How to Win the Championship in 2018

[meangreenmachine]

Step One: Take the options on JJ and Johnson. Sign a veteran minimum at center, or bring back Zeller on the one year qualifying offer. These moves solidify the roster while providing maximum cap flexibility in the future.

Step Two: Field the following roster on opening day:

Starters - Thomas, Bradley, Crowder, Johnson, Horford
Bench - Smart, Olynyk, Jerebko, Brown, Rozier, Hunter, Mickey, Jackson, Young, Vet Min Center or Zeller
Stash - Zizic, Yabasule
Stash or cut - Bentil, Nader

Step Three: As we approach the trade deadline, we will be in contention for the second overall seed, a solid improvement over last year. In contrast, the Kings will continue to play like the Pawns of the West. With their playoff hopes out of reach, a frustrated Demarcus Cousins will clearly show no interest in resigning in Sacramento in 2018. As a result, Vlade Divac will decide to move on by trading Cousins and rebuilding around his latest draft picks. We step up and trade the following for Cousins (and perhaps one or two expiring contracts if necessary):

Olynyk, Rozier, Young, 2017 Brooklyn 1st, all 2017 2nds, 2018 Brooklyn 1st, 2019 Boston 1st, 2019 Clippers 1st

Vlade is able to sell the move to fans as a massive haul of four first-round picks, four second-round picks, a lottery big (Olynyk), and two top 20 draft picks (Rozier, Young). We are ecstatic to have the best big man in the game. Cousins is ecstatic to play for a winner for the first time since playing at Kentucky. Everybody is happy, a prerequisite for any trade to occur...

Step Four: After falling to the Cavs in the ECF, we feel like we are a move or two away from contention. In free agency, we sign Butler alumnis Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack, keeping Brad Stevens happy by bringing in the cornerstone players from his last championship runs. We also have room for a solid big veteran off the bench (TBD, but someone versatile who can play C or PF) and we re-up Cousins' contract beyond 2017-2018 to make sure we did not mortgage our future for a one-and-half year rental.

Step Five: Win the 2017-2018 NBA championship with amazing perimeter defense, depth and dominant big men that Cleveland and Golden State have no answer for:

Starters: Thomas, Bradley, Hayward, Horford, Cousins
Bench: Crowder, Brown, Smart, Free Agent Big Man Who Can Play PF/C, Mack, Hunter, Mickey, Jackson, Zizic, Yabasule

Note: With the exception of Horford, all of the above players are under 30. Even Bradley, Hayward, Crowder and Cousins will not turn 30 until 2020. We clearly can afford to spend four first-round picks on Cousins, particularly when you consider that the more winning we do, the more of a free agency destination we will become in the future.

Let's do this!