But Lawson has already proved that he can play in the NBA

So whoever Kahn drafts will inevitably be compared to Lawson.Kahn also signed Ramon Sessions away from the Bucks for four years and $16 million and Sessions's averages are down more than four points and nearly three assists per game compared to last season. Chances are the Wolves are stuck with Sessions until it either expires or has just one year remaining.Kahn's future might be tied to whether or not Rubio ever makes it to Minnesota. It's hard to believe that Rubio is in a rush to leave European powerhouse FC Barcelona to join one of the league's worst teams. Especially when he knows that he can avoid the league's rookie scale by coming over three years after being drafted as opposed to just one or two.Kahn might still insist that he was happy with the pick but if he has the chance to move Rubio's rights he shouldn't allow his pride to stand in the way of making a deal that could pay off immediately.Those Who Are Trying To Win Championships Now (From Worst to Best)6) R.C. Buford, San Antonio SpursBuford convinced Spurs owner Peter Holt to abandon any hope of having cap space this summer or next and instead make the trade for Richard Jefferson. The move has backfired and now the small-market Spurs are on the hook for one more year of Jefferson's deal at $15 million.Last week Buford signed Manu Ginobili to a three-year, $40 million extension.Even though I'm sure the Spurs and their fans are thrilled to have Ginobili locked up, had Buford not traded for Jefferson then he could have at least explored the free agent market this summer and then renounced Ginobili if he was able to attract a top-tier free agent to replace him.The Ginobili signing was more of an indication that the Jefferson trade was a failure than it was a reward for one of the franchise's greatest players ever.While draft picks Seattle Seahawks jersey
George Hill and DaJuan Blair have worked out, Buford's other big free agent signing, Antonio McDyess, hasn't really panned out either.Buford had $54 million committed to just six players before re-signing Ginobili and is a year away from having to re-sign Tony Parker.Buford is still one of the league's best GMs but he will have to get creative if he wants to give Tim Duncan another shot at a title.There were already rumors that Buford tried to trade Parker to the New Orleans Hornets for Chris Paul.Don't be surprised to hear more rumors regarding Parker this summer.With Hill still on a rookie contract and Jefferson almost impossible to trade, moving Parker might be Buford's only hope at winning Duncan another ring. He can't really afford to wait for Jefferson's deal to expire in the summer of 2011 when Duncan will be 35.The good news for Spurs fans is that nobody would be surprised if Buford found a way to trade Jefferson for the type of power forward that would allow Duncan to move into the same type of role that David Robinson took on when Duncan was drafted in 1997.5) Danny Ainge, Boston CelticsAinge has quite an eventful summer ahead of him. If the Celtics don't make it back to the Finals there will be plenty of questions for this team. For example, now that Kobe Bryant has established the market for stars in their early 30s, will Paul Pierce try to sign a similar extension with the Celtics?If Bryant is worth three years and $85 and Ginobili is worth three years and $40 million then surely Pierce is worth three years and at least $60 million, right?If that's the case then does that mean that Ray Allen is all but assured of being let go?It's curious that Ainge didn't try to move Allen when he had the chance. With Rajon Rondo's extension kicking in next season and a looming extension in 2011 for Kendrick Perkins, Ainge might have lost his only chance to keep this team a contender for at least another year.While Ainge acquired Nate Robinson from the Knicks to shore up the team's bench, the move seemed to be more of a play for Allen leaving than for this season's title hopes.By acquiring Robinson's Bird Rights Ainge has found a replacement for Allen's scoring for a fraction of the price it would take to retain Allen.4) Mitch Kupchak, Los Angeles LakersSpeaking of GMs that didn't make trades when they had the chance, Mitch Kupchak didn't acquire a point guard at the trade deadline and now the Lakers are no longer the favorites to win the title.Many pundits have even wondered if this team can make it out of the Western Conference for a third straight year.Kupchak could have tried to use Adam Morrison's expiring contract to find the team help and instead will now have to use their mid-level exemption to find a third-tier free agent point guard like the Clippers' Steve Blake or the Pacers' Earl Watson since Memphis owns their first-round pick from the Pau Gasol trade.Shannon Brown is all but assured of opting out of St. Louis Rams jersey
his deal, Derek Fisher is an unrestricted free agent who has given Lakers fans migraines this season, and Jordan Farmar is a restricted free agent who is much-better suited in an up-tempo offense than in the triangle.The good news is that if he's willing to let Farmar, Fisher, and Brown leave then he can use the full mid-level to sign a point guard without adding much, if anything, to this season's payroll.Kupchak should get credit for signing Bryant to a three-year extension when Bryant could have easily demanded a maximum five-year extension. By locking up Bryant and Gasol the Lakers have sent a message to this summer's free agent and their representatives that they have nobody under contract for the 2014 season.We'll get an idea if they were listening if you see guys like LeBron, Wade, and Bosh sign deals that give them the chance to opt out in the summer of 2014.3) Otis Smith, Orlando MagicSmith was criticized for trading away Hedo Turkoglu and replacing him in a separate deal with Vince Carter. While Carter has had flashes of brilliance it is another of Smith's moves that has paid dividends. Smith signed journeyman Matt Barnes to a two-year, $3 million contract that includes a player option for next season.Barnes has given the Magic a swagger and toughness that a lot of people felt they lacked in their series against the Lakers last June.While the Magic have struggled at times this season they still finished with the league's second-best record and you'd have to think that they have a better chance of knocking off the Cavs than the Lakers or Celtics do.2) Donnie Nelson, Dallas MavericksI know it's easy to be the GM of a team with an owner whose willing to spend whatever it takes to win a championship. I also know that there isn't a GM who wouldn't have made the deal that Nelson made with the Wizards for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson.But that's not why Nelson is so high on this list.What Nelson deserves credit for is the foresight he had when he signed Josh Howard and Drew Gooden that allowed him the flexibility to make the moves he made when the opportunity finally came about.Nelson only signed Gooden for one year after the Magic matched the team's offer for Marcin Gortat and made sure that the final season of Howard's contract was a team optionthus giving him two expiring contracts.Next summer Nelson has a team option with a buyout on Erick Dampier's contract that would allow him to swap him at his full value to a team looking to trim payroll who could then pay Dampier's buyout.1) Danny Ferry, Cleveland CavaliersEven if Ferry wasn't already bald you'd think he would have lost his hair just worrying about whether or not LeBron will re-sign with the team this summer.If the future number six does decide to bolt his home state you won't be able to put the blame on Ferry.Ferry has done everything in his power to put the best team around his superstar and as a result they have the league's best regular season record Tennessee Titans jersey
for the second year in a row and are the clear-cut favorites to the win the city its first title since 1964.Ferry hasn't been on the winning end of every trade he's made but he was able to take the free agent signees that many labeled disappointments and turn them into gold.Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall were used to get Ben Wallace who was used to get Shaq.Damon Jones was used in the deal that brought the team Mo Williams.This season he used Zydrunas Ilgauskas to acquire Antawn Jamison without having to give up J.J. Hickson and got Ilgauskas to re-sign with the club after he was bought out by the Wizards.Ferry, with the blessing of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, has committed an additional $150 million in payroll by acquiring Mo Williams, Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison, and re-signing Delonte West and Anderson Varejao.On the other hand, anything short of a championship would be considered a failure and could ultimately lead to the departure of the league's expected MVP.I don't envy the pressure that Ferry is under but I do admire the way that he's handled it.Those Trying To Win Championships With Economic Limits (From Worst to Best) 5) Jeff Bower, New Orleans HornetsI'm not an apologist for Bower but you have to feel for the guy. If it wasn't bad enough that his owner George Shinn instructed him to make a bunch of lopsided trades to trim payroll he also made him coach the team after he fired Byron Scott.Bower would never have made the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to the Bobcats for Emeka Okafor had it not saved Shinn money this season and next.