MartinToVaught wrote:og15 wrote:The Clippers currently gain zero value from losing more games, it does absolutely nothing. There's no tanking to be done, so it's pointless.
The problem with this argument is the assumption that making any changes guarantees that we'll lose more games, and conversely, that running it back as-is guarantees that we won't lose more games.
Next season, our "stars" will be another year older, slower and more fragile. Memphis will get Ja back and be better than they were this year. The Rockets and Spurs will take the next step. Kawhi will almost certainly not play 68 games again. I don't see this as a guaranteed playoff team that just needs to keep doing what they're doing. I see a team that's in a very precarious spot and is one or two injuries away from imploding.
Even if I was on board with running it back, I still wouldn't want to run back this exact same configuration that's incapable of even winning a playoff series anymore.
There's no problem with the argument though. There's no argument for losing right now, so when people keep jumping in talking about a rebuild, okay, but a useful rebuild can't happen right now.
Why?
1) The team needs to look like it's still trying to compete in order to keep the player assets they have
2) The team can't repeat the sign you and trade you a few months later like they did with Blake, and especially not with multiple players together, because it will set a bad precedent among future players and FA's as to how the Clippers treat you. You don't want to set that precedent. This means the team has to at least stick with these guys for about a year and a half minimum.
3) Improving/changing the "run it back" roster is always great, but if the end goal plan is to trade them for assets, you aren't really trying to make trades to run it back differently that affect that, and in the end, most trades that actually improve your roster require giving something up. So yes, you can't be stagnant, but you have to be realistic, not to mention the 2nd apron issues the team will face.
The Clippers only different way forward is keeping assets and trading them to get multiple picks, a young player here and there if possible, and then just doing low level asset acquisition and hoping to get lucky. Lots of good players are picked later, but you need multiple of those picks for it to work.
Now they could also not resign George and Harden, but they don't get George and Harden cap space for free agents. I think then the team can sign some MLE guy or something. Play Kawhi plus whomever is left and MLE guy. Trade Kawhi for assets, then ride it out with whatever picks, FA signings and remaining guys you have until you can control your own draft pick destiny.
Ty Lue being signed back as a coach has no effect on any of this, to have your trade assets and also not look like a team with a pattern of backstabbing, you're going to have to have these guys for at least a year and a half, by that time, Lue will have 3 years on his contract, his contract ends before you are in a draft control situation.
NBA coaches are expendable. My point is simply that we have to have proper dialogue about the teams actual situation, not hypothetical or what we wish, or what could have happened. Some things are simply done now, okay, now what? Just throwing out rebuild, rebuild, doesn't mean anything in this situation.