Alex Sarr

[DukeLecker]

Only two things matter this season.

1) Alex Sarr developing into a consistent offensive presence. He has the potential on both ends to be an engine, or at least a strong second engine. His length impacts the game in so many ways. If he can increase his efficiency, the team has one legit cornerstone to be a contender. Even if everyone else hits their highest potential, I can’t see any of them being better than 3rd banana on a serious contender.

2) Losing enough games to secure a top 4 pick. Sarr coupled with one of the top 4 prospects has a chance to be a championship caliber 1-2 punch.

In my mind, if everything else turns up aces, but Sarr flops and the pick ends up mid lottery, we’ve gone backward

[tontoz]

Unfortunately 2 is impossible.

[Frichuela]

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[penbeast0]

Only two things matter this season.

1) Alex Sarr developing into a consistent offensive presence. He has the potential on both ends to be an engine, or at least a strong second engine. His length impacts the game in so many ways. If he can increase his efficiency, the team has one legit cornerstone to be a contender. Even if everyone else hits their highest potential, I can’t see any of them being better than 3rd banana on a serious contender.

2) Losing enough games to secure a top 4 pick. Sarr coupled with one of the top 4 prospects has a chance to be a championship caliber 1-2 punch.

In my mind, if everything else turns up aces, but Sarr flops and the pick ends up mid lottery, we’ve gone backward

I would say we need Sarr to develop into the defender he can be is more important than developing his offense to that degree.
I would also say that we need Tre Johnson to develop into a legit #2 option.
Then hopefully get a 1st option pick, and hope everyone else develops around them.

[dobrojim]

Unfortunately 2 is impossible.

Not sure what your rationale for that is.
Losing enough for a top 4 pick could be not that many
losses considering recent lotto results.

Or Losing enough for a team as young as we are
might be easier than your comment suggests.

Reminder, bottom 4 guarantees we keep the pick.
But not where we pick.

Above 4th worst, we have to hold our breath when
the balls are drawn and 4 teams could move ahead
and poof, pick is gone.

Or maybe you were thinking about something totally
different. IDK.

[tontoz]

Unfortunately 2 is impossible.

Not sure what your rationale for that is.
Losing enough for a top 4 pick could be not that many
losses considering recent lotto results.

Or Losing enough for a team as young as we are
might be easier than your comment suggests.

Reminder, bottom 4 guarantees we keep the pick.
But not where we pick.

Above 4th worst, we have to hold our breath when
the balls are drawn and 4 teams could move ahead
and poof, pick is gone.

Or maybe you were thinking about something totally
different. IDK.

You are confusing "top 4 pick" with bottom 4 record. Those are two different things.

[dobrojim]

^ that's why I specifically said a bottom 4 finish means
we keep the pick but not where we pick. You could
move up or down by 4 places. Well not up by 4 if you finished 3rd worst. Or last year we could have picked 1-6.

[tontoz]

^ that's why I specifically said a bottom 4 finish means
we keep the pick but not where we pick. You could
move up or down by 4 places. Well not up by 4 if you finished 3rd worst. Or last year we could have picked 1-6.

What you said was

Not sure what your rationale for that is.
Losing enough for a top 4 pick could be not that many

How could you "not be sure" what my rationale is? The worst record in the league just picked 5th.

[payitforward]

this is like a pistol duel at a quarter mile....

[dobrojim]

^ that's why I specifically said a bottom 4 finish means
we keep the pick but not where we pick. You could
move up or down by 4 places. Well not up by 4 if you finished 3rd worst. Or last year we could have picked 1-6.

What you said was

Not sure what your rationale for that is.
Losing enough for a top 4 pick could be not that many

How could you "not be sure" what my rationale is? The worst record in the league just picked 5th.

sorry to be unclear

what I meant by that was that even the winningest W-L records in the lotto sometimes, and some would
say suspiciously in spite of having the worst odds, win a top 4 pick. Like Dallas or SAN of late.

So we're not in disagreement.

[Zonkerbl]

I think the league needs to recognize that you have to build through the draft and tanking is inevitable. The penalty for tanking now is so extreme that winning teams are getting the number 1 pick, which is horsecrap.

[dobrojim]

tanking is inevitable and as such the process for securing the top draft picks needs to be more transparent.

[Zonkerbl]

I mean, instead of a lottery based on performance, can you use your cap space to bid on it? Just make it some sort of auction. If your team is bad and so you jettisoned a lot of bad contracts, you should be able to use your cash to sign a draft pick like a free agent. The draft is Communism.

[doclinkin]

I like the idea of the teams with the worst average of the last 3 years getting better odds. Or the best pick, no lottery. Yes it weights things to reward institutional tanking but those fans need relief. That way you don’t get one-shot instant winners when a team has an all star injured for a year but a potential dynasty when they return. And you’re less likely to have a team that is irredeemably terrible for decades.

[dobrojim]

Not to disagree with Zonk but one could also argue the draft is a authoritarian dictatorship,
were agents and players to have excessive control.

And the NBA is a monopolistic oligarchy just generally speaking.

There's plenty enough money for everyone.

[Northwest Roddy]

The draft isn’t to discourage tanking. Thats the tatemae. The draft is so the NBE can control which potential star players go where. That’s the honne.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

this is like a pistol duel at a quarter mile....

Alexander Hamilton needed this.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think the league needs to recognize that you have to build through the draft and tanking is inevitable. The penalty for tanking now is so extreme that winning teams are getting the number 1 pick, which is horsecrap.

I think those four teams with a 14% chance of selecting Cooper Flagg should have had astronomically better odds than Dallas.

The Mavericks should have been third at best.

I don’t have the cognitive ability to think of a fair system to counteract tanking.

[Zonkerbl]

Not to disagree with Zonk but one could also argue the draft is a authoritarian dictatorship,
were agents and players to have excessive control.

And the NBA is a monopolistic oligarchy just generally speaking.

There's plenty enough money for everyone.

Exactly. I was being a little "everything I dislike is Communism!" because I'm tedious that way but of course the draft is actually slavery and a way for oligarchs to extract wealth from labor because they can. Getting rid of the draft entirely and having kids just sign on as free agents is the best way to assure the labor side of the equation gets its fair share. Being in favor of labor at the expense of ownership is "socialism" in some circles but I'm pretty sure it's actually just Well Executed Capitalism tm.

If you're a bad team, jettison all your bad contracts, accumulate cap space, bid on free agents, some of whom might be rookies.

[doclinkin]

If you're a bad team, jettison all your bad contracts, accumulate cap space, bid on free agents, some of whom might be rookies.

A fine recipe for New York and LA to gather all the talent and build dynasties. Big media market teams have all the advantages. Lotto or no, the draft is the only mechanism for small market teams to luck into a great player. Every Kareem will leave every Milwaukee to play for the Lakers.