"Panic is for..."

I was trying to make it through the Luc to LAC thread and I just couldn't read anymore after 6 pages. A ghost from my past kept echoing through my memory--"Panic is for pus_ies!" That was a phrase a Special Forces instructor used to emphasize the importance of objective and rational thinking in stressful situations.

As a young lieutenant attending a 6-week jungle course on long range reconnaissance patrolling (LRRP) that phrase has stuck with me for 31-years now and it has been useful throughout my life.

I share it with CF now, but not to criticize any of my fellow fans. Instead my hope is to use it to emphasize what that Army Master Sergeant was saying about how we should train our minds to think when we're under pressure.

Let's look at what we know so far...

Perceived Negatives:
We missed out on the big name FAs.
We lost Ariza to a $15M/yr contract we wouldn't match.
- Ariza just turned 33, missed 15 games, and played lowest minutes per game in last 5 years. I really liked Ariza, more for his effort and the tone he set, but let's face it Morey is looking at the numbers and for Trevor his skills are only going to continue to decline. His shooting was so spotty and looking at all of the factors, his +'s weren't enough to justify that kind of investment.
We lost Luc to a $4.3M/yr contract that would've eaten 86% of our MLE.
- Luc is only a couple of months from 32, missed 21 games, he's a career 33.6% 3pt guy. Until last year, I really had never paid much attention to him. He was kind of nondescript from what I can recall. Last year Luc woke my ass up with his fantastic defense--he was such a versatile defender and always seemed to make positive things happen. But then he suffered his first shoulder injury and he seemed to be a different player. After the second injury he couldn't really do much on the court and was benched. With Ariza gone, I'd hoped we would retain Luc, but I don't believe he was worth losing our MLE. I'm not sure how he's going to play next year and maybe the team wasn't either.
We've hurt Capela's feelings and he will leave when he can.
- Clint has made enormous strides in his 4 seasons in HOU and he is also the perfect center for our system. However, he is not without areas to improve and apparently NO TEAM thought he was worth a contract anywhere close to the max. Timing for RFAs is bad this year, but if he accepts the QO and then has some kind of catastrophic injury he will lose millions of dollars because of bad advice and his own pride. I'm all for a guy getting paid, but I'm also for our team making smart decisions. I hope this gets worked out and he gets a 4yr deal in the $15-1$8M/yr range.

Perceived Positives:
We resigned CP3 to a 4-year $160M deal.
- CP3 is 33, missed 24 games regular season and 2 crucial PO games. We traded a chunk of our youth to CP3 last year and he was worth his weight in gold until he got hurt in GM5. Without him we don't make it that far. He has the injury wort, but besides that he's PHENOMENAL from a playing skills and leadership perspective. I love to watch his energy and passion on the court, and can't wait to see him and James with a year of playing together under their belt.
We resigned GG!
- Green was a spark plug for us in some big games and brought that H-town swag to the roster. He's a fearless shooter, who can get off a contested 3 like no other. His defense improved and he was an awesome teammate. He'll likely get a few more minutes with Ariza/Luc gone at SF and that can only improve our shooting.
Draft added potential with scrap picks and UDFAs
- Melton has the kind of defensive grit we needed to add to our guard-depth. He'll probably need some G-league time, but could be ready for spot minutes and match-ups later in the year.
- Edwards, Duval, Clark, etc. may allow us to add another cheap 1-2 guys with potential at the end of the bench. I think Duval could be special with CP3 and Lucas as his mentor, but we'll see what happens.
Hartenstein has shown improvement in all facets of his game
- Its SL so I don't want to get gaga yet, but this kid hustles, rebounds, hits his FTs, and can finish.

Overall, I'm not that disappointed with our losses to date. I'm excited we locked up CP3 and GG. I hope we get new 1-2 young guys that can contribute. The argument of whether LeBron should have come was intriguing, but he chose the Fakers.

What's Next?

None of us, except maybe a few insiders have any real clue. What I do know is we have The NBA Executive of the Year (#finally), an owner who is passionate about the team/city, and a lot of time before the season starts.

Let's just calm down and realize like anything great that happens in our lives it's a process. Nothing has come easy in my life, but when I look back, I'm pretty damn happy with how it turned out. I have faith that we will be happy and excited as well.

 

I agree and you know Morey/MDA do as well. They'll have to add some complimentary defense players who can play disruptive defense on the wings. Initial impression is that Melton can augment that switching defense off the bench and maybe able to hide some of the deficiencies of others (Melo maybe). Again, its early, but Melton has phenomenal anticipation, which is something Ariza had in spades.

 

I'll admit freely, I'm a hopeless optimist. However, my rational side points to Morey's track record and the coaching staff's ability to adapt and squeeze the most out of what their given.

 

It's still early in July HTM, we've got until the trade deadline to right the ship. As we sit now, we're still at least a 3-5 seed and no one knows if Cousins is going to be right next season and Curry has the ankles of a glass vase.