Tank World Order V (Rise of the Phoenix)

[Los_29]

There's no jealousy over a team that hasn't won. I'm consistent. I don't hand out crowns ahead of time. And I don't hang on every word of someone that hasn't actually won anything, and neither should Masai.

We know that OKC didn't have to go through one rough season to get Shai.

They were a losing team for a few years and capitalized on trading their franchise player away for the best possible young player on the market with a ton of draft picks that might actually net them another top pick in the future....They tanked for Chet, Drafted well with Williams with a high pick and like i said they have their "House" ....Even if they didn't have to lose to get Shai they had to trade their best player at the time and basically go from being a middle of the pack playoff team to starting over again...

Winning in the NBA takes time we all know this but you are fooling yourself if you don't look at what the OKC has done and give them their flowers....They have one of the best upsides as a team in the NBA imo....They will always be in the conversation to win the title with their best players being 26, 22, 23 years of age....Yeah you can say they have not won yet but they are all still babies in NBA terms and will have many chances to grow together and get a chip or two...

That’s not hard to give up on an aging, middling team after 4-5 years of early playoff exits. People got upset with Masai for waiting 1.5 years. Presti kept rolling out a Westbrook led team for FOUR years. Westbrook has played on the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers and Nuggets since leaving OKC. I don’t think people realize just how insane that Paul George deal really was. It was perhaps the best example in NBA history of being in the right place at the right time. If Kawhi didn’t choose to go to the Clippers then Presti is sitting on a Chet and Jalen Williams core which wouldn’t get anywhere in the brutal West.

Take away the SGA deal which was a product of luck and Presti has still done some good things. He drafted Chet, Jalen Williams. However, he whiffed on a few picks and traded the Sengun pick for essentially nothing. He also traded for Gordon Hayward as his big deadline addition to gear up for the playoffs. And we all know how that went.

[Boardbreaker]

They were in the semis... what do you call the 2nd round of the playoffs?

The contract for IHart is fine. It's a 3 year deal with a team option. The paid a premium for the flexibility and it lets them get off his deal when Chet and JDub are due for extensions.

The 2nd round is just that. Semi finals are the conference finals.

I've always heard it called the conference semifinals. That's what the NBA calls it, that's what ESPN and every media outlet calls it. But sure, it's all semantics.

If you had said conference semis then yes you would be correct.

[Clutch0z24]

There's no jealousy over a team that hasn't won. I'm consistent. I don't hand out crowns ahead of time. And I don't hang on every word of someone that hasn't actually won anything, and neither should Masai.

We know that OKC didn't have to go through one rough season to get Shai.

They were a losing team for a few years and capitalized on trading their franchise player away for the best possible young player on the market with a ton of draft picks that might actually net them another top pick in the future....They tanked for Chet, Drafted well with Williams with a high pick and like i said they have their "House" ....Even if they didn't have to lose to get Shai they had to trade their best player at the time and basically go from being a middle of the pack playoff team to starting over again...

Winning in the NBA takes time we all know this but you are fooling yourself if you don't look at what the OKC has done and give them their flowers....They have one of the best upsides as a team in the NBA imo....They will always be in the conversation to win the title with their best players being 26, 22, 23 years of age....Yeah you can say they have not won yet but they are all still babies in NBA terms and will have many chances to grow together and get a chip or two...

That’s not hard to give up on an aging, middling team after 4-5 years of early playoff exits. People got upset with Masai for waiting 1.5 years. Presti kept rolling out a Westbrook led team for FOUR years. Westbrook has played on the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers and Nuggets since leaving OKC. I don’t think people realize just how insane that Paul George deal really was. It was perhaps the best example in NBA history of being in the right place at the right time. If Kawhi didn’t choose to go to the Clippers then Presti is sitting on a Chet and Jalen Williams core which wouldn’t get anywhere in the brutal West.

