. Millsap(28)-----16.6ppgPG: J. Jack(30)-----15.6ppgC: M. Gortat(ETO)(29)-----15.4ppg
SF: C. Maggette(34)----15.0ppgSG: M. Ginobli(36)-----12.9ppgPF: D. West(33)-----12.8ppg
PG: J. Teague(25)-----12.6ppg
SG: B. Gordon(PO)(30)-----12.5ppgSF: A. Iguodala(ETO)(29)-----12.4ppgSF: M. Dunleavy(33)-----12.3ppg
SG: A. Morrow(28)-----12.0ppgPG: D. Harris(30)-----11.3ppg
SF: H. Turkoglu(ETO)(34)-----10.9ppgS
F: T. Ariza(PO)(28)-----10.8ppgSF: S. Marion(ETO)(35)-----10.6ppgPG: J. Calderon(32)-----10.5ppg
SG: D. Wright(28)-----10.3ppgSF: M. Williams(ETO)(27)-----10.2ppgSG: T. Allen(31)-----9.8ppg
SF: S. Jackson(35)-----9.8ppg
SF: L. Kleiza(PO)(28)-----9.7ppg
C: E. Okafor(ETO)(31)-----9.5ppg
SF: R. Jefferson(PO)(33)-----9.2ppgSF: C. Brewer(27)-----8.9ppgSG: R. Williams(27)-----8.3ppgC: Z. Pachulia(29)-----7.8ppg
PF: C. Villanueva(PO)(29)-----7.0ppgPF: J. Maxiell(30)-----6.5ppgSG: R. Bell(37)-----6.4ppgPG: B. Udrih(31)-----5.9ppg
PG: W. Bynum(30)-----5.7ppgSG: D. Cook(26)-----5.5ppgSG: D. Jones(33)-----5.3ppg
SG: Q. Richardson(PO)(33)-----4.5ppgC: J. Petro(27)-----4.2ppg
PG: E. Watson(34)-----3.0ppg
PF: K. Thomas(41)-----3.0ppg
PF: J. McRoberts(26)-----2.8ppgS
F: R. Gomes(31)-----2.3ppgSF: L. Walton(33)-----1.8ppg
C: A. Biedrins(ETO)(27)-----1.7ppgP
F: J. Brockman(26)-----1.1ppg

It'd be a big, big surprise if Dwight Howard or Chris Paul were interested in coming here. And we're going to be looking primarily for wings anyways. So, it looks to me like our top targets are going to be M. Ellis, J. Smith and K. Martin. I'd love to add whatever 2 of those 3 that we can get.

C: A. Drummond
PF: G. Monroe, J. Jerebko
SF: *J. Smith, T. Prince
SG: *M. Ellis, R. Stuckey
PG: B. Knight

That's a nice 8-man rotation.

Here are the top 2013 UFA's (along with PO's and ETO's) to be, in order of points scored, and with those who are going to 30 or younger next summer highlighted in red:

