True we are in the middle, but I still want to wait and see how all the dominos fall with the superstars and everyone else after that before I believe we are doomed to stay there forever. It was mentioned how the Rockets are always willing and involved in deadline deals and that the west is wide open this year. These next 2 weeks are going to be interesting.
There's a difference between a poor team being in the middle and the Rockets being in the middle. Poor teams being in the middle: Bobcats during MJ's first few years, Pistons with Charlie V and Gordon Good teams being in the middle: Detroit before Rasheed trade, Lakers before Pau trade, Celtics before kG trade. Being in the middle isn't bad if you have the means to get out of the middle at the right time, ie you have assets to trade for a superstar player. Personally, I don't think a strategy like that would be feasible with all the glamour city fever superstars seem to have these days, however trading for a star is a very real possibility, and getting a Danny Granger/Gerald Wallace type of guy at the right price can make us very very competitive. In fact, the Gasol/Nene trade was one such move. As far as Morey wants to tank, that's one way of looking at it however he should also understand that Les Alexander is paying him and his staff a lot of money because he wants them to do extra ordinary stuff. You don't really need a genius $Ball GM if you want to tank. if all Alexander wanted to do is wait around until a superstar falls into his lap why invest in $Ball and all this tech. Just stay as close to the minimum salary as possible, hire the cheapest coaches, and you'll get a top 3 pick guaranteed.
Les is crazy to force Morey to stay the course without a bad season... I can't lie though, I kind of like that fighter attitude. He get's that first sip of success and he's been relentless ever since. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the approach will be a successful one.
A couple of things: -We've been without a superstar for 2 months -We're a top 4 team right now -He said it's very possible to go this route, so he obviously doesn't think it's that hard, even though going the other route may be easier. That doesn't put us in any scenario that Bill and Daryl were talking about. Even Bill said we could make a run at the west, so he obviously wasn't implying that we were in the middle.
I get the argument that the middle is the worse place to be, but I'm really not sure what else we're supposed to do to be "bad". We can trade Scola and Martin, which I am for, but even then I don't think we'll drop off (I think we'd actually get better). I suppose you could have not signed Dalembert, but with the way he has played over the last month I think Jordan Hill would have gotten us just as many wins. The obvious rebuttal is to play Flynn, T-will, and Thabeet ... but we have other young guys who are clearly better than them. You can't expect Mchale, or any coach, to just lay down for a whole season and not play the best players. We could cash in our gems that Morey found (Lowry, Patterson, Lee, etc) for picks and go into blatant tank mode, but I don't think we've ever seen a team as young as ours do that. I still think we're on course and we'll eventually build enough solid talent, and with a little luck find a high potential prospect, to make a splash -- maybe the same way the Celtics did. Maybe not the fastest route to rebuilding, but any way you look at it you need a little luck involved.
this is ridiculous. i'm sure you're a gentleman and a scholar....but 10 games of a max 20 mpg Yao is hardly "with a superstar." they held on too long playing make believe. it's delayed rebuilding. now ownership is refusing to listen to its resident genius with respect to how to rebuild.
btw, you made a great point in one of your articles (I think) that the Knicks are actually on the way to doing it (thanks to Novak), because (as you put it) Amare took the leap and signed as a FA with nobody there. And we just need an Amare to come here via FAncy. But we aren't New York City...sigh. sad, but true point you made. Also, I think Morey likes a challenge...that Gasol trade was probably one of the biggest highs the man could have. The TMac dump was so cool, too. I'm not quite convinced he is being ordered by Les to not purge. Maybe he loves the challenge. As I've said before, any GM could tank by trading everything for prospects and then make the correct use of a #1 or #2 pick. Most of us here could do that. Hell, anyone could have done what the Knicks did, purge all salary and everything, knowing a superstar will decide to come to NYC, as long as you have the money to pay them. But what is the challenge in that? Morey probably sees the risk, too, and tanking then losing the ping pong ball game like Pitino did, or losing in the wrong year ... can lead your fate down the road of Geoff Petrie and see your fans turn against you, even though you did take the route of better odds, but got unlucky. So, I guess I'm trying to figure out Morey, too. He probably hates to put his fate in chance. The Challenge and thrill of trades might be fueling him to do this on his own without Les ordering him to. To go all the way to the bottom means less assets, less phone calls, less attractiveness to FAs...basically he is throwing his future to the wind of chance, albeit, maybe the best chance to win. But from middle to contender, not as hard. Middle to title...yes.
Predators waiting for mistakes to pounce on. lol Listening to the podcast...Morey sounds like a fat child breathing heavily
After terrence publicly bashed the front office on Twitter did u really expect him to say otherwise? Terrence is lucky to even get garbage time or be active on the roster at this point. Even terrence himself has told you personally that his time in Houston is more or less overwith. Yes he probably could have given a better example of another player but theres no point in trying to poor water over a bridge that has already burnt to the ground.
I do NOT believe it is obvious. Perhaps it's true but I am way not sold on CLEARLY. I, for one, shudder at the break-out possibility of TWill AND Flynn. Elsewhere.
I like your point. (BTW - - C's were awful before KG + RA came over, RR blossomed, Perk was the right fit in that line-up.)
