A lot, and I mean A LOT of that “elite” talent will top out as borderline all-stars. This literally happens all the time. Mostly likely, Ja Morant never approaches Westbrook level success. Most likely, Zion is never as good as AD. Most likely, despite having 2 “foundational players”, the Timberwolves never make the playoffs before they are forced to trade Towns. enjoy the middle-ground while we build toward another era of contention.
I think the competence of FO is way more important than "wining mentality". We definitely don't tank by asking the Coaching stuff and players to lose intentionally (Mavs did that BTW, doesn't seem to hurt much). We do it by trading veterans who can play (PJ for sure, Oladipo in March), and load management players against week opponents (Wall, Cousins and EG are all injury prone, so it makes sense to load management them anyway), and play the full squad against good teams. It's fun to see the players play hard and develop, winning or losing at this point isn't that important. Besides, if we tank, we have a good chance to keep our pick, if we don't, we almost lose it for sure.
which is why I valued getting a good young player above all else in a Harden trade, but that didn’t happen it could be 2025 before those BK picks end up being noticeable...there is no guarantee they end up being great although there is a decent chance If we were to re-sign Oladipo like OP mentioned as a possibility, what is that really gonna do? Wall-Dipo is worse than Wall-Beal. What are they accomplishing in the West? I’d rather just aim for a high lotto pick and take my chances with that.
Ppl out too much emphasis on finding the guy. We have had two generational talented in the two decade(TMac and Harden). We’ve had multiple Cornerstones(Tmac, Harden, and Yao). you can trade for tier 2 type(Artest). Jsut keep stockpiling talents aka bpa. And the opportunity will present itself to become contenders. Don’t overthink or overworry about it. Well be back to contending in the next 5 years. but you have to gather/develop assets. can always trade up to get a guy if you think he’s special. Spurs traded up for Kawhi. we have one cornerstone already in Wood. If he’s not a cornerstone then he’s definitely an asset. And because of the road it took to get him there he’s humble.he’s blue collar.
Well with the talent we have right now, we could easily end up looking like the current Spurs, a team who’s best case scenario is sneaking in as the 8th seed to get slaughtered while not being bad enough to ever truly get a great pick.
again, harden is a once in a lifetime player. the players you listed were also chosen top 3 like harden. and i largely agree they will never reach harden's level. i also believe even if we get a top 3 pick in the next few seasons, the odds are against us that player will ever be anywhere near as good as harden. i'm just saying, when you've been spoiled and accustomed to excellence for a long while, just about anything that comes after is going to be disappointing. there was about a 15yr gap between dream and beard
Lol, I'm sure you're correct on that. I'm a bit salty about things and my trigger-finger is twitchy. Don't challenge me though, I can do worse.
Im glad you brought this up. What if they resign Oladipo to something like a 4 year $100 million deal? presumably, we are a decent team. Wall/Oladipo/Wood keep us in playoff contention, hovering above .500. Maybe as high as #4 or #5, but probably a little lower. To me, this means Walls value relative to his contract improves, perhaps to the point where a team sees him as the final piece on a contender, or what’s necessary to push a team into the playoffs. The same could happen with Oladipo. With Wood, you avoid putting the weight of the franchise on him by making him the sole focus of our opponents. Lots of guys stumble in their development because they are given the wrong responsibilities...the wrong role at the wrong time. The key for this to work is development. When you move PJ Tucker, you need to have a Tate to step in. You need the AB->Lowry->Dragic track...guys that can step up. I’m not selling anything that we haven’t seen before. Winning is hard. And the best chance to win is the to get stars. Wood MIGHT be one, but we need to see more from him before we can decide that. I see no reason to tank when we already have a potential cornerstone in Wood. If we do tank, you’re talking a minimum of 3-4 years before we are relevant again, and we probably aren’t even contenders to that point.
We were lucky the last time that we rebuilt without tanking but the odds of being that lucky again while floundering in mediocrity aren't good. Its time to Trust the Process and be all in for a full rebuild for a long run when it gets done. Any and everyone should be available for the right price.
I agree! My hope is watching a fun team that plays hard, makes the playoffs and pushes teams with better talent...all while continuing to build the framework of a real contender. Contention starts with having 1 All-NBA player. Can Wood be that? I don’t know, but he has a shot. He’s 20th in scoring among all players, and 3rd among centers, behind Embiid and Jokic. 12th in rebounds. With Harden gone, presumably replaced by Oladipo, there will be more shots available for Wood. I think he can get up to 27 ppg efficiently...he was headed for that before Harden mailed it in. If he can continue to improve on the defensive end, and I believe there are clear signs that he is improving, he may very well be foundational piece #1. If he does become that, then Houston starts to become a destination. Just as an example, Bradley Beal is a free agent in summer 2022. What if we have the cap space to sign him outright? Then you have Beal, Wood and tons of picks and the expiring Wall to trade for a disgruntled superstar to complete your roster. What if Wood doesn’t become that? Well you have who he is now, which is a very underpaid borderline all-star stretch 5 that some team will pay us very well for, either in picks or assets.
Christian Wood is a great story. But I’m not sure he’s a cornerstone — at least not yet. Until he improves on the boards and defensively at a consistent rate, he’s basically just Kevin Martin at the 5.
I’m not sure either. But it’s worth a shot. Better than throwing in the towel and driving straight to the bottom. What we do know so far is he can finish in traffic. He has a chance to be a high volume 3 point shooter that can hit at a league average rate, which is huge for a 5. I don’t think he will create much for others, but neither does AD really. Defensively, he has potential. He’s in a brand new role for him as a defensive anchor, but he has the tools (length and quick feet) to be a very good rim protector and serviceable on the switch. If he can add some bulk to his frame to absorb contact, it’s over. Wall / Brown Oladipo / McLemore House / Gordon Tucker / Tate Wood / Cousins That’s going to be a good team, and it might remain a good team even if we trade away Oladipo and/or Tucker, depending on what we get back.
all that is doing is delaying the inevitable rebuild that will have to occur IMO trying to stay competitive and sneak into the playoffs to get stomped out might work out in the end only if BK ends up giving us premium picks or we do something like draft a Jokic or Giannis outside of the lottery which isn’t likely
and I would too, if we had superstars 1 and 2. We don’t. We might have one that can develop into a superstar in Wood, but we don’t know that yet. Too early to give up.
