Bucks looking at Bledsoe, probably.

[Bernman]

That will never happen. Bledsoe or not we will not be a contender next year. Zero percent chance of that happening.

If everything goes right, there is theoretically a 100% chance of it happening.

Hell, if you're operating under the belief that they have the potential to do it eventually, there is logically a better than zero percent chance of it happening the first year. They have the talent, it's just a matter of how quickly they cultivate it into ability and cohesion. You either have the talent or you don't to possibly contend for a championship. Those mediocre veteran teams would have had a zero percent chance, not this high potential one.

[ReasonablySober]

I think they win 50 games by the third year. I don't think they contend so long as LeBron is in his prime in the East.

[TroyD92]

Leaning towards Lin. Although I'd like to see Nate get more minutes but if Houston really wants to go after Melo / Bosh get whatever we can asset wise (player and or pics). Play youth next season, get another top pic, use Houston Pic and have some money come off the books for next off season.

I think that is best case scenario, gets the team another name to get the casual fan (people who don't know that Lin really sucks) interested, doesn't really improve the team at all to make a 8th seed push and speeds up the rebuild the right way.

Unless Giannis turns out to be Magic Johnson 2, Lin would be the best choice. I simply don't want Vasquez. Bledsoe is a better scorer/penetrator over Lin, but Lin is the better passer/set-up man. If you have a potential big scorer like Parker, slashers like Giannis , and post-up men like Henson, you want Lin running the offense. He can still get pts , penetrate,and play adequate defense.

Have you ever watched Jeremy Lin play?

[ampd]

Serious question: Has there ever been a team that wasn't trying to "win now" offer a free agent, particularly one that's not their own, a max salary?

There's so much pressure that comes with maxing a guy out. Not only on that player, but the organization. Nobody should be down with giving a player the max to develop him and hope he grows with the team, unless that player is Anthony Davis. You give a guy the max because you expect him to bring you wins now.

That's my $0.02

If we acquired Bledsoe we would be trying to win now in the sense that we'd hope we would win as many games as possible. What we wouldn't be doing is the Herb Kohl method of adding vets on MLE deals.

I also don't think we'd be adding him with the hope that he grows with the team, we'd be adding a guy who we view as already a young budding star to two guys we hope grow with him as opposed to drafting another guy and hoping all 3 of them become productive players.

Bledsoe also works with Giannis in the sense that he has already shown he can thrive in a system with two guys sharing the primary ball handling responsibilities.

The only downside is outside shooting from a fit standpoint, but you'd hope that between Bledsoe, Jabari, and Giannis we'd make up for it by drawing a ton of fouls and playing elite defense.

[europa]

Parker, Bledsoe, Sanders and Giannis. Only Sanders is older than 25 and he'll be 26 in November. If you're going with a "win now" approach I say do it with young players with talent and upside. That is exactly what the Bucks would be doing here.

[Newz]

That will never happen. Bledsoe or not we will not be a contender next year. Zero percent chance of that happening.

If everything goes right, there is theoretically a 100% chance of it happening.

Hell, if you're operating under the belief that they have the potential to do it eventually, there is logically a better than zero percent chance of it happening the first year. They have the talent, it's just a matter of how quickly they cultivate it into ability and cohesion. You either have the talent or you don't to possibly contend for a championship. Those mediocre veteran teams would have had a zero percent chance, not this high potential one.

I honestly don't think a team with 20 year old LeBron and 20 year old Kevin Durant with Sanders and Bledsoe is a true contender. Those guys games just aren't ready yet. Neither of them were great defenders at that point, neither of their games were fully developed, neither of them were ready to carry a team.

You would be expecting guys like Jabari Parker and Giannis at 20-21 years old to go up against a top 10 guy in his prime (LeBron) or teams with just as much talent that is more developed and win. That is just not at all realistic.

If you think winning 50 games is "contending", then yeah. They MIGHT be able to pull that off. If you think they have any shot at winning a title next season, then I think you are crazy.

[Bernman]

DB, it kind of depends what you think is contending. I think the Pacers were contending last year to take the Heat to the brink. I think Memphis and Golden State were contending to take OKC and the Spurs to the brink the year before. And I think the Nuggets were contending a few years ago with Melo, Mr. Big Shot, Birdman, etc. when they were the sexy pick by pundits. Just because those teams didn't ultimately get over the hump, doesn't mean they couldn't have realistically. If you could have realistically, then you are contending, IMO.

And anyways I'm far from willing to concede the title to LeBron just because he's the best player in the world. The best team in the world won it easily over him this year. Really, they didn't have a superstar. Duncan is not that in his late 30's anymore. We can try to throw more collective talent at LeBron than he has on his next little super-team, and pay more attention to cohesion + fit as well. Let's say if LeBron goes to Cleveland with Kyrie and Love. Especially if that team doesn't pick up a rim protector at some point they'll be weak on defense, whereas we could be good on offense and defense, which as has been discussed before here wins championships.

[LedZepp007]

I think they win 50 games by the third year. I don't think they contend so long as LeBron is in his prime in the East.

That's why we drafted the rich man's Moute (Inglis)

[HurricaneKid]

If we acquired Bledsoe we would be trying to win now in the sense that we'd hope we would win as many games as possible. What we wouldn't be doing is the Herb Kohl method of adding vets on MLE deals.

I also don't think we'd be adding him with the hope that he grows with the team, we'd be adding a guy who we view as already a young budding star to two guys we hope grow with him as opposed to drafting another guy and hoping all 3 of them become productive players.

Bledsoe also works with Giannis in the sense that he has already shown he can thrive in a system with two guys sharing the primary ball handling responsibilities.