Take away the SGA deal which was a product of luck and Presti has still done some good things. He drafted Chet, Jalen Williams. However, he whiffed on a few picks and traded the Sengun pick for essentially nothing. He also traded for Gordon Hayward as his big deadline addition to gear up for the playoffs. And we all know how that went.

You say that it was "Right place right time" But you can also say that about our own team when we traded for Kawhi that got us our only ring....If Kawhi wasn't injured, didn't demand a trade, Which was to the Lakers.... but Pop sent him to a different conference and didn't want to give Kawhi what he wanted.....We would not have a championship right now if it wasn't for "Luck" And "Right place right time"....

Thing is Presti took a gamble and it paid off for him big time....Shai at that time wasn't nearly where he is today....Lets not pretend here and act like anyone seen Shai being one of the best players in the league back in 2019-2020....He was a decent prospect but PG at that time was clearly the way better player....The draft picks were an insane get for OKC which might pay off for them and could net them another top 10 pick in the future...

Chet who Presti clearly tanked for is going to be special, Williams was a good hit on a 12th pick, While making a few mistakes here and there they are still going to be number 1 seeds prolly in back to back years in a really tough Western conference....For a team to be that good with your main guys being 26,22,23 years of age is impressive....Like i said he has his "House" In that core he has....Now he needs to get the cosmetics...Which is the easier part...

Right now for us we are still trying to build our house....Imo right now we are 1 high end draft pick away from that....If we have a core of lets say Flagg, Bailey or Edgecomb/Barnes/Dick/Quickley/Barrett thats a solid base to start with....Adding that big man + vets would be the cosmetics but having the base built is the goal for long term success..

[billy_hoyle]

There's no jealousy over a team that hasn't won. I'm consistent. I don't hand out crowns ahead of time. And I don't hang on every word of someone that hasn't actually won anything, and neither should Masai.

We know that OKC didn't have to go through one rough season to get Shai.

They were a losing team for a few years and capitalized on trading their franchise player away for the best possible young player on the market with a ton of draft picks that might actually net them another top pick in the future....They tanked for Chet, Drafted well with Williams with a high pick and like i said they have their "House" ....Even if they didn't have to lose to get Shai they had to trade their best player at the time and basically go from being a middle of the pack playoff team to starting over again...

Winning in the NBA takes time we all know this but you are fooling yourself if you don't look at what the OKC has done and give them their flowers....They have one of the best upsides as a team in the NBA imo....They will always be in the conversation to win the title with their best players being 26, 22, 23 years of age....Yeah you can say they have not won yet but they are all still babies in NBA terms and will have many chances to grow together and get a chip or two...

No one is saying that they aren't in a good position. People are merely saying that the last part is the hardest.

Presti had prime KD, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka. He made one finals before screwing the pooch by trading for Steven Adams.

Boston traded less assets for Derrick White and Porzingas than he just traded for Caruso and Hartenstien.

The guy has MANY more kicks at the can here. Exciting times for OKC fans, but he doesn't have a history of getting over the hump. I don't think it's already fated that they will win a chip. NYC also has a good chance, and they've basically done so by working up from the middle.

[Clutch0z24]

There's no jealousy over a team that hasn't won. I'm consistent. I don't hand out crowns ahead of time. And I don't hang on every word of someone that hasn't actually won anything, and neither should Masai.

We know that OKC didn't have to go through one rough season to get Shai.

They were a losing team for a few years and capitalized on trading their franchise player away for the best possible young player on the market with a ton of draft picks that might actually net them another top pick in the future....They tanked for Chet, Drafted well with Williams with a high pick and like i said they have their "House" ....Even if they didn't have to lose to get Shai they had to trade their best player at the time and basically go from being a middle of the pack playoff team to starting over again...

Winning in the NBA takes time we all know this but you are fooling yourself if you don't look at what the OKC has done and give them their flowers....They have one of the best upsides as a team in the NBA imo....They will always be in the conversation to win the title with their best players being 26, 22, 23 years of age....Yeah you can say they have not won yet but they are all still babies in NBA terms and will have many chances to grow together and get a chip or two...

