Which team has done the best job of rebuilding so far

[Heat_team02]

I like what the Heat are doing. They're saying screw the draft our draft is in the D-League with developing talent.

3 D-League players are on the roster & 1 from China Basketball.

[fishfuego.]

I say Miami.

You lose the best player in the World, are left with not much time in free agency due to such player keeping the front office hostage by hoping no FA would be available by the time his announcement of departure was made, and having arguably the best GM in the business that makes instinctive moves regardless of situations, including getting key players to compensate for the loss, trades and player acquisitions outside the league that filled the most important holes on the team.

People were saying that the Heat was Lebron and a bunch has been- never were, incapable of winning without him, so this plays right into the excellent job done by the team to rebuild on the fly, not just for the present but for the future.

Rebuilding has no time table, and the Heat has done an instant job.

[SlobbaN]

Bucks, rebuilding on the go. I don't like tanking and being irrelevant for years in order to have a chance to be good in the future.

[510TWSS]

I like the Jazz core going forward. They get another scoring threat from the perimeter and they can turn that average offense into an above average one. Pair that with their impressive defense and they could be a force in a year, maybe two.

They don't necessarily even need to look outside the org. For that guy if Burks, Burke or Exum can develop into that kind of scorer. Or if they make a package they might get something nice.

Favors, Hayward and Gobert are my core for now.

[Leslie Forman]

Other than Gobert I don't see what's so good about the Jazz roster. Gobert alone gives it a high defensive ceiling but I don't think anybody on that team has a very high offensive ceiling. You're not winning a title with Gordon Hayward as your first option.

[Yoshun]

Not really sure how the Heat qualify. They didn't really rebuild. They still had Wade and Bosh.

For me probably the Bucks. Though I think most of these teams are going to be good in a few years. The Bucks are already a playoff team.

The Jazz, Sixers, Pelicans, and Magic are honorable mention here.

[jbk1234]

Philly and it's not close.

Don't they have to win at least 30 games with players they have before you say that?

[R-DAWG]

I say Miami.

You lose the best player in the World, are left with not much time in free agency due to such player keeping the front office hostage by hoping no FA would be available by the time his announcement of departure was made, and having arguably the best GM in the business that makes instinctive moves regardless of situations, including getting key players to compensate for the loss, trades and player acquisitions outside the league that filled the most important holes on the team.

People were saying that the Heat was Lebron and a bunch has been- never were, incapable of winning without him, so this plays right into the excellent job done by the team to rebuild on the fly, not just for the present but for the future.

Rebuilding has no time table, and the Heat has done an instant job.

But did the Heat rebuild or retool? 6 of their 9 rotation players returned. What Miami has done is brought in a top 5 pick level talent in Hasshan Whiteside and look to have struck gold there. I give them credit for the Dragic trade - I hate trading unprotected future picks and I don't think Miami can even offer to trade a future 1st rd pick for the next 2 years. But when you have a chance to add Dragic to this core you have to do it. But the Heat are not a rebuilding team, they replaced Lebron James, Shane Battier, Ray Allen and Norris Cole with Luol Deng, Hasshan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, Shabbaz Napier, Henry Walker and Josh McRoberts. The team has struggled with injuries all season but if they get both Bosh and McRoberts back healthy in September and use the mid level exception to add a 3 and D wing they can be a top 2 seed in the East next year and make a real run at another championship.

But the core of the team - Bosh, Wade, UD, Chalmers, Birdman - was already in place.

[kodo]

How is this not the Cavaliers.

Last 4 seasons they won 33, 24, 21, 19 games.
They traded two #1 picks for Love.
Without Love, I doubt Lebron risks going to Cleveland over staying in MIA.

Even after acquiring Love they have just enough assets to finalize the team with NY's SGs & get Mozgov to propel CLE to contender status.

Amazing rebuild.

[jazzfan1971]

I feel like we need to break this into two parts. Who has done the best job in the West, and who has done the best job in the East. When you lump the two together it makes the Eastern teams look like they've done a better job amassing wins/being playoff ready than the Western teams.

