Bassman wrote:Look at this from the owner's perspective. MJ just got his team to the playoffs, initiates the brand change for this season, finally has some momentum thanks to Big Al and Kemba's emergence. Why take the last lottery dip (he hopes for a while) on a player that loses this year's production AND has an injury that is difficult to overcome for most big men? I consider the Jefferson window very important. If they can sign another big FA like Lance this summer, why not add a quality player to help this team this year and, with reasonable certainty, long term?
Like everything it depends on whose available, but I still do not take him unless it's a deal to trade down for a vet and their pick. The risk/reward ratio for this team is too heavy on risk. Gamble on Embiid, he becomes Oden Jr., and we're set back for years. If our previous picks we're producing at lottery levels I would feel more inclined to roll those dice.
I see your point but I also see an angle where you could say we've bought some hype with the rebrand to float the fanbase happiness, we have cap space to add win now parts to improve the team right away, why NOT roll the dice on Embiid and potentially make the "Jefferson window" irrelevant if he pans out? As much as I like some of the guys we could pick to help right away, I doubt any of them will be hugely relevant during the Al era. Theres a decent chance Al is out the door after this year and those odds increase exponentially every year after that. I think we can afford the gamble if he somehow falls to us and it wouldn't be the end of the world if he didn't pan out.
