2010-2011 NBA Offseason: The Summer of LeBron

If you didn't know, LeBron James will be a free agent after the 2009-2010 NBA season. The big buzz in the NBA media these days largely revolves around where LeBron and several other incredible free agents, such as Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudamire, will end up signing. Right now, the media is dreaming up possibilities in reaction to the lastest trades made by the Knicks, which free up enough cap space to potentially sign two players to max (or near max) contracts.

So, assuming enough cap space and no problems pulling franchise players from the franchises they've played with their entire NBA careers, which free agents should a team like the Knicks build around? A few of the players in this Free Agent class are certainly injury risks, but for my purposes, I'll ignore injury history. And, just so we're absolutely clear, the Knicks would be playing Mike D'Antoni basketball, trending as much toward the "7 second or less" style made famous early in D'Antoni's tenure with the Suns.

First of all, what does the D'Antoni system require?

1. An aggressive, mistake-free point guard who is also a credible offensive threat. Must be able to play at Nashian levels or at least resemble the decision making ability.
2. Shooters capable of knocking down open threes.
3. Athletic big men that can step out and shoot for mismatch purposes as needed. They must also be able to finish effectively.
4. Because of the athletic requirements of the big men (running the court at break-neck speeds, etc.), they, in general, must also be able to defend bigger players/play out of position. Shawn Marion exemplified this as he's a 3 that had to match up against 4s or even sometimes 5s as needed.
5. Movement without the ball is key, both to generate finishes at the rim/open jumpers and steals/blocks on the defensive end. For example, Amare Stoudamire is an absolutely terrible one-on-one defender, but generates a fair number of turnovers because he's an opportunistic help defender (though, it should also be pointed out that he's pretty bad at help defense, too. When he does help, it does seem to end up in a block or steal a fair amount of the time).
6. High percentage shooters. Yes, the number of wide-open looks the D'Antoni offense generates vastly increases the FG% of the offense. But bad shooters don't make 40+% of their 3s (Nash) or 61% of their FGs (Stoudamire).


This is roughly what the D'Antoni system entails. It does not work as well with poor shooters because those poor shooters squander the extra possessions the offense generates, which ultimately negates the advantage of playing so quickly.

Here is a snapshot of the 2010 Free Agent class, with comments on how they could fit in the system:

Joe Johnson -- Excellent 3 point shooter that has developed into one of the better scorers in the NBA, it might be tough for Mike D to pass Johnson up again after seeing him leave Phoenix after Sarver refused to pay him.
Ray Allen -- One of the best shooters in the league, too old for what the Knicks want to do unless he's considerably cheaper than he is now.
Manu Ginobili -- Another blossoming scorer with divergent skills. Could be an interesting choice at the 3 in spite of being 6'6", though I doubt he's capable of matching up with even the smallest 4s in the league.
Shaquille O'Neal -- Isn't killing D'Antoni basketball once enough?
Stephen Jackson -- Probably too old, but already plays the style in Golden State.
Amare Stoudamire -- Amare is the most efficient scorer in the league. He used to do it with dunks, now he can do it with 15-19 footers. And apparently he's added the 3 ball to his repetoire, or at least he thinks he has.
LeBron James -- The amazing thing about LeBron is that he could defend the 5 and run the point on a Mike D'Antoni team. The Knicks definitely want to build around LeBron +.
Dwayne Wade -- Maybe the best non-Nash guard and best non-LeBron player for the system. The scary thing to remember about Wade is how effective he is off the ball -- something he hasn't been able to do for a few years in Miami.
Chris Bosh -- I'm going to go ahead and say he's the best non-Amare big man for this system. And he might be a little bit better, since he can actually defend the 4 or 5 competently.
Dirk Nowitzki -- Inside-outside game is intriguing, a little old at 32 in 2010.
Tyson Chandler -- Imagine what the offensive numbers would be if Chris Paul ran that alley-oop play more than 3 times per game to Chandler. He's a 5 that might work well in the system because he finishes so well and can defend. D'Antoni 4s and 5s can be monsters without any offensive game beyond five feet from the basket.
Steve Nash -- While he isn't the guy to give a max contract to at his age, wouldn't it be awe-inspiring to see two superstars and a cheap, older Nash run this offense for one or two seasons?
Chris Paul -- He would be an unlikely FA, but he would be dreamy in the system.
Memo Okur -- Probably too old, like Dirk. But he might be a better fit than Dirk because he'll defend the 5.

Mixing and matching these guys, here are some likely combinations:

1. LeBron, Bosh/Amare: Credible inside presence, LeBron good enough passer to make up for lack of super-stud PG. Hell, maybe just run him at point forward. Bosh gives better defense, Amare better offense.
2. LeBron, Wade: Undersized but breathtaking. Both can pass allowing each to work off-ball at times to great effect. Extremely good defenders at their positions.
3. LeBron, Joe Johnson: Johnson can defend 1s, 2s, or 3s, moving LeBron up to a 4. Best 3 point shooter available in the class.
4. Wade, Bosh/Amare: Would invoke the Wade-Shaq days with more athleticism and less defense.

A LeBron/Wade lineup is so tantalizing that it is almost impossible to pass up. However, the most effective combo might be the Johnson/LeBron combo -- especially if Nash were to take a paycut and end up on the Knicks. Johnson is one of the absolute best outside shooters in the league and you know a team with Nash and LeBron on it would be able to hit him with a pass when open every single time. The safest play is to probably go Bosh/LeBron or Bosh/Wade, because size and defense do ultimately matter in the playoffs -- it's not about being a great defensive team overall in the D'Antoni mode, it is about getting stops when you need them, which a Bosh and Wade/LeBron pairing could do.