What would've been more candid is to admit that the system they've built that relies so heavily on two relatively cheap but unique players is pretty flawed. It's especially flawed if they rely on 37 year old to be a closer but play him where he is top 5 in minutes played in the league. I was under impression that we were young and up and coming team that was a few tweaks & growth spurts away from making a deep play off run, but this season we as fans find out that we're actually very old and fragile type of team that throws its young prospects under the bus because top brass doesn't want to admit any fault. It wasn't a candid press conference. Come on
Name 1 franchise player Stone missed and/or passed on. We had bad lottery luck. This is known. I get criticizing him for some things, but this point is not fair. Are you really that torn up about missing on Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, or Stephen Castle?
Based on where we drafted those 4 years I'd love someone to put together an alternate reality where they redraft and build this team better based on who was available and knowing what we know now about the players in those drafts.
Stone should have been fired for solely for the KPJ experience. He is terrible at talent evaluation and roster construction.
2021 Top 10 Picks (2021 NBA Draft) 1. Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) 2. Jalen Green (Houston Rockets) 3. Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) 4. Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors - 2022 Rookie of the Year) 5. Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic) 6. Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder) 7. Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors) 8. Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic) 9. Davion Mitchell (Sacramento Kings) 10. Ziaire Williams (New Orleans Pelicans, traded to Memphis Grizzlies) Significant Picks & Steals Alperen Şengün (No. 16, OKC, traded to HOU): Developed into a premier passing and scoring center. Trey Murphy III (No. 17, MEM, traded to NOP): High-volume shooter and wing defender. Jalen Johnson (No. 20, Atlanta Hawks): Emerging as a top-tier forward. Cam Thomas (No. 27, Brooklyn Nets): Elite scoring guard. Herbert Jones (No. 35, New Orleans Pelicans): Widely considered one of the best defenders from this class. Ayo Dosunmu (No. 38, Chicago Bulls): Reliable guard for the Bulls. Austin Reaves (Undrafted): Signed with the LA Lakers and became a key starter.
2022 Top 10 Lottery Picks (2022 NBA Draft) Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic) - F, Duke Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder) - F/C, Gonzaga Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets) - F, Auburn Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings) - F, Iowa Jaden Ivey (Detroit Pistons) - G, Purdue Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers) - G/F, Arizona Shaedon Sharpe (Portland Trail Blazers) - G, Kentucky Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans) - G, G League Ignite Jeremy Sochan (San Antonio Spurs) - F, Baylor Johnny Davis (Washington Wizards) - G, Wisconsin [1, 2] Other Notable Selections Jalen Williams (12th, Thunder): Impact wing with All-NBA upside. Jalen Duren (13th, Pistons): Physical center with high rebound potential.
2023 Top 10 Picks (2023 NBA Draft) Victor Wembanyama (C, San Antonio Spurs) Brandon Miller (SF, Charlotte Hornets) Scoot Henderson (PG, Portland Trail Blazers) Amen Thompson (PG, Houston Rockets) Ausar Thompson (SG, Detroit Pistons) Anthony Black (SG, Orlando Magic) Bilal Coulibaly (SF, Washington Wizards - via IND) Jarace Walker (PF, Indiana Pacers - via WAS) Taylor Hendricks (PF, Utah Jazz) Cason Wallace (PG, Oklahoma City Thunder - via DAL) [1, 2, 3, 4] Key Performers & Notable Rookies Victor Wembanyama (Spurs): Dominated as the #1 pick, immediately becoming a top-tier defensive and offensive player. Brandon Miller (Hornets): Showcased elite scoring ability, solidifying his place as a premier rookie. Dereck Lively II (Mavericks): A crucial rim-running center who significantly impacted Dallas' frontcourt after being traded from OKC. Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat): Delivered high-level performance immediately, bringing maturity and scoring to Miami. Brandin Podziemski (Warriors): Proven to be a strong rotation player with versatile averages. Cam Whitmore (Rockets): Showcased high-scoring potential after falling to the 20th pick. Keyonte George (Jazz): Emerging point guard for Utah's rebuild. [
I didn’t say it was a candid press conference. In fact, the only real candid response that I remember hearing was the one I commented on.
None of whom are franchise players. To ding Stone for failing to draft a franchise player with his top picks completely ignores the context, i.e., there were no franchise players available to be picked when we were on the clock. Also, pass on paying a max contract to Mobley and Barnes, no thank you.
It is possible it was the right pick if the right coaches were in place to develop him. I don't see Silas or Ime as "teaching" type coaches.
That draft ended up yielding really unexpected results. The prototypical should have traded down draft. Bringing back Murphy back to Houston would have been great, but I say this as a Lovett homer.
Why the **** are you bringing in KD if you are not trying to compete. Does this buffoon think our championship window will last forever?