No one is saying that they aren't in a good position. People are merely saying that the last part is the hardest.

Presti had prime KD, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka. He made one finals before screwing the pooch by trading for Steven Adams.

Boston traded less assets for Derrick White and Porzingas than he just traded for Caruso and Hartenstien.

The guy has MANY more kicks at the can here. Exciting times for OKC fans, but he doesn't have a history of getting over the hump. I don't think it's already fated that they will win a chip. NYC also has a good chance, and they've basically done so by working up from the middle.

Which last part is the hardest? Getting role players and vets?....If that is what your saying you are wrong....Getting a true number 1 option will always be the hardest thing to do because there are not many of them league wide.....Role players and vets come and go and you have a big pond to fish from to get them kind of pieces...

Imo the KD/Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka core was good don't get me wrong but i don't think the team fit together that well....All extreme talents but Westbrook never really fit with KD....They messed up letting go of Harden though....As good as that OKC team was there were always better "Superteams" In the NBA that trumped them...

The difference between the OKC and NYK are...If the core doesn't work out or injuries happen for the Thunder you have all your draft picks + other teams draft picks for insurance, If Knicks don't work out as planned then your in purgatory with having a bad team with no draft picks to show for your struggles...

That is why imo the way Presti built his team is a better way because you have a bright future without giving up your future at the same time, Knicks gave up their entire future to try and win now...And are still in the same position as the Thunder atm

[billy_hoyle]

They were a losing team for a few years and capitalized on trading their franchise player away for the best possible young player on the market with a ton of draft picks that might actually net them another top pick in the future....They tanked for Chet, Drafted well with Williams with a high pick and like i said they have their "House" ....Even if they didn't have to lose to get Shai they had to trade their best player at the time and basically go from being a middle of the pack playoff team to starting over again...

Winning in the NBA takes time we all know this but you are fooling yourself if you don't look at what the OKC has done and give them their flowers....They have one of the best upsides as a team in the NBA imo....They will always be in the conversation to win the title with their best players being 26, 22, 23 years of age....Yeah you can say they have not won yet but they are all still babies in NBA terms and will have many chances to grow together and get a chip or two...

No one is saying that they aren't in a good position. People are merely saying that the last part is the hardest.

Presti had prime KD, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka. He made one finals before screwing the pooch by trading for Steven Adams.

Boston traded less assets for Derrick White and Porzingas than he just traded for Caruso and Hartenstien.

The guy has MANY more kicks at the can here. Exciting times for OKC fans, but he doesn't have a history of getting over the hump. I don't think it's already fated that they will win a chip. NYC also has a good chance, and they've basically done so by working up from the middle.

Which last part is the hardest? Getting role players and vets?....If that is what your saying you are wrong....Getting a true number 1 option will always be the hardest thing to do because there are not many of them league wide.....Role players and vets come and go and you have a big pond to fish from to get them kind of pieces...

Imo the KD/Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka core was good don't get me wrong but i don't think the team fit together that well....All extreme talents but Westbrook never really fit with KD....They messed up letting go of Harden though....As good as that OKC team was there were always better "Superteams" In the NBA that trumped them...

The difference between the OKC and NYK are...If the core doesn't work out or injuries happen for the Thunder you have all your draft picks + other teams draft picks for insurance, If Knicks don't work out as planned then your in purgatory with having a bad team with no draft picks to show for your struggles...

That is why imo the way Presti built his team is a better way because you have a bright future without giving up your future at the same time, Knicks gave up their entire future to try and win now...And are still in the same position as the Thunder atm

Finding the right combination of offense, defense and grit, relative to other championship contending teams is the hard part.

Is SGA, Chet and J Dub the right mix? Or do you need to trade J Dub (+ extras) for Giannis? Are they going to need to allocate a star money contract slot to a weak-side big?

This is the hard part right?

