Qwigglez wrote:Phystic wrote:Qwigglez wrote:Not sure why everyone is against getting a quality veteran. Maybe some of you don't realize, but we have to reach the salary floor minimum. I'd prefer not to use the cap space on some washed up vet like Andre Iguadala, someone that is just going to sit on the bench and be another mentor. I'd prefer not to use the cap space on our own restricted free agents (Williams/Len). I expect us to reach a deal with Warren by the end of summer, and possibly with Williams or Len and then next off-season we won't have as much cap space. Then next summer Booker will get his max contract which won't start til 2019-20 season. So we are using all our cap space on the team that won 24 games, praying everyone reaches their potential.
It's a slippery slope to just put all our eggs in one basket and hope year after year we strike gold in the draft.
But if that's your concern, how is spending cap money now on a veteran and still having to resign Williams or Len and then max Booker next summer? That would just put us over the cap with a slightly better bad team, wouldn't it?
It's more about starting a winning culture. I feel if we lose for 3-4 years in a row, the young guys may not even care about winning. They may only care for a pay check. Perhaps winning now can keep them focused in the long run. I don't feel we are that far away from being a playoff team too BTW. Especially if Clippers blow up, Hayward leaves the Jazz, Grizzlies getting older.
Also feel like if we had some kind of post game, that would open up the floor for Booker, Bledsoe, and even Jackson. You can revolve an offense around a player like LMA, and I feel we have a group of guys that can work well together with him.
Biggest reason I wouldn't want a guy like Aldridge of Millsap is because I want Chriss and Bender to have every chance to have the minutes to get better. The sooner that happens, the sooner this team becomes really good. You block, that, you set them back, with a vet leading players who are not ready, trying to make the playoffs, and we probably wouldn't, and even if we did we go nowhere, and Chriss and Bender don't get the proper on court development time, and then they never develop.
The clock ticks with these rookie contracts. You want those high picks playing as much as they can, so they improve and we know what we have. I don't know if Len would have done better if we hadn't ever signed Tyson, but there's probably a good chance he does. But we already have TWO PFs we drafted last year who need that time, plus a vet in Dudley...who is the perfect vet along with Tyson to have on the team.
I'm not against signing vets, but if we do, I'd sign a vet PG. I saw Calderon mentioned. I used to like him and I don't know how he is as a mentor or whatever, but someone like that or another vet PG were available might make sense...not so much for minutes, but for 3rd string...someone who used to be a starter that is hanging around...someone that played the right way. It could help if we do trade Bledsoe.