Xanadu wrote:MidnightBuck wrote:Baddy Chuck wrote:Half those guys really aren't that good.
Who? Derozan, McCollum, and Beal? Two of three of those players' teams went further than the Buck in the playoffs with these players as second fiddles (what Middleton is supposed to be). All while putting up better stats than Middleton has ever put up in his entire career.
I know this wasn't the point of your post, but everyone saying they don't want to do Brogdon and Middleton for Kyrie has a serious case of the ENDOWMENT EFFECT!
Again we haven't had a 100 % Middleton going into the playoffs yet. He came back early last season and didn't seem to be ready conditioning wise. Also Derozan is a bad shooter and defender, McCollum is a up comer scorer but again defense, and Beal has always had health problems. Box score stats don't tell everything just as advanced stats don't. But besides hating Kyrie the player and person the sticking point to me is Brogdon. I want to see what he can do after a full season starting. I think with more experience he will add small changes that added up will make him a all star. BBIQ is important for players we surround Giannis with and Brogdon has that in spades. Also are offense makes Khris so much less effective than he could be. In a ball movement screen oriented offense he would put up much better stats.
I'm not sure if you watched the Toronto series last year, but if you did you would have noticed that this team is a half-court offense away from being in the Finals (or AT LEAST Eastern Conference Finals). Kyrie instantly gives you that half-court offense. No one is arguing that Middleton and Brogdon are solid players and could grow to be exceptional players.
Giannis is a fantastic player, but his game has weaknesses. It just so happens that Giannis' weaknesses are Kyrie's strengths. This trade makes too much sense, and I don't know what some of you have in mind for improving the team. There is going to come a point where the Bucks need to make a move to push themselves over the metaphorical edge, and this could be it. Resigning Snell and drafting 2nd rounders that turn out to be a lot more solid than previously thought (unfortunately weakest ROY in a long time) are not the way to do that. This team is not going to be young forever.
The fact of the matter is that Kyrie gives the Bucks, now, what they need to compete at the highest level. You don't just get that for free.