The only downside is outside shooting from a fit standpoint, but you'd hope that between Bledsoe, Jabari, and Giannis we'd make up for it by drawing a ton of fouls and playing elite defense.

I just don't get this line of thinking. Adding a 23 year old to a young team whose window is 2016/17 and on is NOT a WIN NOW move. Period.

I think most people completely fail at acknowledging the impact age has on production. Players peak from 25-29. On a theoretical level, you want your pieces to come of age together with a few younger players than them (for salary cap purposes). We are father out than people here are acknowledging. But adding Bledsoe is hardly going to alter the window.

[LedZepp007]

The more I think about it, the more I want Bledsoe on this team. I know that in years past there would be no hope. However, given everything that's happened in the past two weeks, I'm not so sure we can't pull it off.

[europa]

The more I think about it, the more I want Bledsoe on this team. I know that in years past there would be no hope. However, given everything that's happened in the past two weeks, I'm not so sure we can't pull it off.

If Kidd's running point I like the Bucks' chances to at least make a legitimate attempt.

If Hammond's in charge, it's already over.

[Bernman]

I honestly don't think a team with 20 year old LeBron and 20 year old Kevin Durant with Sanders and Bledsoe is a true contender. Those guys games just aren't ready yet. Neither of them were great defenders at that point, neither of their games were fully developed, neither of them were ready to carry a team.

You would be expecting guys like Jabari Parker and Giannis at 20-21 years old to go up against a top 10 guy in his prime (LeBron) or teams with just as much talent that is more developed and win. That is just not at all realistic.

If you think winning 50 games is "contending", then yeah. They MIGHT be able to pull that off. If you think they have any shot at winning a title next season, then I think you are crazy.

It's infinitesimal, but more than zero percent if they have the potential.

And it's well over zero percent in year two. You're crazy if you think it's zero percent with 2 core players in their mid 20's, two uber talented, mature guys in their early 20's, and to boot they are a good mixture of players to succeed both offensively AND defensively.

[Newz]

I honestly don't think a team with 20 year old LeBron and 20 year old Kevin Durant with Sanders and Bledsoe is a true contender. Those guys games just aren't ready yet. Neither of them were great defenders at that point, neither of their games were fully developed, neither of them were ready to carry a team.

You would be expecting guys like Jabari Parker and Giannis at 20-21 years old to go up against a top 10 guy in his prime (LeBron) or teams with just as much talent that is more developed and win. That is just not at all realistic.

If you think winning 50 games is "contending", then yeah. They MIGHT be able to pull that off. If you think they have any shot at winning a title next season, then I think you are crazy.

It's infinitesimal, but more than zero percent if they have the potential.

And it's well over zero percent in year two. You're crazy if you think it's zero percent with 2 core players in their mid 20's, two uber talented, mature guys in their early 20's, and to boot they are a good mixture of players to succeed both offensively AND defensively.

I will put the odds that the Bucks win the championship within the next two years at zero percent. There is absolutely no chance it happens.

[ampd]

I think most people completely fail at acknowledging the impact age has on production. Players peak from 25-29. On a theoretical level, you want your pieces to come of age together with a few younger players than them (for salary cap purposes). We are father out than people here are acknowledging. But adding Bledsoe is hardly going to alter the window.

The thing is, that is exactly what we'd be doing. Bledsoe would still be in your window 4+ years from now if we are really that far away (which we aren't unless Giannis / Parker bust)

[BuckFan25226]

This unfortunately is going to be the Jeff Teague experiment all over again, but worse.

We will throw out a nice offer sheet to Bledsoe, all signs will point to Phoenix not matching, and then of course, they match.

[Bernman]

I will put the odds that the Bucks win the championship within the next two years at zero percent. There is absolutely no chance it happens.

Now with you saying that, it would be extra fun if they do.

[Newz]

I will put the odds that the Bucks win the championship within the next two years at zero percent. There is absolutely no chance it happens.

Now with you saying that, it would be extra fun if they do.

I hope that I'm wrong. But I'm not.

[ampd]

I honestly don't think a team with 20 year old LeBron and 20 year old Kevin Durant with Sanders and Bledsoe is a true contender. Those guys games just aren't ready yet. Neither of them were great defenders at that point, neither of their games were fully developed, neither of them were ready to carry a team.

You would be expecting guys like Jabari Parker and Giannis at 20-21 years old to go up against a top 10 guy in his prime (LeBron) or teams with just as much talent that is more developed and win. That is just not at all realistic.

If you think winning 50 games is "contending", then yeah. They MIGHT be able to pull that off. If you think they have any shot at winning a title next season, then I think you are crazy.

It's infinitesimal, but more than zero percent if they have the potential.

And it's well over zero percent in year two. You're crazy if you think it's zero percent with 2 core players in their mid 20's, two uber talented, mature guys in their early 20's, and to boot they are a good mixture of players to succeed both offensively AND defensively.

I don't see why this matters. Is the argument that we shouldn't improve the roster before we are ready to win a championship in the next year? Wasting opportunities to add elite talent or prospects in the pursuit of some fantasy world where you get an Xbox achievement for doing things "the right way" is just foolish.

[Bernman]

I don't see why this matters. Is the argument that we shouldn't improve the roster before we are ready to win a championship in the next year? Wasting opportunities to add elite talent or prospects in the pursuit of some fantasy world where you get an Xbox achievement for doing things "the right way" is just foolish.

I assume you meant to quote someone else with that response.

[Newz]

I don't think signing Bledsoe stomps out our championship hopes or anything. We just wouldn't win one next year. We'd be hoping to truly contend about 4 or 5 years down the road still.