Salmons, Delfino, and Gooden all signed with the Bucks, which is great for a team that showed a lot of promise at the end of last season. But really, a max contract for Rudy Gay?!? The guy was the second scoring option on his team last year but not even the third most effective, and thats about all the guy can do. All this talk about the economy going in the dumps obviously didnt reach the NBA owners, giving mediocre players like Gay a maximum contract. And Darko Milicic signed for big money, as did Gooden. Frankly, all these teams built up so much cap space, but it doesnt seem like their using it very well.
In other news, Dwayne Wade and Pat Riley want Amare and LeBron to play in Miami next season. This will take up all of their cap room, and give them 5 players on the team (in addition to Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley). Aside from the fact that this triumvirate features three guys that need the ball, namely LeBron and Wade, Chalmers and Beasley are just not good enough to fill out a starting five. Chalmers doesnt have any moves, and Beasley is undersized and uncommitted. Whereas the Michael Jordan Bulls had a Big Three surrounded by shooters and skilled players, this one is going to have two unproven players and a bunch of guys making the minimum around it. And although Pierce, Allen, and Garnett were surrounded by pretty average bench play, they had Rondo to set them up and run the break. Also, the year they first got together, they understood that it was their last hurrah and needed to win and win fast. LeBron, Wade, and Amare are all younger players and don't have this motivation. Obviously they are a superior bunch, in both talent and popularity, but I don't think this plan is in their best interests. They don't need to share the spotlight; they're fantastic players that could win without playing together. Too many stars spoil the broth, just ask the Athens USA Basketball Team.
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