tiderulz wrote:ehh, "bit us in the ass" to me is needing a backup position but not getting it thinking we could make it thru it. they have doubled down on Fultz when he hasnt been able to take that next step. Just feels like a wasted year, left wondering what we could have done with even an average PG running the show.
Couldn't disagree more. Getting 5th seed and playoff experience for these guys is not a wasted year at all. I think any player we realistically could've acquired
maybe gets us out of the first round, but we'd still get outclassed by more experienced teams, especially Boston/Philly/even a healthy Bucks who don't even look that good, Knicks, etc.
The Thunder were a play-in loser last year to the 1st seed, and even this year they didn't use many assets to get way better other than a Gordon Hayward. They know that their actual time is probably 2025-2028. Would I have made a move this year for them if I was GM? Probably. Some of their fans really wanted to, but my overarching point is that they're a year or two ahead of us in their rebuild, have the #1 seed, and even they didn't really make a big move. It's a strategy of loading the gun when you have the best shot, aka moving the right assets for an actual impact guy. You can make smaller, tertiary moves that might move the needle a little, but it's not really a big thing in the grand scheme of things other than small upgrades.
It doesn't matter if Tyus Jones or whoever is here or not - they're getting targeted on defense and it doesn't change the fact that our top 2 guys are inefficient scorers at the moment (Paolo especially), while Franz can't shoot threes, going into their first playoffs ever. I think fans have deluded themselves into thinking one move this year would've made all the difference for our ceiling but I think that right now we're at best 2nd round fodder for Boston regardless if we had made a move for a better backup/emergency PG or not.
Doubling down on Fultz is extending him. I'm not even sure he gets more than spot minutes in the playoffs because of foul trouble and I don't think he comes back here unless it's for very cheap vet sorta deal where he's a 3rd string guy.
Now, it
could very well in retrospect become wasted if we don't do anything in the offseason either, because there are clearly holes on the roster, but Weltman seems very adamant that movement will happen. He seems very forthcoming compared to past years where he would repeat the mantra of continuity, and I'm glad that the holes in the roster are very clear because that means they can have specific FA or trade targets to try and fix that.
And we all know there is a lot of movement after failed playoff runs from teams expected to do more. So I expect a great learning lesson these playoffs and to come into next season with some actual perimeter help, which is where I will be very tough on them if they fail to address that.