For instance, it would be significantly more impressive for the Jazz to make the playoffs next season than for the (any of those teams you had on the poll in the East).

So, for the West I'd put it

Jazz
Wolves
Pels
Suns
Kings

And for the East I'd go

76ers
Bucks
Orlando
Celtics

[HawaiianJazzFan]

Other than Gobert I don't see what's so good about the Jazz roster. Gobert alone gives it a high defensive ceiling but I don't think anybody on that team has a very high offensive ceiling. You're not winning a title with Gordon Hayward as your first option.

You must not be familiar with Derrick Favors. Derrick Favors is only 23 years old, he has been the 5th best rim protector, and has been in the top 10 in PER almost the entire season. He has added a pretty sweet jump shot to his low post game this year, which has made him one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. He's also a pretty decent passer, and since starting next to Gobert at PF (a position he is clearly better at) he has played even better offensively. The Jazz are actually the only team in the NBA to have a player that is top 5 in PER for the season at all 3 of their front court positions and those players are 24, 23, and 22. Our 2nd best offensive player (Burks) has also been injured all season, we are also very high on Rodney Hood, who will be our best shooter and who has played well as a starter.

[HawaiianJazzFan]

Other than the Jazz because I am obviously biased, my vote would be for the sixers or the Bucks. The sixers are kind of an unknown because they have a lot of potential with Saric and Embiid, but you won't really know how everything will fit together until they actually start playing. I do really like Noel, and IMO I think it is much more effective to build around a great defense, which Noel could anchor.

[woosah]

Wow Jazz running away with this. It will be interesting to see the results after another off-season of moves (because you know someone will ask again lol).

[Leslie Forman]

You must not be familiar with Derrick Favors. Derrick Favors is only 23 years old, he has been the 5th best rim protector, and has been in the top 10 in PER almost the entire season. He has added a pretty sweet jump shot to his low post game this year, which has made him one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. He's also a pretty decent passer, and since starting next to Gobert at PF (a position he is clearly better at) he has played even better offensively. The Jazz are actually the only team in the NBA to have a player that is top 5 in PER for the season at all 3 of their front court positions and those players are 24, 23, and 22. Our 2nd best offensive player (Burks) has also been injured all season, we are also very high on Rodney Hood, who will be our best shooter and who has played well as a starter.

He's been in the league for five years now. If he was going to be a first option type of scorer, he'd have looked like it by now.

I suppose they're going for the Atlanta route and hoping having a few good scorers is enough to overcome not having a great one, but historically that rarely works out.

[username_taken]

Here are my thoughts on each team listed:

Sixers: I really think Hinkie's plan is going to work. Noel looks quite promising defensively (possibly an understatement), Embiid is an unknown but looks to have substantial upside, then they've got some other guys that can stick like Covington and Grant. With all the draft picks they've obtained and what they've already drafted, they seem to have a nice basis of guys with considerable potential and glue guys.

Magic: This team has a ton of talent on it, no denying that. Payton, Vucevic, Harris, Oladipo are all young players that look pretty good. Aaron Gordon has a lot of physical tools and could very well put it together. However, I'm not entirely sure that I like how their talent fits together, and I think some moves would need to be made to put all the puzzle pieces together. They also have that Channing Frye contract that I have hated since day one. All in all, they do have some good assets (including that future LAL pick) but they may need to shuffle the deck some more.

Celtics: Ah, my beloved Celtics. They have hoarded plenty of draft picks, and will have quite a few draft selections to use or trade if a superstar becomes available. They have a guy who looks to be a great coach in Brad Stevens, and have plenty of assets for the future. The future however, is not in the modern day roster. They have a nice group of role players and solid starters, but only one person who arguably has star potential, in Marcus Smart. They are doing well with the limited talent they have right now, but have nowhere near as many proven young assets as some of the other teams listed. Sullinger and Bradley are fine players as well, but they won't be one of your top players on an elite team. Overall, the future is bright, but there may be some more waiting for superstars to come to Boston than for other teams, unless Ainge can swing a big move.

