BK_2020 wrote:Cricket23 wrote:BK_2020 wrote:Yeah but if the Celtics didn't have Grant Williams, but had, PJ Tucker, do they lose to the Bucks? I think we are not talking about the same things here. I am trying to dispute the notion that Grant Williams is crucial in an absolute sense, i.e. that he's some kind of a Giannis-stopper who is necessary to stopping Giannis. I think he does good things on defense that work well in synergy with other defensive strengths. However, I also think that there's a number of players who can do what Grant does.
If you took an 8 man rotation and took away someone, yes it's going to hurt the team. In that sense, we _needed_ Grant to win against the Bucks. But I don't think Brad goes into the off-season thinking Grant Williams must be resigned at all costs or we can never win against the Bucks.
I would rather have Grant at his future contract and age than Tucker at his current contract and age. I don't disagree that he's limited and possibly overvalued, but you also can't let an asset walk for nothing even if you have a comparable replacement, which they don't. That's bad asset management. I'm not sure what you're arguing; you think they should let him walk for nothing?
I'm saying something that's very basic which you apparently agree with. Grant Williams is a useful player and an asset, but he's not essential. He's not crucial to defending Giannis, and he's not one of the best Giannis- Jokic- defenders in the league. If the choice is between letting him walk and overpaying him, then you let him walk and get someone with the T-MLE. Letting a role player walk for nothing isn't ideal but it's far better than overpaying a role player you don't value at that price point.
Age is really kinda pointless in this discussion. Youth is valuable because younger players are typically more athletic, come cheaper, and improve. An overpaid Grant would offer none of the things that make youth valuable.
I bring up youth because if they re-sign him at a salary they may see as a little high, they could still turn around and trade him for value as he's not in his prime yet. I guess saying he's one of the best Giannis defenders is somewhat relative? I would say he's in the top 5 to 10% of players in the NBA for defending Giannis. To me that means 1 of the best but to you it may not. Nobody can stop him but I'd guess the average team has 1 or 2 players who can put up a good fight. I'd say we have 3 players who can do that. Some teams have none.
