DCZards wrote:payitforward wrote:I couldn't disagree more with the picture you draw, Hands. In fact, this whole vision you, and maybe some others too, seem to have is, I think, wrong -- and demonstrably wrong. You have the idea that a rebuild is like painting a picture. You have to have an overall framework first, then you have to have, as it were, just the right color here and another right color there, and some kind of balance, and... wherever the metaphor goes.
If the world were static, and everything around you stayed the same, I can see how it would be possible to imagine this as the right way to view the process of building a team. But, of course, the world around doesn't stay the same, and things are the exact opposite of static.
In the last 13 months, for example, Philadelphia has acquired more and better assets via the draft than Ernie has managed in the last decade. Embiid, Noel, MC-W, Saric, a likely high R1 pick in 2017 (wch they can trade well before then if they want) -- not to mention McDaniels, Mcrae and Micic (likely that 1 or more of those guys will become quite good players!). Oh, and Pierre Jackson. Yet, they'll have a very high pick next year as well, and their total salary committed next year? About $30m. Talk about having cap room!
Don't get me wrong -- I'm delighted with the moves Ernie has made this Summer! More fun than staring slack-jawed at a press release about signing Eric Maynor, that's for sure! Or Harrington. But what the moves show is that 4 plus years and 5 drafts worth of rebuilding has netted us a grand total of 4 assets we think are worth counting on going forward.
In fact, we're *not* focused on building a team at all right now. We're focused on getting through the next 2 years. By then John Wall will be entering the 2d half of his career, Beal will be a 5 year veteran, etc. While the entire squad outside of those 4 guys (Gortat, Beal, Wall, Porter) is in starting over mode (assuming we haven't suddenly become brilliant late R1 drafters all of a sudden).
I'll enjoy watching Wizards basketball this year and next. I'm a Wizards fan. But I've given up entirely on the notion that we'll ever try to build a title contender. And if the answer is "Kevin Durant is coming here; it's written in the stars -- after all we just hired his high school coach!" that's just more confirmation. Holding your breath for the one thing that makes a mess look a chef thought it up isn't building a team -- don't you think Durant might like playing with Embiid, Noel, etc.?
In other words, no, there is no plan. None whatever -- at least none that any rational person wouldn't find laughable. But, we did recover well from losing Ariza, and we did bring on 2 productive veterans. We may be one of the oldest teams in the league now, but at least some of those old guys are good players.
PIF, here's where I think you're wrong about building a contender. You don't do it by simply collecting a bunch of youngsters or assets. You do it by having the right mix of young talent and vets and the subsequent chemistry that flows from that. I'm not impressed at all by the collection of Philly players you named. What I see in Philly are two quality--potentially great--young big men (both of whom have already had serious injuries, btw) and a bunch of other young guys, only one of whom has proven he can play (MCW) and he's pretty one dimensional offensively since he can't shoot.
Philly will likely need to bring in some vets or glue guys (a la David West in Indy) to show their youngsters how to play the right way and to step up at crunch time if necessary. Kinda like what West does in Indy or the contribution that Boris Diaw made to help S.A. get over the hump against Miami.
That Philly team you're so enamored with is much, much further from contending than the Zards. And, again, we don't know if any of the guys or assets that Philly has collected can play. But we do know that Wall, Beal and Gortat are all-stars or borderline all-stars, that Nene, when healthy, is a major contributor, and that vets like Humphries, Webster, Gooden and Blair are almost certain to be solid role players.
We also now have this guy Paul Pierce who has won a championship and has been known to put a team on his shoulders from time to time. Heck, I can see PP being rejuvenated playing with Wall and Beal and only having to play 20-25 minutes a game for his team to be successful. Pierce is still one of the best one-on-one offensive players in the game, who will likely be taking youngsters (like those in Philly) to school. Pierce also has a serious "clutch" gene.
And I'm excited to see what two the youngins'--Porter and Rice--are capable of doing. I think both have real potential.
Yes, the current Zards team is missing some key pieces, such as a young front court player to develop and someone to replace the aging Andre Miller. But winning and making noise in the playoffs is how you attract that kind of talent. (Maybe even a KD.) Right now, I'm liking the mix of youth and old heads that has emerged from the moves made by the Zards since last year this time.
At some point, you have to stop worrying about collecting "assets"--or weighing who has the most "assets"--and put together a group of men who can actually win on the court. That's where the Zards are in 2014...and Philly has a long ways to go to get there.
between PIF and hands.