Bucks: The Bucks look to be in a good position. They have some nice veterans that can produce on their bench, and multiple players with star potential. Antetokounmpo is a freak of nature, and when he puts it all together, the sky is the limit. Parker looked quite good before he unfortunately tore his ACL. Middleton has been tearing it up this season and will likely get paid big bucks in RFA. Jason Kidd seems to be a good coach as well. I'm not very high on guys like MCW and Ennis, but Milwaukee has a resemblance of a future championship core on their roster. Time will tell.

Jazz: Gah, I'll admit it, I'm jealous of the Utah Jazz. They have a good amount of future picks coming in, and a whole starting lineup full of young talent. Exum started sort of slow but is catching on, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and he's certainly an improvement over Trey Burke. Hayward is a nice scorer that is versatile, and could be the 2nd or 3rd go to guy on a good team. Favors has locked in defensively and has been having a very nice season, showing why he was taken 3rd overall a few years ago. Gobert has been a total monster, especially since Kanter was shipped out, looking like one of the best rim protectors in the league. Add one more star in FA or trade for one with their plentiful assets, the Jazz are on the fast track to success.

Pelicans: Anthony freakin' Davis. A guy who just turned 22 and looks like one of the best players in the league. Score down low, play defense, you name it, Anthony can do it. The Brow has the makings of a future HOF at the rate his career is going. However, don't let him entirely distract you from the realities of the Pelicans rebuild that started post-CP3. Asik is a nice rim protector, but I didn't see the need to send out your 1st rounder this year (likely to be conveyed, at least) for a player on an expiring contract, albeit a good one. Jrue Holiday is a fine young player, but what they dealt for him doesn't match the results he's given them with two injury plagued seasons. I'm not a Tyreke Evans or Ryan Anderson guy either. Their frontcourt is real good, but their front office and staff rank towards the bottom of the league. Dell Demps and Monty Williams need to go, and we'll see where Davis can take them.

Kings: At least it certainly has gotten better after the Maloof brothers left town. DeMarcus Cousins has been a phenomenal young big man for a while now, but that still hasn't gotten them anywhere. McLemore has made strides in his sophomore season, as an athletic young SG that is knocking down significantly more shots than his rookie season. However, the Nik Stauskas pick was puzzling, as it didn't make sense BPA wise, or fit-wise. Darren Collison is a nice PG, above average for sure, but not a top player by any means. They definitely need a PF upgrade, perhaps get one through the draft to put next to Boogie. Unfortunately, Sac-Town will eventually need to convey their 1st rounder to Chicago, and they don't really have any draft picks coming in to them. Overall, they have some good talent, I liked the George Karl hire, but this team still has a long way to go.

Suns: I'm mixed here. Eric Bledsoe and Alex Len look like they will be good players for the long term. Jeff Hornacek is a solid coach, and Ainge's pal Ryan McDonough has done a solid job running the FO. However, I HATED the Brandon Knight move for them, and felt that sacrificing the Lakers pick and Isaiah Thomas and getting back Brandon Knight wasn't really that big of a step forward, especially considering Knight's impending RFA, where I strongly believe he will be heavily overpaid by some poor GM. I did like the Dragic move for them though, as those Miami picks could be good down the line. The Morris twins are nice players, especially Markieff, but like Jared Sullinger, he won't be one of your top guys on a championship contender. I like some of the pieces they have, but I'm not sure how it will all go for them, especially while being in the Western Conference.

All in all, I'd probably rate Utah and Milwaukee as the top two rebuilds thus far, as they both have multiple players with legit star potential, and are doing pretty decently already. Hope you enjoyed my little writeup.

[Froob]

I feel like we need to break this into two parts. Who has done the best job in the West, and who has done the best job in the East. When you lump the two together it makes the Eastern teams look like they've done a better job amassing wins/being playoff ready than the Western teams.