[Clutch0z24]

No one is saying that they aren't in a good position. People are merely saying that the last part is the hardest.

Presti had prime KD, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka. He made one finals before screwing the pooch by trading for Steven Adams.

Boston traded less assets for Derrick White and Porzingas than he just traded for Caruso and Hartenstien.

The guy has MANY more kicks at the can here. Exciting times for OKC fans, but he doesn't have a history of getting over the hump. I don't think it's already fated that they will win a chip. NYC also has a good chance, and they've basically done so by working up from the middle.

Which last part is the hardest? Getting role players and vets?....If that is what your saying you are wrong....Getting a true number 1 option will always be the hardest thing to do because there are not many of them league wide.....Role players and vets come and go and you have a big pond to fish from to get them kind of pieces...

Imo the KD/Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka core was good don't get me wrong but i don't think the team fit together that well....All extreme talents but Westbrook never really fit with KD....They messed up letting go of Harden though....As good as that OKC team was there were always better "Superteams" In the NBA that trumped them...

The difference between the OKC and NYK are...If the core doesn't work out or injuries happen for the Thunder you have all your draft picks + other teams draft picks for insurance, If Knicks don't work out as planned then your in purgatory with having a bad team with no draft picks to show for your struggles...

That is why imo the way Presti built his team is a better way because you have a bright future without giving up your future at the same time, Knicks gave up their entire future to try and win now...And are still in the same position as the Thunder atm

Finding the right combination of offense, defense and grit, relative to other championship contending teams is the hard part.

Is SGA, Chet and J Dub the right mix? Or do you need to trade J Dub (+ extras) for Giannis? Are they going to need to allocate a star money contract slot to a weak-side big?

This is the hard part right?

Them are just trades and taking opportunity if it presents itself...Same with us trading JV+Wright for Gasol...If we lost in the 2nd round to the Sixers and lost Kawhi the following year at that time you could look at that as a failed trade because of the age....But we took the risk and it paid off...

Yeah its hard but thats part of it but being in the position to make such a trade for talents like that in the first place is a skill in itself and you need good asset management for that to be reality....Giannis to OKC wouldn't even be possible if Presti gave up all their assets...But they are in a position to trade a good young player + draft picks to upgrade for a star player and still remain competitive if they decide to go that route...Which is a good thing..

[Vampirate]

Some prescient Presti quotes:

"Our ultimate goal is to build a team that will inspire the same kind of joy, success, and togetherness that we have all experienced over our first 11 years. This will take time and involve hard choices. There will always be the temptation to take shortcuts, to look for quick fixes, and to reach out for instant gratification. There will no doubt be criticisms — much of which we could all recite in advance right now. It is the job of the organization to resist those shortcuts, accept that criticism, and keep us deeply committed. If you want an exceptional outcome, you must be willing to be the exception. Therefore, my singular goal as we transition our basketball team is to reposition and replenish the organization to allow for optimal future success." - 2019

“The most competitive thing to do, in my opinion, is to really try to do something great and build it from the ground up,” Presti said. “It's easy to burn the boats to get to the middle, but we're trying to avoid that. We can always do that.” - 2021

“We also have a lot of humility about the fact that this is a hard thing to do. It's one of the reasons why a lot of people try to avoid it. They don't like to do it because, at the end of the day, it's easier to talk about being competitive but not really trying to do the things that will get you to the top of the mountain, or at least figure out if you can.”

“The way I would look at this is if you think one day you want to buy a house,” Presti said. “You don't know where it's going to be, but you want to buy a house. You don't go out and buy the paint for it now. You'd rather wait to see where is the house? How much paint do I need? What color? “We need to know what the house looks like before we start thinking about the cosmetics, in my opinion.”

"When we do get back to the postseason, we want it to be an arrival and not an appearance." - 2021

All are applicable to the Raptors current situation.

Isn't that pretty funny considering they got upset in the playoffs last year, and then panic-spent in the off-season?

imo until you win, stfu about your methodology. No one needs a TED talk on just how smart and humble you are. 10 different teams have won titles since Presti started as a GM.

