I Hate What-If, But What If LBJ and Bosh Signed With Us?

by Jack Handy Jr on Mar 15, 2011 3:03 PM EDT

And the Deron trade went through, how good would we be?

Assume 4 things...

-Utah still accepts a variation of the Harris deal where even though the 2011 #1 would not be as high, NJ included a 2013 #1 and some 2nd rounders as well.

-The C.Lee trade could not have happened since they would not have had the cap space for Troy Murphy.

-The T.Will trade would not have happened since they would not had the cap space to take on Sasha V.

-Farmar, Morrow, Outlaw and Petro could not have been signed because Bosh and LBJ would have taken up all $32m or so in cap space.

Nets Line-Up
Deron Williams / Sundiata Gaines / Ben Uzoh
Courtney Lee / Terrance Williams / Quentin Ross
Lebron James / Damion James / Stephen Graham
Chris Bosh / Kris Humphries / Joe Smith
Brook Lopez / Kris Humphries

What record would they have posted over the course of the season/what seed in the East?
What would have been their playoff fate?

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Comments

I know this doesn't answer your question

but I was always proud that we were never a team that just bought the big name players and won. I love that we get guys who play the game right a la DWill, Kidd, Drazen, etc. Always thought it was cheap to just “go get kobe/lebron/etc” and win.

Dr. J~Super Buck~Draz~JKidd~Deron

by NJ4Life on Mar 15, 2011 3:28 PM EDT reply actions

+1

OFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE "_your movement here__" MOVEMENT

by i says on Mar 15, 2011 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree

But isn’t D Will a big name player? Or do you mean top dogs in the NBA? like Lebron, Wade, Kobe, players that all can be considered best players in the NBA

by Scooby803 on Mar 15, 2011 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions

There would be no D-Will and none of these who to get threads would be here.

by Darius DuPree on Mar 15, 2011 3:29 PM EDT reply actions

Why no D.Will

We could have sent Utah:

Harris
Favors
GS #1
2011 #1
2013 #1
2 #2
$3m Cash

And even one of T.Will/D.James.

That should have still landed D.Will. Not many other teams could have touched that package.

by Jack Handy Jr on Mar 15, 2011 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

you’re comparing 2 very late round first rounders to what (seemed like) 2 lottery picks which we offered. HUGE difference.

by Rass on Mar 15, 2011 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions

In an ideal world

I doubt this ever would have happened though.

I could do so many what ifs with the Nets – what if Drazen did not pass away?

What if they did not draft Ed O’Bannon? Yinka Dare?

It’s a waste of time and energy.

by ZR on Mar 15, 2011 4:27 PM EDT reply actions

I know.. this is just current

and felt like a legitimate possibility at the time.

Not only that with Deron here, I think we would have easily been better than their current situation in Miami.

by Jack Handy Jr on Mar 15, 2011 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions

NJ4Life

I just want to point out how true and amazing NJ4Life’s post is. I think it is FAR more rewarding for a team to grow its own stars and gel together to win a Championship than to attract pre-existing guys like LeBron and Melo. Sure, it would have been amazing to have them, but the people on this site are REAL New Jersey Nets fans. Think of how many front runners our team would have if we attracted such superstars? I think if we continue to get solid guys who all play well with each other and contribute, we can can be really good, and it will be that much more rewarding not if but when we win the big one.

by KFM FITNESS on Mar 15, 2011 4:41 PM EDT reply actions

i know this question may seem odd

would u guys have trouble rooting for a lebron james led team the way he has acted this year and last

by jaydee2327 on Mar 15, 2011 5:07 PM EDT reply actions

could u root for guys like melo who really didnt want to be here but rather as way of getting paid

by jaydee2327 on Mar 15, 2011 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Good point.

These guys have acted like prima donnas and would have made a show of proving they were in control of the Nets. Part of the reason I was happy we didn’t get ’Melo.

by T of NY on Mar 15, 2011 9:01 PM EDT up reply actions

it would be tough to root for guys who laugh at our organization and dont want to be here

by jaydee2327 on Mar 15, 2011 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think we would have gotten Deron.

