LloydFree wrote:Ericb5 wrote:LloydFree wrote:For me,
It's not that he's a bad player. He's a good player. It's that it was a stupid trade for a player that isn't better than a number of the guys taken after him. If they traded up to get an other-worldly talent like Simmons or Embiid that's understandable. But Fultz isn't that kind of talent.
Because of the trade-up, he'll be judged against the guys who went behind him and the top 5 pick next year, that they they gave away. It was dumb move, to get what... the next CJ McCollum?
I agree, but as long as Fultz is a star, it's a good trade, even if Tatum/Jackson plus the player drafted with the pick we gave the Celtics also turn into stars. We would lose the trade on points, but win it in the sense that we maximized fit and got a guard that we needed that wasn't otherwise available.
We only need him to be a third banana after all.
Basically the math can work now that we are beyond the asset acquisition phase of the rebuild. Before we had our first star it would have been a bad trade.
The trade can only be judged as good if Fultz is a star. Judging this trade as good because of perceived fit is faulty, especially at the stage the 76ers are right now. We don't know who fits with what, because they haven't been on the court. In order to argue an overpay was good because of how someone fits with Embiid and Simmons you have to assume health. If one of those players get hurt again, then you've over-payed for an inferior talent and there is nothing to 'fit'. Fultz's value is his own talent and upside, not his perceived fit with players we've never seen play together.
Embiid goes down again, now we're building around Simmons and Fultz. Thats it. Fultz then has to be a star in his own right. We traded away the future assets that could have help mitigate some future issues. The value of the trade shouldn't have to be reassessed based on whether we have Embiid or Simmons to carry Fultz along as a 3rd banana. Being a 3rd banana isn't enough to justify the trade. You give away two top 3 picks, the player you get should be an All-star in his own right.
I agree with you for the most part, I expect Fultz to be an All-Star in his own right, and if he's not then he is a disappointment. Anything less from a first overall pick should be disappointing, especially if someone behind him gets to that level. Fit does matter though, and it does have worth, but in the end we also need him to show his talent.
We need both talent and fit. I sincerely hope Fultz doesn't think he is a 3rd banana, I think they should all be superstars that just happen to fit together cause they play totally different positions/roles. We need him to make Embiid and Simmons jobs easier, not to just be dragged along with them.
If we want a ring, we should be pushing for all 3 to be superstars.