For instance, it would be significantly more impressive for the Jazz to make the playoffs next season than for the (any of those teams you had on the poll in the East).

So, for the West I'd put it

Jazz
Wolves
Pels
Suns
Kings

And for the East I'd go

76ers
Bucks
Orlando
Celtics

How is Orlando above Boston? I don't think we can really grade 76ers before Hinkie's plan is in action but really Orlando? Not saying they have a bad future by any means but C's have tons of draft picks and are already a playoff team. Magic don't even have a good coach yet.

[Doctor MJ]

How in the world is Minnesota not on this list?

Because Flip has literally done nothing significant that you or I wouldn't have done. Minny's looking up because they got Wiggins, and they got Wiggins because Cleveland had him and felt they needed Love...who Flip had access to because of a smart draft 2 regimes ago.

Every single one of us would have made that trade, so there's no sense being impressed that a professional did it too.

[Doctor MJ]

Other than Gobert I don't see what's so good about the Jazz roster. Gobert alone gives it a high defensive ceiling but I don't think anybody on that team has a very high offensive ceiling. You're not winning a title with Gordon Hayward as your first option.

Fundamentally you have to remember to grade on a curve based on the opportunity the team has actually had. Minnesota should get no credit for Wiggins just as NO should get no credit for Davis. Those were obvious moves if you lucked into being in the situation where you had the opportunity to acquire them.

By contrast, any time you can draft at the 9th spot and get a player who turns into someone as good as Hayward, you done good.

It's worth noting of course that there's luck involved in the draft and that might be the dominant factor here when all is said & done, but the reality is that the Jazz really haven't had any draft picks where there was a sure thing available to them, and so if they end up a contender, you have to look at that as doing very well.

[Doctor MJ]

I voted Jazz. I worry a bit that I'm blinded by Gobert at the moment but I've been quietly impressed with the Jazz for a while now.

As with most situations where I'm actually impressed, the Jazz did something I wouldn't have advised them to do: Cut ties with Deron Williams. I didn't expect the team to win titles with Deron, but a small market like the Jazz has to be content with merely being very good most of the time. Based only what I saw as a fan, I'd have tried to ride the Deron train through another big time contract before doing the dreaded rebuild.

The Jazz on the other hand seem to have sensed that Deron wasn't as good as he looked, and that he likely wouldn't age well, and they moved without hesitation on to the next thing despite the fact that would mean suffering for a few years even if they got it right. They then proceeded to draft well - and that's the most important part, but also the part most down to luck - so this is why I say I don't just want to give them the nod for Gobert. But what we can say at least is that theme Jazz knew when it was time to start over, they did so without any drama, and when the time came to actually decide on pieces for their roster, they seemed to know what they were doing. Very impressive.

didnt deron basically say he was going to resign with brooklyn so trade me ??

No the trade came out of nowhere.

Exactly. It was a total shock. The Melo debacle had been in the headlines for basically forever at that point, and then boom, Deron gets traded to one of the teams hoping to get Melo. The Jazz basically used the context of the league to not simply sell high on Deron based on his peak, but based on when teams were already looking to make a deal for a new franchise player.

At the time, as I said, it wasn't a clear cut win in the eyes of most because there didn't seem to be any need to get rid of Deron. But in retrospect it looks quite sharp indeed.

[Financials]

didnt deron basically say he was going to resign with brooklyn so trade me ??

No the trade came out of nowhere.

Exactly. It was a total shock. The Melo debacle had been in the headlines for basically forever at that point, and then boom, Deron gets traded to one of the teams hoping to get Melo. The Jazz basically used the context of the league to not simply sell high on Deron based on his peak, but based on when teams were already looking to make a deal for a new franchise player.

At the time, as I said, it wasn't a clear cut win in the eyes of most because there didn't seem to be any need to get rid of Deron. But in retrospect it looks quite sharp indeed.

oh, i thought it was the whole - sloan or me crap, and it all went downhill from there. i thought that sloan left on his own terms and the org felt a ways about deron and vice versa after that episode. i was wrong!