payitforward wrote:"...a potential condender..." -- ? What will we be contending for in '21-22?
We will be contending for retaining Beal and building around a Wall/Beal backcourt. Adding Drummond instantly gives us a mismatch in the front court against all but the most elite teams. A traditional core of stars, with complimentary glue guy players around them, and sudden depth at key positions.
Here's a question. What would the Wizards record have been last year if:
--We substituted Wall for IT. Even say at 80% of Wall's best production.
--Added a Drummond level scorer/rebounder/rim protector.
We lose the worst high usage player in the NBA. Add a former Allstar and team leader. Deepening our bench rotation in the back court of course, but also reducing fouls in our front court from interior penetration. Best estimate I'm thinking about +7 games from that switch alone.
In the front court: no Wagner, Mahinmi, Pascesniks. And we add a player who has missed maybe 6 games in his entire career, so adding bench depth even in man games lost to injury. Yes we would lose starting production from Bryant, but at his best he still was never putting up eight 20/20 games in a row as Drummond has. And he would be free to play hard on defense since there are no worries on him fouling out. We go from dead last in rebounding to top 3rd just by this addition. Worth another half dozen games there.
I think small ball will see a swing towards Bigs again. Giannis and Embiid and Bam in the East. Bron with AD; Jokic and Bigs. Houston has flamed out without size, and is moving on from Moreyball. Montrezl proved too small to play in the playoffs. The Bucks play two seven footers and feast on the East. Basketball is still a Big man's game.
Check out the head to head match-ups of
Giannis vs Drummond. Making the Freak look ordinary.
As for fit otherwise, Drummond has actually played the point center role that I've been banging on about. Without the outside shooting to really give him space. Here, even simply with Beal (if not Bertans) he would have a weapon he has never had before. Better space. An uptick in talent, without duplication of roles and positions. I can see the team playing winning ball with that trio. Who is to say they wouldn't contend? Who has a better Big 3 in the East?
Consider that Ted has paid the lux tax for a losing team, out of necessity but also out of loyalty to the players we drafted, re-upping John early, extending Beal, to see what we can get from the guys we drafted. If it were even possible and could guarantee a deep playoff run for exceeding the tax, I expect he would do it.
Yes. We are constrained in what we can offer, and don't have the assets to trade if he (reasonably) renews. Cleveland will probably wait til the trade deadline to see what playoff teams will offer on an expiring contract. But damn. The idea that he is even on the market is one that starts my inner clockworks ticking and buzzing. He's a better passer than he is credited for, more skilled than the role he was always asked to play. If it were a matter of money, well, it's not my money, but I'd love to see what that trio was able to do against the best of the best. It would be a throwback to a traditional team with a traditional Point, Center, and Shooting guard, but really good versions of each of the above. Complementary in their skills and roles.
Probably an opium dream. But rather than play the man from Poorlock, help me build the court of Kubla Kahn a minute. If it were possible, how would it be possible.
