Xatticus wrote:
I'm not going to presume to know Hennigan's intentions for this upcoming summer, but given the Harris trade, he must have something planned. I like Hennigan and have since he was hired, but he no longer inspires an unerring confidence in his abilities. He has made a number of head-scratching decisions in his time here (the Harris trade being the most recent), especially in free agency. I can't speak to the veracity of particular reports from the media, but when I hear about an offer of Gordon/Vucevic for what might amount to a year of Blake Griffin, I get concerned that Hennigan's "organic" rhetoric is getting tiresome within the organization.
As for the timeline, it might echo some general form of a development through the rebuilding process, but roster construction is iterative and I believe it is better approached at the micro level. There are some fundamental economic principles that should govern every decision. I don't believe you should ever cease in the talent acquisition or developmental processes, and you should always endeavor to eliminate the waste of resources.
No player is a positive asset if they aren't worth the terms of their contract. If we are going to offer a max contract to a player whose value exceeds the limitations of their maximum salary, that is fantastic. If we are going to offer a max contract to lure a player who wouldn't otherwise receive such an offer, that is problematic. The latter is the process by which an albatross contract is created.
Its certainly possible that after four years the front office is starting to get antsy. It should be common knowledge for a front office to know how long it takes to accomplish a ground up rebuild; but you never know. Even knowing, patience being scarcer would hardly be a surprise, its just human nature.
The team is no longer sacrificing wins for the acquisition of high draft picks or to give playing time to its youth. But that doesn't mean they'll stop developing their players in the offseason and practices; and it also doesn't mean they stopped trying to acquire talent. Quite the opposite.
Hennigan just sacrificed one player to give himself the opportunity to add better talent more compatible with the roster. He also purchased a D-League team and has assembled very well respected scouting team invested in analytics and international research; all part of a sustainable system to keep adding and developing talent long term.
As long as Rob Hennigan stays clear of older players (+30) or players with injury history, I don't see a problem. The money will be spent regardless. We are not talking about the Magic going into luxury tax, but rather hitting the salary cap line.
Gordon, Hezonja and Payton's contracts won't come into play until after the third year of any new contract signed this offseason.
