Seems to me like you guys are forgetting about the new movement going on nowdays. The best players coming into the drafts now are wing players. The two teams in the finals this year didnt have legit big men but they ran through the entire playoffs. Dwight Howard hasn't won **** and neither did Yao Ming. The era of the big men is over now. Andre Drummond won't help anything and neither will Andrew Bynum. If you want to win in today's game and possibly for the next decade we're going to have to acquire a SG/SF with superstar potential. And par him with another PG/SG/SF. Of course you'll need a guy who can block shots and get rebounds down low and somebody at the PF like DMo that can knock down shots consistently. I think we need to roll the dice and take either Lamb or Rivers with the 14th pick and turn around take Ross with the 16th pick. Then maybe we could make a move and send Kyle Lowry + CLee to the Lakers for Gasol and then send KMart + Patterson to the Timberwolves for the 18th pick (teague) and Derrick Williams. Key the youth movement. This could potentially leave us with two lineups going into next season Dragon/Teague Lamb/Ross(becomes our knock down shooter with slashing abilities) Parsons/Morris DMo/Derrick Williams Gasol/Camby or Dragon/Teague Rivers/Ross Parsons/Morris DMo/Derrick Williams Gasol/Camby Thoughts?
Wing players? Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose. Those are the last 4 drafts and the 4 best players from them (3 PG and a PF) Thoughts? The last great Wing player to come out of the draft was Durant.
Include James Harden, Westbrook, Evan turner, Rubio.. But i'm also looking at how the games are being won today. With Kobe, Parker, Dwade, Lebron, Durant, CP3, Dwill as being guys that carry and lead their teams. Not Bosh, Bynum, Joakim, Bogut, or any of the other guys we're craving for. The only reason I like the Gasol trade is because that does give us a big that has finals experience, can knock down shots, and is a 7footer.
So you want to blow up a young team in order to start a youth movement? And we don't need a legit big but you want to have Gasol in the middle of all this youth? Is Gasol not "legit" or is he young? I'm confused where he falls in this. I'm not buying what you're selling. I do, however, at least agree that we don't need to be hell bent on getting a superstar big. I would like to get a big that, as you said, "can block shots and get rebounds down low and somebody at the PF like DMo that can knock down shots consistently." Even though that doesn't seem to make them legit by your reasoning.
Saying that the big man will not get you a championship is just not true. How did Miami win a championship? Lebron attacking, getting fouled or passing out to open 3 point shooters. You surround Howard with great shooters and a great point guard like Williams and I think you have a contender. This is a PG league now and Williams will attack or feed Howard.
I just believe Gasol is someone we can easily get and be an upgrade over the situation we have now. Guys are willing to gut the whole team for Dwight Howard and rebuild. Someone we know may not sign an extension. Or we can give up a player that doesn't want to be here anyways (lowry), keep the team intact and take Gasol. That's all i'm saying.
I'm not saying we dont need a big man i'm just saying we dont need to have the best big man in the league to do it. When's the last time the best big man in the league won a championship? This is a SG/SF league. And although there are alot of great young PG's coming into the league now they won't be able to get far without a great SG/SF. CP3 paired with Blake and got dominated by a complete team who got dominated by a team with one of the best wing players in the game. Steve Nash couldn't do it. DRose cant do it.
I like the skills Gasol brings, i do. I'm just not sold on Gasol himself. His age and salary are both issues with me. That being said I'm not sold on Dwight either. I'd rather have Gasol at his age than Dwight if he ages fast. Gasol has a game that's not predicated on freakish athleticism.
Look at the Rondo situation. He was surrounded by a guy who could knock down perimeter shots and get to the rim on occasions (Ray Allen/ TRoss). A perimeter player who can make his own shots and take over in late game situations and average that 23 ppg (Paul Pierce/ Rivers or Lamb). A guy who can alter shots and knock down his own jumper when needed (Garnett/ Gasol/DMo). One thing he didnt have was a 6'10 guy that could focus solely on defense when guarding either Lebron or KD. (parsons). Then give us a player like Teague and Derrick Williams who could give us some energy off the bench and we could easily become a contender.
The differnce is you dont have to worry about Gasol himself because you're not blowing up the rest of the team. Gasol can give us a few buckets (maybe 16 points) and rebounds (8 rebounds or so) and we be perfectly fine.
I think Duncan and Shaq have a couple of rings... oh, did you watch that team last season with that 7' guy that won the Championship? This is the stupidest thing I have read in awhile. 7 foot tall people are more uncommon than 6'6" people. Talented 7 foot tall people are even more uncommon. Talented 7 foot tall people with the drive to win a championship are rare. Of course there are more wings with talent than bigs, there always have been and always will be. The only new movement around here is happening in your bowels.
When you major deficiency is allowing penetration to the hoop and a complete lack of rebounding presence, then a big is exactly what you need.
Point is that Free Throws win rings. Get to the line in the playoffs and you will win. Howard just happens to be a Center and gets to the line just as much as Lebron.
I kinda agree with op - but dont agree... I LOVE the thought of going after Derrick Williams - ive been on that for months! Plus Minnie has 3 solid pgs - we can use a bu (so we can resign Dragic and move KLow...) Kmart + Bud for Derrick Williams and Ridnour or Barea.... what else is the least we would we have to throw in? 14? 16? Dallas future? to make it happen...? But we need a big! Personally, I say screw DHow - dont want his drama headcase lyin 2 faced a$$.... Drummond may be worth the gamble... I think Clee can be a starting caliber sg - and would LOVE to get Rivers to back him up and develop.... dream scenario... Dragic/Barea or Ridnour CLee/Rivers Parsons/MMo Derrick Williams/DMo Camby/Drummond ... dont know if we have the assts to make all 3 moves happen.... Dependng on what else we would have to give to make Derrick Williams/pg happen....Is Klow/Scola/PPat/Sam/Lull rights/14/16/Dallas future 1st enough to get us 6 and 10 for Drummond and Rivers?
Duncan and Shaq were dominate 10 years ago. You're not realizing that i'm saying you don't need a dominate big but you damn sure need dominate wing players if you wanna make noise.
