For Fun: What's Your Ideal Starting 5?

[rainmaker]

A few rules, so we don't get Rondo/Reke/Gay/Ibaka/Cuz lineups which aren't realistic.

One, must include Cuz and Reke, along with one of either IT or MT(since one probably goes to the bench or is traded going into next season).

Two, include one possible draft pick from this years draft class.

Three, option of one FA available on the market who'd be our off season FA signing. A few in reality might have little chance, but this is for fun.

Four, if you'd rather trade the pick, no draft pick, but instead trade it for a single player to plug into the starting 5. Try to keep it somewhat realistic.

So your starting five, including a draft pick and FA, or a player we traded our pick for, as well as your 6th man.

And, you can do two possible scenarios.


For me:

Scenario One:

IT
Reke
AK47
Varejao(traded 5th pick for. was thinking Horford/Noah, but not realistic for the #5)
Cousins

6th- Thornton


Scenario Two:

IT
Reke
MKG
Ilyasova(After picking MKG, he was the best PF on the market for our needs)
Cousins

6th-Thornton


Can't take Drummond at this point, and with a larger package can maybe nab a better PF, but don't want to get into larger package type trades here.

 

[Mass]

Evans
Thornton
Kidd-Gilchrist
Ilyasova
Cousins

6th - Thomas

or

Evans
Thornton
Wallace
Robinson
Cousins

6th - Thomas

 

[ParniValjak]

Kyle Lowry
Tyreke Evans
Harrison Barnes
Samuel Dalembert
DeMarcus Cousins

6th - IT / JT / T-Will

Pick 5: Harrison Barnes

Trade: Marcus Thornton and Chuck Hayes to Houston for Lowry and Dalembert

 

[Prince_XY]

Evans
T-Willl
AK47
Drummond
Cousins

6th - Thornton

or

Evans
T-Will
Wallace
Drummond
Cousins

6th - Thornton

 

[The_Jamal]

A few rules, so we don't get Rondo/Reke/Gay/Ibaka/Cuz lineups which aren't realistic.

One, must include Cuz and Reke, along with one of either IT or MT(since one probably goes to the bench or is traded going into next season).

Two, include one possible draft pick from this years draft class.

Three, option of one FA available on the market who'd be our off season FA signing. A few in reality might have little chance, but this is for fun.

Four, if you'd rather trade the pick, no draft pick, but instead trade it for a single player to plug into the starting 5. Try to keep it somewhat realistic.

So your starting five, including a draft pick and FA, or a player we traded our pick for, as well as your 6th man.

And, you can do two possible scenarios.


For me:

Scenario One:

IT
Reke
AK47
Varejao(traded 5th pick for. was thinking Horford/Noah, but not realistic for the #5)
Cousins

6th- Thornton


Scenario Two:

IT
Reke
MKG
Ilyasova(After picking MKG, he was the best PF on the market for our needs)
Cousins

6th-Thornton


Can't take Drummond at this point, and with a larger package can maybe nab a better PF, but don't want to get into larger package type trades here.

#5 for Varejao? Talk about a move that sets us back years and essentially lets the Cavs rebuild in 2...

Thomas
Reke
Batum
Robinson
Cousins

 

[ElRey]

Reke
Thornton
Batum
Robinson
Cousins

Or More Likely

Reke
Thornton
MKG
Thompson
Cousins

 

[gatoradeSD]

Evans
Thornton
MKG
Thompson Cousins

 

[Section 101]

Well, breaking your rules cause they are dumb and just flaunt your own perceptions.

Lillard
Evans
Greene or Outlaw
JT
Cuz

 

[DesertFox]

Trade: Hayes+Salmons+#5 for SF Dorrell Wright + C Biedrins + #7
Draft: PF John Henson at #7 and PG Tomas Satoransky (stays in Euro for a year) at #36
Re-Sign: Terrence Williams and Jason Thompson

PG IT
SG Evans
SF Wright
PF JT
C Cuz

6th Thornton
(Twill as primary ball handler off bench)

 

[Bricklayer]

I don't think I have a favorite specific lineup so much as I have a favorite general structure. Just using various names rumored to be floating around at various times:

C- Cousins
PF- Drummond, Henson, Dalembert, Horford?, Noah
SF- TWill, Igoudala, Deng, MKG, AK47, Batum
G- Evans
G- IT, Thornton, Lowry,

I could be sold on various combinations of those, or similar names depending on assessments. PF = 8-12pt scorer/defensive lane clogger. SF = 11-15pt scorer, defensive stopper. I haven't given much thought to guards because with three good ones chances are high 2 of them will be the starters next year. But the Lowry idea would fix a lot of holes, so I like that thought. And Reke/Thornton might work again as a backcourt if the SF is one of the more creative ones like TWill or Iggy where the SF is the "other" PG next to Reke. Otherwise for guys like Batum etc. its Reke/IT.

bench is JT, shooter, possibly IT or MT as 6th man

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

My simple and most cost effective lineup would look like this:

Trade Chuck Hayes and filler (Honeycutt, Whiteside, possibly Jimmer if they send us back one of their mid first rounders) to Houston for Dalembert.