The bigger point is you don't want to be the Hawks or the Bulls, you'd rather be the Spurs.

The Hawks and Bulls will most likely have the better record this year than the Spurs but no one is going to care.

Coby White and to a lesser extent Trae Young can't be your best players if you actually want staying power and at least 1 shot at a championship.

Once the Spurs become actually good again, a dynasty might happen.

As for Presti, he lucked out on the SGA trade, but also targeted Jalen Williams and Chet in the draft, he knows what he's doing. His draft record is one of the best and he's probably hand cuffed by ownership to an extent on costs.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Some prescient Presti quotes:

"Our ultimate goal is to build a team that will inspire the same kind of joy, success, and togetherness that we have all experienced over our first 11 years. This will take time and involve hard choices. There will always be the temptation to take shortcuts, to look for quick fixes, and to reach out for instant gratification. There will no doubt be criticisms — much of which we could all recite in advance right now. It is the job of the organization to resist those shortcuts, accept that criticism, and keep us deeply committed. If you want an exceptional outcome, you must be willing to be the exception. Therefore, my singular goal as we transition our basketball team is to reposition and replenish the organization to allow for optimal future success." - 2019

“The most competitive thing to do, in my opinion, is to really try to do something great and build it from the ground up,” Presti said. “It's easy to burn the boats to get to the middle, but we're trying to avoid that. We can always do that.” - 2021

“We also have a lot of humility about the fact that this is a hard thing to do. It's one of the reasons why a lot of people try to avoid it. They don't like to do it because, at the end of the day, it's easier to talk about being competitive but not really trying to do the things that will get you to the top of the mountain, or at least figure out if you can.”

“The way I would look at this is if you think one day you want to buy a house,” Presti said. “You don't know where it's going to be, but you want to buy a house. You don't go out and buy the paint for it now. You'd rather wait to see where is the house? How much paint do I need? What color? “We need to know what the house looks like before we start thinking about the cosmetics, in my opinion.”

"When we do get back to the postseason, we want it to be an arrival and not an appearance." - 2021

All are applicable to the Raptors current situation.

Isn't that pretty funny considering they got upset in the playoffs last year, and then panic-spent in the off-season?

imo until you win, stfu about your methodology. No one needs a TED talk on just how smart and humble you are. 10 different teams have won titles since Presti started as a GM.

The bigger point is you don't want to be the Hawks or the Bulls, you'd rather be the Spurs.

The Hawks and Bulls will most likely have the better record this year than the Spurs but no one is going to care.

Coby White and to a lesser extent Trae Young can't be your best players if you actually want staying power and at least 1 shot at a championship.

Once the Spurs become actually good again, a dynasty might happen.

As for Presti, he lucked out on the SGA trade, but also targeted Jalen Williams and Chet in the draft, he knows what he's doing. His draft record is one of the best and he's probably hand cuffed by ownership to an extent on costs.

I truly don't know what's going to happen. If you told me in 2014 who the next 10 champions were going to be, I would not have answered Warriors, Cavs, Warriors, Warriors, Raptors, Lakers, Bucks, Warriors, Nuggets, Celtics.

[Vampirate]

Isn't that pretty funny considering they got upset in the playoffs last year, and then panic-spent in the off-season?

imo until you win, stfu about your methodology. No one needs a TED talk on just how smart and humble you are. 10 different teams have won titles since Presti started as a GM.

The bigger point is you don't want to be the Hawks or the Bulls, you'd rather be the Spurs.

The Hawks and Bulls will most likely have the better record this year than the Spurs but no one is going to care.

Coby White and to a lesser extent Trae Young can't be your best players if you actually want staying power and at least 1 shot at a championship.

Once the Spurs become actually good again, a dynasty might happen.

As for Presti, he lucked out on the SGA trade, but also targeted Jalen Williams and Chet in the draft, he knows what he's doing. His draft record is one of the best and he's probably hand cuffed by ownership to an extent on costs.

I truly don't know what's going to happen. If you told me in 2014 who the next 10 champions were going to be, I would not have answered Warriors, Cavs, Warriors, Warriors, Raptors, Lakers, Bucks, Warriors, Nuggets, Celtics.

One season you are Lebronto, the next Kawhi sinks a buzzer beater, the next everyone's sick of FVV and Masai lost his touch, the next he somehow has a good draft in a weak one.

Time sure flies in the NBA.

The scary part about OKC though is Presti has all the ammunition in the world to make a blockbuster trade if he deems so.

They are poised to be a championship contender at some point, when that is no one knows, but it's most likely bound to happen, if not this year than soon.

As for the Raptors, we were miserable the last few seasons with little hope and now, things don't seem so bad, though we still need some luck as do all teams.

[Raps in 4]

Some prescient Presti quotes:

"Our ultimate goal is to build a team that will inspire the same kind of joy, success, and togetherness that we have all experienced over our first 11 years. This will take time and involve hard choices. There will always be the temptation to take shortcuts, to look for quick fixes, and to reach out for instant gratification. There will no doubt be criticisms — much of which we could all recite in advance right now. It is the job of the organization to resist those shortcuts, accept that criticism, and keep us deeply committed. If you want an exceptional outcome, you must be willing to be the exception. Therefore, my singular goal as we transition our basketball team is to reposition and replenish the organization to allow for optimal future success." - 2019

“The most competitive thing to do, in my opinion, is to really try to do something great and build it from the ground up,” Presti said. “It's easy to burn the boats to get to the middle, but we're trying to avoid that. We can always do that.” - 2021

“We also have a lot of humility about the fact that this is a hard thing to do. It's one of the reasons why a lot of people try to avoid it. They don't like to do it because, at the end of the day, it's easier to talk about being competitive but not really trying to do the things that will get you to the top of the mountain, or at least figure out if you can.”

“The way I would look at this is if you think one day you want to buy a house,” Presti said. “You don't know where it's going to be, but you want to buy a house. You don't go out and buy the paint for it now. You'd rather wait to see where is the house? How much paint do I need? What color? “We need to know what the house looks like before we start thinking about the cosmetics, in my opinion.”

"When we do get back to the postseason, we want it to be an arrival and not an appearance." - 2021

All are applicable to the Raptors current situation.

Isn't that pretty funny considering they got upset in the playoffs last year, and then panic-spent in the off-season?

imo until you win, stfu about your methodology. No one needs a TED talk on just how smart and humble you are. 10 different teams have won titles since Presti started as a GM.

They didn't get upset. They have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. Their second and third best players were a rookie and a second year player. And their best player was 25.

Presti has now built two seperate and sustained contenders in the NBA's smallest market, in under 20 years. He has drafted or traded for four different MVPs/MVP-level players (SGA is almost a lock to win the award this year). He is the best GM in basketball.

[Pointgod]

Some prescient Presti quotes:

"Our ultimate goal is to build a team that will inspire the same kind of joy, success, and togetherness that we have all experienced over our first 11 years. This will take time and involve hard choices. There will always be the temptation to take shortcuts, to look for quick fixes, and to reach out for instant gratification. There will no doubt be criticisms — much of which we could all recite in advance right now. It is the job of the organization to resist those shortcuts, accept that criticism, and keep us deeply committed. If you want an exceptional outcome, you must be willing to be the exception. Therefore, my singular goal as we transition our basketball team is to reposition and replenish the organization to allow for optimal future success." - 2019

“The most competitive thing to do, in my opinion, is to really try to do something great and build it from the ground up,” Presti said. “It's easy to burn the boats to get to the middle, but we're trying to avoid that. We can always do that.” - 2021

“We also have a lot of humility about the fact that this is a hard thing to do. It's one of the reasons why a lot of people try to avoid it. They don't like to do it because, at the end of the day, it's easier to talk about being competitive but not really trying to do the things that will get you to the top of the mountain, or at least figure out if you can.”

