GHOSTofSIKMA wrote:Newz wrote:BobbyLight wrote:
This is how the Bucks got themselves to Eastern Conference elite, trading for Cassell and Thomas. They had 2 very good players they drafted (Allen and Big Dog) then rounded it out with a heady vet who's confidence was through the roof and a young player who had potential.
Of course then they did the whole Anthony Mason thing which tore everything down, but that's to your point of not doing something stupid.
This is why I've never understood the mentality that we HAVE to have another top 5 pick because we already have out Allen and Big Dog, we just need to make smart little moves here and there and if we do that, we can be contenders.
I admit that Jabari going down makes me want a higher pick much more badly than before he went down, but it just isn't going to happen. Kidd has this team playing balls out for 48 minutes a night and based on effort alone we're going to hover around .500 entire year.
Yeah, I completely agree.
Like I said earlier in the thread it's all about how Parker comes back from injury at this point. If he's still a legit player then we should be fine.
If he comes back and is a shell of himself then we are in big trouble.
yes.... but only in the sense of whether this core has the ceiling of conference elite or 50 game winner.
even with Jabari as a role player this core still has the ceiling we all would have settled for just a short time ago. and nobody says it has to stop there just because Jabari wasn't that final championship guy either.
we keep drafting... we keep trading.... we keep hunting more pieces. like you said and I agree... the key is not doing dumb stuff and keeping the environment and momentum in place. that doesn't have to be the draft only. at some point tearing teams down to stay in the draft can work against you just as much as for you. we tear this down this year and don't bounce back quickly there is a lot at stake.
I think you can keep the momentum rolling AND reorganize the roster. The keys are Kidd and his staff, Giannis, and making sure you're bringing in guys who will buy in. I also wouldn't get rid of all the vets. I like what Zaza and Dudley bring in terms of leadership, ball movement, and general awareness. They're good models for our young guys. I'd move them if I had to, but I don't think I could get the kind of value I'd want.
I'd be looking to move Larry and Knight for better fits, both on the court and in terms of salary flexibility. It's a foregone conclusion that Knight's going to get paid. If I can't find that fit, I'm not sweating it, but I feel confident that there's something we can do with both of those guys.
Ersan and Mayo have both played well this year, but I'd move either of them as I don't think they're as critical in the locker room and they're both fairly expensive for a rebuilding team.
I'd trade Middleton if could get some salary certainty out of it. That would most likely mean a first rounder, and it wouldn't have to come in 2015 for me to pull the trigger.
Bayless' value in trades is probably in getting salaries to balance at this point. He could also be fine as a co-placeholder if we traded Knight and didn't get a PG back.
I'd move Henson for a decent future asset or a young player with more skill out on the floor.
I don't think anybody else is really worth talking about in terms of trades. Obviously if somebody bangs on our door with an offer for Marshall, Wolters or JOB, you would have to listen. And Giannis and Jabari go nowhere.
I wouldn't do ALL of these things, but I would try to move some combination of these guys for either 3-4 guys who fit better with our long term plans or, ideally, one guy who is closer to the level of Jabari and Giannis as prospects. Larry and Knight would be where I'd focus my energy at this point.