Draft MKG, with Barnes being plan B. Basically, get an SF through the draft. Ideally, come into camp with the following projected starting five:

Evans
Thornton
Kidd-Gilchrist
Cousins
Dalembert

Give's you the potential for solid-to-great defense at 3 positions. And a Bench mob led by Isaiah Thomas and Jason Thompson including Salmons, Garcia, and whoever we have left over from the Houston deal .. plus a resigned Terrence Williams? I'm on board.

Also, if we are able to Get Dalembert + #14 or #16 for Hayes/Jimmer/ and I'll throw in Whiteside or Honeycutt, We could draft a potential Dalembert replacement in Leonard or Jones, and use them as the 4th big until Dalembert leaves / retires.

I know a lot of people are done with the 'Reke PG' situation. I'm not there yet. I've gone back and fourth on this, but I guess I just want to see it again, under Keith Smart, from training camp, with this version of DeMarcus Cousins.

 

[Boogie-havoc]

Trade #5+Outlaw/Garcia for Iggy+#15 - draft John Henson with #15(Or Leonard, Terrance Jones if he's gone)

Zeke 2.0
Tyreke
Igoudala
Henson (Well JT would start till he can learn the ropes, but Henson sharing the minutes with the bigs eventually steppin into the starting 5)
Cousins

bench

T-Will and Salmons sharing responsibility as point forwards from the bench.
MT23 main option ala James Harden.
JT hustle off the bench at PF/C
Hayes defense at PF/C

Jimmer, Hassan, Honeycutt, Garcia/Outlaw fighting for what ever minutes are left.

 

[Uncia03]

Line-up #1: Stand Pat (Basically re-sign current players, draft starting SF, go home)
Tyreke
Twill
MKG/Barnes/Taylor
JT
Cousins

Line-up #2: Houston Trade(Lowry + Dalembert + #14 for #5 + Hayes)
Lowry
Tyreke
Taylor
JT
Cousins

Line-up #3: Veteran SF (#5 pick + pieces for Iggy)
Tyreke
TWill
Iggy
JT
Cousins

Line-up #4: OKC/Charlotte Trade (OKC get's Thornton, Bobcats get Harden, We get #2)
Tyreke
Twill
MKG
Robinson/Drummond
Cousins

I'd be fine with any of these situations and if we ended up getting a defensive SF and we just don't have enough shooting in the starting line-up then I'd move TWill back to the bench and bring in either IT or Thornton, but my preference would be to start the season with an all defensive line-up on the wings and see if that would compensate for the potential lack of shooting.

Also, line-up #1 is probably the most realistic to happen, with TWill coming off the bench and IT/MT starting. That's sort of what I'm expecting to see at the start of the season.

 

[rainmaker]

#5 for Varejao? Talk about a move that sets us back years and essentially lets the Cavs rebuild in 2...

Thomas
Reke
Batum
Robinson
Cousins

Yeah, I'd consider swapping the #5 for Varejao if we get stuck with a choice between Barnes, who I don't want, and Drummond if he doesn't impress, which it doesn't seem like he did. If Petrie was more confident about about the questions surrounding Drummond than I'd pick him instead.

Not anywhere near as black and white as you would like to try to make it, or that swapping this years #5 for a healthy Varejao would somehow set us back, while you think the 19M payed to Salmons/Cisco/Donte/Outlaw, the 5M payed to Chuck, and the extension given to Smart didn't. Have to be incredibly ignorant to think trading the #5 would set us back without mentioning all the other crap which in reality, has set us back.

 

[rainmaker]

My simple and most cost effective lineup would look like this:

Trade Chuck Hayes and filler (Honeycutt, Whiteside, possibly Jimmer if they send us back one of their mid first rounders) to Houston for Dalembert.