“The way I would look at this is if you think one day you want to buy a house,” Presti said. “You don't know where it's going to be, but you want to buy a house. You don't go out and buy the paint for it now. You'd rather wait to see where is the house? How much paint do I need? What color? “We need to know what the house looks like before we start thinking about the cosmetics, in my opinion.”

"When we do get back to the postseason, we want it to be an arrival and not an appearance." - 2021

All are applicable to the Raptors current situation.

Isn't that pretty funny considering they got upset in the playoffs last year, and then panic-spent in the off-season?

imo until you win, stfu about your methodology. No one needs a TED talk on just how smart and humble you are. 10 different teams have won titles since Presti started as a GM.

You would characterize the youngest team (and still the youngest) in the NBA losing in the semis to the eventual finalists, after making the playoffs for the first time in 3 years, as an upset? That actually shows how high the expectations are of OKC now. Well deserved I guess.

That they panic spent to address their biggest need is certainly a take too.

Yeah it’s also not a panic spend to address the biggest weakness of your team in free agency when you have to spend a certain amount of the cap.

Presti has built a contender while two of the best players are still on their rookie contracts. And he has the assets to still bring in an allstar player without sacrificing any of the core.

[PhilBlackson]

Ace Bailey looking like the one.

If we got Ace, it’s a wrap! I’m dead serious when I say I believe we'd be a true championship contender by his 3rd year and I'd honestly be confident that we'd ring at some point.

Teams wouldn't be able to handle all the movement & shooting between him, Gradey & IQ with Scottie picking teams apart and I don't think some people even take into account how insanely good Ace could be if we're the ones developing him. If we somehow fluke into getting Ace Bailey it's gonna be up there with the Kawhi game 7 buzzer beater with how surreal of a moment it would be to me (assuming his shooting is real) lol

Who’s his NBA comp? What level of player can I expect him to be in year 3?

He's along the same prototype of Paul George/TMac.

If you recall both guys were quite raw coming into the league and had nowhere near the ballhandling (which is the knock on Ace as well) that they would come to have as they progressed through their careers. By year 3...I think his stats would be comparable to a year 5, PG around 22+ppg -- I'd actually think he'd be closer to 23-24ppg. This isn't Scottie, the kid is a FAR more natural scorer.

I think early on he'll look a bit like early PG who was more reliant on being used primarily to spot up shoot but shows flashes of what he'll add in time. But IF he's developed HERE, I think he'll end up more like TMac because he has far more of an alpha mentality/assertiveness and of course no one assumes massive injuries so with the added bounce AND length (may be an inch taller than both, a wingspan between each, higher than PG but not quite TMac).

I'm NOT saying he'd be EXACTLY like TMac, there are no exact clones, maybe he's more the "Ant to MJ " type of comparison (although his measurements are more comparable to Tracy than Ant is to MJ) where maybe he's not quite THAT but I think if we develop him, he could become as close as it gets. I think I'd actually be more excited if we end up with Ace than Cooper just because I love the style/type of player we could mold him into and I think him & Scottie would take the Raptors brand where ironically VC/TMac should have...

[GreatWhiteStiff]

Take away the SGA deal which was a product of luck and Presti has still done some good things. He drafted Chet, Jalen Williams. However, he whiffed on a few picks and traded the Sengun pick for essentially nothing. He also traded for Gordon Hayward as his big deadline addition to gear up for the playoffs. And we all know how that went.

Los if you want to go down that path, couldn't you argue the Kawhi deal was the product of luck as well? Be careful where you tread, friend-o, be careful indeed.

[Raps in 4]

Take away the SGA deal which was a product of luck and Presti has still done some good things. He drafted Chet, Jalen Williams. However, he whiffed on a few picks and traded the Sengun pick for essentially nothing. He also traded for Gordon Hayward as his big deadline addition to gear up for the playoffs. And we all know how that went.

