He looks to be a player & a good one. Ok... one game
-- but still! I'm glad he's a Wizard.All the same, I can't help being annoyed at the sloppy way Ernie handled a draft which was so deep. Above all I'm annoyed b/c we are so in need of young talent, but then... this is how we got to be so thin.
We had business to acquire another high R2 pick, & we had multiple ways to do it. For one thing, it was common knowledge that Brett Brown loved Smith & that Phoenix, which had #16, badly wanted Mikal Bridges & were going to take Smith & give Philly whatever they had to, along w/ him, in return for Bridges.
Our job was to tell Phoenix that we were taking Smith @#15 (1 pick before them) unless they wanted to trade picks, in which case we needed a R2 pick from them to do the deal. Ideally that would have been either Philly's #38 or #39 (both of which they traded, btw -- #38 on draft night, #39 yesterday).
If you are a bad GM like Ernie, you don't fret details like that. You can get "a piece" any time you want. If you are smart like Philly's FO, you come out of the draft with more.
Philly turned their #10 into the #15 & an unprotected R1 pick (likely in the lottery) in 2021.
They turned their #38 into 2 -- yes two -- R2 picks from Detroit.
They turned their #39 into the Bulls 2019 R2 pick (via the Lakers) plus $$$ (which they can use to buy yet another pick if they want!)
They turned their #56 & #60 picks into Shake Milton -- a player with a real shot to make their team! (via a trade w/ the Mavs)
IOW, by being creative they came away from the draft w/ 3 players, 4 extra picks (incl. a high one), & $$$.
Ernie Grunfeld drives me nuts. Honestly, he really does. Instead of building a real team, we'll spend our $$$ on vet. minimum rental guys like Green & whoever else he plans pi$$ it away on.
