Pre offseason poll, are we ready to make a push or still need another season to develop?

[blind prophet]

Ok, I'll give you a week to decide, as we stand now a pretty straightforward scenario.

Are we ready to make a push towards the playoffs next season? Or should be hold on to prospects and develop one more year?

Consider Thompson & Landry, after next season their contracts are much easier to work with, should we really consider giving up anything net positive to move them?

Collsion will still be on a budget deal.

Rudy will have one season left, plus a player option.

Cousins will have two seasons left.


Thompson
$6,431,250 then either $6,825,000 or 2.65 guarantee

Landry
$6,750,000 $6,750,000

Cousins
$14,728,844 $15,756,438 $16,784,031

Rudy
$12,403,101 $13,333,333 $14,263,566(player option)

Collison
$5,013,559 $5,229,454


Obviously depending on where the pick falls it will influence this, but let's assume for now it lands at 7-8 range.

[teerfour+40LG]

We're devoid fitting talent. It's going to be very hard for us to fill every hole in one offseason, but we have to.

[bleeds_purple]

Chose "I'm not sure, but always open for a good deal."

In the end we should be open to anything, so long as it upgrades our talent. That being said I don't think we have very much to develop. We're not a particularly young team and most of our guys are ostensibly in their prime.

Realistically we need another impact player (preferably a big) to have as our third guy along with Cousins and Gay. This guy should be a defensive player. The ideal piece (not that we could get him) would be Ibaka.

[SacKingZZZ]

We're devoid fitting talent. It's going to be very hard for us to fill every hole in one offseason, but we have to.

The first and last option kind of go hand in hand.

It's not really that bad but bad enough to make it not work. Honestly, this team shouldn't be as bad as a shooting team as it is. My concern going forward has more to do with identity and style. I still don't see a coach making proper use of the consistent doubles the teams two most talented players see on a nightly basis. I mean, seriously, it's getting borderline ridiculous.

Anyway, this team needs a stretch 4, no doubt. Or at least more athletic ability at PF. There are options this summer. Pete's fav Josh Smith will hopefully be attainable on a fair deal. It also would have been nice to have traded for Ilyasova. Dudes playing again and has had a "miraculous" resurgence too putting up 15 and 7 in 30 mpg while shooting 40% from 3. Gee, who would have thunk it!? He would have been perfect for this team.

If Ben can improve, and they finally get someone that can do what this team needs at PF then this team can easily turn into a serious threat. I don't see sitting on the team as is, hoping for a good training program in the summer, and wishing for a decent draft pick as option A. So that means that's probably the plan. It's obviously part of it though.

[blind prophet]

I'm really not sure where I stand right now.

I'm leaning towards development though for a few reasons.

I think I got a decent idea on the value of some potential targets to their franchises like Lawson for example. I think we'd have to pay too much for the return.

I'm not certain even with a real good move or two costing us some youth we will be in position to really make much noise next season.

The more I think about it, taking another season may be the best call.

This is what I'm going to be thinking about evaluating what we have, seeing how the fellas respond to Karl.

I've been trying to figure out ways to help us make the next leap, all seem to be a tough pill to swallow with assets going out.

We've got a lot of holes.

[KF10]

The starting unit plays well when they are healthy and are locked in but the play level drops off significantly when we start subbing players off and bringing in the reserves.

The problem is we do not have the depth to hold leads or keep the game in reach before the starters come back in their second stint. Sure, the bench is doing better under Karl but I feel we need a massive overhaul/upgrade of the bench.

Also there is an obvious hole at PF too. Thompson/Landry isn't going to cut it.

I go for option 4.

We should take advantage of Cousins' prime years RIGHT NOW. I hope we see an overhaul this off season.

[Wolfay]

Cousins is already becoming a problem. His body language is just terrible and is slow to move to get up the court at times. If he continues to be a problem, we may have to look into an entirely different option, and I think y'all know what I'm talking about.

And at Josh Smith again. A month of decent play reverses a 10 year career of malcontent chucking? We'll see if he keeps it up.

[SacKingZZZ]

But I thought Smith was entirely incapable of good play and he just "sucked"?

Oh wait a minute....

As for Cousins, I'm not sure what to think right now. The whole team has been up and down but I can certainly see some of the ways Cousins could be frustrated previous to the Magic game of course. He's been used in many of the ways that make the game frustrating for him. Less ball handling and post play, more pick and roll and off the ball play. I'll trust in Karl that he's still feeling things out. His history shows a willingness to play to his strongest points and this offense Walberg is putting in doesn't scream strongest point to me unless Cousins and Gay are initiating the offense like they did in the NY game.

[blind prophet]

Yeah I voted develop for next season.

I just do not think we have what it will take to do much next season, rather develop Ben, Nik, the pick, Ray...and work on the culture more with Karl before dumping any assets.

But maybe they'll show me something by the end of this season I don't see now.

[Kings2013]

Im a believer in Cousins,Gay,Collison and McLemore and what they were statistically doing prior to Corbin. I don't think we're that far off. I think we'd be winning some of these games now with DC. Omri has been solid. I think we only need a few more players and a overall better bench and I think we may have the flexibility and assets to get it done.

[teerfour+40LG]

Im a believer in Cousins,Gay,Collison and McLemore and what they were statistically doing prior to Corbin. I don't think we're that far off. I think we'd be winning some of these games now with DC. Omri has been solid. I think we only need a few more players and a overall better bench and I think we may have the flexibility and assets to get it done.

Lol.

Leaving Jason Thompson out and including McLemore makes me mad.

[SacKingZZZ]

Im a believer in Cousins,Gay,Collison and McLemore and what they were statistically doing prior to Corbin. I don't think we're that far off. I think we'd be winning some of these games now with DC. Omri has been solid. I think we only need a few more players and a overall better bench and I think we may have the flexibility and assets to get it done.

Lol.

Leaving Jason Thompson out and including McLemore makes me mad.

What? Leaving Jason Thompson out and including McLemore makes a GM a good one.

[Kings2013]

I hope we get out of the lottery soon though, because it plays with your mind not being able to authentically cheer 100% for your team to win a game down the stretch of the season with the whole draft incentive thing constantly looming.

[Kings2013]

Im a believer in Cousins,Gay,Collison and McLemore and what they were statistically doing prior to Corbin. I don't think we're that far off. I think we'd be winning some of these games now with DC. Omri has been solid. I think we only need a few more players and a overall better bench and I think we may have the flexibility and assets to get it done.

Lol.

Leaving Jason Thompson out and including McLemore makes me mad.

I might have responded differently to this a few days ago, but it's correct that Bens future is back to in limbo and insecure following that quality stretch at the beginning of the season.

[blind prophet]

I'm curious if we all will be close to an agreement in the off season on what to do.