My guess is Anthony would have been traded to the Nets, he would have signed the extension and D-Will may have landed on the Knicks. Nets would have planned to get CP3 in 2012 and Brook’s development would have been stunted because Bosh would have complained that he needs more touches. Hump would have been traded, the Nets would have become instant salary cap offenders and T-Will would either be in Springfield, MA with the Armor or in a rehab clinic for a burgeoning substance abuse problem. In every permutation I can imagine, though, Devin would be gone along with Favors.

by T of NY on Mar 15, 2011 8:58 PM EDT reply actions

imagine we did favors and harris trade for granger and paul george

by jaydee2327 on Mar 15, 2011 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions

knicks could of had dwill, stoudemire, and dwight howard?

by jaydee2327 on Mar 15, 2011 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Lebron doesnt seem to know how to win.

"Lopez really doesn't play defense, he kind of just raises his hands."

-Visiting team announcers.

by Tim823 on Mar 16, 2011 12:56 AM EDT reply actions

he took lousy cavs team to playoffs every year

by jaydee2327 on Mar 16, 2011 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions

You say 2 lousy Cavs teams, i say decent Cavs teams.

Wades Heat were MUCH worse then Lebrons Cavs. MUCH MUCH worse.

"Lopez really doesn't play defense, he kind of just raises his hands."

-Visiting team announcers.

by Tim823 on Mar 16, 2011 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions

wade did have shaq

by jaydee2327 on Mar 16, 2011 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Great example. Shaq was not properly utilized with Lebron. Now he is again with the Celtics. He just took up space in Cleveland, much like everyone else on the “team.”

Look at least year. Who were the best guys on the Heat and Cavs?

Lebron, Jamison, Williams, Varjao, Hickson, etc.

Wade, Beasley, Haslem…. then who? They had no one.

Lebron has always had a problem, making other players better. Yeah he gets assists, but was anyone really better? All the cases I see, players got better when they left, and were much better before they got to him. Maybe Gibson is the lone exception?

"Lopez really doesn't play defense, he kind of just raises his hands."

-Visiting team announcers.

by Tim823 on Mar 16, 2011 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions

comeon tim, he averaged like 7 assists a game every year

by jaydee2327 on Mar 16, 2011 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions

so what? an assists makes a team better? Devin also averages that many assists doesn’t he?

"Lopez really doesn't play defense, he kind of just raises his hands."

-Visiting team announcers.

by Tim823 on Mar 17, 2011 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions

How many frontcourt players...

… average 7 apg for their careers? And how many of them do it while putting up nearly 28ppg?

Come on.

by Andres B on Mar 17, 2011 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions

So what? Really. So what? Of course he puts up those numbers, he has the ball ALL the time!

"Lopez really doesn't play defense, he kind of just raises his hands."

-Visiting team announcers.

by Tim823 on Mar 17, 2011 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions

we are seeing this year

how good Jamison, Williams, Vareajo and Hickson are. They lost like 25 games in a row, for god’s sake. The Cavs won 60+ games with Lebron the last 2 seasons.

by Andres B on Mar 17, 2011 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions

And I fault Lebron. Why were they so good before coming to the Cavs? Then all of a sudden they stink? Jamison is a 20-10 lifetime guy! He battled James head to head in the playoffs for years! Now all of a sudden after playing with Lebron he stinks? What gives?

He totally changes the way players think, the way they play. You see the way the Heat used to play, and the way they now revert to(when they forget) when they play “Lebron ball?” He sits and winds the clock down, forces a fade away. Meanwhile he has Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on his team, and thats the way Lebron thinks he can win it. He is going to put the team on his shoulder and prove something to the world. Well he cant win like that, and the only way the Heat do win this year is when he gets Wade involved.

"Lopez really doesn't play defense, he kind of just raises his hands."

-Visiting team announcers.

by Tim823 on Mar 17, 2011 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions