I say 3 years Just so happens that our 3 years coincide with a good Dallas team, a good Phx team, a good San Antonio team, a rising Cleveland team (lol), and a good Utah team. We aren't likely to win a championship in that window unless everything breaks right for us, but there is a chance it can be done. The biggest deciding factor imo is whether T-Mac can become a consistent shooter again and whether Scola emerges as a real talented player. We need more than 2 guys who are better than what the other team will have on the court.
I believe he has 3 years left on his contract. but if we remain contenders then I can see him re-signing here for less (he will no longer be a max player at 30). Therefore I'd say theres a 5-6 yr window still to win with T-Mac. That does not necessarilly mean the dominating T-Mac we have now. But in a lesser role similar to what stackhouse and hill have taken on.
3 years. I think in terms of talent this is already far and away the most talented team we've assembled, and we can STILL add to that with SF3 and may be others for cheap. I just would like for us to be contenders for the next 3-5 years, championship or not. I would like for us to at least get to the conference finals a few times like the Suns. If we do that, I will thoroughly enjoy the ride regardless of the outcome. A top tier team year-in and year-out is what I am shooting for. First round exits are ruining otherwise good seasons for this team. But I would say he still has 3 years at an all-star level, then after that we might still be able to keep him for cheap which would be great for the team.
Correct, if Yao becomes dominant consistently and we have scorers on the team besides Tmac, I think it will make Tmac's game a lot easier. If we can get Tmac to be an efficient scorer, which is very possible under Adelman, I think he will be a better all-around player than ever before.
Yao can't win by himself. If T-Mac starts playing terribly, it will be Yao and NOBODY else on this team. I'm not arguing which one is the better player because I don't care. I am arguing that neither is good enough to win a title without the other being great as well.
Even when TMac becomes older and loses a step or two, he can become a great role player if he wants to. But, he will probably just retire. Lord knows he doesn't need the money to feed his kids. He could move back to SF and relinquish his play making role sooner than later, but he could still be a valuable player for some time if his back holds up.
The main, and only real, reason I was wishful and wistful for a Shard SnT is that I believe both TMac and Yao would benefit from a 3rd major scorer to 'limit' the wear'n'tear on their bodies and thus extend their quality shelf lives by a year or three.
I'm not saying Yao can win by himself. I'm saying Yao's the key, not Tmac: - Tmac has peaked. No serious debate about that. His game may morph, more a playmaker than assassin scorer. His athleticism has and will decline. He's still elite, but he's peaked. - Yao has not peaked. I think he is 2 years from peaking, which will result from growth of his own game, and integration into Adelman's system. - As of last year, I believe that the Tmac and Yao combo was not good enough to win it all. Even if they had this new supporting cast, I don't think those two had enough dominance to surpass the spurs or suns. Debatable, but that's my opinion. - Our window, and the size of the opening, depends mostly on Yao's ability to establish dominance. We need: (1) Yao to become elite-- sustained MVP level play like he showed in parts of last year (health is a big factor); (2) Tmac must stay at elite or near elite level; and (3) enough talent and coaching around them to push the team over the top. Stated differently, Let's say the the Spurs are a 9 out of 10 (no team is perfect). As of last year, perhaps we were a 7 out of 10. That's a sizable gap. The move from good to great is the most difficult. To legitimately challenge the Spurs, Suns and Mavs, we need at least 2 of the 3 elements above to come to fruition. Of those elements, Yao being elite is the most important. Yao's improvement must exceed any decline from Tmac. There's been a lot of focus, rightfully so, on the need to surround 1 and 11 with talent. But without if Yao doensn't play consistently at an elite level, I think it doesn't matter. We'll be good, but not great.
Tracy and Yao's are closing a lot sooner than their ages would lead you to believe. Yao's mounting leg injuries are not good for a player of his bulk.
The window could also shatter wide open or have trouble shutting alot longer with the drafts to come. If we could snatch a Parker, Ginobili, Arenas, Boozer, Josh Howard, (even Mobley), etc. Or by having a system like Phoenix, Dallas, maybe even us if it's like the old Kings, that turns everyday players with a good midrange shot into a star. Then you them use until it's time for them to get paid and trade them for more and better draft picks. Whatever the case, barring injuries to Yao or T-Mac the future is bright. Especially now that we will at least finally begin to develop the players we draft and give others the chance to show case their skills under Adelman. Our bench already appears to be twice as good as last year, when you could legitimately argue we didn't have one. 4 players scored in 1 playoff game last year = we can't get worse