Draft MKG, with Barnes being plan B. Basically, get an SF through the draft. Ideally, come into camp with the following projected starting five:

Evans
Thornton
Kidd-Gilchrist
Cousins
Dalembert

Give's you the potential for solid-to-great defense at 3 positions. And a Bench mob led by Isaiah Thomas and Jason Thompson including Salmons, Garcia, and whoever we have left over from the Houston deal .. plus a resigned Terrence Williams? I'm on board.

Also, if we are able to Get Dalembert + #14 or #16 for Hayes/Jimmer/ and I'll throw in Whiteside or Honeycutt, We could draft a potential Dalembert replacement in Leonard or Jones, and use them as the 4th big until Dalembert leaves / retires.

I know a lot of people are done with the 'Reke PG' situation. I'm not there yet. I've gone back and fourth on this, but I guess I just want to see it again, under Keith Smart, from training camp, with this version of DeMarcus Cousins.

Seems the Daly on the block rumors are here again, and I'd definitely be in favor of adding he and MKG. Would be in complete support of the lineup you listed.

 

[joemama]

I would love to see Dally, but realisitically

1st round- MKG
2nd round- Evan Fourier
Free Agency- Patty Mills


PG- Patty Mills
SG-Reke/Thorton
SF- MKG
PF- Thompson
C- Cousins

 

[hrdboild]

I don't really have an ideal lineup, not just one anyway. But looking at all the draft news I have a feeling Charlotte goes Barnes if they keep the pick and Washington picks Beal so that leaves us one of MKG or Robinson depending on what Cleveland does, so:

SCENARIO 1:
PG = Tyreke Evans
SG = Terrence Williams
SF = Nicolas Batum (FA)
PF = Thomas Robinson (Draft)
C = DeMarcus Cousins
(6th man = Marcus Thornton)

This would require us to buy out or trade Garcia and amnesty Salmons to clear up the cap space for Nicolas Batum. I took Thornton out of the starting lineup in this one to balance out the scoring a bit.

SCENARIO 2:
PG= Kyle Lowry (trade)
SG = Tyreke Evans
SF = Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Draft)
PF = DeMarcus Cousins
C = Samuel Dalembert (trade)
(6th man = Isaiah Thomas)

Proposed trade is Thornton and Whiteside for Lowry and Dalembert

If Kidd-Gilchrist is the pick than we need to get another shooter in the starting lineup and it's going to have to be at a guard position. I like Lowry at PG here to get another playmaker in the lineup. Also Dalembert would be a one season rental with the intention of going after Serge Ibaka or Taj Gibson in free agency next year. Again that means amnestying Salmons but Garcia doesn't have to be bought out because his contract expires in a year.

Scenario 2 would still apply if we draft Harrison Barnes -- though we could also try Evans/Williams as the back court there and nix the Houston trade -- and scenario 1 would still apply if we draft Andre Drummond so that covers every draft scenario except us taking Beal (thus causing mass roster chaos) or us trading down which I'm not even going to consider in this topic because I wouldn't be happy.

 

[The_Jamal]

Yeah, I'd consider swapping the #5 for Varejao if we get stuck with a choice between Barnes, who I don't want, and Drummond if he doesn't impress, which it doesn't seem like he did. If Petrie was more confident about about the questions surrounding Drummond than I'd pick him instead.

Not anywhere near as black and white as you would like to try to make it, or that swapping this years #5 for a healthy Varejao would somehow set us back, while you think the 19M payed to Salmons/Cisco/Donte/Outlaw, the 5M payed to Chuck, and the extension given to Smart didn't. Have to be incredibly ignorant to think trading the #5 would set us back without mentioning all the other crap which in reality, has set us back.

You don't have to mention our past failures every other post. Really, you don't. I consider our SF position at this point a sunk cost. We messed up, and there's nothing we can do at this point except move on and find some talent. Chuck is also a far better player than he displayed last season. His first 5 games with us as an 8-11 type of guy with strong post defense is closer to his talent level. He got hurt, and couldn't gain his conditioning back. It happens

What we should NOT do is compound past failure with an even larger one by trading #5 pick who very likely could end up an all-star in this draft for an overrated, oft-injured, flopping, mediocre defensive big. Everyone knows my opinion of Dally on this board and I would much rather deal #5 for him than Varejao. Varejao is in the Haywood, Dalembert, Jordan, McGee role; he's a bench player who would be effective in 20 minute spurts.

Now, if i'd gladly deal 5 if we're talking about a player in the Iggy, Granger, Deng, Noah range of talent or perhaps compounding #5+Hayes for Lowry+Dally+pick. But trading #5 for an average role player (and that's a fairly generous label) would make this off-season as big a failure as last years