1) C: D. Howard(28), 20.6ppg-----2) SG: M. Ellis(ETO)(28), 20.4ppg-----3) PG: C. Paul(28), 19.8ppg-----4) SF: P. Pierce(PO)(36), 19.4ppg-----5) C: A. Jefferson(28), 19.2ppg-----6) PF: J. Smith(28), 18.8ppg-----7) C: A. Bynum(26), 18.7ppg-----8) SG: K. Martin(30), 17.1ppg-----9) PF: P. Millsap(28), 16.6ppg-----10) PG: J. Jack(30), 15.6ppg-----11) C: M. Gortat(ETO)(29), 15.4ppg-----12) SF: C. Maggette(34), 15.0ppg-----13) SG: M. Ginobli(36), 12.9ppg-----14) PF: D. West(33), 12.8ppg-----15) PG: J. Teague(25), 12.6ppg-----16) SG: B. Gordon(PO)(30), 12.5ppg-----17) SF: A. Iguodala(ETO)(29), 12.4ppg-----18) SF: M. Dunleavy(33), 12.3ppg-----19) SG: A. Morrow(28), 12.0ppg-----20) PG: D. Harris(30), 11.3ppg-----21) SF: H. Turkoglu(ETO)(34), 10.9ppg-----22) SF: T. Ariza(PO)(28), 10.8ppg-----23) SF: S. Marion(ETO)(35), 10.6ppg-----24) PG: J. Calderon(32), 10.5ppg-----25) SG: D. Wright(28), 0.3ppg-----26) SF: M. Williams(ETO)(27), 10.2ppg-----27) SG: T. Allen(31), 9.8ppg-----28) SF: S. Jackson(35), 9.8ppg-----29) SF: L. Kleiza(PO)(28)-----9.7ppg; 30) C: E. Okafor(ETO)(31)-----9.5ppg; 31) SF: R. Jefferson(PO)(32)-----9.2ppg; 33) SF: C. Brewer(27), 8.9ppgS-----33) G: R. Williams(27), 8.3ppg-----34) C: Z. Pachulia(29), 7.8ppg-----35) PF: C. Villanueva(PO)(29), 7.0ppg-----36) PF: J. Maxiell(30), 6.5ppg-----37) SG: R. Bell(37), 6.4ppg-----38) PG: B. Udrih(31), 5.9ppg-----39) PG: W. Bynum(30), 5.7ppg-----40) SG: D. Cook(26), 5.5ppg-----41) SG: D. Jones(33), 5.3ppg-----42) SG: Q. Richardson(PO)(33), 4.5ppg-----43) C: J. Petro(27), 4.2ppg-----44) PG: E. Watson(34), 3.0ppg-----45) PF: K. Thomas(41), 3.0ppg-----46) PF: J. McRoberts(26), 2.8ppg-----47) SF: R. Gomes(31), 2.3ppg-----48) SF: L. Walton(33), 1.8ppg-----49) C: A. Biedrins(ETO)(27), 1.7ppg-----50) PF: J. Brockman(26), 1.1ppg

P.S. - Something weird's going on with the formatting, I can't get it to go in a straight list. Sorry.

I wonder if Monta Ellis might be too similar. Still though, I just picture him being an awesome compliment to Knight.

He will probably be heaps cheap now. Should be able to talk him down to 10 mil. Easy.

Iguodala has sort of fallen off the map as of late for some reason.

And here's another important thing to remember. For the next, idk, maybe 5, 6, 7, 8 seasons, the Miami Heat are going to be the class of the NBA, and LeBron James is going to be the class of the Miami Heat. I've been reading scouting reports for years that have said Josh Smith is THE best LeBron defender in the NBA, bar none.

And think about that. Who else would be. Who else is that size, with that kind of athletic ability - and with a great deal of offensive ability too, so LeBron can't just take naps on defense.

Another way to look at it is that we should circle up our resources to try to compete after the age of Lebron. Guys like Ray Allen will go ring shopping there and it might be really impossible to dethrone them for a team like Detroit for a while.

I think they will have a quite steep dropoff in about three years when Wade gets older and that's when Detroit might start to become relevant. Sure, they might find another superstar to add to the mix but I sure wouldn't bet the house on in.

OKC will knock-off Miami next season.

Yeah OKC is the real issue! They're essentially the same age as us and already title contenders. In 6 years Greg Monroe, Drummond and Knight will be hitting their prime! The Heat will be aging veterans on the decline, the EC Title will be ours for the taking!!!! Yet OKC will also be in their prime, on the good side of 30! BUT I do believe that the way to beat OKC is to play a different game, they play outside, we play inside, Westbrook attacks the paint, we have paint protectors. It will be our size and strength versus their skill and speed.

At least they are in a different conference than us. If we are meeting them every year in the Finals and falling short, Gores will just have to take a little voyage into the lux tax territory to be impactful.

There was talk that Miami will have to dismantle their three-headed hydra due to lux tax issues within the next few years. Apparently a new lux-tax will kick in after next season and instead of 1-1 tax, teams will need to pay $1.5 for every $1 over cap. So, either they'll have to do without the Shane Battier & Udonis Haslems of the world or deal away one of the big 3. I'm guessing that'll be Bosh.

I can't put it as an image.

Click here guys

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/522110_10151048295445295_1750989093_n.jpg

Behind them is the portable wall that Arnie and Joe brought with them to that late night workout in New York City on Tuesday night. If you look closely, you can still see Dre Drum's footprint on that thing.