The best GMs usually trade down in general. Look at New England in football. Nobody makes the draft work for themselves like NE and increasingly Daryl Morey.
"in general" Can you cite examples of this other than New England and the Rockets? Particularly since the Rockets seemingly try to move up every year? I think "in general" trading down is always a safer bet because you gain assets not lose them. When you trade up you look stupid if what you traded up to get doesn't work out, but when you trade down you always get to say "we have more assets now."
Dude, he knows what he's talking about; not many people could call the winner 3 times in a 7 game series.
I don't have all the past drafts in front of me but it seems like we end up net trading down every year, i.e., trade down and then trade back up or just trade down completely. Is there a better example than New England? I'm just of the general opinion that beyond probably the top 5 or possibly 10 in most years the difference in talent from 11-30 isn't that big, so trading down when you're in that area is probably the best thing to do. If you're in the top 5 then you probably just make a pick because they are generally a cut above the rest.
The way the NBA announces trades, even after the #14 pick is announced, we probably won't know for at least another hour what we are getting. Or longer if the pick is being made for Toronto to use in a sign and trade on July 15th.
When we draft at 14 and take Cole Aldrich it's going to be like telling a bunch of 6 year olds there is no Santa.
the logic is if you dont get the player you want in first round, you trade down to avoid guarantee contracts.
Yes, and with that comes the greatness that is Morey buying 2nd round picks that were supposed to be first rounders. Guys like Budinger and Taylor became safer picks when they fell into the 2nd (although we had to pony up a couple million dollars). Look for us to maybe go after someone that falls out of the first, possibly Alabi, Jerome Jordan, or scoring machine Jordan Crawford (he'll probably be a first rounder though).