Did you successfully predict in 2019 that SGA would become an MVP-level player?

And who cares if he made a few mistakes. Nobody is perfect. His resume is still better than anyone else's over the last two decades.

[CoinTossRoss31]

Sacramento game I feel confident they'll win.

1-6 puts us in great position to be a 5-20 after first 25

[GreatWhiteStiff]

Guys like Mitchell/Agbaji/Mogbo/Dick/Shed etc. exceeding their expectations as meh bench players could be the death knell for the tWo this year. Not to mention Chris Boucher. I mean if you expected more from some of those guys, good for you.

[Scase]

They were a losing team for a few years and capitalized on trading their franchise player away for the best possible young player on the market with a ton of draft picks that might actually net them another top pick in the future....They tanked for Chet, Drafted well with Williams with a high pick and like i said they have their "House" ....Even if they didn't have to lose to get Shai they had to trade their best player at the time and basically go from being a middle of the pack playoff team to starting over again...

Winning in the NBA takes time we all know this but you are fooling yourself if you don't look at what the OKC has done and give them their flowers....They have one of the best upsides as a team in the NBA imo....They will always be in the conversation to win the title with their best players being 26, 22, 23 years of age....Yeah you can say they have not won yet but they are all still babies in NBA terms and will have many chances to grow together and get a chip or two...

That’s not hard to give up on an aging, middling team after 4-5 years of early playoff exits. People got upset with Masai for waiting 1.5 years. Presti kept rolling out a Westbrook led team for FOUR years. Westbrook has played on the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers and Nuggets since leaving OKC. I don’t think people realize just how insane that Paul George deal really was. It was perhaps the best example in NBA history of being in the right place at the right time. If Kawhi didn’t choose to go to the Clippers then Presti is sitting on a Chet and Jalen Williams core which wouldn’t get anywhere in the brutal West.

Take away the SGA deal which was a product of luck and Presti has still done some good things. He drafted Chet, Jalen Williams. However, he whiffed on a few picks and traded the Sengun pick for essentially nothing. He also traded for Gordon Hayward as his big deadline addition to gear up for the playoffs. And we all know how that went.

You say that it was "Right place right time" But you can also say that about our own team when we traded for Kawhi that got us our only ring....If Kawhi wasn't injured, didn't demand a trade, Which was to the Lakers.... but Pop sent him to a different conference and didn't want to give Kawhi what he wanted.....We would not have a championship right now if it wasn't for "Luck" And "Right place right time"....

Thing is Presti took a gamble and it paid off for him big time....Shai at that time wasn't nearly where he is today....Lets not pretend here and act like anyone seen Shai being one of the best players in the league back in 2019-2020....He was a decent prospect but PG at that time was clearly the way better player....The draft picks were an insane get for OKC which might pay off for them and could net them another top 10 pick in the future...

Chet who Presti clearly tanked for is going to be special, Williams was a good hit on a 12th pick, While making a few mistakes here and there they are still going to be number 1 seeds prolly in back to back years in a really tough Western conference....For a team to be that good with your main guys being 26,22,23 years of age is impressive....Like i said he has his "House" In that core he has....Now he needs to get the cosmetics...Which is the easier part...

Right now for us we are still trying to build our house....Imo right now we are 1 high end draft pick away from that....If we have a core of lets say Flagg, Bailey or Edgecomb/Barnes/Dick/Quickley/Barrett thats a solid base to start with....Adding that big man + vets would be the cosmetics but having the base built is the goal for long term success..

It's always the same thing from the Masai fan boys, when Masai does something? Skill. Anyone else? Luck.

And for all the big brains saying "talk when you win something", I recall the NBA fandom collectively losing their minds when a certain little fat kid said "Everybody acting tough when they up". Presti has had an incredible winning record since becoming a GM....oh wait sorry past accomplishments only matter when it's Masai we're talking about!

[will]

Fire up the tank!

[will]

Still time for the win here up 9.