316Hornets wrote:I'll take some heat for Cho too. I was 100% on board with Batum after missing out on Hayward. The prospects looked so gloomy at the time and it didn't seem like we could get any strong starters to pair beside Kemba. I'm still unsure if we can get more stars here. It's the small market curse.
It’s not the small market. It’s the small market-thinking. More than a few teams have drafted and traded for players that were considered afterthoughts in order to build a contender.
Think about the Warriors. Both Steph and Klay were late lottery picks that were passed over for. Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio, and Jonny Flynn were drafted before Steph. Of course we know Draymond was a 2nd rounder. The Warriors were smart enough to bench former All-Star David Lee because the team played better with Draymond on the floor. That’s just one of a few adjustments they made like convincing former All-Star Iguodala that he’d better service the team off the bench as a versatile player that can spell multiple positions.
Then think about the Bucks. Giannis was drafted just outside of the lottery in the middle of the 1st round and Middleton is a 2nd round draft pick that they traded for from the Pistons. Middleton was considered to be a afterthought in that trade as it was moreso a swap of Brandon Jennings for Brandon Knight.
Good teams make the necessary adjustments and put the players in the best position to succeed. That’s where we’ve failed particularly in the Clifford era while I argued against most if not all of it throughout the tenure. Lamb should’ve been starting at least 2 seasons ago and Batum might’ve benefited from coming off the bench a la Iguodala. That’s without mentioning that Batum never should’ve been playing SG in the first place which was something I argued against from the beginning.
Small markets have been thriving in the NBA while alleged big market teams like the Lakers and Knicks have struggled.
They will wage war against the Lamb but the Lamb will triumph them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings - and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." Revelation 17:14 (NIV)